Bells and Voices
(AN: This might not have a lot of story progression but I kinda wanted a chapter like this before ending skypia. Hope you still enjoy!)
Jackson POV
'Damn that was embarrassing!'
We were currently walking in groups, around the ruins of the golden city, Shandora. Thankfully everyone tactfully kept ignoring my failed attempt to walk around with Robin earlier. Well, almost everyone.
"Come on Jackson-nii. If you wanted to link arms with someone so much why not just ask me, I might not 'leave you hanging'… pft!"
"Ahahahaha. Good one!"
"sigh. Boys."
'These little punks…! Why must I be in a group with THEM?!'
Sabo, Sachi and Kuina are currently with me and for whatever reason, Sabo is continually begging me to beat him up for good. Sachi just laughing at everything and Kuina's pitying gaze aren't making it any better.
"Stop spouting bull and look for gold that we can actually fit in our ship!"
Telling them loudly and clearly while also indirectly telling them not to mention 'that' anymore sadly didn't help at all. Only after reminding Sabo with an example about the 'good old times' did he finally shut up for good.
During the next few hours we focused on securing funds in form of golden structures in silence. Our now quiet vice-captain makes the gold that we would take back, float alongside us until he stores it in the ship later.
*BOOOOM*
A sudden explosion went of, catching our attention. From the location of the explosion a light beam shot up shortly after the explosion.
"It seems like Augur is giving us a signal. Does he want us to go over?"
Sachi might be right. The beam could be seen a second and a third time after that as well.
"Maybe he really wants us to go there. Let's go and see what this is about."
"Aye!"
"Sure."
"…"
The others agreed with me so we are directly going over even though I might already know why they want us to gather.
'Did they find the Poneglyph?'
It wouldn't be weird if they found it, after all we've been here for a few hours already and Robin, Augur and Penguin are the best for searching without haki, so they went as one group.
Arriving at the location, I could see the group standing to the side of what once was a road, while waiting for everyone.
"As expected. You are the first who arrived."
"So the signal really was for gathering? Why do you want us to gather?"
Kuina answered calmly before I could but she practically said the same thing I wanted to say so it doesn't really matter.
Robin steps up a bit and answers Kuina's question.
"We found the Poneglyph."
"Really? That's great I guess… so what does it say?"
Even Sabo is now talking again although we have to concentrate a bit to understand him thanks to a swollen and slightly bloody lip.
'How strange. Nobody is asking him about that.'
No time for thoughts since the others are continuing the discussion.
"Sadly not us much as I would have liked. Besides the history of this golden city it also mentions that there is another Poneglyph on this island but It doesn't tell us where exactly."
*swoosh*swoosh*
"A second Poneglyph? Are we going to look for that as well?"
"But if it can be anywhere on the island, won't it be hard to find?"
Just as Robin finished telling us about the content of the Poneglyph, Law and Bepo also arrived and questioned.
Now everyone's heads are turning to me expectingly, since I would make that decision.
Originally, Robin's team is the one which should be finding the Poneglyph, while my team gathers funds and recourses and Law and Beppo sweep this place clean of records, weapons or anything left to survive the fangs of time.
"Get on the ship. Sabo you store the gold in the storage. We will go search for the second Poneglyph after a short break."
"Aye!" (everyone)
Of course we would go find it. After all, that's one of the reasons why I am here. To carve my name in the gold right above the old man's name, and ring the bell once. I so much want to experience standing up there on clouds even above the clouds and listen to the sound of that golden bell.
Anyways. Break is over and the search continues. The ship is flying up near Giant Jack, just as I asked Sabo to.
"Hey Captain. Why are we suddenly rising up so high?"
Bepo. The cute ice bear mink is asking since we are already far to high, to notice anything on the ground. At least for people without eyesight like Augur's.
"You know that's beca-!"
!
'!'
"Captain?"
"Hey Jackson? Is everything alright?"
Bepo and Kuina are looking weirdly at me. They are saying something but I can't pay them any attention right now.
'Just now…'
There was a sounds. A voice but it felt strange for a moment.
'…just like when I found mother's grave or found [ACE]…'
"Sabo!"
"Yes Jackson-nii?"
"Go in that direction!"
I was pointing in the direction from where I think I heard that sound coming from.
"…Aye."
Sabo did as I asked him to and we are moving towards a cloud above us. From a certain point on, the sound… no, the voice appeared again. I can't clearly hear what it said but the parts I believe to have heared correctly, I can't understand.
"Captain? Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted."
Law's voice made me turn my attention away from the voice for now.
"The voice. Do you remember when we sailed to the south blue?"
"Yeah I think everybody does. I found it quite creepy to be honest."
Kuina just joined our little conversation and turned everyone else's attention to us as well.
"Yeah something like that is happening right now. I hear a strange voice from over there."
As I expected their expressions turned weird for a bit. But it turned even weirder once we arrived and stood in front of the golden bell and the Poneglyph.
We are right in front of it right now. Robin was the first to move as she went near the Poneglyph and started reading.
Meanwhile I listened to the voice, which probably belongs to the Poneglyph.
I can't make out what it's saying but it sounds almost… desperate. Vengeful as well. Also powerful.
"A great power."
!
My mumbling brought the rest out of their stupor, but it had the most effect on Robin. She turned her head towards me, with such speed and force that I could swear it should have snapped her neck.
Her eyes wide open and a look as if she is looking at a ghost.
"…Ca- Captain? Can you perhaps read this?"
Her voice is shaky but sadly I can't quite understand what she is thinking about for her to react like that even if I know crucial parts of her past.
Law's and Augur's eyes also filled with surprise after they heard Robin.
"No. I can't read it. But the voice I hear… I think it belongs to the Poneglyph. I can't understand what it says but I'm interpreting what I hear and how it is said. And I think it talks about a power. One of destruction even. Is that right?"
Once I answered everyone turned their gazes to Robin, including me. She still looks a bit shaken but nods her head at my word.
"…To hear things like that… an amazing ability…"
I ignored the last part Robin said and started walking towards the Poneglyph. Or to be precise, to the side of the Poneglyph. There is what really surprised me before. The carving of my old man's words he left and where the second voice is coming from. The voice I still believe to remember as Gol D. Roger's from when I watched the anime.
'If it's really his voice then the studio should double the vage of Roger's voice actor regardless of what they are paying now.'
This was the real reason for my surprise before since I somewhat expected to hear the Poneglyph's voice at some point if I come near enough but never would I have thought that father's little carving would have a voice as well.
But unlike the Poneglyph's voice, I could perfectly understand what this one was saying. And I deemed it to not be important.
'I made it here. I will guide this text to the ends of the earth.'
Robin then also noticed the inscription next to the Poneglyph.
"How… How can he use these symbols… Captain? Can you by chance…?"
"No."
I interrupted her with a single word.
"And neither could he."
Stepping closer, I take out my sword. Not any of Shiki's, but [ACE]. The moment I put my hand on the handle it felt like it started to vibrate. I unsheathe it and rise it as I stand right in front of the part engraved by Oden-san.
The swords descends and what appears above my fathers words was my name. My birth name. Not in these symbols but plain good old letters.
"Gol D. Jackson."
Followed by my own message I wanted to leave behind.
"My path might go into the same direction as father's, but I will follow it much further than he, or anybody else ever has and further than anybody else ever will!"
*Dong*Dong*Dong*
Right at this moment the bell starting ringing. At some point Bepo and Sabo went up to ring it and their timing was amazing. At this moment I feel like everything just fits with a click as if to create the perfect moment.
"Hey Captain."
Sachi and Penguin are coming over.
"Let's just stay here and enjoy it and ourselves for a bit."
'…actually…Yeah, Let's do that.'
I smile at them, before looking up to Law and telling him to get some snacks, drinks and the music thing Crocus gave us.
I'm just a few minutes a small party started with food, drinks, alcoholic and not alcoholic and binks no sake playing in the background until the sun set behind an seemingly infinite amount of clouds before our eyes.
!!!(AN: Hey everyone! Writing the last two chapters felt a bit different for me. I had a big break from writing and I fear that I might have lost the tail of my own story. Something similar happened in my last ff, when I felt like I couldn't get back into my story after a long pause. Just wanted to ask you to tell me if you start to notice things like changes in the writing style or the progression or storytelling. Stuff like that. Of course as always I hope you enjoyed reading!)
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