"Fuck... I've never seen ships that big."
Borin's gruff murmur was barely a whisper as he stood beside Nero, his broad shoulders tense. His usual light attitude was gone, replaced by concentration as he stared at the towering ships now dominating Imbale's harbor. Before them, three colossal Germa 66 ships, their dark hulls gleaming under the afternoon sun, had dropped anchor with an arrival that sent small fishing boats bobbing like toys. They were huge, intimidating structures, lined with cannons that looked large enough to punch holes through mountains, and decorated with the bold, stylized '66' of the Germa crest. However, the most outstanding part of them was-
"I-Is that... a snail?"
Under the boats themselves, carrying the massive vessels, were towering, seemingly hundred-meter-tall, pink snails. Their beady eyes stared forward, taking in the sight of Imbale emotionlessly, as even their mouths looked large enough to eat entire ships whole.
As Borin and Nero stared nervously, behind the two new advisors stood a small group of guards, being the few who had proven both loyal and competent enough to be trusted with this high-stakes meeting. They were a rather sorry sight, as their polished armor, once a symbol of Imbale's glory, was now dented and mismatched, damaged from either the Arvel's fists or from their own weapons during Doflamingo's visit. They clutched their spears with white-knuckled grips, their eyes wide and shifting nervously between the immense ships and the two men standing before them. They were supposed to be a display of royal authority, but right now, they looked more like a group of scared children about to be scolded.
But they had no time to gather their resolve, as a loud, mechanical groan echoed from the lead ship as a section of the hull seamlessly began to lower. It wasn't a simple wooden plank ramp, as it was a wide, metallic board that descended with a hydraulic hiss, unfolding until it rested firmly on the worn planks of the dock. There was no clatter, no creak of wood, just a heavy thump that seemed to shake the very foundation of the island.
A figure strode down the ramp, who was tall and lean, clad in a sleek green uniform which had a large '66' on the front and a black cape billowing behind him. His green hair jutted upwards, pushed down only by the pair of headphones on his ears, as he also had glasses covering his eyes. He was flanked by four Germa soldiers, their posture ramrod straight, as they were an intimidating enough sight that the Imbale guards instinctively shrank back. The green-haired man stepped onto the docks, an arrogant smirk on his face. He stopped a few feet from Borin and Nero, his gaze sweeping over them, the docks, and the still-damaged town as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Welcome to Imbale," Borin began, forcing a polite tone as he stepped forward, doing his best to sound proper and professional, "I am Borin, an advisor to the throne, and this is Nero. We are here to greet ya on behalf of our King. We're very grateful for Germa's aid and look forward to a-"
"I don't care."
Yonji's voice was lazy and blunt, dripping with condescension as he didn't even look at Borin, instead wrinkling his nose as he glanced over the old fisherman's shoulder at the town. The interruption made Borin stiffen, and it took everything he had in him not to shout at the man in front of him, but he kept his cool. He was an advisor now - not a grizzled fisherman, so he had to stay polite, even in the face of rudeness. He wasn't just representing Imbale - he was representing Arvel.
"I don't care what you have to say," Yonji repeated, turning his full attention to Borin now, his eyes cold and dismissive, "You're all beneath my notice, you filth. To think my father would send me, a Prince of Germa, to a place like this is absurd."
Borin clicked his tongue, starting to take a step forward, but Nero grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back and stopping him from doing something brash.
"Seriously," Yonji continued, gesturing vaguely at the partially rebuilt homes that huddled near the docks, "This whole kingdom is a pathetic shit-hole! This place isn't even fit as a dump, much less deserving of our aid!"
A muscle in Borin's jaw twitched as the polite facade crumbled, replaced by the hard, defiant glint of a man who had spent his life wrestling with the sea. He took a step forward, his boots planting firmly on the dock as he met Yonji's contemptuous gaze without flinching.
"You'll watch ya mouth when ya talking about Imbale," Borin growled, his voice low and dangerous, "We have an alliance with the leader of Germa. I don't know who you are, and frankly, I don't care, brat. You'll be working with us from now on, so you'd best try to get along, alright?"
"Get along? With you?" Yonji smirked widely, looking amused at the very idea, "My name is Yonji Vinsmoke, the third son of the Vinsmoke family, and a Prince of Germa! We won't be working together at all, old man. I've decided that this shitty little kingdom isn't worth the effort."
"What did ya say?" Borin growled, taking another step forward, but Yonji just kept smirking arrogantly. He waved a dismissive hand out at the harbor, at the town, and at the entire island.
"My father overestimated this place's value. I'll fix that evaluation right now," His voice rose, becoming a loud, arrogant declaration, "We'll rip this dump down for parts, take anything of value, and then we're leaving!"
"T-that's not the agreement!" Nero, who had been silently fuming, finally spoke up as he jutted a finger at Yonji, "You can't just-"
"The agreement has changed!" Yonji snapped, cutting him off. "I'm not spending a day, much less a month, watching over a disgusting place like this! My father was all concerned about some king here, but the king is gone, isn't he? So who cares? And if your pathetic king comes back all pissed-off in a year, then I'll just kick his ass and be done with it!"
"Oh, you will?"
Yonji blinked, his eyes glancing upwards, towards the rooftop of a house looking over the dock, where I was leisurely lounging, grinning amusedly at the sight below.
"It seems I was right to stick around for a few more days. I knew that Judge wouldn't be so foolish as to double-cross me, but I didn't have the same confidence for his envoy," I hummed, casually sitting up, my eyes locking with Yonji's, "And, it seems I was right. Judge is a pretty smart man, but it seems he sent such a stupid envoy. That's a mistake on his part, but luckily for him and the rest of Germa, I'm here to clean up after him."
"Who the hell are you?" Yonji shot back, just glaring up at me, "Another one of this island's peasants? Filth, I don't have the time to speak with you!"
He turned away from me, ignoring me as he pointed at the four soldiers with him, and then at the town behind the docks.
"You lot! Go search the homes! Round up any valuables you can find! We're not wasting any more-"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I called down, my voice still laced with amusement, but now it had a dangerous edge as I continued, "Any of you who steps off this dock will die."
"What?" Yonji froze, his head slowly turning back towards me, his eyes wide with disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that someone was actually trying to oppose him, "What did you say to me?"
"You heard me," I replied with a shrug, then, without another word, I pushed myself off the roof.
It wasn't a long drop, maybe only fifteen feet, so I just let gravity do its work. The Imbale guards flinched, Nero and Borin stumbled back, and even the stoic Germa soldiers instinctively shifted their weight as I landed directly in front of Yonji. The impact wasn't a loud crash, but a heavy thump that shook through the very planks of the dock. The wood groaned under my weight, splintering slightly around my feet, but I didn't even bend my knees to absorb the shock.
There was a lazy smirk playing on my lips as I dusted off my shoulders, meeting Yonji's wide-eyed stare, my own gaze calm and unblinking.
"The name's Arvel," I said, my voice casual, as if I were introducing myself at a friendly gathering and not in such a hostile confrontation, "I'm the King of Imbale."
Yonji blinked again, taken aback. Then, he wrinkled his nose, taking a small step back as he looked me up and down.
"So, you're the one my father was huffing about?" He finally scoffed, a sneer forming on his lips, "You're supposed to be the big-shot that had him all worried? You don't look like anything special."
Well, at least Judge was thinking about me, eh? It seemed that I had made a good first impression!
But Yonji wasn't done yet.
"Sure, you've got some muscle, I'll give you that, but who cares? You probably spend all day uselessly hauling rocks or nets instead of training something useful," His eyes narrowed, the contempt in them growing, "All that work, just to reach a percentage of what our technology can do."
Well, that certainly was cocky, but I didn't take the rage bait as I simply opened my arms wide in a welcoming gesture.
"Looks can be deceiving, Vinsmoke," I shot back, my smirk widening, "Why don't you find out for yourself just how strong I really am? I'd like to see what that fancy suit of yours can do, too."
"Hah, seriously?" Yonji raised an eyebrow at me, a large, arrogant smirk crossing his face, "You want to compete in strength with me, a Prince of Germa? Are you fuckin' stupid?"
I didn't let myself get annoyed by his arrogant words, instead just taking a small step forward, widening my stance slightly, a clear, open invitation.
"Land one blow. Just one," I clarified, tapping my chin with a finger, "If you can manage that, I'll be impressed."
"You must be insane," Yonji spat back, glaring at me hard, "Or, a complete idiot! That's more likely for a backwater kingdom like this! You don't even know what you're asking for!"
He tensed his legs, the muscles in his thighs and calves coiling like springs, and then, he moved. The movement was explosive, as he launched himself across the dock, a green blur of motion that shattered the illusion of lazy arrogance. He was faster than a normal man, far faster, which was a clear sign of the genetic enhancements that coursed through his veins.
But that was only the start. His fist, clenched tight and aimed directly for my gut, was a streak, looking like a blur to regular eyes. I heard the hiss of the winch in his gloves shift, releasing a burst of compressed air that made his fist rocket forward even quicker, aiming to not just bruise me, but literally tear a hole in my body. With his raid suit, truly, he was definitely fast. Really damn fast.
But I was faster.
[Muscular Boost] activated, and an explosive surge of power rippled through my legs. My thigh muscles bulged, swelling to an impossible size in a fraction of a second as I didn't dodge, instead simply shifting to the side.
My body moved with a fluid, almost lazy motion, swaying to the left. Yonji's fist whistled past my side, missing me by a hair's breadth as the displaced air from his punch rustled my shirt. In the same instant, my own arm moved. It was a blur of motion as my hand snapped out, my fingers wrapping around Yonji's wrist, clamping down and holding it in place.
He grunted and immediately tried to yank his arm back, as his glove hissed again, trying to explosively fling his hand backwards and out of my grip, but... I didn't budge. His eyes widened, the smug confidence on his face crumbling in an instant, as he might as well have been trying to pull a mountain from its roots. My grip didn't budge, my biceps straining, buldging, and rippling as I held him in place.
"What the hell-" He started, the words choked off as my other hand came up, and my fist slammed into his face.
It wasn't a punch designed for elegance or technique - as I had yet to learn either - as it was pure, overwhelming force. The impact caused a wet crunch that echoed across the docks as blood sprayed from Yonji's nose and his lip split. His head snapped back, and he was launched backward as if hit by a cannonball.
He crashed into the two Germa grunts who stood behind him, sending the three of them tumbling to the dock in a tangled heap. The soldiers scrambled to get up as I slowly lowered my fist, glancing down as the knuckles were raw and red. It seemed that the exoskeleton that the Vinsmoke 'Princes' had inside of them was no joke, as even with my pretty high END, just from punching Yonji, my hand was aching. But, I wasn't going to let him know that.
"Trying to out-strength me is a bad idea, Vinsmoke," I chuckled, "No matter how enhanced you are. What was that about 'reaching a percentage of what your technology can do?'"
This had been a bit of a gamble, but it was paying off. I had been confident that, after being able to keep up physically with a literal giant, I could at least hold my own against the raid suits. I'd also lucked out that Judge had sent Yonji here - something I still wasn't sure why he did, as I assumed he would've just sent a lower-ranking envoy for a place like Imbale - and not one of his older brothers. Yonji was the 'strength build' of the bunch, being probably the weakest of the three, and one who didn't really have any special abilities outside of the winch in his glove. While someone like Niji could use electric-based attacks and use a sword, Yonji was far more basic. He was a brawler, and while a genuine fight with him would be tough, as the raid suit still meant he had insane physical attributes, along with being able to use Haki while I couldn't, I could at least hold my own against him.
But I wouldn't have to hold my own against him, because from my spot on the roof, I had spotted another person on board his ship. A much more reasonable person, who would interrupt us before this went too far.
Yonji shoved one of the grunts off him, scrambling to his feet with a snarl of anger, as even his enhanced face was bleeding from my powerful punch. He wiped a smear of crimson from his chin with the back of his glove, his chest heaving.
"I'll kill you for that!" He shouted as he took another menacing step towards me, his body tensing for another charge, but he was cut off by another voice.
"No, you won't, Yonji," A female voice came from the deck of the ship, and another figure stepped out into view, "I apologize for my brother, King of Imbale."
I grinned, glancing up at the woman I suspected would interrupt us did exactly that.
As she walked onto the ramp, I could see her clearly. Her hair was a vibrant pink color, as it framed a face that was nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful. In contrast to Yonji, she had sharp, intelligent eyes, which fit well with her plump pink lips. She wore a form-fitting pink raid suit that hugged her slender, yet impossibly curvy figure. The material clung to her generous breasts, accentuating their round, full shape, before dipping down to a waist so narrow it seemed impossible, only to flare out again over hips that were wide and womanly, and an ass that was plump and perfectly shaped. Her legs were long and toned, ending in a pair of sleek, white boots that added to her already impressive height, making her seem taller than most. She was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.
As she began her descent down the metal ramp, she held her head high, but as she neared the bottom, she dipped it in a small, respectful bow.
"I am Reiju Vinsmoke. I apologize for my brother's outburst," She said apologetically, "It won't happen again."
"Well, at least one of Judge's kids has some manners," I shot back, my tone light, "Don't worry, I don't mind. A bit of fun from time to time never hurt anyone."
And, I was being honest there - this had given me a much-needed confidence boost. While I knew I was pretty damn strong, being able to hold out against John Giant in the physical department, and even surpass him, I wasn't sure just how strong that was. My fighting skills still left a lot to be desired, but Yonji had been able to keep up with even higher-ranking pirates in Big Mom's crew with his raid suit, so being able to not just dodge, but even counter him, was nice to see. I still wasn't sure exactly where I was in the timeline, so if this was prior to the timeskip he might've been significantly weaker than when he fought those Big Mom crew members, meaning I wouldn't get an ego quite yet. While I wasn't going to be trying my luck with any Yonko crews, I could at least feel confident against most opponents.
"Reiju? What the hell are you doing?" Yonji spat, glaring at his sister, "Don't bow to this peasant!"
Reiju didn't even glance at him, as instead, a slow, confident smirk spread across her plump lips. She turned her full attention back to me, and her entire demeanor shifted. The polite apology vanished, replaced by a sultry, predatory gaze that made the air become filled with tension.
She began to walk towards me, her hips swaying with a hypnotic rhythm that was both natural and practiced. Each step was a deliberate, sensual movement, making the firm, round globes of her ass bounce enticingly beneath the tight fabric of her suit. She stopped directly in front of me, so close that I could feel the warmth radiating from her body and could smell the faint, sweet scent of her perfume. She looked up at me, her blue eyes glinting with something I couldn't quite place.
"I'm simply greeting my future husband," She purred, and then she leaned in, making me blink in surprise.
Wait, she said I was her future husband?
I didn't have time to think about that as her arms wrapped around my neck and her body pressed against mine, the soft curves of her breasts flattening against my hard chest. She tilted her head up, her lips aiming for mine, and in a split second, my mind raced. My arm tensed, nearly shooting up to shove her away, but I held it down. If she was being this aggressive, then I knew what she was going for - and, I knew it wouldn't work. Even more so, I knew it would work in my favor here. Instead, I didn't move as she leaned up, her lips slamming into mine.
The kiss wasn't gentle, as she was damn aggressive. Her lips were soft but demanding, smushing against mine with a force that was both surprising and strangely present. I felt a warmth spread through my mouth, a strange, tingling sensation that was quickly followed by a faint, metallic taste. Her tongue slipped past my lips, exploring my mouth as her eyes, now just inches from mine, were alight with a victorious glint. I could tell, in that instant, that this wasn't a kiss of passion. It was a weapon. But I had already suspected as much, and I wasn't worried.
I didn't flinch. I didn't pull back. I simply smirked into the kiss.
Reiju's eyes went wide, the triumph in them instantly replaced by confusion as the poison flowing into my mouth did... nothing. Instead, she was the one who was about to be in for a world of pain. My fist, which had been hanging casually at my side, snapped forward. It was a short, powerful punch, as there was no wind-up, but the blur of motion slammed into her gut with the force of a battering ram.
The air whooshed out of Reiju's lungs in a sharp, pained gasp. Her eyes, wide with shock, bulged as the impact drove the air from her body. Her arms, which had been wrapped around my neck, slipped away as she was launched away from me as if by an explosion, her body flying backwards across the dock.
She hit the wooden planks with a heavy thud, the impact cracking the wood slightly. She skidded across the rough surface, rolling once, then twice, before finally coming to a stop in a crumpled heap near the base of the ramp leading back to her ship.
I slowly lowered my fist, glancing down as my knuckles looked even more raw than before. I glanced at my lips, which still tingled with the strange warmth of her poison, and then I ran my tongue over them, a slow, deliberate motion that I ensured she saw. I looked down at her, my smirk widening into a slightly mocking grin. If they were going to play this game, then I could definitely play it too.
"Trying to poison people isn't very nice, you know?" I said bluntly, smirking at her.
Luckily, I had no reason to fear poison. I had both [Indestructible Gut] and [Poison Secretion], which meant I could likely handle whatever she could throw at me.
Granted, that had still been a very ballsy move in letting her get that close, but I needed to be ballsy right now. Despite the confident, in control, and 'I'm way fuckin' stronger than you' aura that I was trying to show off right now, in truth, I definitely wasn't confident. I could handle Yonji fine enough, to the point where I felt like I at least would be able to hold my own, but him and Reiju? I'd definitely be fucked, and she was acting different than I had predicted.
While most of the Vinsmoke heirs were arrogant assholes - because they literally didn't have the ability to feel empathy - Reiju was an exception. She had been the only sibling to not be overly cruel to the Germa servants, and had even been on Sanji's side when they were young, supporting him in secret even if she was too afraid to do so openly. She was, for the most part, a good person.
Which was why I expected her to be reasonable here. While Yonji was an arrogant asshole who would go around his Father's orders to avoid being stuck in charge of a rebuilding mission in a rundown nation, Reiju should've been the one seeing the bigger picture. The one who knew that messing with me would only end poorly for them, and by contrast, working with me would pay dividends. It was a full swing - instead of getting negative side effects, they wouldn't just get neutral, but instead positive benefits from working with me.
The fact that she had just tried to kill me, or at the very least paralyze me, meant that she seemed to share Yonji's same opinion. She didn't want the alliance between Imbale and Germa, despite her father's orders. I didn't know why, but if I wanted to force them to accept it, then I needed to stay confident on the surface. I needed them to think that I wasn't the slightest bit scared of a fight, and act as if I could defeat them effortlessly.
Which, so far, was working. Yonji had been caught off guard with his first attack, and while a second one would be harder for me to handle, he was on guard right now. In the same vein, I had just effortlessly handled Reiju's poison. If she came at me physically with Yonji, then I'd surely lose, but right now, they didn't know that. Instead, they just saw a man who had effortlessly rejected both of their attacks and was arrogantly asking for more.
As I was thinking this, Reiju's head snapped up, her beautiful face glaring at me. She stared at me, her mind clearly struggling to process what was going on. The poison had clearly entered my system, but right now, it was as if nothing had happened - I was standing here, unharmed. Her body tensed, her muscles coiling as she seemed ready to fight again, but I quickly held up a hand, as I couldn't let this escalate further.
"Relax," I said, my tone shifting from mocking to authoritative, trying to keep up a front that I could handle them with ease, "I'm a rather forgiving king, and I value the alliance your father and I have agreed upon. So, I'm not going to kill you here."
I let that sink in, pausing as both Yonji and Reiju relaxed instinctively, which was what I wanted. They truly had all the control in this situation, but I needed them to think that I did. And I needed them to think twice about ever trying to do something against Imbale again.
"Instead," I continued, my voice hard and final, "As long as you behave from now on, we'll have no problems. You will help rebuild Imbale, you will provide the resources and manpower your father promised, and you will do it with a smile. Or, I'll tell Judge his children threw a tantrum, and ask for forgiveness for killing them."
"Shut up, you bastard!" Yonji hissed, glaring hard at me, "You think we're scared of you?! I'll kill-"
"Stop, Yonji."
The command was quiet, but it cut through Yonji's rage, making him freeze, his head snapping towards the source of the voice. Reiju was rising to her feet, looking over at me cautiously.
"He's right," She said simply, "We can't kill him, so we have to complete the mission."
"What?!" Yonji shouted back angrily, "Are you serious? Reiju, this guy just… he just punched us! Both of us! We can't just let him get away with that!"
"Poisoning him was our only chance of getting out of this annoying mission without a direct confrontation," Reiju countered, her gaze never leaving mine, a grudging respect forming in them, "Now that it's failed, we have to give up. All that can come from this is making an enemy of him, which will become a problem for Germa. You know what that means."
Yonji stared at her, his mind clearly racing, as he looked from her to me. He gritted his teeth, the muscles in his jaw tensing, but he seemed to decide she was right. He could see it in the way I stood, the casual confidence in my posture, and the utter lack of fear in my eyes. There was no winning here in his eyes.
"Fine," He finally spat out, practically growling out the word, "I'll complete the stupid mission."
"Oh? Should I trust that?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow, "Your word doesn't seem to carry much weight. It would be annoying if I had to return from my trip earlier to kill you."
"You can trust his word," Reiju spoke up, locking eyes with me, "I'll be truthful with you - neither of us wants to take on this mission, and our father said one thing to me before I left: As long as it doesn't harm Germa, I can do what I want. That includes killing you."
I didn't answer, my eyes just boring into hers as she continued.
"If we could kill you here, then you wouldn't be alive to make us regret it. But you are alive, and it seems clear that we can't kill you. The loyalty my father ingrained into us is not just to him, but to the name Vinsmoke and to Germa itself. To harm Germa by making an enemy of you, an enemy that could cause great harm to Germa, would be a betrayal," She admitted bluntly, "We will do whatever we must to ensure that does not happen. I will apologize for our actions, and even bow to you if I must. I will also assure you that had you not been here when we arrived, I would not have allowed Yonji to disregard the mission orders, and Imbale would not have been harmed. Please, do not hold a grudge against Germa for our actions."
As she finished, she bowed her head towards me apologetically, and my shoulders relaxed. It seemed that my bluff had worked out.
I still wasn't sure why Judge had sent these two here, as Imbale didn't seem like something that he would waste such powerful subordinates on, especially his children, but I could only assume he had a stronger interest in me than I had previously thought. Regardless of the reason, it was clear that neither of them wanted to take on this mission, so they had reached a solution - killing me. If anything, I wouldn't doubt it if Judge had even told them as much, saying that if they could take me out, then they'd be free to do so and ignore the mission. As long as I was dead, then I wouldn't be alive to get revenge, and I wouldn't be able to harm Germa.
But, now, they decided they couldn't kill me. All that fighting would do was make an enemy out of me - a powerful enemy that could cause far more damage to Germa than they were willing to risk. My bluffing had paid off, and the two Vinsmokes in front of me were too afraid to risk pissing me off more.
"Don't worry about it, I said I'm forgiving," I hummed, waving my hand at her dismissively, "Just keep up your end, and I'll have no reason to kill either of you, nor to wage war against Germa. Now, as I'm sure Judge told you, I'll be leaving soon. I'll stay here a few more days to ensure that you're doing a good job, then I'll take my leave."
"Thank you," Reiju said back simply, bowing slightly at me again, "I look forward to traveling with you, King of Imbale."
"Yes, I look forward to traveling with you as well-" I blinked, pausing mid-sentence as I realized what I was saying, "Eh? Traveling?"
"Yes. Ah, I suppose Father didn't tell you. While Yonji truly is a dumbass who was willing to kill you to skip out on a few weeks fixing up this island, I was trying to get out of a much longer mission," Reiju smirked a bit mischievously, clearly enjoying getting back at me for the earlier punch as I stared at her blankly, and she continued as she ignored Yonji's 'who are you calling a dumbass?!' that came a second later, "I will be going with you on your journey, acting as your companion in the name of Germa. I thought I would have to chase you down, but this is much easier. I look forward to spending the next year with you, King of Imbale."
In response, I could only stare blankly at Reiju.
"...What?"
In a turn of events that I truly didn't expect, I had found my traveling buddy.
---------------------------------------------------------
"So... it's finally time, eh?" Borin muttered, glancing over at the small raft-like boat, "Ya sure we can trust 'em, Arvel?"
"As sure as I can be," I shrugged, glancing at Reiju, who was gracefully stepping into my boat, her movements graceful even in the cramped space, "Yonji won't be able to go against his mission orders anymore. His loyalty is to Germa, so the second he realized that going against me would be bad for Germa, all the 'rebellion' in him was squashed."
I hoped so, at least, as I really was leaving this time. I had stayed for another two days since meeting the Vinsmokes to ensure everything was going smoothly, and so far, it was going more than smoothly. With the added manpower from Germa, the rebuilding of Imbale had more than doubled in speed, and a task that I suspected would take months to fully complete now looked like it could be finished in less than a single month.
"Those bastards are scary," Borin muttered, wrinkling his nose, but his face shifted as his expression became serious, and he abruptly raised his arm, offering a hand out to me, "But, thank you, Arvel."
"Eh?" I paused, looking down at his offered hand, before glancing back up at him with an amused look, "The hell are you thanking me for?"
"For everything," He said, not looking away from me as he met my gaze, his serious eyes boring into mine, "This place has changed so much in such a short time that I can barely believe it. People aren't just surviving anymore, Arvel, they're actually living, even with the housing situation. For the first time in my life, I've seen kids smiling, and not because they've just found some bread, but because they're genuinely happy. The South Side can look forward to their future, and not focus on surviving the present. That's all because of you."
"Eh, I didn't do much. Just took out a King that never should've been ruling in the first place," I shrugged off his praise, but deep down, it felt nice. I hadn't intended to stay on Imbale for nearly this long, nor to end up becoming the King of it, but now that everything was done... I was happy. I felt satisfied deep down.
"No, ya did more than that, and I'm not just talkin' about kicking that Vice Admirals behind," Borin's gruff facade crumbled, replaced by a genuine smile as his thick, unpolite, and entirely genuine speaking voice returned, "Ya can say ya don't like being called a hero all ya want, but ta the people of Imbale, that's exactly what ya are. We won't forget what ya've done."
My lips curved into a wide grin as I reached forward, my hand approaching his. But, instead of taking his offered hand, I just slapped it away.
"Don't act like I'm going off to die or something, old man," I smirked at him, "I'm still the King, got it? I'll be back in a year, two at most, so you better not get too used to running things around here."
"Ha!" Borin let out a rough chuckle, nodding at my words as he matched my smirk, "I'll be sure to let Nero know that. He's already been getting real cozy sleeping inside that palace."
"He knows. We already had our sappy farewell this morning," I waved my hand dismissively as I turned back to my small boat, stepping over the side and onto the deck, "Now, why don't you go let Anjani out of my office."
"Anjani?" Borin blinked, a confused look on his face, "Your office? What do ya mean?"
"I had my farewell with her this morning, too," I smirked, leaning against the edge of the small wooden chair in the middle of the boat, "She wouldn't stop crying when I told her I was leaving, and kept saying she was going to come with me. She's too needed here, and I'm pretty sure Goran would kick my ass if I kidnapped his daughter, so I had to lock her in my office."
For a moment, Borin just stared at me. Then, his lips cracked into a wide smile again, and a loud, booming laugh escaped Borin's lips, the serious mood from moments ago vanishing entirely, "Hah! Goran'll want ta kick ya ass for that, too!"
"He'd be right to do so," I shrugged, grabbing the paddle and slotting it into place, "You can let him know that when I return, I'll gladly let him have a shot."
"I'll be waiting to see that," Borin chuckled, then turned and started walking away from the docks, "Have a safe trip, lad! We'll all be waiting here for ya!"
I watched him go for a second, my eyes looking not just at Borin, but at all of Imbale around him. This hadn't been a part of my journey that I planned for, but it was one that I enjoyed nonetheless. During my stay here, it had felt stressful, and hectic even, as I was constantly uncertain of what I should do. Of if I should really put my neck on the line for a place I just got to, and for people I had just met. If I was willing to be the hero they needed, even if I didn't want to be.
But, now that it was over... I decided that it wasn't so bad after all. If anything, I might even say it was fun.
I would always remember the days of sitting on the dock, talking with Nero and Borin as we fished, fondly. I would remember the conversations with Goran at the bar. I would even remember the feeling of kicking the guard's asses as they came after me every day. And I knew I would never forget the hopeful, grateful faces of the South Side residents.
No matter how far I went, I knew this place would always be a part of me. It was a home I didn't ask for, but it was the one I needed.
I pushed the emotions building up inside me away as I turned my attention to the other person in my boat, as Reiju was sitting on the small, bed-like area that had previously been just a collection of leaves, but was now an actual cot. Her eyes were narrowed as she wrinkled her nose, glancing around the boat with an uncertain look on her face.
"It's not what you expected?" I asked, a smirk playing on my lips as I prepared to push off.
"It's so small," She turned her gaze to me, her blue eyes narrowed slightly, "This is some sort of transport canoe to take us to your actual ship, correct?"
"This," I said, putting a foot against the dock and shoving off with a powerful push of my leg, sending us gliding silently out into the open water, "Is my actual boat."
Reiju's perfectly composed expression shattered as her jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock, and for a moment, she just stared at me, her mouth hanging open. Then, in a reverse of our situation only a few days prior, she blurted out one single word.
"What?!"
As simply as that, I departed from Imbale with Reiju at my side.
One part of my journey had ended, and it was time to start another.
-----------------------------------------------------
AN: Thanks for reading! This marks the end of the Imbale Arc!
The next chapter will be posted in a few days, or, this and all my stories are updated twice as often on Patreon.com/Koyon ! Up to chapter 20 is posted on there!
I also posted an arc/saga list on there up to the current arc, which I'll try to post publicly if I can figure out a good way to do so lol.