Encounter (2)

One of the pirates stepped forward and jeered. "Another trash friend of yours, Ace?"

Ace grabbed his weapon from his back and pointed it against him. "He is not my friend but compared to him, you are a load of crap!"

"You dare to insult me, you prick!"

"Try me, you dumbass!"

"You truly need a beating, you brat! I should - "

The short, stout man raised his right hand. "Shut up, Drake. We should not fight against each other because we have to finish the job before nighttime."

"But, Vice-Captain Lucca, I - "

"I said shut your fucking mouth! Everyone, go back to work!"

Drake glared at Ace before signaling his friends and went back to where the boxes were piled. Soon, they began distributing them again to their respective spots.

When Lucca was sure that his underlings were far away, he grinned at Okami and said, "Good day, Okami."

Okami raised his brows as he gave him a curious look. "You know me?"

Lucca nodded. "Who does not know a famous person like you? Most influential people in Dawn Island has heard of your exploits. The rumored progenitor of Pokemon."

"Oh, is there such a thing?"

"Yes. Anyway, I did not know that you are an acquaintance of Ace and Luffy. I am just wondering why you are here in the Gray Terminal."

"Well, I have to go to the Central District. Some errands, you know. I did not expect that I'd meet Ace and Luffy here." Okami glanced at the boxes and asked, "They looked heavy. What are those for?"

When Lucca realized what Okami was talking about, he frowned for a bit before giving a forced smile. "Well, someone hired us to place these boxes throughout the Gray Terminal. I don't know what they are intended for but hey, we just need to comply with our boss, right?"

Okami nodded in agreement. "Well, I can help you if you want."

Lucca shook his head. "There's no need. Our captain warned us not to let any outsiders touch the boxes because they are owned by nobles and he did not want them to be destroyed. We don't want to face their wrath if the goods are damaged."

"Okay. Can I borrow Luffy and Ace? Dadan has been looking for them and I've got something to tell them."

Lucca hesitated for a bit before agreeing. "Better make sure that you don't take them for too long. We still have a lot of work to do and they are also paid to do it."

"No worries."

Okami waited for Lucca to leave the vicinity before shifting his attention to Luffy and Ace. "You should know by now that those boxes are suspicious, right? Ace, you are older than Luffy so you better take charge. Act normally and don't try to investigate the boxes or they'll found out that you are getting nosy. Try to ask for help from Curly Dadan after you are done with it. Remember, do not let the pirates know of your plan or you will be in deep trouble. And you better control Luffy."

"I know what to do." Ace and Luffy went back to their work.

Okami decided not to personally inform the people living within the Gray Terminal because it was too troublesome and he did not want to drastically change the original plot. He knew that he was a selfish guy and he did all these things just to propel his plans forward. Besides, this particular event was the catalyst in pushing them to become part of the Revolutionary Army. Despite that, he knew the borderline between being a jerk and being selfish. "Sorry, guys. You must still have to suffer but I'll make sure to help you when it's truly needed, as long as it does not cause me trouble."

He proceeded to the Great Gate and entered the outskirt. The first thing he observed once he left the trash heaps were the unusual numbers of hoodlums and thugs living in this area. If his memory served him right, the Central District was much further.

Central District was the part where most of the citizens of the Goa Kingdom were living. It was considered to be the busiest area as well because of the high numbers of shops congested in this place.

Further down the Kingdom was another wall that divided the Central District from the Elite District, the area where the nobles and the so-called respectable people were residing. True to their character, these nobles despised the commoners to the extent that they would not live together with them.

At the center of the kingdom was the Palace, the residence of the royal family. This was where the king, his wife, concubines, and children lived.

Just like back on Earth, this was the prime example of a successfully segregated society.

Okami could still smell the stench from the Gray Terminal but it was getting more tolerable and he could breathe properly. He scanned the surroundings and realized that the outskirt was comparable to the slums of Earth. Several thugs and hoodlums were doing their shady deals at the nook and corner while some prostitutes were calling out the hot-blooded men to have some good time.

He strolled alongside the path until he reached the edge of the outskirt. That was when he noticed a tavern located on the rightmost side. Curious, he walked past the houses and was about to reach his destination when someone called him.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing here?"

Okami looked sideways and saw a few thugs dressed in unkempt clothes. They were loitering at the entrance of a dilapidated house, and before them were many empty bottles scattered on the table. He smiled and greeted him, "Hello, Senior. I just want to enjoy the beauty of this place."

One of the thugs laughed out loud. "What beauty are you talking about? Oh, I get it! You wanna enjoy the beauties inside the brothel, right? But you're still too young to get there, punk."

The other thug beside him snickered and added, "Looks like he wants to become a true man."

"Thank you for the concern, Senior. Anyway, can I ask you about something?"

The previous thug who greeted him first jumped from the railings and approached him. "What is it, kid? Since you are respectful and you look like an outsider, then I can spare some time to help you."

"I just want to know a few things. This is my first time in the Outskirt and I don't want to get lost, Senior."

The thug raised his open palms. "There's a rule you should know here, kid. Everything revolves around money."

Okami moved closer to him and secretly offered some Beli. "I just want to know if there's any interesting news happening right now."

The hoodlum greedily reached out his hand and hid it inside his pocket. "Heh! Of course, what exactly do you want to know?"

"What's your name? It is awkward to talk without knowing what to call you."

"Just call me Kuku."

"Okay, Senior Kuku. Can you tell me anything worthy of knowing, like an upcoming celebration or something."

Kuku understood what Okami wanted to find out and started his report. "Three days from now, people say that a noble will visit the Goa Kingdom so the royals are busy with their beautification project. Currently, the Central District is closed and nobody can enter the place without a noble's recommendation. If you plan to visit it, then it's bad news for you because the guards will only kick you out, especially from the ones living inside the trash heaps. Even the scavenging and selling of recycled goods has been stopped for the moment."

"Anything else?"

Kuku thought hard and snapped his fingers when he recalled something important. "There were many soldiers wearing gas masks a while ago. They inspected the outskirt as if they are looking for something. Does that count?"

Okami nodded. "Where are the soldiers now?"

Kuku shrugged his shoulders. "They went back to the Central District. As for their current activities, I don't know. Even I am not able to enter the Central District since last week."

"I understand. Thank you for everything, Senior."

"Hah! Enjoy your stay here, kid. And better be careful with your stuff here, there are lots of thieves prowling within this outskirt."

Okami appreciated what Kuku had done and gave another 50 Beli before heading to the tavern.

Just like the previous Partys Bar, the place was filled with merry people enjoying the intoxicating beers and sake. Most of them were middle-aged men and the only female inside the area was the bartender. He approached the counter and took a seat. "Hello, beautiful. What's your specialty here?"

The cute lady, whom he suspected to be as old as Makino, gave him the menu and commented, "You seem to be too young to be allowed inside. Anyway, it's your money. What's your name, kid?"

"Okami."

"Jaya, at your service. Today, we are serving the special meat from the wild tigers. Do you want a cup of milk to accompany your meat?"

Okami laughed when he heard her question. "The milk is not needed but please make sure to cook the meat well. And make it two servings."

Jaya relayed his orders to the chef. After several minutes, the meal was ready and his food was served.

Okami disregarded everyone and ate with gusto. After he finished his meal, he was about to leave the place when he sensed someone behind him. He looked upward and was taken aback when he recognized who the newcomer was - Monkey D. Dragon.

The father of Luffy and the reported son of Garp, he was the current Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army. Many speculations were made as to what the actual powers this mysterious man had. Others suspected that he was a Devil Fruit user while other otakus guessed that he could control the weather even without being a Devil Fruit user. But nobody could deny his strength, simply because he was from the D lineage.

The man was dressed in a long green cloak. He had spiky black hair with a widow's peak and a tattoo on the left side of his face. Okami thought that he was tall but he almost wanted to curse when he realized that Dragon was more than 8 feet tall.

Okami could not help but stare at this mysterious guy.

When Dragon noticed that the boy was looking at him, he sported a grin and ordered. "Jaya, please give me a bottle of sake."

Jaya gave her sweetest smile. "Oh, it's you, Derek. Please wait a moment while I get your order."

Once Okami heard this, he realized that Dragon was currently using an alias. He understood why he was doing this because the World Government considered him to be the most wanted criminal that had ever lived and he needed to fake his identity if he wanted to roam freely.

Once she left, Dragon faced Okami and muttered, "I can't expect that I would meet the progenitor of Pokemon here. I've been wanting to meet you ever since I've heard those rumors."

Okami remembered that the intelligence gathering of the Revolution Army was quite extensive. Many spies were affiliated to their organization, planted within the countries and factions. He was not surprised if Dragon knew about him. Due to the Calm Mind effect, he was able to act unflustered and asked, "Do I know you? I believe that we have never met in the past."

Dragon shook his head. "I'm just a random person who knows some stuff. Are you not afraid that someone might kidnap you because of your weird Devil Fruit powers? Your pokemon are handy, you know."

Okami wanted to catch the interest of the Revolutionary Army and the best way was to play with the figurehead. He remembered Pakunoda's ability from Hunter X Hunter and thought of a plan. After he was done, he replied, "Let them try. Anyway, I heard the lady calling you Derek. So, nice to meet you, Derek," and he extended his right hand.

As soon as Dragon accepted the handshake, he noticed the change in Okami's expression. "Are you alright?"

Okami stepped backward. "I never expected that I can meet my friend's father..."

Dragon's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Who's your friend?"

"You're no Derek. You're Luffy's father."