– Bellamy –
In the movie, the short journey down Bonbori's gullet had been a defining moment in the quest for the Pure Gold. Following a very brief battle at sea, Mad Treasure had decided to pursue the Straw Hats into the belly of the beast, his experienced gut having sensed that they knew something he did not. Unfortunately for him, his attempt to remove the competition by dashing the Thousand Sunny into a thousand pieces against Bonbori's giant uvula was thwarted by Luffy's heroic sacrifice. Not that Treasure could have predicted a future in which his counterpart threw himself overboard to act as a giant whoopee cushion between the fleshy pillar and his ship. Anyway, thanks to his valiant efforts the Straw Hats didn't end up drowning in Bonbori's saliva, but survived long enough to sail off the edge of the esophagus and fall into the first of the footballfish's three stomachs.
Though, that's not to say the Straw Hats got away scott free. The subsequent landing was sufficiently violent that it knocked the majority of the crew unconscious and flung them all over the place, where Mad Treasure could pick them up like seashells on the beach and turn them into hostages. Hostages, whom Mad Treasure used to great effect to neutralise Luffy and almost succeeding in killing him, if it hadn't been for Olga's quick thinking. Thus, instead of the potential threat being nipped in the bud, Luffy was left to die through a time consuming and overly convoluted manner, which predictably didn't work. That he survived and went on to meet the one person who could guide him on the next step of his journey, completed the traditional hero's journey.
So, why was this brief summary of movie canon relevant? Well, because things played out quite differently for us in the initial stages.
For one, Mad Treasure didn't attack us. To be precise, we had seen neither hide nor hair of the famous treasure hunter, though we knew he was shadowing us on his camouflaged ship. Considering that this was a man who had challenged a post-dressrosa Luffy without hesitation, I hardly believed that the presence of a mere three supernovas would have deterred him at all. Though, as Luffy's victory over Doflamingo wouldn't have been that well known in the immediate weeks following the events, it could have been that the treasure hunter simply hadn't been aware of the latest news. However, the most logical explanation for his reticence to attack us would have to be Izou's presence on our ship. The former Whitebeard commander was an absolute beast and everybody knew it. Hence, it wouldn't have surprised me if Mad Treasure had decided to wait for a better opportunity to jump us.
Second, because I knew a steep drop was coming, I had prepared the Black Pearl accordingly by outfitting her with several parachutes to soften the fall. Not long after we went over the edge, I could feel the shouts of panic coming from Mad Treasure invisible ship, who notably did not have similar equipment. Extremely effective as it was against most members of society, Psycho P's ability wasn't capable of fooling the senses of individuals who were adept in the use of Observation. And as fate would have it, I had not one, not two but six people on board who had unlocked that particular form of willpower. Meaning, they simply hadn't ever stood a snowball's chance in hell of hiding from our metaphorical sight.
"You're quite the character, Springtrap-ya." Law idly commented, as we gently floated towards the large splash below. "Not many would allow one of their competitors to follow them unmolested, because they wanted a challenge."
"I don't recall saying anything of the sort. I simply took advantage of the existence of my brain to pick and choose my battles."
"Uhuh. And that involved not firing a broadside into an unsuspecting ship?"
"Maybe I would have…if I had any guns on board that could breach the metal plating!" I protested. Sadly, despite being a well-equipped lady, the Black Pearl's strength lay not in her ability to deliver balls of lead. While sufficient to ward off the majority of our piratical peers, the few cannons we had on board didn't have the caliber needed to punch through inches of steel and while my snipers might have rifles which rivalled field artillery, I had doubts they could sink an ironclad warship in a single shot.
"Ever thought of having the Thunder Child take advantage of that metal plating to do her thing and electrocute everyone on board?" Law asked in his characteristic drawling voice.
"Ever heard of Faraday's cage, smartass?" I shot back, only to receive an unknowing look in return.
"Who's Faraday?"
"…"
Looking back, I wasn't quite sure how I'd managed to talk my way out of that one. Admittedly, it had been naïve of me to assume, that just because similar literary writers existed in this world, the same would hold true for the scientific community. Thankfully, Law didn't resist too much when I eventually tried to return the conversation to the matter at hand.
"You could have boarded them, Springtrap-ya."
"In the short amount of time we had before we went sailing over the edge? You can't be serious." I scoffed. "Just because I want to fight the man, doesn't mean I'm assuming that taking down a New World Veteran like Mad Treasure is going to be easy. If anything, I want him to push us to our limits."
"And that's not the same as seeking a challenge, because…?" Law raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, letting the question hang in the air.
"Because I'm not doing this just for the heck of it, smartass. How else are we going to practice fighting against stronger opponents together?" I replied, arguing my point. "It's purely for practical purposes."
"You do know you're not being very convincing with that hungry grin plastered across your face, Springtrap-ya." Law chuckled. "Purely practical purposes, my ass."
"…you know what? Fine, I admit to being the tiniest bit excited about the prospect." I let out, throwing my hands up in surrender. "Not that you're any different. You're absolutely itching for a fight."
"I never claimed otherwise, Springtrap-ya. I never claimed otherwise."
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Considering my otherworldly knowledge, Olga's experience and our original mission parameters, it would have been logical to sail straight for the lost island of Alchemi and recover the Pure Gold as fast as possible. To the surprise of probably no one at all, that was precisely the one thing we did not do.
Rather, we took the scenic route, sailing around the corrosive sea before making landfall at the first island we came across. This was mostly at Robin's behest, who had insisted that we not miss the historical opportunity presented to us on a silver platter. When asked what sort of opportunities she was talking about, she had bewitched my crew with stories of lost artefacts and archaic knowledge. To be fair, she wasn't completely wrong that ruins could bear the secrets to great power, such as the Poneglyphs scattered throughout the world, which described the locations or the working mechanisms of the Ancient Weapons. Who was to say that the islands swallowed by Bonbori over the span of several centuries weren't hiding treasures of the same magnitude?
Unlike my easily excitable crewmates however, I personally believed that Robin had other ulterior motives for wanting to explore the lost islands. At the end of the day for an archaeologist like her, the chance to examine over two hundred years of previously unknown history would have been an irresistible temptation.
As it happened, I did want to find Olga's father before heading to Alchemi, so I gladly agreed to Robin's idea. That I had no clue which of the many islands in the footballfish' stomach the scientist was stranded on also played a part in convincing me that we needed a closer look. Plus, as long as we held all the clues as to Alchemi's location, the chances of Mad Treasure reaching the island before us were, for all intents and purposes, nonexistent which meant we could afford to take our sweet time with impunity. That we were eroding his patience with every fruitless hour he spent shadowing us was just the cherry on top.
And make no mistake, he was shadowing us from a distance in the hopes that we would lead him to the Pure Gold. While he could opt to attack us in order to abscond with Olga, Mad Treasure was an experienced treasure hunter, who no doubt knew that this was a risk he need not take at the current stage of the game. After all, letting others do the work before swooping in at the last second to steal the rewards, was one of the oldest tricks in the book for a reason.
A potential concern might have been that they would attempt to sabotage the Black Pearl, but Izou had voluntarily stayed behind to keep an eye on things to ward off this very scenario, along with the less combat-oriented members of my crew. Thus unburdened, we made landfall and headed deeper into the forest, although the lack of dinosaurs quickly made it obvious that I was on the wrong island. Rather than packs of oversized lizards, we found the abandoned ruins of civilization instead. Ruins, which the surroundings woods had been in the process of slowly reclaiming over the course of several centuries. Thousands of empty residences in various states of disrepair, once home to an entire city now housed the slowly growing roots of verdant giants. Yet…when observing the surprisingly clean city, I couldn't help but wonder…
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Where are the bodies?" Sarquiss asked, peering through a rotting doorway. "There are still some traces of ash left in the fireplace, so someone obviously lived here."
"Judging by the complete and utter lack of any household utensils, I'd say the former residents all left." Nero remarked. "Peacefully too. This place looks too orderly for it to have been otherwise."
"No kidding. Who in their fucking right mind is going to stay here after their home got eaten by a bloody fish? Which reminds me…" Lily groused before turning towards Olga. "Oi pipsqueak, how do we get out?"
"Wait, why are we only asking this now? That should have been like the second thing on the list!" Ross' exclamation started a chain reaction as the realization spread throughout the Crew, that we had literally dived into a giant stomach without setting up an exit strategy.
"Well, I guess we should leave the same way Olga did…how did she leave anyway?" Hewitt wondered aloud, though Olga didn't provide him with an answer. Obviously, the little, smirking gremlin was enjoying my crew's discomfort and was planning to milk this opportunity to the fullest for the sake of her own twisted amusement.
"I'm really hoping that it wasn't the physiological way. I don't want to know what bonbori's rear end looks like from the inside."
"You won't have to worry about that, Ross-san." Robin said comfortingly.
"I won't?" Ross asked, taken in by her gentle and kind smile.
"No, you won't. We'll probably be digested long before we reach that stage."
"Gaah!"
By this point, I had to seriously wonder whether Robin really believed what she was saying, or if she just enjoyed messing with people. Eventhough I wasn't quite sure which of the two I preferred. Either way, Olga and I did manage to calm Ross down by assuring him that no, we wouldn't have to go through the rear end while risking digestion and that yes, we had a safe way of getting out of here. Well, safer.
And thus, our merry band of pirates continued on our little tourist adventure, making our way through the meandering streets and alleyways. Like the first house we'd visited, none of the other buildings revealed anything of note beyond the barest signs that intelligent life had once dwelt within its walls. Suspiciously little in fact.
"By the way, has anyone else noticed that we keep getting turned around?" Eddy asked after we stepped onto the umpteenth boulevard leading out of the town. "It's like the town itself is trying to tell us to go away."
"Now that you mention it, it is odd. None of the streets we've come across beyond a certain point seem to lead into the city centre." Nero concurred. "From the looks of it, this place is probably shaped like a bloody bagel."
"Or a donut."
"Yes, Aisa…it could also be a donut." Nero sighed, before ruffling her hair a little too much. "My point being, that a ring is a clearly deliberate design for a city and if there is a design, there is a purpose behind it."
"And if the purpose is to keep us, or at least other unwary visitors, away from the donut's middle…" Sarquiss voice trailed off, as we all turned around to face the row of houses blocking our way.
"Then that's where we want to go." I finished.
Obviously, something as simple as a series of three-story buildings wasn't going to inconvenience the Bellamy Pirates, not after months of training the rokushiki. Though after literally leaping over the first hurdle, we were immediately faced with another in the form of a giant maze.
"Is anyone going to suggest, that we navigate our way through it the normal way?" I asked my companions, who all shook their heads.
"You know captain…after what we've been through, I don't think we'd recognize normal if someone whacked us in the face with it." Sarquiss answered me in a jovial tone, prompting a round of laughter from everybody including myself.
"I'll take that as a no, then." I smirked before leaping down from the rooftops and racing across the hedges composing the maze, my companions following close behind. Despite weeds having taken up residence all over the place, I was surprised to note that the maze was in surprisingly good shape, especially for a place which hadn't received any maintenance in centuries.
Which made it all the more confusing when we reached the middle to find…nothing.
"Uh, think we missed something?"
"Not sure. I certainly haven't seen anything." Laki replied, peering into the hedges.
"We didn't. There's nothing else in the maze." Robin declared with absolute confidence, uncrossing her arms and opening her eyes once more. Nero seemed a bit more skeptical.
"How'd you figure? We haven't checked the whole maze yet."
"Actually, Weasel-san. I just did." She told the gaping man, one palm held up to display a projected eye. To his credit, Nero didn't flinch. "We're exactly where we want to be."
"Really?" I asked to which Robin smiled and daintily took a step forward.
"Really."
With a click a square section of grass beneath her shoe sank an inch into the ground, setting off the rumbling sound of whirring gears all across the central circle. Understandably, my crew let out sounds of surprise as the tremors produced by an underground mechanical contraption were clearly transmitted through even our thick boots.
"Look! The ground is standing up!" Aisa called out excitedly as an obsidian rock began rising out of the ground, dirt and dust falling off it in droves to reveal a legacy of more chaotic times.
"It's just like with the Golden Bell…" Laki gasped out, kneeling down behind her ward and wrapping her arms around Aisa.
"Well, would you look at that." Law grinned.
By the time silence fell once more on the maze, there was no mistaking what we had stumbled upon.
"We found a Poneglyph."
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Construction Boom
Welcome to Marineford Daily News, your only source of accurate and unbiased truth.
According to the newest reports, the current job market is booming with the demand for unskilled construction labor being especially high. This may not come as too much of a surprise to you, if only one thinks back to the recent wave of anarchists trying to wreak havoc on our peaceful and orderly lives. And nobody can deny that Whitebeard's cowardly ambush hasn't left its scars on our beloved beacon of hope and safety, Marineford.
But like scars, everything can heal and be restored back to a semblance of normalcy. Already, word has reached us that the Marine HQ has been restored to its former glory, even if there are rumors slowly circulating that the new Fleet Admiral Akainu is considering moving the Marine's seat of power to the New World in order to bring the Four (Three) Emperor's to heel.
However, the recent boom in the construction sector wasn't purely due to the repair work being done all around the world. No, the World Government and her patrons were not satisfied with merely undoing the damage others have attempted to inflict upon us, but have sought to create something new.
This is a tradition dating back six hundred years, with the proudest example being Tequila Wolf. It is a project brought into the world and completely funded by our benevolent World Nobles, meant to enrich the lives of every citizen on the planet. By constructing a network of bridges of gigantic proportions between the many individual island kingdoms comprising our great society, the World Nobles sought to facilitate the easy transport of goods and people across the oceans without the need to brave the dangers of the ocean. Piracy on the high seas would have been eliminated in its entirety.
And now, you too have a chance to contribute. The spokesperson of the project has recently announced that they are looking to recruit thousands of new workers to speed up the progress being made on the bridge.
Housing has already been prepared for thousands if not tens of thousands of individuals, guaranteed to keep you warm even in the coldest winter months. There are no predators lurking in the shadows, waiting to make off with your child. Security will be provided by the elite guards, handpicked by the World Nobles themselves. Plentiful food and drinks provided free of charge for all workers for your one daily meal. And to top it all off, the World Nobles guarantee your employment for the full length of the project.
It's the job of a lifetime.
This was Marineford Daily reporting.
And as always, please follow us to never miss an update on the best news reports this side of the Red Line.