Chapter 125

Grandline, New World

Thunder was cracking up in the dark grey skies while rain was pouring down onto the earth, as if the heavens aimed to refill the oceans. Amidst the downpour the armada of Kaidou and BigMom sailed towards the marine headquarters, all the while navigating through the towering waves that made the giant pirate sh.i.p.s of the two yonko look like toys in comparison. Even though two of the strongest beings on the planet resided on those sh.i.p.s any sane man would have discovered, at the sight the armada portrayed amidst the storm and raging waves, that only one force truly reigned supreme on the planet, namely nature.

While the respective crews on these sh.i.p.s struggled with the winds blasting into the sails, straining the ropes to their limits in the process, and under shouted orders from the officers climbed the masts or pulled the sails tighter in accord the two leaders of the armada barely took notice of their crews struggles as they sat inside the dry and warm cabin belonging to Kaidou where they both were drinking away the boredom they each felt.

It had been a long time since the both of them had really been challenged and not having a suitable opponent took a lot of excitement out of their lives as pirates, which was a big downside of being a yonko if there ever was one. Of course the two could always fight each other but they had done so way too often in the past that they were unable to ignite the flame of excitement in each other when they stood face to face on the battlefield.

Thus they had made the decision to go to war with the marines. Still, this was not the only objective BigMom was aiming for with this war. Yes, the part about the excitement held true for Kaidou but BigMom still had some more ambition left simmering in her core. Namely the throne. She wanted to be the queen of the pirates and through the war she hoped to find some more information on the ryu-p.o.r.neglyphs inside the marine headquarters. After all, these old foxes had held Gol D. Roger captive for quite some time so the idea that they knew more than they let on wasn't completely fabricated out of thin air. And if the war managed to increase her forces some more in the process, so be it…

"Mamamama, this stuff is gooood! Where did you get it again?" The giant woman asked with a slur and slightly red tinged cheeks across the swaying cabin where the huge body of Kaidou laid, his head put onto a nearby bed while the rest of his body was sprawled across the planks down below.

"Don' remember… Somewhere north or so…" Kaidou reply with a slight hick at the end. With a groan that spoke of his boredom Kaidou slowly rose to his feet while he held his pounding head with one hand. "Ugh, this sake is shit! I'll go get myself something else somewhere…" and with those words made to stumble out of the room.

Meanwhile BigMom had a slight frown on her face after she had heard Kaidou's words. She was by no means an expert when it came to sake, as she preferred sweets more for that matter, but she liked the sake and made to voice her opinion out loud when she realised in her half drunken state that her drinking buddy and former crewmate had already stumbled out of the cabin. With a toothy grin on her face at the prospect of now having more for herself BigMom drowned herself in the swaths of liquor until she fell asleep from all the alcohol she had consumed.

Kaidou meanwhile stepped out of the cabin and into the roaring winds that whipped cold needles of water onto his body, and yet didn't do anything to him as would have been normal for any kind of human being when pelted with nearly ice-cold needles of rain.

At the sight of their captain some of the pirates saluted before bustling back to work, though Kaidou didn't really care for those worms that had joined him later when he had already been an emperor. Only those that been with him all the way held his respect, to some degree, and not those greenhorns that had only joined him after he had become the strongest being alive.

With a stumble the drunk monster of a man walked over towards the railing where he stood only for a second until he jumped over it. At first his crew thought their captain was trying to kill himself again but were soon relieved when the form of the slim dragon appeared from behind the railing and took of towards the horizon, only one thought in mind. To find amus.e.m.e.nt and sake…

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Grandline, Paradise

Contrary to the storm that was currently raging over the new world the weather in Paradise was rather calm and peaceful. Under playful winds the liberated Revery slowly but surely pushed onwards, the occasional bout of saltwater spraying over the railing and with it ripped the man at the rudder out of his state of semi consciousness as he was falling asleep rather often at such calm winds.

With his legs slightly hanging over the railing Azul was lazily reclining besides the rudder, a half eaten piece of meat in his left hand all the while. Not far away from him sat Robin with a book in her hands, reading in silence without so much as a glance from time to time at their course whenever Azul had fallen asleep once again after watching the clouds drift about in the skies.

After another bout of water, this one being a little bit bigger in size Azul groggily opened his eyes and moved out of his way too comfortable position in order not to fall asleep again. Just when he was about to continue eating his already cold piece of meat the transpondersnail they kept down in the cabin rang with its usual puru-puru sounds.

"Be a dear and grab the snail, will you?" Azul asked Robin who nodded and went down into the cabin from where she appeared only seconds later with the small snail in her hands and handed it over towards Azul who answered the call by picking up the mic without any hesitation.

"Who's this?" He asked while he ripped a piece of meat out of the cooked delicacy, munching happily on it, even if it was cold and sprayed with salt water.

"Is that any way to speak with your father in law you brat? Gurarara. How are you doing, snotty nose?" The deep baritone of Whitebeard grumbled through the mic to which Azul's full mouth formed into a toothy grin.

"Old man! How's my favorite geezer doing? Hope the arthritis isn't as bad any more. You gotta be careful in your old days, you know? Hehehe" Azul responded with a toothy grin causing Robin and a few people in the background on Whitebeard's end to chuckle in mirth.

After some chuckling from Whitebeard himself Azul swallowed the meat in his mouth and made to speak once again but was interrupted by Whitebeard."You damn brat, gurarara… we'll see if you'll keep your cheek once you arrive here, gurarara".

Doing an imaginary shrug Azul wondered why the old man had called them once he had had his fun as it had driven of some of the boredom he had felt at the moment. Thus, he asked.

"So, what's the occasion? Why are you calling us?" Azul spoke into the mic and afterwards moved over towards a nearby c.h.e.s.t, always keeping an ear on the mic and rudder in the process, as they had stowed some cooled beer in said c.h.e.s.t, which he removed with a smack of his lips accompanying the action. Snipping the lid off with one finger Azul revelled in the cool liquid that poured down his throat waking him up fully all the while.

Sighing in p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e and handing another bottle of beer over to Robin who smiled in thanks Azul returned his full attention back to the mic, just in time to hear Whitebeard respond.

"BigMom and Kaidou have set sail towards marine headquarters. The war has officially begun. Where are you right now?"

At Whitebeard's words Azul raised one eyebrow, obviously surprised but otherwise didn't show any emotion besides the glee the cool beer in his hand provided him. Marching over towards the railing Azul sat himself down and begun to hum in contemplation.

"Somewhere close to the Archipelago. How long do you think it'll take us to reach it?" Azul asked Robin who took out the charts of these waters from a nearby c.h.e.s.t and took a quick look at them after which she replied: "We should be reaching the Archipelago in the next few days I believe, if we don't hit a lull in the winds that is. Either way it shouldn't be more than a week I think."

After speaking her mind she stowed the charts back into the c.h.e.s.t she had picked them from and returned to drinking her cold beer, her book laying next to her, opened but face down so the pages wouldn't move in the wind.

"You heard her. Why do you ask?" Azul spoke into the mic that laid before him and moved over to the rudder to take charge once again as they had swayed of course slightly while talking and drinking.

"We'll be sailing to join the war soon ourselves and I wanted to take you along with me. We'll be waiting here on fishmen island." Whitebeard said through the mic. Azul made to respond but was interrupted when Whitebeard abruptly cut the connection and left Azul grumbling to himself while Robin smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt at the sight.

'Seems like the old man wins this round but this isn't over yet you damn geezer…' Azul thought to himself with a grumble and with gusto emptied his beer after which he moved over and threw the yelping Robin over his shoulder while marching down into the cabin to let of some steam.

Annoyance always got him riled up in some way but luckily for both Robin and Azul they had an excellent outlet and thus engaged once again in the oldest form of pacification. Rutting like rabbits.