'' Hancock… '' a voice asked amidst the silence.
It was pitch black beneath the ship rowed by the two giant sea snakes. Yet, strangely enough, light descended on the ship from thousands of meters above. It was a phenomenon Alexander could hardly explain, the nature of it, a mystery, contributed to being in a different space and time.
'' Can you hear it? '' He called once again, his eyes looking beyond what light could reach, to the titanic silhouettes slowly moving with ocean currents.
'' Hear what? '' a hand reached Alexander's shoulder and slightly caressed it.
'' Voices… Loud voices… they're speaking but it's so loud I can barely distinguish their words. ''
Hancock felt a light shiver running down her skin. She stood beside her husband and followed his gaze, to the sea's underworld, to the giant shadows who called the deep sea home.
'' I can't seem to hear anything. '' She turned to her Kuja warriors standing behind her and questioned with a movement of her head, but they shook their heads for they heard nothing too.
'' What are they saying dear? '' She asked.
Alexander closed his eyes trying his best to calm down the noise and search for something comprehensible in what felt like a sensory overload.
'' We wait… '' He said.
'' Wait for what? '' She asked, but he didn't respond until a few seconds later.
'' Princess, Queen was born… '' He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
'' Time… close… promise… Ship… ''
The words he heard had a meaning behind them, there was a certain will resonating with a certain expectation and ancientness. They weren't strange to him at all.
The land between had its fair share of prophecies made by followers of unseen forces. Even the madmen littering the streets spoke similar foreboding words.
Seldom did those prophecies come true, however when they did, the world at that time would be in upheaval. They came with a promise of change, a change that could go as far as affecting the lowest of men and the farthest reaches of the world.
Alexander had to shake his head at how strange this experience was, it was the first time he encountered Sea Kings that could speak.
Their words weren't heard by anyone other than him, it was as if they were directly speaking within his head, their voices loud, true to their titanic size.
Hancock didn't know what to say. She felt that sometimes when faced with the unknown, words would fail to form.
The world held too many mysteries for anyone to discover and just like how strange this experience was; there could be even more secrets hidden beneath the veil of history waiting for the destined to uncover.
She felt it, how her perception of the world started to change since she married and now this encounter. Perhaps there'll be even more in the future.
She could wait and slowly experience them by his side. After all, this is why they had sailed for with no destination in mind. It was to leave their footsteps in this wide world together.
She smiled and hugged his back.
" Our next destination is Fish-man Island. But we can't stay there for long. "
Alexander held her arms, relishing her touch.
" Unfortunately yes, Your status as a Shichibukai won't be of help down here. The island is protected by The white-beard pirates and warlord Jinbei. "
Hancock sighed as she buried her head in his neck.
" Our ship's presence there could lead to some complications… the fish men's attitude and the island-protected status forces us not to stay there for long. We'll still stop there to reapply the coating. "
" Yes, we'll do that... " he said.
" I wonder how those two mermaids are doing...I promised to visit one day… I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill it this time…"
'' There'll be plenty of time in the future. ''
Hancock clearly remembered the celestial dragon's incident like it happened yesterday, the mermaid's plight, and the disgust on Alexander's face as he retold what happened.
It made her remember…she felt her back itching where her slave mark was. It had always been there as a witness to the Celestial's Dragon's cruelty and her unending hatred towards them.
Her hands unconsciously tightened around Alexander as she thought to herself, that maybe this was the first thing that made her fall in love with Alexander. He did what she could never do. He hit a World Noble with disregard for the consequences.
'' You know, that time when you hit that Celestial Dragon... I felt extremely happy... You did what I could never do… in that regard, I saw in you another part of myself that I had been suppressing for years. ''
'' You had your circumstances… the safety of your tribe was at stake… there was no other choice but to compromise, But.. '' He turned around, and gently held her by the waist.
'' The world and their so-called Justice may have turned their back on you, but I won't… this is my promise to you… and the Kuja. ''
'' I'm glad I met you, Alexander… '' Me too, me too he thought as he held her close.
The ship's descent was swift, the transition between the surface current and the deep sea current was seamless due to the two giant sea snakes pulling the coated ship downward.
However, this didn't mean that this path toward the new world was easily traversed, if one didn't have the means to ward off the dangers on the way they would sink forever, for only a third of the pirates have made it to Fish-Man Island.
So far they hadn't been attacked by any Sea King, this was attributed to the two Yudas pulling the ship, they were a type of poisonous Sea Serpents which made attacking them a hassle most Sea Kings wouldn't undertake.
A few hours later they were officially under the red line. The ship continued its course past sea mountains and volcanic fissures, once clear the ship emerged to what looked like a hole in the ocean, that was as bright as the surface and they never felt so small as this time.
Every Kuja warrior descended to the deck and looked at the gigantic bubble, within it, was a floating Island like a pearl shining for all spectators. Surrounding it were big schools of fish swimming by and on the occasion one could spot a Sea King or two peacefully passing by.
The giant Sunlight Tree Eve trunk descended from the surface and from it, sunlight poured down on this part of the sea making it as brightly lit as the surface.
As the ship continued its course uninterrupted, they drew close to Fish-Men Island and entered the port under the watchful eyes of the Island guards. After all, the perfume yuda ship was known to be the ship of a Shichbukai.
There were some complications that needed Boa Hancock to interfere but soon enough all was settled. They rested for a day before Alexander started coating the ship just like how his father taught him, in his own words he said it'd be a disgrace if his son didn't know a thing or two about his father's trade.
Three days later, the ship departed and with it, the fish-men let out a sigh of relief. They knew that if any problem occurred there would be a large battle which at the moment Fish-Man Island didn't need.
Swift as they came, they left, but this part of the journey wasn't as easy as before, Alexander held the front deck rails trying to stabilize himself as the ocean currents started throwing them around.
'' Hold tight! '' He shouted at the Kuja pirates.
Hancock nimbly jumped around the ship catching any female that went flying due to the intense turning and twisting the ship experienced.
Seeing some of the crew flying toward the edge of the bubble, Alexander jumped and caught them, then quickly ran to the door of the palace and shut them inside. He turned around and shouted.
'' If you can't stabilise yourself, get inside. '' Some heard his words and quickly scrambled to safety but a few remained, some whom he got to know during his journey such as Ran, Cosmos, Daisy and Rindo.
'' The currents are too chaotic. I'm afraid we'll be thrown off the course. '' Hancock jumped to his side and said after talking with the ship's navigator.
'' Well, it's better than falling downward with currents like this… at least we'll be able to reach the surface. '' Alexander didn't know much about navigation but he reckoned the ship should be able to hold until they reached the surface.
He looked at Hancock and saw how worried she was then laughed.
'' Ha ha… don't worry, isn't it exhilarating… few could experience this in their lifetime, you should embrace it. ''
'' But…Ahh..'' She was about to say something but then saw the smile on his face.
'' as long as you enjoy it… ''' She weakly replied, the situation was dangerous, however, if her husband found it to be enjoyable she'd do everything to entertain his whims, this was how Hancock loved. She would give everything without leaving anything to herself.
They continued to hold on to the ship as they shared small laughs among themselves and after thirty minutes they felt the ship stabilize on a current leading upward.
A few hours later the ship broke out of the surface with a big splash of water. The Kuja pirates felt like a year had passed, the sunlight peering down on them brought a big relief to their hearts.
'' We made it out! '' Some started shouting.
'' Finally, I can see the sun again.. '' some knelt and touched the wood of the ship, almost kissing the deck.
'' Ha ha, don't celebrate yet, we haven't touched the ground. ' He laughed and turned to the orange-haired, ever-smiling Daisy.
'' Navigator, go up the mast and see if you can find where we could touch land. ''
'' Zahaha, Alright Captain. '' She laughed an absurd laugh that always managed to crack him up.
'' She's a strange one, isn't she? '' He chuckled and spoke to Hancock.
Hancock smiled wryly, her crew had different personalities some were aloof, some were warm like the sun, but there was only one Daisy who laughed at almost every sentence.
'' Well, she's at least a capable Navigator. '' She said, but in the next moment, her face took another shade of red as she departed for the palace.
'' Dear, you must be hungry I'll go and prepare something for you to eat. ''
Alexander's eyes constricted after hearing her words, he rushed forward trying to stop her but she was even faster than him at this moment.
'' Hey Hancock...Hancock! No need to rush, I'm not that hungry yet. '' He shouted desperately but she seemed to be not listening as she put her hand under her cheeks and daydreamed.
'' He said he loved my food last time… I want to hear him say it again. ''
'' No Hancock please, you're the captain, you can order someone else… '' His voice was laden with desperation. Her cooking had improved but she wasn't quite there yet. Just as he was about to start sprinting to the kitchen, Daisy descended from the mast.
'' Captain, I found some land… But too much smoke seems to be coming from the island… They must be doing some barbecue Zahaha! '' She laughed once again, but this time Alexander didn't manage to laugh.
He started sweating, caught between Hancock's horrendous cooking and the news about the island. He had no choice but to grit his teeth, climb the mast and use the binoculars.
He couldn't see much in detail, but the silhouette of an island was clearly visible with a tinge of green, he couldn't tell much about its size but he reckoned that it should be big. However, the atmosphere surrounding it seemed to be bleak.
He noticed that several trails of smoke rose high, and smog seemed to settle down on the entire island.
'' Daisy! Tell them to set a course for the island. ''
'' Aye Captain. ''
Within moments the helm turned around, and the ship picked speed as the two sea serpents pushed forward, cutting a straight line towards the island.
As they approached, the situation of the island became clear, first of all, it wasn't a small-sized island, its surface could rival or even surpass Amazon Lily. Yet unlike the natural beauty of the Kuja's home, the place felt somewhat desolate.
Columns of black smoke rose, and vision-blocking smog spread across the island, giving the impression that the land was sick and slowly dying. Alexander calmly studied the situation and sensed that something was off about the place.
'' Dock behind that cliff, make sure no one sees our approach. ''
He didn't need to check if his order was carried or not, for he knew that they wouldn't disobey their captain's husband.
When the ship was carefully docked hidden from sight, Alexander called for Hancock from the Kitchen as well as a few members of the Kuja then climbed the cliff officially stepping into the island.
The first thing he noticed was how hard it was to breathe due to the air pollution, still, he pushed forward.
'' What could have caused this? '' Hancock said while observing the dying fauna.
'' We'll see soon enough… '' He replied, his tone subdued.
They soon entered the jungle, and as they kept walking forward someone stepped on a thing that made a loud crackling sound.
'' Sorry! '' She took a step back and apologised after seeing every head turn in her direction.
Alexander didn't respond as he walked over to her and removed the dry leaves covering the Jungle floor.
What lay down on the floor made his hand stop and his face harden.
'' Hancock, come and see this. '' He asked.
His wife quickly approached but when she saw what was lying beneath the leaves she couldn't help but ask puzzled.
'' Alexander, what's this? ''
'' I don't know, however, this looks like the skeleton of a humanoid, albeit its lower legs are altered to resemble a bird. '' He felt confused, never had he heard of humanoids having this type of skeleton.
'' It's young. '' He said, whatever kind of creature this was, either it had a small body or it was young in age.
'' Let's proceed, we may find an answer if we keep exploring... ''
They continued forward while paying attention to the jungle floor. Through their trek they found other types of skeletons, some were similar to the first one, some had a normal one, but others were completely deformed… they couldn't have possibly been able to live a normal life with bones like that.
Alexander's face was as cold as ice, his company completely silent. Everyone kept their thoughts to themselves as they continued forward. It didn't take long for them to find a rise where they could observe the surrounding land.
He took the lead, followed by Hancock, who looked a bit worried at her husband's silence.
Nonetheless, everything became clear once they ascended, the smoke they saw from afar was directly in front of them while far away was a city big enough to house tens of thousands.
Alexander looked down and he wished that he didn't. Before him lay what could be called a mining camp. Usually, one would find workers doing the mining job.
But here it felt like hell on earth, as he looked at the deformed figures of the people below as they struggled to lift the axe. Their hands and legs were chained with heavy iron chains.
They had weird twisted legs, some had scaly faces without eyes. They were an abomination if one was to be honest with themselves.
He even spotted some children working there, and even they, their young age didn't grant them pity, as they struggled to move about, some had unnatural animal parts, while others were deformed completely.
The chains around their necks and legs only added to their misery as blood and puss came out beneath the rusted iron.
It felt like something out of a nightmare, a failed creation that merely looking at it made you feel blessed and at the same time it felt like they were accusing you of the life you have. Why did this happen? Why was it only them?
Who could help them after this? Can they even live anymore… maybe if their chains were to be torn apart some of them would make a choice no living being should do.
Alexander clenched his fist so hard that a drop of blood fell from his hands into the ground.
His golden eyes moved toward the ones swinging whips made of steel, each swing would draw blood from the back of the miserable folks. The slavers appeared to be similar to the slaves except that they looked more refined, with animal horns, and more symmetrical animal parts.
Alexander's memories returned to a race destined to fade, the Albinaurics and their caged emancipated bodies hung over the castle walls. His breath quickened as he compared what he saw once with what was in front of him.
Their deformed form kept turning in his head, the incomprehensible sounds they made as they moved about rang loudly in his ears… and the sense of pity he felt toward them made his emotion turn chaotic without an outlet… but it did find where it could release itself… it turned into rage, an exhaustible rage.
That accused the living, accusing the normal, accusing him.
Alexander's eyes at this point could hardly be recognized, the gentle light from them long gone, instead, it was harsh, unforgiving, and indifferent to what was about to happen.
'' KILL THEM! '' He gave a single order with a flat and deadly voice, then jumped down.
'' Alexander! '' Hancock shouted and jumped directly behind.
However, he didn't pay attention to her as he descended faster and faster. Finally, he was just above one of the slavers. His fist penetrated the top of his head then grabbed something long and spiky, he yanked it hard then threw it around spreading gore and shattered organs.
A massacre commenced.