MARINES - A ONE PIECE story (ENGLISH) - Part I

CHAPTER X - The bite

For the next three days, the crew of the Seagull sailed without any difficulties. The various members of the group took turns in their tasks, and Arthur was often called upon to replace Haru at the lookout. He then observed the immensity of this sea, which was extending as far as his eyes could see, and dreamed of the adventures they would soon live. Sometimes, their ship would meet a fishing boat, but most of the time they were alone with the waves and seagulls. East Blue was a relatively peaceful sea, and only the heat, truly overwhelming, was a problem for them : their water stock was already beginning to decrease. So when they were off duty, Jorge and Zell would just lie on the deck, shirtless, trying to cool off while their skins were tanning. The Vice-Admiral inspected the cellar, and discovering only one last litre of water, he declared :

- It may rain in the coming days. If not, we will land on an island to buy some water, it will make us a short stopover.

But the next day, it didn't rain. As lunchtime approached, Haru remarked that the vice-admiral was not up : he was their navigator, it was up to him to decide whether there should stop or not. Jorge knocked on the door of his room, gently, then a little louder as they had no answer. He finally entered with Arthur, and they discovered him, lying on his bed, his mouth wide open, snoring loudly. As they tried to wake him up, without success, Zell offered to consult the sea map himself to decide on a destination. He tried to read it, turning it in all directions, giving contradictory indications to Jorge, who, at the helm, did not seem very confident.

- To the North, I tell you that we must sail to the North ! shouted one.

- No, it's the South, you idiot ! Can't you read a map? answered the other.

- Wouldn't it be better to wait for the old fart to wake up ? Jun tried to resonate them, while the two comrades were now fighting for the map.

Indeed, they would snatch it from their respective hands, scratching it while trying to grab it. Jorge threw himself upon Zell, who, under the effect of his enormous weight, dropped the parchment : the map, carried by the wind, went to get lost in the sea and disappeared there, while all screamed in despair. Jun, authoritarian, gave the two boys a dressing-down :

- You're stupid ! Couldn't you wait five minutes? I've got fish in the stove, it's going to burn because of you dumbasses !

Myr, alerted by the screams, came out of his room in tank top, rubbing his eyes. When he fully understood the measure of the disaster, he smashed the skulls of the two recruits, so that a huge purple bump appeared on their forhead. They were lost at sea, without water, and with a heat such they could met.

As tension rose between all the members of the group, who were now almost coming to blows, Haru, in her crow's nest, shouted to them:

There is an island !

Myr thought for a moment. He weighed the pros and cons, and finally took a decision : the sail was set on this island, where they would probably find water and a sea map. Not knowing which island it was, they decided to act as cautiously as possible.

They slowly came closer, and discerned the details of the landscape : this island consisted mainly of a dense tropical forest, whose trees were at least three times larger than the Seagull. Beyond this forest stood a gigantic rocky massif, steep and sharp. In the sky, several clouds of smoke rose, revealing the presence of a civilization. The landing proved to be compromised : the contours of the island seemed to consist only of cliffs, not beaches. Myr therefore decided to follow, against the current, a river that was coming into the sea. As they were sailing cautiously, a loud detonation made them all pounce. Haru, in her perch, leaned towards them :

- The vegetation is too dense, I can't see anything. But I ... I think it came from the West. Two voices died suddenly.

As everyone looked at her, surprised, Arthur watched the vice-admiral. They were the only ones who knew the origins of Haru and came to the same conclusion : she was born a Kuja and had been trained by the best warriors of her tribe. This ability she had to feel things around her, to hear and even see with her eyes closed, was obviously a demonstration of observation haki, which she must have awakened, like all the Kujas.