Chapter 14: Why Though?

[POV: Albert]

It was raining in Alabasta.

It had been raining constantly for two whole days, and the citizens showed their joy without restraint. In the initial hours, people were quite literally dancing in the streets, and even in the coming days, feasts and parties were held in public.

As I approached the capital, Alubarna, on my borrowed alligator mount, I could see construction workers erecting huge temporary water reservoirs meant to catch rainwater outside the city walls. They didn't pay me any heed as I passed them to enter through the gates.

It was my first time in Alubarna, and it was easy to see from where the author had been inspired when designing the city. The buildings everywhere shared striking architectural similarities with those of the Middle East during the Islamic Golden Age, with truly stunning white and tanned structures with domed roofs and vaulted corridors everywhere the eye fell. The round capital might have been modeled after either Baghdad or Mashhad.

As I closed in on the palace, I noticed a winged humanoid silhouette nearing me from the air. Soon the birdman landed in front of my F-Wani.

"Greetings, I am Pell, the head guard of the royal kingdom of Alabasta". He spoke in a serious voice, seemingly measuring me with his sharp falcon-like eyes. "I assume you are our country's savior, Mr. Blue Sky. I thank you for your service. The celebratory feast begins soon, so please allow me to lead you to the palace".

I gave Pell an eye smile and let him lead the way.

--------------

As I was about to enter the banquet room, I turned to Pell and pointed at the door with my thumb. "What's with the noise in there?"

Loud singing and banging sounds could be heard from the other side.

Pell exasperatedly sighed and explained in detail. "The princess has recently returned to the country after a long absence. The people who safely escorted her home are also attending the feast. They're a rowdy bunch".

Nothing more was said as the large doors opened from the inside, allowing me the pleasure of observing the absolute chaos unfolding in the room.

Dancing and singing sillily on the table was the story's very own protagonist. Around the table sat the rest of his pirate crew and the royal family, all singing along and clapping merrily.

'Well, this type of reception is a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.' I thought to myself.

No one at the gathering had as much as turned their head at my arrival. I had hoped the feast wouldn't be all stuffy and serious, as it would have been a drag; this, however, was at a whole other level.

Pell looked quite flustered and quickly advanced toward the king's side to whisper something in his ear. Cobra composed himself instantly, rose from his position at the table, and approached me in a dignified manner.

A faint redness was noticeable on his nose, betraying his sober act as he spoke apologetically. "Dear Mr. Blue Sky, thank you for defeating Crocodile and saving this country. We are in your debt, truly". He briefly glanced backward at the commotion and sputtered, "Ah, and sorry about these people and their manners, I didn't have time to-"

"Don't sweat it, old man", I cut him off mid-apology. "This looks more like my scene anyways". I smiled down at him as he released a relieved sigh.

--------------

The feast lasted a couple of hours, during which I got acquainted with the Straw Hats. They were all nice enough people, nothing much more to it. The common denominator between them, and the only apparent requirement to join the crew, was that they all chased very lofty goals.

Robin would have fit in with her 'uncovering the truth of the void century' mumbo jumbo, but I couldn't see myself as a hypothetical member. I didn't have any lofty goals or aspirations to pursue, after all.

After the feast, a shared bath, obviously separated by gender, was prepared for all participants. Apparently, it was some sort of Alabastan ceremonial bath only used during the rainy season, so I felt quite honored.

"So, Luffy, you want to become king of the pirates?" I probed the monkey boy nonchalantly while sitting beside him in the steaming hot bath.

Now would be as good a time as any to figure out some of the world's truths. And what better way than to ask the physical manifestation of the author's will?

Luffy smiled brightly at me, and his eyes seemed more serious than usual as he shouted right in my face. "Yeah, that's right! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

"Hmmm.." I stroked my chin as if I was in deep thought. "Say, do you wanna play a game with me?"

His eyes lit up. "A game!? Yeah, let's play. I'll beat you, I promise!"

"Okay then, listen up. The game is called truth or treat. We will ask each other questions one at a time, to which we must tell the truth. If you don't want to answer the question, you lose. The winner will be treated to a meal of their choice by the loser" I casually explained the rules.

Luffy wasn't the type to lie and certainly not one to give up on free food, so the bait had been laid.

"Okay, I'll start. What's your name!?" Luffy yelled right into my ear.

'Wasn't this person taught about inside and outside voices', I complained to myself.

"My full name is Albert Cioran". I answered. I had decided to give myself the last name of my favorite author in my previous life, Emil Cioran.

I cleared my throat and asked my question next. "Why do you wanna be the Pirate King?"

"It's because the Pirate King is the freest person in the world". Luffy grinned widely as he gave his reply. "Me next! Do you wanna join my crew?"

"No."

"Whaaat, why not!? You can be the musician!", He objected.

"Hey!", I snapped back. "You can only ask one question at a time. It's my turn now. You ready?"

"Yes.."

He looked dejected; however, that didn't stop me from continuing the interrogation. "Why do you want to be free?"

As if magically reinvigorated, Luffy sprang up, once again grinning wildly. "So me and all my friends can have a big meal together and be happy!" he shouted loud enough the whole bath could hear.

"Uh oh, it's my turn to ask a question now, right? What is your dream?" He asked me with a curious expression.

I got up from the bath and languidly dried myself with a towel. Without turning in his direction, I spoke, "I won't say. You win."

I looked around at the rest of the present Straw Hats and made a declaration. "You have a great captain. Make sure his dream comes true". Then, I walked away.

On my way out of the bath, I couldn't help but snicker to myself a little.

During my game with Luffy, I had intended to employ what is known as 'The Five Whys.' 'The Five Whys' is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships and determine the root cause of a problem by repeating the question 'Why?' five times.

For example, if one were faced with a problem like a broken down car, you would ask, 'Why did the car stop?' to which you would answer something like, 'Because the battery died'. Next, you would ask, 'Why did the battery die?', and so on. By the fifth why, one should have reached the root problem.

I had meant to use this technique to figure out the root cause of Luffy's motivations behind becoming the Pirate King. What I hadn't taken into account, however, was how incredibly simple-minded Luffy was. He was uncomplicated to such an extent that I only needed two whys to find the root, and thereby the author's agenda.

In the end, who would have guessed that this story was defined by such libertarian and morally relativistic notions as individual agency and personal freedom?