On the street of Marie Geoise right beside the huge castle, a rather large flux of people and precisely celestial dragons ones were constantly moving in and out of the castle as they talked about their days without a care in the world.
"Arara... One of my slaves just happened to died today, I think that I will go get a new one as I will travel to a lower kingdom next month... Arara..."
"Ohoho, then you should buy a younger one this time..."
"Arara... no need, no need I already have three other slaves and young one at that, hahaha... I want to take a man this time, hohoho... "
...
Meanwhile right by the side, an ordinary kid dressed in a white shirt with long sleeves with a marine logo, a black pants and a strange belt around his waist that seemed to be made of black fur, could be seen walking right among those peoples as they talked leisurely about it.
The kid was currently heading for the outside of this place which he learned by the mouth of these celestial dragon as "God's domain", a place that was reserved exclusively for themselves and the people who worked in the huge castle.
The lonely kid was of course our little monkey Edam who after having been left all alone right in front of the castle, decided to explore the place a bit just to see the areas and the interesting things to see here in this Holyland, especially if there were restaurants to eat some delicacies.
Because well the inhabitants may be rotten to the marrow but not their food right ? As they were the descendants of the "creator" they couldn't possibly eat some random food that us mere mortal would eat right ? Their food should be divinely and tremendeously good.
And it was with that in mind that the little monkey had kept looking around for a restaurant to eat.
He had been exploring for about a hour and had see about just 1/4 of this city as it was really big but to his disappointment, there weren't any places to eat or more like there weren't any places that he could called a "restaurant" as nearly everyone who could lived here were so filthy rich that they had their own private chef to cook for them whenever, whatever and wherever they want too.
To eat here you need to have money or to be a servant or to be a goverment official who worked here.
And as Edam wasn't any of those three things, he could only sulk alone as he just made his way to the forest while his belly grumble continuously.
------------------------------------------------------
Anyway as he passed the streets that were filled with just celestial dragons people, he for who know the reason had in a moment of despair to eat, the good or more like the bad idea to use his super senses to smell and listen to see if there were truly no restaurants in here causing him to quickly regret that.
Indeed Edam's ears could be seen twitching while his face was frowning everytime he passed a mansion as he unwillingly hear things that he would have better not want to hear.
Multiple pleads of help and distressed coming from those mansions were ȧssaulting his ears non-stop making buzzing sound and tormenting him both mentally and physically as they were asking for help to save them from this hell that they were living right here right now.
And even though those people should be deep underneath the mansion he could still hear their cries of despair.
And that was even more the case when he passed by something that looked like a sort of prison where he could see people of different sizes, ages and races being imprisonned there seemingly without any reason at all but because some celestial dragons want them to be there.
Old men, old women, men, women, young men, young women and even boys and girls, he could hear them all...
Some of them, the young ones had the strenght to yell while others, the older ones didn't even have the strenght or the gust to try to yell... or maybe they had already given up on the idea to be free ever again.
Knowing that he couldn't do anything even if he want to, Edam could only keep gritting his teeth and biting his lower lip in frustration as he kept walking toward the forest faster than earlier before he would do something that he shouldn't do.
It didn't took him long to finally reach the artificial forest.
Breathing deeply he step in it as he then calm his heart in this environment that was for him a thousand upon a thousand times better than Marie Geoise city.
Walking around, he was really surprised by how this artificial forest was really beautiful so much that he had even forgot for a moment that this was man-made.
The air here was clearly dozen of times purer than the already pure air outside of it, the greenery was even greener than a natural forest, the birds sang joyfully, while fruits, vegetables and mushroom of all kind of species were growing peacefully in there.
Without forgetting the great river that was always near the forest of course.
Mangos, bananas, orange, pineapple... everything could be seen growing in there as if it was the perfect environment for all kind of fruits.
In one glance he could already tell that these fruits were hundred of time tastier than the tastiest fruit he had eaten in his life.
With these fruits in front of him he couldn't help but reached out for one of them.
However just as he was about to pluck it, he heard something suspicious coming out from deeper in the forest.
Looking in the direction of it, he then began to walk in the direction of the suspicious sound as he used his hearing sense to listen to it but to his surprised even with that he couldn't recognized what it was.
One has to know that he could hear from really far away and really clearly at that.
The sound was strange and weird. It seemed that he had already heard it somewhere before.
However as he was approaching the sound and came closer and closer he could finally make out a clear sound out of it.
"Agh... hah..."
It took nearly a minute for the sound to repeated itself again.
"Hah...hah..."
"Haa...hah..."
And then it finally stroke something in his head. Those were clearly the sound of someone gasping for breaths with enormous difficulties !
He hurried a bit to take a look at the situation and reach the place in question as he then took a look at it.
The trees were surrounding a small and beautiful terrace made of gold and diamond and all kind of jewels as it stood proud and tall thanks to seven exposed beams, one in the center and six others beam all around making the terrace stand strong.
The terrace stood there right in front of a cliff which was the border of Red line offering a profound and magnificent view over the world.
However instead of being amazed when seeing the scene that took place in front of him, it was the complete opposite.
At the center of the terrace right on the beam, a young woman was tied up tightly on it as she was left there seemingly to rot quietly till she give away her last breath out.
She had yellow-golden colored hair that were disheveled and seem to lose its color and turn pale, her fair skin that should have been white jade was now completely desydrated and clearly suffer from malnourishment as she was really skinny.
Edam's eyes widened in anger, frustration helplessness and all kind of other feelings at the same times with his eyes turning red in an instant.
"What the hell... is wrong with those people... !?" Seeing this, Edam couldn't contain it anymore.
He rushed up on the terrace and untied the young woman as he gently laid her on the floor too worried to break her in this attempt to save her.
Well the strangest thing was maybe that although Edam was sure that she was a slave she didn't seemed to have a collar like the other slaves as if someone had took it off, certain that she would die in this place.
"Can you hear me...?" he asked in a gentle voice as he didn't want to startled her while she was like that.
Patting as gently as possible her cheeks so she could open her eyes and seeing her actually opening her eyes slightly even though it was with a lot of difficulties Edam sighed in relief as he then looked around to some places and lift her still as gently as possible while carrying her on his back to some bushes that was relatively close to the river to hide her.
To Edam's shock, surprise, and anger, he nearly didn't feel any weight when he lift her.
Hiding her deep and well, he then stood up and then directly go to pluck some fruits and then rushed back to the young lady again.
He then pat her cheeks again while saying.
"Miss open your eyes...miss..." He called out as she seem to hear him and opened her eyes again with much difficulties.
Seeing this, Edam hurriedly peeled off the skin of an orange fruit he had pluck ealier as he then took one pieces of it and then squeeze it to make it so that the juice would flow out right into her dry mouth.
"Drink it, although it is nothing but it will do for now."
This fruity process was long and boring to say the least as he had to do it slowly but it did seem to bore some fruits as her face regain some colors.
But Edam really didn't know what to do now. It was really cool and all to save someone but what should he do now ? He couldn't possibly leave her here and in this state and he couldn't brought her back with him either right...?
Or maybe... he could...in fact...
With this in mind he made up a plan while keeping in his mind that he only had about three hours to go before Garp and Zephyr finished their business.