Farewell to the Old Harbour of Hometown: To the Shining Sea!

[Blushing z0ro]

Leonard was lying down on his bed, sleeping and recalling the events that had taken place over the past couple of weeks. Th first of which was obviously Hiroto's and his return to the ship back on Shivre.

It was the day after the battle with Rock Dragon Bandits and the two had been walking down the mountain all night, the captain carrying all the supplies they had gotten, in one oversized, on the edge of exploding leather bag that gotten so fat from it's contents it had gotten bigger than the one carrying it. Despite the cold winds of the North Blue and the dim morning sunlight, the “Young Lion” was sweating quite profusely from the effort, but he could hardly make Hiroto carry anything with her injuries. The way down the rocky mountain had been mostly uneventful, the only minor occurrence being the local police searching some dirty guy with a bird for calling fire in a bath house. The description did have… a familiar ring; but surely it couldn't be true… right!? Regardless the two pirates just made it down the mountain without issue.

When they arrived by the small dock where they had left the ship the two were greeted by the sight of a new figure of prow on the Shining Pirate's ship, and a penguin one no less! Hikaru, the crew's shipwright had been keeping busy and started fixing up the ship and improving it where he could. At the sight of the captain and the doctor approaching, the “Gunner” walked up to greet them with the first mate and chef Kusatta “Starving” Kotei and the navigator and mascot Brandon the penguin. Reaching his crew right in front of the ship Leo dropped the heavy load of his back, letting it drop beside him with a loud thump. Tired the swordman sat down on the ground to catch his breath and slipped his sword out of the bag, letting it rest on his lap.

“Been a long day captain?” said Hikaru standing in front of Leonard while lighting a cigarette. “You could say that.” the “Young Lion” replied, looking up at the blue sky, the sun was shining bright now but still had a hard time warming up the cold of the north. “So, anything interesting happened?” To that question Leonard couldn't help but smile, so many thing had happened, and in such a short time too. “Heh… where do I start?”

Step by step Leonard explained all that happened to to the doctor and him on their way up the mountain, from the turnip cart driver, to the strange red haired buy who helped them, the fight with bandits and their leader Bastian, but Leonard did omit one detail. Which he kept for the end of his tale. “Well I did pick a little something from the bandits.” The “Young Lion” grinned as he said that. Realeasing all tension in his body and not moving an inch, LeClerc focused and separated his body in countless incredibly small particles. To him it felt like he had a countless and ever growing number of ever so tiny bodies, limbless formless; but to the others it looked like his body first turned completely dark grey, almost black with occasional specks of glowing orange, then even the shape of his body disappear and only a cloud of ash remain where he had been sitting. As he stood in front him the ash-man only really noticed Hikaru's reaction which was just too stand there in awe with his mouth gaping and his cigarette which had now been almost fully consumed fall to the ground. As it hit the ground the ashes of the cigarette separated itself from the rest and came to join the mass that Leonard's body had become.

It didn't take long for the captain to regain his normal form, sitting exactly in the same postion he had been before performing his little trick. After reforming everyone just stood there quietly, with Hikaru eventually breaking the silence with a “Devil Fruit...” then a simple “Yup.” was all Leo replied with for a moment.It was after some seconds of silence the ash-man restarted the discussion ”Remember our talk about the types of Devil Fruits?” the Ant-man, “Gunner” Hikaru had asked Leonard what he knew about the fabled fruits after he had himself eaten a fruit recently. “Yeah… Paramecia, Zoan and - “ “Logia” interrupted Leonard. “The rarest and most powerful of the three types that controls and lets the user become and aspect of nature. That's what this power, the Hai Hai no Mi's power is. Pretty cool no?” Leonard looked pleased with himself at time, and really, there was no real way for Hikaru or anyone else to disagree with him.

That was the first event the sleeping captain recalled, the second had been the completion of the ship's outfitting and upgrades. Firstly, the captain's room, which could be reached by going up the stairs going towards the stern of the ship, had been redesigned in a style similar to a dojo, with a lacquered wooden floor. A table stood at the centre of it but only a few inches high with cushion around it so people would have to sit on the floor around it; on the table itself was a map of the North Blue and the various islands in it. Leonard's bed, which was placed underneath the windows in the middle of the back wall was actually really just a mattress that had been set in a gap of the floorboards with a black duvet and a pillow. A closet stood on the right side of the room from the doorway, where the captain would be able to keep his clothes and possessions; while one the left side was a stranger thing, what looked like a white half sphere with a small door on it. Hikaru explained it was designed to look an igloo, some habitation made of snow in the deepest part of the South Blue and the furthest northern reaches of the North Blue. The white stone “igloo” was made for Brand and linked to the cooling system of the fridge that was directly downstairs from it.

The rest of the ship had gotten some changes too, behind the door on the left of the stairs on the deck level lied Kusatta's refurbished kitchen with a tiny tiny room at the back for him to sleep in, while on the right of the stairs lied the infimary at the back of which a small room for Hiroto had been made, the of which likely explained the lack thereof for Kusatta's own. The rest of the ship remained mostly the same aside from Hikaru setting himself aside a corner of the inside amongst the storage place for him to tinker in, the gunner being more than happy to sleep in a hammock in the hold like the crew had been doing until now. The ship itself had gotten a good black paint job contrasted by the white sails with the Shining's Jolly Roger's placed on it.

The third and last odd event happened a few days after, the whole crew had been working hard on the final resupplying of the ship, which had now been christened the “Dawn Breaker”, and it was just as they were about ready to finally leave that a somewhat familiar voice came shouting from the land in front of the ship, calling out to the Shining Pirate's captain. When Leonard came out he was greeted by the sight of a group of a dozen bandits. The “Young Lion” immediately recognized the one in front as the kid he had a small talk with after dispatching Bastian. At first he did not recognize any of the others in particular but looking more closely at the odd group Leo remembered the “Ball Bandit” with his odd speech impediment that he had encountered on his way up the mountain. The round one looked at the blond teenager that stood in front of the group and tried to speak discreetly, although he failed. “Are ya sure it's a gad idea, Jacksan?” he said his low voice somewhat quivering. The dirty blond kid with green eyes, whom the “Young Lion” gathered was called “Jackson” stared intently at Leonard who was standing on the deck of ship.

“You came looking for a fight kid?” the ash-man enquired. The young bandit swallowed as continued to fiercely stare at the swordsman. “You… you said there was a whole world out there to discover right!? You said that if we tried hard we could accomplish anything right!?” With each word Jackson's voice grew louder. “YOU SAID THAT WE SHOULD SEE WHAT WAS BEYOND THIS ROCK RIGHT!!!? YOU SAID ALL THAT SO NOW YOU NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT!!! SO WE'RE COMING WITH YOU WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!!!!!”

LeClerc's eyes widened at the young bandit's declaration. Was he serious. He certainly looked like it. The bandits behind him looked a bit unnerved but if they had followed him here they likely shared some of his views, perhaps some disillusionment with Bastian and his leadership of the Rock Dragon Bandits, or perhaps just an urge for adventure. While the kid was just standing there, shaking with anticipation for the Shining Pirate's captain's answer as well as determination. However what came from Leonard was not an answer but a laugh. The pirate captain laughed from top of his lungs, to him this was of the funniest thing he had ever seen or heard, it was ridiculously unexpected. Jackson on the other end began to look down at the ground both very angry and disappointed, he had come baring his heart out and the man laughed at him. Yet the words that followed Leo's laughter once he had finally calmed down had been even more surprising. Still holding his sides and snickering, LeClerc just said, “Fine, if you're serious get on.” Now it was Jackson and the bandit's turn to look shocked and wide eyed, in the end they probably never expected to hear a yes. But the “Young Lion” held out his arm towards them as if extending a helping hand finally said. “Let's all go together, to the Grand Line.”

Back in the present the sound of a bursting open woke the ash-man from his sleep. Jackson had ran into in the room. “Captain! We're there!” Hearing that Leonard jumped out of his bed, since he had only gone to sleep a short while ago he hadn't even bothered to change, and was still wearing a black shirt and baggy trousers. As the “Young Lion” stepped out onto the deck barefooted he barely saw anything at first, it was still the wee hours of the morning and the sun had not risen over the Red Line yet. Wait… that was it. The Red Line, a giant solid wall of red rock stood ahead barely visible through the night, but by the light of the ship it could faintly be seen. Not only that but the roaring sound of a torrent like river could definitely be heard of the waves crashing. They were really there, after walking to the very front of the ship, the captain finally saw it. A river, a single straight flow of water that went upstream towards the very peak of a mountain, and beyond it, IT lied, the greatest sea of the am all, the Grand Line. “What do we do? Do we wait for the morning or?” Jackson began to ask. “No.” interrupted LeClerc. “We're going now.”

How many people had stood there staring adventure and danger right in the face? How many failed? How many succeeded? It didn't matter, finally they were moving forward. As he tried to get a glimpse of the summit Leonard had the sense the mountain itself was staring down, back at him. This was going to be the first hurdle of many and probably one that will seem like child's play eventually despite how hard it may seem now, but that thought didn't scare him, in fact it filled the “Young Lion” with glee. Time to move on, time to move up in the world. Farewell North Blue, Grand Line here we come!!!!

[Blaka]

Today was one of those days. Those days that you he just wanted to stay in bed. Just like his Captain, Kusatta Kotei had only just opened his eyes. Somewhere on the ship, a door had been pushed open with a loud bang, ripping him out of his dreams.

Yawning, the young man turned around and tried to fall back asleep. No chance. People all over the lower deck produced a noise that made him unable to get any more rest. More doors were banging, dozens of feet drummed on the wood as they were rushing up the stairs.

"Grrrrrh..." frustrated he opened his eyes again and rose from the hard wooden floor he was sleeping on. His tired hues looked through a curtain of gray hair onto what he called his own room now. A room he had personally requested so he wouldn't have to sleep in a giant hall with all the strangers in it. More like a big closet really, this room contained all things necessary for him to live. For one, a thin blanket for him to sleep on. Against the germs, he had been told. The former streetkid had refused a proper bed, as those didn't give him anything but anxiety. But doctor's orders had been to at least get something to sleep on. All of his posessions were neatly crammed into a corner near his feet: Weapons, armor, clothes and the strange cooking book that he was able to read by now. Extremely slowly, but reasonably without errors. Keys to his domain of the ship were also in there somewhere. As chef, he had the authority to lock anyone out from the food source. The rest of the room had, on his request stayed barren. Nothing to grace the walls, no furniture.

Tumbling up from his position on the floor, Kusatta took the time to get properly dressed - and armed. A necessary precaution after the captain had let an army of marauders on board as crewmates.
The captain...
Kusatta groaned as he remembered Leonard's newfound powers. From the moment he had first witnessed it onwards, the stegosaurus human's mood was at an all time low. All of his plans to use his obviously ridiculously strong Devil Fruit, the Dino Dino no Mi, to attain world domination had been washed away in an instant. What chance did a an animal, no matter its size, stand against people that could turn into teensy tiny little particles of red-hot destruction. You couldn't punch ash. And now, with his dream in ruins, he was first commander of a ship full of people he couldn't trust or who were worth anything. Sure, there were the old timers, himself, Brandon, Hiroto and Hikaru. Of course, he himself was the only one that mattered in the long run. All of them needed his and Leo's protection moving forward. Forward to...where exactly? Did he still belong here?

With a grumpy look on his face, young Mr. Kotei opened the door of his room. Reflexively, he took a big step to the left. A routine by now, as the fridge was right next to his door and he didn't want to be anywhere close to it if possible. Sure, he had gotten used to the giant white machine in his working place by now. Yet that didn't mean he liked it.

A couple of quick steps, another door, and the chef was outside.
"Breakfast, people!" he bellowed - before his jaw dropped. There was a wall in front of the Dawnbreaker. A colossal wall of deep red massive stone, so big that it reached up into the clouds. Never in his life had the cook seen anything so incredibly gigantic. A structure this size was so overwhelming, so outwordly to him that he had to shut the kitchen door again immediately. Surely this was a nightmare. A nightmare about their silly little ship crashing into a granite barrier of doom. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down his upset heart. Dreams like this were common, right? All he had to do was wake up. Wake up. Wake....up...

As much as he concentrated, it didn't work. Maybe it wasn't a dream after all? As he stuck his head through the door, one glance ensured him it had to be. There was a freaking stream of water running up the wall. UP! THAT WASN'T HOW WATER WORKED!
"W-what's going on?!" he yelled to his crewmates, in hopes somebody would have an explanation for this sorcery.

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}
Gonna have Kusatta's flashbacks to what happened over the course of the thread at the appropriate points

[HikaruShin]

”Logia.. ka?”, he thought with a smile on his face and a puff of smoke emerging from his lips. When he first became a devil fruit user, he had a discussion about them with Leonard. He still didn’t know much but he knew more than before. Hikaru was glad that the captain of the ship had acquired the most powerful of all types of devil fruits. The captain represented the strength of the entire crew. In harsh times, all the pressure fell on the leader and it was of the utmost importance that he had the strength to deal with it. Attaining the devil fruit was one big step in that direction. Not that Leonard had ever disappointed in terms of strength before. With the addition of Leonard, the crew now had a total of four devil fruit users. They could sure cause some serious havoc once they figured out how to work together.

While the crew attained the devil fruit for Leonard and dealt with a military individual, Hikaru had remained behind and worked on the ship. It was thanks to his effort that the ship was now in this shape. Not to brag but he was the only one working on it. The ship had taken all of his time but the outcome justified the effort put into it. Little did Hikaru know that soon his work would be put to the test against the perilous waters of the reverse mountain.

Twas earlier in the day, the crew was just waking up. Hikaru had already woken up and was lazing around in the crow’s nest. He wasn’t on the lookout, rather he was lying on the wooden floor with his head towards the sky. He felt like smoking in fresh air, if that made any sense. The night before hadn’t been pleasant for him; but that was nothing unusual. The nightmares of his daunting past wouldn’t let him be. The cold nights in jail and the days spent working or getting punished for something trivial, his past was a dark one. He still thought about those who couldn’t get away and those who lost their lives trying to escape.

Being lost in his trail of thoughts, he didn’t notice the sound of the sea water pounding on the rocks until Kusatta announced the time for breakfast. He opened his eyes and immediately noticed the strange loud sound. Standing up, he witnessed the jaw dropping scene and stood still for several moments; just glaring at the monstrous scene in front of him. What was more shocking? The size of the mountain or the reverse flow of the sea water? He just couldn’t put a finger on it. ”As magnificent as it is, this is insane. Are we really going this way?” He couldn’t help but question the intentions of the captain. Sure, the ship was made sturdy and rigid but this? This wasn’t something normal ships went through. Even normal pirate ships weren’t designed to withstand something as dangerous as this.

Once more Kusatta’s voice brought him back to reality as he questioned the scene itself. The man dressed in a black suit really had no answer to that. Truly, what was going on? Hikaru climbed down from the crow’s nest and walked towards the kitchen. Whether they were going on or not came later, it was time for breakfast, wasn’t it? ”Jeez, I’d ask the navigator about what lay ahead but.. I’m not sure I’d actually understand if he did explain it”, he thought smiling to himself. It was no light matter but being with these people made it: adventurous. Even the emotionless individual couldn’t help but faintly smile at it. Hikaru walked towards the kitchen as he noticed the chef staring at the mountain in a similar manner as he did a minute ago. ”Quite a sight, eh?” he said walking to Kusatta and standing beside him.

Whatever the crew would decide, Hikaru was the shipwright. He just had to make sure that the ship would withstand the weight of their ambitions.

[Vio]

Sleep was for the weak!

It was also for tired penguins. To be fair, anyone who was tired deserved to rest, and so it made perfect sense for Brandon the Penguin to be nestled up inside his little Igloo nest hidden away in the Dawn Breaker’s captains’ quarters. It was a quaint little construct the likes of which he had never actually seen before, but tales of such nests had been passed down through centuries by his kinfolk on those occasions that they discussed the bizarre habits of the human race. This particular Igloo, however, was quite unique – it had been carved from light stone as opposed to ice and was cooled by the same chilling system used by that unusual big white box down below. Yes, the very same box that Kusatta was quite unnerved by. It always did seem to growl and groan whenever the smelly chef got near, but he never thought much of it.

Ruuu… Yawning in that silent manner that all birds tended to do, Brandon rolled himself over and opened his eyes wide. The inside of his humble little abode was very cosy, but also more than spacious enough to accommodate him and the various little trinkets he liked to gather. Nestled at the far end of the dome, opposite the entrance and its little wooden door, was the bedding upon which he currently laid – a decent size box frame akin to the beds that humans slept in, but lined with a mix of his own shed feathers, quilted blanket and other bits and bobs that made for a good nest. As far as sheets were concerned, he needed them not, for the Igloo was kept at a perfect temperature; not so cold as to require behavioural gatherings, and not so warm as to make him uncomfortable in the heat.

On the left side of the entrance, pinned to the wall, was the display of newspaper cuttings – the ones containing his apparent bounty poster. Of course, when the individual responsible for photographing the wanted waterfowl had been given the responsibility, he or she had instead simply snapped a picture of the nearest available penguin. Not only was it the wrong type of penguin entirely, but it was also a female, and so the image itself now served as little more than a pin-up poster and a constant reminder of how popular he apparently was with the lady birds. That being said, such things as romance and reproduction were one of the last things on Mister Penguin’s mind as he folded himself (quite literally) out of bed.

“Oru!” he grunted, patting his cheeks with his flippers to further sharpen his senses. Today was an important day to the humans with whom he travelled; most of all the man known as Leonard le Clerc, whose thirst for adventure perhaps even dwarfed Brandon’s own wanderlust. Sensing no immediate danger despite his uncanny awareness of what sat outside, he approached the Igloo’s right side. Here lay various little titbits that he had collected over the passing weeks, all neatly arranged within a simple cedar wood chest. Such items included; a folded brown trench coat and matching trilby, a small but substantial collection of his finest plumes that he had shed, one of those strangely magnetic needles that humans liked to call compasses (or was it compi?), the cleaned bones of a North Blue salmon, a clump of wool from the ram he had encountered on Shivre, the black Bishop with which he had won his most recent chess match against Kusatta, and his trademark raggedy polka dot neckerchief.

Also secured to the wall beside this container was a mirror, which the white-faced waddler found most useful for preening his plumage, as he was currently doing. The one issue with sleeping in such a nest was the need for oiling and smoothing one’s feathers again each morning, but at least in performing the full ritual each time he saved himself having to do it in brief intervals over the course of the coming days’ earlier hours. Managing to settle some rather unruly white protrusions near his shoulder after some effort, he took up said neckerchief – a trademark of his very person – and fastened it securely around himself. In the meanwhile, however, his beady eyes could not help but notice something very much off with the needle of the compass. Of course he had witnessed such instruments of navigation beforehand, but in all those instances he could never recall them behaving quite like this one.

Kukuu~? Watching it intently for a few prolonged seconds, Brandon studied the twitching tool with strange scrutiny as its scarlet tip danced back and forth erratically. Much as was usual, the needle was clearly trying to point towards the North – the opposite direction to which their vessel currently sailed – but it also seemed as if another force of nature was fighting for superiority over it. With a firm nod of his head, the papery penguin confirmed his suspicions, leaving the needle be and hurrying out of his little home and toward the open decks of the Dawn Breaker…

SPOILER: Click to show

{*OOC*}

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[Dr.Ambs]

"Finally!"

Papers slammed neatly on the desk as the purple haired woman relaxed back in her chair. Closing her eyes, Hiroto let out a breath of air. It had taken her all night, but she had gotten on her papers organized, all they needed was to be placed in the correct drawers. Taking a deep breath, blue orbs opened as she got up from the chair and grabbed the papers, slowly walking to the filing cabinet.

Since leaving Shivre, Hiroto had patched everyone up, including herself. Also, some of the bandits had joined the crew as well, wanting that same taste of adventure that they had. The young medic muttered under her breath about more work for her before she required everyone into her newly created medic ward for checkups and updates.

Glancing around, Hiroto had to silently thank Hikaru. She had asked he man to do his job and he did it exceptionally well. She had a large room that held six beds comfortably, with curtains on rods to give each patient privacy. The left side of the room was full of cabinets for her various instruments and equipment she would need and storing all her herbs and antidotes. Soon, she noted, she would be able to get an autoclave to sterilize her medical equipment after surgeries and she would also acquire an incubator to run samples.

On the back wall there was another closed off room with large windows to see in. There was a smaller room when walking in to wash up before entering the large room where she would perform operations. There would be a few more things she would need for this room, like anesthesia machine and more than likely a heart monitor. Geez, being a doctor was expensive.

The young girl exhaled as she placed the last file in it's place. All the files were alphabetized and all were neat and orderly. Her mind flashed to all the hassle she had with getting medical history, or just getting them to sit still long enough for her administer shots or listen to their hearts. Closing the drawer, the young medic headed to a small door at the very end of cabinet line, where her own room was.

There was nothing fancy with her room, just a simple bed and a night stand. She had a chest on the side to hold her clothes and what ever else she wanted, but for the most part it was plain. Her room would probably stay that way too while she was focusing on getting the sick bay up to date with the right equipment and such. Laying on her bed, her eyes shut, ready for a few hours of sleep before making her appearance to the others.

However there was a rush of footsteps thundering by the sick bay as they raced up to the deck, shouting about water going up. The young medic shut her eyes.

Wait. What? Water going up!?

It was in an instant that the medic rushed out the door. Her bare feet hit the wooden floor as she bust through the door leading to the upper deck. She had been in such a rush she was still in her pajama's of black shorts and a tank top. But at the moment, her eyes were fixed on the scene before her. Large mountains stretched from left to right, as far as the eye could see and further, while directly in front of them was a mountain with a long stream of water going UP! Water was defying the law of nature and heading up the mountain!

A gleeful smile spread across her face as she raced to the front of the ship, leaning over the railing to get as close as she could to the mountain, her eyes captivated. Was this the famed Reverse Mountain? She had only heard stories about this entrance way to the Grand Line, always never believing that water could go up a mountain, but here it was!

Her eyes looked back to the crew, seeing everyone with mix feelings of awe and fear. "This is it!" She breathed out, "This is how we get in right?!" Her voice started to grow louder with excitement, turning back to the mountain, "This is how we start our adventure! This is how we see the world!" Hiroto shouted, her hand reaching up to her necklace. This is how she was going to help Hiruka see the world!

Turning on her feet, she rushed over to where her Captain stood, seeing to be the only one else excited to see the large entrance. "Leo! Leo are we going now?" She asked, her hands reaching out to tug at his shirt, "Are we?" She repeated. Her whole demeanor had changed from an exhausted medic to an excited kid in a candy shop.

[Blushing z0ro]

The sound of rushing water roared, as the endless stream flowed up the mountain. There was still no sunlight coming off from over the mountain, only the faint glow of the ship's lights allowed for any kind of vision. Droplets of sea water rain down onto the ship after getting knocked off the mountain side, not quite being able to defy gravity like most of the rest of the gushing stream. Almost hypnotized by the sight and sound, Leonard couldn't help but to think back on all that happened on his way to this point.

Leaving his hometown on a passenger ship, his teary eyed mother waving at him and his stern grandfather just staring. Making it all the way to the North Blue, from the West, quite a stupid thing to do in retrospect, but the young man wanted to see more of the world than the sea he was born in and even though it had cost him just about all his money, he really couldn't have made a better choice. For it was here, in the North Blue that this "Young Lion" met those who are now the most important people to him. A single act of rushing into a fray he had no relation to; and bam, Leonard LeClerc and Kusatta Kotei met, a random chance encounter but one that would be remember as probably the most important one in the life of either of the two men. A boy with wanderlust and one angry at the world that against all odds would join forces and turn the world on it's head.

From that moment it was really a series of chance encounter wasn't it? A flightless bird falling from the sky, a kind doctor, a cool shipwright and a weird bunch of bandits all joined the merry group. Was it like that for all those who went on to sail the sea that lies across that mountain? Did Gold Roger himself just randomly run into those who would sail beyond the end of the world with him? Was the crew and family of the mighty Whitebeard a rag tag happening? What about all the crews that disappeared into oblivion? The most important question was probably where in that broad spectrum will the Shining Pirates fall? Will they just be forgotten? Will they make they shake the world enough to be one of those called Super Rookies? Or perhaps they will go even further and join the rankings of the truly greats? Whatever the answer is, the real beginning of their story was now.

The entire crew was still looking at Leonard expectantly, time to act like a real captain. "All right! All men to their stations! Full speed ahead and onto that mountain!" Orders were followed, and the ship began to move straight for the middle of that river that went against all common senses. As eager as he was to see what was beyond that mountain Leonard couldn't help but to take a quick look behind him where the rest of North Blue lied, still under the cover of night. It was then that same old pirate song came to his mind, or at least one particular verse.

Farewell to the harbor, To my old hometown
Lets all sing out with a Don! As the ship sets sail
Waves of gold and silver dissolve to salty spray
As we all set sail to the ends of the sea

And with one last smile towards that ocean that had nursed this crew up until now, the Shining Pirate's Captain once again turned towards that mountain and river that etched ever closer by the second. Walking up towards the front of ship stopping just a few feet from the penguin figure of prow, Leo kept on looking straight ahead. Stopping right at the front of the ship, the "Young Lion" felt the whole vessel beginning to slightly tilt upwards. It was with what looked like an almost ferocious smile and true excitement and glee that Leonard spoke. "IT'S SHOWTIME GUYS! GRAND LINE HERE WE COME!!!" 

[HikaruShin]

A scene that defied logic right in front of them. Who knew how many had turned away from this point, scared for their lives. How many had lot their lives in an attempt to cross these perilous waters. This unnatural scene wasn’t just a sight to behold, it was a frightening tide that washed away the weak. And here a few stood with smiles on their faces. Ready and willing to take on the challenge of getting through this path. The doctor of the crew appeared on to the main deck, excited about climbing the reverse mountain. The silent sniper stood, smoking and watching the crew; these were the people he had chosen to sail the sea with. The people he shared a mutual feeling of trust. ”I wonder what the seas ahead hold for us”, he thought puffing a big cloud of smoke. The only thing all of them awaited was the voice of one man. One person: whom they had all chosen to accept as a friend and leader. The one person who stood firm, represented the group and had their unquestioned allegiance: Leonard, The Young Lion.

Finally, he spoke up challenging the tides in front of him. The captain of the shining pirates had spoken and it was time to give it their all to make his wishes come true. This strange feeling couldn’t probably be explained. It was weird really. Neither of them would’ve chosen to be with one another and yet they stood beside each other just because of this one man. As if on cue, with the words uttered by the captain, everyone started to move. They had their designated positions, they knew what to do. It was time to test the strength of the vessel that Hikaru had spent all his time on. Hikaru gently dragged his hand on the wheel of the ship, softly caressing it. He had poured all of his efforts into it. It was a stolen vessel but now, it wasn’t the same. ”You and I have a great weight upon us. You bear the burden of the will of each and every one of this crew and yet you move on. You have the responsibility to keep on moving, being the one point we can all return to. The vessel that will help us chase our dreams, through all the perilous dawns that come; dawn breaker”. He thought as he grabbed the wheel of the ship firmly.

”Kusatta, we may need your strength. Brandon, show us the way”, he said asking the assistance of his fellow crew members. It was not his place to shout orders and he wasn’t doing that. He was merely informing them that he would need their help to accomplish the order of their captain. The stationary ship slowly began to move ahead, heading along with the sea. With their dreams to guide them and their will, the shining pirates had taken the first step towards the new world.

[Vio]

By the time Brandon the Penguin had scurried his way to the ship’s forward deck, everybody was already gathered, stunned by the sight that their eyes happened upon. Viktasic Penguins were by no means strangers to the ways of the waterfall; crystalline cascades often manifested themselves amidst the mountainous shores of that southerly land, purest water seeking to join its saline maternity as the height of an Antarctic summer dared to try and melt away the topmost layers of ice and snow. Many penguins welcomed the Melt, for it brought fresh drinking water when they requested it most. But this torrent was unlike any that his beady eyes had settled on before – this torrent dared to defy Nature’s fundamental forces.

“Oruu!?” he chirped.

The mighty mount that pierced the cloudy heavens dared to rumble back. It was truly a sight to behold, many of the crewmembers stricken with awe – or at the very least pleasant surprise – as the salty tides scaled the mountains with vigorous frenzy. Right now, it mattered not whether you were human or penguin or tiny ant or giant lizard – the Reverse Mountain made all seem like naught but snowflakes in comparison to a great glacier. And, in all honesty, such a formidable sight made Brandon hesitant. Sure, the little penguin had encountered many a strange and fearsome thing in his life, but nothing matched the sheer fury of such a climb. Turbulent tides and blustering gales beat themselves senseless against rose rock faces, salty silver spray scattered like a school of sardines, and a spiral of thick grey cloud above forming and threatening to drown them all in a downpour of immense scale.

Kuu… Every sense was telling him to take shelter within the ship. To hide from the waters that, even if he had been capable of swimming, still threatened every fibre of his feathery being. All senses but one; its name was ‘duty’. Feet held fast to the tilting, swaying decks as beady eyes analysed the cracks and contours of the mountain, stone seeming a bloody crimson in the lantern light.

“Brandon, show us the way,” requested the smoking one.

“I still can’t believe our navigator’s a bird.”

“It’s not like he can talk, but…”

“Earp!” Brandon squawked, his whole body seeming to spring into action as he clapped his flippers together. The bandits – those who had offered to redeem themselves and accompany Leonard le Clerc and his troupe – ceased their uncertain banter. Under Captain’s orders, the lot of them had already scattered to various positions about the ship, rough hands wrapped about rigging and railings. Not a single sole was out of plaice, so recognised the rather hungry seabird.

But food mattered not.

Securing his featherless friends’ passage did.

Making a sound that was vaguely reminiscent of someone clearing their throat, the Shining Pirates’ navigator had suddenly taken on a whole different disposition to that of which others were used to. No longer was he the vain but cowardly individual, but a far more courageous and commanding presence… though still perhaps a little prideful. Knowing where to go was only a small fraction of being a navigator, something that many human equivalents seemed to fail to understand. Sure, the hairless apes could read complicated maps and discern direction through celestial bodies, but never had he encountered a human with a natural sense of global orientation. And even amongst the avian families, whose members possessed said power more often than not, his was sharper than a shark’s tooth.

“Karu! Rei,” he babbled again, directing his attentions towards the helmsman. Both flippers flicked to the ship’s flank, portside, pausing for a moment before bringing them together so that there was a tight angle between them. Without the ability to speak in the exceptionally complicated and perhaps excessive tongue of humans, Mister Penguin had to make do with what his body could convey. Body language was one of the most dominant forms of communication throughout the world – even humans relied heavily upon it without even noticing it – and he hoped to high Penguin Heaven that his means of communication would come across to Hikaru.

Ri Rii… Brandon turned back to the mountain, the currents of which had now fully dominated the vessel’s hull and – like a mass of jellyfish tentacles having snagged prey – were guiding the ship towards its perilous peaks. What lay beyond that unseen summit was an unknown, even to him, and he could not help but feel a shiver of anticipation creep through his sleek ebony plumage at the thought of discovery. The first Viktasic White-Face to cross into the land known by humans as the ‘Grand Line’ – what an achievement that would be! But, as his eyes kept on seeing, the mountain’s face would not let them pass so easily. One false move and those ragged rocks could easily claim them…

SPOILER: Click to show

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Hikaru Shin (d8b000)
Leonard le Clerc (111111)
Kusatta Kotei (abcdef)[/ul][/ul][/spoiler][/font][/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]