Hey Everybody, Ghost here.
Sooo…this story has grown in ways that I had not expected or intended. While its new path is brilliant if I do say so myself, it will make better sense as a second installment than a first.
This is a popular story, but I find myself running into frequent roadblocks while writing it. This most recent one which has delayed Chapter 21 is related to characters who will become recurring antagonists: The forces of Marine Branch E-1, aka The Devil Fruit Brigade.
While the East Blue is the most peaceful blue, it is kept that way by the forces of Marine Branch E-1. E-1 has stood as a bastion of justice in the East Blue for decades under the leadership of Vice-Admiral Dice, a very shrewd tactician who wielded the power of the Lucky-lucky fruit. Dice used his power over the East Blue's military forces to gather every Devil Fruit user in the East Blue aside from Captain Smoker under his command to form a highly elite flying squadron to swoop in and crush any upcoming pirates who went over twenty million beris worth of threat.
The reason E-1 never came after the Strawhats in canon (aside from me having made them up) is because shortly before Luffy set sail, Vice-Admiral Dice was killed and upon sorting through his documents, his successor, then Rear-Admiral Bacchus Saketora (quickly promoted to Vice-Admiral), discovered that the East Blue was in no way the weakest sea. It was merely home to the most corrupt marines and the most willing-to-bribe-somebody pirates. This corruption went all the way to the top and Vice Admiral Dice had amassed billions of beris worth of bribes over the course of his career. The ensuing mop-up operations were kept completely silent by the World Government and took until after Luffy and the Strawhats had escaped into the Grand Line with Smoker hot on their tail.
Up until this most recent reset, Bacchus has never had a Devil Fruit, just like Atlas. The reason is because they were sworn brothers at one point and both are former Devil Fruit hunters. They didn't need a Devil Fruit. The rest of his team are no less formidable.
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However, as I said, I've run into yet another roadblock writing Chapter 21, something which has happened with nearly every chapter of this story.
I cannot express to you all how frustrating that is.
So, given that this story will be much better as a second installment, I'm going to put a pin in it and go write what needs to be the first installment.
Don't worry though, I'm not going to leave you all completely out to dry on this one.
Before I put a pin in this, I'm going to give you all a very special scene that wasn't due to be revealed until much later. In fact, despite its brevity, I'd even go so far as to say that it is quite possibly the most important scene in the entire story. So enjoy!
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Sunset on Kyuka Island
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It was long overdue, she thought. Long past time for her to take a vacation indeed. She worked her ass off, all day, every day. She didn't think she was in any way over stating it to say that she was in fact one of the best at what she did.
Yep, she thought happily as she sank into a deck chair in the extra cute bikini she had bought herself specially, for this and accepted a drink from the handsome waiter just in time for the sunrise, Time for my first day in paradise! I'm gonna drink ALL day and into the night! I might even take a NAP… Merely the thought of actually getting to take a nap, something she hadn't done since she was a child, caused her smile to grow almost a full inch.
Rising early was second nature to her, she didn't really expect anyone else to be here at this hour to intrude on her watching the sunrise.
Of course someone was.
Said someone arrived mere moments after the waiter had headed back to the beach bar. It was a private stretch of beach reserved exclusively for the clients of the very expensive, highest end hotel on the famous resort island. It was the best, so of course it was the one she had chosen for her first vacation, hell her first real day off, in over a decade. That also meant, that anyone who could afford to stay there was loaded.
She wasn't poor herself. Her salary wasn't terribly extravagant, but given how little she spent (virtually nothing) it had more than stacked up. She could probably retire at any time if she felt like it. It just wasn't a job she wanted to leave. It had its stress sure, but that was what this was for. Get away, relax a bit, then go back to work fresh as a daisy and be able to churn out results like she hadn't in years due to just how beaten down she had actually finally admitted the constant workload was making her.
She had been quite looking forward to a little peace and quiet before everyone else started waking up, so she shot quite a frigid glare over her shoulder when she heard footsteps approaching. The glare immediately defrosted when she saw what was walking up. Hell-ooo handsome…
He was tall, stupidly good looking and his muscles looked like he could throw down with Whitebeard himself. He was also wearing nothing but some swim trunks, so she had an excellent view of every inch of his highly impressive physique.
She didn't pay much attention to guys normally. She was surrounded by them constantly, and most of them were not stupid enough to try flirting with her and risk their positions by pissing her off. But I'm not the boss here, the treacherous little thought popped through her head as she felt a small blush rise to her face and an involuntary smile spread across her face as he paused beside her, "Hi."
He smiled and chuckled out a deep rumbling sound before asking in a voice that was smooth and deep like a calm ocean and set her heart tip-tapping along in a very unfamiliar way, "My my, I come out to watch the sunrise and I'm greeted with an even more beautiful sight. Are you alone? If you don't mind, I recall this as being one of the best spots to watch from. May I join you?"
She was certain she was blushing furiously now and part of her was internally cursing at how easily he was getting to her, "Ah, sure, sure! Go ahead!"
He settled into the deck chair next to her and leaned back, shifting around a little to get comfortable. She quirked an eyebrow at him, "Sooo, is there a name to go with those nice words?"
He blinked over at her and then smiled, "Call me Gray. May I know your name?"
She thought for a moment, I don't want to be me until I go back to work. A smirk wormed its way across her face, "Gray huh? Call me Blue."
"My favorite color," he replied with a smile.
Blue felt her blush return a little, So this is what it's like to have a crush on a hot guy you just met…
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Two Years Later
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Blue and Gray had hit it right off. Where Blue had never taken vacations before meeting him, she now made a point to go visit Kyuka Island at least three times a year now. That hadn't been often enough. Every town she stopped in, she gave a call and he somehow managed to get there to see her. It hadn't started off big, just a little fling. Then another the next time she visited Kyuka, and the time after that. She wasn't sure when she had started making a habit out of going by, but she was sure people had started to notice because she'd heard the whispers and her boss had actually asked her about it.
She had mentioned it to Gray the next time she saw him and that was when he'd revealed that he did a lot of running up and down the Grand Line for his job, and could apparently get places in a matter of hours by calling in favors from his apparently numerous contacts. She didn't know how he pulled it off, she was just glad he did.
Today had been one of her more-frequent-than-she-would've-ever-believed vacations to Kyuka. It was the anniversary of the day they'd met and she had been expecting something sweet and romantic. She had never thought of herself as someone who got all worked up over romantic mush, but apparently it going on for someone else was entirely different than having all that love and affection aimed straight at you and showered down in the most caring and thoughtful displays imaginable.
That being said, it had still caught her completely by surprise when he'd gone down on one knee and pulled out the ring. She had almost fainted with surprise and joy.
Then it had all gone to pot when he said his family was there and he wanted to introduce her.
She had nearly wet herself when she saw them. They had been waiting with a party and a big banner and heartfelt yells of "CONGRATULATIONS!" She could tell as she talked to them and got to know them that they were all genuinely pleased to meet her, overjoyed that she was marrying Gray, because he had to be Gray. He couldn't be who she now knew he was. He couldn't.
But he was.
That night, she asked for some alone time, claiming she had a headache. The ship's doctor offered her medicine, medicine she knew could probably cure anything she had, but it wasn't really her head that was hurting.
She laid there all night, unable to sleep for the pain of the revelation coursing through her mind.
The next day, she still hadn't decided what to do and so played nice with his family, because she knew they could kill her as quick as say hello.
It wasn't until that evening when she was trying to drown her confusion and anguish in alcohol that a course of action presented itself to her. She didn't want to think about it, but it was the right course of action. The one that fit with everything she had ever been taught.
Another sleepless night and day later and Gray was getting deeply concerned about her. He asked if she was worried about the wedding, if he had popped the question too soon…it was so damned sweet and why did he have to be so damned perfect and if he didn't stop she was going to cave and…
She had to do it. There was no other way. She laid a finger to his lips and then stood on her toes to kiss him. "I need to go get some things," she whispered, "Meet me in my room tonight." Gray had looked at her in shock and then she gave him a wink that KO'ed him from the nosebleed.
His sisters and friends of course overheard and insisted on helping her pick something out, especially once they realized it was their first time. Apparently Gray had never had a girlfriend before her, never even showed any interest in any girl besides her. Blue didn't want to like them, but they were so damned likable. It went against everything she had ever been taught, but she found herself liking them more and more by the minute.
Part of her wanted to just roll with it, but everything she had ever believed and been taught stomped that part into submission. Now if only said part would just stay down, she despaired behind her smile.
Then it came time. Time to do it. She opened the door wearing nothing but her blue nightrobe, raised up on her toes to kiss him and then pulled him into her dark room. The only light was from the moon streaming in from the balcony window. They didn't make it to the bed before they started, the hot and heavy, desperate ravenous need, overwhelming them almost as soon as the door was closed. Almost though, because Gray had to poke his head out and tell his family, who all had their ears pressed to the door, to scram and give them some privacy. They all left laughing and jeering and making catcalls which did nothing at all to dampen the raging wildfire of lust that erupted the instant Gray closed the door.
It was several hours before they collapsed, barely conscious onto the bed. Through the whole thing, Gray never noticed the Blue's coat hanging on the hook near the door…the white one worn like a cape that marked her as a Marine Vice Admiral capable of killing him.