40 Changing Tides

'Damn, I gotta admit, that entrance was badass. But you're cutting it a little close don't you think?' I thought to myself while watching from a safe distance.

One by one the broken, haggard people of the Grey Terminal boarded his ship. Jeffy seemed conflicted, he stopped at edge of the ramp and turned around as if he was waiting for something. He took a deep breath and seemed to resolve himself before finally boarding the Wind Granma.

Once Dragon's ship appeared I stopped flying over the terminal and dropped out of the sky, letting myself fall towards the earth. Alighting softly on the ground below I focused inwards once more, using all the moisture in the air to increase the amount of rain falling over the area.

By the time the downpour had doused the remaining embers, Dragon's ship had pulled away from the shore, with a couple hundred new recruits on board.

When the dust had settled and only smoke and ash remained, I stood alone in the centre of the rubble.

But despite how everything went today, I didn't sleep at all that night.

How could I? Tomorrow is the day the Celestial Dragons are meant to arrive at the port of the Goa Kingdom. Apparently when the so called World Nobles arrived they either didn't notice, or decided not to comment on the giant smouldering pile of half burnt garbage just outside the cities gates.

Though I'm sure the higher ups of the Goa kingdom were rather panicked about it. That thought put a smile on my face as I welcomed the next morning.

I waited patiently until the ship was in sight. It was quite a grand vessel, with gilded railings and a golden coat of paint covering the hull. The bright white sails and large masts carrier her forward along with all her passengers.

The mighty ship sailed gracefully into the harbour, where it waited for only a moment to be docked. I stared up with a heart filled with both trepidation and anticipation, watching as a small fishing boat departed from the docks as the Celestial Dragons ship neared.

No doubt intent on collecting the celestial tribute. A monetary exchange 'donated' by the kings of every kingdom within the world government. It's not like taxes. The world government demands those too. The celestial tribute is solely to show your respect to the World Nobles and to ensure you remain a part of the World Government. People often pay extra to ensure they get a seat at the Reverie, a gathering of kings held every four years in Marie Geoise.

The countries unable to pay this exorbitant price are left to fend for themselves against pirates, thieves and criminals of all sorts. These places often become free real-estate for all kinds of unsavoury characters. Including slavers. Even worse is that neighbouring kingdoms often choose to attack countries without the backing of the world governed. Whether it's for land, resources, or a personal grudge, wars break out all the time in places like that.

I shook my mind if those thoughts as I laid eyes on the small fishing vessel once more. The bright blue S stamped on the solid black Jolly Roger waved beautifully in the light of rising sun. At the helm of the small vessel stood a 10 year old boy with starling blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Atop his head is a blue top hat with a pair of dark goggles attacked just over the brim.

Sabo stood at the helm of the ship with his back straight and his head held high. Even from here I can see the joy in his face as he embarks on his maiden voyage. He only looked back once. And he knows Ace, Luffy and I will understand and respect his decision. My firsts clenched so hard you could hear it.

His small vessel seemed even smaller as it neared the grand escort vessel ferrying the Celestial Dragon. My heart beat quickened and it soon sounded like the pounding of a massive drum. When the sound of a cannon rang out I sprung to my feet, unable to keep still any longer. I shot forward also to as fast as the cannon itself. Flying through the air like a man possessed.

People from all over the island gathered at the dock hoping to get a glimpse at the so called World Nobles. The majority of those standing at the harbour preparing the welcome are Goa Kingdoms nobility and royal family. The very people responsible for the torching of the Grey terminal. Even now the pungent stench of half burnt trash can be smelt every time the wind turns this way. And with my power, the ind is always turned this way.

Yet even those pompous psychos seemed shocked as the Celestial Dragon open fired on the small fishing vessel as it sailed past. Sabo's small sailing ship was bombarded with poorly aimed cannon fire from the Celestial dragon, who chose to attack personally. Simply because Sabo crossed his path. Having seen it coming I was already mentally prepared, but I couldn't have expected how angry it made me to see it in person. What kind of messed up lunatic shoots a cannon at a child for no reason?!

By the time his first shot struck the waters just wide of Sabo's rudder, I had already reached the cliffside. Ditching the aerial approach for an aquatic one, I dove straight into the ocean below. Once I made it underwater I instantly sent up a water spout to strike at the Celestial Dragon. It struck the underside of the ship, rocking it sideways and knocked him over along with half the crew. It even damaged the astronaut like suit he was wearing. Causing him to throw a tantrum like a big headed baby.

"How dare that mongrel cross my path! Look at what he caused! Why didn't he just die with the first shot!" The fool raged as I rocked his ship with a large wave this time, causing him to slam head first into the railing and nearly fall overboard. I watched with a fading smile as the massive ships 20+ cannons all pointed in the direction of Sabo's ship.

'Oh crap!' I thought while swimming at breakneck speed. Breaching the surface like a dolphin I leapt from the sea and tackled Sabo from the deck of his ship, pulling him into the water alongside me mere moments before his ship was peppered with cannon fire.

A stray shot struck me full on in the back, knocking the wind out of me and threatening to make me drop Sabo. I grit my teeth and powered through as the exploding cannon ball denoted right behind me.

The smouldering wreck of Sabo's ship slowly sank beneath the waves, passing right beside us as I held him on my back just beneath the surface. His head was encapsulated by a bubble of air. The explosion and sudden deep sea dive seemed to have knocked him out, but I was at least able to prevent him from getting that scar he has in the One Piece series.

As I neared the shoreline I felt a strange presence staring down at me. A powerful yet gentle feeling not too different from what I get from Garp.

When I resurfaced there was a man waiting for me. His deep green cloak barely concealing the crimson tattoo scrawled across his face. His piercing gaze locked onto the injured boy cradled in my arms.

Wading towards him I lifted Sabo out of the water and placed him gently on the ground before Monkey D. Dragon. Without hesitation he took Sabo into his arms and looked him over. Nodding to me with a curios gaze.

Dragon pressed a hand to the small of Sabo's stomach, causing him to lurch forward and spit out a mouthful of water. He sat up gasping for breath with a confused look in his eyes. He looked around for a moment before his eyes found me.

"Cas? Wha-what happene-" Collapsing mid sentence Sabo fell back to the ground and started to snore, a bubble of snot expanding from his nose with every breath.

"Whew, I'm glad he's ok." I said softly while removing the water from his clothes to keep him dry.

Dragon knelt down and placed his hand to Sabo's head to make sure the boy was comfortable. For the briefest of moment's I was tempted to go with him right here and now.

But joining the revolutionary army would paint a target on my back and make me the enemy of the world government. Then again… they were already going to be my enemy. Especially after what I'm about to do. Smiling slightly, I reached over and touched my hand to Sabo's cheek.

Luffy has Ace, but Sabo will be all alone. Besides, I may actually get to train with Dragon himself. The benefits outweigh the detriments if you ask me.

The water droplets still clinging to his hair began to gather beneath my finger tips, glowing softly as I healed any possible damage he may have suffered. Dragon stared on without a word for a moment before taking off his hood and looking at me in a new light.

"Your the boy who saved the people from the Grey Terminal last night aren't you?" Though his voice was stern and course, it seemed to be from lack of talking more than it's natural state, but the sound was still intimidating none the less.

I did my best to hold his gaze as I nodded. He must have seen me. There's no way someone with his level of Haki didn't know what I was up to.

"Did you cause it to rain as well as create that wave?" Again I nodded. There is no point lying.

"Hmm." Placing his hand to his chin he looked down at Sabo once more.

"Please take care of him. He shouldn't be alone when he wakes up." I said before quickly diving back beneath the waves. Dragon's glare was staring to freak me out a bit.

Even if I wanted to try and convince Dragon to take me with him, there is something I have to do first. Besides, I can always find him afterwards using Jack sparrows compass.

To that end, in order to ensure what I want most is to find Sabo, I left Morph with him as well. He had turned into a beetle and crawled into Sabo's hat while I was healing him.

I've been preparing for this day ever since I arrived in this world. I had this thought in my head since day one and I've done everything I can to ensure it can work. Honestly, I had planned to do this on my 15th 'birthday', when I was originally going to leave the Goa Kingdom, but doing it today will be far more impactful.

As I swam deep breath the waves, I let my shirt and jacket slide off to unveil my dorsal fin, allowing me to increase my speed even further so that I circled the island in under a minute. When I arrived at the entrance to my underwater base after a brief detour, I smiled and swam inside.

"I'll have to be carful with how I play this next part." I remarked to myself. There was a malicious glint in my eyes as I stared in the direction of the Celestial Dragon's ship. By now it had already docked at the Goa Kingdom's harbour.

It's finally time for my plan to come to fruition.