The sun rose over the building tops of Water Seven. Birds sang their lovely song before getting eaten by Seakings. The crew slowly rose from their rest. Each of them had their jobs to do today. Some of them were important, or just time consuming. There were still three days before their ship would be repaired.
Marco was hoping to visit his lovely lady once again and visit the city's bar. He was going to search around the city, not for her, but for the views. Ever since he got to this island, she has occupied his mind; but now he wanted to experience the heights of this city before they sat sail once again. Maybe the two of them could go on a stroll throughout the city if he found her.
Jozu was checking the ship's condition before heading off to party with the local ladies with Thatch. He had seen from swelled up from yesterday and wanted to ask their hand in a dance before the dance rested. He wanted to show off his fine moves before taking his leave.
And Thatch just wanted to spend a night with one of them. One night in their beds; of course. He had his moves already planned from the start.
And lastly the two brothers, the highest ranking on the crew, were on a hunt. Unlike the others, they, or Sabo, were first awake in the morning. Sabo woke Ace from his sleeping state. They were on a hunt for a childhood memory that had been with them since they were only nine years old. This was a matter that wouldn't leave them till they saw her in flesh. They were searching for their missing sister; Lucy.
Marco was sitting at the table drinking his hot streaming cup of coffee when Sabo and Ace walked into the room. He looked up from his glass at the drowsy captain. "What are you doing at this hour?"
He wasn't questioning Sabo, who joined him in his cup of coffee in the mornings, but he was questioning his young captain who rather sleeps in.
Ace hit his head on the cabinet and groaned. He rubbed the spot and turned around to look at Marco. "He's just showing me something."
"So you're actually getting out of the ship?" Marco taunted. Yesterday, Ace stayed inside of the ship all day because of his hangover.
"Yeah. After I get some of that muddy icky stuff."
The pineapple head man nodded. "It's actually quite good, this coffee."
"Whatever." He turned around and grabbed a cup from Sabo.
"Hey, that's mine!"
It was too late. Ace already took a drink of the coffee and he ended up spitting it out. "What the fuck is that?!" he wiped his tongue with his waist; trying to get the taste of wood and salt out of his mouth.
"Told you," the blonde laughed. Marco joined in and chuckled at the captain's mistake.
Ace pulled the cup from Sabo's other hand. Before taking a sip, he glared at Sabo. "You better not poison this."
"If you don't like coffee, then don't drink it. Simple as that."
"If I didn't have to get up this early, I wouldn't have it." He finally took a sip of his coffee. Instead of salted wood like Sabo's, he tasted sweet with a sour tip. He still couldn't see how these two could drink coffee everyday.
The blonde took his drink and wiped the lid of it; where Ace took a drink from. He then gulped the hot liquid and sat down at the table. Since the boat was being repaired, they rented a hotel room where everyone had to share a bedroom; except Marco who slept in the bedroom. Luckily, Thatch and Ace were over their hangovers so they could transfer to the hotel. "So, what are your plans?"
"Just sightseeing. That's about it," the older man gently stated.
"That sounds boring," moaned Ace.
"Well, at least I'm not hanging out inside all day because of a hangover, am I?"
Ace looked away and took a gulp of his coffee. "Shut it, Pineapple."
Marco rolled his eyes and emptied his cup. He sat it in the sink, "I guess I'll be the one leaving first. See ya later." He marched out of the small dining space and out the door.
"I've been wondering where he's going for the last few days…" mumbled Sabo. "Usually he stays on the boat with Robin when we visit an island."
"Maybe he found a bird to mate with?" Ace suggested with his crude humor of Marco's state. Sabo couldn't help but chuckle at Ace's joke.
"But, shouldn't we get going?" Sabo questioned once he was done with his cup of coffee. Ace nodded and slowly lifted himself from the counter. If this wasn't Lucy, he was going to kill Sabo for waking him up this early for nothing.
The two finally lift their hotel room. They had a view of the huge bottom half of the city. They could view the storeowners opening their shops and stations for the new day to come. Fathers were leaving their homes to get to their jobs at Gallery-La.
Ace and Sabo slowly walked down the staircase and ended up on the city's street. They looked at the river where their Yagara Bull was supposed to be. "Guess we will just have to walk."
"We paid for it all week. Bad service. I'm gotta charge that Bull," mumbled Ace.
"Lighten up, Grumpy."
Ace shook his head and crossed his arms. "So which way, Know-It-All?"
"Hm… by Gallery-La?" he questioned. That was the place where he saw her. That should be their starting point. "Wait, if you have any valuables, make sure they are safe."
"Why?" Ace questioned. He narrowed his eyebrows at Sabo's order.
"There's a gang of thieves around this town."
This caused Ace to laugh his head off. "You only… been here… for two days… yet now you're the expert of this city? Haha!"
"Fine. If that's what you think," he rolled his eyes. Not like I saved your life yesterday from them. Huh? he thought.
The two of them walked down the street and passed the shopping district. They stopped and picked up a meal before actually going to Gallery-La. Shipwrights were already prepping for the new day. They uncovered the tarts and started the machines. Shouts and orders were ordered and then followed. From where the two boys were standing, they were still amazed at the teamwork of the shipwrights.
They couldn't actually enter the dock till opening hours. They would only get in everyone's way if they entered. But Iceburg still exited the place. "What's your business?" he wondered as he scratched his rat's head.
Sabo scratched his head, "Just hoping you could help us with something."
"What exactly?"
"Iceburg doesn't have time for small chat," thundered Kalifa. She walked in front of Iceberg and glared at the two of them over her glasses. "If you just want to waste someone's time, then go elsewhere. Iceburg is an important figure."
"We just want to get the name of someone."
"Then hurry up. You're wasting mine, and his time."
Iceburg rolled his eyes at his hot-tempered helper. "I know practically everyone who lives here."
"We are looking for a girl."
He wrinkled his eyebrows and gave a small smile. "There are fine batches of ladies all over the city."
"No, I didn't mean that way. This girl, she was a marine here," Sabo stated.
"You mean Captain Nar—"
"Iceburg! It's time for your meeting!" The woman interrupted Iceburg's next words. She turned around as if he was going to follow her, but he stayed in place. He just glanced back in her direction with a questioning expression. Kalifa didn't want the two boys to learn of Lucy. She just had a gut feeling against the two boys, and she was going to listen to it. They could be the ones that caused Lucy with problems that Kalifa saw last night. And what type of friend was she if she let them closer to their target?
"Lu—" he started but Kalifa interrupted once again, "She has a shift this noon," he finished before Kalifa came back and dragged him off.
"Captain Lu." Ace repeated. "That's Lucy's nickname. And that girl, she gives me the creeps. Why the hell was she in a rush out of sudden?"
"I told you so, and for that, I really don't know. She was kinda like that yesterday as well. But… it's Lucy! It's been so freakin' long!"
"She's a Captain now!" Ace cheered in as well. He smiled at Lucy's rank in position. Even after all those years under Garp, he would have thought she would have gotten a higher position. Maybe even a part of a strong marine unit. "I wonder what she will do when we find her. Heck, she would probably fall into the water from the shock!"
"Ace," Sabo stopped in his tracks. His tone gave Ace's shivers. "Didn't I tell you already that I saw her, and she saw me! She just ducked down and left!"
"Because you look like a creep," he pulled his tongue out at the blonde.
"That's you," Sabo said. This was a daily routine of the two brothers. Just a fight waiting to happen between the two opposing forces, but neither of them wanted to start it when they were so close to finding their missing link.
She was heading to the mayor's house to get checked in. She already had her apparel on since that was her daily attire. It was already close to her scheduled hours that she sailed on her Yagara Bull. The bull was sailing slowly down the river that lined Water Seven. She placed her head on the chair custom. It was so soft that she felt like falling asleep.
Last night she barely had gotten any shuteye because of her inflicting conflicts with Lucci and the new threat, her brothers. Her body relaxed and she almost shut her eyes but she saw a flash of blue.
Her heartbeat fastens and she keeps her composure. She slowly shifted forward and opened her eyes. If she glanced back, then they would see her face. "Go," she said slowly to her Yagara Bull. He looked back at her and nodded at her order. He fastened his pace and launched forward in the river.
"Ace! There!" shouted a blonde.
Oh shit, she thought. Now was not the time for playing it cool. She patted her Yagara's head, "Full speed down. Now!"
He fastened his pace to maximum speed. They cut across traffic and almost crashed into others.
"There she is!"
She shifted her hat downward and lifted her hand over the side of the block. A giant box was created right in front of the two brothers. They bounced back on their bottoms and jumped over the box as if nothing. One of them jumped onto the ceilings of the buildings that lined the street while the other stayed on the ground.
Sabo used soru and appeared closer to her. When did he learn, she started to think, but that was something for later. She created two more boxes that floated right in front of Sabo's face. Sabo crashed into it and fell down along the roof.
"What was that for!" he yelled and quickly regained his pace.
Can't you guys see I'm trying to help you? she thought when she created another visible box that Ace tripped over. It vanished as soon as he fell.
"Lucy!" Ace yelled. "GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"
The citizens were hiding in their shops with glaring eyes at the two brothers. From their outlook, their city's protector, Lucy, was the one being chased by foul pirates. They started trying to trip the pirates in hopes of aiding Lucy.
She rounded a corner and it all came downhill after that. Her Yagara Bull tucked his fins in when it started going downstream. They flew through the air and landed to the bottom. The two pirates stood at the edge and looked down. Even they couldn't make that jump, unlike Kaku.
Ace looked at Sabo. "That was absolutely Lucy. But why is she running from us?"