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Author's Corner:
Oh, man! I didn't realize how close this fic was to Chapter 100!
Honestly, when I first started writing this fic, I only expected to reach Chapter 40 or something. The story I had in my mind didn't feel that long when I first thought of it.
Lo and behold, we are now only less than ten chapters away to Chapter 100!
As my little way to celebrate, I want to chat a little with you guys.
Feel free to comment in this Chapter any question you want to ask me. It doesn't necessarily have to be about this story I'm writing, but I also won't be answering any question that I feel is too personal or would get me banned from this site LOL.
I'll be answering those questions in a Q&A Chapter. I'll be releasing it in the Auxiliary Volume along with the release of Chapter 100.
Thank you all for reading this far!
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"Water 7 will be in sight shortly, Captain!" Augur announced in the announcement speaker from the crow's nest, letting everyone know that they were nearing their destination.
"That must be it!" Terzo shouted as he stood on the Ashen Dragon's helm, leading the ship as the crew's navigator.
The Royal Aces looked towards the front of the ship, waiting to see what their next destination would look like. They heard that Water 7 was also known as the City of Water, so they were excited to arrive and see why it has such a name.
Their wait was rewarded by a beautiful sight. Water 7 lay there in the distance like a fine piece of man-made work. The center of the island made the whole place look like a fountain. From where they were, it was already obvious how much water is involved in the daily lives of those who live there.
"Are those water slides?" Eri said, pointing at the wide and long passageway of water going from the highest point of the island down to what seemed like paths through the city.
"Wanna ride it with me, Eri?" Ace asked, excited to do exactly as what he proposed.
"Can we?" Eri asked, clearly excited to accept Ace's invitation.
"Oi, Ace!" Hepha interrupted Ace by pinching his ears.
"Ow ow ow! What is it, Hepha?"
"Slide later, business first," Hepha said. "Help me carry the gold we'll convert to Berry."
"Fine, fine!" Ace said. "Doppol, you come with us. We'll go find shipwrights after."
"I'll help carry the gold," Doppol said, knowing exactly why Ace wanted him to come with them.
"Yeah, thanks!" Ace watched Doppol enter the door leading to the lower levels of the Ashen Dragon. He was heading towards their treasure room to prepare a batch of gold they'll exchange into Berry.
"Ace! Should we just sail straight to Water 7?" Terzo asked, shouting his question from the helm.
"Yeah! Do that!"
"You sure, Ace?" Vash asked. "Our ship isn't exactly… discreet."
"Trust me," Ace said, waving Vash's concern. "I have a good feeling."
The Ashen Dragon sailed closer and closer to Water 7. The closer they got to the famous City of Water, the Royal Aces were more and more impressed. The beauty of Water 7 was indeed better when seen up close. They were close enough to see locals gape and stare at them and their ship.
"Hey! You, pirates! Are you gonna rob us?"
One of the locals of Water Seven shouted to the Royal Aces aboard the Ashen Dragon. Due to the size of their ship, a lot of people were watching as they passed by.
"That's surprising," Vash said with a small smile. "They don't even look afraid of us."
"This place must have some remarkable guards," Soma said as he leaned on the Ashen Dragon's railing.
"We're not here to rob anyone!" Ace gleefully shouted to the local that asked the question. "Say, where can we dock our ship?"
"Follow this canal and take the second turn you'll see! It'll take you to Rocky Cape!"
"Thank you!" Ace shouted out his gratitude for the guidance they were given. He then turned to Terzo. "You heard them, Terzo!"
"Roger that, Captain!"
Terzo guided the Ashen Dragon along the canal using the directions they were given. In seemingly no time at all, the Royal Aces arrived at a huge rocky outcrop just outside Water 7. They could dock the ship here and still be able to get to Water 7 just by walking.
Ace smiled at seeing the place. He knew where this was. This was where the Straw Hats docked the Going Merry. This was where Luffy and Usopp fought.
Suddenly remembering his memories of another life, Ace was curious if the events he knew would still take place. There were already changes to the story he knew. Namely, Luffy was now a marine.
Ace pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He isn't living in some kind of simulation, after all. This was real life. This was a real world with real people. It just so happened that it was a world he is familiar with.
"Anyone wanna stay behind and guard the ship?" Ace asked.
"I'll stay behind, Captain," Augur's voice came from the speakers. "I shall protect the Ashen Dragon with my life."
"I'll stay behind too, Ace," Vash said, already lying down on the Ashen Dragon's wooden deck to bask in the warmth of the sun. "This place feels… safe. I think I'll relax here for a while."
Ace could only smile wryly at his first mate. Their journey to Water 7 wasn't exactly smooth sailing. They frequently came in contact with bounty hunters roaming the seas for a pricey head. It was one of the things that surprised Ace, the presence of bounty hunters. So far, none of them were exactly remarkable…
"Take all the rest you want, Vash," Ace said before turning to Hepha. "We could spend a long time here. Did you really block the Log Poses?"
"I did, don't worry," Hepha said. "The Logs won't be set to Water 7. We can go back to our original route no matter how long we stay here."
"That's great! I'm really glad you're with us, Hepha," Ace said, honestly stating what he feels.
"I know," Hepha said with a rather smug grin. "Good thing I figured out how to do it in time."
Hepha, as a forgemaster, was also familiar with the creation of Log Poses. In her free time, all she ever did was study how to create all manner of things with metal. It was the signature of her craft, after all.
With her continuous studies and accumulation of skill over the years, Hepha finally figured out how to manipulate Log Poses in her time with the crew. Now, it was possible for the Royal Aces to stay at an island in the Grand Line for as long as they wanted to. Hepha could now speed up or slow down the rate at which a Log Pose records an island's magnetism.
If an island required a year of stay for its magnetism to be recorded, Hepha could tinker with a Log Pose and make it possible for the island's magnetism to be recorded in a day. Conversely, Hepha could make a required stay of a week turn into a year by tinkering with the Log Pose used to record the magnetism of the island.
Now, the Royal Aces didn't need to worry about the length of stay at an island.
"Captain! Can we go sliding after you're done?" Eri asked Ace with her best attempt at puppy eyes.
"Hmmmm…"
Ace hummed in thought. He put a hand on his chin and closed his eyes as he started thinking. Eri was clearly excited to do what he invited her with. Then, an idea clicked on his mind.
"You know what, Eri?" Ace asked with a wide grin. "Let's go sliding before we leave instead."
"Aww! But that's… a long time away!" Eri said, slightly pouting.
"Don't worry, Eri! It's not like our crew won't be doing anything exciting before that happens!" Ace said. "Don't you know there's a Carnival Town just a train ride away?"
"Really?" Eri asked, her eyes glinting in excitement. "Will we go there?"
"Of course we will!" Ace said with a chuckle. "We'll go there after we turn our treasure into money."
"Sensei!" Eri turned to Mihar. "Let's wait for Captain at the train station!"
"That's not exactly my call to make, Eri," Mihar said, scratching the back of his head before turning to Ace. "Do you need me to do something else, Ace?"
"No, not really." Ace shrugged. "Feel free to walk around. Let's meet at the train station, wherever it is…"
"There's only one train station for every island," Doppol said, already knowing a little bit about Water 7. "The train station here is called Blue Station."
"Then, let's meet at the Blue Station!" Ace said before walking away. "We'll be going first. C'mon, you two!"
Hepha and Doppol followed Ace out of the ship. They waved goodbye to those who were still aboard.
"Bye, Captain! We'll see you later!" Eri shouted before turning to Tanya. "Tanya-chan, let's pack our things!"
"Huh?" Tanya seemed confused. "Why?"
"What do you mean why?" Eri asked, pouting slightly. "We're going to Carnival Town!"
"Ehh? I… Do I have to?" Tanya asked, her face showing a rather weird expression.
"Do you not want to?" Eri asked, her tone going downcast.
"It's just… I'd rather check out if they have libraries here," Tanya said.
"...okay. I understand."
Eri's sad mood made Tanya feel guilty. Eri stared at her for a few seconds. Eventually, Tanya relented.
"...alright, alright!" Tanya said with a small sigh. "Let's go to that Carnival Town."
"Yay!"
"Mreow?"
"Of course you can come, Kotatsu!" Eri said to Kotatsu before running to the door leading inside the ship, pulling Tanya along by her hand. "Come on, Tanya-chan!"
"She seems much happier now," Vash said as he lay down on the ship's deck to rest. "That's a good sign."
"I'm surprised she isn't… scared," Soma said. "We did meet her for the first time as a kidnapped girl in a carnival town, after all."
"Wait, that's right!" Terzo said as he remembered the events of Bounty Plains, the first island in the Grand Line that they went to. "She isn't even nervous! HAHAHAHA! Eri is a strong girl!"
"It's not just that, I think," Mihar said, offering his two cents to the conversation. "She's not alone anymore, after all. She trusts our crew…"
"Then, we better keep her safe," Terzo said. "I'll join you guys. At least, I'll wait for Ace with you."
"Same here," Soma said. "But, I think I'll go my own way. I want to check out that so-called Gourmet City."
"San Faldo and Pucci," Augur said immediately after appearing near the group with a popping sound. "Otherwise known as Carnival Town and Gourmet City."
"How'd you know?" Terzo asked. Augur pointed in a direction outside the Ashen Dragon.
"I read it on a notice board over there."
Terzo followed the direction Augur pointed at, only to see the distant city of Water 7. Wherever Augur was pointing at, it was too far for someone like Terzo.
"Your eyesight is ridiculous," Terzo said, sighing wryly at another display of monstrosity that was usual in their crew.
"I have to agree," Mihar said. "I don't see it…"
"I'm sure you can," Augur said to Mihar. "However, you will have to go up to the crow's nest to see it."
"Ahh. I guess that's why!"
Terzo just sighed as he watched two of their crew's three marksmen casually flex their abnormal eyesight. Soma was already long gone, probably went ahead to prepare for his trip to Pucci. Vash was already snoring, asleep like a baby. Kotatsu was just licking his balls as he waited for Eri and Tanya to return with whatever they wanted to bring to San Faldo.