Chapter 22: Orphans of Portelin

Portelin, a lawless outlandish place rampant with disasters, the island that holds its plateau is situated near two massive land masses to the east and the west, which worked as the perfect disguise from the eye of the marines, or at least that's what people think. 

"... What did you say to me?" a man with a huge belly said, drunk out of his mind. 

"I said you are a fat son of a whore, you have any problems with that?" another drunk man replied, the two quickly charged at each other, with the passer-by joining the fight for some reason. 

Fight and brawls to the death are a daily occurrence in this place… gangs, thieves and even pirates… only the lawless dwell this island, hence the title. 

Another thing to note is the markets, or more so the things sold in this island… slaves, drugs, manufactured weapons and rarely… devil fruits. Making it a target for many outside parties, mafias, famous west blue pirates and even the marines. How could they not when such a bait shows itself under their noses. 

The underworld thrived in such places, slaves imported from the outside are sold to the highest bidder usually in black markets or perhaps auction houses.

The silhouettes of children patrolling the streets of the busy city are seen, haggard clothes and deathly thin faces, traces of poverty and malnourishment could be easily found. Most of them turned to begging with others going as far as selling themselves in the slave market. 

In a tavern located near the center of Portelin, customers usually hide their appearance using thick trench coats and face masks. Today was a weird one, riots were happening in every tavern, this one was no different. 

"... Are the news correct" 

" yeah, i have heard it was a devil fruit they are gonna sell at the abandoned theater"

"... This city will be restless for the day"

"those hateful pirates will try any means to get their hands on that thing" 

"... not to mention the five families of the west" 

Such conversations were happening on every table, done in finger signals, silent gestures and eye language, very few spoke of the matter using their loud mouths. They lived in a world of fierce competition even over the smallest ressources, so informalities and secrecy were a must. 

Meanwhile, a kid was cleaning the floors of the tavern, wordlessly listening to the ongoing gossip in the tables. People knew him as the mute, another orphan, one of the lucky few who managed to find themselves a job. Not the noblest of the jobs, but still one regardless. He didn't speak, his eyes barely even moved or flinched, but his ears twitched here and there picking on every quiet discussion. 

Information was power, no matter the time of place. His ghastly pale face took notes of how quick the news were spreading around the townsfolk, a smile made its way on his visage, whether it was out of satisfaction and happiness or perhaps something else was left to be unclear. As he finished cleaning, the mop was put down near a fireplace to dry off, he took a piece of filthy cloth and tied it into a knot near one of the wrists. Seemingly a sign of something, but only the mute knew what it meant. 

"Here is your pay brat, you did a good job today…" the burly tavern owner handed the pay, merely some measly amount of berries that would hardly get you a good meal in this god forsaken city. The mute looked at his hands emotionlessly, eyes narrowed slightly as soon as they landed at the knot. 

When the black sky settled on the horizon, the orphan known as the mute exited the tavern, down the tiny alleyways he ventured, making his way towards one of the filthiest places in Portelin. The same sight repeated in many places, different orphans… peculiar smells, looks, ways of walking, most of the lawless would be deceived by this pretense. 

The mute, Buckles the handsome paramour, Jade the nightingale, three knuckles Maximus, the hearteater, Reina the ballitrix, foxface Lamont, Raum the rat hunter, lucky Samuel, the tall, Franklin the silent whisperer, nimble hands Megan… 

Each one of them worked at different fields, some were recent slaves that pleasured and entertained the rich in black markets, some were fighters in the bloody brutal rings, some were former gang members that somehow escaped the clutches of their superiors. One thing they all had in common was that… They were orphaned children with no parents and none to guide them, yet they all headed towards the same mysterious place. 

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Putrid, vile smells of human excrement invaded their noses, their feet and shoes got dirtier from the muddy roads and decomposed thrown food they stepped on. Their faces never changed, the townsfolk never paid them attention when they walked side by side in this manner, gatherings of orphans and beggars were not an unusual sight in these places. 

Silently, they made their way towards their destination, a massive empty hall, formerly recognized as a casino, a failed business whose owner immediately shut it down once it made him no money. These orphans fought thieves and beggars to get a hold of this place, a territory they seized for themselves. Everyone took a seat, awaiting their leader to come and initiate the meeting. 

Their eyes scanned each other, holding no ill intent or disgust, they have grown to care for each other long ago while stealthily spreading informations and news, the leader in particular made sure they stayed true to their new jobs, always readying them for the worst to come. 

"He gives each of us just enough to convince us that we would be hopeless without his presence" the sarcastic tone of Jade the nightingale broke the silence, a girl of twelve whose features has yet to mature, she frequently does the most dangerous of the tasks given to them by the leader just to ensure the safety of her brothers and sisters. 

"... Careful with that sharp tongue of yours, a wise leader does not scheme against his own men as far as I know" responded back the fierce manly voice of Maximus, an infamous fighter in the rings of Portelin. He was quite the devoted one. 

"... I concur her saying, with every word the leader speaks in our ears, it seems he hides seven back" opposed a the third voice of hearteater, a boy with raven black hair and a sharp jawline, it's said that at one point he worked for a crazy rogue pirate who forced his subordinates to eat the hearts of their enemies in hopes that it gives them some profound strength. 

Together with the 'mute', they acted as the group's sub leaders, as they were the oldest of the bunch. Maximus led the fighters, nightingale took care of the former slaves that still work in black markets, while the black haired hearteater held the rest under his wings, shielding them and protecting them. The mute worked as an organizer, delivering the leader's words in forms of written papers, and while he didn't speak, his painting skills were top notch, not to mention he was one of the few knowledgeable literate ones. They formed an efficient working force that shouldn't be trifled with… a vast net of informants and spies that Portelin and the underworld doesn't know off. They took advantage of the rich, exploiting their habits, seducing them with valuable information. The mute in particular was good at gaining sympathy and trust, so he had an easier time infiltrating the targets and getting the jobs done. All of that was for their survival. 

Whenever anything important happened, quick news would travel within the city, and the orphans of the casino were usually responsible for such things. Their leader noted every small detail in their verbal reports, the mute would coordinate with them and quickly… they would earn a living amongst the other criminals except their work didn't include any cruelty. Perhaps greediness and negligence, but no brutality was present. 

In the last week, they were tasked with spreading the news in the city and mainly the taverns where their brother mute usually dwelled… of a devil fruit that was going to be sold for a high price in one of the old auction houses that later became a theater for the rich's entertainment, now it was an abandoned ruin. 

"... Brothers and sisters, today we shall commence our daily report, please pay attention, this one is no laughing matter" the figure of a handsome teen showed itself, he had an angel life face that every lady would desire with luscious golden hair that fell on his shoulders, he dressed like them, except he kept a face mask tied to his pants just for disguise, his face stood out quite a lot in these streets. 

"... Leader, fortunately, after days of shady work, the news seems to have finally reached even the outskirts of Portelin" Maximus took the initiative to speak, hearteater and nightingale simply waited for their turns. 

"quite the pleasant news indeed, what do you say of the matter Jade?" 

"... Leader, the boxes, they contained real peels of a devil fruit, one of the treasures of the sea, the riots will not stop, they might even find us the more we continue this façade." Jade or nightingale spoke in concern of the situation. Leader gave them boxes, ones they had to deliver to the doorsteps of the underworld tycoons that reside in here, in hopes of giving the raging news its deserved credibility. 

" Oh I'm hopeful that you are entirely wrong in that assumption of yours, dear sister Jade, though many would think that it's a trap set by the marines, not handmade by a group of orphans. Hearteater, any plans are welcomed, my ears are open for hearing…" 

"... The faceless man who reeks of blood, I mistrust that one my leader, he could be setting us up for one of his many ploys" hearteater also expressed his feelings on the matter. 

They were approached days ago by a mysterious man with a clad-in-black cloak, the only notable thing about his appearance was the spear that his hands held in utter gracefulness, another thing to note was the immense dreadful feeling his face gave off… it was bloody, beyond salvishing, and while the hood he wore hid most of the face, a few red lines of blood dangled loosely from his left eye patch. He offered them an opportunity to strike the jackpot while handing the devil fruit in a box.

'... Perhaps fame and authority over our information network is what he seeks' the leader thought in his mind, his hands shivered at the time, not believing such an existence would stumble on their doors one day, so he couldn't help but fear for their fate. What they did was bound to reach even the big shots of West blue. 

A faceless devil spoke sweetly in their ears, successfully seducing their minds with his tempting offers. How could they have refused? He showed no pity for their state, no remorse of what he was doing, no greed, no love, no feelings… literally nothing, just pure inauthentic lifeless cold dreadfulness. The leader tightened his hands into fists as he eyed every one of his dear siblings. 

"... We leave our fate for the devil to decide so for now we comply and abide by his orders. We strive to make a living after all, hearteater, we must take all the chances we got" the leader resolutely said, they never worked on such a massive scale before. '... That guy spread his dark webs all over, entangling us and making no way for fleeing. We have to work our way around this'. 

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