CH - 53

Once more, the pirates began their voyage from Corteano, with Loguetown as their heading, the island they hoped to find answers. This was where Halcen intended to find information on the whereabouts of Red-Haired Shanks. Since his ascension to Yonko, he had only made one public appearance, and that was in Loguetown.

The crew had begun to warm up to each other and relax. They had gone through a lot of changes in a very short time. They had gained Jin and Fein, but they were taken, and reclaimed, so now they could actually get to know the crew. They had lost Valentina, Loyola, and Bailu, all with necessary jobs for the ship. They had permanently gained Jory, a helpful sword hand. They had gained an entirely new face, Morkine, as their new navigator with a gift for combat. And once they were to finally dock at Loguetown, they would lose the invaluable snipers, Bo and Kazuki.

Halcen hung his head. He was working on building a strong, stable crew. But would it even be enough? Even with all these men, could he still take on Whitebeard? And would he even be able to convince Red-Hair to go to war with the old man?

Jory went to Morkine. In his downtime, he had taken to conversing with the others. He seemed to be the most excited of the crew. "So, you're a swordsman, too?" he asked Morkine.

Morkine still had his sunglasses on. It was a wonder why he always wore them, regardless of the time of day. And his purple eyes were still a mystery. "No, not so much. I really only ever use my blunderbuss," Morkine said in his slick as honey voice. He gripped his sword sheath to motion toward it, "This is just for emergencies. I'm quite bad with it though."

"Blunderbuss?" Jory asked, inquisitively.

Morkine motioned to the cannon on his back. "It's akin to a portable cannon that fires chunks of metal instead of a full cannonball."

"That's weird," Jory said. "Why not just use a pistol instead?"

"The thing about pistols, is that they still need at least a modicum of skill to use. I am not very skilled with weaponry. Blunderbusses are often underestimated, but they're actually quite useful. One can stand back and fire upon a crown encroaching upon him, causing a range of injuries. And if one person were to get too close, one shot would be almost certain death."

"Hmm… that's actually pretty cool. I'm not so good with guns either. That's why I use a sword. If you want, I could practice with you, teach you some moves. I'm not great, but I'm pretty decent."

Morkine laughed. His voice made it sound fake, but it wasn't. "I think I'm okay. Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but Seline is really only for specific emergencies. And thankfully, I won't need to be skilled if such a thing were ever to happen."

"Seline?" Jory asked.

"The sword, her name. It's Seline."

"You named your sword?" Jory asked, befuddled.

"You didn't?"

"Is that a thing?" he asked. Jory looked about to find Bo standing over to the side.

Bo nodded in agreement with Morkine. "I named my rifle."

"Really?"

"Her name is Rebecca."

"How did I not know that? Am I the only person who didn't know we were supposed to name our weapons?"

Kazuki walked up. "It's okay. You weren't raised in the same manner as the rest of us. You were taught to fight, but nothing about honor. A weapon's name is an important thing."

Jory looked down at the sword that hung from his hip. He drew it from its sheath and looked at it. The blade glistened in the daylight. It didn't seem like such a spectacular thing as to need a name. It was just a sword to him. He looked about to see Halcen walking by. "What do you think, Halcen?"

Halcen stopped his walking and looked up. "I think the blunderbuss sounds like a decent weapon."

"Ugh, not that. About naming weapons."

"Oh. Well, personally, I've never had a weapon I've thought was important enough to have a name. Everything I've used has been easily replaceable."

"Then you don't think I should name it?" Jory asked, motioning to the sword in his hands.

"I didn't say that. I think you should do what you want. Don't do it just because somebody said you should. But if you do, make sure it fits."

"That sounds fair."

And they continued on through the East Blue, this time, without anyone to stop them. They sailed until they saw their destination. They sailed until they reached Loguetown. It was a fairly large island for the East Blue, but still a bit smaller than Corteano. It didn't have as many high buildings. But this was the last stop for anyone entering the Grand Line via Reverse Mountain. This was mostly a pirate island, but there had since gained a heavy Marine presence. This was the island where Gol D. Roger was born and so too where he was killed, as the King of the Pirates, and where he sent the world into a frenzy, with the greatest treasure hunt in history, for the One Piece. So it was bustled and bristled with the minds that wandered and wondered.

They came upon the docks and Morkine led them in gently. The Black Tail hailed into the cramped docks and the pirates, and their allies looked upon this island with joy, excitement, and worry.

Grey stared out across the island. He couldn't see much from the docks, but he could see the town sign that hung over the entrance to the main alley. "Home," he said lowly to himself.

"How does it feel?" Halcen asked.

"What's that?"

"To be back, after so long?"

Grey sighed. "It's… sobering."

"That's fair. I think we better get in and out as fast as we can."

"I agree."

Halcen turned to the rest of the crew. He watched Bo and Kazuki gather up their things. They came to say goodbye. Everyone gathered around them.

"Halcen," Kazuki said, reaching out a hand, "Thank you, for saving our lives."

Halcen reached out for Kazuki's hand. "You saved our lives as well," Halcen said, earnestly.

"Grey," Kazuki said, bowing his head. "It's been an honor."

Grey laughed. "The honor has been mine. You're good people."

"That actually means a lot, coming from you."

Kazuki went and shook Jory's hand next. "You've been a lot more help than you give yourself credit for. Keep your head up."

"Thanks man," Jory said.

Bo came through the procession next. "Halcen. You've changed my thoughts on pirates. I assumed you were all the monsters that terrorized the seas. But… you're a real man. A good man. So thank you, for helping us out."

Halcen was taken aback. "Of course. Anytime." He smiled.

Bo went to Grey next. "Keep them out of trouble."

Grey shook Kazuki's hand. "Like that's possible with Halcen," Grey said

"You can handle it."

Then he went to Jory and slapped the kid on the back. "Man, you've shown an incredible amount of growth in the short span I've known you. You're gonna do great things, kid."

Jory responded with a big smile. "Are you sure you guys don't wanna stick around and see it yourself?"

Bo laughed. "Unfortunately, we can't. But I'm sure we'll see you around."

And then the two snipers departed from the ship and disappeared within the crowd of chaotic pack mules once they had gotten far enough out. Halcen watched them go without another word. And once they had finally gone from their view… and their lives, only then did he speak.

"Alright, we should go," Halcen stated.

"What's the plan, Captain?"

"Grey, you and I will go looking for info on Shanks."

"Roger."

"Not Roger, Shanks."

"Right," Grey laughed.

"Jory, Morkine, Shira; I need you to stay and watch the ship."

Shira whined.

"Listen, this is my ship, my crew. I know you think you only follow Fein, but you gotta get used to me being in charge."

Fein stepped in. "Chill, girl. Everything will be fine."

Shira stalked away, clearly bothered.

"She's just being moody."

"Alright, and what about us?" Jin asked.

"Jin, Fein; I need you two to scope out the city. You're not wanted or on anybody's radar, so nobody should pay you any mind. Both Grey and I have bounties, we've had dealings with the Marines. I need you two to salvage as much info as you can."

"That, we can do," Jin said.

"Alright, then. Let's go."

And the four departed the Black Tail, and headed out toward the city.

Halcen and Grey walked through the streets of Loguetown. Grey kept looking about, trying to take in all the sights. There was a lot going on.

"So much has changed."

"Well, when was the last time you were here?" Halcen asked.

"I think I was still a teenager."

"Did you really expect it to be the same?"

"I guess not. But you tell me, if you were to ever go back to Kuzonid, would you be able to handle the changes?"

Halcen's face flashed in annoyance.

Grey left it alone. He knew not to press.

And then they came to the town square. There, ahead of them, were the gallows, where Pirate King, the legendary Gol D. Roger was killed before the world.

"Roger," Grey whispered to himself.

"You good?" Halcen asked.

Grey's body shook. "They murdered my best friend. I'll never be 'good.'"

"I suppose not."

Grey looked about. His voice shook with anger. "We grew up together, here in these streets. We were just kids… looking for an adventure."

Halcen's eyes never left the giant stand. It was a sigil. A warning to those who would dare defy the World Government and attempt to be free of their constraints. Halcen's fists squeezed tightly. And there the two men stood, in rage at the horrors of the World Government.

"We should go," Halcen said. "Where is this friend of yours?"

"Let's see if we can find out."

Bo and Kazuki walked through the streets of Loguetown. They carried their packs on their back. Their rifles were tucked safely into them and their pistols were on their hips. They knew not to be totally unprotected. But this was Loguetown, they couldn't walk around with open carry rifles. It just wouldn't swing. Upper brass would have their heads for it.

They finally made their way through the massive city to the far side, where the Marine base was. This was where the two snipers found themselves in trouble. They passed by one of their old mates, and gave him a nod. When they tried to approach, he reacted with shock and rage.

"What the hell?" he shouted. He was a standard issue Marine type. Buzz cut and clean shaven, with a decent build. This was Seaman First Class Orochi Airi. They were familiar with him. They'd gone out on some minor missions with him from time to time, but they weren't necessarily friends. Orochi pulled his pistol on them, his body taunt with fear. "What are you two doing here?!"

"Whoa!" Kazuki shouted, putting his hands up.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Bo shouted.

"Somebody get the Captain!" Orochi shouted. "I've got the traitors!"

"Traitors?" Kazuki asked.

"Fuck," Bo swore. "You gotta be kidding me."

A swarm of like-dressed Marines came swarming in, and immediately there were a dozen on them, circling.

Bo was ready to fight.

"Calm down, Bo," Kazuki said. "We can't fight our way out of this one. We have to let this play out. Put your hands up."

Bo's body shook in anger. "What the hell is going on?"

"I can only surmise; Reluji."

"Damn him."

"Put… your hands… up… Bo. Please. We can't go down like this."

Bo looked about, seeing all these familiar faces of those he had served with over the past several years. They were outnumbered and there was no way they'd get out if it was to come down to a fight. Kazuki was right. Bo sighed, then raised his arms in surrender.

Halcen and Grey snaked through the backstreets and alleyways of the giant city. They had made their way through the furthest and dirtiest parts. This was where Grey's contact was laying in wait. They came to an old wooden building. It was rather small compared to most of the city's new additions. Grey looked upon it with familiarity. "It's still here."

Grey pushed open the battered wooden door and it creaked. Grey took a second to look around before he entered. It was dark inside, with no lights on, but you could see the dust lingering in the air still. There was a small, cramped living room in front of them, and a tiny kitchen just to the right side. Nothing looked like it had actually been used in a while. But Grey could sense there was somebody there.

"Grey?" Halcen asked low.

"Hello?" Grey called into the house.

"Who's there?" came a crotchety voice. A shuffling and thud came from the other side of the house.

Grey stepped inside, Halcen following, to see an old man come in from another room off to the side. He was a bit shorter than Halcen, with dark tan skin, a bald head, and a thick grey beard. He was rather frail looking, leaning on a cane.

Grey smiled. "Barry."

"Who's that? Who's there?" the man asked.

"Barry, it's me! You remember me, right?"

The man got close to the intruders in his home. The light caught his eyes, even in the darkly lit room.

"Grey," Halcen whispered. "He's blind."

Grey's chest caught.

"I don't know who you are, thinking you can just barge into my house like this, but you better have a real good excuse, or I'm gonna bash you with this cane!"

"Barry, it's me, Grey."

The old man's face dropped. You could see the immediate change in his behavior. "Grey? Is that… really you?" The man reached out his hands and touched his friend's chest. He moved upward to feel the man's face. "Oh, my god. You're so old."

Grey began laughing. "You should see your face. You look like a rotting pinecone!"

"You never were good at the smack talk," Barry laughed.

Grey chuckled. "I guess not."

"So tell me, what are you doing here? You're not gonna tell me the kid's mine are you? He don't even look like me."

Halcen sighed and hung his head.

"No, nothing like that."

"Good."

"Wha-" Grey sighed, "what happened?"

"What? This?" Barry motioned to his eyes. "That's just what happens when you start thinking you're invincible. I never used goggles when I was smithing. After a couple decades, something was bound to happen."

Grey motioned to Halcen. "He was the blacksmith on our crew."

Halcen nodded. "He was a Roger Pirate too? Damn."

"So," Grey said to Barry, "I was hoping you might have some info."

"Are you still in the business? Come on, man. Isn't it time we old fucks hung up our flags and let the young kids take over?"

"Well... that's part of why I'm here. The kid is my new Captain."

"You're taking orders from a greenhorn? I mean, I knew you were impulsive, but isn't that a little much, even for you?"

"No. Halcen's going to do great things. I'm sure of it."

"So what do you need? I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not really in the condition to do any metal work anymore."

"We're looking for Shanks."

"Oh?"

"We heard he was here a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, they made a big fuss out of it. He waltzed right up to the gallows in the middle of a huge crowd. That man has no fear. He was such a cute kid, remember? Now he's some big shot. Talk about Mr. Big-Britches."

Grey chuckled. "Yeah, I guess was a cute kid. But now he carries a lot of weight."

"But why does that involve me?"

"Come on, Barry. We know he wouldn't have come to Loguetown without looking you up."

"Yeah, he came by."

"And?"

"I don't know if you should be telling you."

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, for one, you're too old to be doing this to yourself. You need to get out before you're taken out. And second, I don't know this kid. He could be dangerous."

That's when Halcen took over. "You're right. I am dangerous. But not to you. Not to Grey. Grey helped watch over me while we were part of Whitebeard's crew. I have since decided to start my own crew. And I need Shanks' help. He's a powerful, respected pirate. I just want to talk to him. I promise I have no ill intentions."

"Your sweet words fall on deaf ears, son," Barry said.

"DAMMIT BARTHOLOMEW!" Grey shouted. "TELL ME WHAT HE WANTED!"

"Don't try that shit on me, Grey! It didn't work on me then, it won't know!"

Grey swallowed. "I'm sorry. But we… need to find Shanks."

"I'm trying to help you!" Barry shouted. "You're my friend! I don't want to see you end up like Roger."

"If I do, that'd be my own fault, not yours. I've made this my life. And I'm gonna keep going until I'm done. That's it."

"Why is this so important? What do you need his help with?"

"I'm going to take on Whitebeard," Halcen stated from the back.

Grey closed his eyes and grimaced. He should not have said that.

Barry gulped. "You're insane."

"Whitebeard betrayed me. I need Shanks' help getting an upper hand over him."

"Why? Why would someone like you want to throw their life away, trying to fight the most powerful pirate in the world?"

"Let me ask you a question," Halcen said.

"Go for it."

"When you started out, when you joined Roger's crew… did you think he was going to become 'King of the Pirates?'"

"Of course not. We never thought of such lofty goals. We were just kids."

"But it happened. You became the most powerful crew in the world. You're legendary warriors. How did that happen?"

"Dedication, perseverance, will. We went through a lot."

"Then when you think about me trying to reach that goal, why does it seem so impossible? I'm just a kid, like you were. But I already know what I want. So why can it only happen for you, and not me?"

Barry gulped. "I suppose…"

"It's not helpful to sit here and belittle us. We know what we're doing. The only person you're doing any favors with your besmirching is yourself."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll tell you where he went."

"Thank you, Barry," Grey said.

"Just pay me back by not dying, okay? I don't wanna hear about one of my best friend's dying again."

"I'll do what I can."

"So what did he want? Shanks?" Halcen asked.

"He came to Loguetown specifically to see me."

"Why?"

"He needed info from one of the first of us. Those of us that left with Roger from Loguetown. He wanted to know about the Poneglyphs."

"The Poneglyphs?" Halcen gasped.

"Why?" Grey asked.

"He said he knows what the One Piece is, or he's got in figured out or some such nonsense. He's trying to find his way to Raftel."

"Shanks is after the One Piece?" Halcen asked.

"I don't know that he specifically wants it for himself, but he wants to find it. You can never tell with that boy."

"Yeah, he's always been a bit mysterious," Grey said.

"So what did you tell him?" Halcen asked.

"I told him about the one in the East Blue. Figured he should check out that one first. I never really understood the Poneglyphs, but I know they're important."

"There's a Poneglyph here? In the East Blue?"

"The things you wouldn't expect are what makes this world a fucking wonder," Barry spat. Then he turned to Grey. "You remember where it is?"

Halcen looked to Grey.

Grey nodded.

"Alright, so we have a heading?"

"We do."

"Then let's go."