Chapter 21: The Calm Before the Storm! To Catch a Rat!

  We had been sailing for a week, when we reached the Calm Belt to the south. Felix led the way to a specific part of the Calm Belt that would have fewer sea beasts, and would lead directly to his old island. There, we would be able to get a new ship. The boat we had was decent, but the placement of the mast and sails made it awkward to use my powers effectively. I was fantasizing of having a ship custom designed around my powers, allowing for easier usage and the ability to fly!

  When we got onto the Calm Belt, it was as the stories told. There had been nary a wave, and the stillness was eerie in itself. The silence was almost deafening... if it had not been for the crew. Lyric was strumming her lute, Wynter and Felix were bickering back and forth like children, Chef was cursing at the fishing line since nothing was biting, and River was running around the deck trying to catch a rat that had snuck on board. Doc had me pulled to the side as she was removing the stitches in my shoulder, which had healed up nicely.

  "So, what did we learn from this," Doc mocked as she snipped the last stitch and removed it.

  I gave a sigh and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't underestimate the enemy. In my defense, I was distracted. And, before you say it, I also know that is no excuse, since that could also get me killed."

  "As long as you are aware," Doc said as she put her supplies away. "Anyhow, what is your plan for dealing with the Sea Kings? Marine ships usually use sea stone lining under their ships to go undetected by the beasts. These parts are known to be the breeding grounds of some of the largest Sea Kings out there, and I don't feel like being something's lunch."

  "Well, I don't have the means to keep the ship in the air long enough to cross the Belt," I told her as I fixed my shirt to cover my shoulder. "I can only do it in small bursts, keeping the ship in the air for maybe half an hour, at most. But, even then, I feel drained afterwards. I figured we'd just sail on breezes from my fruit. Then, if we come across any Sea Kings, we'll just do our usual escape maneuver."

  "Wait, that's it," Lyric asked from nearby, stopping her strumming. "I thought the guys said you were insanely strong, and I assumed you were just going to beat them up?"

  "Ha, no. I'm not an idiot," I corrected. "As Doc said, they are some of the biggest in the world here. Not gonna take any chances." 

  Just as described, as we sailed through the Belt, we ended up running into multiple hoards of aggressively horny Sea Kings. We weren't even the size of any of their nostrils! Each time, we would do the same maneuver we used to escape the Marines. There were a few close calls. However, with whoops of joy as we hit waves again, we had entered the Grand Line. I was exhausted from using my powers so much for the last few days. 

  Felix continued to navigate us the best he could with a map he brought from home of this portion of the Grand Line. Though, none of us specialized in navigation, so we may have lost our way at one point. We were luck enough to find it again, once Felix's family log post connected with the nearest path that led to his island.

  On the morning we were suppose to be reaching Felix's home island, we were enjoying the sunny day on deck. There was a nice breeze, which meant I didn't have to use my powers to keep us moving. It was nice to let nature take back over for once.

  "We seriously need a navigator," I groaned as I laid on by back on the deck. "If we had one, we would have already been there a week ago."

  "Whatever, we got here eventually, didn't we," Felix scuffed playfully as he was tightening the sails' ropes. "For someone with air powers, you need to learn to go with the flow. Loosen up a bit and actually enjoy the journey, not just the destination."

  I sat up and raised an eyebrow as I retorted, "Hey, I'm not that serious! I go with the flow! I'm always chill."

  I looked around to gauge everyone's reactions. River was avoiding eye contact with me, Lyric was suppressing a snicker, and Wynter tried giving a nonchalant whistle as a distraction. "Er, well... I mean, you aren't strict, but when things don't go according to plans, you stress out a bit," River justified.

  "He means you can be a stick in the mud," Felix teased. "You used to tell us stories from your childhood where you pulled off heists with your brothers, and took the offense! But, nowadays, it seems like you are always on the defense and only use your abilities when you need to. When was the last time you used your abilities outside of defending and using them on the sails?"

  I wanted to defend myself, but he had a point. I couldn't recall anything. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know, though. In response, I tucked in my shirt, used my powers to levitate myself off the deck and hang upside-down in the air. My long hair and jacket fell towards the deck as I gave a smirk. "There, happy?"

  "And this proves... what exactly," Felix asked with a side-eye.

  "That I know how to use my powers spontaneously outside of practical use," I exclaimed as I threw my arms out in emphasis. I moved to appear as though I were laying on my stomach in the air, propping my chin with my palms. "Is this 'go-with-the-flow' enough for you?"

  "You don't have to prove anything to Blondie, Cap'," Wynter defended me. "You live how you want to. I'll always be there, no matter how flow-y you are."

  Felix pretended to heave as River gave an awkward laugh. "Seriously, you can let your guard down sometimes," Felix reassured me. "You know who the enemy is, so relax a bit."

  "That's a random thing to say. Isn't it obviously the Marines," Lyric stated, raising an eyebrow at Felix.

  "Mhm, sure," Felix said with an eyeroll.

  "But here's another random thing," Lyric started to ask, "does anyone know the chef's name? He's been preparing us meals for a month now, but I'm still not sure what his name is..."

  We all sat in silence for a moment as our eyes widened. "I've just been calling him Chef because I forgot," I admitted.

  "I always thought it was a game you two did," Wynter said with a shrug. "He calls you Captain, you call him Chef. Kinda like how you call Yvonne 'Doc', and all."

  "Doc always had us call her 'Doc'," River defended. "She preferred to reserve her actual name for  her lover. Doc is the name for those close to her. For everyone one else, it's Doctor Yvonne."

  "Fair enough," Wynter said with a shrug. "I still can't believe none of you know the chef's name."

  We stared at him. "Hold up," Felix said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're telling us you know what his name is? You, of all people."

  Wynter nodded. "Well, care to share," Lyric asked, intrigued as to what it could be.

  Wynter acted as if he were thinking it over, but shock his head. "Nah, it's kinda fun to watch you all struggle. Only way I'll tell is if Anne gives the order."

  "Kiss-ass," Felix muttered with a roll of the eyes.

  "You're just jealous Anne likes mine more," Wynter mocked with a wink.

  "I'm sorry," I exclaimed. "Since when did I ever say that?"

  "Oh, so you like his more," Wynter asked, almost as if he were offended.

  Felix tilted his head as he gave a curious look towards me. I slapped my forehead in frustration as I groan, "You know that's not what I meant, and I refuse to entertain that question."

  "I'll answer," Lyric said with a giggle. "The obvious winner is Felix."

  Felix gave a triumphant laugh as Wynter protested, "Not that I care too much about other's thoughts, but why?"

  "Easy," Lyric said, eyeing them both up and down. "Felix's is in better defined and has a good volume to it. Yours is more firm but fla-."

  "OKAY," I interjected as I shifted to sitting with my legs crossed in the air. "Feel free to continue this conversation without me later. We still need to discuss what we're doing once we get to Felix's homeland."

  I nodded towards Felix and he tapped the toe of his boot against the deck in the summoning pattern. Shortly after, Doc and Chef both came up from below deck. Everyone gathered in a circle around me as I continued to float, just to prove Felix wrong about earlier.

  "Alright, friends," I told them, gathering their attentions as if they were children. "We are on the Grand Line now. That means this is a whole new ball game. We're all going to have to be on our guards, even more so, from this point on. There's no telling what we'll encounter."

  River raised his hand as if he were in some kind of class. I looked at him and tilted me head as I asked, "Um, yes, River?"

  "What kind of things might we encounter," River asked.

  I hesitated. I'd never been on the Grand Line before. All I knew was it was more dangerous than the four Blue Seas. I looked to Felix and said, "Good question. So, we know the basics, like how we need a log post and it's more dangerous. Felix, would you like to explain, since you grew up on the Grand Line?"

  Felix was surprised that he was called on. He thought and spoke, "Hm, hard to say. I don't know about the rest of the Grand Line, but my island didn't experience anything too wild, that I'm aware of. We'd have a lot of Marines, sailors, and pirates stop at the ports to let their log posts re-calibrated. According to a lot of them who had been to the second half of the Grand Line called this half 'Paradise', because the second half, or the New World, is much less forgiving. I haven't been to any other islands on the Grand Line besides my own, so I can't tell you much about them."

  "But what makes Paradise and the New World so dangerous," River asked.

  "Anything you can imagine," Lyric interjected. "Paradise has stronger pirates and thugs, it's easier to get lost than on the Blues, climates can be more extreme depending on the island, and waters can suddenly become rough out of nowhere. As for the New World, imagine everything I just listed, but make it ten times more difficult and deadly."

  "Have you been to the Grand Line before," I asked Lyric. "It sounds like you know a bit, as well."

  "I've never been before now, but I've always been interested in it," Lyric responded in her usual sing-song voice. "I've heard the music of all the four Blues, but I've always wondered how the melodies of the Grand Line sounded. I had planned to come eventually, but life had me take a detour."

  "Oh, what kind of detour," Doc pondered.

  "One that required me to care for my dying father," Lyric stated bluntly.

  "Oh, apologies," Doc awkwardly told her.

  It was silent for a moment, as no one knew how to break the tension. Finally, it was Wynter that spoke up, "So, what're we doing at Blondie's place, anyway? Are we just restocking and then leaving, like we usually do?"

  I shock my head, then explained, "We've got plans for this island. Felix and I discussed what his island has to offer. One of them being shipwrights that could build us a custom boat!"

  "Ooooh, how big is it going to be," Lyric wondered.

  "So, the shipwrights on the island are good, but they aren't the best in the whole world. That being said, bigger ships will take more time. I don't mind getting a large galleon someday, but I think for now, we'll go with a caravel customized to our crew's current needs. I might put in a commission for a galleon to be made and we can always come back to get it if it takes too long to make."

  "Depending on what you have planned, the kingdom's shipwrights would probably be able to make a custom caravel in a week, and a galleon in maybe six months if they have to be discreet," Felix added. "I know a guy who'll be able to make it work without alerting the nobles."

  "Why would the nobles of the kingdom be alerted by us requesting ships to be built," Chef asked.

  "That's right, some of the crew doesn't know about Felix," River stated as he glanced to Felix.

  "Let's just say I'm a runaway and don't want my Paps finding out I'm on the island," Felix said with a shrug. "So, what else did you have in mind for the island?"

  "There's a matter I need to take care of while there," I started to explain as a rat crept onto the deck. I used my abilities to lift it into the air, causing it to squeal and thrash around. "Lyric and Wynter, I'll need you two to come with me. There's a pest problem I need to address…"

  As the rat struggled to break free, an overhead seagull swooped down without warning and snatched the rat whole before flying back up. Huh, symbolism.

  "Hey! If there're seagulls, then that means we must be getting close," River exclaimed.

  "I... honestly didn't know seagulls ate rodents," Lyric stated, unsettled by this new knowledge.

  "Yup. Besides fish and crabs, they tend to also eat mice, rats, rabbits and other smaller birds whole," I added, lowering myself and placing my feet on the deck. "Alright, folks. Remember, prepare for anything, but enjoy yourselves here, within reason."

  We all split and headed to the crew quarter's under deck to prepare. I did not take long to get ready. I only needed to grab my metal hand-fans and the Berry stash I earned while in the Marines, so I was the first back on deck. I headed over to the small stem of the ship and sat on it's edge. It was peaceful. The breeze in my hair, the light ocean spray across the face, and the tranquil silence... until I felt someone messing with my hair.

  I looked back with narrowed brows and saw Felix had started to braid my hair. "Um, what are you doing," I asked cautiously.

  "Doing something about this mess," Felix said, putting his hand on top of my head and forcing me to face forward. I was too stunned to say or do anything. He continued to weave his fingers in and out of strands of hair as he continued, "It drives me nuts how you don't do anything with your hair. If you're going to keep it long, you should keep it pulled back and out of the way so that it doesn't get caught on anything. It'll be the literal death of you. Besides, it must be a tangled mess at the end of the day with how much wind goes through it."

  "I mean, you're not wrong," I admitted as he made his way down to the ends swiftly, tying the ends with a piece of string. I admired the neat and tight work he did and was surprised. "How do you know how to do this so well? It's impressive. And why did you feel the need to braid it yourself, instead of just telling me to do it if it bothered you so much?"

  "I'm your first mate, so it's only natural I do the little things," Felix said. "I had a lot of practice doing this with my little sister. It always had be perfect, or else she'd make me redo it, over and over, until she liked it."

  "We'll, I didn't expect that from you," I teased. "But it shows. Thanks. I just might have you start doing it for me!"

  Looking at the horizon, a tiny speck of an island could be seen. Felix pulled out his log post and said, "Well, there it is. Beryl Cay. Shithole, sweet shithole."

  "Dang, that bad, huh," I asked, still unsure why he detested his home as much as he did.

  "Meh, it doesn't have much to offer," Felix shrugged as he came and sat next to me. "The island is 'ruled' by my family, but I use that term VERY loosely, when, in reality, it is governed by the Marines. They're only interested in it because Red Beryl, one of the world's rarest gemstones, is in abundance on the island. So, if you aren't a part of the one percent, a merchant, teacher, shipwright or what-have-you, you're basically stuck in the mine. The Marines have forced my family to be the overseers of the whole island's mining, and my family has a long history of resorting to... unnecessarily violent discipline. Mum tried to protest against the brutality, Government wasn't a fan, and 'poof', she and the others protesting the World Government were gone the next day. Paps hasn't been the same since and became obsessed with pleasing the Government in the name of 'protecting his children'. You know, the typical World-Government-oppressing-an-island story."

  I listened intently to what he was saying. How terrible that these kinds of stories are so common. "Are you sure it's alright for you to be on the island with your family looking for you and all," I asked him. 

  He gave a curt nod. "Yeah, most of the citizens have never seen my sister nor I, since we were made to stay within the main house's walls until we were ready for the Marines. Plus, when I was born, Felix became a popular name for boys on the island. To everyone else, I'll just be another child that was named after the prince."

  He pointed to the right side of the island and continued, "There's some good hiding spots in the banks over there. We should be able to hide out over there during our stay without getting found. On the left, you'll find the docks and ship yard."

  "Great, we'll first sail to the left side," I started to explain. "When we get there, I need you to tell Doc, Chef and River to meet back at the boat at sundown."

  "Since you aren't telling them yourself now, I take it you're finally settling the whole spy situation," Felix asked, leaning back as he got comfortable. I gave a nod. He gave a sigh and asked, "You sure you don't need me to come, as well? I know you're bringing along backup, but you don't know how the rat will respond to being cornered."

  "I will be fine," I reassured him. "After all, I'll need you here to take care of things while I'm away. I'm trusting you on this."

  I raised a hand up in a fist towards Felix. He gave a chuff and we knocked knuckles as he said, "Aye, aye, Captain. Show 'um not to mess with the Airess crew."

  Looking back at the approaching island, I started to mentally prepare myself. As captain, it was my responsibility to deal with treason, and I would do what it takes to protect my true crew...