Chapter 48: Birds of the same feather.

Edam of course already knew that each of the four girls had a devil fruits powers.

On the second day of being with Edam & co, Hancock and her sisters had revealed it on their own, while Stella's power was on the other hand revealed quite abruptly and violently....

The poor Edam was there when it had happened, he had come to chat a bit with her but when he entered she was actually asleep, and just as he was about to go out of the room, she seemed to open her eyes woken up by him.

And just as he was about to turned around, his beast sense burst into activity and then...

"...SWISH...!!!"

The room was suddenly repainted in silver...literally...

Everywhere in the room, a myriad of longs and threatening silver thorns had grown out in an instant and were piercing out in all directions making the room an absolute mess.

...

He nearly died that day...

He dodged like never before.

If it wasn't for his beast sense and his abnormal reflexes...Edam would surely have joined in Heaven the huge sea-monster that Garp had killed that same morning...

Thanks God that it was him and not anyone else...if not...it wouldn't be a pretty sight to see...

After this more than dangerous situation a little lesson or more like recalling was obviously needed.

Her devil fruit power was pretty simple...

She could release a certain quantity of silver from her body and control it at will, changing it into solid state or liquid state.

It was simple but really cool...(and dangerous...)

...

Anyway after this little show of power, they then threw out the "trashes" and Edam & co were then invited to sit as they began to discussed.

"Well, what is your name wolf cub...?" Rayleigh asked with an obvious interest Edam's name.

"I'm not a wolf cub..." Edam's eyes blinked in refusal.

"Oh ? lion cub then...?" Rayleigh lifted a brow.

"Neither..." Edam shook his head.

"Then what are you..." Rayleigh asked in wonder while thinking, 'What a strange kid...'

"My name is Monkey D. Edam, and just like my name implied it..." Edam said with a proud smile and then he detached and showed his trade mark monkey tail to everyone present.

"I'm more like a Monkey !"

Rayleigh "..."

Shakuyaku "..."

Gloriossa "...@#%^&**..."

In normal time he would never show his cute tail to anyone that he didn't trust, but he was with his two grandpas today, so it should be fine...or so he thought.

No need to say that this move from him was highly effective, it drew out the shocked expressions that were expected from the bar's inhabitants.

However Rayleigh in contrast to Shakuyaku and Gloriossa had a different shocked expression than them...His face seemed to be one that could actually believe in what he was seeing but at the same time didn't want to, as if prefering to think that what he was seeing was just a misunderstanding or something. If one were to look in the very depth of his eyes, something nearly akin to fear was present...even though it was tiny and unnoticeable it was still present.

"Monkey D. huh..." Rayleigh muttered softly and glanced quickly at Garp and Zephyr in doubt but he quickly looked back again at Edam and laughed.

"Haha... what a surprise indeed, a pleasure to meet you little monkey, this old one's name is Silvers Rayleigh...But you can just call me Ray-san if you want..." Rayleigh replied with a small smile as he took a good look at Edam.

"Hum...then you can call me Edam..." he said as he took a sit just beside Rayleigh.

"Haha... you're a rather easy going kid huh Edam, do you know that you're just beside a pirate ?" Rayleigh asked laughingly as he told Edam.

"Well you don't seem like a bad guy..." Edam looked at him without any stress and even smiled back.

...

After that Rayleigh, Garp and Zephyr began to talked about the old times in a rather jovial mood. If anyone were to look at them, no one would say that they were enemies, they clearly looked like long times friends, talking about how they would sometimes tries to kill the other one, or how one would sometimes succeeded in escaping a trap etc.... A weird way to recall the "old good" time indeed...

During this time Edam even shockingly learned that this seemingly normal but overpowered old man was actually the one and only right hand, of the one and only Pirate King...and also by the way his brother's biological father.

...

"...Hum...Oh now that I think about it, do you perhaps know someone named Monkey D. Luffy ? You have the same name...." Rayleigh asked curiously and all of a sudden drawing out a stunned expression on Edam, Garp and Zephyr's faces.

"Eh ? How do you know this name, old-man ?" Edam asked curiously.

"You do know him ?" Rayleigh asked again.

Garp and Z seemed to want to say something but they were beaten at it by Edam.

"...Of course I know him...! How could I forget my little brother's name." Edam replied with a huge smile and really happily...

Now it was a shock to Rayleigh... like a huge one...

"He's... your... brother...?" Rayleigh's eyes were filled with doubts when he said that.

"Yep, my little brother...but... how do you know his name, old man ?" Edam looked at him suspisciously.

"Your brother huh..." Rayleigh looked at him with a lot of doubt in his eyes, and then he took a quick glance at Garp as if asking something...

"Oh that... A few months ago a junior of mine came..."

Rayleigh in fact explained how a junior of his came back to greet him and talked about a certain interesting kid who really looked like his late captain.

It was much to Edam's surprise and Garp's anger that they learned that it was Shanks who talked about Luffy to Rayleigh.

"Oh now that you say it, he seemed to have mention you, indeed..." Rayleigh commented as he finally recalled.

And then he thought. 'Shanks you mentioned a surprise not a heart-attack.' he complained a bit inwardly.

And as if all these surprises weren't enough, Edam even learned that Shanks too was in the Pirate King's crew before.

After that Edam then laughing talked about every mess and wrongdoings that he and his brothers had done.

At one moment when Edam began to tell about how he became brothers with Ace and Sabo, Rayleigh stopped him and asked.

"Ace..." He seemed to recall something but nothing came to him in the end as Edam continued on.

...

After a long discussion what should have happened did happen...

It was finally time to part even though it was with a lot of reluctances they still had to do it...

Mariegold and Sandersonia were still okay but Hancock...well she was nearly tearing up but good thing she was actually holding back and really was not shedding a single tears.

And so Edam was already there comforting her and patting her cheeks gently.

"Hey don't you cry, it won't be the last time we see each other you know..."

But it was obvious that the second that they would be gone, they would flow down, endlessly...

Though she hadn't cried out yet, it was still quite heartbreaking to see her in that state.

As Edam didn't know what to do anymore, he tried to think about something for a good half a minute before it then struck him...

The problem was that they couldn't communicate right ? So...he told her to wait a moment and rushed outside.

...

After about five minutes when he came back, he was to everyone's surprise holding two beautiful small birds in his hand that looked very much like two tiny eagles.

They were in fact birds carrier. Those strange birds since birth are always born as twins. They are famous for their speed, endurance and their ability to find their twin no matter the distance. A legend also state that if one of the birds were to die, the other would follow in death.

This way of communication is used by every poor people who couldn't afford to buy and feed a Den Den Mushi just like Edam.

Smiling a bit he gave her one, and kept the other one with him. One was black colored as Dark as the night and the other white colored as pure as white snow.

Holding up the white snow bird in her delicate white jades hands her face brighten up sweetly in delight and marvel right away, erasing into nothingness any tear drops that were threatening to fall down. A semblance of a wonderful smile flitted across her face as she began to carressed her bird gently.

"Well do you like it ?" Edam asked as his own bird was on his shoulder sleeping like a parrot or something.

"Hum !" She nodded vigorously as a beautiful and striking genuine smile finally appeared on her face.

"Then that's good, with this we will be able to communicate no matter the distance, I will make sure to at least send you one message every weeks alright ?"

"Yes...!"

...

They then bade their farewell, and return to the ship...

In a however...

"..."

Deathly silence...

Edam who was so cheerfull since this morning hadn't opened his mouth throughout the entire trip back...

"..."

His gaze seemed to be one of deep reflection.

Even when they reach the ship, he directly got to his room and didn't say anything leaving everyone puzzled.

What happened to him exactly ? He was so happy and although the separations were a bit difficult he was still the most cheerful of them all, so why...?

Unknown to them it wasn't what they thought...

...