Sail On!: Prologue



''Gasping for breath, on the verge of passing out from the pain, Sid fell to his knees as the blast of Haoshoku Haki overcame him. Behind him Jon fell to the ground the ground, his injuries, much more severe than his own, pushing him into unconsciousness. In front of him stood the man responsible, the one who had beaten them so comprehensibly that he was actually scared for Jon's life. The man who had been his friend once, his own uncle, Vice-Admiral Barbossa. Letting out a sigh, the red haired man dropped down to the ground and sat down with his legs crossed.''

Barbossa: Heh, looks like I'm as much of a failure as I was all those years ago. You know kid, if that moron Vegapunk hadn't been slicing into me when your father died, it would have been me who raised you, not Aokiji. You might not know this, but when you were born your parents named me your godfather, though my sister objected, thought that if I couldn't be a good father to my own children then how could I be a good godfather to you? But your dad was adamant, guess he was wrong after all, and as usual your mother was correct. I mean look at us, what kind of godfather nearly kills his nephew?

''Still panting, Sid would look up, straight into his uncle's eyes. The truth was he had always known, Aokiji had told him long ago. But at the moment he didn't even have the energy to speak. So he listened, letting his head fall in exhaustion, it was not like he could do anything else.''

Barbossa: Your father and I were like brothers, inseparable, two pees from the same pod. We vowed that we would only become admirals together, fighting for justice like its two fists. Funny how that is the only promise I haven't broken so far, the least important one. I promised to keep you safe, to look after you if anything ever happened to him, look how miserably I have failed.

''Falling quiet for a while, the Marine would pull out a bottle from within his cloak and take a swing from it. He would think about offering some to his young nephew before thinking better or it and putting the bottle back.''

Barbossa: When your parents died, I was on death's bed myself, it took me over an year to recover, I couldn't do anything to help them when they needed me the most. But I won't make the same mistake with you, you are my second chance. I came here planning to drag you back to the marines if you had become soemone your parents would not be proud of anymore. But your father would have been proud of you right now, regardless of your choices. Your heart is still in the right place, I can see that. Besides, I know how you feel about the Marines, how you hold them responsible for your parents' deaths. The truth is, I think I agree with you.

At this Sid would raise his head up in shock, dreading what his uncle would say next.

Barbossa: There is a corruption within the World Government, a corruption that might be responsible for your parents' deaths. Even from the inside I could only find out so much. But together, together we can uncover the truth, you from the outside, me from within. Search for the man named Bane, he holds the key to solving this puzzle. That is all I have, just a name, but it is better than nothing.

''Pushing himself to his feet, the Vice-Admiral would start walking away from Sid, leaving the young pirate stunned in his wake, tears glistening his eyes. He was closer to the truth now, maybe just a step closer, but closer nonetheless. Suddenly Barbossa would come to a stop and begin speaking with his back to SId, holding up a piece of paper in his hand.

Barbossa: You know, I have two kids of my own, a boy and a girl. Both hate me, one of them I am sure wouldn't even hesitate for a second before chopping my head off. I really am a lousy father. But could you do me a favor and find my little girl, make her join your crew if you can, look after her. I think you might like her.

''As he would walk away, the piece of paper would could come floating on the breeze towards Sid, landing on the ground in front of him. A wanted poster, for a young girl with the same red-hair as Barbossa, the Crimson Princess, Aisa Himegami.''

A few hours later, Jon slowly came to, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

Jon: Wha..what the hell happened here. Where did those bandits go to? And..

Suddenly he would remember the appearance of the Vice-Admiral and jump to his feet, immediately doubling over in pain.

Jon: Where did he go, did you beat him?

Sid: No you idiot, and if you hadn't been so eager to attack him we wouldn't have been in this much trouble. I did tell you to stop.

Jon: Sorry, next time I see a Marine show up right behind you I'll just wait for you to say its alright to attack him, and let him kill you in the meantime.

Sid: Hmph, he wasn't here to kill me, I think he wanted to help us. Anyway, he took care of the bandits. Come on, if you have the energy to complain then you can walk, we should get out of here as soon as possible.

Jon: And where are we going?

Sid:, we need to find my cousin. And then onto the Grand Line.