Chapter 19: Disco Island
"Hey, guys! Hey guys! The latest copy just dropped!"
"Oh, sweet! Quick! Find that article! Let's see how she look!"
"Already on the case!"
It has been a few days since we left the Twilight Isles and the Britt Kingdom.
The seas have been mostly calm, with a few wild winds and some heavy rainstorms here and there, and we are slowly making our way back to Temasek. Or at least, that's where I THINK we are heading to.
For some reason, a lot of the crew seems to be excited about something for the past couple of days since we left Port Royalist, and I have no idea why. The guys seem to be taking good care of their oral hygiene for some reason, and the girls are really attentive towards their make-up as well. Heck, I see Silvia checking her hair at the porthole window every once in a while.
Heck, even Sen seems to be doing it!
And that is terrifying…
At any case, that has nothing to do with case at hand as the moment the News Coo landed on the railings, someone immediately buy the latest copy and start flipping through it like crazy.
"What've gotten you all excited?" I asked after another strenuous training session with Sen. Him being in a good mood doesn't seem to make the training any easier. If anything, he seems to be making them even tougher by the day, now adding spars with actual swords with me now permanently the wielder of Nanashi.
"Oh, like you don't know~"
"Really, I don't. What are you looking for?"
"Ooh~! Found it~!" The crewmember with the newspaper, I think his name is Joey, reveal to the article to us, a full page spread from the looks of it.
When I saw the photo on it, I let out a moan of embarrassment as I tries to cover my now blushing face as much as I could.
"[Princess saves Kingdom from a future Rebellion!]" He reads out loud, "[With the help from a brave young lady in employment the East Traders!]! Hey, Rein! You're on the paper!"
"Oh man, what is she wearing?"
"I don't know. I think it suits her."
"Really?"
"Man, look at that expression! Hahaha, you look so out of place!"
"I think this is the first I've ever saw her in an actual dress."
Comment after comment came out of my crewmates much to my increasing shame and embarrassment. Damn it, I knew that is going to come up in the papers, but still!
"Oh… someone, just kill me now…"
"Relax, Rein." Gord assures me with a pat on the back, "You look great in that outfit. Way better that I thought you ever could."
"That dress really suits you, to be honest." Kris added.
"Not you guys too…!" I moaned as I brought my knees to my chest in a fetal position to try and hide my burning face.
"Hey, hey, what's all the racket!?" Silvia calls out as she came to the deck, "Why aren't any of you at your post!?"
"The latest newspaper is out!"
"Oh, sweet! Is Rein's article in there!?"
"Right here!"
"Let me see!"
"God damn it, Silvia!" I groan out, "It's just one article! It's nothing to make such a big fuss about!"
"Rein, you literally saved an entire kingdom from regressing into civil war." My captain stated flatly, "I think that desire this much fuss."
"It's not like I did it on my own…"
"Regardless! It's still fact that you are on the news! And with this, the East Traders' reputation will skyrocket into new heights! All thanks to you!"
I'm not sure how to feel about that. I mean, the only reason I even helped Luna out in the first place is due to Sen pushing me into it. And then I dragged Ace and Deuce into it, and through sheer fucking luck and some super lucky coincidence that we managed to foil Reginold's plans. Not exactly awe-inspiring, that's for sure…
"Man, they sure are putting you up there." Joe noted as he reads into the paper, "Taking down an entire platoon of armed terrorists all by yourself, and with nothing but your sword? Those are some high exaggeration! The World Government sure doesn't cut corners on this."
"That's the World Government for you." Gord sighs, "If there's any news on an affiliated kingdom, especially when it is to do with civil unrest, they would go to all lengths to overdramatise the entire event."
"That, or 'Big News' Morgans really likes to overexaggerate with his words." Lee pointed out.
"Or both." Sen stated, "It could be both."
"Alright, men! It is now decided!" She snatches the newspaper out of Joe's grasps before raising it into the air like a trophy, "When we arrive at Disco Island, the first thing we are going to do is celebrate like sailors! Everyone gets shore leave for the day!"
"HOORAY!"
"Huh? Disco Island?" I blinked in surprise. That's where we're heading to this whole time?
"Seriously, Rein?" Gord raises his brow at my expression, "Silvia stated that we will head there on the return trip, remember? Before we left Temasek?"
"Ah…"
Now that he mentioned it, she did say something like that before, didn't she? I must have forgotten about it with all the stuff that has been going on back at Twilight Isles…
"You can seriously be a bit of an airhead at times, huh?" Sen chuckles.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, why don't you?"
"Ah, but someone needs to stay behind to guard the ship." Lee points out.
"Alright! Let's have a rock-paper-scissors tournament!" Silvia announces, "Loser has to guard the ship for the night!"
"What, seriously!?"
"Damn it, I can't afford to lose!"
"Oh crap, I'm terrible at that! Argh, my shore leave!"
"Hey! That's completely unfair!"
Kris opens his mouth to speak, no doubt to volunteer to stay behind-
*BOOOM!*
The sea next to the ship suddenly exploded in a tower of water, one as tall as the mast with the resulting displacement splashing down on all of us. The shockwave shakes the ship extremely wildly that has almost everyone falling and tripping over themselves to try and stay upright.
"What was that!?"
"Captain! Pirates off to the portside!"
The lookout's announcement spooked everyone on the ship as we all quickly rushed into battle stations to prepare for another fight. The cannons are aimed and armed with boxes of gunpowder and cannonballs are being dragged out of storage, swords and various forms of firearms are armed and ready.
I thumbed Nanashi's tsuba nervously as I waited anxiously for the upcoming brawl.
"Who is it?" Silvia asked.
"The Buggy Pirates, captain!"
Wait, the Buggy Pirates? The one with the comical ass of a captain that is pretty much the guy whose luck is either so bad or so good to the point of hilariousness? The one that looks like a fucking clown even without any makeup or fake noses? The ass of the joke and meme of the fandom, Buggy himself?
I didn't think I'll run into him at all. Then again, he has a pretty hefty bounty in canon, so he has to be pretty active before Luffy came and wreck his ass. While he is pretty pathetic in Grand Line standards, he is very, very dangerous in the East Blue.
His tricky Devil Fruit ability aside, his custom cannonballs aren't some run-of-a-mill ammunition, each with enough firepower to level a row of houses with just one shot. Not to mention his more portable Muggy Ball that he kept within his shoes that he can fire at any time and with no reduction of its destructive power.
Not only that, his Lieutenants are no pushover either. One's a tamer of a massive lion that is pretty strong, while the other is a not-incompetent swordsman with a bag full of deadly tricks that had Zoro on the evasive for majority of their fight.
I may have a tough time dealing with them-
"Huh? Lil' Buggy? Didn't think I'll run into him in this decade…"
"Hm? You know him?" I asked Sen in surprise. From the way he said it, it's like he knew of the clown pirate personally, and for a pretty long time too.
The only way he could have known him would have been that he… no, that can't be. It can't be that much a coincidence, can it?
"HAHAHA! Hear me, you East Traders!"
A booming, but rather unthreatening, voice calls out from the pirate ship that is coming closer every few clicks.
"That shot I flashily graced you with is from my special cannonball, the Buggy Ball!" Unmistakably Buggy shouts out over from his pirate ship, "If you don't want that to hit you, I suggest you surrender and hand over all your gold, silver and all things that glitter! If not, we're happy to take it from your wreckage!"
"Damn, that was from one cannonball? How powerful is that Buggy Ball?" Joe wonders worriedly.
"If that thing hits us, a hole in the hull would be the least of our worries." Gord noted.
"What's our plan?" Lee asked Silvia, "Should we do as he says?"
"It pains me to say it, but…" She muttered out; her tone clearly indicates how frustrating it is to her, "Everyone, weapons down. Let them board."
"C-Captain!"
"We can't just surrender!"
"I-I'm sure I can hit their hull from here!"
"I can swim over there and take them down, no problem!" Kris pointed out.
"And then they'll sink us without any mercy!" She shouts out to the crew, silencing their complains instantly, "I would rather have our lives and this ship not sinking if it just means giving up on some shiny metals! We can earn the money back, but we can't bring the dead back. Let them board, that is an order."
"…Yes, captain, ma'am…"
"If I may interject…" Sen spoke up from the crew, getting everyone's attention, "You don't have to give them anything, if you wanted."
"Sen?"
"Just leave that clown to me. I'll have it settled without a single fight."
We are all confused by his words, but decided to trust in them regardless. If it is Sen, I'm sure he'll be able to pull it off. After all, it is clear that he knows Buggy.
Soon enough, after Silvia gave the order to raise a white flag in surrender, the Buggy Pirates' circus-themed ship sails up to us and drops a boarding ramp on our railings.
"I'm glad you guys are smart about this." Buggy gleefully walks onto the deck, "To be honest, hunting for your gold from a wreckage would be such a pain."
He is as ridiculous-looking as Oda made him out to be. Crossbones makeup with lips coated in red, orange pirate hat with his pirate-clown Jolly Roger on it, orange fur-lined pirate coat draped over his shoulder, red striped shirt and green pants with those pointed jester shoes, not to mention that big red nose of his.
He is a 'clown' from top to bottom.
And that's not mentioning his crew, who has all adopted similar attire to reflect the circus theme they are clearly going for to match with their captain. Heck, they might as well be the circus if they weren't wielding swords and flintlocks.
Also, I'm not sure if I'm misremembering, but was the tamer's hair always that white, and looks so much like fur?
"Now, as we ordered, your gold, silver, and all things glittering. Into the bag they go." One of his men walks up with a large bag open for us, clearing waiting for their precious loot. "If I ever catch a glimpse of even one person attempting something foolish, it is goodbye to your ship-"
"Wow, did your nose gotten bigger? Ho-ly shit, that is amazing!"
I can literally hear his nerve snapping as his crew clearly flinches and steps away from their captain with great haste.
"Who's the fucking bastard who said that!? Step forward and I'll show you who has a big nose!"
"Gladly~!"
As soon as Sen steps out, Buggy's face immediately drops several shades of every colour colour and became as pale as a bleached white sheet. Even his lips became pale, and they are coated!
"E-Eh…?"
"Long time no see, Lil' Buggy!"
"S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-SEN!?"
With bulging eyes and chattering teeth, the clown-themed pirate screams out in both shock and panic. Not to mention his hilarious expression that is befitting his namesake and appearance. Damn, I didn't think lips could pucker up that much without looking like a kiss!
"W-What are you doing here!?"
"What? Am I not allowed to roam the East Blue?"
"O-Oh! O-Of course, n-n-not! You can sail wherever you like!" He nervously chuckles, "J-Just, I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Heh, you know how it is with me." Sen states with a smirk, "Wandering with no destination, in mind. But enough about me, let's talk about you! I see you are making quite a name of yourself! A loyal crew, a pretty high bounty, and a ship to call your own! You are really moving up in the world."
"A-Ah, yes! Of course! A pirate to the end, like the captain always says!"
"Yes, yes, like he says. And a pirate you are to the end, right?"
"Y-Yes…?" Buggy's face starts to tense up a little, "O-Out of pure c-curiosity, what are you doing on this here ship?"
"Oh, I'm currently working as this ship's guard."
"I-I see…"
"And you are planning on plundering this ship of its valuables and goods, so I have to step in to stop you." Buggy's face became even paler than before, "Just as a heads-up, I don't hate you for what you are doing. You are just doing what all pirates do, after all. It's with the career."
"O-Of course…"
"With that being said…" Sen smirks, "I value the bonds I made over the years, so I can be a little lenient on this. So, I'm going to give a painless solution!"
"W-Which is…?"
"Leave within the next ten minutes. And if I ever see you coming after this ship again…"
A crack of a single finger joint is more than enough motivation for him to start running back to the ship like his ass is on fire, his confused crew not too far behind. Within the next five minutes, the boarding ramps are pulled back to his ship, the anchor is raised and the circus pirate ship is speeding away as fast as a wind-powered ship is capable of going.
"SORRY FOR THE TROUBLE!" Buggy shouts out over the horizon as the pirate ships sails further away.
"…And that takes care of that." Sen pats his hands free of any imaginary dust, "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Guys?"
No one can say anything, especially with how low our jaws have dropped by the display of absolute dominance by Sen. I know Sen has immense strength, but for Buggy to run away in a panic like that without so much as a single punch or bullet fired? And with just his sheer intimidation alone?
And at that point, everyone on the ship just collectively decides to never try to offend Sen ever again. And to find a way to have Sen stay as this ship's guard permanently.
By the time the sun starts to set and the night begins to roll around, we all made it to the island everyone has been hyping up about.
And to be their benefit, they have a reason to do so.
Disco Island is like its namesake, a bustling island city that may as well be the East Blue equivalent to Las Vegas, but more disco dancing and drunk partying with less casinos and gambling. I guess that is to expected with an island that seems to have a huge culture centring around the beauty of 80s disco culture.
Heck, I can see a lot of fashion choices that would fit perfectly in the 80s that are just wandering the streets, not to mention the insane dance parties ongoing all around the island.
The island's buildings aren't that different from a regular city of this world, with stone houses made with white bricks all around that can go as high as five stories at least. And when I said city, I mean it.
You see, the island itself isn't very big, and such the buildings are built similar to big metropolis like New York but in a more sailing ship era setting. That meant that besides the main streets and city square, every building is built pretty close to each other, and that leads to lots of alleyways in between. If you were to wander about here, you can get lost pretty quickly and easily.
Thankfully, that is not the case for me this time as the moment we landed on the island, we all went straight to the largest bar for a celebration.
"A toast! To our shortest member yet-"
"-HEY!"
"-and the great hero that saved a kingdom! To Rein!"
"CHEERS!"
In no time at all, everyone all starts drinking and partying like no tomorrow. Beer are poured and chugged every few minutes, laughing and cheers all around. Some were even starting to sing and dance about the place, piss drunk or otherwise. And boy, some of them are piss drunk and is screwing up the song badly. And yet, tone deaf singing surprisingly fits this place.
"Having fun, Rein?" Sen asked after he down what looks like his fiftieth mug.
"Kind of." I nodded as I sips my root beer. Yeah, turns out root beer exists in this world, and are non-alcoholic so it is safe. "It's kind of fun to see what everyone else is up to."
I think I saw Sam already making some moves on the local ladies with very high possibility of a one-night-stand. He might be getting a threesome with twins by the looks of things.
And Gord is starting a Congo line for some reason? Hell, he is even wearing the large Mexican hat with all the accessories and everything. All he needs to have some maracas and he is set!
And Silvia is at the corner nursing a drink and-Is she making out with Lee of all people!? Not only that, they are practically humping each other!
"Um, is Silvia and Lee…?"
"They are dating, if that's what you are thinking."
"Does everyone know about this?"
"Pretty much. There were subtle hints here and there, you know."
Wow. I didn't even notice at all. I did think they were pretty close, but I assumed it was because of their positions and such-and they are groping each other now. And Silvia is taking off her jacket-
"Go to the bathroom, at least!"
Justin's shout manages to get them to head there before they start 'riding' each other in public. Wow, they must be really drunk, or pent up from being out at sea that long.
"Too bad Kris can't come here, huh?" I pointed out.
The fishman has volunteer to stay behind on the Silver Fang as the night guard, as expected of him. I get that he can't really join in as he can't come onto the island without tripping some alarm and getting the Marine involved, but I would like it if he could show up.
"You know how it is." Sen stated, "With Arlong ruining the reputation of Fishmen in the East Blue, he would just bring the Marines down on us."
"I know, I know. Just…"
"…Let's get him a barrel to chug when we get back, huh?"
I nodded at the idea before draining my mug.
Soon enough, when close to everyone is either blacked out or vomiting on the streets, we all returned back to the Silver Fang to rest up for the night. Excluding Sam who has a nightly rendezvous.
Sen is still drinking though, with no sign of him getting even a little tipsy.
After giving Kris some high-quality rum from the bar, we decide to take over his shift and let him enjoy a little drink for the night. At least there are a few people who still hasn't drink enough who are willing to join him, Justin being surprisingly one of them. Gord seems to still be functioning well enough to add some snacks to go with it.
"This is a good night." Sen nodded as he empties another bottle in one long chug.
"Man, I know I have said this before, but you really can hold your alcohol." I pointed out.
"Yup. Several centuries of drinking can do that to you."
"Guess that explains it…"
Thankfully, tonight seems to be a cloudless night. So all the shimmering stars are free to be seen and the full moon is shining down on us, letting us have a good view of the deck even without a lantern.
As the salty sea breeze blew against me, my shoulder length hair fluttering in the wind, I thought back to all my time in this world.
Getting saved by Sen having dropping into the ocean, eating the nasty Devil Fruit and nearly drowning in the process, getting new clothes and joining the East Traders, the time in Riza and my almost crush on Suiren, Sen revealed to be a Dragon, that battle with the Don Krieg pirates, meeting Garp and then Ace a few days later, and my adventure with Luna to save her kingdom.
Man, all of that happened just within the span of a couple of months…
"A lot has happened, huh…?"
"Hm?"
"Ever since I came here into this world, it has been on full throttle non-stop." I explains to him, "Event after event after event, I have been through quite a bit of a journey."
"It's not too bad." Sen stated, "You seems to be having a great time at least."
"Yeah, I am. Back in my world, the farthest I have ever gone is to my college and back. Maybe to my sister's house sometimes for a visit or to deliver some things, but that's the extent of where I have gone outside of my house."
"That sounds rather boring…"
"It is, but I didn't really desire anything outside of it, outside of my comfort zone." I added, "But now, I have been turned into a girl, eaten probably the worst fruit to have ever existed, joined a trading company, and now I have saved an entire kingdom. All of that, I wouldn't have imagined myself doing at all."
"Do you now?"
"Somewhat. Maybe a little, but I wouldn't change it any other way."
"I see." He nodded, "I guess that means you wouldn't mind me upping the difficulty of your training?"
"Oh please, have mercy on that end."
We both let loose a little chuckle at that, before returning to that peaceful silence.
As the night went on, my mind starts to think back to the book I have in my room right now. The book I have swiped from the vault back on the Twilight Isles. And its hierographic content.
I knew that Sen has purposely forbids me from even attempting to search about anything about the Void Century, but with that book, I might have some clue to its truth. The One Piece fan inside me is screaming at me to find out the truth, about this and everything.
Actually…
"This is going to sound out of leftfield, but…" I turn to face my mentor, "Back at Twilight Isles, Reginold had told Vi that your friend Arthurious has issued an order to kill off all Letians and anyone related to their royal bloodline. Is that…?"
"…Yes, and no." He sighs, "That part of their history is one that Arthurious is not proud of. Even with the war won, there's still some deep resentment towards the Letians. While he wanted them to just leave them alone and live alongside them, there are those who wants vengeance on all of them, whether or not they are involved in the fighting. It has gotten so out of hand that there were forged orders that permitted the genocide of at least several thousands of civilians, all of them just distantly related to the Letian Kingdom."
"So… what Reginold said is true?"
"In one hand, yes. But Arthurious was able to put a stop to it in the end. He didn't want this to happen again, so he has the rest of the Letians all banished from the island and all records of such a thing ever happening was erased. After a while, that is accepted as fact."
"Man… even the greatest saint has the darkest secrets, huh?" I noted. I have absolutely no idea that such a deep secret was erased from history. It is kind of like the World Government, huh…?
"Mhm." He nodded, "Say, what brought that up? Still thinking about that guy Vi?"
"No, not really, just…" I wonder if I should say it, and decides to just bite the bullet, "When I was in the tome under the kingdom, there was a vault that can only be opened by a certain item."
"Ah, right. Arthurious did mention something like that before his coronation. Says that it must not be opened at all."
"Yeah, well… we opened it." I flinched at his twitching eyebrows as I felt his Conqueror Haki starting to leak out of him, "B-But! There was nothing but books in it!"
"…Books? He didn't say anything about books…"
"Yeah, but here's the kicker…" I look around to make sure no one for sure is listening in before telling him, "In those books, are written text that looks like the letters on the Poneglyphs."
"WHAT!?"
"SSHH! You want to tell everyone!?"
He grumbles a little before asking, "Are you absolutely sure about this? They aren't some other strange lost language?"
"No, those are definitely the same kind of letters as the ones on the Poneglyphs." I stated, "If you want a comparison, I have one of the books in my room."
"You took one out!?" He screams at me, "Are you fucking insane!? If the World Government, if those five bastards found about this, they are going to declare war against the Britt Kingdom!"
"I know, I know! But I can't help it! That book might contain information that not even Clover was able to found out! Information on the missing history!"
"Which is why I want you to get rid of it right now! No amount of knowledge is worth risking a Buster Call over!"
"It doesn't have to be that way! It's just one book! That's all! Please, at least translate it for me before getting rid of it!" I begged him, "I have to know what it says!"
"…You could be hunted for life, you know."
"I highly doubt that this one book happens to have information about the Ancient Weapons, Sen."
"…Find. Just bring it here. But I'm destroying it afterwards."
"Sure, no problem! I'll be right back!"
With haste, I dash into my room and brought back the forbidden text to him.
He carefully opens it up and skims through the pages a little. When his eyebrows raise up in what I can only guess is confusion, I knew from that it has nothing to do with all that he is afraid of.
"This… is just a history textbook."
"A textbook?" That's it? It's just a dumb textbook!?
"Yeah, but one that predates even the World Government." He added, "And… yup, the Ruroa Empire. That hasn't existed for a very long time."
"So, it's just a textbook…" I sighs in dejection, "Man, I was kind of hoping for some kind of hint about the Void Century."
Sen says nothing as he easily rips the book into pieces before dumping them into the sea below. "But why would a history textbook be sealed within a vault?" He wonders.
"Yeah, that's a good question." I nodded. For such a secure vault, for it just house textbooks would a big question mark for all of us.
"…Say, Rein." My mentor asks, "Why are you so curious about the Void Century?"
"Hm? Oh, no real reason." I noted, "It's just that back home, there were A LOT of theories about what the Void Century is since its reveal in the story, and I have read through all of them in my free time. Guess that the thought of being able to either debunk or proof one of them is an enticing one."
"I see…"
"But damn, it would nice if one of them could be true…"
I lean back against the railings and watch the stars, letting the wind blow through my hair.
…
To be continued…
Man, oh man! I am back, baby!
And boy, this chapter is hard to write.
I've already had the overall plot planned out, but I'm still not sure how to portray Rein's desire to know about the Void Century.
And yes, I might be copying Robin on that aspect, but there are slight differences here and there. You just have to wait and see.
Just a heads-up, I won't be focusing too much on this story for now, so expect pretty rare updates for this. I wouldn't abandon this fic yet, just having a burnout from writing this chapter.
With that, I thank you all for reading this!