Post by Phantasma on Feb 24, 2020 4:08:52 GMT -5
So what went wrong, where exactly did I go wrong? Kite prompted himself, in silence, while huddled in the hold of some ship headed towards the deeper parts of the Grand Line.
After a fantastically horrifying turn of events not only had he seen many innocent people put to death, noted his own powerlessness in preventing it but been fully initiated as criminal scum. What made him force his knees so hard against his chest in the throws of a self hug wasn't because he knew his bounty, but it was fear. What it meant to betray the World Government, the kind of situation that would befall his loved ones and further harm them. It was enough of a scary thought that it got his hands unsteady in their grip and made his body shake like a helpless leaf in the throws of a tough windstorm.
I was motivated for all the right things but they were achieved in all the wrong ways. I got sloppy, I got caught up, I got emotional. I was weak, I was thoughtless and... So many other things.
That was half true, objectively Kite had fought against a blatantly immoral trap set up by Cipher Pol operatives. Although it was a tempting trap that had sprung it had introduced several criminal elements, regardless of being assisted or not and in the end thrown many good men into the human meat grinder who journeyed with his sister. That's what motivated Kite so desperately and bloomed when further atrocities like those against Gaunt's children, the knowledge of the underhanded tactics of the World Government! Something that had been looked at piece wise instead of on the whole was suddenly connecting inside the warriors mind, resonating. Small inconsistencies painting up a very ugly, very unfair picture of what life meant to serve under the world government.
They protect the weak but the farther you go up the ladder you realize self interest and idealization placed upon the values of justice. People taking it, twisting it into a shade of what it should be. You get personalities, strong ones, that introduce... hypocrisy! No, more than that, you get people that abuse their power and blatantly go against the image of the organization. Par for the course, corrected and then reseeded to better reflect on the governing agency. Typical politics, a familiar dance with court, all of this red tape just serves to blind people-- and this is just the stuff I've seen! You can't have corruption in a stasis, no, it boils over and can be found under every stone and rock. I'm no expert nor am I some visionary but it doesn't take a mastermind to put two and two together! For as much protection it provides, the World Government causes undue suffering to its people-- more than just a sacrifice of rights for peace of mind.
His eyes narrowed in the dark, hidden by eyelids as the hunter forced them to close in deep reflection. Although his epiphany had pretty much solidified his desire to split away from a corrupt governing power, it hadn't made him want to end it. He was frustrated that on some level he could agree with what he saw, however the parts that he rejected ultimately caused this ceaseless cycle of attempted resolution-- and like thunder his eyes snapped open and his realization continued. Pictures of Pluto, of his sister, of Miu, flashed by in glorious HD. The revolutionary army, they sought to topple parts of the World Government and hoped to bring about the end to an age of strife and inequality.
Yet... Wasn't Pluto a good reflection of who they were? Kite didn't remember if he had said he was one, but that image of marines being shredded just for having weapons... that was enough of a symbol.
I see the point of revolutionaries, I even readily accept a part of their argument. But to battle against the ruling power and not attempt to use more passive means of change-- it exposes people to the same risks that the Government was willing to inflict and could lead to even more disastrous implications. What happens when you sever a nation and it becomes embargoed as a result of its newly independent status-- what happens to the people? The revolutionary army isn't big enough to support bigger projected numbers otherwise they'd more frequently come to a head with the Marines. Surely you could have them teach self reliance but on some islands this is impossible! Climate, geography, there's always some limiting factor at play and could perhaps annihilate attempts of crops or industry. Free from tyranny but not from the fear of hunger, attack or worse. Perhaps if the Revolutionary Army had the means to provide sanctuary or free nations in a domino effect versus by piece meal... No. That's a crawl of a process. As justified as their cause is it is a slow death and only serves to hurt the people caught up in the middle. When powers fight such as this it only interrupts supply chains and worsens the climate for everyone. Throwing death at an extinction level event, perhaps, buying time even more so. What happens when there's no one left to throw rocks?
Rationalizing at light speed the hunter slouched in his derelict corner of the ships cargo hold. It wasn't exactly how contorted he was that made him shift in a show of discomfort. But how contradictory both sides seemed, how even that analysis seemed so very long winded and that even with epiphanies there wasn't a clear answer. If working with the World Government wasn't an option from the inherent corruption from seats of power and if the methods practiced by the Revolutionary Army were too slow or equally as appalling what could you do? Rebel? Embrace a criminals status and carve out a piece of the world for yourself? The dream of true freedom was a common one and even Kite was a victim of its siren song.
And yet his back straightened and he found the room to sternly shake his head, resist the urge to hiss under his breath.
Pirates, criminals, are dreamers more than willing to trample over the lives of others to get what they want. When the dust settles very few will stick around to help out-- they have no obligation to. Living your life for yourself could work but if everyone did that society as a whole would collapse under a new, far more selfish population. Even if people hold their own self interests a part of their energy works to preserving delicate balance knowing that if you don't do your part then things like farmers, trade, protection, would fade away. You don't have to be altruistic to understand working together has its benefits and trumps fending for yourself and only yourself... it's the basics of why Pirates have Crews. But I'm better than just making a crew and isolating myself from what seems like a doomed world.
He nodded.
Exactly. I should be the one to provide an alternative to this... this doomed system!
He nodded again, even quicker this time.
I won't be a tyrant, I won't be some idealist or a bumbler! But... That does require leadership skills-- an organization... power... a reputation. I'd effectively have the whole world working against me and my only experience thus far is beating people up and realizing how capitol T totally fucked the rest of the world is slowly becoming.
This time a head tilt and a chin stroke in near complete silence, even brain side. It was only when the ship crested over a particularly bumpy bit of water that Kite hit the last stretch of his epiphany. Had he been capable a light bulb would have materialized juuuuust over his head. However given how his day had gone so far that likely would've just distracted him.
Well, people have to start somewhere. The first step is assessing what the problem is and finding a solution. I want to find that solution, to be that solution. While it does pain me to say it, what small steps I may take will become bigger strides and have even bigger ripples. Some day, some how there will be a sanctuary for people in this chaotic period of time. While I might not be sure about my position in this order, in this venture, I will at the very least be the person to start the movement and lay the foundation. To listen and to learn along my adventure and grow as a person-- grow to be wiser and stronger then a life of solitude would ever let me become. Sure it sounded nice, and fading into the background would've meant a quiet life in the end. But a Quiet World, a world that has less to raise their voices about and weapons towards... that's... something about that sounds much more appealing. Sentiments are a weakness of mine sure, but this is something far more important.
Little more than an image it best it served to lessen the feelings of claustrophobia. On the contrary, Kite being cramped down in a ship surrounded by the groaning of wood and dank temperature seemed to force him to think. Self reflect on a combination of issues that he had up until now been repressing or ignoring in favor of more pressing, more physical needs like food or a means of transport away from Alabasta. In truth up until stowing away on this ship he had been operating on something closer to instinct. It forced him to quiet his thoughts and propelled his body on an admittedly simple list of demands. Perhaps it had made him sloppy, given him some things to regret, but at the end of the day he had managed to vanish on board the ship with little trouble. The real hard part was staying quiet, keeping still when people prodded along the cargo to check for bilge rats or other kinds of vermin lurking in the dark. Truthfully, that vermin part did make Kite squirm some-- not out of fear but by the technicality of, if he wasn't a stowaway, vermin was an apt description of what folks could call him. Perpetrator of an international incident or not names like this did displease the former bounty hunter a great deal.
If I do head operations in order to create this vision I'm going to have to do it by principal. Even if I'm branded a criminal I won't completely behave like one, I'll do what needs to be done but I'll do it by my definition of clean or through necessity. Needlessly torturing the innocent, general monstrous choices, I'll stay as far away from such things as possible. This will, of course, apply to people that work under me-- speaking of which... what exactly would I search for in companions? In help?
Pondering such things had the curious side effect of forcing the hunters head sideways and got him to quirk his brows. He nearly jumped when a pair of footsteps, interrupted his somewhat on track train of thought. They were loud in the dark and practically reverberated through the boards all the way to the hunters currently origami-like bodily contortion. He was stuck against a somewhat literal rock and a hard place, the bulkhead of the ship to his backside and a massive box to his front. Existing in the space between those objects, further surrounded by other priceless items in an attempt to evade notice. The sparse light that filtered in through the bowels of the ship played tricks and Kite could scarcely tell the exact location of the intrusion. With every step his heartbeat got progressively faster, climbing and climbing until it stopped at a rapid drum beat.
Suddenly the steps grew more quietly and the unseen investigator came back the way they came, a door hinge slamming shut and the light fading away from a lack of source. Habit made Kite partially sigh but his respiration quickly caught in his throat, immediately quieted to optimal volumes for his current location.
Luckily for him the crew member, a wily sort named Paris, had long since ascended the steps to go out above the deck. He had a certain distaste for the lower deck, fear or something else made his checks admittedly cursory and once he did the minimum work possible he saw the opportunity to leave and took it, tried to hide his rapid steps and distressed expression. In an ironic twist he was as worked up and nervous about finding someone down there as Kite was towards the prospect of discovery.
In the brief tenure that the ship was in commission the Guiding Light had a spotless record. No incidence of rule infraction to speak on and that also meant that it was pure to the sin of harboring a fugitive. It had been kept this way on account of the captain and his rigorous albeit fully reasonable guidelines which were more of a charter versus an exhausting list of yes's and dont's. The captain was probably one of the only intimidating people on board and was one of the main reasons for Kite ensuring that he kept himself as quiet as possible.
Paris retreating to the upper deck marked an even longer stretch of silence and once the wintry-haired brawler could relax he enjoyed it. Unable to recline or allow his legs more room his mind inevitably wandered, head nodding forward as he got into the slow rocking of the boat cresting over the waves. The ride had been strangely calm, no violent jerking from side to side or brief time spent airborne. It could be said that as the day turned to dusk it was ideal traveling conditions.
After a fantastically horrifying turn of events not only had he seen many innocent people put to death, noted his own powerlessness in preventing it but been fully initiated as criminal scum. What made him force his knees so hard against his chest in the throws of a self hug wasn't because he knew his bounty, but it was fear. What it meant to betray the World Government, the kind of situation that would befall his loved ones and further harm them. It was enough of a scary thought that it got his hands unsteady in their grip and made his body shake like a helpless leaf in the throws of a tough windstorm.
I was motivated for all the right things but they were achieved in all the wrong ways. I got sloppy, I got caught up, I got emotional. I was weak, I was thoughtless and... So many other things.
That was half true, objectively Kite had fought against a blatantly immoral trap set up by Cipher Pol operatives. Although it was a tempting trap that had sprung it had introduced several criminal elements, regardless of being assisted or not and in the end thrown many good men into the human meat grinder who journeyed with his sister. That's what motivated Kite so desperately and bloomed when further atrocities like those against Gaunt's children, the knowledge of the underhanded tactics of the World Government! Something that had been looked at piece wise instead of on the whole was suddenly connecting inside the warriors mind, resonating. Small inconsistencies painting up a very ugly, very unfair picture of what life meant to serve under the world government.
They protect the weak but the farther you go up the ladder you realize self interest and idealization placed upon the values of justice. People taking it, twisting it into a shade of what it should be. You get personalities, strong ones, that introduce... hypocrisy! No, more than that, you get people that abuse their power and blatantly go against the image of the organization. Par for the course, corrected and then reseeded to better reflect on the governing agency. Typical politics, a familiar dance with court, all of this red tape just serves to blind people-- and this is just the stuff I've seen! You can't have corruption in a stasis, no, it boils over and can be found under every stone and rock. I'm no expert nor am I some visionary but it doesn't take a mastermind to put two and two together! For as much protection it provides, the World Government causes undue suffering to its people-- more than just a sacrifice of rights for peace of mind.
His eyes narrowed in the dark, hidden by eyelids as the hunter forced them to close in deep reflection. Although his epiphany had pretty much solidified his desire to split away from a corrupt governing power, it hadn't made him want to end it. He was frustrated that on some level he could agree with what he saw, however the parts that he rejected ultimately caused this ceaseless cycle of attempted resolution-- and like thunder his eyes snapped open and his realization continued. Pictures of Pluto, of his sister, of Miu, flashed by in glorious HD. The revolutionary army, they sought to topple parts of the World Government and hoped to bring about the end to an age of strife and inequality.
Yet... Wasn't Pluto a good reflection of who they were? Kite didn't remember if he had said he was one, but that image of marines being shredded just for having weapons... that was enough of a symbol.
I see the point of revolutionaries, I even readily accept a part of their argument. But to battle against the ruling power and not attempt to use more passive means of change-- it exposes people to the same risks that the Government was willing to inflict and could lead to even more disastrous implications. What happens when you sever a nation and it becomes embargoed as a result of its newly independent status-- what happens to the people? The revolutionary army isn't big enough to support bigger projected numbers otherwise they'd more frequently come to a head with the Marines. Surely you could have them teach self reliance but on some islands this is impossible! Climate, geography, there's always some limiting factor at play and could perhaps annihilate attempts of crops or industry. Free from tyranny but not from the fear of hunger, attack or worse. Perhaps if the Revolutionary Army had the means to provide sanctuary or free nations in a domino effect versus by piece meal... No. That's a crawl of a process. As justified as their cause is it is a slow death and only serves to hurt the people caught up in the middle. When powers fight such as this it only interrupts supply chains and worsens the climate for everyone. Throwing death at an extinction level event, perhaps, buying time even more so. What happens when there's no one left to throw rocks?
Rationalizing at light speed the hunter slouched in his derelict corner of the ships cargo hold. It wasn't exactly how contorted he was that made him shift in a show of discomfort. But how contradictory both sides seemed, how even that analysis seemed so very long winded and that even with epiphanies there wasn't a clear answer. If working with the World Government wasn't an option from the inherent corruption from seats of power and if the methods practiced by the Revolutionary Army were too slow or equally as appalling what could you do? Rebel? Embrace a criminals status and carve out a piece of the world for yourself? The dream of true freedom was a common one and even Kite was a victim of its siren song.
And yet his back straightened and he found the room to sternly shake his head, resist the urge to hiss under his breath.
Pirates, criminals, are dreamers more than willing to trample over the lives of others to get what they want. When the dust settles very few will stick around to help out-- they have no obligation to. Living your life for yourself could work but if everyone did that society as a whole would collapse under a new, far more selfish population. Even if people hold their own self interests a part of their energy works to preserving delicate balance knowing that if you don't do your part then things like farmers, trade, protection, would fade away. You don't have to be altruistic to understand working together has its benefits and trumps fending for yourself and only yourself... it's the basics of why Pirates have Crews. But I'm better than just making a crew and isolating myself from what seems like a doomed world.
He nodded.
Exactly. I should be the one to provide an alternative to this... this doomed system!
He nodded again, even quicker this time.
I won't be a tyrant, I won't be some idealist or a bumbler! But... That does require leadership skills-- an organization... power... a reputation. I'd effectively have the whole world working against me and my only experience thus far is beating people up and realizing how capitol T totally fucked the rest of the world is slowly becoming.
This time a head tilt and a chin stroke in near complete silence, even brain side. It was only when the ship crested over a particularly bumpy bit of water that Kite hit the last stretch of his epiphany. Had he been capable a light bulb would have materialized juuuuust over his head. However given how his day had gone so far that likely would've just distracted him.
Well, people have to start somewhere. The first step is assessing what the problem is and finding a solution. I want to find that solution, to be that solution. While it does pain me to say it, what small steps I may take will become bigger strides and have even bigger ripples. Some day, some how there will be a sanctuary for people in this chaotic period of time. While I might not be sure about my position in this order, in this venture, I will at the very least be the person to start the movement and lay the foundation. To listen and to learn along my adventure and grow as a person-- grow to be wiser and stronger then a life of solitude would ever let me become. Sure it sounded nice, and fading into the background would've meant a quiet life in the end. But a Quiet World, a world that has less to raise their voices about and weapons towards... that's... something about that sounds much more appealing. Sentiments are a weakness of mine sure, but this is something far more important.
Little more than an image it best it served to lessen the feelings of claustrophobia. On the contrary, Kite being cramped down in a ship surrounded by the groaning of wood and dank temperature seemed to force him to think. Self reflect on a combination of issues that he had up until now been repressing or ignoring in favor of more pressing, more physical needs like food or a means of transport away from Alabasta. In truth up until stowing away on this ship he had been operating on something closer to instinct. It forced him to quiet his thoughts and propelled his body on an admittedly simple list of demands. Perhaps it had made him sloppy, given him some things to regret, but at the end of the day he had managed to vanish on board the ship with little trouble. The real hard part was staying quiet, keeping still when people prodded along the cargo to check for bilge rats or other kinds of vermin lurking in the dark. Truthfully, that vermin part did make Kite squirm some-- not out of fear but by the technicality of, if he wasn't a stowaway, vermin was an apt description of what folks could call him. Perpetrator of an international incident or not names like this did displease the former bounty hunter a great deal.
If I do head operations in order to create this vision I'm going to have to do it by principal. Even if I'm branded a criminal I won't completely behave like one, I'll do what needs to be done but I'll do it by my definition of clean or through necessity. Needlessly torturing the innocent, general monstrous choices, I'll stay as far away from such things as possible. This will, of course, apply to people that work under me-- speaking of which... what exactly would I search for in companions? In help?
Pondering such things had the curious side effect of forcing the hunters head sideways and got him to quirk his brows. He nearly jumped when a pair of footsteps, interrupted his somewhat on track train of thought. They were loud in the dark and practically reverberated through the boards all the way to the hunters currently origami-like bodily contortion. He was stuck against a somewhat literal rock and a hard place, the bulkhead of the ship to his backside and a massive box to his front. Existing in the space between those objects, further surrounded by other priceless items in an attempt to evade notice. The sparse light that filtered in through the bowels of the ship played tricks and Kite could scarcely tell the exact location of the intrusion. With every step his heartbeat got progressively faster, climbing and climbing until it stopped at a rapid drum beat.
Suddenly the steps grew more quietly and the unseen investigator came back the way they came, a door hinge slamming shut and the light fading away from a lack of source. Habit made Kite partially sigh but his respiration quickly caught in his throat, immediately quieted to optimal volumes for his current location.
Luckily for him the crew member, a wily sort named Paris, had long since ascended the steps to go out above the deck. He had a certain distaste for the lower deck, fear or something else made his checks admittedly cursory and once he did the minimum work possible he saw the opportunity to leave and took it, tried to hide his rapid steps and distressed expression. In an ironic twist he was as worked up and nervous about finding someone down there as Kite was towards the prospect of discovery.
In the brief tenure that the ship was in commission the Guiding Light had a spotless record. No incidence of rule infraction to speak on and that also meant that it was pure to the sin of harboring a fugitive. It had been kept this way on account of the captain and his rigorous albeit fully reasonable guidelines which were more of a charter versus an exhausting list of yes's and dont's. The captain was probably one of the only intimidating people on board and was one of the main reasons for Kite ensuring that he kept himself as quiet as possible.
Paris retreating to the upper deck marked an even longer stretch of silence and once the wintry-haired brawler could relax he enjoyed it. Unable to recline or allow his legs more room his mind inevitably wandered, head nodding forward as he got into the slow rocking of the boat cresting over the waves. The ride had been strangely calm, no violent jerking from side to side or brief time spent airborne. It could be said that as the day turned to dusk it was ideal traveling conditions.
