Freaks! Freaks! Freaks! 1

I took my bag and joined with the group; we were now headed for the forest, and after saying our goodbyes to the bandits, we left the mountaintop, heading straight to the dense forest.

To pass through the various dangers of the forest, was a necessity, at least if one wished to reach one's destination before nightfall.

Gray Terminal was located at the opposite entrance of the island, just before Goa Town, downhill from the hill after the mountain we lived on. Between this hill and our wooden tent, was the forest which was full of animals of all kinds, each more ferocious than the other.

Until today I had not explored the forest in its totality, but I recognized that the number of violent creatures that existed there was incalculable.

Our island was small in size compared to others, but it was an ideal hunting ground with dozens of predators and herbivores. The ecosystem was complex, even though the bulk of critters was calm and did not stir up human life.

However, it concerned only the majority of them, for the most naughty and abnormal characters of this forest, Grandpa had given us some advice in terms of precaution and caution.

In prospect of the precision and detail of these remonstrances and directions, I arrived at the determination that he had turned up on the island. It yet remained a mystery, however, from which illumination the naval vocation came to him.

After climbing the marches of power in this jungle, what could have moved the old man (who was a young boy at the time) to want to become a soldier in the service of the government? Explore the oceans? He could do it by becoming a pirate or another outlaw. Something that seemed better suited to a wild and savage boy friend with giant lions, tigers and gorillas…

Knowing the forest from top to bottom, and the location of the dens of dangerous predators on the fingers of the hand, we arrived in front of Gray Terminal after a walk of an hour and a half. We would have been much faster if we did not have to carry all the provisions made during the morning. But the place was still located opposite of Dawn Island.

In front of us was a mass of grey; Gray Terminal was a collection of slums and rubbish that formed small winding mountains, looking like a poor neighbourhood. To be more precise it was really a shabby place, so much by its external appearance that its interior one.

"We finally made it. Let's go watch and blend in a bit before we go into action." I said a little expended after carrying two bags filled with meat and fruit on my back.

"Okay!" The three behind me were not more revitalized.

"Aniki, go with Ace and Sabo, I'm going to do my tracing alone, for now, we'll reunite here at the same place in three hours, we'll take stock of the situation once we get together, I'm counting on you to analyze the criminal groups around the corner ... "I announced before recovering a smaller bag of provisions that I put on my back.

"..." After thinking about it, I rectified my previous statement, "Better considered, Aniki, stay here with Sabo. Ace and I will do, somebody has to watch over the supplies before we find a place for storage. Once we have taken possession of a base, the four of us can better move together. "

"Hey, why can not I come now ..." Luffy was not convinced and sulked.

“Well, I know it sucks but I’m taking charge, you need to listen to me for now even if you’re my older bro. I promise I’ll let you stuff yourself a bit when I return...Okay?” I tried to mediate.

“Yeah, Luffy, listen to Raoh for now. It’s the best way to go about it, we’ll spar together if you’re bored. “ Sabo acted accordingly to the situation. This was the reason I chose him for the task. If Luffy and Ace stayed together, they would create a disaster.

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“Cool!” Luffy felt more up to the task.

“...” I shook my head. “Okay, Let’s go Ace!” I ran without checking whether he followed. I knew not to act too bossy with this disobedient and rebellious person.

“Later.” Ace bid goodbye to the two and ran after me.

Ace followed me at his own pace. Several times he had a little trouble catching up to me when I broke the rhythm. My running skill pack was a little too sophisticated for him and several times I had to slow down the pace so as not to lose sight of him. After testing for two minutes I decided to run squarely at the same pace as him.

"..." He looked at me in the corner, supine and friendly at the same time; he would never show his gratitude in a frank way. Everything was a little disguised with him. His character was the height of masculinity and stoicism.

I liked his mannerism since I was a little similar in my past life, therefore, able to understand his taciturn nature. This was partly due to the fact that he was orphaned most certainly. Until today, Grandpa had not told us who his parents were. I was a little curious about the subject, but in due time I would know more.

Knowing that people's trust could not be bought, I was waiting for the right moment to ask him or Ace the question. I didn't even know if the child himself knew his origins.

However, I had a clue over the years. He often mentioned Whitebeard and said he wanted to fight and defeat the pirate …

For a child the age of Ace, to have so much dedication and hatred towards the gentleman, there must have been some eel under a rock ... Maybe the latter was simply his own father?

If it was true he had a sacred respite to take anyway...He was not near up to the ask for half a century.

"We're here, Ace follow me discreetly and put that on you." I passed him a cape with a hood that he put on directly.

"What is the plan?" He asked.

"At the moment we are going to ask the inhabitants what is going on here and what are the most dangerous groups," I answered smiling halfway.

"Once we have our answers, we will spy and potentially attack depending how much threat they are. If not we’ll go and reunite with Sabo and Luffy.” I finished.

“Not bad, To be honest, I’m ready for a bit of action.” Ace grabbed his pipe showing his excitement.

“Hehe, don’t worry If nothing goes wrong you’ll be the star of the show today,” I reassured him.

The houses and the people sitting on the piles of waste were approached one by one. We asked questions about everything, who were the groups in power, the most dangerous people, etc. Most people were looking at my bag of food and I realized that nothing would be free ...

After exhausting half of the resources on my back, we took stock of the information collected. Ace wanted to investigate a little more but I told him that it was not worth it. The reason being that the information that came back was the same after a while, despite offering more than usual.

I estimated three plausible reasons for this :

Either the quantity of provisions proposed was not sufficient. What had to be eliminated already in view of the precarious situation of the residents. The food was always welcome.

Either the information was confidential or dangerous for the lives of the people who gave it. This possibility already seemed much more believable; the only way to survive here was to exercise an outlaw or criminal activity. Those who did not bathe in the middle of the peg lived with the remains.

Or as a final reason; there was no more information than that...

I was still sure of nothing, but in any case, the Terminal was huge and as big as a city. It was more than possible that some information was hard to circulate. But given my experience, everyone knew each other in this kind of slum and what kind of activity they managed.

Everyone was more or less interdependent. Especially in a place where foreigners and pirates swarmed from the outside; it was essential that a spirit of unity be established in the community. I was considering the possibility that some information is hidden to protect the terminal as a whole.

Poverty was watching everyone and it was in no one's interest that the government should know what was going on here. Even if they hated each other, they had to keep the secrets.

The second hypothesis was, therefore, the most legitimate in my mind.

However, If the second hypothesis was true, Ace and I would not need to move to verify it…

I said to Ace to follow me, we settled in the middle of a place packed with people, and half an hour later, one of the people we asked questions came back.

This time, however, he was not alone and was surrounded by two young boys with long hair. When I saw them I was a little surprised. They approached us with an inquisitive air, ready to go and beat us for the slightest misstep or sudden movement.

"I give you three seconds to remove these ridiculous capes and tell us who you are! You really have the nerve to come to our territory and cause problems...You are part of the navy surely?"

The darker-looking twin said in a severe tone. He had eyes as profound and mysterious as the desert. He had an enigmatic air about him, and it was clear that he was the boss around here. Looking at him I felt a familiar feeling and the tingling I heard only served to verify my assumptions.

"Ohh ..." I watched the young boy threaten me with interest. He had a kind of white tunic, red pants with weirdly shining metallic sandals, and bandages on his wrists. He was intimidating and something told me he was not to be underestimated. I was not sure but something inside of me identified with the guy. He had a tyrannic aura about him.

"To whom do we have the honour?” I replied trying to remain unfazed. “My name is Raoh; my friend next to me is called Ace. Not to brag or show off, but it could be ill-advised to try and oppress us like this without a clear reason..."

“...” The other twin looked at my composure and nodded to his brother in a strange way. Seemed like he was the brain of the two. He wore a black attire and had earphones on his head. He looked a bit like an airhead and he was frighteningly serene. Kind of an ascetic vibe was surrounding him, but he still appeared like some sort of a hippie.

“...My name is Hao, Asakura Hao!” He smiled and looked back at me full of defiance.