One Dream: Voyage 2

Past Voyage

Hello once again! For this chapter's author notes, i'd like to address the author notes themselves. I've been mulling over whether or not to continue them per every chapter, or save them for special occassions, such as the debut of new story arcs in One Dream. If I choose to go with the latter, then not only does this make these author notes a special exception, but that would make One Dream feel more authentic to actual manga volumes. (I believe they're called tankobon?) I'm more inclined to save the author notes for when I feel like writing them, since it also means my readers can easily get to the story and not waste time here. But as I believe writing stories should be a two-way street between what the author wants and what the readers want, please feel free to add in the comments below whether you'd want me to continue the author notes for every chapter, or reserve them for later. A reason for your decision would also make things much easier for me to decide on my own as well.

Now, enough of the author's notes. Let's talk about the real reason we're here. In this chapter, we're finally going to learn a few things regarding the plot, and see where our struggling sailor and his ship/monster, Angry Demon, end up. I have high hopes that the story will truly get exciting from here on out. And best of wishes to the success of One Dream.

Voyage 2: Where's Water 7?
It seemed to be smooth sailing in the Florian Triangle from here on out. Surely nothing could go wrong now. A silouhetted vessel bravely parted the ocean before it, seemingly in a hurry. While at first, the fog made it difficult to make out what kind of vessel it was; as it drew closer, certain aspects started to become more obvious.

Thin, Scrawny Man: M-M-Man, th-this fog s-sure is creepy!

Confident, Boastful Man: Ha!! You actually believe all that crap about devils, ghosts and dissapearances? Get real! The Florian Triangle is no more dangerous than any other part of the Grand Line.

Thin Man: You're not scared about the stories at all?!!

Confident Man: Me? Scared?! Please! If I was the type to turn tail and run, I wouldn't be here right now! Just bring any old ghost pirate to me and i'll make short work of 'em!

The thin man seemed impressed by his somewhat thicker, but still lean friend. The more confident one flexed his right bicep in an attempt to further show off.

Thin Man: You're amazing!!

Confident Man: Of course I am! Hehe!

Behind them however, loomed a shadowy, tall figure. The thin man's eyes grew large, and he pointed helplessly at the figure behind his friend. Curious but unamused, the bragger turned around to see just what was so interesting.

Confident Man: Is this some kind of-?

He was cut short as the figure clamped its burly hands down on the two men's shoulders, thus preventing their escape. The figure shouted like a madman, causing the two panicked men to scream for their lives.

???: NOW YOU'RE MINE, FOOLS!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Thin and Confident Man: NO~!!! IT'S A ZOMBIE~!!!

Tears ran down their faces, while the mysterious figure just laughed his head off. His grip on the two men loosened up as he held his forehead with one of his hands. Giving the other two men enough time to relax, the thin one felt the need to criticize the boastful one's false bravado.

Thin Man: You LIAR!! You were just gonna run off like a coward!!

Lying (Formerly Confident) Man: Well what'd you expect?!! I thought it was some flipped out skeleton or something that was going to steal my soul!!

Laughing Man: Come now! Are you two men or pansies?!

Frightened Men: SHUT UP! YOU TRICKED US!

It turned out that the 'madman,' 'zombie,' or 'skeleton' from before was nothing more than their fellow sailor, who couldn't help but prank his crewmates for a laugh. He appeared to be thick, tall, and rather strong-looking in appearance. His mouth was covered in a thick maroon-colored facial growth on all sides, compared to his clean-shaven, cowardly friends.

Large (Laughing) Man: We're the Marines! If we can't handle any type of pirate that comes our way, then our pride is ruined.

Lying Man (Marine; Seaman First Class): Guess he's got a point.

Thin Man (Marine; Seaman First Class; nodding): Mhmm. I wouldn't want to tell people that I failed at my job either.

And sure enough, flying above their heads on the main sail of the ship, was the Marines' inisgnia. It appeared that due to the incident on Pleasure Island a few days ago, when a civilian assisted a pirate crew in defeating and dethroning the island's king (later revealed by Marine inspections to have been an abusive tyrant,) the Marines were called in by the king's authorities to arrest the aggressors. This ship and its sailors were specifically ordered to arrive as reinforcements to the main force, which was assumed to still be on the island. Of course, to reach Pleasure Island from their direction, one had to cross through the legendary Florian Triangle, which the island narrowly avoids by a few miles or so. The Marines, being the careful watch-dogs they were, were also to be on alert in case they noticed any suspicious travelers in the area. Just in case it were to be one of the pirates or their newly targeted ally.

Of course, not long after the little scare from earlier, did a lookout notice something particularly fishy approaching.

Marine Scout: Guys!! I see something weird coming towards us!

The three men below looked up at him in the crow's nest; wondering what exactly it could have been that he had seen.

Marine Scout: Quick!! Flash the lamp at it!

The Marines wasted no time in scrambling to the nearest oil lamp they had. When one of them finally found one of use, what they saw when the light was reflected on it truly shocked them.

Large Marine: What IS that thing?!!

Lying Marine: It's...! It's-!!

Marine Scout: HEY, WATCH OUT EVERYONE!!! WE HAVE A SEA KING COMING OUR WAY!!! I REPEAT, A SEA KING IS COMING FOR US!!!

The strange bulging mass was indeed, the serpentine beast of the seas; the sea monster most well known as the 'sea king.' The Marines, understandably worried that such a powerful monster could finish them off before they reached their destination, instinctively went for their weapons.

Marine Ensign (Captain of the Ship): PREPARE THE CANNONS!

And in true Marine fashion, the men below the Ensign in rank did exactly as ordered. The cannons were filled with cannonballs, and the sailor soldiers were waiting perfectly still for the call to fire.

Ensign (muttering): Just a little more... Get within range, you ugly beast...

Without any caution or tact, the sea king did just that, and fell into the Marines' range of fire. The Ensign never hesitated with his next order.

Ensign: FIRE!!

Timed nearly perfectly, the cannonballs roared through the foggy air at almost the same time as the next. It was only a matter of seconds for the explosions to engulf the left side of the sea king. Fire scorched its scaly skin, and schrapnel cut it into shreds, making it bleed. Undeterred, the sea king kept charging the Marine ship. And in return, more cannon fire flew from the ship towards the sea monster. After a small game of chicken ensued, the beast was finally tamed. Or, more likely, knocked out unless completely killed off. Even though the Marines won this fight with nature, the sea king had one final moment of glory. Its unconscious, massive head slammed straight into the bow of the Marines' ship, nearly breaking through it in the process. The fall also horribly rocked the ship, and began to make it tilt towards the KO'ed sea king. The Marines, happy to have suruvived but still justifiably shocked, began to carefully approach the sea king. They knew it had to be removed from the ship, or else it would become a hindrance throughout their voyage to Pleasure Island. Making sure it was clearly asleep, the lower ranking seamen inched slowly toward the sea king; not taking a single step without proper foresight. Once within reach of the snout, they began to try reaching their hands out to shove the monster back into the water. But before they could even lay a hand on the defeated beast, its mouth began to move, even if only by a little. The Marines had every right to be worried.

Marine Seaman Apprentice: OH CRAP, IT'S STILL ALIVE!!

As the Marines froze like a deer in the headlights, despite their minds telling them to move, the mouth gradually continued moving more and more. It seemed almost irratic, as if the sea king was rolling something around in its mouth.

Ensign: DON'T JUST STAND THERE THEN! KILL IT! PUSH IT IN THE WATER! DO SOMETHING!!

Just as the Marines summoned up their courage, the mouth flew open as quickly as it was sudden.

Marine Seamen (scared): IT'S TOO LATE~!! WE'RE SCREWED~!!

In the mouth, there were the usual sights. A long tongue, some sharp, nasty looking teeth, and... Legs?! Standing on the tongue and holding the mouth open above his head, a familiar looking figure stood in front of the Marines. He seemed unhappy about being in the mouth, however it happened, and never thought twice about promptly leaping out and letting the mouth shut upon its own weight. Leaping on to the wooden deck of the ship, the stranger took his time in enjoying the fresh air. This however, gave the Marines plenty of time to pick their jaws up from off the floor and gawk at this new arrival.

Marine Seaman Apprentice: Just who in the world IS that guy?!!

Ensign (shocked): He was in the sea king's mouth?! What could have possibly driven him to...?!

The newcomer looked around to see quite clearly that he was aboard a ship, and surrounded by people.

??? (pleased): Well, at least I don't smell rotten fish anymore.

He turned around to see just what had happened to the sea king who had him within its mouth earlier.

??? (surprised): WHAT THE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SHIP?!!

The Marines were beyond shocked now. Not only did the man come out from the sea king alive, but he had addressed it as his "ship." The man ran up to the sea king and patted it on the snout to try and wake it up.

Strange Man: HEY YOU!! WAKE UP! C'MON ANGRY DEMON!! YOU GOTTA CARRY ME TO THE NEXT ISLAND!

Indeed, the very utterance of the words 'ship' and 'Angry Demon' left nothing to the imagination anymore. It was the same young man in the (now destroyed) rowboat from before; who had just previously learned to tame Angry Demon and make him an improvised ship. But why was he inside Angry Demon? Could it have been he mistook its mouth for a cabin? The Marines looking at him in awe soon noticed something on the back of his black shirt. Through the hazy fog, they could make out a skull and crossbones displayed across the shirt's back. It was becoming quite obvious who this young man was now.

Seaman First Class: Hey you!! You're a pirate, aren't you?!!

The young man was interrupted from his resuscitation attempt and turned his head around non-chalantly towards the Marine. It seemed a battle was about to begin. One of the Marines decided to take matters into his own hand, and raised a rifle to the pirate without waiting for a reply.

Petty Officer: Take this, pirate!!

No sooner than he had said that, did he fire his rifle at the young pirate's chest. It made a clean mark, and ripped through him like butter. The Marines had won again.

Petty Officer (feeling smug): Hehe...

...However, it wasn't the case this time. Somehow, as if by a miracle, the young man still stood! He even made a wide, playful grin in response to being shot!

Pirate: You're so gonna get it now. Heeheeheeheehee!

His wound seemingly healed up afterward, as if by magic or through some other mystical means. What proceeded after that could only be summed up as a one-sided fight. Unprepared for the pirate's tricks and magical powers, the Marines were utterly and soundly defeated. However, as there was no ship to leave them on, and it didn't seem fair to throw them overboard, it seemed the pirate was stuck aboard a Marine ship with Marines. What was there left to do?

Ensign: Thanks for getting rid of the sea king...

Pirate: No problem. I told that idiot he couldn't eat me, and then he went and did. So it was only fair he got what was coming to him.

Large Seaman First Class: Is that why you pinned us the the mast?

It appeared that after the fight, the Marines, Ensign and all, were fastened to the main mast by some strange, solid brown material. It seemed nearly impossible to get out, as they had tried struggling before. The pirate sat down in front of them, and was fast at work in eating their food reserves. In his hand was a bitten pear, which he took yet another bite from, chewed, then swallowed.

Pirate: Yep. You guys ruined my ship, after Stupid Demon destroyed my first one. I'm getting tired of having to switch ships, so I thought i'd teach you guys a lesson about breaking people's stuff.

Marines (shocked): WE SAVED YOU FROM HIM!!

Pirate (casually): Oh, right. Thanks. ...Man, this pear isn't doing it for me. Got anything sweeter?

Marines: STOP EATING OUR FOOD!!

After a bit of small talk between the Marines and pirate, as that's all the Marines could do by this point, things seemed to be taking a turn for the serious. The Ensign, curious as to who they just ran into, decided to get some information out of the pirate. He hoped deception would be an alien concept to the unassuming pirate.

Ensign: Now, tell me pirate. What are you doing here? You can't just be going around hunting Marines inside a sea king's mouth, right?

Pirate: You're right, that's not me at all. And to answer your first question, well... Yes and no.

Ensign: Eh?

Pirate: Yes, i'm a pirate, but no, i'm not part of a crew. Well, not one yet. The pirates I met a few days ago, and myself, agreed that i'd start my own pirate crew instead of just joining their's. So i'm now off to find a pirate ship of my own before getting some new crew members.

Ensign (surprised): THAT WAS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT!

Pirate (fooled): YOU TRICKED ME?!

Marines (shocked): ENSIGN!!

The Ensign, albeit sweating a bit from the embarassment, tried to regain his control of the conversation by continually prying the pirate of valuable information.

Ensign: Yes, well... If you came from Pleasure Island, and you're not part of a crew, then that makes you that low-life who assaulted the king.

The pirate arched an eyebrow, wondering how anyone could possibly defend the honor of such a tyrant. If only they knew the king like the pirate knew him.

Pirate: Yeah, i'm the one who kicked that jerk's lousy ass. And i'd do it again too.

Ensign (grunting): Ugh... You pirates are so detestable. You won't last long as an enemy to justice itself you know.

Pirate: So what? I don't think that's really up to us, if I last long or not.

Thin Marine Seaman First Class (impressed): That's so bold!!

Ensign (surprised): Watch it, Seaman!!

Marine Petty Officer: And just what makes you so special anyway?! Just who do you think you are?!

Pirate: Oh, that's simple...

The Marines looked on at him, as if they were hanging on each and every word the pirate said. The pirate flashed a determined grin as he stated his answer.

Pirate: I'm Jolly D. Chris, the pirate who'll entertain the world!

An awkward silence came after that. Within a few seconds, the Marines bursted out with uncontrollable laughter.

Lying Marine Seaman First Class: OH, THAT'S RICH!! AND HERE I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY YOU'D BECOME KING OF THE PIRATES!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

As the Marines enjoyed themselves at Chris' expense, Chris figured he'd put them back in their place. They were in no real position to make light of him or anything he said.

Chris (angry): YOU WANNA GET BEATEN AGAIN?!!

That effectively shut the Marines up. Never again would they dare to laugh at Chris' goal; or at least, not in his presence.

Chris (sighing): Better... Now i'm gonna go steer the ship. I have some place I need to get to before I do anything else.

Chris pushed himself up off of the deck, and began trying to figure out where the Marines' helm might be. He didn't get too far before the Ensign spoke up again.

Ensign: Wait!! You can't do that!! We're supposed to be going to Pleasure Island!!

Chris: Nope, not anymore. I'm the captain of this ship now, and I say we're wherever I want.

Ensign (mockingly): Oh, is that so?! And just where is our new captain taking us?!

Chris turned to face them.

Chris: We're heading to Water 7. ...Do you know how to get there?

Next Voyage