Chapter 32: Red line !

Four days later at dawn, Edam who was already up was standing on the dog's head as he appreciate the sea's smell and the wind's feeling on his face.

He was currently playing with his newly acquired ability. In the center of his palm a fiery yellow ball was floating in it quietly. Sometimes it would move fiercely as if it was burning flame floating in it, sometimes it would returned to a neutral state. Sometimes Edam would use his other hand to separate the ball into two halves, one burning fiercely, the other floating quietly.

After four days of focused pratice he could now bring out with a striking ease the foreign but familiar destructive "Haki" and had even discover some of its use. First of all destructive wasn't the right word to describe it. It was more like something really malleable which in its normal and original form was a bit destructive but could be manipulated to be non-destructive or more destructive and even mortal compared to its "neutral" form.

As an example you can take a steak that you would cook on a frying pan. If you let the meat on the frying pan it would without a doubt burn right ? But if you were to cook it like a true chef, then the meat would be more tasty and delicious to eat. It's the same for this energy or at least that's the example that Edam's mind inspired itself in. ( I think that I should call that foody example lol...)

Oh and of course he didn't neglect to train what his grandpa Z had told him to train into and also had now some accomplishment in it, especially the Kenbunshoku Haki.

Maybe it had something to do with his "Beast sense" but he had a lot of facility to learn this one, compared to the Busoshoku Haki which was still a lot harder for him to "bring out" and was still not powerful or hard enough according to Zephyr.

Well he had to say that sometimes he didn't really know if he was using his Beast sense or his Kenbunshoku Haki, especially when he has to dodge Zephyr's black fist and Garp's loving fist, so... yeah it was a little bit complicated.

Anyway as today they would reach the place in question it was curretly a day off for him but as he wanted to know more about this special trait of his he would make some tests and such much to his fun.

Of course he had already show it to Zephyr and Garp but the two of them didn't know a thing so he was all alone in this. Zephyr had told him that from his point point of view, this foreign "Haki" didn't differ much from the actual Haki.

The Haki they knew was overall just a manifestation of his will outside of his body, while this energy should be the manifestation of his life force outside of his body. At least that's the theory Zephyr came up with after four days of studying it.

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While Edam was playing with this new talent of his, he for who know the reason suddenly lift his head to look at the new landscape that had appeared in this vast ocean as he submerge himself in the magnificient view in front of him.

"There it is... Red line !" Edam exclaimed with a smile.

Garp who was at the side nodded as he looked at it and said while eating a biscuit with a grin. "That's right Red line, the one and only continent that stretches across the entire world reputed to be impassable and indestructible and also our destination."

Ahead of him stood the world tallest wall he had ever seen, so tall that Grey Terminal wall would look like a sand wall in comparison. Seeing it again and again couldn't extinguished its majesty as it stood there, proud and indestructible.

In fact he had already seen it when he was five years old or so, and although it was a rather long time ago he never forgot this wonderfull and fabulous sight.

To tell the thruth Garp's ship could have reach the Red port in just a day as the Red port wasn't far at all from Marineford but as Garp didn't really care and didn't want to reach the place too quickly, he had slow down on purpose and had even gone to the extent of stopping at a random island to rest a bit much to Sengoku's anger who eventually regret asking him to do that.

Right on the side, at the "foot" of Red line, a port could be made out bursting with activities and populations. Boats and Ships of various size were going and coming out as they trade, exchange, and sell all the merchandises they had brought.

It had several low buildings with cylinder roofs, at least one of which is a restaurant with Chinese decor. On its shore, a large ship's bow structure with the World Government symbol under its bowsprit, surrounded with smaller ports for arrived ships.

However what struck Edam with surprise, was that he could see bubbles everywhere and anywhere on this small port. There were even some structures that worked thanks to these bubble's unique properties which were really versatiles, and although he had already seen bubbles like those in Saboady Archipelago, he didn't know that there were similar bubbles somewhere else.

Zephyr who saw his surprised expression let out a laugh and asked "Did Garp already took you to the Saboady Archipelago Edam ?"

"Uh... yes but I was five so I don't remember much apart from the bubbles..." He said with a wry smile.

"Haha then let me explain to you, do you see the trees at the side ?" He asked as he pointed out earning a nod from Edam.

"Those trees are called Yarukiman Mangrove and are giant striped trees that have extremely long roots that reach all the way to the bottom of the sea, 10,000 meters down."

"Each and every one of the Yarukiman Mangrove trees are capable of producing a special tree sap resin. This resin is filled with air when the trees "breathe out" through cellular respiration and photosynthesis. This results in the resin forming bubbles that float through the air. These bubbles can only exist in and around their native environment atmosphere or underwater."

"When they are removed from their native environment, they will pop immediately and..."

Zephyr continued to explain for a rather long time giving Edam a complete and thorough explication worthy of a great professor.

"Oh okay..." Edam said as he process all the information he was given all of a sudden.

In fact Z had even explained the way Saboady's bubbles worked and their various uses in your daily life.

He didn't know that it was so complexe.

"It seems that "school" will not be so funny huh...but well at least I will learned a lot of things." He told himself with a wry smile to think that it was for the greater good as he looked ahead.

While Zephyr was giving a lesson the ship had continued to approached the port and was now at a good distance to berth the ship.

At this distance and even before he could already heard the people on the dock. Some were shouting their lungs out, mostly admirative ones.

"Look it's the vice-admiral Garp's ship !"

"Whoa... a living legend..."

" Kyaah... it's really him..."

Hearing this Edam's eyes blinked as he turn his head to Garp while saying. " Whoa... I nearly forgot how much Gramps is popular hehe..."

"Bwahaha you're jealous Edam ? Don't worry you will become as popular as your old gramps soon enough." Garp said with a grin.

Just as Edam was going to turn around he heard another commotion.

"Wait isn't that the instructor Zephyr !?"

"Kyaah it's him !"

"But what is he doing with the vice-admiral Garp... ?"

Edam then turn to Zephyr and looked at him

"Oh you too grandpa..."

Zephyr just shrugged his shoulder.

It didn't took long before they eventually go down.

Walking down the stairs Edam heard thanks to his "enhanced hearing sense" some peoples at a distance on the side chatting idly. Some were talking about their problems, some of their private business that should never be know to anyone and some were discussing of their daily lifes...

However those poor peoples didn't know that even by muttering they couldn't hide anything from this little child.

By focusing his senses to the max he could even perfectly hear their hearts pulsating as it pumped their bloods and push it throughout every limbs and corner of their bodies, less to say about their muttering...

As he was loosing his interest in listening to their chats, he heard at a distance one man who had just berth his ship of the port trying to negotiate with something with another man.

"Hey... what about I give you a barrel of rhum and we forget the fee alright ?" The man said with a cheap smile.

"I want three ..." the other man who seem to be tax's collector said with a deadpanned expression.

"What !? impossible it's too much, come on two at most."

"Do you even know what I risk if I'm caught ? Those fee are for the World nobles you know ." said the tax collector with a still deadpanned expression. It seems that he was already use to it.

Hearing this the man's cheap smile was completely wiped out and replaced by a dreadfull one as he give in to the man.

Edam who heard this turn to Zephyr and asked. " Do we have to pay a fee too ?"

"Hum... ? How do you know ?" Zephyr looked at him with surprise.

" Oh I hear it..." Edam replied plainly.

"Huh..." a surprised look covered Z face as he thought 'He heard it ?'

"Well in response to your question no, we don't, the fee is only for those who do not have the government's approval to cross Red line but as Garp and I are Navy's officer and have a rather special status in the Marine, we don't have to pay. Moreover he's currently on an official mission right now, we are exempted from this."

After Z said this, a guide came to lead Garp, Zephyr and Edam to a certain platform where one could features two very large vessels called Bondolas, made of bubbles, and are connected by wires to act as lifts back and forth from Marie Geoise at the top of the Red line.

Boarding one of the bondolas, the guide then pressed a button that made the bondola ascend. The bondola was neither slow nor fast but it didn't take long for the machine to reach a nauseating altitude that could easily make your heart skip a beat or two.

As the bandola was approaching the summit, Edam who was leaning elbows on the bar of the bandola and was admiring the view suddenly thought 'Hum... weird we're already so high in the air but I can still smell the odour of a sea bream fish... strange... now that I think about it I hope they have some delicacies to eat up there...'

He then took a deep breath and continued to looked at this wonderfull landscape.