Day 1 825 (year 5)

"You want to me tell ya 'bout tha Grand line?"

Well it was the only reason i came into this shifty bar and he was the only the person rumored to have sailed those so called treacherous waters in

In this world I had found myself in and spent 5 years in. 

"how much can you tell me about it?" my question made him beam in amusement 

"I don't know much, i didn't even sail most of it an old man like me tends ta loose his memories ya know." I slowly scanned around the bar and became more cognizant of the possibility that this might be a waste of time. Smoke filled the air and combined with the bad lighting it gave the stereotypical vibe of establishments that housed illegal activities. The only light source was shined on the alcohol and the bartender 'probably so that you'd see what poison they have available on stock' the occupants shared the same rugged looks that the old man in front of me gave off which strengthened my belief that shady dealings were the usual here 

'perhaps I'm being too judgemental' i sighed internally of the fact that of my personality was morphed into something i had barely recognized since my arrival here. with my previous fortitude i would've never set foot into a precarious place like this or found myself speaking to a dicey old man like this

"I'm sure a senior citizen like you is into loves sharing epic tales of your adventures to nosey people like me" 

"i can't tell about epic but i do know a thing or two bout your inquiry." 

That's was better than nothing, sad as it was to admit but most people on the Island i was in had never left the blues and venturing into the Grand Line was a journey or so I've been told. the general information i got about this world either from newspaper & word of mouth which included my employer, but it never really hurts to get a second perspective on matters. 

"I'll get you something for that a drink while you jog that memory of yours" standing up i slowly made my way to the bartender and saw that he was busy serving a customer. That gave me time to go over my thoughts on why i was even here and my situation in general. 

Grand line, one piece, pirate King. some part of me felt that those words should carry weight but for the past years i could never recall why,they only spurred me to grow stronger and to ti find out why i was here to begin with. My only clue was the a symbol th- "- Get you anything? "

"Mhhh?" Being a little startled i glanced up at the bartender "can i get you anything?" he repeated "my apologies, one bottle of Rum" i made a small attempt at a disarming smile but my facial expression failed to even mold itself to what i wanted. 

"Sure" at his response I slid a few berries across the table then took the bottle and made a straight line to where i was seated. 

"so about about that foggy memory of yours" 

Not even waiting for me to continue he took the bottle and hurriedly poured the rum in a glass glass 'Rude' the neutral calm Visage my face constantly displayed betrayed my true feelings regarding this foolish quest i decided to undergo 'hope this isn't a waste of my time.'

Watching him knock back a whole glass i elected to keep my skepticism to myself. "Well Mr Richard 'Shark wrangler Mezakson' if you wouldn't mind going along with this conversation and how did come to get that name" one of the functions that was interesting to me was the monikers certain people were dubbed by which always involved both pirate's and  Marine's. Just like all MMO's from back home these titles mostly gave you a hint of a person's ability, some past deed that gained some recognition / notoriety or some other criteria like identifying someone by some physical feature.

"Ha-ha-ha" the thunderous laughter following my question made it painful obvious that this conversation would be the furthest thing from Serene " you're really lacking in tact lad, i would think that name would be obvious" well it would be obvious to any native of this world but an outsider like me was out of his depth involving any sort of aquatic creature that was in the the sea's, heck even some of the natives didn't know what going on most of the time "... I hate making assumptions" that was the only response that i could give and was grateful for my numb expression for situations like this.

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"I got it from taking out some Fishman fella" oh well that was surprising. I had heard that a Fishman was naturally more stronger than your average human, hadn't had the chance to encounter one but i was sure it would be an experience.

Common sense would dictate that this fishman shared resemblance with a shark & I wanted to get more information about them since i was still unaccustomed to the idea of fish people existing. 

I had to put questions concerning fishman on hold since I wasn't sure how much time I had for my questions before that bottle empty and i didn't want to take the chance of having my wallet losing more of its weight. 

He gave me me a smirk while hold the glass near his lips for another swig " ya could've asked me about the Grand line any time of day and i would've sang about what i know" gulping the liquor down then chucking to himself "ya don't have so far as to bribe me with alcohol to know more about the meat grinder we call the Grand line" 

I had heard how difficult things would get once you made it to there and most crew went to just add on the pile of bodies that kept getting deducted from census on a monthly basis (if the World Government have one to begin with).  

"Ya plannin' on going there"  he gave me a knowing look as he poured himself another glass. "well at At least ya thinkin of going there which is better than most of us did back in the day" the harrowing expression he unveiled did manage to give me an unsettling feeling. "the seas were brimmin with third-rate pirate's that had deluded themselves into thinkin they would be the next Pirate King after Roger's execution!"

The bar had quieted down at that exclamation "that's not a place to just jump into like the rest of us did, ya doing right by giving it thought because once you get there it's not going to be easy. Pirate's, Marine's and even nature itself will your adversaries. You can never be too ready"

"were you and your crew ready?" I was curious since most crews went missing 'probably mincemeat for some sea monster" after going over the reverse mountain. "no... And back then there were only a handful of people that were physically and mentally ready for the chaos that followed after the Pirate King's execution". 

'ahh so they bought into the hype of tge legendary treasure existence' Seeing that the bottle was getting empty by the second i decided to take my leave. 

I did manage to get what i wanted from someone that had sailed in the grand line and hearing more from him would only serve to give me second about leaving the island.

"Thank you for your time Mr Richard" slightly nodding my head i got up from the chair was way making my way towards the exit. 

"wait!" pausing my stride I turned to look at "what's your name Lad?" guess i really didn't introduce myself to him, from our first meeting he really didn't seem keen on getting to know me that much and alcohol was the easiest solution i could think about just to make him have a chat with me "Melville... Melville Haywood" 

"mmhh... Well Melville having a devil fruit would increase your chances of not having an early death" a devil fruit huh? Guess that's one less thing I'd have to worry about then. "Again I'm really grateful for your time Mr Robert"

Walking out of the bar I was greeted with the fresh unsullied air the sun had set and the street were less crowded which was great for me since there was less sounds from voices and  footsteps to keep track off.

The slow amble to my lodging gave me time to sort out the disorganized mess that were my thoughts.... 

I didn't want to hear anything that Richard had to say, I knew myself and deep down i was aware that if i heard about anything about the hell he went through while in the Grand line I would have doubts about going.

-------

My apartment wasn't the most impressive sight you'd ever see when you stepped inside it had the basic setup that you'd find in any inn which included a creaky chair on the verge of breaking down, a table that had a volume of Brag Man a few maps folded on top of last month's newspaper and Sword instruction Manuals a bed and a door on the left that had a shower on on the right there was a small kitchen that i hardly used & the clearing in the center was where i practiced.

Well the tales you mostly read from the newspaper and any other reading material concerning the grand line has the habit  making any ordinary and ignorant citizen of the blues hold the place in disbelief, and me talking to Mr Robert was a testament to that, it's not that i was completely unaware of the place but i needed a to see the temperament of someone that's been there and i got all i wanted.

I did think about what he said about devil fruits and though i did unknowingly eat one i did doubt that it's use would really help me since i mostly used it for appearance's sake. The events that lead me to consume a version of the human - human fruit was completely out of my control same as being reborn in a world of super powered pirate's as a lowly Bat  a flying rat was something that I'm sure most people would never ask for.

.....and i didn't even know anything involving sailing a ship.

To be continued