章 14: Heart Of a Dragon - 1

The distance between the G5 marine base and Punk Hazard was something that could generally be crossed in a few hours by marine battle ship.

Kaden could move much faster than the standard ship when traversing through the air with Geppou.

There were two problems that came with it though that could not be understated.

One, was the simple fact that kicking off the very air itself hard enough to more or less create shock waves of pure force to act as stepping stones across the air was exhausting and actually quite painful after a while.

The second problem was the other simple fact that the New Worlds weather was utterly monstrous. One moment it could be storming with gale force winds and crackling lightning bolts, the next massive cyclones would tear up from the depths of the ocean, only to then be replaced a few minutes later by the sky hailing.

Hailing literal massive glaciers that would make the one that destroyed the titanic weep in envy.

And that wasn't going into the wild life.

Like the utter leviathans that were the Sea Kings that do so loved to just pop up every now and then and take a gander to see if anything worth munching on was passing by.

It made the trip to Punk Hazard, utter hell.

The first half at least.

Because Punk Hazard could not be locked by an Eternal Pose, therefor it was all but impossible for him to get there straight from the G5 marine base.

The Eternal Pose he'd taken to get there, instead directed him straight to Risky Red Island, a marine controlled island that had an extra port built specifically facing straight towards Punk Hazard.

Risky Red Island was an important place for marines to control. It was one of three islands that all newcomers to the New World side of the Grand Line would end up at after surfacing from the Fishman Island.

And out of the three, Risky Red Island was the only one under marine control. The other two were not under marine control at all. They were named Mystoria Island and Raijin Island.

Kaden didn't know anything about Mystoria island himself, but he did know why Raijin island wasn't under marine control. Or anyone's control for that matter.

It was because of the islands unique weather patterns.

Specifically, Raijin island was named that for a reason. Because every moment of every day, the island was struck by thousands of massive bolts of lightning.

It was an island nobody in their right mind would go to, and only the strongest could survive there without special equipment.

'It might not be a bad training spot.' Kaden mused as he walked through the streets of Risky Red Island.

His legs were killing him, and his clothes were still damp from a storm he had to run through in the last leg towards the island, but he'd made it.

He noticed something pretty odd though about the island almost immediately. It wasn't a very big island, but from what little he knew it was an island that usually saw a lot of trade.

There were tons of stalls set up throughout the main streets of the small town atop the island.

But hardly anyone was manning their stalls and their was an almost oppressive weight amongst the people he passed by, shadows on their faces and as a whole full of grim looks.

'Jeez who fucking died?' Kaden grimaced. The place was seriously depressing, and the quicker he moved on the better. Right now, he was just making his way towards the far end of the island where the marine tower on the island was stationed and behind it a small port.

The port facing directly towards Punk Hazard.

He continued on his way towards his destination, and before long found himself approaching a large walled off area, a massive gate constructed in the middle of it and behind it a huge tower rising up into the sky.

"Let me in! I want to see my mother!" a young girl with long brown hair, dressed in a pair of overalls was banging on the gates and calling through the bars of it for some reason.

"She's busy brat!" a gruff male voice bit out from the other side of the gate and as he approached it, Kaden noticed it was a very large man easily over seven feet tall with rippling muscle, tan skin, thin hair and a thin black moustache, "She's entertaining the Vice Admiral right now, she'll be let out when he gets bored of her like the rest, now clear off before I smack you one!"

The little girl flinched back at the mans threatening tone and tears budded in her eyes, "B-b-but-"

"BEAT IT I SAID!" the man smashed his fist against the gate, creating an audible gong said that had the little girl shrieking in fright.

And of course the man was wearing a marine uniform. 'Because why not right?' Kaden rolled his eyes.

Still, what the man said about the little girls mother set alarm bells ringing off in his head. Entertaining the Vice Admiral? Let out when he was bored of her like the rest? And then this huge bastard trying to intimidate a little girl just crying for her mother?

'…Who even is the Vice Admiral stationed here?' Kaden thought, stopping and just staring at the debacle.

His fists were clenched without him even noticing it, and the urge was there to call this bastard out.

But, he couldn't.

He couldn't take on a Vice Admiral, not yet. Doing so, was suicide. He had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

If he wanted to do something about it, it was smarter just to continue on his way and come back later when he had the strength to actually do something.

So he should keep quiet and not do a damn thing, because that was the smart move. The only move really.

…So why were his legs carrying him forward?

"What's the problem here?" Kaden's mouth moved before his brain as he approached the gate.