Chapter 21
Law was no fun; somehow, he got a ticket for himself and the rest of the crew. And now it was Snow who was disappointed since Law didn't get anything for him. He couldn't even complain since he didn't really care about it, but it didn't mean he didn't want to go with them.
Bunch of heartless bastards. Snow was still their captain, even if he took the position by beating Law. He thought he was making fast friends with the rest of them, though. But now he could only listen as they excitedly talked about Uta and how great she was, leaving him behind to only listen to them.
As much as it annoyed him, he was also quite excited about it. It was just another part of the world he was isolated from. And each day he sees more of the world and learned more about people living in this world.
It was quite wonderful to be able to relax like this. With a pipe in his mouth, he smoked and watched his surroundings. It felt like he wasn't even sick, just a normal person in the sea of people who only wanted to enjoy themselves.
"The island seems to be even more festive than it was yesterday." It was hard not to notice, as even more ships and more people could be seen coming in. "Law, do you reckon this Uta would join our crew if I asked politely?"
"You don't even know her."
"I don't, but all I need to know is if she is as good as you and everyone thinks she is," Snow replied. "By the way, where's Bepo? I haven't seen him for a while."
"He is probably still in town. Last time I saw him, he was being led around by a bunch of kids, so I left him be."
Well, Bepo was someone who could not refuse anyone. And even though the island was filled with marines, Bepo didn't even have a wanted poster; also, he looked harmless. Snow was sure he would be fine.
"On your first question, don't even try. I heard she is the adopted daughter of Red-Haired Shanks, and she seems to despise other pirates, too. So, even if one of the Yonko doesn't come down upon us, I don't think she will join you, no matter how nicely you ask."
"Red-haired Shanks ?" Snow remembered the man vaguely. "That would be troublesome, but still, you never know if you try, and I am just going to ask. I'm not coming back without a musician, and that's a fact."
Midnight couldn't come any sooner. They already had enough supplies to last for a long time, especially since they didn't have a horse to feed or a guest who ate like a horse. With everything prepared, Snow knew that they could leave at any time, so there was no need to worry about the marines.
Though there still seemed to be some time until the log pose reset. Well, it was good to just relax and enjoy the festive air once in a while. Not every island had to be infested with giant ants or made of a sea of seaweed.
Snow didn't remember the last time he was at a festival. He remembered a long and already lost memory when his island was still vibrant. When they weren't taken for nothing but slaves. When they thanked the gods for the rain and hoped for the sun.
He wanted to enjoy this too. To hear people sing and to see them dance. That was all he wanted for his people, too. To be free. Even when with each day it was harder to achieve, he still dreamed of a time when they would be free.
Now he was the only one left, and not for long at that. So, he promised to see it all and tell his family and friends, who had long since been lost, about everything he had experienced when he will meet them again.
"Watch over Caribou and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid while I am gone," Snow instructed Law as he prepared to spend his day in the garden he saw yesterday after visiting the market to see if there was anything new for him to taste.
"And who will watch you from doing anything stupid?" Law asked.
Snow only smiled as he left the ship, leaving Law sighing in frustration. Snow never did anything stupid; he only did what he wanted. After all, he thought he at least deserved to be free.
...
Snow recognized a few new ships in the harbor. Capone Bege, a name he somehow recognized. It was hard not to notice him with all his crew surrounding him. They sure looked like a bunch of gangsters wearing black suits and fedora hats.
A marine came to meet them, and to Snow's disappointment, there was no fight as Bege handed over a stack of cash to the marine and just walked past him. It sure was a waste of money.
Well, Snow was sure that someone like him probably had more money than he cared for. Too bad, apart from their crew size and probably money, there wasn't anything interesting about them for Snow to keep an eye on.
Well, if he ever decided to enter the underworld organization, he might be a good way to make connections. But he didn't have any wish to do so right now, or even in the near future. Right now, he was more worried about a musician for his crew than anything else.
There were other pirates, but none of them caught his eye. Just some small fries and whatnot. There was nothing for him to see at the harbor, and after making sure a certain Vice Admiral wasn't nearby somewhere, he went to the market to get some snacks.
...
It was gone. The flowers were trampled. The scent was replaced with gun oil, the color replaced with the white of marine uniforms. Dozens upon dozens of them, just walking and trampling on the flowers without a care in the world as they lazed around.
Snow didn't even have it in him to beat the living crap out of them. It was always like this, wasn't it? Everything that can be taken will be taken away from him. The moment he left the sight of what he liked, it was lost.
"Get up, you lazy bastards," Snow continued to observe from above as a marine commander came by and made everyone pay attention to him. "They are coming. Be at your best. Stand tall, but don't even dare to look at them."
It wasn't the ugly, short, and fat people in white that got his attention. It was the polar bear they were riding that almost made him jump and crush them all, leaving nothing but blood splatters in what used to be a beautiful garden of flowers.
Puru! Puru! Click.
"Snow! Get back to the ship ASAP I just found out that the Celestial Dragons are inside the island."
"I know," Snow replied. "I am watching them."
"Don't touch them no matter what! Or you will have Admirals on our asses the next second. Do you hear me? Don't do anything; we are leaving this island."
"Law," Snow's calm voice silenced Law. "They have Bepo."
"Wait for me," Law's voice turned cold. "Kill them all if they hurt him."
"They already did."
Law didn't reply as Snow continued to look down on the once beautiful garden that was now tainted by unwanted people. Bepo's white fur was stained with blood, and knowing him, it was his blood. He was too kind to fight back.
"Where are you?"
"The gardens."
Law ended the call, and Snow continued to look, trying his best to blank his mind as the fence he was sitting on started creaking under his grip. He wondered how quickly he could kill them all and how much time would be left for him to take Bepo and run away.
Law appeared next to Snow from thin air soon enough. Both of their expressions were cold as ice itself. Snow glanced at Law, and he could see the pained and angry look on his face. He was holding himself quite well, though, not moving in, even though he emitted murderous intent that even a child would be able to detect.
"No fighting, right?" Snow asked, standing up, and Law nodded even though it seemed he wanted to kill those bastards at this very moment. "I will make a distraction, then you will take us away."
Law only nodded in agreement before Snow jumped. He purposely landed hard before them as dust lifted into the air. Before the Marines could even aim their guns at Snow, his umbrella was buried deep into the ground, and he wrenched it up.
A cloud of dust and dirt lifted and flew straight to the Celestial Dragons, covering them completely. And then he was gone. Without anyone even being able to tell what happened or who did it.
"Captain," Bepo was hurt, beaten bloody to the point where his huge body couldn't even handle it.
"Don't worry, we're taking you home," Snow said as Law checked on Bepo.
"Even though you didn't hurt any of them, there will still be a commotion. We should get out of here before it is too late," Law said, and Snow nodded in agreement.
They quickly left for their ship with Bepo on Snow's back, running through the streets without a care before they reached their ship. They knew that the Marines would quickly find out who did this to their beloved Celestial Dragons, and they would come for them.
...
Furious was an understatement for how Snow felt. He couldn't care less about the world nobles and what kind of shit they did, but when it came to his people, he could barely control himself.
If it were just him, he would have been on a rampage. He wasn't an idiot, no matter how reckless he was. They still needed time for the log pose to reset, and if anything were to happen to the world nobles, all hell would break loose, and then he and his crew would be in the middle of it.
"How is he?" Snow looked at Bepo resting on the bed.
"He will be fine with some rest," Law replied. "Penguin and Shachi will take care of him."
"Leave it to us, Captain," Penguin replied.
"Won't let anything happen to this big bear," Shachi added.
"Good. Find Caribou and come see me, Law."
"What are you planning?"
"I can't let things go, not after what they've done to Bepo," Snow replied. "I might not be able to hurt them, but I will take all they are worth. And saw that collar on him, it wasn't even a slave collar, to them he was nothing but a pet that they could keep with a leash."
"What do you need?" Law didn't argue; he probably would have agreed even if Snow suggested murdering all of them.
Well, he couldn't do that. Not now, at least, while he was still weak and couldn't even protect himself, not speaking of his crew. But he couldn't just sit and accept it without doing anything. They had to pay, and he is going to collect it without them even knowing it.
And it so happens that tonight the biggest concert ever is happening. A perfect distraction for the Marines and the world nobles. All Snow needed was to find where they stayed, and when the time came, he would take everything from them.
It shouldn't be too difficult; with Caribou's ability, they had a bottomless pit to store everything, and Law could take them away at any moment. He couldn't think of a more perfect crime than this.
And even if they were caught in the act, that would serve Snow even better, for he would be known as the man who robbed the world's nobles and got away with it. And they were already pirates, the world government's enemies to begin with.
Just imagining the look on those bastards' faces when they returned home and found everything completely ransacked made him smile. And now he couldn't wait to act. Too bad he needed to prepare for it, no matter how excited he was.
But first things first. He needed information, and it so happened he knew someone who might be able to provide it. Though it might be costly, he wasn't worried, since they still had more than enough money to last them for a long time.
The question was whether Bege wouldn't sell them out. So, to avoid that, he needed to go to him just before making a move. He would try to find things his own way and later go to Bege to buy the information he missed.
A.N. As always. Thanks for reading and supporting me. If you want more 7 more chapters of this story and 42 chapters in total with all my current stories, please consider supporting me on pa treon ironworlf852. Thanks in advance.