It was 3 days later. Nearly a month since Hard Rock.
Eddie had gotten very used to being around the crew. And the crew got used to him. But there were many quirks that the Skeleton exhibited that were quite peculiar.
At random times through out the Day, Eddie would walk into a room and suddenly gasp only to say 'Oh, I forgot theres people with me.' having been so used to being alone for so long.
He also rarely slept it seemed. Sometimes, he slept for days at a time. Just blending into the background, as much as a thirteen foot skeleton could. And others, he'd play his guitar for hours and hours at a time. Brisk smooth melodies to lul the crew into sleep. And given Dezzi's Insomnia and Tendency to not catch very little sleep for days at a time, Eddie was a close companion to the Rabbit Mink for most of that time.
He hummed to himself, stand still for hours, just staring. Someone often times needing to remind him that he still indeed is alive, and he snaps back to reality. He also had his way of entertaining himself. He was quiet, very very quiet. Much like the Captain (Whose footsteps were either incredibly pronounced in loud thuds, or quiet as a mouse), would sneak up on people and scare the life out of them only to be in the middle of asking 'Got a Coin I can borrow?'
He didnt need to sleep, eat, or even exercise in the traditional sense. But despite that, he still participated with the crew in meals, Noir cooking him his favorite dish which was roast beef.
He even had Raven catch him up on all the world affairs of the past hundred years. The further back she went the more she knew, but up until rogers death and 25 years after that, it was hard for her to really be up to date due to how much was happening
He was quite surprised to hear that someone had been named 'King of The Pirates' as that term hadn't existed when he was alive, though there were dozens of stories of people who wanted to be 'The Greatest of Them All'
And the story of the One Piece…It spurred a fire in him to want to be with Leroy and The Red Sashes even more. "Such an Adventure. I'd be wasting my unlife if I didn't want to chase something as grand as that with you all!"
All in all. Eddie had become well acquainted with the crew, and The Ember Blossom.
"HAHAHAH! Look at that! It's the Red Line!" Leroy shouted as they had finally. After over a year and nearly 6 months since he left Horizon village on Dawn Island, reached the other side of the Grand Line.
"Wow…." Kirk said in amazement. Looking up with a shine in his eyes. "This side's so much…Bigger than reverse mountain." Noir said as he stared up at the Red and Orange faced rock that stretched high into the sky and peeked up above the clouds.
"How tall did Livesy say the Red Line was at the beginning? 10km? This has gotta be…Double- No Triple that…" And indeed the Chef was correct. The Red Line, and Specifically this part of the Red Line, was the tallest thing in the entire world. Sitting even above where Sky Islands sat.
"Impressive…" The Swordsman said looking up at the Rock Face. "No wonder the world is so split in half with a thing like this sitting in the way."
"I never would've imagined that the Red Line was so big…" Eddie said. "I don't think the Blossom is going up that." Calliope said
"How do people even survive up there…" Jeanne then asked.
"This part of the Red Line is where the Holy Land of Sacred Eden sits. The Home of the Celestial Dragons is up there, it spreads for miles and miles. And people that wish to go into the New World have to pass through it. But they never step with in 500 meters of any celestial dragon. A single narrow passage sits where they move through the holy land and can clearly see how the Dragons live." Raven said
"Sounds like some sort of messed up way of showing off what they have by forcing them through there." Dezzi said next.
"Or you have to take a passage like I did in the North Blue." The Skeleton Musician spoke still staring up
"There isn't a passage like that here. Well, at least not directly into the New World. There's rumors of small passages in the rock face that are barely a mile wide. But if your a sailor that wants to get into the other sea, you have to go up and down."
"Or through Fishman Island…" Leroy elaborated "Yeah. Or through there." Kirk finished.
Hours Passed, and the Crew were out on the Deck, Kirk out on the Wheel. Each doing their typical thing. Jeanne was deep away in her sketchbook, Raven in a book, Eddie lightly strumming, Kale meditating, Noir was smoking a cigarette, Calliope was Tinkering with her fruit, Dezzi was playing a game of Go, And Leroy was on the opposite side of said board and was doing incredibly well at the game of Capturing Stones.
The sails all suddenly rose, and it caused the crew to look up. But kirk quickly followed the sudden event with his words filling the air "Okay, so…Remind me why you want to go to an Island of Racist Zealots?"
"Because my dear…" The Captain rises to his feet "I want to see what its about, and cause trouble."
"Ugh. Of course you do." Kirk scoffed and rolled his eyes "But Captains orders. And I can't help but be curious myself to what a place like that is like."
"Actually…I am too." Dezzi said perking up slightly "It may be macabre. But it could be an interesting insight."
"Well. We should probably raise the sails if we're getting close. Don't want them catching wind of us." The Captain said
"And we should Probably Disguise ourselves too." Raven said walking over "If its true that this island still has a strict definition of human to where even the skin color of a Human must be of a certain shade, we should be careful not to stick out."
"Agreed…" Jeanne said.
"Kirk?" The fishmans ears twitched at the sound of his name "Hm?"
"Do you still have that stuff you used for when you disguised yourself?"
"Agh…Don't remind me. Yeah I do." He said pinching his nose "And I still have my mask." Dezzi said.
It didn't take the crew long to get themselves ready and be in their disguises. It was certainly restrictive to say the least. Kirk had a hat on his head and had the fake beard patches he once wore over a year ago on his face, and the inserts in his shoes along with the heeled ones. Changing his height back to 6'2 from his five and half so feet
Jeanne wore longer clothes than normal, a knit jacket on her shoulders. Raven wore a veil over her face which was lacey, the rest of her outfit was similarly lacey and long. Pants, shirt and skirt.
And the last that needed to be Properly Disguised was Dezzi. Who once again wore their Mask and cloak, with a pair of gloves on their hands to hide their fur.
As for Eddie, well, Eddie was tied onto the back of The Captains back to appear as a sort of Accessory. Everyone else in the crew could pass in the Island of Judice
Then it was only with in a half hour or less that the crew saw the skyline of the city island…