The White City
I woke to the soft purr of three distinct women beside me. Carmen's soft, melon-sized breast pressed against my left side, her warm breath caressing my cheek as one of her legs draped over mine. On my right, Nojiko's tan breast rested against me, her cheek gently grazing mine; just beyond her, I caught a hint of pink hair belonging to Bellemere.
Carefully, I slipped out between them, realizing I might have overdone it again last night.
I stepped onto the main deck, squinting as the afternoon sun shone brightly overhead. Wyna carefully polished Yubashiri on the deck, with Sandai Kitetsu and Kagegiri Kitetsu sheathed and polished nearby.
"Is Kaya back from town?" I asked, walking over to the portside and glancing toward the dock. Dull Town lived up to its name, looking as lifeless as ever. There had been some commotion last night, but I trusted Kaya and Sham to handle it.
"Where is she now?" I turned to meet Wyna's gaze.
"When she came back, she looked troubled," Wyna replied, her left hand still polishing Yubashiri. "After helping the pink lady, she went to the second quarters—Nojiko and Bellemere's room—and fell asleep there with Sham."
I heard voices from the aftcastle—one energetic and lively, the other mild and reserved.
I headed to the aftcastle and found Reiju smiling, her left thigh bandaged, leaning on a cane. Carrot was all over the place, unable to sit still.
"—and then someone pulled us! I thought it was a Sea King, and suddenly we were on this ship—" Carrot was darting from one side to another, circling Reiju excitedly, "—and he asked me to join his crew! But the blue-haired lesser mink offers the best carrots, so I was torn!" Carrot stomped on the deck in frustration while Reiju only laughed.
"So, Carrot," I said, "have you decided to join my crew?"
"Ah! You're here!" Carrot looked at me in surprise. "Pink Lady, that's the long-nosed lesser mink I told you about."
"Nice to meet you, Long-Nose-san," Reiju greeted warmly. "I'm Pink Lady. Thank you for saving my friend and me."
"No worries. I heard from Carrot that you were heading to Flevance. Weren't you concerned about the risks?"
Reiju met my gaze steadily. "The so-called contagious effects of Amber Lead are just a myth. You'd need a considerable amount in your body for it to harm you; as long as you stay away from direct exposure, you're safe. Besides, poisons don't kill me. I plan to hide there while I figure out my next move."
I nodded, seeing the sense in her plan. "We'll set sail tomorrow morning; I'm headed to Flevance myself for my childhood friend's sake."
"Perfect! Pink Lady, we can go with them!" Carrot squealed excitedly. "And I can still enjoy those amazing carrots!"
"I'd be indebted to you, Long-Nose-san," Reiju added gratefully.
"No problem at all," I replied.
We prepared to sail from Normal Port the following day. Suddenly, a roar echoed from the direction of town. A tall, muscular blonde guy stood there—it must be Bellamy. "Hey! Where's the blonde girl? I want a rematch!" he shouted.
I glanced at Kaya, who was pointedly ignoring Bellamy below.
"You beat that guy, Kaya?" I asked, a swell of pride rising in my chest. "Wow, so your Titan Pill worked."
"Hey! Come out here! Let's settle this once and for all!" Bellamy yelled as our ship drifted away from the port.
"Oh, that's the guy Kaya defeated last night," came Sham's voice from below deck.
"Want me to shoot him, Kiddo?" Bellemere asked, puffing on her cigarette, her custom rifle resting on her shoulder.
"Nah, let's just ignore him," I replied. "Nojiko, set the compass for Flevance. Wyna, get us moving away from the port. Carmen, start preparing a feast!"
"On it, Cap!" Nojiko responded map and book in hand.
"Will do, husband," Carmen said, heading to the galley.
Wyna nodded silently as our ship left Notice Island. The sun began to rise behind us, leaving an angry Bellamy shouting on the dock.
"Alright, everyone. Before we reach Flevance, let's get another round of training in."
I heard groans and cheers as Merry's Revenge sailed smoothly toward Flevance.
After days at sea, we finally sailed into the dilapidated harbor of Flevance, the so-called "White City." An unsettling silence greeted us. The once-celebrated city lay in ruins, its buildings cloaked in a haunting white dust. The devastation was noticeable.
Reiju, leaning on her cane, stood beside me at the ship's starboard railing. Her eyes scanned the desolate landscape.
"This place used to be everyone's source of envy. The White City, where its earth, trees, and grass were all pure white, like in a fairy tale," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of the waves.
Kaya approached us, her brow furrowed with concern. "The Amber Lead poisoning," she said softly. "I heard from my Papa and Mama that they were all dead, either by poisoning or by their neighbor. But Papa said you would be fine if you don't inhale the lead and continuously interact with it."
Sham was uncharacteristically quiet. "It's like a ghost town," she said, her voice tinged with unease.
Bellemere's expressions were somber as she takes in the scene. "Hard to believe something like this could happen," Bellemere muttered, shaking her head and puffing her cigarettes.
Aerwyna placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Usopp Kun," she said gently. "Aside from Kaya's request to visit this island because her parents come from here, what is your real intention?"
Carrot hopped down from the ship, her bunny-like ears twitching as she surveyed the area. "I'll scout ahead," she offered, her voice determined.
"Carrot, You have to be careful!" I shouted at the female rabbit mink, who had already left the place, nowhere to be found.
There was no dockable dock, so I asked Wyna to anchor near the pier.
"Sham, give everyone your protective gown and heavy-duty gloves," I said. Sham lazily distributed her creation. Since Loguetown, I asked Sham to make combat-relative or safety-relative clothes, but she preferred to make sexy clothes, so I ignored her anyway.
I distributed respirators to everyone, but Reiju declined. "Okay, the task was simple. Our resources were dwindling, and I planned to build a large ship. I wanted all of you to look for gold, berries, anything, but avoid amber lead. That thing is poisonous," I said, looking everyone in the eye.
"So, that's why you want to go here, Long Nose San, to loot the forgotten treasure," Reiju commented beside me.
After donning our protective equipment, we disembarked and entered the heart of Flevance. There were many abandoned homes and crumbling structures, and the white dust told the story of a once-prosperous city brought to its knees by greed and neglect.
We split into groups to cover more ground. Kaya and I headed toward where her parents used to live. It was smaller than her mansion in Syrup Village but still luxurious enough. Kaya went inside. The building was in disarray, but amidst the chaos, Kaya salvaged some documents detailing the effects of Amber Lead poisoning.
"This is invaluable information," she said, carefully placing the papers in her bag. "It could help me study what harmful substance causes this much destruction."
We ventured outside and stumbled upon a mass grave marked with a simple, weathered sign. The sight left Kaya shaken, a stark reminder of the lives lost to the disaster; there were skeletons on the surface as well.
The silence of Flevance lingered like a ghost. Every corner we turned felt like stepping through a memory, one of prosperity turned to tragedy. The white stone streets, once pristine, were now cracked and overgrown with weeds, and a stillness that felt unnatural filled the air. Our footsteps echoed off the empty walls, each of us lost in our thoughts.
Kaya kept close to me as If she needed reassurance that I was there.
We continued down the road, eventually reaching what must have once been the heart of the city. It was here that the devastation was the worst. The buildings barely stood, and the walls crumbled and stained with time. The remains of a fountain sat in the center of the square, its stone edges chipped and broken, white fragments scattered around it like the remnants of a shattered dream.
As the sun set, Kaya and I walked back to Merry's Revenge, the weight of the day's discoveries heavy on our shoulders. My backpack was full of gold and berry notes, but most of the berries accumulated dust and mildew, so I only picked up gold. I also found one unopenable chest. I'll ask Wyna later to open it for me.