"He's on board."
Sokuon's gaze could be described as a mix in between astonished and disappointed. He had hoped for a little more resistance but alas, the world seemed to be against him.
He let out an audible sigh as Borsalino simply handed Moria a paper before sitting down on a beach chair on the deck.
Moria's presence really was annoying. A few Marines were always diligently keeping watch, making sure that the pale-faced necrophile did not try to pull anything weird.
Said Necrophile's expression was twisted with glee and malice as he read the official document with an ever widening grin. He then broke out in hoarse laughter.
"KSHIKSHIKSHIKSHIKSHI! YOU MARINES REALLY ARE DESPERATE!"
That turned some heads. The pirate's mood had obviously soared after reading and everyone was curious as to why. A happy pirate was never a good sign after all.
"Something funny?"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND? KSHIKSHIKSHIKSHI!"
The Pirate wiped his tears as he resumed his read. Sokuon was annoyed. The fact that that Pirate had the gall to show any semblance of happiness on HIS ship was infuriating.
At the same time, he knew that Moria was most likely having a blast about the Shichibukai project. The amount of benefits it granted was so ridiculous, it made the Marines look desperate. And the fact that the pirates would have to heed the call of the Marines? Rather useless in the grand scheme of things.
The Marines would most likely rarely call upon the Shichibukai, simply because they did not want to risk the Pirates stealing the Marine's glory and making themselves look like heroes. If the public caught wind of the "legal Pirates" actually being useful, Marines authority would be undermined.
"I'm just an Admiral and Kong is only the fleet Admiral. What do our opinions matter?..."
A short while later, Gecko Moria finished reading through the document and broke out in another one of his annoying laughing fits and murmured about Kaido being swarmed by zombies. But Sokuon did not care much anymore. It was obvious that Moria had been completely broken by Kaido and he doubted that Moria would get better over time.
"Alright, we gotta bring you to Marineford in order finalize this. But know this. If you try anything suspicious during your stay on this ship, you'll join your crew sooner than you thought you would."
Moria's veins bulged at the casual comment. That one hit too close to home. He lost his crew not even a month ago damn it.
Yet he didn't do anything. He had a goal and he would swallow down every ounce of anger in order to achieve it.
He'd make sure to milk the Warlord of the sea agreement for every benefit possible in order to build up an undead army. He had several powerful corpses in his ship, including that of the famed Shimotsuki Ryoma. He had heard legends about the legendary evil giants, led by the giant "Oars" who was said to have the strength to pull a continent.
'Kshikshikshi, yes, i'll make sure to find him one day.'
Yet, right now, he would have to finalize the agreement of the warlords of the sea.
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While the Marine-Pirate group made their way towards Marineford, the ship of a certain rear admiral was heading back towards Reverse mountain in order to enter the GrandLine.
The two "guests" had been locked into a room under the pretense of their safety and "a sea filled with pirates."
Strawberry obviously did not believe these two to be shipwreck victims. He was 100% that the halfdead never even considered the topic of "kindness."
"I bet he hopes for them to infect others with whatever the hell that island suffers from..."
His quiet mumblings went unheard by anyone as he leaned on the railings of the ship with a heavy sigh.
The two so-called "Shipwreck victims" had smiled and acted energetic with big and unnecessary gestures. Honestly? They weren't that bad at acting human. He was sure that while some of his men would have been creeped out by their "energetic" behavior, none of them would have figured them out as being afflicted with the same sickness as the one on the island.
The thing which gave them away? Complete lack of heartbeat. Or breathing. No normal person would walk up to a guy and check for pulse of breathing so it would have went unnoticed by most.
But the colour of Observation was not so easily bypassed.
The untrusting rear Admiral had wanted to gauge their strength with a quick use of Observation and had noticed what was off about them.
And he had to say, he wasn't that particularly surprised. Zombie's? Rare but not unheard of. He was literally dealing with one! There were many different illnesses in the world and some of them had people act like they wanted brain for dinner. So he wasn't that particularly freaked out at the prospect of having two actual zombies on his ship. As long as they weaker than him...
And there was more. The Rear Admiral arrived at Soja island during the attack against the Gambino family, which's family heads brazenly took over a ship and tried to escape... Only to be boarded the Rear Admiral who made quick work of putting them in cells. The interrogation proved fruitful and he soon departed again, this time to bring the criminals to impel down and report back to Marineford!
"SIR! We have arrived at Reverse-mountain!"
...
...
...
...
Their trip through Reverse-mountain went smoothly thanks to the years of experience of both him and his men.
They soon bypassed the famed lighthouse, barely having the time to see a figure resting on a comfortable lawnchair surrounded by drinks and food as the Marines immediately prepared to leave the waters. Strawberry carefully observed the surrounding sea, all the while remembering a young Marine asking why there was no Marine blockade around the entrance of the GrandLine.
There were many different reasons as to why.
It partly had to do with the dangerous weather in the vicinity of the RedLine and the "Pirates attack Pirates" politics, but the biggest reason had just emerged out of the water on the right side of the ship.
"ISLAND WHALE AT STARBOARD!"
He did not even need to give out any orders as all of his men went to bring the ship out of the danger zone as the gigantic whale immediately rammed headfirst into the Mountain.
The shockwaves created several Tsunami of varying heights, which the Marine ship barely escaped. Rear Admiral Strawberry had witnessed that scene several times, but the sheer power of the young Island whale never stopped to amaze him.
"To think this isn't even it's final form..."
His gaze soon diverted to the now faraway lighthouse. He never did meet the caretaker of the place. Who would willingly live at a place which spat out Pirates and storms every week? Was he not afraid of being under attack?
'Who knows, maybe i'll have the luxury of stopping by one day...'
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A few days earlier, twin-cape's
It was safe to say that he had fully settled down. He had not expected it to be so easy. After the 3 full years of unending action and adventure, he certainly did not expect to settle into his calm Life. Yawning and stretching, the 56-year old men was lounging in a chair with a newspaper and a disgruntled expression.
He had noticed the first strands of greyish hair during his adventure and the cause for this had been his dumbass captain.
'Oh? There's a lift? Nah, let's take the waterfall. A Sea king the size of two islands? Yes, let's help pull shipwrecks out of it's (teethy) mouth.'
His mind replayed the "how-did-we-survive" parts of the trip with a mirthful sarcasm.
"And to think i only accompanied him for three years... Just what did the others go through with that strawhead."
Crocus still hadn't gotten over it. 5 years had passed since the execution, but the doctor couldn't help but blame himself for his inability to cure Roger's sickness.
He knew it was stupid. Roger had gone out the exact way he wanted to. Making waves in the world and reinvigorating every person's dreams. But loss was never easy to handle, even when you knew the truth.
Crocus's gaze abruptly swung over to the mountain as he heard the familiar sound of a ship being wrecked by the descent of the Mountain.
He stood up and soon saw a moderately sized boat rush down the current with a tall and imposing figure wearing robes and a strange mask simply standing on it.
...
...
Only the boat was already capsized. Said figure was standing on the ship's hull while the boat zig-zag-crashed against every part of the RedLine's wall.
Crocus's eyes widened as he watched the boat crash into the sea at the bottom and simply break apart while the figure simply sunk like a stone, seemingly unmoved by it's situation.
...
...
He then sat back down. Rookies messing up on the first stage of the GrandLine was nothing new. Nevertheless, he'd make sure to remember this event as most likely the most violent and unfortunate descent ever witnessed by the reverse mountain.
An entire 5 minutes went by after the boat and it's passenger had disappeared and Crocus's mind had already moved on. He was about to let himself drift off into a sweet dream, before a figure suddenly shot out the water like a cannonball and hovered above the lighthouse.
A murmur escaped the figure.
"Hmmm. Turns out i may not have much of a talent when it comes to steering..."
Turning around, the floating robed figure then locked eyes with the guardian of the lighthouse.
"Ah."
"...ah?"
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A little bit earlier, Reverse mountain.
Ainz had been on that boat for quite a while now. A [Water Elemental] was pulling the boat and he was currently looking at the devilfruits, attempting to use divination magic in order to find out more about them.
[Detect Magic]
...
[Detect enchant]
...
[Discern enemy]
...
Ainz had been going at it for a while. Trying to see if these Devilfruits had any aspect he could better understand. But it remained a failure so far. The only information magic which had worked was [Mana Essence] in order to see the "Aura" of the fruit.
[Life Essence]
...
[Detect Life]
Ainz's eyes widened as one of the Devilfruits suddenly lit up to him like a beacon. The Zoan fruit was surrounded by a green glow, a clear sign that it was indeed considered "alive."
"But Life Essence does not work?..."
[Life Essence]
Nothing. No HP, yet still considered "alive." Strange. [Life Essence] usually went hand in hand with [Detect Life.] The only difference was that [Detect Life] was a divination spell in order to find out if any living beings were present, while [Life Essence] pried into the Living beings health bar...
"Maybe these fruits are more spiritual?... Some spiritual summons are considered alive but use Mana as healthbar..."
Ainz was a bit stumped. The fruits themselves were most likely containers for whatever abilities they carried. Upon ingestion, these abilities were given in the shape of the "Aura" of the fruit. But there were many things that bothered him about it.
For example, Fujitora's Devilfruit Aura was FAR ABOVE what the fruits he held carried. Almost like it had been amplified by something.
"The fruits give power and the power or Skill of the user amplifies it..."
That was his current theory. But it was far to crude in his opinion. The fact that the Zoan fruit was considered "alive" was confusing to him. So what exactly set it apart from the Paramecia? Were Logia's alive as well? Probably not...
'The thug mentioned that the Zoan fruits give the ability to transform into animals. Maybe they are considered alive because of that? But doesn't that mean that they carry a soul?'
Does Mana count as a makeshift soul? Both fruits had Mana, but only one of them was considered alive.
'I can summon living beings with my Mana... That should mean that Mana can create souls... So maybe the Zoan fruit's Mana is just composed like a soul?...'
He let out a sigh. Ainz had been going at this for hours now and he had not found out much. He kept trying to use his own magic as a reference but it was useless at this point. He'd figure it out later.
Ainz stepped out of the Cabin of his little boat and sat down against the railing of the boat.
In his line of vision was the Red Line.
To say that Ainz was impressed, was an understatement. The entire mountain-range stretched high up into the sky, the grey clouds not allowing him to take a glimpse at the peak.
The wind was violent and he felt his [Water Elemental] move against the waves which threatened to pull the boat against the Cliffs. He was currently "sailing" along the Red Line, trying to find the small entrance to the Reverse-Stream.
And it did not take long to find it. The first thing he noticed was the struggle of his [Elemental]. The ship accelerated as the current grew stronger and even the [Water Elemental] which should have been League's above the [lesser Water Elemental] started to struggle to slow down the ship as it's speed picked up.
Standing up from his seating position he noticed several things.
The good thing? The Reverse-Stream was there, it's current actually flowing uphill towards the greyish clouds.
The bad thing?
They were entering the stream through a really bad angle.
The boat had managed to avoid hitting the cliffs thanks to the summon resisting the waves, but it was now struggling against several forces of the Ocean.
Waves pushed it towards the cliff, while the current pulled it towards the entrance of the Reverse-Mountain. The speed picked up and the summon barely managed to pull the ship away of the corner of the cliff.
It then lost control. The sheer force of the current was something only a [Greater Elemental] or a [Primal Elemental] could emulate. The ship had entered through the worst angle possible and it's Starboard (right side of the ship) faced the direction of the current.
The bow (front of boat) scraped against the Rocks on the side of the current and Ainz watched as his Elemental tried to soften the impact between the boat and the cliffs.
He however, remained calm. He could not drown and he was confident he could simply tank whatever damage he'd accumulate through the current.
"This current is impressive. Hmm. I should try to make a nautical chart. The currents in this world make no sense. Maybe i'll figure it out."
He dispelled his [Elemental] and calmy held onto the railing as the bow of the ship accumulated damage in a matter of seconds before breaking off.
The boat broke through the grey clouds at the top as his boat's stern hit the other side of the cliff, turning the ascent into a violent ping pong match between both cliffsides of the current. His boat being the ball.
"The current is... converging?..."
At the peak of the current, the water exploded into a violent geysir as the water spiked into the air.
"This should be where the other Reverse streams come in contact."
Despite the calmness in his tone, the grip on the railing tightened. It was not fear but Suzuki Satoru's human instincts remained and categorized whatever was coming as dangerous. But the Undead? Curiosity. Maybe a little bit of excitement and exhilaration.
Ainz threw a quick glance on his boat. Both the frontside and the backside of the ship had disappeared and the boat was definitely not operational anymore. The only thing keeping it afloat was the current's violent pull.
He then reached the Convergence point of the Reverse-mountain.
The ship was promptly lifted into the Air and Ainz's (unnecessary) breathing hitched in his (nonexistent) throat.
For just a moment, he saw it.
A beautiful blue expanse, extending into an unending Ocean.
The clouds floating above the Ocean, yet so far below him.
He could not make out anything.
No city.
No building.
No prison.
He saw nothing.
Nothing but a wide endless sea.
And the uncertainty which accompanied it.
It's Freedom.
The undead stared out, it's face impossible to read.
But the flames in it's sockets had gone out, extinguished by a Salaryman's lingering soul.
A man whose past consisted of widening out a cage.
Whose future consisted of something he had not dared imagine.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
And whose present completely capsized.
The boat had flipped mid-air and Ainz felt himself be submerged by seawater.
Instincts kicked in as he raised his hands in order to stop the boat which crashed down on top of him.
Undead strength prevailed and his body simply broke through the wood, reemerging through the hull which was now facing towards the sky.
Stunned, he simply crawled out of the damaged hull as the shipwreck of his boat accelerated.
He simply stood there in a awkward manner ad he tried to keep his balance during the brutal descent.
Zooming past a lighthouse, he noticed a figure watching his descent with a disbelieving gaze and Ainz was hit with a wave of embarrassment too powerful, even for his [emotional suppression].
The impact of the boat suddenly hitting the Sea broke his boat apart and Ainz resolved himself to sinking, not prepared to meet whoever the person on the surface was.
"... This is gonna be awkward..."
[Fly]
His descent towards the depths of the Ocean took a sudden halt as his spell took place.
Several minutes passed there as he recomposed himself and then accelerated towards the surface. He broke through the surface and a sarcastic comment escaped him as he glanced up towards the Reverse-mountain.
"Hmm. Turns out i may not have much talent when it comes to steering."
He turned around mid-air.
"Ah..."
"...ah?"
An old man stood in front of him, looking at him with a bewildered expression. Ainz slowly landed and their stare-off continued for a moment before the old man's expression turned grimm.
"How'd you survive that?"
A gruff voice filled with the exact attitude you'd expect from an old man living at a remote location.
Ainz took a quick look around and noticed that they were alone. He decided to ignore the question and introduce himself.
"Good afternoon. I am Ainz Ooal Gown. A travelling merchant. It is nice to meet you."
The man stared at him and Ainz used the moment to take a proper look at him. He seemed to be a man in his 40s or perhaps his 50s. He had a rather bulky body and small round glasses adorning his face.
But his hair was rather strange. Flower petals grew out his head forming a halo of sorts accompanied by black hair below it. Above the flower halo? Bald.
Ainz did not comment on it. One thing he had learned in the short time he had been here, was that the appearance of people was downright ridiculous. Flower hair? Nothing special.
While taking a look at the man, he still waited for an answer, yet it never came. Instead, the man slowly walked over to a small Deckchair and simply sat down and opened a newspaper.
The undead grew a little uncertain as he watched the man.
'Not very talkative, is he?'
He was about to close in on the man in order to try again, when the man suddenly lowered his newspaper and snapped his eyes over to him.
...
Silence took place as he found himself glared at by the strange man.
...
"Is this supposed to be some psychological attack?"
He blurted out his comment before he knew it and the man visibly narrowed his eyes at him.
He finally spoke.
"Strange. This usually works."
Ainz was confused. He watched as the man reopened his newspaper.
Silence reigned for a while and Ainz then turned around to leave.
"I am Crocus. I am 56-years old and a Gemini. Current keeper of the Lighthouse."
...
Ainz turned back.
"It is nice of you to finally answer. As mentioned before, i am Ainz Ooal Gown. Travelling merchant."
"I heard. Quite the descent you had there."
Ainz's embarrassment was quickly suppressed.
"Indeed. It seems i grew unlucky."
Crocus's snort did not go unnoticed and neither did his next comment.
"Unlucky? You managed to annihilate a small boat like that during such calm weather... It's impressive. Nothing to do with luck."
Ainz did not know how to answer, but Crocus did not give him any room to anyway.
"Bet if you ever have problem with pirates, you just need to take the helm of their ship. Matter of minutes."
"You certainly have a way to appear tactful."
"You don't look like the type who needs tact."
A small beat of Silence.
Crocus then spoke up again.
"Saw you fly just now."
Ainz just nodded, not wanting to give the man anymore opportunities to give out snide remarks.
"Yet you didn't sink in the Ocean. Not a devilfruit."
"Indeed. A secret technique."
"Tch."
"..."
"..."
"I originally planned on trying to sell you something. Is there anything someone living on such a remote place could need?"
Crocus stared at him for a while, before sighing.
"Wouldn't mind an upgrade in Luxury. Food and drinks are a little boring here as well."
The undead merchant reached into his inventory. The man only raised an eyebrow at the void which opened but did not pose any further question.
The small assortment of created Cushions, snacks and drinks littered the table and Crocus honestly had his mouth water a bit. Ainz was a little jealous seeing that. Food like that depicted in Yggdrasil was not accessible for people like him in real Life. And now that he could summon it, his skeletal appearance led to incapability of tasting such things... He shook off these thoughts as Crocus spoke up.
"I don't have much money."
'Yeah. I should have expected that...'
But Ainz did not care much. Information or Nautical charts were way better for him anyway.
"No matter. Do you perhaps have something else that could prove useful to travel through the GrandLine? A map perhaps?"
"I got a Log-pose."
Seeing the Merchant's confusion, he explained.
"Compass's don't really work well in the GrandLine. Log poses are special Compasses which point to specific islands. Once arriving on an island, it recalibrates with the magnetic field of said island and then points towards the next. Be careful though. You can't choose a route or a destination. There are other devices for that. Eternal poses. I don't have one though."
"I see. I'll gladly take it."
Ainz had to admit that he wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. This "Crocus" made any social situations quite awkward and he could not imagine spending much more time here.
"Here you go. You gonna fly towards your destination?"
"...Yes. Most likely. but i wished to ask you for a little more intel."
"Shoot."
"You mentioned that this Log-pose cannot change route? Could you explain?"
Crocus let out a heavy sigh. "A log pose calibrates itself with the Magnetic field of an island. After arriving at the island, you'll need to recalibrate and it will latch onto the next island with a magnetic field."
Ainz quietly enregistered the information before asking another question.
"And what about these other routes?"
"There are 7 of them. Imagine 7 rivers next to each other. You are currently at the starting point. All 7 rivers have different obstacles and challenges. If you enter a river, you have to follow it. Getting free and taking another? Possible but not easy.
These 7 rivers are basically the routes you follow. The Log-pose randomly calibrates here at twin-peaks and assigns you at one of the 7 paths. You can take another path and recalibrate your Log-pose, but only IF you stumble upon another island."
Crocus shot him a glance.
"But i guess you should know. What i'm currently giving you is what Pirates tend to use. Their goal is the One Piece and those paths will lead towards it. If you follow this path, you'll end up at Sabaody Archipelago. Below the RedLine on what's basically the other side of the World. It's also the place which nearly every pirate goes through in order to join the New World."
"So, you're saying that it's dangerous and i'll most likely encounter many pirates if i follow the path of this Log-pose?"
"You'll encounter many pirates everywhere in the GrandLine. But yeah, basically. Merchants usually use eternal poses. They have a single destination on them and allow for less random travel. A lot more expensive though."
Ainz nodded, lost in thought.
"I see. Thank you very much. It was a pleasure doing business with you."
"oh, be careful out there. I doubt you can fly long distances all the time. You'd do better to get a sturdy boat and an experienced navigator. The weather is nothing like you're used to!"
Crocus watched as the Merchant flew off.
"Strange guy..."
But nothing special. There were plenty of "strange" figures on the sea. Now... his gaze snapped towards the cushion.
A few hours later, Crocus could be seen, comfortably laying in his now cushioned Deckchair as he popped open a small bottle of fuzzy liquid. He had stocked up on food and drinks now, with a few more accessories for comfort and he remained there for quite a while, his back no longer aching against the harshness of his Deckchair...
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Soja island, After the assassination, Narration.
It had not taken long. There hadn't been many in the first place. The Gambino family's call to arms had been nothing short of disappointing. Especially after the smarter individuals noticed the lack of leaders. 1+1 was quickly put together, especially after some heard about the Marine's activities in Daizu or other parts of the island.
The Marines quickly raided most bases, outposts and transaction houses of the Gambino family and the meager resistance they received in those places wasn't even enough to slow them down.
They quickly heard of the Gambino family's attempt of a putting together a force in order to protect their main base of operation but a single look at that "force" was enough to confirm what Commodore Jonathan had already understood.
Nevertheless, the force which consisted of small time thugs with dreams bigger than their brain got dismantled by the sheer numbers and firepower of the Marines. For those who had been smart enough to mingle with Civilians and stay away from anything remotely connected with the Gambino family? Temporary relief.
The Marines had taken control of every port of Soja island with many ships having been incapacitated or confiscated. No way off the island.
The Gambino family had extensive files on their men and while there certainly was a lot of lacking information, it was extensive enough for the Marines going through those files to arrest plenty of people who had been confirmed to smuggle or deal with them.
The most important members of the family had tried to break through, not wanting the Marines to solidify their control over the ports. Killing several guards, they soon took over a ship and tried to set sail.
But Luck did not favor them. The ship of a certain Rear Admiral intercepted them in the same moment their ship left the port.
The interrogation was successful. The Marines gained a lot of information and solidified their presence on the island.
Additionally, the influence of the Gambino family on other islands was snuffed out and even other Mafiosi groups found themselves targeted by the now well-informed Marines.
But what was the reason for the Assassination attempt? The documents, files and interviews all pointed to it being a plan to destabilize and then replace the Marine authority with a Marine who was in collaboration with the Family. Yet, despite all the proof the Marines had gathered, the Family heads vehemently denied their involvement in the Assassination.
They claimed that the Assassin had caused trouble for the family and used the assassination to create Chaos and slip away. An excuse.
Yet it held some credibility. The Assassination had been rather clumsy after all. But could their words be believed?
It did not matter that much to the Commodore. Getting rid of criminals was his job anyway. But...
"I want to know everything you know about that poison."
The question posed through the interrogation soon proved to stir up more trouble than the Marines had expected.
It turned out that the potion was capable of instantly killing anyone it touched. A feat it had proven. The bottle belonging to the Gambino family was already nearly empty. But it did not matter. It HAD to be tested. To be understood. In order to counter it.
There had been only a single person who had survived the potion and that person was not stupid.
A small totem was handed to the members of the Gambino family. Then, a drop of the potion on the subjects shaking arm. He survived.
The drop remained on the arm and started disappearing. But before it fully disappeared, the Totem was taken away. He did not survive.
More Tests were performed, sparingly using up the potion. Trying to understand it.
Elemental Composition? Materials and liquids which could not be identified.
Molecular structure? Nonsensical. At least in the Scientists eyes.
These were the Results the group of Scientists had found. The Potion was then handed to them. There would be more Tests once in a proper Laboratory.
Then, the most important matter came up.
Ainz Ooal Gown aka Momonga.
The Marines did not get much information. Despite that, a file was created in order to compile everything he was known for. Not much.
But individual abilities. Products. Goals. Connections. A separate file was created. A thug. "Nibs Tallow." Small time grunt of the Gambino family. Small time schemer. No Devilfruit. No notable power. Sparing amount of connections. Possesses powerful weapons. Ice-based, wind-based, lightning-based. Possesses a Death-potion.
The created files were extensive. Details and even speculations were written up. The Marines wanted to know everything.
Reports were written and sent. They would soon reach the higher echelons of the chain of command. A person capable of "storing" things as abilities in objects? That was something which could be considered a major threat. It was also something which seemed rather interesting for most military powers.
So now came the question. Should the information be suppressed to avoid any unwanted figures trying to get their hands on this power? Or should a bounty be issued, raising the risk of attention but also the possibility of capture...?
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Capone Bege's castle
"Good thing we acted fast!"
Capone Bege listened as his subordinates talked, nervosity audible in their voices. To say that he was surprised was one hell of an understatement. The Marines sudden takeover of Soja island had been brutal and decisive. He had no real influence there so it wasn't as though he was affected by it.
Nevertheless, he wanted information. Being out the loop was unpleasant.
So here he sat, facing a small Den Den Mushi connected to a small group of people on Soja island. "Merchans" or rather "smugglers" who had contacted him in hopes that he would pull them out. Would he do it?
Yes. They had a connection with his group and he needed said connection to go unnoticed. If the Marines found out that a band of smugglers were on their island and these smugglers blurted out his name? Everything would fall back upon bribes and corruption.
But right now? Getting the Smugglers out was a bit difficult. The only ships allowed to leave were those which underwent strict Marine checks. The smugglers chance to pass? 50/50. They had enough wares on their ship to pass as merchants. They had already dumped their "Cargo" into the Sea. The problem was whether their identities would be recognized or not.
But that was not the biggest problem.
The biggest problem was the appearance of a certain thug.
The thug, whose name had finally been decided by the incompetent author was "Nibs Tallow."
And "Nibs Tallow" had boarded the Smuggler's boat. Getting him through a Marine check?
"What a shitty situation..."
Yet, Capone had to get them out of there. His involvement was better unnoticed. So he worked hard. He did not have many connections in the Marines. But enough to divert a little attention.
A sudden influx of "merchant ship" right at the moment that Nibs and the smugglers would leave the island. Splitting up the Marine blockade and hope for the best.
"Let's just hope this works..."
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Hello. I'm the Author.
You may have noticed that this took some time to write. And that this chapter is also not that interesting. Consider it a filler. The next chapter might follow very soon. I feel good about writing today.
I don't have any excuses for the time it took though. I wouldn't say i really lost motivation but i think the struggle is to find how to continue. The problem isn't the main part of the Storyline, but rather the details. Small events and things that happen inbetween the main points of the plot.
I know the direction in which Ainz will go, but i don't want to jump into that direction in one go.
So yeah. I'll keep going.
By the way, i also had the idea for another fanfic. I might start at it once this one reaches 100k words. That doesn't mean i'll abandon this one though.
The Idea is Elden ring x one piece. Basically a random dude with a low-level faith-build in the One piece world. Not a fighter. Can't even properly throw a punch. But has elden ring stats. Gains runes through kills.
No real system, just the "Level up" feature. He has to "Study" the books and scrolls for his spells or incantations. He will mostly focus on those because he's a wimp-_-
But the main idea of that fic will be to picture the One piece world in a darker light.
How strong the average people in that world are. And him being far below average. Starts out immediately in the New world or the GrandLine.
Tell me what you think.
Criticism and compliments are always welcome.