The coming storm.
Fighting, eating, and growing along side Ace, Sabo and Luffy, it felt like having a family again. It's all been a dream come true. In these past six and a half months since I've come to this world, I've grown stronger and experienced more enjoyment than I thought possible. I haven't been this happy since before my mother died.
It hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows sure. All bright sides have a downside. But that doesn't mean the good hasn't outweighed the bad. But all dreams have to come to an end eventually. And sadly mine will be over the moment the Grey Terminal bursts into flames.
Ace and Luffy began their spar in earnest as I continued to watch on from the sidelines. My mind clouded by thoughts of the future.
I've had a lot of time to think over what I plan to do and it's my belief that I need to allow the blaze to start before I put an end to it. That way Sabo can set out to sea and join the revolutionary army like he is supposed to. Not to mention all the people from the Grey terminal being given a chance to escape and become revolutionaries as well. I just have to deal with the issue of his memory loss. I know Dragon will be there, so I think the attack on Sabo's ship needs to happen as well. Dragon needs to see it. But if I can jump in and protect Sabo from getting hit, keeping him from loosing his memory… Well that would change a great many things now wouldn't it?
To that end; I've been travelling around the Grey Terminal and healing anyone and everyone who will let me. From small cuts and minor bruises to more severe illnesses and more grievous, even infected, wounds. It started as me just wanting to practice and improve when it comes to healing different types of injuries. But I've grown fond of many of the people I've met in my time here, and I would hate to see them remain living in this squalor, next to an entire city of people who view them as worse than trash. They deserve more than that. A great many of them are just people who happen to have been born on the wrong side of the wall in High Town.
That being said… the fire still needs to happen. But that doesn't mean I intend to let the nobles plan succeen. They mean to burn the Grey terminal and everyone in it to purge them from the kingdom before the Celestial Dragons arrive.
'But they didn't count on the weather to ruin their plans, now did they? After all, the sea has forever been an unpredictable domain.' I thought as countless thoughts revolved around my mind.
If I can summon a strong enough storm, the fires will still start as they are meant to and everything will happen as it should, but the Grey terminal won't be completely destroyed as they hoped it would be. And many more people will survive to escape on Dragon's ship to join the Revolution. Instead, all of that debris will be left as a smouldering pile of scorched garbage, a plume of black smoke rising into the horizon. And if you've ever smelled burning garbage, you know it's the farthest thing from a pleasant smell.
How's that for a first impression? A giant cloud rising from a half brunt trash heap, the smell wafting over the entire city. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celestial dragons turned around the second they saw it… or smelled it for that matter. But if they do show up… I have something else in store.
'Wait, can they even smell anything through those bubble dome helmets they wear? I know they used them to keep from breathing the same air as those they deem beneath them, but can they smell anything through it, or are they just breathing stale air? Do they have some kind of air filtration device?'
Questions for later. I doubt I'll ever be in the position to comfortably ask one, but it's an intriguing thought. All this and more flowed through my mind as I stood to the side and watched my brothers laugh and spar without a care in the world.
'If only it could stay this peaceful.' I thought regretfully before getting up and looking at Ace with a smile.
"Alright all three of you come at me together. And you better not hold back!" Kicking off the stump of the tree I decided to forget my worries for now and enjoy the little things.
Another few weeks went by as I trained myself even harder, pushing the other three to their limits as we sparred daily. I took this time to relax and really think things through in preparation for the coming storm.
This is where everything starts. From here on, this world will never be the same.
….
North of the Grey Terminal, where the trash heap meets the stone wall protecting the Goa Kingdom, lies the only entrance on this side of the island. The great door. A massive archway with large wooden doors three feet thick, reinforced with steel and guarded 24/7.
When you cross under the archway, a long, poorly maintained, cobblestone street stretches before your eyes. Lined with rickety buildings and derelict alleyways. This is Edge Town, a place where cutthroats and thieves are around every corner. It's here anyone with enough money to make it out of the Grey Terminal comes to live out the remainder of their lives.
It's hardly any better than the Grey Terminal, but due to being considered in the city limits it has guards patrolling it on occasion and at least a semblance of order.
It's from here that the trash collected across the Goa kingdom is gathered to be thrown out, twice every day. Once at noon and again just before the sun sets before they close the gates for the night. To the residents hoping to find treasure within the scrap this is the first place to look. Many gather around the gates entrance hoping to get first dibs on whatever is dumped out as soon as it hits the dirt.
They grab what they can and run until they feel safe, where they proceed to sift through what they have. Usually throwing away the majority of it, leaving only a small fraction of what they originally carried. That's how the trash has piled up so much across the Grey Terminal, it's from all the people scattering what they don't want anywhere they please while the guards and towns folk make it worse by throwing things over the city walls when they are too lazy to open the gate.
The smart few are those who wait for the first runners to sort through the trash for them before attacking and taking what they want for themselves. It's far more efficient that way. Ace, Sabo, Luffy and I usually target those types of people. We take from those who take from others. A simple creed if ever there was one.
However, not everyone who gathers at the gate is waiting to make a run at the collectors once they dump their load. Sometimes the citizens come here to do business in Edge Town.
This is where we come when we want to sell animals parts, or when we want to exchange treasure for cash. Today the four of use have to come in disguise, wearing a cloak to look like an adult with Ace on my shoulders usually does the trick.
Sabo and Luffy do the same, but they stay behind us to make it look like we're two people instead of one really tall person. We're currently doing it right now. We were let in at the gate when the man saw the giant tiger we have beneath the tarp on the cart behind us. Alone this thing would have been too much for any of us alone to handle, but facing us together it hardly stood a chance.
Ace and I pulled the cart forward once we were given the go ahead as Luffy and Sabo pushed it from behind. I looked around through the gap in the cloak, staring at the dilapidated houses lining the streets. I couldn't help but notice the abundance of wanted posters lining the walls. Dozens of them plastered on every visible surface. Most of which aren't even put on straight.
The majority of the bounties are worth less than 1 million. But every now and then a larger bounty is placed on someone for one reason or another. My eyes were drawn to one bounty in particular. The highest bounty in all the Goa Kingdom.
14.3 million beli. Belonging to none other than captain Blue Jam, of the Blue Jam pirates. It's not much in the grand scheme of things, but it's still a decent size when considering the average bounty in the East Blue is a poultry 3 million. Especially when you consider that Don Kreig has a bounty of 17 million and Arlong has a bounty of 20 million beli.
I couldn't help the smile that crept to my face as I stared at the shadowy silhouette in the photo. Blue Jam's bounty will belong to me one of these days.