A/N: I'm at a block on the transitions between some scenes leading to the end of the next chapter, but I am posting this introduction preview of some of my characters I created for this story. There's of course the villain as mentioned in chapter one and one character I made with all my heart. You'll find the reason at the end of the preview.
Hope you like them.
disclaimer: the world of One piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda, OC characters belong to me.
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Some where in the Calm Belt...
The elegant ship with the mark of the World Government floated in place in the still waters. There was no need to anchor anyway. Despite a few hours after midnight some of the ship's crew was alert, while others slept.
On another part of the ship, close to the stern, large windows were illuminated to a grand flourished room. Yet, the tables were covered in maps, charts, beakers, and a large safe were placed around.
SLAP!
The marine cried out as he hit the floor, marks on his arms and face told of previous hits. He groaned in pain, trying to get up but was forced down by a boot.
"Idiot filth! Giving me the wrong location! It's not here!"
"But… omph!... forgive me, sir—argh!" the boot pressed onto him harder.
"'Excellency', you are to address me as 'Excellency' from now on!"
"Yes, Excellency… forgive me but the island was-"
"The island moves, you simpleton! You should have been constantly monitoring its movements!"
The marine just managed to turn his head to face his… superior. One he knew if he spoke the wrong thing, he'd be killed.
The boot was part of a decorative and very body disproportionate hazmat suit of mauve and white of a thin man, Saint Fedoa Go'Dwit. Golden rimmed dials and buttons showed the status of the suit. A think curled whip slapped into the palm one mauve colored gloved hand. The sneer of the suit's owner looked down at the marine with blue eyes, with a monocle-like magnifying glass covering one, and his curled up nose. The fair, (I cringe at this.), handsome face of the beige haired, curled pompadour styled man was all covered by the protective bubble over his head.
The marine cringed before speaking out, "Forgive me Excellency, but I'm trying to tell you that we found its wake in the water and were about to follow it once I alerted you… Aargh!"
He received a hard strike of the curled whip on his shoulder and a kick to the stomach.
"That should have been the first thing out of your mouth, stupid! Get out of my sight! Get me your captain!"
The marine stood up with some effort and painfully bowed.
"Yes Excellency."
He turned to the door, panting to hide his pain as he held his shoulder. He was surprised that the guards outside the door made no move to help him, they knew their duty. Down the hall he gritted his teeth.
'Ass! My first voyage out and I had to be assigned to a private government ship. Damn, I think that whip dislocated my shoulder. First I'll get the captain then I'll head to the infirmary. Ugh!'
Pain in his abdomen shot through his enough that forced him to lean against a wall.
"I see Fedoa was impatient again."
The marine looks up at the cultured voice and gasped in surprise. He stood straight to salute, despite his shaking body and painful shoulder.
"Forgive me, Excellency! I was just-"
A blue glove raised to stop him.
"None of that, save those empty titles. 'Sir' is more appropriate. You should attend to that shoulder," the bubble covered head turned to one of his bodyguards and pointed at the marine with his navy-colored umbrella. "See him to the ship's doctor. I'd like to return home by people who know what they are doing, and I can't get home if my cousin injures them all."
The black suited guard approached the marine and gently took the uninjured arm around his shoulders.
"Wait," the marine stopped. "I need to get the captain, Saint-"
"I'll get the captain, I was on my way to see him anyway. You go and let the doctor attend you. I want this ship sailing with all hands. Go on. Shoo!"
At the waving dismissal the marine gave him a shocked look, before the guard supported and escorted him down the hallway to the infirmary. A harsh sigh temporarily fogged the inside of the bubble and the man and his other guard turn toward the bridge. The remaining black suited guard glanced at his patron.
"Sir, permission to speck?"
"Granted."
"I thought you were tired and were heading for bed, sir?"
"How am I to sleep soundly knowing the ship isn't under full staff? I'm sick and tired of worrying if a marine, injured by that lunatic, wasn't at his post to help protect the ship from danger. Really, this is the last time they force me to 'babysit' that quack bubble-head."
The guard just silently agreed as they neared the door to the bridge and opened the door for his patron.
On the bridge, marines close to the door and around the communications consoles stood up and saluted to the arrival. The captain, a tanned skinned man with muscle tone, black hair tied in a low rat-tail, and a star shaped scar on his chin, turned from his monitor turned to the arrival and saluted.
"Greetings, Saint Pembroke, sir, I thought you were retiring to your quarters."
In all his years of transporting World Nobles and high government officials, Captain Willet thought he'd never meet a Celestial Dragon like Saint Ninis Pembroke.
Saint Pembroke* looked to have taken up the whole space in his orange tan and white hazmat suit with his short semi-plump stout body. His head in the bubble was pale white skinned, and his hair was light orange tan with white stripes along his side burns and one in the middle of his neat soft hair. Large ear-like tuffs were styled on the top sides of his head, unlike the main styles of the World Nobles. Sleepy green eyes blinked at the captain as he waved at him dismissively.
"I was, but then I walked upon a marine who had just left Fedora's quarters. Apparently Fedora was upset that he wasn't notified about his island's movement and took out his temper on him," he stayed the concerned captain with a waved hand. "Don't bother, I've already sent him to the infirmary with one of my guards. He had a message for you, my impatient cousin demands to see you. I decided to tell you instead."
"Watch the wake, don't lose its coarse," the captain ordered his commander, who saluted, before walking to join the Saint back out the Bridge. "You needn't have done that, sir."
"I just felt like it, and I wanted to give that quack a piece of my mind, with witnesses."
Captain Willet walked alongside the Saint with the bodyguard calmly walking behind them as they headed back to the quarters. He glanced at the high official.
"Sir, if I may speak freely?"
"Of course, captain."
"I understand the insistence of our voyage to find this 'moving island' but why exactly are we to research it? It can't be any different from other known moving islands of the Grandline and Calm Belt."
"I see that the briefing was right to not tell you the full nature of our voyage. So given how close we are to it I can disclose the rest… what Fedoa is so insistent on this particular island, is that it's home… to a demon."
Willet stops momentarily in shock then catches up. "A demon?!"
The orange-tan suited saint turns to him.
"Yes, a demon known as Kyuubi."
"I've never heard of a… creature like that."
"That's because it's nothing but a myth."
Willet looked at him quizzically. "A myth?"
"According to an old story, there was once a continent of a culture of people who could manipulate the elements of the world… without devil fruits."
Willet's eyes went wide. "Without devil fruit powers?! That's impossible!"
Pembroke gave him a nod in agreement.
"Yes, and in the records the people were guarded by demons who could destroy the world if they wanted to. And the Kyuubi was considered the strongest of them all."
"Why were they never mentioned before now?"
"The founders of the World Government at that time didn't want people to know of them out of paranoid fear of such great power, even today. That's why only Celestial Dragons know of the myths," Pambroke smirked cheekily. "I don't practically care, and I like to tell stories. The only mention of them were in over eight hundred year old diaries, with papers that would disintegrate if touched. Only one page could be read and that was written by someone just spouting all kinds of nonsense of those people climbing trees without hands, walking on water like a paved road, and can kill a person with their own shadows. Still, we know very little at all about the culture itself, if the demons were guardians at all, or if they ever existed. That's why they're considered just silly myths. Sigh, but Fedoa is somehow convinced that the demon, at least, exists."
"Forgive my bluntness, but why would he?"
Pembroke scoffed when the neared said quarters of the quack mentioned, the door guards bowed then moved for them. The bodyguard moved to the door, ready to knock.
"Humph, I'm still questioning his sanity. I'm just 'asked' to make sure he doesn't get himself killed over it."
He nodded for his guard to knock and the guard did so, who smirked slightly at the irritated reply.
"Enter!"
The guard opened the door and the three men walked in. The other saint was facing away from them, placing thumbtacks with connective strings on a map of the Grandline on his work table. It was a map of their route and the predicted route of a paper cutout of an island. He mostly ignored their presence, concentrating on his map. Captain Willet walked ahead when the other saint motioned him to and he stood to attention.
"…You wished to see me, Saint Go'Dwit."
"It's about time, all your sailors are idiots! I should have been notified the nano-second the island's wake was spotted. If your sailors can't follow a simple command fast enough, then I'll make sure they suffer for their slow incompetence!"
Willet, keeping a defending retort at bay, was about to announce the shorter saint's presence when Pembroke raised his umbrella to silence him. Despite his large stature, he walked quietly toward the back of the taller saint.
When he was a foot directly behind him, Pembroke stopped and pulled his umbrella back.
The top pointed low.
A second later…
Goose.
"AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"
Only years of discipline kept both Willet and the guard from keeping their still postures and not bursting in laughter. But they still had to press their lips together hard, and their faces were red with the effort.
The tall saint hopped and jumped in pain while trying to pull the suit's fabric out from his… seat. He whimpered and cried out when he turned to his cousin with an angry face; fogging up his bubble helmet.
"NINIS! How dare you?!" He had to pull back from the pointed umbrella waving at his face.
"How dare you Fedoa?! Injuring another marine?! What if that one had an important job on this ship?! I won't sleep soundly now! Do you remember that I'm funding this voyage just as a favor to your family?!" those once sleepy green eyes now looked at the younger saint with authority, his umbrella stamped the floor to emphasize it. "They are starting to actually become concerned after your last voyage to find this island. You costed the marines many of their finest people and valuable government ships. I'm only doing this because I don't want any more damage done and lives lost for your 'want-a-pet-demon' nonsense."
"It's not nonsense! You just don't understand the potential-"
"I'll see what potential you claim of it when we see actual proof! Until then, harm another marine and I'll turn this ship around and have your family put you in a mental facility!" Pembroke looked to the table and sneered at one peculiar object, he pointed his umbrella at it. "And hand that over. If I see this disgusting thing on your person, except on the island, then I'll make sure to show you what those marines go through with you."
The mauve suited saint looked back with his own sneer, then took his whip from the table and gave it to Pembroke.
"… Fine, but once we reach the island and I have my 'proof' then every authority goes to me and I can do whatever I want," he said mockingly. "That was the agreement."
"Only 'if' you have this proof," the short saint mocked back, using his umbrella handle to hold the thick whip. He moved the whip to his guard who took it. "And this is your last chance of it. Until then you behave, or else."
Pembroke and Go'Dwit glared at each other down until the younger man turn away with a huff, his curled up nose bobbed. The older saint huffed back then walked away to the door.
"Then I bid you good night. Captain."
"Sir," Willet saluted at him.
As the orange-tan suit left, the guard gave Willet one last smirk before following. Willet looked back on the occupant in the room.
"I'll speak to my crew of notifying you first when the island is in sight, milord."
"You better, that will be all captain." Despite his low voice, Willet could still hear the anger being kept at bay.
Willet gave one last salute and walked out the door before closing it. But he slowed his walk back to the bridge to snort at the temper tantrum sounds coming from the room.
xxxx
Meanwhile in the room…
A small stool was thrown to the door.
"OOoohh, how dare that waddling buffoon yell at me and threaten me! Just when I'm so close!" Fedoa kicks some of his papers to the floor and stomped his booted foot to the floor. "Damn that soft mind of his! I can do whatever I want with these sea-sogged sailors however I like!"
He looks to the heavy safe by his work table and gave the door a pat, a nasty smile crossed his face.
"Gehehehehehe! 'Only if there's proof', is what you'll see. After five years of research and failed captures I'll finally have 'your' proof. And with these treasures, I'll have my pet, and the entirety of Marisjuois will finally respect my power! Gehehehehehe!"
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A/N: Well what do you think so far? Remember THIS IS A PREVIEW, this is not the full chapter. I'm still working on it.
Remember the bird, the Godwit, from the first chapter notes? Well I based the design of Saint Go'Dwit on it, and his first name Fedoa is part of the species binomial (scientific name) name.
*Saint Pembroke was based on my last pet a Pembroke welsh corgi, so think of his design as a humanized corgi in One Piece © Oda. Sadly my corgi died some years ago and when I thought about if maybe not all the Celestial Dragons are the same as the assholes that they are I would want them to be like my corgi. I would like to imagine his voice to be like Liam Neeson, but that's me, you can imagine any voice youd like.
Speaking of voices I think Steve Blum with his Starscream voice would be perfect for Saint Go'Dwit, but again that's just me.
Keep on reading.