One Piece: Unforeseen

| The Luminous Island (Part 48) |

(Outside the Kingdom)

With two children latched onto his back, Bast ascended a stairway of snow that Mae molded. With him, hundreds and thousands of men and women followed close behind. "We're almost there," Bast hollered, trying to assure the moaning men and women.

Because of the heat, the stairway was a slippery mess and it wasn't easy to climb.
When Bast took another step, he lost his footing and stumbled. Catching himself on his knee, he dug his fingers into the solid snow. His fingernails cracked from the pressure. "Nnn.." Groaning, he glanced back at the kids. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine!" They beamed in harmony. To them, the dangerous trek was nothing more than a fun piggy-back ride.

With a soft smile, he bounced them playfully and stood back up. "Alright then, let's keep going."

At the edge of the hole, Mae kept frosting the staircase with a constant flow of snow, trying to keep it from melting. It wasn't easy to keep up with the scorching heat of the island though. Every time she laid down a thin layer of snow, another layer would melt.

"This is everyone," Bast breathed, reaching the sandy surface.

"You make it sound like there aren't thousands of people behind you," Zoro snorted.

"And yet there are," Mae sighed. "So, let's keep them moving. It isn't easy keeping the snow solid in this heat."

"Aaaah! It's bright! I can't see!" The two children wailed, shielding their eyes from the island's illuminating sand.

Setting them down, Bast ushered them to the side and knelt down. "Stay calm and don't worry. It'll take time, but your eyes will adjust to the light," he said in a soothing voice.

"I didn't think about their eyes, or even their skin," Mae murmured. "Will everyone be okay?"

Bast sighed and stood up. "It'll be hard on their eyes, and their skin will most likely burn, but they'll be okay."

"Hey, can you two stop yapping and help?" Zoro muttered, helping an elderly woman out of the hole.

(Central Court - Courtyard)

Jael sat on the edge of the main stage, swinging his legs rhythmically against it. Scratching the microphone behind his ear he watched as citizens piled into the courtyard. Every single person looked like they'd just woken up from a nap, stuck in a daze without a clue as to what to do next.

"So you have their attention, now what?" Sanji reached into his coat for a cigarette, but to his disappointment there wasn't one to grab.

"Now," grunting, Jael stood up, "we plan the festivities."

"What?" Sanji's eyebrow perked up. "Plan the festivities? What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's only fair to throw a party for the workers and their families."

"I'm not following."

"Think about it. For years, the workers have been forced to run the festivals from behind scenes. They're the ones who took care of every detail and every paint job. Sure, some of the citizens provided the baked goods and offered their finest whisky, but when it came down to the nitty-gritty, they slaves did all of the work. And they didn't even get to take part in the festivities."

"So now you want to throw them a party? Do you really think that these people will go along with your idea?"

"Look at them," Jael gestured to the people with his head, "they're devastated after watching Reena's message. Don't you think they'll want to make it up to slaves?"