My father stood across from me, sipping from his cup noisily. After mother's death he had gotten around to talking less, scowling more, and being an overall d.i.c.k for more of the time. He had made himself a makes.h.i.+ft crutch from the foot of the bed, and he now used it almost all the time.

His hand played with the cup in his hand, as he drunk from it in comparative silence. Me on the other hand, I was happy staring at all the customers of the café, and there were a lot of them!! All of them did not look like pirates, just most of them. The barman (for lack of a better word) pursued a crack in the table voraciously, as his one-eye seemed to glare at said hole.

A women sat at the corner-most chair as she grimaced. Her red hair drew a stark contrast to the dull monotonous shop atmosphere, as she scowled into her coffee. Another man at the seat next to us chatted avidly with the man who sat next to him, who sported a bored and exasperated look on his face.

There was a chattering din in the air, as the people were in quite good spirits, of course all expect for us, the only sad people in the entire café.

"let's go." My father said as he fumbled in his picket before getting up with the crutch that had been faithfully leaning against his only leg. He walked with a stumble as he led me out of the bustling shop into the streets. There were lamps everywhere and a fountain gurgled joyfully in the centre of the square.

"father, where are we going?" I asked as I tried to get the general gist of the itinerary that my father had planned for us. "We are going to the council house, at the foot of that mountain" my father said as he motioned to the mountain at the back of the town, that seemed to glower down at us, with his head.

"You're grandfather is there, probably presiding over the council, or drinking his clear-headedness away." he said with a sigh as he made his way to the towering rock, steadily and with a purposeful step.

As we made our way forward, we were met with more than a number of curious gazes, always directed at me, instead of my father, though I guessed what they were thinking, 'how can child be at the place where almost no pirate can?' or something along those lines.

I had heard from father, when we were on the s.h.i.+p, that children weren't allowed on the island, for more than a short amount of time as they hadn't 'earned' the right to be there. So these looks were quite warranted, though I did feel a little uncomfortable.

The air was quite peaceful, as a breeze blew occasionally, fluttering and playing with my hair as it did.

As we neared the humongous mound, I felt the rise of the momentum (from the mountain, probably testing if I had the capability to resist it's conqueror's Haki) and I felt the pressure mounting on me, like the mountain was not in front, but above me instead. Every step I took seemed to be a cosmic effort as sweat glistened on my brow.

Father on the other hand walked on, like a fish in water, as if he was unaware of the pressure mounted by the mountain.

900meters, 890 meters, the distance reduced, until I could barely stay conscious. At the 500 meter mark, I couldn't take it anymore, as I released my Haki as well, I could feel the pressure alleviating before it disappeared all together. We had made it, we had made our way to the council house (for lack of a better word) and it was stunning. The white archway gleamed with a brilliant splendor, and the floor looked a pristine colour.

The carpet lead the way to the reception desk, where a young lady sat with a nonplussed look on her face. She looked at us, at me she looked at with surprise, until she looked at my father and her eyes brightened with amazement before she got up and ran off into a side-room.

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"kakakaakakakakakakakakaka!!!!" a boisterous voice echoed as a man chugged down a barrel of what could only be a.s.sumed as wine. His unruly beard dripped with the runoff from the monstrous barrel forming a puddle on the ground.

His unruly head seemed to be filled with a pack of white hair with a bandana tied to its end. He wore a dark scarlet overcoat as he drank away his soberness.

"Lord Ragner, Lord Ragner, you're son has returned!! you're son has returned and he has a child who awakened His conqueror's Haki with him!!" A voice echoed as hurried footsteps made their way into the storage room, that Gol D Ragner had decided to ransack.

"Haaaaaaaaa!? Which brat are you talking about?!? Is it that brat Roger or the brat Raigar!? hmm? Heh ask them to accompany me!! go on. This old man wants a drinking buddy!!" The man slurred, as he tried to get up, just to fall back again with a loud 'oof'.

"its Jack-sama sir!!" the women replied already preparing to help the man to his feet so he could meet his child. "Jaaaaaaacku!!?! Who is that? Stop talking about every brat who claims to be my son!! Now leave me alone so I may make love to this wine barrel which has boiled my old blood!!" He said as he shoo-ed her away and made to grab the barrel that had escaped his clutches.

"Hooooooooooooooooo............? Old Geezer, you already forgot me?" a voice echoed as a malevolent aura shrouded Ragner. He was going to be shouted at, and he knew it...…