Chapter 3
[William Pew]
It was safe to say that traveling by giant wasn't one of his favorite things in the world.
At least when he'd been transported around by ship or escorted to his cell, he'd had his feet on the ground – or boat, he supposed – and that offered a measure of comfort. He knew where he stood, in a way, and that made things better, if not precisely good. When he couldn't see where he was and sound didn't offer answers, the simple feeling of having his feet under him was a very nice thing.
At that moment, William had none of that. Instead, he was being carried by the giant in his arms – presumably, at least – and he had no way of knowing where they were. The steps of their carrier didn't offer much in the shape of measuring ideas either. He had no way of knowing where they were, how they were, what was happening.
The rest of the people with them remained silent, for the most part, occasionally making a useless comment on how they were free, they'd gotten away and so on. Not that he could blame them, but William would have really appreciated someone saying "hey, look at that thing that we just passed by" or "huh, no one is chasing us". Just anything that gave him some idea of his surroundings and what was going on.
Alas, he was blind, literally and figuratively.
Which sucked.
"Where are we going?" one of his fellow newly freed men asked. It was a very valid question, William supposed. Nobody answered, however. There was a long moment of complete silence even as the giant continued running with them in his arms.
"Ah, you see, mi amigo," the distinctive voice of Antonio answered from somewhere to William's right. "We are going towards freedom. I can smell it ever closer to us, like the smell of beautiful flowers blooming under the warming sun of sprin-"
"Yes, but, where are we going?" another of the prisoners asked, interrupting the mink.
"A-ah, you see, that is a very good question that I- Uh… Where are we going exactly, Señor Giant?" Antonio asked finally after an awkward pause.
"I just wanted to get away," the giant said.
"You mean you don't know?" the same prison- ex-prisoner asked incredulously.
"Set us down!" another exclaimed.
"And do what?! Get caught again!"
"They don't know where we are going!"
"The docks," William said and somehow everyone shut up as he did. "Go to the docks. We have to get away from here."
"Good point, caballero," Antonio exclaimed again after a second. "We should seize the chance while we can. Our enemies are in disarray, we should strike before they can reorganize!"
The giant shifted his pathing a bit, so William guessed he could see the docks or somehow knew where they were. That was good, because if someone asked him for directions, he was liable to try and shoot them. Maybe he'd fail, but he was sure that would get the point across anyway.
"What Grove should we go towards?" he heard Antonio once again, this time, coming from above him. He gathered that he must have jumped on top of the Giant's shoulder or something.
"Log Poses point to Fishman Island at this point, so we need an Eternal Pose to go somewhere else," William reasoned, his mind working to find a way around that. One that didn't see them dead, preferably. "Celestial Dragons aren't the only nobles that come here for a break though. There must be a few of those around right now and they need Eternal Poses to get back to wherever they came from. Barring that, a rich enough looking pirate ship could do the trick."
"What do we do after that?" he heard someone ask, fear in their voice. A woman this time, he noticed. "Even if we manage to get a ship, these seas are close to the Red Line. Navigating through the climate shifts will kill us!"
"As opposed to staying here and getting caught?" William shot back with a wry smile tugging at his lips.
"We will die!" the same woman exclaimed in distress. He could almost taste the panic in her voice. "M-Maybe we should go back, i-if we explain everything to the marines maybe they will protect us!"
"By all means, go back. I'm not going though, I can tell you that. The Marines were the ones that got me there," William growled, tilting his head towards whoever it was that was speaking as best he could. He wished he still had his eyes so he could glare at whoever it was.
And see, of course, but that went without saying.
He heard the woman whimper, her voice going from almost hysterical screaming to barely erratic whispers. She lamented herself, muttering how she didn't deserve this, that she was just a maid. William idly wondered how she'd ended up a sla- almost a slave, but that didn't matter at the moment.
They had more important stuff to deal with.
"Dat stil' 'eaves the 'avigation i'ue" a very strange voice sounded right next to him. Honestly, it sounded like they were trying to speak without using their tongue or something.
"Fear not, my fellow free man," Antonio said from his perch on top of the giant's shoulder. "I might not be the best there is in the Grand Line, but I will let you know that I am quite adept at navigating through turbulent waters myself. If we have enough manpower, I reckon I can command any ship. Why, I still remember the time when I first took sail, I-"
"Should I look for any particular ship?" the giant cut off the mink. At this point, William was starting to see a pattern in regards to Antonio, but it wasn't the moment to ponder on that.
"Look for something with gold," William said, frowning as he tried to figure out how to best tell a potential target from a random ship. Or, at least, a way for the others to tell that much. No matter how good Antonio was as a navigator, he would get nowhere if he didn't know where to go, especially in the Grand Line. "Nobles love that shit. Something ostentatious with lots of flare. They are show-offs."
"LIKE THAT ONE OVER THERE, BOSS?!" one of the other slaves exclaimed at the top of his lungs. This was one of the other fighters, he reckoned. If for no other reason than because he had heard his shouts all over the battlefield before. Now if he could give him directions instead of just pointing when he just couldn't see, that would be appreciated.
'Wait, boss?' William wondered. 'No, wait, how does he expect me to know the answer to that?' he asked himself. The hand that held his gun twitched.
"Uh, I am sorry gentleman. I don't think the caballero can see where you are pointing at…" Antonio said.
"OH NO! I AM SORRY BOSS! LET ME HELP YOU!" the very loud man shouted, and for a second he wondered how he was going to help, just before having his face grabbed and directed in a random direction somewhere on his left. "THAT ONE!" The man- No, that was too generous. The imbecile said. As if that had helped at all.
"Can someone please tell me what this boat looks like before I shoot this idiot?" William asked, trying and probably failing to keep his calm. To be fair, he thought it was warranted, considering he had to think for a group of panicking people while starved, weak, and fucking blind.
"Sounds about right, caballero. Lots of gold and some guards loading goods in it. Seems like we have a match," Antonio answered he sounded slightly conflicted. "There might be a problem… with getting to it, however."
"Hmm, it is in another Grove," the rumbling voice of the giant boomed. "No straight pass that I can see to reach it. We will have to cross at least two more Groves for it and I can't guarantee we will get there before it sets sail…"
William frowned.
"Do we have good fighters?" he asked before quickly continuing. "Besides Antonio," he added, because if the guy could cover for his blind ass, then he had to be good enough for what he had in mind… if he wasn't too tired. A scream and a low hmm, were his answers coming from a certain idiot and the giant. Besides that, only a few more weak and reluctant yes was all he got. "We need Mr. Giant to throw the best fighters there and buy us time, just saying," William added dryly.
He expected a resounding no as an answer, so his mind was already working on some other plan. If they didn't have time though, that was a bit of a tough decision. How did he stop a ship from sailing from afar if he didn't have something to shoot at it with? His meager gun wasn't gonna do anything and he was fairly sure none of the other ex-prisoners had ranged guns.
Maybe if there was something else nearby that the giant could throw? That ran the risk of making the ship sail faster though. Or worse, damaging it.
So, what else could they-?
"Roarararara~! I like that plan, caballero!" Antonio answered jovially like he had told him Christmas was coming early. 'Wait, he does?' William wondered, and if his eyes were fine, they'd have widened. "Let me at them! I will not let that ship sail, I swear to this oath on my honor as a Musketeer of Zou!"
"YES! ME AND THE KITTY-BOSS TOGETHER CAN'T LOSE! THROW ME! DO IT!" William was kind of happy that the guy offered to go. He was entirely too loud, especially for his now more sensitive ears. 'Please, go away, Mr. Loud.'
"Kitty?! Why you scoundrel I will show you a kitty, I will claw your-" Whatever he was going to claw, William wouldn't know, since the giant shifted and he guessed they were thrown… Together with other people, if the increasingly distant screaming was any indication.
'Huh, they actually went for it,' he thought to himself, more than a little confused. That was a lot of trust in a really mad plan they had placed. Then again, William supposed they were desperate enough for it… or weird enough for it, in Antonio's case.
"What are you waiting for, Mr. Giant," William asked then, patting the closest skin surface he could. A forearm, he was guessing "We need to give assistance… And please don't break the ship. We kind of need it."
"You got it, boss."
'Why is everyone calling me boss now?' he wondered as the giant started running once more.
[}-o-{]
[Oleg Von Lichnowsky]
"Hurry! Put everything on board and let's get out of here!" Oleg screamed in impatience and fear. Who would have predicted that everything would end this badly?!
He had originally come to Sabaody to indulge himself in some well-earned vacations. Enjoy the festivities, see the sights, and maybe buy a slave or two, that was the plan. Of course, he would never admit that much to anyone. Enforced Voluntary Workers was a much more palatable name for them anyway.
Things were going perfectly fine at the beginning. He already had his eyes on the rather beautiful dancer girl he saw at the exhibit. If he was lucky, he would have gotten her for himself and enjoyed her quite thoroughly. At least as long as his wife didn't find out.
Things were going great, after a long trip from Roschette Kingdom, this period of relaxation was just what he needed. Fortune was smiling upon them and Oleg couldn't have been happier. Who would have thought that a majestic Celestial Dragon would descend the very day he visited the job house? And a whole family of them at that!
He was sure that if he played his cards right and used his innate charisma, he could convince them of his worth. Maybe even get them to support him in his endeavor to… relieve the Roschette Kingdom from its current unsuited ruler.
The Celestial Dragon's daughter looked to be quite the beauty too, so there was that. He wasn't in his teens anymore, but even in his sixties, he knew he still had some of his winning charms. A few honeyed words here and there and the lady would be putty on his hands, begging him to take her as his wife, he was sure.
Of course, he would oblige and by extension ascend to Mary Geoise. A step like that in his life would be… Oleg couldn't help but fantasize as images of his future filled his mind. He'd be among the Celestial Dragons, one of them, one of the greatest…
'If it wasn't for that damn Strawhat,' A part of his mind reminded him. His fantasies took a darker turn there, firmly against the brat that ruined his chances to ascend.
Everything had gone to hell so fast too. One moment, he was gobsmacked at Saint Charloss throwing away five hundred million Berries for a stinky fish woman. The next, he saw all his hopes and dreams get dashed as the damnable Strawhat punched the face of a god in plain sight.
Sure, he had heard that the man was an evil lunatic down to the very core. The newspapers and marines pointed out that the man was dangerous and should be reported immediately. Oleg hadn't expected him to be so brazen about breaking the law though.
What was a nice shopping trip soon became a race to get out of Sabaody as fast as possible. He could see the locals running towards their homes and closing their stores early. Nobody was willing to get involved in the conflict, that was for sure.
If he listened quietly, he could hear the sound of explosions in the distance. It was quite frightening if he was honest.
"-ay that again, you troglodyte! I will show you a kit-"
The sound of fighting and screams reached them even now.
"I will rip your ribs from your chest-"
Oleg could hear the violence, vile threats made by what could only be barbarians. They crossed the archipelago to reach his ears. He could hear them-
"-Then, I will use them to stab you in the eyes-!"
He could hear them coming from above?
"Sir!" one of his guards screamed suddenly, making him look up. A bunch of shadows approached at incredible speeds towards his ship.
They moved… towards him-?
"-THAT'LL TEACH YOU!"
It happened in an instant. All he heard was a deafening scream of violence and the sound of an explosion that shook the earth.
And Oleg knew no more.
[}-o-{]
[Antonio Flags]
Antonio shook his head slightly. Getting rid of the ring in his ears from the rough landing was more difficult than that but he tried anyway. Quickly getting to his feet, he scanned his surroundings for his companions through the cloud of dust and dirt.
It didn't take long to find them all, some of them in a worse state than others. They were probably not strong enough to handle being thrown by a giant. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't had time to complain before they were snatched and flung across Groves.
Still, they were alive and looked in good enough shape to fight still. He should have expected that, Antonio guessed. He had seen most of them fight during their escape so he had a general idea of what their skill levels were. They weren't great, but they were good enough, which was as much as they could hope for at that very moment.
That taken care of, he proceeded to do the next most important thing on his list. He couldn't carry on without doing that, for sure. A smack resounded through the dust cloud as he hit his target's head with his fist.
"Call me a kitty again, and I will take your tongue off, you idiot."
His only answer was an entirely too loud 'ouch!' that sounded especially cathartic to his ears. If only his hand didn't sting so much after hitting the idiot's skull… What was he made of?
Still, it was enough for now, he guessed. Antonio scanned his surroundings as the dust settled. Apparently, the giant had very good aim as they found themselves almost in front of the ship itself.
Guards and servants who stopped carrying whatever goods they had on board. Instead, they were too busy looking on in shock. He didn't exactly know why. He guessed that their landing wasn't that odd or unexpected, right? It also couldn't be his presence, that tended to cause standing ovations and cheers rather than jaws hitting the floor. 'Although this reaction isn't so bad either,' Antonio thought in the privacy of his mind.
"I wonder what they are looking at?... Oh…" a nasal voice came from his side. It belonged to a man dressed like a stereotypical pirate captain, one of his fellow slaves. Probably the second or third strongest of his fellow freed slaves, if he weren't to count himself or the giant.
Following the gaze of said man, he looked down and- oh. Suddenly things made a lot more sense. Right under him, what could only be called a mangled corpse lay encrusted inside the small crater they made when landing. His body was almost unrecognizable, but judging by the quality of its clothes… Antonio could take a guess at them once being the owner of the ship they were raiding.
Well, that took care of one problem, at least. Antonio just hoped that the man didn't have the Eternal Pose in him right now. It would be troublesome to have to go look for another one of those.
"M-Master Oleg…" Oh, right. The guards were still here… and he just crushed their charge…
Oops?
"Kill them!" one of the other guards screamed as he unsheathed his sword and rushed towards them. The rest of his comrades quickly followed his lead.
As for Antonio's group, they had already mostly recovered by that point and gathered around him forming a crude formation. They didn't know enough about each other to effectively work together, but at the very least, they could try to cover obvious blind spots. It wasn't great, but again, it should be enough.
"Seize the ship!" He ordered his companions in arms and with a roar, he led the charge against their enemies.
[}-o-{]
Things were going surprisingly well so far.
True, they still had a sea of guards to take care of and neither group was in top shape at the moment. The difference in skill between his group and these guards was significant. They weren't as skilled as the armored guards inside the slave house, nor did they have the cohesion as a group the marines they fought right after did.
It left Antonio and some of the others to easily pick them apart. It was slow going, however, given the numbers, but they were still making progress. That was more than they could have asked for, he felt. Throwing another one of the outmatched guards through the board of the ship to the waters below, Antonio jumped in to help the man with no tongue who was currently struggling against 3 of the guards.
Between both of them, their enemies weren't able to put up much resistance. In a matter of seconds, they were soon laid low, either unconscious or dead.
"'Ank you," the man said with a short nod. Lacuba, if he remembered correctly. He'd heard the name when the staff brought him back to the cells right before the riot. Apparently, he had decided to bite his tongue before being sold as a slave. Antonio could appreciate that kind of determination. It took some balls to do that.
"Do not mention it, mi amigo. It is only natural to help a brother in arms," Antonio answered with a short bow of his own. He inclined the hat he had acquired from the noble's corpse. It wasn't as cool as a Musketeer one, but it would do for the moment.
Most of the fights were dying down at that moment. The blonde captain and the idiot having no trouble taking out their opponents even as they come to them in droves. One through a sword and gun combo, with a fair bit of skill. The other through brute force that required no brainpower, fittingly enough.
The nasal guy had an easy time too, if not quite as much as the blond. He sneaked his way through formations, using his daggers to slash at enemies' throats and knees while they were otherwise distracted. He found the way he moved particularly interesting. He did so in short bursts of speed generated by what seemed to be kicking the floor repeatedly. It was particularly curious, though the technique seemed… rough, imperfect.
All in all, a way of fighting Antonio didn't particularly like, but he could appreciate it in its effectiveness. Attacking your opponent while unseen was a valid strategy, after all. He much preferred to face them head-on in a glorious duel, though.
The other three fighters that had come with them, two brothers with their hair styled like strange antennas on top of their heads, and a blonde guy that wouldn't stop trembling even if his smug smile never seemed to disappear, had infiltrated the interior of the ship at his command, looking for the Eternal Pose.
Worse came to worst, they could always take another ship and use the thing to escape.
He didn't know where they would end up though. The ship had an emblem on its flag and sails, but he wasn't knowledgeable enough to know where it was from. He had never been the most academically adept after all. He would much rather read tales of heroes and write song lyrics than a history book. Or god forbid, a math one.
"Maybe, the caballero would know if I describe it to him. He seems like the reading type," Antonio mused to himself as he readied his sword to join the battle.
A wince escaped him as his body screamed in protest and exhaustion. He was reaching his limit. He wasn't sure how much he had left in him after so many continuous battles. The hunger, thirst, and lack of sleep after long days and nights inside a dingy cell, made him weaker, more sluggish. It was a shame they didn't have time to grab at least some food or water from the auction before escaping but it wasn't like they had that many choices.
Antonio knew he was running on fumes at the moment, nowhere near being in top shape. However, he would fight all the same. He could also feel how his blood sang at this challenge. His pride filled his body with whatever energy it could for the next fight.
This was what a mink was made for. A race of natural-born warriors indeed. Even with his body broken, he refused to fall, looking forwards to the next bout, to the next limit to reach and smash through. It was in his very genes to defy these odds and come back stronger, or die trying.
"Bring it, you vermin!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. His arm finally responded, raising his sword in the air. His legs moved forward as he rushed towards the remaining soldiers. Or, at least he would have.
"Boss!" a voice called from inside the ship. He recognized it as one of the two antenna brothers from earlier. Sure enough, his hearing was proven true when not a second after both of the brothers crashed through the door panting and sweating. Their eyes gave Antonio pause though, filled with panic as they were.
"What is it?" Antonio asked. His attention in his surroundings to find out if there was something wrong. Sure enough, he heard the sound of heavy boots stomping along wood. It was coming from inside the ship.
From where the two brothers had just come fro-
"Watch out!" he called but it was too late. The door that they just closed and the wall exploded into splinters and rubble. A section of it flew forward and rammed into both brothers sailing across the deck and hitting the front railing.
"Oh? So you are the guys causing so much ruckus here," he heard a deep baritone say as a man much taller than an average human came through the hole, still having to duck slightly to not hit his head against the edges. He couldn't tell a single other description of the man, since he seemed to be covered with armor from head to toe, and not even his neck was exposed.
"Captain Winstone!" he heard the suddenly revitalized guards call the new threat. He could see it. The uniforms between them and the 'Captain' wore some resemblance, but the latter seemed to be of much better quality and marred with the marks of battles.
The man's only answer was a hiccup before he took a swig of the gourd he was carrying in one hand. If the smell and the drunk blush on the man's face were anything to go by, it was filled with alcohol. Antonio was, however, much more interested in what he was carrying on his other hand.
"OH NO! BLOND FRIEND!" the loud guy exclaimed and, for once, Antonio didn't feel the need to make him shut up. Instead, he just stared at the corpse of his comrade being dragged along across the floor by the neck.
"You know? 'hic. I don't appreciate you all killing Mr. Oleg. he is the one that pays my bar tab, you know?" the captain of the guards said, looking off of the boat to where the noble laid. His voice non-committal as if he was talking about the weather.
He proceeded to take another gulp from his gourd through the holes of the heavy iron helm he was wearing without a care in the world. Antonio could tell that the man was sizing them up. His guard wasn't dropping at all even with both hands occupied. The man then finished his drink, the last drops of the container falling off and splashing across his helmet.
With a grimace and perhaps quite a bit of excitement, Antonio prepared for a tough fight.
"Now I need to look for another employer, you know? That is not very nice," he continued while shaking the gourd slightly trying to get the last few drops. "That leaves me in a very, 'hic, very bad mood, you know?" he continued, throwing the gourd and the corpse of Antonio's comrade to the side.
"I see, my apologies for the inconvenience then," Antonio answered even though the fight was imminent. A feral smile grew on his face at the prospect of the challenge. "Were you to kindly leave the ship, I am sure some locals could provide you directions to the nearest employment office."
"That doesn't sound so bad, you know? Was looking for a change in scenery aft- 'hic, after all, you know?" the man agreed, as he took a pair of axes that were bigger than the mink, from his back. "Still, I guess I should clean up before leaving, you know?"
The man rushed forward, practically a blur leaving him only instants to intercept the attack with his sword and be sent flying backwards.
"KITTY BOSS!" The loud man exclaimed as he rushed towards this Winstone character. A windup punch failed to even move the man before kicked away.
"You aren't leaving alive," the captain declared and Antonio could almost hear the grin on the man's face. "You know?"
[} Chapter End {]
Adrian: Everyone's having a great time. They are free, they found a potential way out of the mess Sabaody became and their fight is going well. Well, that was the case for a bit, at least. Shame for blond guy and antenna guy #2 though, but their sacrifice won't be forgotten… Probably.
Arc: Poor guys didn't even get to give their names before dying on us. The perils of being an extra in an anime like One Piece, I guess.
Adrian: In case anyone was curious, all the "crew" (if they can be called that) mentioned so far are actual characters in the series, though unnamed ones for the most part.
Arc: All of them actually appear in the show!... For like 5 seconds. Good luck hunting for their images. Let's see if someone finds them.
Adrian: The noble's group is Arc's creation though. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.
Arc: See you all next time!
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