Grandline Koukai: Seeds of Doubt

Seeds of Doubt is a Grandline Koukai side story about Rose's journey to help the little girl Zhara find her father.

Synopsis
Rose and Zhara journey to Yuba in search of the little girl's father. Figuring based on Zhara's description, Rose figures that the man must a soldier and asks a shopkeeper where they could find information on the military. They are directed to the Royal Court of Yuba and along the way learn that the nation is on the brink of civil war. At the palace, a sympathetic soldier takes them to the records office. After a short conversation with Zhara, the clerk realizes her father is Zyeen and the duo are sent before Jafar. He takes her captive, revealing that her father is a key member of the rebellion, and that the man with her is a wanted killing-machine and pirate.

Story
It was hot. No, it was really hot. Zhara knew what the desert weather was like, but she had never spent so long in it before. Even with the makeshift cloak to shield her head and face it was hard to handle. The worst part was definitely the sand. It wasn't so bad at first, but then the wind started to pick up and began mercilessly shooting the little burning pellets of fire at them. This morning Zhara could hardly keep her excitement contained when she realized her meeting with Rose had not been a dream. She had been more than happy to help pack food and water for their journey, with little thought for just how long it would be. Time was a difficult concept. When she kept herself entertained the days went by fast. When she didn't feel like playing, especially when she missed Daddy, it seemed as though the sun would never set. The start of their trip had gone fast. It had been so long since she ventured outside the grand wall of the village! She had so many questions for Rose. So many things to tell him about the places Daddy used to take her, and adventures they would have together. However, her enthusiasm was beginning to waiver after walking through the desert for a few hours and the day began to feel like a never ending punishment for disobeying her father's orders. Somehow, this had seemed far more adventurous and heroic when she imagined it than it felt in practice. Her tummy rumbled and her feet ached. The little girl was beginning to think they might not even survive the day. "Are we lost?"

Rose did not share Zhara's anxiety, nor could he feel the same exhaustion and hunger that she was experiencing. But he understood the feelings of the child, he was human at one time, at least. To calm her, he replied, "No, we're just outside the city of Yuba. You did well to cross that piece of the desert."

"Yuba?" The word seemed to have had a slight familiarity for the child, but she wasn't quite sure where to place it. At any rate, she couldn't help gleaming with a bit of pride at his compliment. Standing a little taller, she added, "Have you been there before? What's it like?"

Rose hated to disappoint, but he revealed to his young partner that he has never been to Alabasta. "No, this is my first time in your country. I've traveled the world but I've always tried to avoid this desert land. But now I wish I had visited before, it's a shame what this nation is becoming."

"What do you mean?" The child's brow furrowed with confusion. "Daddy says he's making Alabasta a better place."

"You're father may be fighting to make this country better, but the greedy nobility only wish to gain more power and influence in the world, I doubt they even care about the state of living in Alabasta." Rose paused for a moment after realizing a small girl would not understand the weight of his words. "Sorry Zhara, I was rambling again. But we are finally here." He said at they walked into the city limits. The city was small and quiet, having clearly suffered from years of drought. The oasis that once lit up the city had dried out into a well of nothing but salt. The people strolling around were either transporting goods to the palace, or working in the market. Yuba was clearly a city that people were no longer meant to populate.

Despite how meager surroundings must have looked to Rose, Zhara was absolutely fascinated. There were so many people here! And they were normal people, not thieves! After spending roughly a year with practically no contact to the world outside her bunker, she was completely enthralled by her current surroundings. Before Rose could stop her, she ran up to one of the market stalls and pointed to a peculiar object. "Hi Mister! What's this thing?"

The shopkeeper shows the circlet decorated with a large gemstone to Zhara. "This is a headdress young lady, many women in Alabasta find these very fashionable!"

Rose quickly noticed Zhara and walks over to the market to scold her. "Zhara you can't run off like that, it might be dangerous here."

The shop keeper responded before Zhara had a chance. "Relax, this is Yuba, a place for tourists to come and pawn off their gold for the best things Alabasta has to offer." Rose sensed a hint of dishonesty in the shopkeepers words, but decided it was too insignificant for a response.

"It's really pretty!" Zhara smiled, still eying the shiny accessory. Having been in Alabasta for all her life, Zhara tried to think of when she had last seen someone wear one of those things. As far back as she could recall, she hadn't seen anything like it before. What she did not realize, however, is that she had never been around the type of people who could afford them. Realizing she was still in trouble, Zhara turned to Rose with her hands sheepishly behind her back. "I'm sorry. Won't do it again."

Rose realized that he may have been harsh after seeing Zhara's excitement. "It's fine Zhara" he said before turning his attention back to the shopkeeper to inquire about her father. "Where can we find information about soldiers in the army?"

The shopkeeper responded quickly, "Royal officers serve nobility, so you'd have to go to the Royal Court of Yuba by the Oasis."

"The Royal Court?" The child was once again seeing stars, imagining her father decked out in special royal armor. No matter how often she asked, he would never tell her exactly what it was he did, only that he was fighting to save Alabasta from those who would do it harm. Surely this must be the reason for his secretiveness. Daddy was some sort of special agent for the king and nobles! "Let's go Rose!"

Rose followed the young lass' lead and hurried through town. He noticed many of the people they saw were workers transporting oil from one area to another, guarded by royal soldiers. Rose tried to waive one of the parties down, but was threatened by one of the guardsmen, who pointed a spear at him. "It is against the law in this territory to hinder the transport of goods."

Not feeling threatened at all, and Rose decided to respond "I do not mean to disturb this process, I just wanted to inquire about the Royal Court of Yuba. You seem to be a bit paranoid, why is that?"

The soldier's guard remains firm, but he moved the spear away from Rose. "Make your way to the old oasis and his highness' royal court is built around it. I am not paranoid, I am prepared. I can tell you're not from around here so allow me to inform you that this nation is on the brink of civil war. Separatist factions are trying to cripple the economy by stealing our valuable oil exports. The oil fields here in Yuba alone generate enough revenue to keep dozens of our territories from collapsing. Keep that in mind during your travels." The soldier returned to his party and lead them away. Rose took a moment to ponder before turning to Zhara. "It's likely that your father has been fighting to prevent this civil war from happening, he must be a brave man."

"Of course Daddy's brave!" She laughed at the very idea that anyone could think he wasn't. Beaming with pride over her father, she continued as they headed for the Royal Court of Yuba. "He loves Alabasta and he's gonna do whatever is best for us all. Daddy says so every time he comes back - he promises to make our world a better place."

The two travelers reach the old oasis, which is the only of it's kind left in Yuba. It's filled with fresh water, and the sun's reflection lights up the entire courtyard. Only royal soldiers and nobility can be seen in this area. The royal court is unlike any other place in Yuba, it's brimming with life and beauty, all capped off by the giant estate in the center of the court, belonging to this the leader of this land. "This is incredible, I can't believe a place like this is in Yuba."

Not only couldn't Zhara believe it, she was completely blown away by the beauty and grandeur of the palace. There was so much to see! So many colors and bright shining monuments amongst the crystal clear turquoise waters. She couldn't help pointing out every last bit of beauty she saw with wonder to her companion.

Their time for admiration was short. A soldier quickly confronted them. "Loitering in the royal courtyard is strictly forbidden, please state your business." Rose calmly replied "We bare no ill intentions, we only wish to locate this little girls father, he's a soldier and he's gone missing. He hasn't returned home in well over two months."

The soldier was surprised by Rose's words, and felt sympathetic for the little girl. "Come with me, we will check the records right away. This land needs our soldiers now more then ever." Rose and Zhara followed the royal guardsmen into the palace where he asked them to wait for a moment before he goes into another room, presumably to check their records. Rose turns to Zhara and gives her a rare smile. "We're so close Zhara, close to finding your papa."

The little girl was doing her best not to jump up and down with excitement. She sensed that she needed to be on her best behavior as she sat waiting for their return. Within a few minutes that felt like hours, a young man with glasses knelt down by her side. "We're going to need a bit more information to be sure we've got the right man. Perhaps you could tell us a little about him?" Zhara was more than happy to describe her father, doing so with great pride and admiration as she had previously to Rose. With a hint of recognition, the young man nodded and took notes. "I see. So, your father is Zyeen..." He finally pushed up his glasses so they glinted in the light, concealing his eyes. "Thank you very much young lady, that's quite helpful. I'm almost certain we'll be able to find his records. Someone will be with you shortly."

"Zyeen is your father's name? It looks like they found him in their records, which is really good news". A man walks over to escort Zhara and her guardian, but Rose's focus remains on Zhara who he can't help but feel happy about reuniting with her father.

She looked back at him with the brightest smile he must have ever seen. Before long the young man from before returned with a few guards and an uncomfortable grin of his own. "Miss, you're quite fortunate. His highness Jafar himself would like to see you." The two were led down a series of halls with grand columns and tapestries lining the way. Murals and paintings covered the walls and ceiling, so much so that Zhara almost fell over twice while they were walking because she was so busy staring up above taking in their magnificence. Before she knew it, they were standing at the base of a great throne, and being compelled to bow. Unfortunately, having never done that before, she found herself tripping once more as she tried to copy Rose and the guards' movement.

Rose took a knee and bowed to Jafar, who glared back uninterested and aloof. "It's an honor to be in your presence" is what Rose said, but he thought something completely different. "So this is the scum who sucks this land dry for it's oil and keeps the profits for himself. Why did they bring us to him? Surely this is a trivial matter to such a spoiled brat... something is wrong."

Jafar motioned for his guests to stop bowing. "I believe I only asked you to bring me the girl." he said maintaining a face of disdain. The guard responded "My apologies my lord, but you should know that this man is Rustyrose, former Marine turned Pirate." Jafar's frown turned to a bright grin after realizing who Rose actually is.

After realizing the situation is headed south, Rose began to slowly back pedal away from the throne, only to have two guards point their spears at his chest and stop his retreat. "Just what is going on!" Rose yells after being restrained by more guards.

"Hey! Why are you being mean to my friend? Stop it!" The girl started to run toward him in a panic but another guard grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back to keep her in place. Confused tears began to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. "Why are you doing this?"

Jafar ascends from his throne and walks slowly down a small set of stairs towards Zhara. "Because Zyeen is no soldier of the royal army, he is rebel filth who stains my country with his insurrection! Not only that, but the man you're traveling with is a Pirate with a 80 million beri bounty on his head." Jafar motioned for his guard to release Zhara, and placed his hand softly on her cheek. "But do not fret young one, with your help, we can find him and reunite you both. Ahahaha!"

"Y-you're lying!" A terrified chill ran down her spine as she could no longer restrain the drops in her eyes. They streamed down her cheek as she turned to face Rose in desperation. "Tell him he's wrong!"

"Yes Rustyrose, tell her the truth. Tell her who you really are!" For a long moment Rose stared at the ground, his face covered in the shadow of his long gray hair. After a pause Rose looks at Jafar, giving him a death stare that would send fear into the hearts of the most bold men. "I am Rustyrose, former Captain of the Marines, former member of the Red Wing Pirates, and lastly a Pacifista, a killing machine. Release me and the girl at once or I will reduce this palace to smoldering ash!!" Jafar quickly grasps the girl and brings her close to his side. "I am nobility, the ruling class in this nation. I will not take orders from a talking piece of scrap metal! I am going to turn you over to the World Government, and take this girl to her father, so that I can execute him!".

Zhara stood in complete shock and terror as she stared at her former partner. The amount of sheer heartbreak she felt was written all over her face. The man before her, her first friend in years, was a pirate and a killing machine. He was just like those awful raiders that had plagued her village and killed her mother. Her father was a traitor and they were going to kill him! In a matter of moments her entire world had been turned upside down and torn in two. She couldn't bear to even try to understand it all, it just hurt too much.

"I won't allow it!" Rose screamed, sending the guards restraining him flying with a shock wave that shook the entire palace. Jafar quickly called out "Ya'rule", and a masked man appeared from the shadows using a mystical staff to stun Rose by blasting him with several thousand volts of green colored lightning.

"Gah!" Rose yelled out in pain as he fell to his knees. The masked man stepped forward, followed by a squadron of masked men who also mysteriously appeared from the shadows. Using long torches possessing mystical abilities, these men sent a whirlwind of fire at Rose so strong that it blasted him through the a window and out into the court yard. Jafar pushes Zhara to the ground without remorse, giving her an evil grin before ordering his men to take her away. While walking back to his throne Jafar taunts the child in distress "You're father left to protect you, and then you gravitate to another known criminal. You're not innocent at all. You'll end up just as they are, then you will die as they will."

Zhara did her best to fight it, but it was too much for her to bear both internally and outwardly. Cry, scream and fight with all her might, there was nothing she could do. They dragged the tear stained girl away to meet her impending fate.

Having suffered a several direct blows, Rose was slow to get up. The masked men took advantage of his slow movements and quickly followed him outside to the court yard, where several royal guards surrounded Rose. Ya'rule threatened Rose "So you believed you could help this little girl reunite with her father? You thought that it would wipe your bloodstained past clean? Allow me to to tell you what you are. You are an abomination made only to destroy! You try and try to leave your own reality behind you but it always catches you, Rustyrose, because you're not meant to be human!"

These harsh words appear to sting Rose, as he was slow to finally stand up. But when Rose returned to his feet, his eyes are filled with resolve. "I may have been a pirate, and I may be a machine made only to kill. I wander this wasteland not to repent, but to search for my better self. I will never be like you! I will never be a monster!!!"