Regan rushed outside of the bungalow, nearly tripping in his flight. He could hear Izgrim and his father's shouts whipping against the air, but he ignored them and continued running.
Morgan was already on to him, quickening to his side before briefly stopping to match his pace. "What the hell was that!? You weren't even in there for a minute!"
"I couldn't do it!" Regan gulped. "I couldn't even look at her! She looked so weak..it-it reminded me of how…" he trailed off, not daring to meet Morgan's eyes.
Morgan gave no response, he simply nodded to mark that he understood. "Well, you're going the wrong way. The docks are this way, follow me."
Regan nodded, shaking off the thoughts of Dantes's mother. He couldn't face her, not just because of her illness, but also because of the fact that he was not truly her son. She would be holding and crying over a stranger.
By the time they reached the docks, Regan's breath came out ragged. Morgan seemed fine, however, but there were still lines of sweat on his face that spoke of his exhaustion.
The sun was now a blazing orange, sinking into the belly of the sky as it painted the world in its likeness.
There were multiple merchant ships around them, some of them resembling eachother, but what separated them were their sails. Regan found one in particular that had the premium inn typography on its fabric, followed by a glass bottle filled with booze.
There were three men aboard the deck, now waving at Regan upon recognising him. One of them was a tall, stocky man garbed in a simple black shirt and black pants, a pistol holstered by his waist.
Another was carrying a rifle, a mop of brown hair on the crown of his head, billowing diligently in the wind. He was in the same simple outfit, though his was brown where the other man's was black.
The last man looked to be quite frail and old, he had a log pose strapped around his wrist, a wizened appearance, and a dearth of hair on the crown of his scalp, the grey follicles had parted like a red sea and were now on either side of his head. His face seemed hard and cruel, his brown eyes staring off into the sunset as his grey robe danced and swayed under the wind.
"Where's the rest of ya'?" Said the man carrying the rifle. "Izgrim and Rose, where they at?"
"They'll be here soon, we got a little…lost? I guess." Morgan answered for him.
"Morgan! Good to see you, you coming with us?" The stocky man said.
"Nah," Morgan groaned, "just the three brats that'll be coming with you. His father needs me here." He confirmed that fact by putting his hand on Regan's shoulder.
"I see. That's a shame. Well, get on board Dantes. We'll wait for Izgrim and Rose right here."
Regan nodded, then turned to Morgan.
"Well, what's the plan?" Morgan said. "You're heading off to sea for the first time, you going to knock some heads or what?"
"Yeah, I got to. Gonna build up some essence and advance through the ranks. Hopefully improve my stats, too." Regan said.
"You know how to acquire haki?" Morgan said, raising a single brow.
"Unless there's a game mechanic behind it, I'm familiar with how to achieve it. I've caught up with the story, dude."
"Good, good. Well, I'll see by the time you get back. You'll be a different man by then, I dread it."
"You dread it?" Regan laughed.
Morgan did not. "Yeah, I dread it. You'll either remain the same man you are today, eager to meet your hero, or this world will transform you into something sinister as your ambitions become endless. I've seen it happen before."
"Interesting. Well, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be the same man you're seeing right now, trust me."
Morgan chewed on that, but gave no hint as to believing a word Regan said. He wore a smile that did not reach his eyes, and tapped Regan on the shoulder before walking away.
Onboard the merchant's ship, Regan was welcomed by all three men whose conversations he had listened to carefully, not willing to raise any suspicion as to his obliviousness of their identities.
The bald man with the grey patch of hair was called Jinkota, he had a large walking cane that he kept close to his lap as he gazed at the setting sun.
The one with the rifle was called Randi, he was one of the men that worked at his fathers bar, nudging and rubbing Regan's head like some close uncle that he never was. Though, he may as well be.
The one with the black clothes was called Clam. He was another bar worker, and a marksman who had such good aim that he could shoot an apple from 100 metres away, according to his flapping tongue.
These were the men that were sent to help in the selling and trading of goods, and with the defense of the merchant's ship.
They had all asked about Regan's injury, and Regan only gave them vague tales on how he had tried fighting some strange beast in the woods, and not how he had come face to face with a fellow transmigrater who had almost took his arm off.
Regan had laid down against the side of the ship, using the wood as a pillow as he began drifting off to sleep. He had already slept before, but the long conversations he had with the men, and with the blazing sun in the background, the calm hymn of the river as it crashed against a shore, and the calling of the seagulls, Regan found it hard not to fall into another slumber.
He woke up to the moon illuminating the world around him, its light washing away at the darkness that sought to envelope the world.
He stood up from the side the ship, and turned so he could place his hands on the edge. The moon was even more beautiful in the one piece world. Regan wondered when those space pirates would come down with Enel.
It was crazy to think that at the same time he was sailing the seas, Enel was on the moon fighting against space pirates. So much more was going on around the world, and Regan basked in the thoughts that placed him in the centre of events.
"You're finally awake!" Came a sweet voice. Regan turned and found Rose walking towards him, a smile plastered on her face. Every step she made made his heart thunder.
"R-Rose," he stammered, scratching his neck.
"I'm glad you're okay. You gave us quite the fright back there. Why did you run away?"
"I-well, I just…I was scared. Where's Izgrim?"
"He's below deck, don't change the topic, Dantes. Talk to me." She said, holding his face and turning his head to face her.
My hearts going to explode! Shit.
"I-I was just horrified seeing her like that. It—it reminded me of how things used to be." Regan swallowed, hoping that answer sufficed.
"How things used to be? Like before she was sick, huh? I understand." Rose sighed. "I felt the same way when my father was dying. And when he passed away it crushed me."
There was dejection and grief in her eyes, and her face donned a myriad of emotions, some happy, and some exuding how distraught her soul felt as it trembled with every recollection of her father.
"Your lucky to have your father," Rose said. "He…he said some pretty horrible things before we left, but I think he was just angry."
"What did he say?"
"He—he said that you aren't his son. And that he doesn't want to see your face for a while."
"Understandable. I ran away, didn't I? I don't expect to be back for a while anyway."
"Don't let it trouble you too much, Dantes. Your father loves you very much, I know that much is true."
"Yeah." Regan frowned, remembering the father he once had in the real world. He was a frugal man who had never spent a penny on his children, opting to instead relish in his hedonistic ideals; partying, drinking, and sleeping around with prostitutes. He despised the man more than he liked to admit.
That's why it felt so strange to finally have a father who actually cared, a father who called him out on his bullshit and showed him tough love when necessary.
He felt like paying him back. He was going to be a pirate after all, and, like Whitebeard once did when he was alive, he could send back some of the money and goods that he looted or received along the way.
As these thoughts ran marathons in his head, a foreboding air settled around him. Regan could feel danger lurking in the corner, his heart palpating rapidly in his chest.
He turned around and, to his shock, three silent pirate ship were following them. They had been following them since they left the docks, approaching cautiously like vipers.
"Oh my god, a-are those pirates?" Rose panicked. She had followed Regan's eyes with confusion, and now her own were slick with fear, widening as the pirates divorced the distance between them.
"I-I'm going to go below deck and wake everyone u—"
"No!" Regan shouted, grabbing her by the arm. "Let them sleep."
"What!? Why!? They might be—no, they're defintley here to rob us!"
"And I'll stop them." Regan smiled, slamming a fist into his palm. "Just step back and let them approach."
"Dantes! Have you gone mad!?"
"Maybe a little," Regan laughed, cracking his knuckles.
First taste of battle. Let's see how I do against three whole crews.