Chapitre 6: Chapter 5
'What was I expecting anyway?' I couldn't help but think dryly as I mopped the floor, with the sweats all over my body, 'I mean, chore boys do chores, and nothing more.'
Looking at the front, Hina too was mopping the deck just like me. The only difference was that unlike me, she was giving her all just for this.
<All Marines go through this kind of experience, you know? Why should we be treating the future marine soldiers nicely?>
But, Barthur's explanations did make sense to me. We weren't here to be doted upon, but to be groomed as the capable warriors.
'That doesn't mean I like it though, especially when the one responsible for saying that—'
—is enjoying a glass of cocktail with sunglasses on his face, while lying on a comfy-looking lounge chair!
"Hm?" Barthur, who seemed to have noticed my gaze, turned at me, before giving one mocking snort,
"Heh."
I was gripping my mop real tight at this point, struggling as hard as possible not to slap the man's head with this dirty mop of mine.
"Get your mind together, Smoker." Hina, who was huffing as she mopped, then said to me, "We still got a lot to cover, and Hina can't do this alone."
"Tch," Clicking my tongue as Barthur turned back and began to chat with a woman in a bikini, someone whom I've got no idea where she came from, I turned back to reduce Hina's burden as much as possible.
__________
"Hey, did you hear?"
Late at night, while eating a small portion of food hurriedly in a dining room of the ship, Hina and I perked up our ears upon hearing one marine soldier, who was whispering to his colleague adjacent to him.
"That Commodore Barthur... I heard that he used to be a male prostitute in the past."
"Whaa?!!" The second one shouted in a shock, but his mouth was instantly covered by the first one who spoke the information. After calming down, he whispered back, "And he climbed up all the way here, from bottom to top? He's amazing indeed—"
"No, that's not it!" The first guy shook his head negatively, "Rumour says that one of his regular customers was a Marine officer!"
"He or she?"
"I think it was he—that's not what matters, alright?"
Hina and I looked at each other with our cheeks puffed up from the food, before focusing back on the conversation.
"One day, he somehow managed to make that marine officer customer of his to enlist him as the underling, and built his career! And along with the devil fruit that he got at one point, he managed to come where he is now, he skipped the entirety of the time it takes for a Marine to become an officer, and became what he is now!"
"...Hm, are you sure about that?" The second marine retorted, "It's always the Commodore Barthur who gets us across the Reverse Mountain, with the devil fruit power of his—oh."
The first guy nodded, "Exactly, the devil fruit! Without the devil fruit, how strong is he even? I mean, did you ever see him engaging on a hand-to-hand combat without any use of devil fruit power?"
"True true. Now that you talk about it—"
"Hey, you two!!" Then, the conversation between two marine soldiers were interrupted by another marine who seemed to have an authority over them, "Quit mumbling among yourselves and finish quick!"
Hina and I jumped up upon the sudden shout, but sighed in relief upon realizing that we weren't the targets of such words.
"We are about to enter the Reverse Mountain now!! There is no time to waste!!"
The two marines immediately stood up and saluted,
""Sir, yes, sir!!""
With our eyes widened by the sudden news, Hina and I rushed our meals,
'But seriously... why are there melons in every single meal?'
along with such meaningless thoughts.
__________
"Commodore Barthur! Chore boy Smoker and chore boy Hina reporting in!"
After the dinner, Hina and I stood in front of Barthur, whose eyes were headed at the huge red mountain that had the extreme water current flowing against the gravity.
"Ah... you two are here, I see. Relax, relax," Barthur, who made a flashy grin on top of his good-looking face, said while putting on his justice coat, "It's your first time coming across the full magnificence of the Reverse Mountain, I assume?"
I nodded with a gulp, , "Yes, indeed."
Although I saw the appearance of the Reverse Mountain in the anime, watching as its entirety was lied right in front of me, brought me nothing but an amazement.
"Not really," Hina, on the other hand, said stoically, "I've been on my grandfather's ship couple of times before."
Barthur's grin briefly faltered upon Hina's honest statement, but immediately masking his growing dislike for her, he stated while puffing his chest up and looking at me, "Anyway, we're about to cross this mountain now; don't be surprised of what's going to happen a moment later."
"B-but Commodore," One nearby Marine officer voiced his opinion worriedly, "it's quite harsh out here. Shouldn't we have the kids inside the ship—"
"No no, let them watch." Barthur dismissed the suggestion with a snort, "When I was at their age, I was already free-diving from 5.000 feets above, just for fun! Kids nowadays are too timid, and that needs to change!"
The loud noises of the waves crashing on the rocky mountain entered my ears. The wild wind, so harsh that I had to clench tightly on the rail, blew all around, causing the ship to sway unstably.
There sprang forth a nervousness in me, but I steeled my mind. The nature of the One Piece surely was harsh, and it was something that I never could've imagined happening back in the earth.
But, at the same time,
'What is this growing sense of... excitement?' I thought as I gulped again,
"Sail forth!!"
just as the ship began to shoot up by entering the rapid current of the Reverse Mountain.
The wind was so strong that I had to close my mouth. I could barely open my eyes when facing forward, so I turned my head sideway.
However, our sail here wasn't smooth. The ship was slowly tilting to the left, and I knew that at this rate, its side was going to crash on the rocks!
"And now," Then, Barthur stepped up haughtily, "it's time for me to shine."
He extended his right hand, to which one marine soldier hurriedly placed a thick rope on top of. The other end of the rope was connected to the pole of the ship.
Then, Barthur leaned down, and... his legs coiled up akin to spring, bringing me to a shock.
'The Spring Spring fruit, which is owned by Bellamy in the canon?'
Boing!
I watched as Barthur jumped and placed himself between the rocky mountain and the wall of the ship,
"HNNNNGGGGGGG—!!!!!"
before pushing the ship away from the hard rocks. His face was red, he was huffing hard, and his body was being dangled by the rope that was tied around his wrist, but he did manage it.
'But right now, this man owns that fruit.'
And although I don't remember the exact age of Bellamy, one inquiry entered my thought,
'...Does that mean that this man will die soon?'
I hope it was nothing but my paranoia. However, what if, just what if this man, Barthur, were to die during this sail? Barthur's death may mean much more than his death only. What if the marines on this ship were to face a sudden adversity, and get wiped out?
'What would happen to us then?'
"Hey,"
A hand was placed on my shoulder, jolting me awake. Turning, I saw Hina, who held a look of concern,
"Are you alright?"
Before I could answer, Barthur landed in front of us and pointed a thumb as himself haughtily,
"Wasn't I... haa... amazing... haa... just... haa... now?"
Hina and I looked at the man without any expression, before answering at the same time,
""...Sure.""
All while this was going on, the ship was now rapidly descending on the other side of the Reverse Mountain, into the Grand Line.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone