Chapter 12: Twilight Isles, Part Three
Twilight Isles, as you can recall, is made up of two islands.
The main island is commonly known by the locals as Brittland, where the majority of the Britt Kingdom established themselves be it small villages, distant farmlands, or large towns like Port Royalise. It is where most of the population of the kingdom would be inhabiting and prosper, and where the main capital of the kingdom is located.
The smaller island, named Irenia, is the direct opposite, being widely accepted to be largely uninhabitable with the exception of a small port village. From what I've read about it in the goddess' guidebook, Irenia is smaller of the two islands, and its environment is much harsher as compared to Brittland, which has plenty of flat land that can be used for farming compared to its more hills-filled counterpart.
Its forests are so massive and span across the entire island, with very little space in between which makes deforesting and establishing villages near-impossible, let alone cultivating the land to grow any form of produce. There are lakes that dotted about the island, due to the hills being so close to one another, but just getting to one of them is near impossible due to its terrain being so rough and jagged.
That's not including makes Irenia's environment so harsh in the first place, the wildlife. Its animals, probably due to the lack of open space and flat surfaces, are mostly tree dwellers and small poisonous critters, with a few exceptions that lived near the lakes. Species of snakes, scorpions and other creepy insects make home on the forest floor while wild and vicious monkeys make home in the tree tops, along with bears and other huge creatures that preyed on the small creatures, with a notable known species of wild cat making home near the hills' peaks.
Speaking of large animals, due you know that went encountering a large bear, it is in your best interests to not alert it to your presence? If in the event you do, there's a high chance it would see you as a threat and chases you down with every intention to kill you!
I wished I have remembered that little titbit before entering the damn forest!
As to why I mention that…
"RUN!"
"NO SHIT!"
*RAAWWRRR*
It is because I'm currently being chased by one right now! Luna, Deuce, Ace and I are running from a goddamn black bear the size of a fucking truck!
"What even triggers it that time!?" Luna screamed in panic, our resident pirate captain snoozing away while being carried on his first-mate's shoulder, "We did absolutely nothing to warrant that!"
"No idea!" Deuce shouted, "It always happens randomly!"
"I'm more surprised that he is able to sleep through all of this!" I added on.
The bear roars one more time, which sounds the heck of a lot closer than a moment ago, and that prompts us to shut up and focus on running for our lives.
How did all of that happened? Well, let's jump back to about an hour ago…
"That's the island?" Ace asked as we approach the land mass in front of us.
In the distance is a lone island filled with forests all over it. Tall hills, not mountains due the height, can be seen poking out of the ground also covered with forests. The forests are so dense that I don't think I can see into them, making then look more of a jungle than a forest.
It almost looks like Little Garden, only without the volcano, the large white bone mountains, and lack of any truly dangerous prehistorical life. Thank goodness for small mercies…
"Yeah, Irenia." Luna tells us, "That's our destination."
"Looks… rural." Deuce noted.
"That's a HUGE understatement."
"What do you mean?" I asked. The books did mention why, but it would be nice to get some clarification from a local.
"Irenia is filled with animals and plants that are extremely hostile towards deforestation and establishing a habitable location." She explains, "My father once heralded a huge expedition into the island almost a decade ago, in an effort to try and explore and possibly establish a town there, which didn't go so well. Almost two-thirds of the team didn't make it back." She shudders a little at the memory, "So many missing limbs… He lost his eye and a leg himself…"
"Oh… sorry if I brought up any bad memory…"
"It's okay, I'm way over it."
"Hey, your father… is the king, right?" Ace asked, "What is he doing exploring anyway? Aren't kings supposed to… I don't know, kingly stuff or something?"
"Oh, father only became the king about nine years ago." She explains, "He was in-charge of infrastructure back then."
"Ah, that explains it."
"Wait, you mentioned a ferry heading to Irenia back in Royalise. And I've read that there's a port village on the island." I pointed out, "If your dad's expedition failed, why is there a village there, and a ferry carrying people there?"
"You mean Flut Village? Well, Father's expedition did fail, but he was successful in managing to establish and maintain a landing point for future expeditions." She explains, "As for the village… some people managed to settle down there some few years ago and managed to establish it there. After finding out about it, father appointed one of the noble families in the court with the task governing it as well as establishing a port to connect the two islands."
"So, despite failing, a village did end up getting set up there in the end…" I muttered under my breath.
"Nice history lesson, princess, but what's the plan here?" Deuce asked the princess, "Do we dock at the port and proceed from there?"
"No. There are soldiers stationed there, and I can't risk the chance of even one of them reporting my whereabouts to the advisor." Luna explains, "We'll alight somewhere close to the forest."
"Didn't you just say that this island is a death trap to most people just five minutes ago?" He pointed out.
"Yes, but that's why it makes a great place to hide smuggled weapons. No one would dare look for it in there."
"Again, death trap?"
"That still leave at least several hundreds of yards to check." I pointed out, "It would take forever to comb the entire island."
"We might not have to." Ace stated, "Luna, you said that the guns are smuggled from outside the kingdom, right?"
"Yeah, what does that…" She wonders before realising, "Which means ships! And ships mean docks! In other words, it would be–"
"Close to the sea, or at least near someplace connected to one." He explains, "That narrow things down, right?"
"Even so, it still leaves several yards to check, not to mention that we are on a time limit here!" I noted, "Luna, when they say the coup is to be executed?"
"Hm… I think the hooded man says they would be ready in about a week… and that was around four days ago, so…"
"It's in three days!?"
Which means we have to find the evidence in two days!? Is this girl crazy!? Why didn't she point that out before!?
"That's… a bit of a clench…" Deuce points out, "There's no way we'll be able to scope out the entire island, find that weapon depo, get the evidence, and head back to the mainland in that time frame."
"We could at least try!" She cried out, "My entire country is at stake here!"
"Then you should have included that before we left!" I cried, "We would have at least plan things out more! Not winging it like we are doing now! I mean, do you even know what the depo could LOOK like?"
"Um…"
"Oh, fuck me…"
"Hey, I was in the rush when I bump in you and Meron!" She screamed, "So, excuse me for not getting enough information on the hidden target!"
"And you should! There's no way we'll be able to find a hidden weapon storage in the wilderness in two fucking days just through IMPROVISING!"
"Like I said, we should at least–"
"Um, guys?" Deuce spoke up.
"WHAT!?"
"Ace has fallen asleep."
"Huh?"
I looked at the 'driver' seat of the watercraft and the visible signs of the flame person's snores can be seen, including the giant snot bubble. Oh, shit…
"Wasn't he driving the boat!?" Luna cried.
"He was, and still is!" Deuce points out in a panic, the signs of Ace's fire visible in the 'cockpit', "And I think that cliff face is coming closer!"
"What cliff face-OH CRAP BASKETS!"
"Crap what-OH SHIT!"
We all nearly screamed as we speed towards the cliff face that is as tall as Deuce that is steadily approaching by the second! Shit, shit, shit! What do we do!? What do we do-Oh, yeah. Devil Fruit powers.
I quickly summons out my wings and grab Luna by the stomach, "Deuce, I'm leaving Ace to you!"
"Wait, what are you-!?"
I quickly leap off the craft and flew into the air, flapping my wings harder to accommodate to the additional weight, which is surprisingly pretty hard to do. The vessel eventually did crash into the cliff, but Deuce managed to grab Ace and throw themselves into the water before they went splat.
Can't say the same for the Strider, though. The impact actually broke the boat into pieces.
"…There goes our ride home…" I pointed out worriedly.
"Yeah, I can see that!" Luna noted with a grunt, "What kind of idiot falls asleep like that!?"
"The Ace kind, apparently…" I grunted before flying towards the island. Once we are above the cliff, I put her down before landing myself and dismissing my aching wings. Damn, nearly pulled a muscle there.
"…Just to clarify…" The princess points out she looks over the cliff, "Devil Fruit users drown in water, right?"
"Yeah. Why do you think I left Deuce with Ace?" I stated as I rolled my shoulders an attempt to get rid of the phantom ache, "At least one of them can swim."
Just as I said that, a splash can be heard from the waters, which is followed by, "Couldn't you save us as well!?" from Deuce.
"Sorry, but the princess's safety is my first priority." I tell him as I look down into the waters, where the future Whitebeard commander and his first-mate is bobbing in the water, "Also, just carrying her took a lot out of me, so I highly doubt I'll be able to carry you two."
"Whatever. Just throw down a line or something! This guy is a lot heavier in the waters!"
After fetching a rope from my bag and several minutes spent pulling them up, we all took a moment to catch our breath and bearings.
"So… your boat is caput." I pointed out worriedly as I pack the bundle of rope into my bag.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Ace nervously chuckles, "But went you have to nap, you have to nap, you know?"
"No. No, we don't." Luna stated angrily, "Seriously, how can you even sleep while steering the boat!?"
"I have asked that question so many times…" Deuce stated with a sigh, "And still never gotten any answer…"
"And I doubt you ever will." I added with a groan, "But that aside, there's still the part that we still have NO idea where to start looking! And without the boat, even if we did find the evidence, we have no way of getting back to the mainland."
"Can't you just fly us back?" He asked.
"Highly doubt so." I explained, "Just carrying the princess took a lot out of me, and that's just somewhat hovering. I wouldn't make it past a few feet."
"Wow, you are weak." Ace pointed out.
"I'm a head shorter than you." I responded angrily, "And skinnier, and a lot lighter-"
"You're a midget, is what you're telling me."
"WHO'S A MIDGET!?"
"At any rate!" Deuce interrupted us, "We have no other choice than to search the island on foot. This island is big, so it'll be best if we start right away."
"That's right." Luna stated firmly, "We've still got a mission to take care of. Let's go find that weapon depo and get the evidence. We'll think about how to get back to the mainland later."
"Yeah, sure. Go into the forest death trap." I sarcastically pointed out, "I'm sure that will be go well."
"Let's just go already."
For the next few minutes, we are just walking through the forest with the princess leading us, threading on the grassy ground with little sunlight penetrating through the roof of leaves above us. Got to say, for what amount to a deadly forest, this place sure feels tranquil. I don't know what was so scary about this place.
The sun is shining, the air smells great, the wind is blowing, there's a snake handing from that branch ahead-
Wait, snake!?
"SNAKE!" I shouted as I ran past Luna, drew my sword and slashes at the slithering reptile, severing its head from its body. I let out a sigh as I sheathes my weapon, "That was close."
"Rein…" Luna look at me with a pale face as she points at me, "There's a little something on your…"
I blinked at her before looking over my shoulder, eight pair of red eyes looked back belonging to a large hairy spider the size of a human fist perched on my right shoulder.
"KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Not going to lie, I screamed like a bitch.
"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"
"Relax, just don't move." Ace tells me as he walks up and plucked the arachnid off of me, "Got to say, I've never seen a spider this big before."
"Yeah, yeah, that's great. Just keep that away from me!" I stated in fear while hiding behind Deuce.
"What, scared of spiders?" He chuckles, "That's surprisingly girly of you."
"They have deadly venom that kills in seconds!" I shouted, "Not to mention all those eyes, and legs, and fangs, and-"
"I get it, I get it, you hate spiders." He tosses the critter to the side, the eight-legged terror skitters away as we carry on walking.
"So, you're okay with snakes, but spiders freak you out?" His first-mate asks me.
"Hey, they are scary, okay."
"And for a good reason." Luna tells us, "That spider is called the Red-Eyed Tarantula, and they are extremely venomous. One sting from it can kill you within seconds. No amount of anti-toxins can save you from it."
"Yikes."
"Yes, yikes." She nodded, "So I want everyone to be careful. There's no telling what kind of dangerous creature we'll encounter next."
Just as she said that, she walks right into the butt of a large black bear scourging in the bush. "RAAWWWRRRRR!" The large beast roared as it rushes towards us, and Ace took that moment to just fall asleep to both my irritation and annoyance.
Which then brings us back to the present with us still getting chased by that very same black bear.
"What do we do!? What do we do!?"
"Can't you just take it down!?" Luna asked me.
"I don't think my sword would work!"
"Don't you have Devil Fruit powers!?"
"…Oh, right."
I quickly turn around and change my arms into their draconic nature. The moment the large animal came close enough, I pull back and slams my fist right into its nose, sending it crashing through a tree, leaving it slumped on the ground either out cold or dead.
"I keep forgetting about that." I noted as I change my arms back.
"Yeah, I notice." Deuce groans as he tosses Ace onto the ground roughly, waking the freckled face pirate with a jolt.
"Huh!? W-What happen!? What did I miss!?"
"A lot." He tells his captain.
"Okay, you need to get examined by a professional!" I pointed out angrily, "Your narcolepsy might kill us at this rate! Hey, Luna! Do you know any doctors you could recommend for his situation?"
"…" She did not answer, to my confusion.
"…Luna?"
"Um, guys… Come look at this."
She beckons to us, the princess squatting behind a bush peeking at something. We all look at each other with confusion, before walking and kneeling next to her. She then points forward–
In a castle room, a lone man looks out the window overlooking an entire bustling town under him, a small scowl on his face.
He has long dark blue hair parted down the middle with bangs reaching past his eyebrows, wrinkles under his eyes that signifies age with a blade scar on his left cheek. He is clothed in a blue doublet with bronze rims and buttons and a pair of dark blue pants tucked into a pair of leather boots.
"Tell me, my good man, what was my orders last night?"
Behind him, standing rather skittishly, is another man in a white dress shirt with a red tie and a pair black formal pants along with a pair of leather shoes.
"T-To capture the princess, s-sir…"
"That's right." The man turns around, staring down at the man, "And what did we just learn a moment ago?"
"T-That the Red Cap Mountain Bandits fail…?"
"NO!" He shouted as he marches up to the poor man with a venomous glare, "It's YOU who has failed, my good sir! YOU, who has only one job. ONE! JOB! And you can't even accomplish that!"
"S-Sir Reginold, please. I-I can explain!"
"Yes, please, Sir Leopold Stevenson! Please explain how did a bunch of armed bandits is taken down by ONE man!?" The named Reginold shouted angrily, "ONE man who, by their accounts, GLARED them to submission! Because I think it is less about that man being so ridiculously strong, and more like you have hired the most pathetic bunch of lowlifes you can find!"
Leopold whimpered in front of him as he got up to his face, before sighing and walking away.
"We can't leave any loose ends danglingly." He stated firmly, "We have waited far too long to have something like this ruin it all."
"S-Sir, with all due respects, what can one lone girl do?" The cowardly man asked him, "Sure, she may have overheard us, but we have already isolated her away from the capital. There's no way she'll be able to do anything to hinder our plans."
"Even so, we can't take the chance that she could." He points out, "If she is anything like her grandfather, then there's a high chance she might pull off something."
"T-Then, won't killing her be easier?"
"And that is why I'm the one who does the plans." He stated with a smirk, "If my years under that king of ours has taught me anything, is that he cares dearly for his family, especially his precious daughter. So dearly, that he'll do anything to assure their safety."
"Ah! You're going to hold her as hostage!"
"Exactly." He nodded, "If the slim chance that man has the guts and will worthy of that throne, we will have a bargaining chip in our favour, thus dealing with our little leak AND advancing our plans forward!"
"Your genius knows no bound, Sir Reginold!" Leopold cheered, before blinking, "B-But we've no idea where she'll be going. How are we going to catch her?"
"Oh, I know where she'll be going." Reginold stated, "She'll be heading towards Irenia in search our little hidden stash of weapons. And that's where we'll snag her." He then turns to Leopold, "Send word to our men stationed in Flut Village. Tell them to keep a lookout for the girl. If they find her, capture her using any means necessary, but leave her alive."
"O-Of course, sir!" The cowardly man bowed before adding on, "What about the men we stationed to guard the stash?"
"Don't bother." His superior assures him, "That place is so well-hidden, I doubt they'll come across it any time soon."
–Right at the cave entrance that has two completely not inconspicuous men in what can only summarised as pirate clothing wielding muskets guarding it.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Well…" I face-palmed, "…So much for a secret location."
…
To be continued…
And there! We are done! Finally! Sorry it took so long! Wow-wee, almost a whole month! Never thought it would take this long!
Anyways, here we are! Part three of the Twilight Isles Arc! Halfway done!
You heard me right! HALFWAY! There's still plenty of stuff I'm going to cover in this arc, so be prepared.
You know, it is funny, really. I was planning for the prologue thing to be only at least ten-plus chapters, but it might end up being close to twenty before canon starts! I'm having WAY too much fun writing this!
With that, I thank you all for reading this!