pertwk 51: There's something wrong with the 2 points awarded.
51: There's something wrong with the 2 points awarded.
In the year 1470 of the Ocean Calendar, on the Grand Line, in the waters near Gaya Island.
The weather wasn't great today; leaden clouds hung low over the sea, and the salty sea breeze carried the oppressive feeling of an impending downpour. But none of this dampened the Broken Bones Pirates' spirits.
The captain of the Bonebreaker Pirates, "Bonebreaker" Sekari Basil, is a tall, muscular man with three hideous scars on his face.
He stood with one foot on the stolen cargo box, watching his men load the cargo, Baileys, and everything of value onto a hapless merchant ship.
"Hurry up, you fucking idiots! Haven't you eaten yet?!"
Basil's voice was like a broken gong, rough and carrying an unquestionable authority on the ship.
He enjoyed the feeling of being in control, and the desperate, terrified looks in the eyes of the sailors and merchants on the merchant ship.
In the waters surrounding Gaya Island, Basil the Bone is king!
"Captain, this is a good haul!"
A weasel-faced crew member grinned obsequiously, "That'll keep us entertained in Magic Valley Town for quite a while!"
Basil snorted in response.
He was about to order the remaining few disliked crew members on the merchant ship to be thrown to the fish when, at the edge of his field of vision, a pitifully small boat, almost cobbled together from a few broken planks, was rushing toward them.
"Hmm?" Basil squinted.
There was only one person on the boat. The person was frantically waving a tattered piece of clothing and shouting something, the sound of which was torn apart by the sea wind.
"Damn it, what's that bastard Daba doing here? He's ruining my fun!"
Basil waved his hand impatiently: "Get over there! If it's not a big deal, smash every bone in his body!"
Two boats, one large and one small, approached each other, and the man on one of them practically tumbled and crawled to Basil's feet.
The man was deathly pale and gasping for breath: "Captain Basil! Something terrible has happened! Something terribly wrong!"
This guy is a small-time dealer in stolen goods in Mogu Town, and he occasionally provides information to the Shattered Bone Pirates.
Basil frowned and kicked Daba away: "What's the panic? Is the sky falling? Talk to me properly!"
Daba was kicked and staggered, but dared not utter a sound of complaint. Gasping for breath, he shouted incoherently:
"Yes, this is our territory! Shattered Bones Tavern!"
"Someone, someone is impersonating our Bonebreaker Pirates and attacked the captain of some ship in the tavern!"
"Then, then the captain of the attacked ship claimed to be in self-defense and retaliated, and then occupied our territory!"
"The news has spread throughout the entire town of Mogu! And all of Jaya Island!"
"What?!"
Basil's facial scars instantly became congested with blood and turned purplish-red.
An uncontrollable surge of anger rushed straight to the top of his head!
Impersonating them? Self-defense? Occupying territory!
Who the hell is this bastard who dares to mess with him, Broken Bone Basil?!
Is it still in Magic Valley Town, in his old lair that he's built up over the years?!
"Who?! Which blind bastard did this?!"
Basil's roar even drowned out the waves as he grabbed Daba by the collar and lifted him off the deck.
"Is it someone from 'Blood Blade'? Or those scumbags from 'Mad Shark'?!"
"N-I don't know, Captain!"
Daba trembled with fear: "It seems like there's only one person!"
"I heard he's a complete stranger, and he's even bringing a really impressive big ship!"
One person? One ship? And they dare to occupy the territory of the Shattered Bone Pirates?!
What a disgrace! An utter disgrace!
If we don't tear that guy's bones off one by one and feed them to the dogs, how will Bonebreaker Basil ever be able to stand in Mock Town again? How will he ever be able to survive on the Grand Line!
"Turn around! Turn around right now! Go back to Mogu Town!"
Basil shoved Daba aside and roared at the helmsman, "Raise all the sails! As fast as you can!"
"I'd like to see which fool dares to mess with me!"
The Bonebreaker Pirate Ship immediately drew a sharp arc on the sea, sailing at full speed towards Jaya Island.
Basil stood at the bow of the ship, the sea breeze making his messy hair even wilder. He stared intently in the direction of Mogu Town, his teeth grinding together, his eyes burning with fire.
He had already devised nine ways to torture people in his mind, nine!
He'll make those imposters and daring thieves regret it for the rest of their lives!
However, when the familiar outline of the pier on Gaya Island came into view, Basil's anger subsided somewhat.
How can there be so many people? And... it's so quiet.
The dock was packed with people.
Almost the entire population of Mogu Town, from ragged poor to glamorous bar girls, from cunning merchants to vicious thugs, had gathered at the dock.
This is not too surprising; Mogu Town is never short of people who want to watch a spectacle.
Strangely enough, members of every well-known pirate crew near Jaya Island also showed up! And they were all standing at the very front of the crowd!
Those pirates were all holding weapons, and their expressions... didn't seem like the usual excitement or schadenfreude they showed when watching something funny.
Rather, it was an indescribable silence, a repressive solemnity, as if waiting for something to descend.
Moreover, Basil keenly noticed that the number of people in these pirate crews seemed to have decreased significantly, especially some of the core members.
He scanned the crowd and noticed that the captains of those pirate crews who were usually at odds with him but whose strength was not to be underestimated were not present, even though most of their crew members were there.
And that ship.
On one side of the dock, a three-masted sailing ship he had never seen before was quietly moored.
The ship's lines are smooth and beautiful, the wood is obviously valuable, and it is very well maintained, so clean that it is out of place with the dirty environment of Magic Valley Town.
The seahorse ram at the bow of the ship gleamed, the sails were furled, and it sat there quietly. There seemed to be mermaids on board.
A thought of greed subconsciously rose in Basil's mind, but he immediately suppressed it with the more pressing situation at hand.
Something's wrong, something's very wrong!
Something's definitely not right!
But the die was cast, and he had no choice but to act. As the nominal "ruler" of Mogu Town, he absolutely could not show weakness in front of so many people on his own territory!
"Bang!"
The pirate ship crashed violently into the dock, its hull rocking wildly.
Before the boat had come to a complete stop, Basil leaped up, his heavy body crashing onto the wooden dock like a boulder with a dull thud.
He drew his curved sword from his waist with a clang, the blade pointing at the dark mass of people before him. His voice, strained with anger, was even louder, bordering on cracking:
"Which spineless bastard dares to impersonate my Bone-Crushing Pirates?!"
"Which bastard is asking for trouble?! Daring to occupy my territory?! Get your ass out here!!"
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Aerial view of Gaya Island (present-day):