When one of plate full of rolls had been finished, the chef handed it up to Gideon who then plopped the rolls into his both mouth, swallowing whole, "Hold the swords? Yeah sure" he said with a nod, both to Yuurei and to the satisfying taste of the eel sushi. He wouldn't mind holding on to swords he would come across, however he knew that would be a problem because swords are the most common efficient weapons and he wouldn't know what kind of swords Yuurei desires.

Gideon looked to Yuurei, eyeing his blades; just as he suspect, they all looked the same, though some had different sizes, different colored sheaths, and handles, but the blades all looked the same to him. To the giant, kitchenware were more unique, not only by sizes, but shape, blades either smooth, or ridged, wide, density. "So... do you want me to get any sword that I see or special swords?" he asked, not knowing how to describe a valuable sword and whether or not a sword was valuable by it's appearance or weight or sharpness. Already it was a difficult task to keep track off, but he figured he'd wing it, any blade he thought that looked interesting, he would try and acquire.

"Yeah, blunt side would be appreciated" Gideon replied, thinking about the sparring match. He then thought back to whenever he spotted Yuurei fighting, the massive body count and the way the blood would spray as the man would move as if he was dancing. His stomach turned... but settled once he had his second batch of sushi rolls.

"Enemies? I don't think so" Gideon laughed as he noticed one last roll was still on the second plate, he moved it over to Yuurei so he could have the last one, the thought of actually fighting Yuurei as an enemy wasn't likely. The only time they ever disagreed was when they had fought the marines, deciding on whether they should live or die, "Unless you're a marine, I believe we're fine" he chuckled. There was one thing that they strongly agreed on, and that was their common enemy, the law enforcers who have wronged them.

"Yeah" he looked over to the seaking balloon and scoweled, "I was so close to defeating it, but the geyser sent me flying up here" he picked up the third plate and handed it to Yuurei, figuring the man was just as hungry as he was, all the while staring at the seaking, thinking of their battle, "One day I'll return and kill it... and serve it as a fine meal" he promised.

Yuurei could only smile when he heard how his friend answered him. He could only laugh a bit as he shook his head at Gideon. If that man took swords from people he fought, then he would one day come across a sword that would interest him. He noticed that the giant was looking at him, and he looked back at him. He wondered what the man was doing, and he figured he was probably trying to see what made a sword rare in its creation. He would soon be asked a question, and it was a good question, but it was something he knew Gideon wouldn’t be able to figure out.

”You don’t have to go looking at every sword to see, which one you need to take. If you see a sword on an enemy, and they are giving you or anyone of us problems, then you take it from them. If you they don’t do that, and you think you encounter a rare sword, then just let me know, and I will go look for the person myself.” He said to Gideon.

He nodded to know that Gideon was relieved to know that he was going to use the blunt side of his swords. He wouldn’t use the sharp part of his blade on Gideon, for he didn’t want to hurt his friend to a point where it would become a life-threatening situation. He laughed when his friend because it was good to know that the giant felt like they couldn’t become enemies either. The swordsman noticed that his friend had handed him the last roll on the plate, and he took it without question. He was offered food, and he learned never to turn down food. He grabbed the sushi and then inhaled the scent of it to savor aroma as best as he could. His mouth would water up as he couldn’t wait to take a bit. He would moan when he took the first bite as he would quickly start chewing.

He looked over at Gideon and chuckled nervously when he said unless he was a marine. He would take the second bite of the sushi and he would begin to chew as he heard Gideon’s little tale about how he almost beat the sea king but was then blasted into Skypiea. He chuckled hearing it because it was not something he would think was possible to happen. He would grab three of the sushi on the third plate as he looked at Gideon.

”You can eat the rest. I’m good with these three plus the fourth one you gave me.” He said with a smile on his face.

He took a bite of the first one and then started chewing as he could just how amazing they were by the smell alone.

”What if there was a time where we would have to choose to work for the marines just to live and play the part for a while? What if your life was on the line it was either die or help them? What would you do Gideon?” He asked his friend curious to hear him.

Yuurei took another bite after he finished speaking as he was looking at the float go by them. There were other things around, but he was okay with what he saw for today. The thief looked at Gideon now as he figured they could do one last thing before they would head back to the ship, and converse more.

”Let’s make one more trip to a spot around here, and then we can head back to the ship. Wherever that is I will let you decide Gideon.” He said to his friend with a smile on his face.

As Yuurei tried to explain what he wanted Gideon to do with the swords, the giant raised an eyebrow, trying to get a sense of it, "So... the value is in the battle? or the difficulty in how to acquire it? Not in the actual blade itself?" he asked, it was overall confusing, though he kind of understood, some people would take trophies to remember their accomplishments.

Gideon picked up another plate and downed them before Yuurei gave the rest of his to him to which he ate in one gulp as well. The floats passed and people continued to celebrate; Gideon was enjoying himself and he continued to move. Another sidestep and caught the scent of strawberry. Looking down, he witnessed soft served ice cream being sold, "One family size and one regular" he ordered quickly, feeling overjoyed. Where he came from it was difficult to find such a desert and as he traveled he realized most places haven't even seen such a treat.

Yuurei's next question drew Gideon's attention, the atmosphere fell for the giant as he looked at Yuurei, wondering what could have brought it up, then he began to think about the question. He was silent for a moment before answering what he felt initially "The idea of justice is needed, which is why the marines need to be in this world... but the authority they hold... I've seen and heard the ways it corrupts, even good people can't run from their hammer, a hammer that needs to supervised in moderation... less we all fall victim to such tyranny" Gideon scratched the bad of his head, feeling an annoying itch as he tried to think, "I suppose to save my own life, yes... but to an extent, I wouldn't raise my hand to an innocent, especially for the marines" The tone in Gideon's voice was stern and final, though he felt as if he thought this through several times, the way it came out his mouth, he was sure this was his decision.

Gideon then picked up a cup of strawberry icecream and handed it to Yuurei while he himself picked up a large bowl for himself.

Yuurei shook his head when he heard Gideon asked a few questions to understand the answers Yuurei had given him. He had taken it the wrong way, and that was not something he would have expected from his friend. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled while looking at Gideon. He would exhale the air that was inside of his body as his body would slouch when he did as he dropped his hand to his side.

”I didn’t say that Gideon. What I mean to say is this, I know you wouldn’t know the value of certain swords unless it was screaming at you that it was valuable. It’s hard to explain how to tell, which blade was made better. It is why I’m saying that if someone starts trouble with you guys, or you end up fighting a few people with swords, take their swords after your battle with them is over.” He hoped that gave the giant a better understanding.

While Gideon was moving to their next location, Yuurei started eating his sushi much faster than before. He was doing this because he was no longer speaking right now. Instead, he was enjoying the food that was created for him to eat. In every bite of the sushi, the taste was amazing and he would be able to savor the eel that much more. The next place that they had made their way to didn’t really have a scent. He looked down to see that they had gotten to an ice cream stand, which meant that this was a good way to end their time outside. He would take the last of his sushi and take some quick bites into it as he was chewing with a full mouth as he heard Gideon ask for some ice cream of various sizes.

After that was asked Yuurei had swallowed his food as he was excited now for the ice cream. He heard what his friend had to say about the marines and the situation that he had brought up. It was something that could happen in this world, and it was something that he hoped that none of them wouldn’t have to go through. He smiled at his friend because he heard the kindness that came from the giant. It was the one quality he had known wouldn’t change from Gideon. He didn’t want that to change as long as he knew who needed his kindness and who didn’t. He was about to speak but noticed that Gideon was handing him something. He could see the cup of ice-cream that was coming his way and his mouth would water up as he could see how good it looked.

The swordsman would grab the ice-cream and then look at Gideon as he nodded. He would scoop a piece of the ice-cream and put it into his mouth just to groan with amazement to how the ice-cream tasted. It was enjoyable and he had to say the floats, the dancing, the food and the conversation with his friend was amazing. A nice day for a good time, Yuurei would never forget this day.

”Yeah I’m sure you don’t have to touch the innocent unless you choose to. At least you understand there is the situation that can alter your decision even if you don’t fully enjoy, or like it.” He said to Gideon.

Yuurei would take another scoop of the ice-cream and put it in his mouth as he closed his eyes with excitement. This was perfect for dessert and he couldn’t help, but excite himself more with every bite.

”This ice cream is really good Gideon. You make some good food decision if I say so myself.” He said to the giant who was probably enjoying his ice-cream more than him.

Though the the family bowl was large, Gideon still found it worth a single bite, or a single sip, which he had a done, cleaning the bowl before handing it back to the merchant.

"Alright, I understand, just take the swords after defeating an enemy" A simple task and Gideon could do that easily, so long as the battle didn't kill him. Then a thought came to him, "What if the battle turns out to be a fight involving the crew and someone else wants to loot swords as well like Daimaru, he likes swords too, right?" Though the question seems just to be a hypothetical, since Gideon figured there wouldn't be too much focus on people trying to obtain swords, unless sword-hunting was an actual common thing, the giant figured it would still keep the conversation going.

Another float passed by, and because it got a little too close to the giant, Gideon began to move away from the area to a larger clearing. He sighed with relief as he leaned against a three story building. With the lack of people, he could finally get not only some peace and quiet, but some stretching space as well, "I just need a moment to get a breather" he told Yuurei as he looked at the festival from afar.

He thought about what Yuurei said for a moment and something about the sentence didn't make sense or feel right, "You mean 'situations that can affect your decision'; no one can alter someone's decision unless all other options were completely taken away" Gideon looked off into the distance, thinking back to when he finally stopped running away and decided to turn back without fear, "We all have free will, and I think that's why I've decided to embrace the pirate's life... to treasure the freedom" Gideon began to fall into loss thought.

Yuurei heard him agree with his way of getting the sword, but then he had added something else. It was an interesting turn of events, and one he didn’t see coming. What if one of the people in the crew were also in the battle. He had placed his hand on his chin and rubbed his fingers against his chin to think about a solution. It was a predicament, and he didn’t Daimaru liked swords like him but knew about a few of them. It was a good question, and he figured he would come up with a solution so that Gideon wouldn’t be so torn apart.

”If that is the case, then just hold onto the weapons. When I show up you can put them down for me and Daimaru to fight for them. Of course, the fight won’t be a fight to the death, but it will be a fight to see who is worthy of the swords. I right now am six swords short to reach my full fighting style. It is incomplete, so I’m trying to complete the style before anything.” He said knowing full well he was using four swords right now instead of ten.

He would scoop more of his ice-cream and place it into his mouth as he would enjoy the whole thing. The thief could see that Gideon had finished eating the ice-cream in one whole entire go, which didn’t surprise him. The food he was eating here was not something a giant would be eating. If anything he was eating a bunch of samples to see what taste best. Yuurei, on the other hand, was enjoying everything and had filled up his belly throughout this whole entire food tasting they were heaving. While he was eating, he noticed that Gideon had started walking away from the floats and the festival. He wondered what was wrong with his friend, and he looked at him with a concerned look on his face. Still, he could see that he was trying to get away from things, and he figured that was a sign for something.

He heard what he said and figured that it was best for them to call it a day. It was the smart thing to do if he thought about it now.

”I mean after the breathier we could actually head towards the ship and call it a day?” He asked wondering what Gideon would say about that.

He brought up the topic about the Marines and helping them out again. He listened to his words, and he understood where he had come from. The things that had happened in his life had brought him to this pirate life. The shit that he had to go through in this world brought him to come to a sad conclusion that marines were all that. They had a secret agenda and they felt like the bad guys in every way. He wasn’t sure why though, but the way he saw marines, he always thought they were bad news.

”Well, that is what I mean Gideon. What if there is a situation where all your options are taken away and you lift two decision, which is either life or mostly death. I would choose my life even if I don’t like the decision behind it.” He paused to Gideon.

”And as for free will, yes we all have it, and it is why I will always feel like being pirate is the best choice in life. The fact that you are free, and you don’t really have to listen to anybody is the best. As long as you don’t endanger your crew, then all is well, or at least that’s how I see it.” He said to Gideon.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but he would give him a suggestion to see if he wanted to go back to the ship. Yuurei was sitting on Gideon’s shoulder, so he wasn’t going anywhere on his own unless he got off the giant.

”Do you want to go back to the ship and call it a day?” He asked Gideon wondering what he said.

The way Yuurei explained the test to see who's worthy reminded Gideon of how the giants back home would settle everything with a test of strength, basically to see who was worthy. To Gideon, he understood, though he believes that tests could consist of different kinds of tests, strength and fighting weren't the only ways to decide something, everyone was good at something.

Then the conversation switching to decisions and free-will began to rattle Gideon's mind, it made him feel closed in, for a moment he was back on the marine ship, shackled. He couldn't move, could barely breath, he wanted to escape, run as fast and as far as he could, to break through the chains.

Gideon woke up again, he released he had gripped too hard on a nearby streetlamp, bending it. Trying to avoid attention to the streetlamp, he got up and began to walk towards the direction of the docks, "Yeah, let's make our way to the ship, this day has been fun but it's become too crowded" He wasn't sure what that was about, though he tried not to think about it, if it was something he needed to meditate on, then he'll do so when he's cleaning or cooking, at the moment, he needed to make sure he made it to the ship and at least enjoy the last sights of the festival as he walked by the stands and floats.

What had happened to him and his parents were terrible, that much had known and made sure he'd never forget. He knew it to be the fault of the Marines and Loki and he was sure that no matter what he would trek forward, no matter the obstacle, towards finding him mother. Though he had a feeling that there might be some possibility that he may trek over something he cares for... But is there anything he cares for other than his mother?

Yuurei noticed that the things he was saying had touched Gideon in an area that was far too sensitive. He felt bad for pushing this subject ton him and shook his head for what he had done. He could see the streetlamp being bent, and his eyes widen when he saw the strength behind that grip. That was interesting to see his friend’s strength, and he knew that he was a strong person. When he had agreed to go back to the ship, Yuurei had given him the thumbs up as he was excited to rest easy on his bed on the ship. He looked at everything behind him as they were walking away from it all. The festival was a nice sight to see, the music was beautiful to dance to and the people there were beautiful to look. There were times that he wanted to make his way towards the females, but with his friend around he chose not to.

”Alright let’s go to the ship. Onward Gideon.” he said to his friend.

He would wait for Gideon to start moving again and he would finish off his ice-cream at the same time. He would look at all the float and people who didn’t see him, and he would just wave goodbye to them. They had given him a relaxing day for him to enjoy, and he could only wish for a couple more of these on the islands he visited. While the giant was walking back to the ship, Yuurei looked at him and remembered that he had gone shopping for food and ingredient for the crew. He had a lot of bags with him, and he figured that he could be of some use to Gideon. He wasn’t going to allow his friend to put everything away on his own, so he figured that he would use his strength to help.

”When we get back to the ship I can help you with putting stuff away. I got nothing to do and it is the least I can do.” He said to Gideon.

Yuurei had thought back to the subject of the sparring. It was one of the best things that interest him throughout their conversation. The thief had fought men with wings before, and he had gotten pretty used to fighting them. He never fought minks before because the only one he knew was Koneko. Daimaru was a Fishman, but the two never clashed, and Gideon was the only giant he knew about. He wanted to get himself accustom in fighting different race because it would mean they would have unique abilities when they fought. He figured his friends would be able to help him find out those unique abilities, so he wouldn’t be caught off guard in the future to come. He could see that there were people heading to the festival from where he was positioned. He nodded because it was never too late to enjoy the festivities.

Yuurei would look back at Gideon with a smile on his face as he was just happy.

”Don’t let anything get to you Gideon. Sorry about the touchy subject by the way. Still, I had a good day, and it was nice tasting all those delicious meals with you. We should do that more often; you know like go out and enjoy our time instead of having to fight all the time, or somehow end up in trouble with the people who are terrorizing the people near us.” He laughed a bit.

These things were true and from time to time the man knew that they would have no choice, but to fight and protect those who needed it. He didn’t know why, but he felt like helping others who needed to be protected above everything else. The two would soon see the docks not too far from here. Gideon’s strides were big enough to make it there in a matter of minutes or less.

Gideon walked over a small house to cut the timing needed to go around it. A few onlookers took notice of the giant but only for a moment before quickly making their way towards the festival.

"Yeah, sure, I'd appreciate it" Gideon replied to yuurei as he lightly tapped his fannypack where he had placed his groceries. He looked ahead, pretty soon he could see the docks. It was a straight line there, no deviation, no obstacles, nothing stopping him from getting to the ship where he wanted to go, he only wished it was that simple in life, "Don't worry about the touchy subject" he said, he figured it didn't matter since he wasn't actually in such a hypothetical situation, so why would he care? "As for going out more often, that sounds nice and all, but I enjoy being on the ship most of the time" Gideon isn't a lazy person, he simply enjoys cleaning and cooking, small activities that allowed him to be by himself in silence, a moment for him to think and enjoy the quiet.

"But if you have anything planned in the future, just let me know and I'll see if my ... schedule is free" Gideon took a look back and looked about the town, it looks like a normal town, but with the atmosphere of sky island, with more time being here, he has grown to miss the lands before more and more. Every now and then he even begins to wonder if he would ever get to go home.

Soon they would arrive on the ship. Gideon took one step onto the plank and then another step onto the deck. It was quiet as usual, as he likes it.

Yuurei nodded as he was happy his friend would enjoy his help with the groceries. The swordsman watched his movements but didn’t care what he did because he knew that he was a caring person. While they were moving through to the ship, it looked like Gideon was the type of person who enjoyed staying on the ship more than anything. That was good to hear, and he acknowledged that from his friend. He could see that they were so close to the ship, and while he was making his final strides he had said more things to Yuurei. He chuckled when he heard what he had said and shook his head.

”I see that is good to hear. I will make sure to let you know whenever I have plans for us to hang out. We can drink our asses off, and get wasted. I think that would be fun to do honestly, but bad things always happen when people are intoxicated.” He said to Gideon as they had finally made it to the ship.

He watched Gideon only take one step in to get onto the ship, and Yuurei figured it was his queue to get off his friend. He would slide down off the man’s shoulder, and down on his chest. He was pressing himself against Gideon, but when he got to a certain point he had pushed off and headed down to the deck of the ship. When he was about to land on the ground, Yuurei would spread his arm out and float, so that he wouldn’t hit the ground hard. He would slowly land on the ground and then turn to Gideon as he had the groceries stuff. He knew where it was, but he was going to have to wait for his friend to put the fanny pack down onto the floor. When he did do that though, Yuurei would dig into the bag and started moving things where they needed to be. Koneko had fixed Gideon’s ship to how it looked now, and he helped her with that.

It was some good training when it came to his gravity and he could remember it clearly. That way she demanded things, and how she had changed as a person when it came to building the one thing she loved. The swordsman understood that feeling as a man who loved swords. The thief would just move Gideon’s stuff where they needed to be. When he came back up from the hull he looked up to the sky and wondered how long they were going to be on Skypiea. He hoped it wouldn’t be too long because he wanted to have a better adventure than being here.

”Gideon you know I consider you one of my best friends right?” He said looking at the giant with a smile on his face.

It was out of the blue, but he had felt this way for quite a while. He wanted to tell him this for quite some time, and he figured their bonding session was good enough for him to tell him. Yuurei was happy, and he couldn’t help himself; he walked over to the fanny pack that Gideon would have put down and started taking more things out of the bag, and putting them away. Their day would end here, but it wasn’t the end of their journey.

[EXIT]

Gideon had put down the fannypack and just as he did, Yuurei had made his way off him and into the pack to put away the groceries. The giant gave a bit of a yawn before he stepped to the side and lifted the bow section of the deck, revealing the storage place where he normally kept the ingredients.

"I don't mind going out for drinks or even staying at the boat to drink" then he thought a moment about every time they had left the ship, "You know what? I'd rather drink at the ship, it seems nearly every time we leave the ship, something ends up happening that we have to end up dealing with, and if that's the case, I rather be sober" He shifted around a number of crates and began storing what groceries he had left. Normally at this point he would prepare a meal, but they had already ate their fill.

After putting the groceries away, he looked up out at sea and took a moment to think about the adventures that may come and troubles that may come along with.

He looked to Yuurei with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah, thanks Yuurei" he smiled back to the swordsman. it was a bit odd to hear him say that, not only it was out of the blue, but they have known one another for not too long. But then again, how many friends can one rely on out at sea? Running from the law? With such troubles always tailing them, they would have a better more enjoyable life if they stuck with their nakama.

[EXIT]