Chapter 28

Grandline, Paradise, little garden

The three of them tracked back to the flying lamb where they met the rest of the crew, who kind grew wary of Azul, who towered over them. This compared with his passive haki surrounding him caused all of the crew to tense in preperation for trouble. Luffy and Vivi had kind of gotten used to his appearance by now, and compared to the giants he was tiny anyways, though the aura still bothered Vivi alot, even if she tried to not show it. Luffy on the other hand was as carefree as usual, probably due to his spirits strength.

"Hey everyone, this here is Azul and he'll be joining our crew!" Luffy proclaimed which earned him a punch to the back of the head that embeded him into the ground, after which he started to cry like a baby that his head hurt, which shocked the crew quite alot. After all, Luffy was made of rubber and blunt damage couldn't hurt him. They grew even more wary of Azul, who still seemed calm and had a friendly smile on his face.

"No I will not join your crew Luffy, for the last time... Anyway, it's nice to meet you guys. As Luffy already said my name's Azul" Azul said with a friendly smile, which calmed the crew down a little.

"I'm Captain Usopp! You may join us if you like!" Usopp said which earned him a smack on the back of the head by their navigator.

"Shut up Usopp! Hi, I'm Nami, the navigator" she said while bowing slightly in greeting.

"I'm Zoro..." the swordsman introduced him next after which came the blond man.

"And I'm Sanji, the cook." "Oy Sanji, cook something, I'm hungry!", yelled Luffy after Sanji introduced himself, who promptly with a bored face walked into the kitchen and started to cook his captains food.

Next Vivi spoke up and adressed the problem at hand.

"There are baroque works agents on this island, though those that we saw are already taken care of, but we don't know if there are any more of them."

"So, what do we do? Search the island?" Zoro asked, clearly not liking the idea at all, while yawning.

"Uhm, I don't know really..."Vivi responded, not knowing what to do.

Not really interested in their planning Azul headed towards where he thought the kitchen was, followed by Luffy who while salivating like a waterfall still tried to talk Azul into joining his crew, who simply ignored him.

In the kitchen the same game kept on going while Azul was looking around for something interesting until some food was put in front of him which promptly started to eat with a nod of thanks to the cook. Luffy, being his usual self tried to steal some but was rewarded with a punch that sent him into the wall, where he again started to cry out in pain.

"Say Azul, how do you keep hurting Luffy? You ate a devilfruit or something?" Sanji asked Azul while smoking and exhaling the smoke in a white plume.

"Ye, though that has nothing to do with it. You ever heard of haki before?" Azul asked Sanji, who denied, to which Azul only shrugged and focused back on his food, which by the way was awesome.

After a few minutes the arguing rest of the crew joined them in the cabin for dinner. The room descended into companiable silence after that, only broken by the occasional cries of pain from Luffy, who again and again tried to steal food from Azul, who responded by punching him and by now Luffy had acc.u.mulated bumps all over his head that grew by the minute.

"Oy Nami, when we get to the next island I need to buy some oil for my swords, can you lend me some cash?" Zoro asked sweating, already knowing what was coming.

"Sure, with an interest on it of 200%. Take it or leave it." Nami responded with an evil grin on her face.

"Dammit woman, that is daylight robbery!" Zoro yelled at her to which she only shrugged.

After a few minutes his gaze mildened and he averted his eyes, causing Nami to release the breath she didn't realise she was holding.

Azul, taking a drink from his mug asked her after a few seconds of silence: "Why do you care so much for money?" to which Nami responded simply by replying:

"Well, I was poor when I was younger, since my village was held hosta-No way... You aren't the one that killed Arlong and his crew, are you?" she asked with her eyes widening in comprehension.

"The fishman? Yes, though that was long ago. So I take it you are familiar with Nojiko then? Maybe even her sister? She said she had one..." Azul murmured.

Afterwards with tears in her eyes Nami walked over to him and hugged him while thanking him profusely. After all, she never had the chance to before. Azul though simply patted her on the back with a calm smile on his face until she calmed down once more.

The rest of the crew, now realising who he was began to see him in a new light as well, despite there still being that aura around him.

After they all sat down once more, Azul grew thoughful. He had seen her soul, and knew what she had been through, so he decided to pass on something his master had once taught him, which he hoped would help her in some way.

Looking into Namis eyes, and breaking the silence that had descended on the room while eating once more, Azul spoke, with slightly glazed eyes, as he remember his master and his teaching, trying not to missremember his wisdom.

"I would like to tell you a story Nami, and for those who would like to hear it they may listen as well, so that it may help you deal with your traumata. Listen well and try to understand and contemplate.

There once was a man who had four women as wifes, though said man had grown old and frail over the years and was now on the brink of death, so in his final moments he wished to speak with the wife he had met last.

She was beautiful and by far the youngest amongst his wifes. As she came to his side the man spoke to her: "My dear wife, when I die in one or two days I will become very lonely without you around. Will you follow me to the other side?" he asked her.

"Absolutely not!" said the woman, "I need to remain behind to sing praises about you at your funeral but there is nothing more I can do for you." And with that she stood up and left the room. Her cold rejection pierced the man like a sword since he had given his youngest so much of his attention throughout his life. He was so proud of her that he took her along to all events and it had surprised him that she loved him just as much as he loved her.

Still, he had three more wifes and so he called for the wife that had come to him in the middle of his life. He had worked incredibly hard to win her acceptance, and he loved her with all his heart since she had caused him so much joy and possibilities throughout his life. She was beautiful, so much so that she was sought-after by many but she still had remained faithful. She gave him a sense of security. "My wife" the man spoke as she stepped to his deathbed. "When I die in one or two days, I will be incredibly lonely without your presence. Will you join me?"

"That is not doable!" she responded in her usual buisness like manner. "Such a thing has never existed! I will organize a grand funeral service for you, but when that is over and done with, I will join your sons in their lifes!"

The calculating unfaithfulness of his third wife struck him to the core. He sent her away and asked for his second wife. With her he had grown up. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had always been there for him. She helped him with all the problems he had had and given advise when ever he needed one. There was nobody who he trusted more in his life.

"Beloved companion, when I die in one or two days, will you join me? Without you I will be incredibly lonely." He asked his wife.

"I am sorry" she responded sadly, "I sadly cannot follow you. I will follow you until the end but no step further."

The old man was crushed from his wifes response and so he asked for his fourth wife, the one he had seemingly known for forever. He had neglected her in the last years, especially after he had met his seductive third wife and his elegant fourth wife. And yet, this wife had been incredibly important throughout his whole life. Silent and always watching had she worked for him from behind the curtains. He was ashamed of himself as the overtly thin woman in her bad fitting clothes entered the room.

"My heart" the man spoke pleadingly, "when I die in a day or two, I will be incredibly lonely without you. Will you follow me?"

"Of course I will follow you" answered the woman passionlessly. "I always have and always will go whereever you will go, from one life into the next." Azul spoke, finishing his story while still looking in Namis eyes, who was pulled into his story.

"What does this story mean though?" she asked him, not understanding the point he was trying to make. Smiling at her Azul replied:

"The first womans name was Karma, the second womans name was Family, the third was called wealth and the fourth glory. Do you understand it now?" Azul spoke and stood up leaving the crew to their thoughts and walking back to the giants, the organisation Baroque work completely left behind while remembering his masters words from his past...