The tunnel goes on and on and on, seemingly without end. No sign of any mineral deposit of any kind, no vein of iron or tin.
“Well that was a damned beautiful waste of my time!” I grumpily mention while noticing that my torch has almost run out. Wonderful, now my only source of light is about to give up on m-” *THUNK!** “Gah, what the hell was that!”
Swinging my flimsy torch ahead of me, I see that I’ve stumbled on a thick wooden door, encased directly in the wall of the cave and sitting on iron hinges.
“The first sign of civilization on this damn creepy mountain island thing. This could be good. Or terribly bad. Oh well!”
Without much choice, I pull on the handle of the door, managing with extreme difficulty to swing it open.
“Someone really needs to oil this thing!”
Looking inside, I realize that the room, while fairly basic in terms of furniture, was clearly someone’s headquarters. A stranded marine perhaps or…. ewww, a pirate! Looking at the back of the room, I notice several chests. With dreams of wealth already floating, I quickly pry them open:
“Oh wow, now that is lucky!” Indeed, the first chest opened was filled to the brim with ingots that look like they are made out of steel. Quickly moving on, I open the second chest: “Wheels?? Who stores wooden wheels in a chest! Surprisingly, they’ll be very useful… on to the third and last coffer! Let’s see… flour? Are you kidding? That’s useless! Who has such a huge quantity of flower, honestly!”
Disappointed, I realize that finding the steel was a heap of luck and that getting a hold of the last few materials may prove harder than I had first anticipated. “Don’t fret, Olden, it’ll all be worth it, Sensei needs that vase, so it must be important! Let’s go!” I say, remembering Gurthorn’s speeches of motivation during my training with him.
With a renewed fervor, I meticulously attack the wheels to the two useful chests I found, quickly breaking some of the legs in the desks scattered around the room to make a new torch, drenching it the the mineral drippings on the walls and lighting it with a sylex stone. “Alright, time to breathe the fresh air again!”
“Ah, the shining sun. I’ve missed you, giant hot ball of gas-buddy!” I exclaim, raising my arms to the sky and closing my eyes as I exit the humid cave with my precious loot. Dragging it to the beach, I store my possession next to my hard-earned wood. Sensing a presence, I turn around:
Barnabe: “Who’s there!”
Sensei: “Ah, I see that your perception has increased! I thought the sand muffled my steps quite well, too. So, how are you faring in your quest?”
Barnabe: “As you know, Sensei, the marine warship who brought some of us here to train left yesterday, leaving the people like me who wished to improve a little more stranded for a few days. As such, I’ve had to devise a plan to leave the island, and I’m making progress!”
Sensei: “You are aware that my gondola is docked at the east of the island, yes?”
Frozen, I think of a reply:
Barnabe: “Wh-what? Why did you say so sooner? You know what, it doesn’t matter. This time, I’m doing things my way. It’ll help me with survival techniques as well, which should improve my mind and my body. Thank you for your help, master.” Bowing, I see sensei return the courtesy and take his leave, slowly fading in the distance. “Now, where was I?”
A muffled voice slowly travels from far away: Sensei: “Oh, by the way, the powder in that chest isn’t flour, you maroon-crested worm-eater, it’s Melgian Dust!”
Quickly flipping through the mental pages of my engineering classes at the navy, where I recall that I’ve heard this word, I stumble upon a very clear image: Melgian Dust was used in the pre-era as a much stronger substitute to gunpowder when stabilized, a process that involved soaking it and mixing it with sand, then sun drying the mixture.
“This changes everything!” I scream. “The tube will work for sure!”
Happy with the discover, I start gathering sand, mixing it with the powder, slowly adding seawater to the chest. “It’s getting quite heavy, now, I’ll leave it to dry here, on the bank. The sun is still high, it’ll be ready at dusk. Let’s take a look at the list…”
Pulling out the paper I scribble on before, I cross the items I’ve gathered:
Skytube materials list:
-Two thousand kilograms of scrap metal- -Four large logs of hardwood- -Large quantity of coal- Hemp in medium quantity -One hundred kilograms of explosive powder- Fifty kilograms of cotton or cloth
“Hmmmm, so there’s hemp that still needs to be obtained and the plant fibers. Should be easy enough! I’m basically off the island!”
In a light mood, I make my way towards The Swamp, expecting little resistance in the obtention of what should be by far the most common object on the island: hemp, a plant so abundant that it is literally used for everything, from ropes to soap. As I progress towards the swamp, the nasty smell coming from what I assume are methane bubbles intensifies, forcing me to cover my nostrils with my shirt, allowing some of the toxic gas to be filtered. “This complicates things.” I say. “There better be some premium quality hemp in here!”
Progressing further, the smell starts to be tolerable, probably due to slowly getting used to it. Noticing movements under the surface, I quickly come back to my search for the plant, attributing the disturbance to yet another bubble. As I keep walking along the marsh, a tree with an extreme amount of moth and other vegetation catches my attention: “Vines! This is even better, no need to pull the fiber and make ropes, I’ll be able to cut them with the machete and use them right away.”
Switching to a brisk pace, I approach the elder-looking tree. As I’m a few meters from it, a large shape bursts from the swamp, cutting my path! Surprised, I leap back, just in time to understand that the shape is nothing less than a gigantic Khaki-Tailed Alligator, a terror found in some of the most dangerous rivers and lakes in the world. With a racing heart, I start running, well aware that these monsters can walk on land with a speed nearly reach that at which they swim. “Think!” I shout to myself. ”What would the Vice-Admiral do?” With a bright idea in mind, I turn a sharp corner, forcing the quick crocodile to shifts its weight in order to keep pursuing me. “Oy, slowpoke! You’ve been practicing for the golden-age marathon this Saturday, I see!” Enraged, the animal’s speed peaks, starting to bridge the gap between my butt and its teeth dangerously fast. Closing my eyes, I take a deep respiration, slightly slowing down my pace. As I feel the stench of its breathing behind me, I jump sideways, watching the beast going forward, trying to reduce its momentum. It’s too late, however, the mighty Babenum tree in front doesn’t budge, taking the full impact of the alligator’s skull on its trunk, instantly knocking it out and winning the fight.
“Motionless plant: 1. Apex predator: 0!” I laugh, taunting the unconscious beast. “Let’s get those vines now.”
More stealthily, trying to imitate the pace sensei adopted when he snuck up on me at the beach, I direct myself towards the lianas, without too worried about more crocos, since the creatures tend to be very territorial. Finding the tree, I quickly cut what I need, place it my backpack and bolt off: “Enough swamp for today, thank you very much!”
“Now, all that’s left is the cotton. Or flax. Or wool. Is there sheep on this damned rock? I don’t know, we’ll see.” Making my way near the zone I’ve called the Highfields on what is most likely the ugliest map on this side of the Grand Line, I start to wonder, getting side tracked: “If there are sheep on the island, are they eating rocks? I bet that would make them super strong. Wait, no, rocks have no nutrients. But you would need to be strong to eat them. Chicken eat rocks, don’t they? I heard they digest it to form their eggs. Chickens are pretty hardcore, if you ask me. There’s probably no sheep on the island. Is there?”
As I keep theorizing on the existence of sheep and how hard-boiled chickens are, I trip over a rock making the floor uneven. “Jesus, how many times am I going to hurt myself today! Sensei, you better shower me with gold at the end of this damn thing! Oh, look, I’m on the plateau. It’s the weirdest thing, every time I think about something for a long period while moving, I end up at a different spot… Wait, that’s actually very normal. Well, I need sleep. Good night, imaginary sheep!”
Resting my head on the ground, I find a particularly comfortable-looking rock. Switching position, I put my ear on its side and mutter: “Hmmm, yeah, that’s a soft rock. This night is going to roc-” Zzzzzzzzzzz In just a few seconds, as is the universe wanted to save itself from another one of my absolutely horrible puns, I managed to fall asleep, tired by the running, the dragging and the pushing that today involved.
Feeling a tingle on my nostrils, I slowly open my eyes. The moon is high in the sky, the stars shining bright. Rubbing my nose, I notice a small fiber, glowing blue under the night light: “This is… incredible!” Standing up, I notice the dance of Blue Cotton seeds, flying in the air, scattering and swinging like a ballet of fairies all around me. Ecstatic, I extend my arms, spinning in the fantastic vision I’m having. After a few seconds, while returning to my usual serious, I focus on the origin of the spores. Tracking the airborne material, I stumbled upon what looks like enormous mushrooms full of cotton! The plant has the distinct tendency to group up, forming large colonies in which the stem fuses, optimizing the flow of nutrients. “Truly fascinating.” *I manage to whisper.