Chapter 38: What Comes Next
Turning around I looked over at Ace and Luffy as they finished off what remained of Bluejam's crew. A few of the more conscious of the lot turned hopeful eyes in my direction. No doubt looking for their captain. They probably expect to see him step in and put an end to the fight any second now. But what they saw left them speechless.
Bluejam's body lay face down in the mud, a mixture of dirt, blood and cuts of varying sized cross crossed his form. The realization slowly set in as they watched me pull out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off my scimitar.
"Oh my god!" - "He killed him!" - "Our captain is dead?!" - "You-you bastards!"
Many of Bluejams men stared on in shock and horror as the reality of what p I had done set in. Ace and Luffy didn't even bat an eye. With Bluejam dead the rest of his crew scattered to the wind. Well, the conscious ones at least. Some of them even crawling in order to get away. The majority of the most notorious pirate crew in Goa Kingom lay sprawled out across the Grey Terminal with varying degrees of injuries.
By the time the Bluejam's blood seeped into the ground and turned it to a dark crimson mud, Sabo and his father had long since walked through the gates, closing them as they entered the city. Never once turning around to see the commotion behind them.
"Couldn't you have stopped them before? Why did you let them take Sabo?" Ace yelled as he grabbed me by the collar.
"If I had made a move at the wrong time, both you and Luffy could have been killed. I couldn't take that risk. Sabo is strong. You know that! He wouldn't go with them if we weren't in real danger. He's not giving up on his dreams. This is just a bump in his road." I said while placing my hand in Aces shoulder. "I'm going to miss him too, but for now all we can do is wait, and have faith." I stated softly as I placed my hand on his shoulder.
Ace batted my hand away before marching off angrily. Clearly needing some time on his own to let off some steam.
'Such a hot head. He really wears his emotions on his sleeve. But it's not like I'm much different.'
"I just wish there was more I could have done." I said with a sigh while looking down at Luffy. That when I remembered what Sabo had found earlier.
"Hey, Luffy come here and take a look at this, Sabo found it for you before we got ambushed." I added with a slight smile while pulling the telescope from within my pocket.
I had made sure to keep it safe throughout the battle. Luffy's glimmered as he hugged the cracked telescope to his chest.
"Thank's Cas, I'll make sure to clean it up and mount it at the top of our base." Luffy responded by wiping the snot from his nose and lifting the rusted telescope to his left eye to peer through the cracked lens. A sad smile spread across his face as he stared towards the area Sabo had gone.
After a while, once Luffy had gone off to follow Ace, I walked over to Bluejam's body. I took a long moment to just look down at it. Staring into the eyes of yet another person I've killed in this world. It didn't make my heart flutter, nor cause it to beat in any strange way. And I didn't feel like throwing up this time.
I simply loomed over the mans corpse with an unsympathetic gaze. Turning my head I looked at the two flintlocks lying on the floor not far from his body. Still laying where they fell during battle.
I couldn't help myself. I walked over and picked them up before strapping them to my belt.
"Time to head to Pirates Cove and raid Bluejam's ship." I remarked offhandedly.
He's been ruling the place for years now, so he's bound to have quite the collection amassed. Whether it's gold, jewelry or weapons, I made sure to take everything they had stockpiled for myself. Combining it with my own stash to make quite the hefty sum. I guess Bluejam was saving up to get ready for his life as a noble.
While I was focused on looting Bluejam's ship something else was happening behind the scenes. Just as I expected it too if I'm being honest. Taking out Bluejam was just removing one cog in a faulty system. It's not going to change the overall problem. I only noticed it on my way back to my hideout with all of Bluejam's loot. Roughly a dozen people are going in and out of Edge Town, carrying barrels and leaving them in specific places throughout the Grey Terminal.
With the biggest pirate in town out of the picture, a different group was hired to accomplish the task the nobles originally wanted to hire Bluejam's crew for. Meaning I don't have to do anything to ensure the fire takes place.
At this very moment all across the Grey Terminal, boxes of black powder, oil and explosives are being carted around by people who have no idea what they're carrying.
Tomorrow night everything in this area, meaning the entire Grey Terminal and everyone living in it, is meant to be set ablaze and destroyed in the ensuing fire.
The nobles of the Goa kingdom are the ones who concocted this plan. They intend to set the fire and trap everyone in the Grey Terminal by blocking off the doors to Edge town. All in order to burn the garbage outside their city to maintain the illusion that their country is a clean and beautiful one.
It's sickening.
And to think, all this is because an envoy from the Celestial Dragon will arrive in a few days. The most messed up part is that not a single one of those spoiled, rich bastards care about the all lives they are about to destroy. They just want to look their best and most of them actually believe that they are somehow superior to the people living outside their gates, as if they wouldn't be in the same place if things in life had gone a little differently.
Instead each and everyone of them are going about their lives, acting as if nothing is happening. Most of them are probably glad to be rid of the Grey Terminal and those living in it.
"To treat human life with such disregard, they're hardly any better than the celestial dragons… Then again, these people don't own slaves. Or explosive collars… which is a whole new level of what the hell." I added cynically with a shake of the head.
This world can be so messed up. It almost makes it difficult to see the bright side. But I'm not too worried about it all. I picked this place knowing this was going to happen. I wanted to see it with my own eyes. I needed to see it. To better understand the true nature of what this world is like I can't just go around thinking it's some beautiful unexplored paradise, I needed a wake up call. That's what this fire represents to me.
Besides, I've already done my own prep work to handle the fires. I've left a few barrels of my own, each one filled to the brim with water, all placed in specific locations in order to counter the explosions.
The hard part comes next.
When it all starts I'll be summoning a massive down pour to further snuff out the flames. I've never called a storm before. I've practiced and understand the principal, but I only managed to make it rain for a short time. Luckily I have a plan for that.
For now, it's just a waiting game.
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