Chapter 37
Marine captains are positioned at the gates that lead to the Reverse Mountain. From each Blue, they are to prevent any unauthorized entry into the Grand Line.
Although none of them were as exceptional as Smoker, the identities of pirates who managed to pass the guard and enter the Grand Line have been those to be viewed in caution.
"And during the last month..."
In marine base G-11, located in Paradise, there was a marine officer who was busy reading the report in his hands.
"Ah? That Smoker let one pirate crew slip by?"
Snorting, this man flipped to the next page.
"'Grimheart' Rowan... 40 Million Beli. Not a devil fruit user, no notable heritage... hah! How did you lose against this nobody, Smoker?"
This man was defined by his dark-blonde hair, strong cheekbones, large chin, and sharp eyes. He, currently holding the position of rear admiral, was the commander of marine base G-11.
Though his justice and ideals were questionable to some marines, no one doubted his strength. This was rear admiral Gasparde, one whom many pirates feared.
Flipping through other pages, Gasparde continued putting the information in his head.
"Eustass 'Captain' Kid... 55 Million Beli. Magnet Magnet fruit user. Hm... I wonder how much that fruit sells."
"'White Knight' Cavendish... 70 Million Beli. The former prince of Bourgeois Kingdom who was exiled and sent to an island in West Blue under Bourgeois Kingdom's possession. Split personality? Interesting."
Gasparde threw away the report, having reached the end. This month's report was quite thin, which indicated that marine captains at the gates of Four Blues were doing well.
However, one thing was bizarre In Gasparde's eyes.
"How come their bounties are so high?"
If he remembered correctly, the average bounties of pirates who passed the Reverse Mountain amounted to 20 Million Beli approximately.
"Hm... I guess it doesn't matter though."
Staring at the ocean outside through the window, Gasparde muttered,
"...Boring."
__________
Although Shooting Star was drenched, they were quickly able to warm up the ship thanks to Nami's ability.
The night's sleep was comfortable, and the sunny weather greeted Rowan with a new day as his eyes opened.
Groaning, he stood up and looked around him. There were Deuce and Bartolomeo, sprawled across the fish nets that they used as beds.
"Guess we'll need a bigger ship later on."
Muttering to himself, Rowan was about to exit the room. However, he then stopped as he saw the jitte with its tip made out of seastone. Looking at it intently, Rowan eventually took it with him.
Making his way out to the deck of the ship, Rowan saw that Nami was already awake, gazing at the island in suspicion.
"What happened to beauty's sleep?"
Nami perked up as she heard Rowan.
"I had more than enough!"
Stopping by Nami's side, Rowan too stared at the view in front of them. There were a variety of colourful trees that seemed mesmerizing at first glance. Those trees extended to the apple-shaped mountain.
"The island seems like a pleasant place to live in."
As Rowan examined the island, Nami relayed her thoughts.
"I can already see from here, the lake water that flows from the mountain above. On top of that, numerous trees over there are fruit trees. The rustling noises out there indicate that wildlives are bustling. The basic conditions to make a living have been met, and this means that we are likely to encounter other people."
Nami then handed Rowan something, which Rowan accepted.
"What's this?"
"Granola bar."
Rowan frowned a little.
"Is this all we got?"
Nami shrugged.
"Time was scarce back in Logue Town, and we needed food that could be preserved for a long period. Besides, since when were you a picky eater?"
"It's not about me being picky or not."
Rowan expressed his concern as he bit into the granola bar.
"I'm cautious of whether our diet is balanced or not. Sailing already is a headache on its own, and we don't have time to think of our nutrients."
...
"And so!"
Rowan stood in front of Deuce, Bartolomeo, and Carina with his arms crossed.
"Do any of you cook professionally?"
Deuce, still half-asleep, shook his head before jolting off.
Bartolomeo raised his hand.
"Yes, Bartolomeo!"
"Did you ever try roasted kiki bug before, captain? I can roast you one if we can find any."
Carina looked at Bartolomeo weirdly.
"What even is kiki bug?"
Bartolomeo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What? You don't know what kiki bug is?!"
"Who the hell knows what kiki bug is?!!"
"You are freaking joking with me!!"
Carina, rolling her eyes, turned to Deuce and pointed her finger at Bartolomeo,
"Doc, check if his brain wasn't damaged, will you?"
Deuce was already far too asleep to hear what Carina said.
Out of genuine curiosity, Rowan asked Bartolomeo,
"How does that roasted kiki bug or whatever taste like?"
"Oh,"
Bartolomeo wrinkled up his face,
"It tastes like a solidified snot dipped in a poop paste."
""WHY THE FUCK DO YOU EVEN EAT IT THEN?!!"" Rowan and Carina barked at Bartolomeo in shock.
"G-Gahh! W-What is happening?"
Their outburst woke up Deuce, who jumped up out of reflex before hitting his head against the ceiling and falling back.
"Ugh..."
"Uhh,"
On the other hand, Bartolomeo was thinking of an answer to Rowan and Carina's words.
Facepalming, Carina groaned. Then, she asked Rowan in realization,
"Wait, I'm not even a part of your crew. Why am I in this discussion?"
"Ehe."
"Ehe?! Ehe te nandayo!!"
As Rowan and Carina began talking among themselves, and while Deuce was holding the lump on his head in pain, Bartolomeo finally managed to think of an answer,
"Oooh! I remember it now! Grandma said that eating that thing increases my luck!"
However, no one was listening to him, much to his demise.
"I mean, you can just join my crew? You can be someone who steals from enemies for us."
"Join? Are you going to help me destroy that accursed Baroque Works?"
"..."
"Don't look at me as if you've heard the most troublesome thing in the world!!"
As chaos ensured in Shooting Star, Nami was peacefully sitting in front of a round table, trying to mark their spot on the map she was busy drawing.
__________
After the round of meaningless discussion was over, the afternoon had already arrived.
"First island in Grand Line. Looking nice and beautiful. Then..."
Deuce, with his body trembling in anticipation, stated,
"Won't it be a sin to not explore?!"
"One has to watch the ship though."
Rowan, Nami, Deuce, and Bartolomeo stood in a circle. Meanwhile, Carina spectated them in amusement.
""""Rock, paper, scissor!""""
"Shoo!"
Rowan said in confusion,
"Who said shoo?"
Bartolomeo stood frozen as snot dropped out of his nose.
Deuce sweatdropped, "...You really are amazing, you know that?"
"T-This is how we do it in my hometown!"
Rowan nodded in understanding.
"It can happen. Let's do it again, but no 'shoo' thing this time around."
"You're the best, captain!"
Nami snickered, finding the situation funny.
Carina deadpanned, "Are you guys really a pirate? I've never seen a crew like this before."
Ignoring Carina, the four of them held out their hands,
""""Rock, paper, scissor!""""
"Shoo!"
There was a momentary pause. Then, Rowan, Nami, and Deuce barked at Bartolomeo in sync,
"""BARTARD!!!"""
...
By majority's votes, Bartolomeo was chosen as the member to guard the ship. Promising to bring him something worthwhile in return, the rest of the group began marching through the colourful forest of Apple island.
"There's no one around us," Remarked Rowan as they stood in the middle of the forest.
"Maybe we should check the other side of the island?"
Following Nami's suggestion, they began to climb up the mountain. Deuce wrote in his journal as they walked forth, and Rowan continuously operated his Observation Haki, taking this opportunity to practice it.
Eventually, they reached the top, and found themselves surprised.
There was a lively town just on the other side, with numerous ships docked at the bay. Said the other side of the island was a lot larger than the forest side that Rowan and his crew docked.
"...Frogs in a well."
Commented Deuce, to which the other three nodded in agreement.
Stretching his body, Rowan grinned,
"Well then, let's go and check it out."
By the time they descended the mountain, the sun had begun to set. The town was bustling, and the overall atmosphere was bright and lively.
"Come and buy the best apples you will ever see in Grand Line!"
"Rabbit meat skewer, 300 Beli!"
Deuce looked around his surroundings in wonders. Meanwhile, Nami tilted her head at this.
"Isn't this island one of the first seven islands in Grand Line? How can a town be this prosperous when it's bound to be bombarded with loads of pirates?"
"You aren't wrong about the second part."
Rowan pointed at the bay. On their ships, the jolly rogers of pirates were attached, indicating that many visitors to this island were indeed, pirates.
"Surprised, eh, young guys?"
Then, a shopkeeper at the side spoke up, earning their attention. He chuckled with a relaxed expression.
Rowan turned to the man, and the man asked,
"You folks too must've come across that Reverse Mountain, right? If so, are you also pirates?"
Rowan nodded, while Carina shook her head. The man raised an eyebrow, and Rowan said,
"She's our guest."
"I see, interesting!"
Nami asked, "So, tell us about this town!"
The man made an intentional cough.
"Ehem, my apple costs 1,000 Beli per one..."
Nami's eyes twitched in annoyance.
Rowan, not finding his reaction strange, casually flipped 2,000 Beli at the man.
"We don't need an apple, but do give us the top-notch info that you have."
The man smirked as he received the payment. Throwing an apple at Rowan regardless, he opened his mouth,
"You see a small house in the middle?"
As he said, if one thing were to be out of place in this fancy town, it was one old-looking, brick house that sat right in the middle of the town.
"That's where our mayor lives in. He's the first one who reached this island and settled down. Apparently, he's a famous blacksmith, so people gathered from here and there. Eventually, this place eventually became a quite nice town for common folks like me to live in."
"What of the pirates then?"
"That mayor or ours," The man stated, "Rumour says that he used to be a samurai in Wano."
"Wano?"
"It's a country in New World, not affiliated with the World Government. That place is currently one of the Four Emperors, Kaidou's lair, and this may be the reason why he came all the way here."
In the end, the man shrugged,
"But who knows?"
Deuce mumbled in realization, "Then, the reason why this place is sustainable is..."
The man nodded.
"No pirates in Four Blues were able to go against our mayor. He's undefeatable around here."
Rowan took a bite out of the apple he was holding as he grinned,
"Thanks for the info, old man."
"Heh, anytime!"
After the end of conversation, the group took some more time to explore around the town. Log poses, hand-drawn maps, eternal poses, as well as a small ship-repairing service... Rowan came to deduce that the island they've reached must be one of the best among the seven islands.
Eventually, they came to a stop. Carina, staring at the eternal pose of Alabasta in her hands, spoke up.
"I think... this is where we part."
Nami and Deuce remained silent. Rowan asked,
"How exactly are you going to face Baroque Works?"
"I have a plan of my own."
Carina flashed a grin, but Rowan read some degree of nervousness in her eyes. In the end, he sighed before smiling lightly,
"If you encounter trouble, come find us. As long as it isn't too troublesome, we'll help you out.
After all, we're friends, aren't we?"
"Friends..."
Carina looked down and made an empty smile.
"...Thanks."
For once, Nami didn't interfere. Instead, she, with her arms crossed, was facing away. Deuce scratched his cheek, not knowing what to say here.
"Well then,"
Bye.
Under the moonlight, Carina turned and started to walk away. Rowan stared at Carina, wondering what kind of past she must've had for her to have become so distrustful of others, but eventually dismissed his thought.
Turning to face Nami and Deuce, he grinned once more,
"And let us continue the adventure of our own!"
They grinned back at him,
"Of course!"
The night had arrived, but there was so much more to do. The first island in Grand Line... it was time to enjoy it to the fullest.