The Good Dragon Chapter 2, an one piece fanfic

Here's part 2 of the Good Dragon. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 2

Sabaody Archipelago

Four Years Later

Not far from the holy land of Marie Geoise and a few nautical miles from the Red Line, was a group of islands known as Sabaody. Technically, they weren't islands at all, but a forest of gigantic mangrove trees whose roots are so large that buildings and towns can be built upon them; with each tree, or grove, serving as one island. It was a marvellous place with luscious green grass covering each grove, a bubble dome that covered the tops of the trees, there were shopping malls, bars, houses and the famous Sabaody Amusement Park; one of the most popular attractions on the archipelago for people of all ages.

Of course, it wasn't perfect. Sabaody is the last island before making the journey through the Red Line and into the New World, meaning that pirates looking to test their strength would have to make a stop there, bringing in the worst of the worst. However, the proximity to Marine HQ and the constant patrols had kept any incidents to a minimum; after all, you can't go to the New World if you've got a target on your back. This means that pirates, even the most bloodthirsty ones, keep quiet until the ship is ready to make the journey.

However; the real downside to the archipelago were the amount of slave markets in operation. Slavery is officially banned under the World Government, but they do very little in the way of enforcing the ban or even discourage it.

As long as the wealthy pay them off then the government officials will turn a blind eye.

It was on this day that the Ptolemy family decided to visit the archipelago. Dressed in his white robe and a bubble over his head, Alexander, who was ten years old, rode on the back of a slave through the town and pass the crowd of onlookers that his parents would call commoners. He glanced at the crowd in the corner of his eye and saw them kneeling before them with their heads bowed in respect. It made him uncomfortable to be in the middle of attention, but it wasn't as if he could leave as his parents had restrained him to the saddle with hidden chains.

He tried his best to keep up straight, he was weary and his eyes stung from the bright light; the make-up that was used to cover his deathly pale face and the dark rings around his eyes. For three years, he had been locked up in the oubliette which had been part of his, so-called, treatment; left in the dark, in the cold, in the dirt and the damp. Once a week he would be taken out and be given a cold bath and health check up before being thrown back in the oubliette. After three entire years of the same thing, he had broke down and insisted he was cured; it was by far the worst experience of his entire life. Even if he didn't mean it; he had to get out of there. He was released only for his room to be moved to the basement so that his family wouldn't need to see him.

Finally, he was allowed out and was dragged by his family to the archipelago for one reason: they were going to buy him a slave of his own.

Olympias, riding on ahead her own slave with a toddler in her arms, turned around and glared behind her at Alexander, "Alexander, why are you lagging behind? Is that slave too slow!?"

Alexander glanced down at the slave he was riding on and noticed his bleeding hands; they were rubbed against the ground so hard that the skin had peeled away. However, the slave was trying hard not to show his pain.

The young boy looked up and shook his head, "Of course not mother. We are in no rush. I thought I would…enjoy the scenery."

Olympias sniffed in annoyance before she looked forwards, "Fine. At least you're doing something right for a change."

Alexander waited until she was out of earshot before he leaned down to the slave's ear, "Take all the time you need. If you need to stop then tell me and I'll come up with an excuse. Then we can find you a doctor."

"T-t-t-thank you, my lord," the slave uttered as he tried his best to ignore his bleeding hands.

Alexander leaned back and pretended that he hadn't talked to the slave. If there was one thing he learnt in the past years, it would be 'don't act insane'. Or rather 'don't act insane in front of his parents'. He needed to suppress the small part of him that wasn't noble no matter how much it pained him to see the slaves treated awfully; no matter how much it irritated to see his parents snobbish attitude; and no matter how sad to see the commoners look at him in fear. Otherwise, they would throw him back into the dark oubliette or, if they desired, have him put down like a mad dog. He was a Celestial Dragon; he was supposed to be superior than everybody and treat the world like it was his plaything. He was supposed to act…well, like his younger brother, Bucephalus.

Bucephalus was born when he was undergoing his treatment and, despite being four years old, had only met him a mere few months ago just in case his illness was contagious. It was hard to believe that he was his brother; he was an ugly little thing with a head too small for his body and pig-like eyes that were too close together. He had his father's round chin and his mother's sharp nose and he was by far the horrible creature that he has ever met. One day, a few weeks ago, Bucephalus had almost killed him by shooting a bolt from a crossbow at him (it had been a gift for his second birthday) and, at another time, hid on top of a shelf and smashed his head with a wooden mallet. He couldn't really remember much about that incident afterwards. The worst part was that his parents absolutely adored him; to them, he was perfect. Everything that a World Noble should be, look and act. His mother would spoil him and carry him everywhere she went while his father actually paid attention to him when he tried to speak. He wasn't exactly jealous of their doting, but it still hurt him a little.

Whilst in Olympias' arms, Bucephalus reached down and smacked the slave they were riding on with his hand, "Faster!" he demanded before he giggled cruelly.

Olympias smiled proudly before she kicked the slave in the back of the head, "You heard him! Move faster!" she commanded, forcing the poor slave to crawl faster.

Alexander rolled his eyes at the sight and sighed, "This is going to be a long day," he muttered.

Eventually, they made it to Grove 1 where the auction house that was favoured by Nobles and other influential and rich people. It was a large white marble building that contained a dimly lit theatre at the front while the cells were kept in the rear; capable of even housing giants without much effort. The auction house was owned by a man named Disco, a tall, thin man with long white silvery hair, who wore a long blue coat, a large yellow hat and a pair of sunglasses.

Disco and his uniformed attendants met them at the front entrance and got on their hands and knees as they climbed off their slaves.

"Salutations, my miraculous and gracious lords and lady," Disco grovelled, "We are blessed to have your attendance on such a fine day."

"Of course it is," Olympias sneered, "We've come here to buy my son his first slave. I expect you to be well stocked."

"Of course, my lady," Disco grinned as he bowed towards the toddler in her arms, "So young and already getting a slave. What a momentous occasion!"

"No, not for my dear sweet baby," she cooed before she dragged Alexander by the collar so he was up front, "For this one."

The slave owner snapped his head to Alexander, his smile wavering slightly at his mistake, "Oh, of course. My apologies."

Alexander looked at him wearily; something seemed off about this man. His smile was wide and his words were too sweet; it was as if he was hiding his true nature under his calming politeness. Before he could think any further on it, Olympias pushed him forwards.

"Well, go on then. Tell this peasant what you want," she ordered.

The young boy sighed, "What sort of slaves are you selling today?"

"Oh, all kinds," he told him gleeful as he led them through the giant door and into the main foyer, "You picked a perfect day to visit. We have human men and women, a couple of long-arm people, a giant, a handful of dwarfs…"

"Any mermaids?" Philip questioned, causing Disco to flinch.

"None today, my lord. They're quite a rarity, you see," he answered before looking down at Alexander, "Would the young master he interest in purchasing one?"

"I would quite like to meet a mermaid," he told him honestly, "I think it'll be interesting to talk to one."

Disco looked at him as if he had grown a second head while Olympias sneered in annoyance. Alexander, noticing his slip up, coughed and made an excuse.

"I-I mean…yes, I would like to have one and…keep her in a tank."

"Oh good," Disco laughed while his mother tutted in annoyance, "I promise that next time we will have acquire a couple…no at least a dozen mermaids all for you, young master. I'll have my connections work even harder," they reached the door into the auditorium which were promptly opened by two attendants for them, "Now you will have to excuse me for I need to begin the auction. Your usual seats are ready and there is wine and champagne already waiting there for you."

He bowed once again and scampered off, allowing them to follow the attendants all the way down the wide steps to their seats. Alexander noticed that the auditorium was already packed on both sides. Men and women in fancy clothing and snooty expressions on their faces had gathered and waited for the chance to get themselves a bargain; owning slaves is very chic at the moment. They rich turned to see who had entered, only to gasp and look forwards before they could enrage the Nobles with their gawking. Alexander felt awkward at their hushed whispers as he climbed down the steps towards a private booth, situated at the front and in the middle of the auditorium, he never liked the way they looked at him. As if he was feared god that would unleash hell at a drop of a hat. However, he ignored them and took a seat in the booth with the rest of his family and stared down at his feet as he waited for the auction to begin.

They didn't have to wait long, the opening of the auction was met with some fanfare with moving stage lights and upbeat music to rile up the excitement of the audience. His parents and his brother seemed to like it, but Alexander wished he was back home.

"I'm giving you 100,000,000 Berries," his father told him, making him look up from the floor, "That should be enough for you to pick up a few slaves for yourself. Now hurry up and choose so we can leave," he grumbled before he sat back in his chair and fell asleep.

'He could at least pay attention if he's going to drag me here' Alexander thought bitterly before he turned to the stage.

Disco appeared from behind the curtain and bowed deeply to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen and, of course, our lords the Celestial Dragons," he announced, "Thank you all for coming. Now, let's not less waste any time and begin," as he waved his hand. At his command, one of Disco's attendants appeared from behind the curtain and brought out a slave which happened to be a tall fishman by a chain that was attached to a metal collar around his neck, "Our first exhibit is a seahorse fishman, freshly caught a few hours ago. Look at his strong he looks! I estimate he could, at least, ten times his own body weight. Handy for moving items. Let's begin the bid at fifty thousand; do I hear fifty and half?"

"Sixty!"

"Sixty and a half!"

"Seventy and half!"

Disco encouraged the audience to bid higher and higher until he couldn't raise it anymore. As soon as he slammed the gable and called out the winner, the fishman was dragged off to be prepared for new master.

The auction went on and on and on. It was always the same. People of all races; human, fishman, longarm, dwarf, mink, longneck or longneck; were dragged onto the stage and presented as if they were just merchandise. Young and old, male and female, pirate and citizen; nobody seemed safe from the grabbing hands of the rich. Some remained stoic while others tried their hardest to hold back tears. They came on their own or part of a group; the ones who were paired with others were often sold separately if nobody wanted them all. To the wealthy in their ivory towers this was an auction…but to Alexander this was a horror show.

Every bang of the gable, every jeer and cry of random amounts of Berrie and every single person who was brought out made his heart clench as if it was stabbed. The constant noise deafened him as it got louder and louder until it became almost unbearable. He looked around and saw nothing but the ugly and cruel faces, grinning eagerly as they snatch and picked as much as they can. They did not care for the tears on the slaves' faces or the pain they suffered through; all they cared for was power over another life.

He began to hyperventilate as the cruelty played out in front of him; sweat building on his brow and his teeth clenched tightly in seething rage as he saw another young woman being dragged off to be somebody's pet. Suddenly, he was brought out of it when his mother kicked him sharply in ankle, making him jump in shock.

"What's the matter with you," she hissed, "Stop doing that and bid on something."

His mouth felt dry; he couldn't respond instantly to her. However, before he could do anything else, a piercing cry rang out through the auction house.

"Please! Not my son! Don't take him away!"

Alexander looked around and saw a commotion happening on the stage. Two more people, a father and his son, were next to be sold off; it would seem that they were being sold seperatly as the young boy, who looked no older than six, was being taken away by Disco's employees while his weeping father was held back by two guards.

"No! Please! Let me go with him!" the father yelled as he struggled againt the guards, "Don't take me away from him!"

"Dad! Help me! I don't want to go!" the young boy cried as he was taken of stage.

Disco sighed and shook his head as he stood at his podium, "There's always one. Guards take him to the back until he's ready to be sold."

The father roared as he broke free from the guards and attempted to run after where his son was taken…only for another guard come out and hit him over the head with a club. The father fell like a ton of bricks onto the stage; his body withering in pain as he clutched his injured head that was soaked with blood. The three guards began to clobber him as he laid on the ground; over and over again as if they were beating the life out of him.

Alexander's eyes widened in horror as he watched the bloodied clubs batter every single part of the poor man and felt his stomach drop as he heard his screams and yells. The auditorium was silent as the audience simply watched in fascination, but then a high pitched cackle rang out. He glanced over and saw his brother watching what was going on from his mother's lap, laughing and pointing cruelly as if it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. Seeing her youngest child laugh, Olympias followed suit and began to laugh at the man being beat up by the guards. Soon the laughter spread like wildfire as the audience began to holler and cry with terrible laughter. Some reared back their head and chuckled while others exchanged unsure looks before joining in as well; they didn't want to be the only ones not doing it.

Alexander looked around in absolute disgust and saw nothing but the terrible faces surrounding him; their laughter and sinister looks swallowing him up like an ocean of cruelty. His teeth gritted together and his stomach churned. He suddenly found that his throat felt so dry and every bit of breath he managed to have scratched him like claws sinking into his oesophagus.

'Stop it!' he wanted to shout at them, 'Stop it, please! You're hurting him!' he began to claw at the collar of his suit as he began to hyperventilate, trying his best to some air into his lungs, 'Can't breath! I can't breath! I need to get out of here!'

He suddenly got up from his chair, jumped over the side of the viewing box and ran up the stairs towards the door. He ignored his mother screaming at him to come back and focused on trying to get the stupid suit off of him, so he could breath fresh air. He burst through the doors, surprising some attendants and ran outside and down the steps; he continued to tug and pull the collar away to try and get it off, but it was firmly locked for him to simply ply it off. With tears in his eyes, his heart racing and his panic attack growing by the second, Alexander just ran forwards without looking at where he was going,

'They're monsters!' he screamed in his head as tears streamed down his face, "They're all monsters! This is what they do! This is what my family does to human beings! It's barbaric! It's evil! I don't want to do that to anybody!'

Suddenly, he slammed headfirst into somebody and fell onto his back hard, snapping him back out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes and saw that he, somehow, made it all the way to the main street of the nearest town; the townspeople milling about with their daily lives without knowing a single thing that is happening not too far away.

"Oh dear. Make sure you look where you going, sonny," the elderly man he had accidentally ran into said as he turned around and offered him a helping hand, "You could have hurt yourself," he said kindly with his eyes closed.

Alexander tried to reply, but his throat was still seized up and he couldn't utter a single whisper. Before he could do anything, the kind old man opened his eyes and yelped in shock as he noticed who he was.

"A Celestial Dragon!" he yelled as he fell backwards and began to crawl away, catching everybody's attention. The old man grew deathly pale and he began to shake in fear, "My deepest apologies, my lord! I didn't know it was you! Please have mercy!"

'W-wait!' Alexander shouted in his head as he reached out to him, 'Please help me! I c-can't breath!'

"It's a Celestial Dragon!" a nearby women shrieked before she got down on her knees, "Forgive us, lord!"

'N-no, you got it all wrong!'

"Everybody get down on your knees! Show some respect!" a man cried as he and the others fell to the ground and bowed to him.

"We're sorry, our lord!"

"Forgive us commoners!"

'Please, you don't have to!'

"Grandpa!"

Alexander looked to his left and saw two young children trying to get to the elderly man, but their mother stopped them from getting any closer.

"Children, stay back!" he called out to them, "You'll insult the Celestial Dragon!"

'S-stop…p-please…help…me!'

"Please forgive me, my lord!" the old man yelled as he clambered onto his knees and bowed deeply, tears streaming down his face, "I MEANT NO OFFENCE!"

'I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU-'

BANG!

The gunshot was sudden and ushered in a deadly silence from the crowd. It cane out of nowhere and the sound reverberated in Alexander's head over and over until it became a sinister echo. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the old man before him collapsed to the ground with a bloody hole in between his eyes; his blood spurted like a geyser and poured onto the ground, turning the green grass a deep red colour. He heard the children from before scream, saw their mother's face turn deathly pale and witnessed the people in the crowd quiver in fear.

The old man was dead. Killed without a single hesitation.

'He's…dead,' Alexander thought in sheer shock, 'Oh…god, he's dead.'

"Stupid peasant."

Alexander looked back and saw Philip standing over him with a golden pistol in his hand; the barrel was still smoking as it pointed down at the deceased man.

"How dare you touch my son. Know your place you piece of scum," he scoffed before he fired two more bullets into his body.

BANG! BANG!

The children wept and wanted to scream for him to stop, but their mother cover their mouths and kept them down. The crowd remained silent and kept their eyes to the ground, not once did they look up at them.

Alexander couldn't believe what was happening. He had never seen a person killed before and was because of his father. If he hadn't ran out then this wouldn't have happened.

Philip, on the other hand, clicked his fingers and two guards appeared at his side, "Take him back to his room. Clearly, he's not ready to be outside," he sighed before he turned and walked away.

While still in shock, the guards picked him up and led him away. He was still in a trance and allowed them to take them. He didn't look back, but judging by the cries and the screams from behind, the mother had finally released her children. He closed his eyes and sobbed in despair.

'Monsters,' he thought, 'We're all monsters.'

Outskirts Of The Archipelago

That night Alexander managed to sneak out the luxurious hotel that he and his family were staying at dressed in casual clothing that he found in his room, leaving behind his white suit and head bubble. He had crept through the town and dark grassland until he had reached the edge of the island and sat beneath a giant root that grew into the open water. Seeing that he was alone from any prying eyes, it didn't take him long until he broke down into tears as he remembered the day's events.

Being dragged though town, the slave auction, the father having his son taken away and beaten up and finally his father killing that old man just for something that was his fault; all of it was overwhelming for him. He could still hear the screams of the old man's grandchildren; still smelt burnt gunpowder in the air and the cold feeling he had felt when he saw his blood pouring out onto the street. He could senses the people looking at him in fear and fury; all because of what he did. He felt sadness and anger boil inside of him; how could his family be so heartless and so cruel to others.

"I hate it," he muttered through sobs, "I hate my family. I hate my parents. I hate my brother. I hate being a Mary Geoise. I hate everything!" he yelped before he gritted his teeth tightly, "Why can't I have been born somewhere else? I…I don't want to be a Celestial Dragon anymore."

He continued to weep quietly to himself before a splashing noise made him look up. He narrowed his bloodshot eyes and tried to search what it was in the darkness when he noticed something… no, somebody was in the sea with their head poking out of the surface. Alexander couldn't see much, but he could tell that it was a young girl a few years younger than him with short moss green hair.

"Did…did she fall in?" he muttered to himself as he wiped his tears and climbed out from under the root before making his way towards her.

He was worried a out her safety, but saw her swim closer to the edge of the island easily enough, crushing any immediate concerns for her drowning. But what was she doing in the water. He made it to the edge and got close enough to see her better. She had fair skin, short spiky green hair and round brown eyes that shimmered in delight and curiosity. She wore a red t-shirt with a yellow starfish on the front while the rest of her was submerged in the water. She didn't seem to seen him yet as her eyes were fixated in joyful awe on the grove. He turned to where she was looking at and saw, in the distance, the bright lights and cheerful music of Sabaody Park, one of the archipelago's biggest tourist attractions. He had never been there personally. His parents took Bucephalus the day before while they locked him in his hotel room all by himself. However, he did see the amusement park in the distance from his room's window and thought it looked fun.

He snapped his attention from it for now and turned to the young girl bobbing in the water below.

"Hello," he said, "Are you okay?"

The girl blinked in surprise and turned to him, "Oh hello," she greeted back with a wave, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Well…you're in the water," he pointed out.

The girl giggled in amusement, "I know. I'm a mermaid. We live in the water."

"A mermaid," Alexander uttered in amazement, "Wow! You really are?"

"Yep!"

….

"WAAAAAHHHH! WHAT AM I DOING!? I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK TO HUMANS" she suddenly shrieked as her eyes bulged and mouth grew very wide, "MAMA'S GOING TO BE SO MAD AT ME!"

"Ah!" Alexander cried out by her sudden scream.

It surprised him so much that he stumbled, lost his balance and fell head first into the water.

SPLASH!

"Huh?" the young mermaid uttered, calming down to look at the place he fell in. As soon as she noticed him not coming up again, she gasped in horror "Oh no!" she cried before she dived into the water.

After a quick rescue, the mermaid had dragged Alexander onto the island and began pushing on his stomach to get rid of the water. Once the last dribble of water burst out of his mouth, Alexander leaned straight up and coughed and sputtered for a few seconds while the mermaid watched on in concern.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry for surprising you," she gently said as he spat out the last bit of water.

"Eugh! I hate salt," he muttered before he offered a kind smile, "I'm fine now. Thanks for saving me," making her smile in relief. He turned his eyes down and blinked in surprise to see her lower half was a long, pink fish tail which flopped about slightly on the ground, "You really are a mermaid," he uttered, "That's amazing."

Camie giggled, "Thanks. You're the first human I've ever spoken to," she said before she reached out and prodded his legs, "You really walk about on these on land. That's so cool."

"You've…never seen legs before?"

"Well, fishmen have them, but these are the first human legs I've seem," she brightly said before she stuck out her hand, "I'm Camie. What's you name, human?"

He hesitated slightly before he shook her hand, "…Alex. Just Alex."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Alex," she happily said, causing him to blush slightly.

'Nobody…has ever been this kind to me,' he told himself before he shook the thoughts away, "What brings you to Sabaody?"

Camie responded by pointing towards Sabaody Park in the distance, "I wanted to see that," she said with a delighted sigh, "Isn't it beautiful? All the kids in my class have snuck out and gone up to the surface to see the pretty lights. It's kind of like a tradition," she explained happily, "Oh, how I wish I can go there. Go on the rides, eat the food, watch the fireworks; it looks so much fun."

"Then why don't you go?" he asked, "What's stopping you?"

He frowned slightly when Camie looked down at her tail fin with a downtrodden expression.

"I…I can't."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because…the humans will capture me."

Alexander flinched in shock at what she said and looked away with a guilty look, 'Oh…right. Mermaids are enslaved and sold. Damn it,' he grumbled in his head before he stood to his feet, "Well, why don't you come with me? We can have fun together."

Camie's eyes lit up at the suggestion and she looked as if she was going to accept, but then she stopped herself and shook her head.

"No…I can't put you in danger because of me. Mama told me that they can be dangerous."

"I'll protect. They'll won't go near you when I'm around."

She blinked in confusion, "How do you know that?"

"Because…" he began to say before he stopped himself from revealing who he was. She was the only person he had met that didn't know he was a World Noble…and he didn't want her to hate him, "…you're…you're right," he sighed as he sat back down, "I guess I can't make that promise."

Camie giggled and gave him a kind smile, "Thank you. I would go with you otherwise."

"You will?"

"Yeah," she said as she gave him a toothy grin, "Mama says humans are dangerous, but you're really nice. Can we be friends?"

Alexander's eyes widened in utter disbelief; his mouth was slightly agape and he was briefly loss for words.

"Y-yes…yes, I would love that."

"Great! I've never had a human friend before."

'You're my first friend in four years…not since Sandersonia, Marigold and Hancock escaped with the other slaves,' he thought with a smile on his face, "You're from the Ryugu Kingdom, right?" he asked her, "Can you tell me more about it?"

"Sure! It's beautiful. It's an entire city inside a giant bubble with shops and boutiques and cafés. Oh! A really good had just opened up on run by Shyarly. She's a friend of mine. There's also the palace where King Neptune and Queen Otohime live with their four children; Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, Manboshi and their daughter Shirahosi. Queen Otohime is the best and kindest person ever. She loves everyone and everything. She's even trying to establish better relations with humans."

"R-really," Alexander uttered in surprise.

"Yeah, she believes that we can all live together peacefully. Isn't that great."

"Yes…that sounds amazing," he answered honestly.

"Not only that, but we're waiting for Fisher Tiger and the rest of the Sun Pirates to return. I heard we're going to have a big celebration."

"Fisher Tiger?" he repeated, remembering the fishman from a few years back, 'I have't heard about him in years, I'm so glad that he's doing alright,' he thought before he frowned, "Wait, Sun Pirates?"

"Yeah, they're a pirate crew made up of Fishmen."

"But aren't pirates bad? They rob people and burn villagers to the ground from what I heard."

Camie rubbed her arm shyly, "Well…some of them do that, I suppose. But I know Fisher doesn't do that. He's a good person. So…maybe not all pirates are bad."

"I see, but I still don't know why anybody would want to be a pirate. You get hunted down by the Marines, you have to encounter scary sea monsters, they're safe bounty hunters after your head-"

"It's because they're free," Camie interrupted him, "They can be who they want to be, go where they want, do what they want, and nobody can stop them. And the best part is anybody can be a pirate. It doesn't matter what race you're from, anybody can live freely like a pirate with no restrictions, whatsoever. It sounds cool doesn't?"

Free.

The word echoed around his head over and over.

'Pirates are free?' he thought in awe, 'They can go where they want, do what they want…and be what they want to be,' he told himself as he looked down at his hands…the cruel, bloodstained hands of a Celestial Dragon, 'That…that sounds wonderful.'

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" he uttered snapping him out of his thoughts.

Camie offered him a concerned look, "I said, are you okay? You looked sad."

"Oh…I…" he stuttered slightly, "I…guess I'm tired, that's all. It's getting late."

"Yeah, I guess," she agreed before her eyes snapped open and her mouth widened, "WAAAH! I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE OUT THIS LONG! I HAVE TO GET BACK BEFORE MAMA FINDS OUT!"

Alexander chuckled at her over exaggerated yell and stood to his feet, "Here, let me help you."

He picked her up in his arms, stumbling slightly by the weight of her tail before he brought her closer to the edge of the island. As soon as she was close enough, she pushed away from him and dived into the water elegantly. She resurfaced again and gave him a wave.

"Bye Alex. It was nice meeting you."

"And you," he told her. But before she dived down again, he called out to her, "Camie!"

"Yes?"

"I…I promise to take you to Sabaody Park and we can both enjoy it…together," he promised her, much to her surprise, "Let's meet back here in…in ten years. When everything will be safe for mermaids. Let's meet back here."

Camie gasped in surprise before she grinned excitedly, "Really!? I would love that! Yeah, let's meet here again! Bye Alex!" she called out before she dived into the water and disappeared in an instant.

Alexander sighed happily before he sat down on the edge of the island and looked out over the calm sea with a longing look.

"A pirate…' he said as stared up at the night sky with a grin, "…can free to be who they want to be."

The journey back to Mary Geoise was quiet except for the annoyed tuts Olympias would give as she glared at Alexander. They had departed Sabaody the next morning on their private luxurious yacht and the young boy had hardly uttered a word, much to his parents' confusion. He was an strangely good mood ever since his talk with Camie; some colour had returned to his pale cheeks, his eyes were bright and wide and hummed gently to himself as he looked out of the cabin window from the sofa. He felt as if everything made sense now for him. For once in his life, he had a purpose in this cruel world; something he can strive to be. He hadn't felt this happy in years.

Philip and Olympias shared a strange look from their armchairs while Bucephalus slept in his mother's arms. They wondered what was wrong with him now.

"You ask him," Olympias snapped at her husband.

"Why do I-"

"Just do it."

Philip sighed and turned to his first son, "Alexander. We can't help, but notice that you seem…different. What's wrong with you?"

Alexander snapped his attention away from the window, "Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you. Now spit it out, boy!"

He hesitated slightly before cleared his throat and turned to his parents, "Mother, father….something happened last night that made me realise something. Something about myself."

Philip's eyes widened in shock while Olympias gave a gentle gasp. They shared another look as if confirming that this was real.

"Philip, you don't think-"

"It's the treatment. It finally worked," he uttered in disbelief, "It must have taken a while to kick in."

"Perhaps what he saw at the auction knocked some sense into him. Oh, Philip. He's going to be normal."

"I wasn't finished," Alexander said as he took a deep breath, "I've been giving it some thought and I realised I have been living my life so…completely wrong. I can't believe it has taken me this long, to be honest. But now, I am confident in what I want to be from now on…"

"Yes?" Olympias said excitedly, knowing that she didn't have to keep on lying to her friends about him anymore.

"…mother, father…"

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath and said, "…I don't want to be a Celestial Dragon…I want to be a pirate. A captain of a greet crew who will grant freedom to all. Humans, Fishmen, Longarms, Longlegs, Giants, Dwarves, Minks, everyone; everyone will be free and I will never change my mind as long as I live!"

….

"WWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT!?"

Philip's jaw dropped in shock and he began to make a weird gurgling noise as his eyes popped out of their sockets. Olympias gave a deafening scream that scared every single person on the ship before promptly fainting.

Yeah…Alexander expected that sort of reaction. But he didn't regret it.

In fact, he loved it.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading.