6 Chapter Five

The city before me was magnificent. It was floating on the water, almost like Water 7 but much more modern and a lot bigger. The sun reflecting off the glass of skyscrapers mixed with beautiful old time towers and mansions. It was like if the Modern era and Arthurian era fucked and had a gloriously beautiful baby that was this city. Trees were interwoven into not only the towers but the skyscrapers as well giving it a natural green glow.

As we sailed around the side of the city I could tell the difference in the sections of the city. They were even numbered. The one with the gorgeous skyscrapers was number 12 and the one we were coming up on was number 13. It had large factory buildings with tall stacks that had pitch black smoke billowing out of them. Large stacks of lumber un piles against some of the buildings. My eyes widened when we passed what looked like the beginnings of an incredibly large ship being built but what caught my attention was the name on the building behind it. Galley-La Dock One.

That means Iceburg, Tom, and Franky are here, too! 'I get to see the cyborg and a fishman in person!' I wriggled around in excitement but paused. 'Wait, if Shanks is this young Franky might not be born yet and even if he is he wouldn't be a cyborg yet, I don't think.. Iceburg should be alive, he was older than Franky but only by like two years I think...Oh well, we'll see.' I hummed in deep thought.

"Amazing, isn't it?" My father asked me, smiling so brightly at me.

"Yesh." I mumbled in awe. His jaw dropped and his eyes began brimming with tears again. "No cry!" I yelled at him. He sniffed a few times, trying to reign in his tears.

"We're pulling into the dock now, Captain!" I heard one of the deckhands yell.

'Damn, I thought we were going to sail around the city and get a good view of it.' I groaned.

'You'll see more after we enter. The city is broken up into fifteen different sections, each more unique than the last.' Omen assured me.

"Ray-san! Welcome back!" A deep man's voice bellowed out. I looked to the docks where the voice came from and smiled brightly. It was the legendary shipwright himself, Tom. I knew he was large from the series but seeing him in person like this, he's even taller than my father and that to me was larger than life at my present size. After the ship was docked Shanks carried me off the ship with Buggy beside him and right behind my father with the dire wolves just behind us.

"Tom-san!" My father said and clasped forearms with him.

"What brings you back to the city my friend?" Tom asked, a big smile gracing his face. My father turned to Shanks and I and picked me up from him.

"I'd like to introduce Isabo to you." He started. "Tom, this is my daughter." He held me up to the fishman like Rafiki holding out Simba. Tom's eyes widened in surprise, more so when I reached out to him for him to hold me. He gingerly grabbed me from Rayleigh's outstretched arms, unsure how to hold me.

He had one webbed hand under my butt and one supporting my back. His skin felt cooler than the others', his webbed hands actually felt like nets holding me which actually made me start to giggle. Tom's face brightened at my giggles and started laughing with me. "She's beautiful, Ray-san." He said, making me blush.

'I'm a baby, I look like a potato with very pink strawberry blonde fluff on top…' I mentally facepalmed.

'Ha, a potato with pink fluff.' Omen snickered back at me and I mentally rolled my eyes.

'Do you hear all my inner monologue?' I asked but I think I already had the answer.

'Yes, Master Potato.' He mocked, cheeky thing.

"I'm bringing her to meet the clan." My father said, saving Omen from my wrath. "She's the first born of the next generation, they're going to be so excited." He gushed.

'Clan?' The question rang through my thoughts.

"Borrow my pontoon, it should fit you and you're companions." Tom offered and lowered me to Shanks' outstretched arms. Shanks held me tight, snuggling me close to his chest.

'Damn, this kid must've missed me a lot.' I thought as my father and Tom clasped forearms again.

"Thanks, we'll bring it back by the end of the day." He assured Tom.

"Take your time." Tom shrugged and patted both me and Shanks on the head before heading off towards the opposite side of the 'island'. As we walked through I really didn't recognize many faces until a familiar tall, light green long hair was making her way towards us.

"Ray-san! It's so good to see you!" Kokoro called out, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. "Boys!" She cheered and grabbed Buggy, Shanks and I into a hug, making me yelp. "Oh?" She let us go and looked at me in Shanks arms. "And who is this?" She snatched me from his arms and held me in front of her.

"That's Isabo, Rayleigh's daughter." Tom said nervously, holding his hands out under me in case she drops me. She looked from me to Rayleigh and back again.

"No way, she's too pretty to be yours." Kokoro said and switched me to her side, nestling me against her bosom and glared at him. "Who'd you steal this baby from?" She asked him pointedly. My father raised his arms in front of himself defensively.

"She is mine, she just favors her mother." He said. "She has my hair color! Well, a pinker version of my hair color." He added.

"Nagagagaga!" She started laughing. "I'm just pulling your leg Ray-san. Congratulations on becoming a father." She clasped him on the shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding me. "She's going to be quite the heartbreaker when she gets older." She said looking down at me fondly.

"Nope! She's never dating! No man can look at her that way!" My father roared, startling me.

'That won't be a problem. I didn't even date in my previous life. Too awkward…' I mentally groaned. She slapped him in the back of his head.

"That's not your choice to make!" Kokoro scolded him.

'Can we just head to wherever it is we were going now?' I sweated.

'They do get side tracked a lot don't they?' Omen commented, making me chuckle. I drowned out their back and forth until finally they started walking again, Kokoro still holding me. I was lost in thought thinking about the Water 7 arc and all that happened to Tom and Franky. Well, he'll be Cutty Flam at this age. I wondered what would have to happen for him to become a cyborg, if he does in this world. I didn't realize how long it really took to get to the inner side of the island until we got to an end and Shanks and Buggy looked worn out.

I realized it wasn't the farthest end of the island yet. I could see a corner far off to my left with another island and the canal separating them. Unfortunately I couldn't make out the number on it. The way it jutted in, fitting like a puzzle piece to the island we stood on only separated by the water between the two made me think back to the layout of Water 7 but without the upstreams and geiser-like elevators so far. To my right the island we stood on jutted back out inward towards the inner city and I could just barely see the end of it a ways away with the canal flowing between with other pontoon boats floating leisurely to the soft current. I caught sight of fish and even caught sight of a mermaid that had shimmering white and gold scales with long white hair swimming by quickly, a small smile gracing my lips at the magnificent sight.

As we boarded the pontoon Kokoro kissed my forehead and handed me over to my father. "Make sure you bring her by again, Ray-san." Kokoro said and something flashed across my father's face, confusing me. I shook it off and looked to the sky. Small zeppelins were flying high in the sky and...People on brooms? The boat started moving and Shanks lurched, almost falling over but Buggy caught him and held him steady.

"Thanks" Shanks beamed at him and Buggy just 'tchd' at him but his body betrayed him since he still had a grip on Shanks arm to keep him steady since he was busy holding me. I looked ahead of us and the 'island' dead ahead of us was number 7 with arrows that pointed to the left and right as the canal split in two. My father turned the boat to the right and I looked between the two 'islands'. The canal we were drifting down was between number 7 and 14 from the number plastered on the island to the right of us.

Number 14 was lined with tall apartment-esque buildings with brick-red roofs and trees lining the grass that grew to the edge of the island and stopped at stone edges that plunged deep into the water. More people flying in and out on brooms or small zeppelins. Looked residential to me. Number 7 was quite the contrast. Dark bricked buildings, some tall, some short. Dark green leafed bushes with bright red roses lining most of the buildings, their pleasant smell reaching me from there and some of the shorter buildings had vines of ivy growing up the sides of them. Some windows had thick violet or crimson red curtains but one of the tallest buildings had a large black symbol that seemed to radiate darkness at the middle top of it. It looked like an ankh but not quite, it looked like a dagger with the hilt shaped almost like fangs.

A chill ran down my spine and I averted my gaze.

'The Midnight District.' Omen said, startling me. 'That's what district 7 is. That symbol that gave you the chills is the vampires main building.' He informed me.

'Wait, vampires exist in this world?' I asked, surprised by that.

'You saw a mermaid and you're questioning if vampires exist?' I could feel him rolling his eyes at me.

"From what series?' I asked curiously.

'Don't know.' He answered honestly, my heart dropping in disappointment.

'Guess I'll have to wait and see.' I groaned internally. It felt like we were drifting down the canal for quite awhile until we came close to the end of District 7, 14 still extending on and 8 just next to 7, fitting like another puzzle piece. My father turned the boat to the right, following the canal between 8 and 7.

District 8 seemed to be another residential area but it looked like some buildings were mini shopping malls when I saw the displays in the crystal clear windows. Some displayed clothes, others displayed rectangular glass items. To be honest they looked like touch screen phones from my world but without the metal casing. Another display caught my eye with shelves of grimoires lined up, the covers varying in colors.

'Why can I read the numbers on the districts but not the words in those signs?' I asked Omen when I couldn't decipher what the sales signs said along the displays. It looked almost runic but with more swirls.

'You haven't learned to read the language in this world.' He said simply. I furrowed my brow.

'But, they're speaking english.' I countered.

'It's not english. The reason you understand it is because it's been spoken to you since you were born. Your brain simply assumed it was english because you didn't know it was even a possibility it was anything else. The language is actually called etherian. Not sure why numbers look the same but the written language is definitely different.' Omen explained. 'It won't take you long to learn.' He added. He was right, though. In my past life learning other languages came pretty easy to me. I was quite fluent in most common languages and even studied some dead languages simply because they interested me.

"We can pick out more clothes for her!" Shanks said excitedly, pointing to one of the levels of one of the buildings that clearly catered to infants and toddlers. My father just smiled down at him, not taking his eyes off the canal ahead of us.

'Why do I have this uneasy feeling?' I shifted in Shanks arms and looked back at the buildings of District 8. The roofs of the buildings were different colors, ranging from deep violet to pale blue to fire engine red. It gave the district a unique feel to it. One building even had an orchard of fruit trees on top of it instead of a colorful roof. Bushes of flowers lined the white stone walkways with people walking in and out of stores, brooms weighed down with bags following closely behind a few people as they walked along the paths.

Some people even waved to my father, kids pointed at the direwolf next to him or more likely the pups she had rolling around her ankles. He just smiled, giving small waves here and there. 'Hmm, he must be well known.' I wondered.

'Hey, look ahead.' Omen said, catching my attention. I looked ahead and my breath caught at the sight. Ahead of us the island was named District 3 and it was more green than anything else in this city. Lines of trees ran down one side to the left and to the right I could see in the distance a large estate littered with traditional japanese houses. A tall dark wood pagoda rose in the center of those houses with what looked like training grounds on this side of the district. We came to the end of the canal as it branched left and right again and my father had the boat go right.

I could smell lilac mixed with honeysuckle as we headed down the canal. I finally caught sight of where the smell was coming from with bushes of pale purple lilacs and yellow and white honeysuckles mixed together along the edge of the grass and stone, branches dipping down into the water. Fallen flowers drifting along the current right next to us.

We came up to an enclave on the side of District 3 that had a closed silver gate. My father pulled the pontoon right up to the gate then ran his finger along the edge of it. Aftera few seconds the gate shimmered then disappeared. "Whoa!" Shanks gawked as Buggy's jaw practically hit the deck of the boat. My father chuckled at their reaction as he steered the boat into the darkened enclave. I looked over Shanks shoulder and watched the gate reappear right as the end of the pontoon entered the tunnel.

It was actually quite stuffy in here, the only sound of our breathing and the splash of the water against the pontoon. It went on like this for probably a good 15-20 minutes until I saw a light ahead of us. 'Oh thank god.' I groaned, getting uncomfortably sweaty in this tunnel.

Once through the opening the light was blinding for a few seconds until my eyes finally adjusted. I gasped in awe at the small marina we were drifting into. A large cherry blossom tree full of blooms branched out over a quarter of the small marina with its roots breaking through the ground and into the water. Instead of the high stone wall on the outside of the district the inlet here went from the grassland descending towards the water only to be separated by wave breaking stones along the shore. A large well-kept dock situated directly under the cherry blossom tree that had one other pontoon boat at it at the moment.

I caught sight of a woman standing in the shade of the tree in the middle of the deck, hands on her hips as she watched us pull up.

"Ready to meet your grandmother, Bo Bo?" My father asked. My eyes widened and a big smile graced my lips with excitement. He docked the boat and she headed for us from the shade, the anticipation making my heart pound so fast in my chest.

"Hello, mother." My father said in greeting just as she reached us, a big smile spread across her slightly wrinkled face.