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mythplaced_logicChapter 5: I Told You So
Summary:
In which there is some plot, and Ace gets what he wishes for, for the most part.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Birds chirped as a fast moving squirrel jumped along lush pine branches. The rustling of its movement caught Ace’s attention as he strolled through the woods.
He had been needing this break, he knew it had been too long. When the Moby had dropped anchor in a cove here for supplies he had taken the chance to stretch his legs on land. As much as he loved the freedom that sailing the Blues gave him, he had grown up in a forest like this and there were times when it called to him still.
He heard a grumbling and he gave a rueful grin at the sign that he needed to get a move on if he wanted to quiet his stomach anytime soon. Bounding off into the undergrowth, he began his hunt.
—
“Captain Shirahama, please wait!”
The broad shouldered man didn’t pause for a moment as he hacked at the tangled growth in front of him.
A group of panting marines stumbled to a stop as their captain finally turned to sneer at them.
“We’ve got information that some crew of pirate scum are in the port, and I won’t have it!”
His second in command swallowed hard as the rest looked on nervously, “But Captain, HQ said to avoid engaging with pirate groups for now, we have no backup!”
“Ha! I don’t need backup for some jumped up dogs that think they can get the best of the Marines!” The Captain took a breath to continue his tirade when he tensed and turned towards the trail he had been blazing through the undergrowth.
“I knew it, I could sense one of those scum in this direction, probably too afraid to brave the town and face me. I’ll bleed him a little and the coward will tell us where their ship is anchored. I will be the one to burn it to ashes!”
With that, the Captain continued to hack furiously at the branches in his way, his subordinates following reluctantly behind as the sun beat down on them.
—————
A stag bent its head to lap at the clear water of the stream, oblivious to the watcher waiting in the trees.
Ace made quick work of the stag and bent to throw it over his shoulder. He had seen a small clearing in the woods from his vantage point, down the hill from where he had tracked the deer. It would make an excellent flat spot for his cooking fire, he mused to himself.
Ace shook his head as he climbed down into the little valley, his stomach was protesting the wait and he quickly built a large wood pile. Grinning, he wiggled his fingers as flames sprang up around each one, sparking the wood into a roaring blaze.
“Haha, that never gets old!” After staking out his meal over the fire, he turned to inspect the clearing, hands in his pockets and shoulders relaxed. An open meadow surrounded by trees met his eyes as he explored.
“Look at all this clover, what a lucky find!” A breeze wafted through, ruffling his hair and the lush clover that covered the ground like an emerald blanket. Ace gently folded himself down into the nearest patch, laying his head back to bask
in the sun, still smiling.
‘Plenty of time for a quick nap before lunch, and maybe I can find a special clover for Thatch, that guy just can’t catch a break! Then maybe we’ll get some action around here, it’s been a little boring lately.’ Ace thought to himself as he nodded off in the field of gently swaying clover, his hat resting beside him and the delicious smell of roasting meat in the air.
————-
Branches crackled as the forest spat an exhausted group of sweaty, dirt covered marines out onto a hillside. Even their leader looked worse for wear as he rested his sword against his leg, breathing heavily.
“Captain, please sir, we need to take a break, the men are dehydrated. They’re in no shape to fight like this!” The Lieutenant huffed as he made his entreaty. He glanced nervously at the sky, where the haze of heat met a slowly darkening sky.
Shirahama ignored him as his nostrils flared, a slight breeze bringing with it the scent of smoke and cooking meat.
“The pirate is close, I can smell it!” Whirling around, he began to stomp down the hill, following the scent as his men scrambled to catch up. At the bottom of the hill the trees thinned to nothing as a clearing revealed a green meadow. Shirahama trampled through the plants in his way as he caught sight of a shirtless figure laid out on the ground, motionless. Stupid pirate must have been unprepared for hiking through the wilderness and collapsed.
“Stand and face me, you cowardly pirate scum!” Shirahama roared at the seemingly defenseless man. “Tell me where your ship is, and I’ll make this quick!”. His sneer grew smug as the figure began to sit up, and the warm breeze picked up speed.
——-
Ace was having a wonderful dream, the endless buffet of meat parading before him as he partied with his brothers, when he heard a gnat buzzing in his ears. He swatted at it with the hand not holding a turkey leg but it wouldn’t stop buzzing. One of his brothers offered to help him and swatted his head and with a start, he woke to shadow standing over him.
“Thatch, is that you again? I thought you were getting food for the party?” Ace started to sit up, rubbing at his eyes. “I’ve gotta finish lunch and then I’ll come help carry the bags, I promise.”
He squinted up, and his eyes widened at the sight of a bunch of men covered in dirt staring at him. The big one seemed like he was having a heart attack.
He rose up, scratching his stomach and yawning, “Geez, what happened to you guys?”
——-
The shock wore off and the marines snapped to attention as they took in the scene.
Shirahama had gone puce in his rage, steam coming out his ears as he stomped his feet, grinding down the plants in his fury.
“You dirty pirate, don’t you know who I am?! I’m Captain Shirahama and this is my island!”
The apparent pirate raised an eyebrow, “Marines huh? Well I’ve never heard of you, Shamahima was it? So sorry.” His mischievous face turned away as he looked towards the ground.
The Captain took that moment to swing his sword at the man, too angry to continue the failed interrogation.
The man bent down and the sword just barely missed, whistling over his head as he picked up something from the ground.
The lieutenant glanced uneasily at the scene, saw the object in the pirate’s hand, and then gaped in horror as the pirate perched an infamous orange hat on his head.
He scrambled back, forcing the rest of the marines to follow or fall to the ground
“F-F-Fire Fist!!” The air felt dry as dust as the darkening sky rumbled ominously overhead.
——
‘Well I asked for action, but did it have to be such small fry?’ Ace grinned maliciously as he raised his head.
“Did you really think it would be that easy? The Whitebeards don’t back down.” In that moment, as he turned to check on his roasting meal, his eyes caught on the ground beneath their feet. His own feet stood lightly on the bed of clover he had napped on, but the marines!
Ace’s eyes mirrored the unholy fire that sprang into his hands as he saw the destroyed path of shredded clover they had made as they crossed the clearing.
“How dare you! Look at what you’ve done!” He trembled in rage before he took a deep breath. Snuffing the flames, he gave his own sneer towards the other men.
“There’ll be consequences for that.”
The marine Captain swung at him again, yelling about pirate scum.
Ace leapt backwards, leading the unhinged man and his little pack of idiots out of the clover field and onto the packed dirt by his cooking fire.
“Like I told you, you’re doomed already. Filthy marines, can’t you see that clover you just killed.” Ace shook his head, shuddering at all the horrible luck that would surely follow and thankful that it wasn’t him. “It couldn’t happen to better people, enjoy your world of hurt from that mess of bad luck.”
Ace looked on, unimpressed as the larger man laughed at him, sneering.
——
Shirahama continued to laugh in derision. “So you’re Fire Fist Ace? How disappointing. You’re just a weakling with good press. Only a simpleton believes in something like bad luck. I’ll show you.” He looked down and deliberately brought his heel down onto the biggest of the clover plants he could see before him, one with 4 huge leaves growing from the base. He kicked at the plant one more time and looked back at the pirate.
“See, just as I said, nothing hap-“
The assembled marines reared back as the sky, which had been growing steadily more hazy, abruptly opened up and a bolt of lightning struck down right onto the head of their captain.
The light flared and then left as quickly as it came, leaving behind a twitching body sprawled on the ground and a smug looking pirate.
“I told you so.”
————
“No way!” Thatch cried as Ace recounted his adventure with the island’s marines.
“No joke, the guy was really asking for it. The rest of them grabbed him and ran before I could even get going. Shame, I was really hoping for a good fight but that bunch was totally weak.” Ace shrugged and reached into his pocket. He held out something green towards Thatch.
“Got you a present though, 4-leaf clover. It’s the one the Shimahama idiot stomped on. When I checked, it was still in perfect condition, so lucky right?” He blushed a bit and motioned towards Thatch with his hand. “It’s for you!”
Thatch gave an uneasy look at the plant in his brother’s hand. “This thing won’t get me struck by lightning right?” He tentatively took the clover and tucked it safely into a pocket.
Ace just smiled at him.
“Only if you’re causing yourself bad luck!”
Notes:
So a little of the world outside the Moby, luck is real just like Ace said. Not his fault if people didn’t believe him. If you’ve read my story with Dragon and the Revolutionaries, you may wonder how any of them are still alive. The answer to that is all about good intentions, and also maybe a little that Dragon can control the weather!
Side note: I’m sorry this one took so long, the app I write in decided to delete 80% of the chapter I had written and it was hard to get back my inspiration.
I hope this makes up for the wait! As always, please leave me a comment on your interesting superstitions or on Ace’s, I would love to hear from you guys!
Summary:
In which there is some plot, and Ace gets what he wishes for, for the most part.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Birds chirped as a fast moving squirrel jumped along lush pine branches. The rustling of its movement caught Ace’s attention as he strolled through the woods.
He had been needing this break, he knew it had been too long. When the Moby had dropped anchor in a cove here for supplies he had taken the chance to stretch his legs on land. As much as he loved the freedom that sailing the Blues gave him, he had grown up in a forest like this and there were times when it called to him still.
He heard a grumbling and he gave a rueful grin at the sign that he needed to get a move on if he wanted to quiet his stomach anytime soon. Bounding off into the undergrowth, he began his hunt.
—
“Captain Shirahama, please wait!”
The broad shouldered man didn’t pause for a moment as he hacked at the tangled growth in front of him.
A group of panting marines stumbled to a stop as their captain finally turned to sneer at them.
“We’ve got information that some crew of pirate scum are in the port, and I won’t have it!”
His second in command swallowed hard as the rest looked on nervously, “But Captain, HQ said to avoid engaging with pirate groups for now, we have no backup!”
“Ha! I don’t need backup for some jumped up dogs that think they can get the best of the Marines!” The Captain took a breath to continue his tirade when he tensed and turned towards the trail he had been blazing through the undergrowth.
“I knew it, I could sense one of those scum in this direction, probably too afraid to brave the town and face me. I’ll bleed him a little and the coward will tell us where their ship is anchored. I will be the one to burn it to ashes!”
With that, the Captain continued to hack furiously at the branches in his way, his subordinates following reluctantly behind as the sun beat down on them.
—————
A stag bent its head to lap at the clear water of the stream, oblivious to the watcher waiting in the trees.
Ace made quick work of the stag and bent to throw it over his shoulder. He had seen a small clearing in the woods from his vantage point, down the hill from where he had tracked the deer. It would make an excellent flat spot for his cooking fire, he mused to himself.
Ace shook his head as he climbed down into the little valley, his stomach was protesting the wait and he quickly built a large wood pile. Grinning, he wiggled his fingers as flames sprang up around each one, sparking the wood into a roaring blaze.
“Haha, that never gets old!” After staking out his meal over the fire, he turned to inspect the clearing, hands in his pockets and shoulders relaxed. An open meadow surrounded by trees met his eyes as he explored.
“Look at all this clover, what a lucky find!” A breeze wafted through, ruffling his hair and the lush clover that covered the ground like an emerald blanket. Ace gently folded himself down into the nearest patch, laying his head back to bask
in the sun, still smiling.
‘Plenty of time for a quick nap before lunch, and maybe I can find a special clover for Thatch, that guy just can’t catch a break! Then maybe we’ll get some action around here, it’s been a little boring lately.’ Ace thought to himself as he nodded off in the field of gently swaying clover, his hat resting beside him and the delicious smell of roasting meat in the air.
————-
Branches crackled as the forest spat an exhausted group of sweaty, dirt covered marines out onto a hillside. Even their leader looked worse for wear as he rested his sword against his leg, breathing heavily.
“Captain, please sir, we need to take a break, the men are dehydrated. They’re in no shape to fight like this!” The Lieutenant huffed as he made his entreaty. He glanced nervously at the sky, where the haze of heat met a slowly darkening sky.
Shirahama ignored him as his nostrils flared, a slight breeze bringing with it the scent of smoke and cooking meat.
“The pirate is close, I can smell it!” Whirling around, he began to stomp down the hill, following the scent as his men scrambled to catch up. At the bottom of the hill the trees thinned to nothing as a clearing revealed a green meadow. Shirahama trampled through the plants in his way as he caught sight of a shirtless figure laid out on the ground, motionless. Stupid pirate must have been unprepared for hiking through the wilderness and collapsed.
“Stand and face me, you cowardly pirate scum!” Shirahama roared at the seemingly defenseless man. “Tell me where your ship is, and I’ll make this quick!”. His sneer grew smug as the figure began to sit up, and the warm breeze picked up speed.
——-
Ace was having a wonderful dream, the endless buffet of meat parading before him as he partied with his brothers, when he heard a gnat buzzing in his ears. He swatted at it with the hand not holding a turkey leg but it wouldn’t stop buzzing. One of his brothers offered to help him and swatted his head and with a start, he woke to shadow standing over him.
“Thatch, is that you again? I thought you were getting food for the party?” Ace started to sit up, rubbing at his eyes. “I’ve gotta finish lunch and then I’ll come help carry the bags, I promise.”
He squinted up, and his eyes widened at the sight of a bunch of men covered in dirt staring at him. The big one seemed like he was having a heart attack.
He rose up, scratching his stomach and yawning, “Geez, what happened to you guys?”
——-
The shock wore off and the marines snapped to attention as they took in the scene.
Shirahama had gone puce in his rage, steam coming out his ears as he stomped his feet, grinding down the plants in his fury.
“You dirty pirate, don’t you know who I am?! I’m Captain Shirahama and this is my island!”
The apparent pirate raised an eyebrow, “Marines huh? Well I’ve never heard of you, Shamahima was it? So sorry.” His mischievous face turned away as he looked towards the ground.
The Captain took that moment to swing his sword at the man, too angry to continue the failed interrogation.
The man bent down and the sword just barely missed, whistling over his head as he picked up something from the ground.
The lieutenant glanced uneasily at the scene, saw the object in the pirate’s hand, and then gaped in horror as the pirate perched an infamous orange hat on his head.
He scrambled back, forcing the rest of the marines to follow or fall to the ground
“F-F-Fire Fist!!” The air felt dry as dust as the darkening sky rumbled ominously overhead.
——
‘Well I asked for action, but did it have to be such small fry?’ Ace grinned maliciously as he raised his head.
“Did you really think it would be that easy? The Whitebeards don’t back down.” In that moment, as he turned to check on his roasting meal, his eyes caught on the ground beneath their feet. His own feet stood lightly on the bed of clover he had napped on, but the marines!
Ace’s eyes mirrored the unholy fire that sprang into his hands as he saw the destroyed path of shredded clover they had made as they crossed the clearing.
“How dare you! Look at what you’ve done!” He trembled in rage before he took a deep breath. Snuffing the flames, he gave his own sneer towards the other men.
“There’ll be consequences for that.”
The marine Captain swung at him again, yelling about pirate scum.
Ace leapt backwards, leading the unhinged man and his little pack of idiots out of the clover field and onto the packed dirt by his cooking fire.
“Like I told you, you’re doomed already. Filthy marines, can’t you see that clover you just killed.” Ace shook his head, shuddering at all the horrible luck that would surely follow and thankful that it wasn’t him. “It couldn’t happen to better people, enjoy your world of hurt from that mess of bad luck.”
Ace looked on, unimpressed as the larger man laughed at him, sneering.
——
Shirahama continued to laugh in derision. “So you’re Fire Fist Ace? How disappointing. You’re just a weakling with good press. Only a simpleton believes in something like bad luck. I’ll show you.” He looked down and deliberately brought his heel down onto the biggest of the clover plants he could see before him, one with 4 huge leaves growing from the base. He kicked at the plant one more time and looked back at the pirate.
“See, just as I said, nothing hap-“
The assembled marines reared back as the sky, which had been growing steadily more hazy, abruptly opened up and a bolt of lightning struck down right onto the head of their captain.
The light flared and then left as quickly as it came, leaving behind a twitching body sprawled on the ground and a smug looking pirate.
“I told you so.”
————
“No way!” Thatch cried as Ace recounted his adventure with the island’s marines.
“No joke, the guy was really asking for it. The rest of them grabbed him and ran before I could even get going. Shame, I was really hoping for a good fight but that bunch was totally weak.” Ace shrugged and reached into his pocket. He held out something green towards Thatch.
“Got you a present though, 4-leaf clover. It’s the one the Shimahama idiot stomped on. When I checked, it was still in perfect condition, so lucky right?” He blushed a bit and motioned towards Thatch with his hand. “It’s for you!”
Thatch gave an uneasy look at the plant in his brother’s hand. “This thing won’t get me struck by lightning right?” He tentatively took the clover and tucked it safely into a pocket.
Ace just smiled at him.
“Only if you’re causing yourself bad luck!”
Notes:
So a little of the world outside the Moby, luck is real just like Ace said. Not his fault if people didn’t believe him. If you’ve read my story with Dragon and the Revolutionaries, you may wonder how any of them are still alive. The answer to that is all about good intentions, and also maybe a little that Dragon can control the weather!
Side note: I’m sorry this one took so long, the app I write in decided to delete 80% of the chapter I had written and it was hard to get back my inspiration.
I hope this makes up for the wait! As always, please leave me a comment on your interesting superstitions or on Ace’s, I would love to hear from you guys!
