Chapter 37: A Series of Unfortunate Negotiations
Natsu's POV: The Unstoppable Force vs. The Unmovable Ocean
The run to Hargeon was awesome. The wind in his hair, the ground blurring under his feet—it was the first time in days he felt like he could really stretch his legs. He was leading the charge, a general leading his army on the most important mission ever conceived: Operation Make Lucy Happy. He glanced back. Gray was keeping pace easily, that stupid, smug look on his face. Lucy was right behind them, looking a little worried but also excited. And Happy was… well, Happy was trying to chase a butterfly. Okay, so maybe not a perfect army, but it was his army.
His good mood evaporated the moment they hit the docks. The place smelled overwhelmingly of fish and salt, and every single person they talked to was a grumpy old man.
"Take us to Galuna Island!" he demanded of the first captain they found, a man whose beard looked like it had its own ecosystem.
The man laughed, a deep, rumbling sound like rocks falling. "Galuna? The Cursed Island? You got a death wish, kids? I wouldn't sail there if the Queen of Fiore herself offered me a personal serenade."
"I can sing better than the queen!" Natsu declared confidently. He took a deep breath and let out a screeching, off-key wail that sounded like a cat being put through a woodchipper.
The captain stared, his laughter gone, replaced by a look of pure horror. He slowly made the sign of the evil eye and backed away. "Get lost, you demon-spawn."
It was the same everywhere. One sailor offered to take them to "Banana Island" for a bottle of rum. Another quoted them a price so high Natsu was pretty sure it could buy the entire port, including the grumpy sailors. His frustration mounted. What was wrong with these people? It was a simple boat trip! He was about to solve the problem the old-fashioned way—by grabbing a boat and punching anyone who tried to stop him—when Gray put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let the new-and-improved Lucy do her thing," Gray said.
Natsu watched as Lucy closed her eyes. He didn't really get what her new "thing" was, but it made her look calm and kinda scary, like Erza right before she lectured him. He hoped it would work, because his stomach was already starting to feel weird just from the gentle rocking of the docks. He hated boats. He hated the ocean. It was his one, true, un-punchable nemesis.
Lucy's POV: Psychic, Broke, and Desperate
Lucy took a deep breath, trying to block out Natsu's singing, which she was fairly certain qualified as a war crime under several international treaties. She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind.
The port was a tidal wave of psychic noise.
'Fish prices are terrible today…' 'That wizard girl with the keys has a nice…' Lucy recoiled from that thought with a mental "Ew!" and pushed it away. 'I really need a drink…' 'Did I leave the oven on? Oh, stars, I think I left the oven on…' 'My wife is going to kill me…'
It was mostly mundane, everyday anxieties. She needed to find a specific flavor of desperation. She pushed past the surface thoughts, searching for the sharp, bitter tang of pure, gut-wrenching financial panic. And then she found it. It was a signal as clear and piercing as a scream, coming from the far end of the docks.
'Oh, man, I'm ruined. Utterly ruined. Big-nosed Tony is going to break my legs. Then he's going to take my boat. Then he's going to break my other legs, just for fun. I'm a dead man. A dead man with no boat and four broken legs…'
Bingo.
Gray gave her a subtle nod, a flicker of genuine respect in his eyes. It sent a tiny, pleasant thrill through her. It was one thing to have power; it was another to have her teammates, especially Gray, actually acknowledge its usefulness. Maybe this S-Class quest wasn't such a bad idea after all.
Bobo the Fisherman's POV: A Deal with Devils
Bobo was staring at a hole in his net and contemplating a new life as a hermit in the mountains when three teenagers and a blue cat appeared before him. One of them, a shirtless kid with an unnervingly intense stare, placed a piece of paper on a barrel.
Bobo glanced at it. His eyes, accustomed to scanning the horizon for fish, bulged. 7,000,000 Jewel. Seven. Million. That was enough to pay off Big-nosed Tony, buy a new boat, a new house, and maybe even a new nose for Tony so he wouldn't be so angry all the time.
Then he saw the destination. "G-Galuna Island?" he stammered, his blood running cold. "But… the curse… the demons…"
The pink-haired one slammed a fist into his palm, and the fist was on fire. Bobo yelped and fell backwards over a lobster trap.
"Don't worry about any demons!" the fire-boy declared with a terrifying grin. "Any curse that shows its ugly face, I'll punch it so hard its ancestors will feel it! You'll be the richest, safest fisherman in all of Fiore!"
Bobo looked at the fire-boy. He looked at the intense, shirtless one. He looked at the blonde girl, who was giving him a strained but reassuring smile. He looked at the flying blue cat. He looked back at the 10,000 Jewel. Big-nosed Tony's threats seemed very distant. The demons on Galuna Island seemed very close. But the money… the money was right here.
"O-okay," he squeaked, his life choices flashing before his eyes. "I'll take you."
The Boat Ride: A Symphony of Misery
The trip was a nightmare.
From Natsu's perspective, the world had become a swirling vortex of nausea. The moment the boat left the harbor, his dragon-slaying stomach betrayed him utterly. He hung his head over the side, his face a shade of green that clashed horribly with his hair. "So… wavy…" he moaned, the world tilting and spinning around him.
From Happy's perspective, this was the funniest thing that had ever happened. "He's a mighty dragon slayer who can't handle a little boat!" he chirped, dangling a wriggling fish in front of Natsu's face. "You're a disgrace to dragons everywhere, Natsu! What would Igneel say?"
"Get… that… slimy… thing… away… from… me…" Natsu groaned, his plea punctuated by a wretched gag.
From Gray's perspective, it was comedy gold. He was shirtless, leaning against the mast, enjoying the sea spray. "What's the matter, flame-brain? Feeling a little queasy? Need me to freeze the ocean for you?"
"I'll… queasy… on… you…" Natsu threatened weakly.
From my perspective, floating invisibly above the mast, the scene needed a bit more pizzazz. I focused on the fishing line Gray was dangling lazily in the water. With a powerful psychic pulse, I made it feel like he'd hooked a sea serpent the size of a mountain.
"Whoa! I got one! It's huge!" Gray yelled, his muscles straining as he fought the imaginary beast. He battled it for a solid five minutes, his face a mask of intense concentration. Finally, with a mighty heave, he hauled his catch onto the deck: a single, waterlogged boot with a very confused crab inside. The look of utter deflation on his face was a masterpiece.
I then turned my attention to Natsu. As he groaned, I used a tiny bit of power to project an image into his mind: a giant, dancing, singing piece of broccoli. His eyes widened in horror, and he let out a miserable wail.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the island appeared. It was a dark, jungle-covered mass, shrouded in mist, with a strange, violet glow pulsing from its center. Bobo the fisherman, who had spent the entire trip praying in the fetal position, pointed a trembling finger.
"That's it," he whispered. "Galuna Island. This is as close as I go."
They paid the man, who took the money and sped away as if the hounds of hell were on his tail. As they rowed the final stretch in a small dinghy, the mood shifted. The comedy of the boat ride faded, replaced by a palpable sense of dread. The air grew cold, and the scent of unknown blossoms mixed with a deep, ancient sorrow. Their S-Class adventure was about to get real.
#Join my [email protected]/Eros_Storge and get access to advanced chapters early