Side Story: The Postman
Hello, let me introduce myself. I am one of the mail carriers of the Merry Post Office. Yes, me. Den Den Mushi. As you already know... I... carry... the mail. Yes, it's quite a tiring job, you know? Shooting off into the sky takes a lot of work, especially for over seas mail... and then there's that disappearing business—oh, don't get me started on that...! Takes years of practice...
Well... maybe not years
... but it does take time to learn.
And to make the popping noise juuuuust right as you disappear... Whoo! Hard business there.
Anyway, you're not here to listen to me ramble on and on about how I carry my mail... You're here to learn where the hell I came from! And why the hell I'm working for the Merry Post Office!
Now, one thing you must understand is that Raftel is an island with grassy meadows and a few hills and mountains. Yes, it's not all town! Incredible, ehhhh...?
Yes, now let's imagine yourself outside of town. Away from the Merry Post Office, away from all those buildings and townspeople... You are out... in the wilderness! There are grassy meadows... a few... butterflies flitting around (they're pretty ditsy sometimes, you know...?) and some rocky mountains looming around in front of you. That's where I and the other den den mushi live! Pretty, eh? Yeah... smell the fresh flowers yet? Or maybe just the grass? You know, sometimes when it rains, the ground gets all muddy. Back then, we were so dirty, you don't even want to know! Some of us would even turn brown after they dried off...
So... why is it that an itty bitty little snail like me from the wilderness works for the Merry Post Office? Well, simple! They give us... good food. Mmm... I know. Horrible people! Bribing us with food and making us slave away, sending letters all over the world... but what can I say? That coffee is damn good. And the tea... and cake... You guys all agree, right? Oh oh! Hear that? All of us agree here!
So don't feel ashamed of using us as mail carriers! Yes, those people sitting in the booths there. I'm talking to you. Don't feel ashamed!
Yeah, we're hiding behind the wall right now. Those ding! noises you hear whenever someone slips a letter in? That's us. Yes, that's us sitting behind there, munching away at snacks, waiting for letters to come. Sometimes when we get bored, we practice our voices together, too. Listen to this.
Ding!
ding! ding! ding!
See? Amazing, eh? We den den mushi all practice together to get the sounds exactly the same way. Listen again...
Ding!
Ha ha! I'm good aren't I? Hey, Den Den Mushi there! You give it a try!
Dung!
Oh... uh, don't mind him. He needs more practice... A newbie.
Wha? What? A letter? For me? Oh... it's to that dojo near here, huh?
Ding!
I'm on it! Leave it to me!
And here I go. To the cannon! Hey... wait a minute... you guys already opened the box... Hey, wait! Save me some chocolates! Oi, newbie! Stop hogging it all!
END.
On the next SS, we shall find out what happened with Luffy's dojo and why Luffy doesn't hang his name outside the dojo like most people do!