Paper and Ink

"What do Marines want with Gale at this hour?"

Aria frowned. Maybe they were following up on yesterday's pirate incident. But their stealthy approach suggested something else entirely.

Pirates breaking into Gale's home in broad daylight had been desperate for his maps. Now Marines making a midnight visit?

She recalled Lieutenant Hido's interrogation. His questions had focused more on Gale than the pirates. She'd missed the significance earlier, distracted by trying to avoid attention.

Decision made, Aria pulled on her boots and fastened her vest. She slipped from her room and down the workshop stairs, carefully avoiding the creaky third step.

Her hand paused on the door latch. Getting involved with Marine business was exactly what she'd been trying to avoid. The smart move would be staying put, keeping her head down, focusing on her apprenticeship with Briggs.

"Damn it," she muttered, easing the door open. "So much for staying out of trouble."

The night air carried the scent of impending rain. Aria stuck to the shadows, moving swiftly along the harbor path.

She crouched behind stacked crates fifty yards from Gale's house. Close enough to observe but hopefully far enough to avoid detection.

Her new senses picked up the Marines' energy signatures—five standard, but the leader burned brighter, stronger.

The leader approached Gale's door. Unlike yesterday's pirate break-in, there was no dramatic entrance. Just three sharp knocks, precise and official.

Light bloomed behind Gale's curtains a moment later.

The door opened a crack, spilling yellow lamplight onto the Marine's uniform. His rank insignia became visible—a lieutenant commander, higher ranking than officers at the local outpost.

Aria strained to hear their conversation, but distance and waves made it impossible.

She watched as Gale's door opened wider, allowing the officer inside while others maintained positions outside.

The remaining Marines spread out professionally, covering all approaches. One kept his hand near his weapon, scanning for threats.

Aria pressed deeper into shadows, grateful for her distant position. Her combat skills had improved since arriving in this world, but five armed Marines presented a challenge she wasn't ready to face.

Ten minutes passed. Rain began falling, a gentle patter soon becoming a downpour.

Aria pulled her jacket tighter, remaining still despite the growing discomfort. Her clothes grew heavier as they soaked through, but she kept her eyes fixed on Gale's door.

Finally, it opened. The officer emerged, clutching something against his chest—papers, perhaps a map—now protected inside his coat.

Gale stood in the doorway, his posture defeated in a way it hadn't been even during yesterday's pirate attack. His shoulders slumped forward, one hand gripping the doorframe for support.

The officer said something brief before rejoining his men. They formed up and moved back toward the village, mission apparently complete.

Aria waited until they disappeared from view before making her move. Her boots squelched in mud as she crossed the open ground, all senses alert for any Marines left behind.

Her approach to Gale's house was direct now. She paused at the bottom of his steps, uncertainty suddenly rooting her in place. Was this wise? She barely knew the man, and their previous interactions hadn't exactly been friendly.

Before she could decide, the door opened with a creak.

"Are you going to stand there all night getting soaked, or are you coming in?" Gale's gruff voice called out.

Startled, Aria looked up to find the old navigator watching her with tired eyes.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked.

"Been watching the sea for fifty years," he replied, stepping aside. "You think I can't spot someone hiding behind Matsuda's crates?"

Inside, the house was warmer than Aria expected. Most of yesterday's pirate damage had been cleaned up, though some broken items remained scattered around the room.

Gale gestured toward a wooden chair near the fire. "Sit before you drip all over my floor. Just got it clean again."

Aria sat gratefully, extending her hands toward the warmth. Water from her clothes formed a small puddle beneath the chair.

She noticed the desk had been cleared of charts—only empty spaces remained where maps had been spread earlier that day.

"Thank you," she said.

Gale grunted as he moved to a cluttered side desk. He pushed aside papers and retrieved a bottle, pouring amber liquid into two small glasses.

The label showed rum from a place called Whiskey Peak. He handed one to Aria before taking the opposite chair.

"Didn't come here to thank me for hospitality," he said, studying her over his glass. "You saw the Marines."

It wasn't a question. Aria nodded, accepting the drink but not lifting it to her lips immediately.

"Why were they here?" she asked, watching his expression carefully.

Gale took a long sip. "Same reason as those pirates. Maps. Specifically, my Calm Belt route."

"The route your son charted with you?"

Something flickered in Gale's eyes—pain quickly masked by anger. "Briggs talks too much."

"You're not the first person to say that today," Aria replied, finally tasting the drink. It burned down her throat, warming her from inside.

Silence stretched between them, Gale seemed content to wait, perhaps expecting her to leave once she'd warmed up.

Aria's eyes wandered around the room. She noticed medals and awards on a shelf—navigation honors and certificates. A faded photograph showed a younger Gale with a smiling young man who had to be Rowan.

"I want to learn navigation," Aria said finally, setting down her glass. "Proper navigation, not just basics from books."

Gale barked a laugh, "And I want my son back. We don't always get what we want in this world."

"I could work for you," she offered, "Help repair things around here. The place could use some attention." She gestured toward a broken shelf nearby.

His eyes narrowed. "Why so determined to learn proper navigation? You could hire a navigator if you just want to see the Grand Line."

"I need to understand it myself," Aria said, meeting his gaze directly. "There's more for me out there than here, and I won't depend on someone else's knowledge to find it."

His fingers tapped against his glass in a slow rhythm as he considered her words.

"Most folks who talk about the Grand Line don't understand what they're asking for," he said finally. "It's not just another sea to cross."

Aria nodded. "I know it's dangerous. That's why I need proper training."

"The Grand Line eats ships whole. Weather changes in minutes. Sunny skies become hurricanes before you can reef a sail. Compass needles spin without reason. Islands with their own magnetic fields. Sea Kings that could swallow this village."

He leaned back, grip tight on his glass. "Pirates, Marines, and whoever else hunts for treasure or control. Men with twice your experience vanish without a trace."

She thought about the stories she knew from her world - the adventures that waited in the Grand Line. Islands in the sky, underwater kingdoms, places where the rules of nature bent. She knew the dangers were real, but so were the wonders.

"I'm still going," she said, conviction in her voice. "With or without proper training."

Gale studied her for a long moment. Outside, the storm intensified, rain lashing against windows.

"The Marines want my maps to establish a new trade route," he said finally. "Safer passage means more commerce, more control. Pirates want them for obvious reasons."

"And you don't want to give them to either side?" Aria prompted when he fell silent.

Gale took another drink before answering. "Because neither of them care about the cost. Pirates want treasure, Marines want control. Both leave wreckage in their wake."

His knuckles whitened around his glass. "Those waters took my son. I won't help them take more lives."

"Maps are just paper and ink," he added, staring into the fire. "The knowledge—that's what matters."

Gale fell silent, seemingly lost in memories. Aria waited, unsure what else to say.

"I won't teach you," he said finally.

Aria's shoulders slumped. "Why not?"

"Because I'm done with the sea," he said firmly.

He stood and moved to a small bookshelf, running his fingers along spines until he found what he sought. He pulled out a leather-bound book, worn from years of use.

"But I won't stop you from learning on your own," he said, returning to stand before her.

He handed her the book. "This was Rowan's first primer," Gale said, his tone softer. "Before we tackled the Grand Line charts. Wouldn't do you much good here anyway, but it might keep you alive in the waters."

Aria took the book carefully and opened it, finding pages filled with diagrams, equations, and handwritten notes in the margins. Many annotations were in different handwriting—likely Rowan's additions to his father's teachings.

"Thank you," she said, genuinely moved by this unexpected gesture.

"Don't thank me," Gale warned, his gruffness returning. "Just don't get yourself killed with whatever half-baked plan you're forming."

"I'll try my best," she promised, rising to leave. "About the Marines... will you be alright?"

"Those particular Marines won't come back," Gale said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "The maps they took are incomplete. Missing the details that make the difference between passage and disaster."

"You tricked them?"

"Insurance," he replied, showing her to the door. "In case they get ideas about forcing more from me."

At the threshold, Aria turned back, clutching the precious book against her chest.

"Why help me at all? You don't know me."

Gale's expression shifted, something unreadable passing across his features. For a moment, he seemed to be looking at someone else—perhaps the ghost of his son, or his own younger self.

"Maybe I'm tired of watching young people die because they didn't know enough," he said. "Or maybe I just want that book out of my house—too many memories. Take your pick."

She clutched the navigation book to her chest.

"I'll return it when I've learned everything it has to teach," she promised.

"Keep it," Gale said, already closing the door.

"I know it by heart."