The Holy Land of Marijoa, 18 years before the Great Pirate Era began
"Starting today, I will be giving up my title as a World Noble and live out my life as a human. This will also apply to my daughter." a tall middle-aged blonde man with a lean build announced to all the 'people' currently gathered outside the large courtyard located within the Holy Land. He was wearing a red-tinted round-framed sunglasses over his eyes, a long white robe that was adorned with a few medals and a pair of green leather shoes with the tips curling upwards.
Standing behind him was a young girl with dark green hair that was curled upward wearing the same type of clothing (without the medals) that the 'people' in the compound were wearing nervously looking at the faces of the 'gods' standing in front of her and her father.
"What is the meaning of this, Saint Hamilton?"
"Why would you throw away your birth-given rights just to live alongside the filthy humans?"
"Have one of the slaves infected you with their useless thoughts?"
"This is treason of the highest order!"
"Did the Five Elders approve of this?"
These were the words that were thrown at the blonde man the moment he had renounced his title as a World Noble.
"But I see myself as a human. The same goes for the rest of you." the middle-aged blonde man stated as he eyed all the World Nobles that gathered in front of him and his daughter.
"You would dare compare us to such lowly beings?"
"This is blasphemy I say, blasphemy!"
"How could you betray your people in such a manner?"
"Why would you expose your sweet innocent child to the ugliness of the surface dwellers?"
"Do your brothers know of what you are planning to do?"
The World Nobles that were present now began to yell insults and discouraging words at Hamilton, who simply looked at them with a deadpan expression on his face.
Not wishing to hear any more of their complaints, the man held his daughter's hand, turned around, and began to walk towards the massive staircase that led all the way to the strange shaped elevator-like device that went up and down the Red Line.
"You would dare leave us in the middle of our speech?" the World Nobles simultaneously shouted at the retreating man in outrage, to which the man simply ignored as he continued his walk to his destination along with his daughter.
As the man who was once known as Saint Hamilton left the premises of the gardens, another middle-aged blonde man was watching the events that were unfolding from afar.
'To think that he gave up his title as a World Noble. You are a man full of surprises aren't you Hamilton?' the World Noble that was observing the scene that had unfolded before him thought to himself.
'It is a good thing that you left during the absence of your elder brother, old friend. Otherwise, you would have had to deal with an even more dramatic scene than the one you just were the center of.' the blonde man continued to think to himself as he made his way back to his quarters.
Shortly after Saint Hamilton and his daughter left the Holy Land
"My brother actually gave up his birth-given right as a World Noble before taking my niece with him?" a tall and rotund World Noble with blond hair that was curled upwards yelled after hearing the events that had taken place, seeing as he had only recently returned from the land below after buying himself a new slave.
One of the guards of the castle who happened to be present when the man formerly known as Saint Hamilton made his bold declaration reported to the rotund World Noble in a calm manner.
"That is correct, Saint Warren. He renounced his divine heritage in front of the other saints, before declaring that all World Nobles are no different from humans before leaving the premises of the Holy Land along with his daughter." the man dawning the standard metal armor which the guards of Pangaea Castle recalled the event that he had witnessed to his master.
"And what did the other World Nobles say about me?" the World Noble now named Saint Warren asked his guard with a stern look on his face.
"Most of the World Nobles feel pity for you due to the stain that former Saint Hamilton left on your family name. However, a few of them have begun to doubt whether you or the rest of your family share the same sentiments as the former Saint." the guard answered his master.
'If that fool does not want to associate himself with us anymore, so be it. I will have to show my fellow Saints that I am nothing like that filthy human.' the blonde World Noble thought to himself as soon as he heard the guard's report.
"Hmm… Very well, if that is all that you have to report, then I command you to leave this room. I wish to be alone at the moment." the portly Saint commanded with a solemn look on his face.
"As you wish Saint Warren." the guard responded to the Saint's command before bowing his head and leaving the room.
'Hmm, maybe I'll use the buccaneer slave to cheer myself up later on. But for now, I'll just command someone to mark the slave that I recently purchased.' Saint Warren thought to himself as he went towards the desk located at the center of his room, took out a transponder snail from under the drawer of his lavishly decorated desk and made a call to the head guard in charge of looking over the room where those waiting to be slaves were kept.
Within the living quarters of the slaves of the World Nobles, Pangaea Castle
"What? One of the World Nobles has left the Holy Land of their own good will?" one of the larger slaves in the room whispered when he heard the shocking the news that his fellow slave had just told him. He was wearing a brown tattered t-shirt and shorts.
"That's right. I had to hear that damn monster Warren complain about 'the fool of a man' throughout the day from the moment I was summoned into his room. He wouldn't stop talking about it, even as he rode my back when he left his room." the young slave who had brought the news to the other slaves gathered around responded with an annoyed expression on his face.
"There's no way that can be true. You must be lying to us right now." the larger slave expressed his doubts at the man's words while looking at the young slave with narrowed eyebrows.
"He's not lying, you know. I was also present when that fat idiot was complaining about the World Noble that left the Holy Land while putting that damned mark on my back." a young man with a sweater that had a hole at the back confirmed the validity of the other young slave's words.
"Well I'll be damned! Serves him right! I hope that the fool suffers the worst possible pain imaginable!" an older fish-man slave with gray skin and sharp teeth whisper-shouted in glee the moment he heard what the young slave had said about the former World Noble.
"Why stop there? He should die in the most painful way possible!" a middle-aged slave with a multitude of scars covering his face added to the fish-man slave's statement.
"That's one less World Noble to worry about! This news sure brightened up my day! Thank you young men!" a man with an abnormally long neck whisper-shouted as he patted the shoulders of the young slaves that brought the news.
"What difference will that make for us you idiot? This isn't something that we should be excited about! We're still trapped in this hell after all." a young female slave who was covered with bandages throughout her entire body gloomily said in response to the cheerful comment that the long-necked man made. She was wearing a tattered knee-length beige dress.
The new development that the young slaves relayed to the other slaves had given some of them something to be happy about. This of course, was because there was the possibility that one of the World Nobles may suffer a fate just as bad as themselves right now.
But while a majority of the slaves were quietly celebrating the fate that awaited the 'ignorant' World Noble, some of the slaves who had seen the true nature of the man known as Hamilton did not share the same sentiment with their fellow slaves when they heard the news that Hamilton had left Marijoa.
'So that's why he was looking at us solemnly recently? That idiot, what was he thinking doing something this reckless?' a sickly old man with shoulder-length gray hair and a diagonal scar that went across his left eye thought to himself as he lamented the news that he had just heard.
'How am I going to break this news to the little ones who came to look up to such a nice man?' a middle-aged slave with a shaven head thought to himself, sad that the little reprieve that the man brought with him was now gone for good.
'To think that he would actually leave the Holy Land like that. I hope that he and his daughter will be able to have a peaceful life out of this secret hell. Even if I did not know him for a long period of time, I am still sad that he left the Holy Land. He truly was like an angel secretly shielding us from as much suffering as he could.' a bulky man with short black hair and a scar that went over his left eye thought as he looked at the people rejoicing at the news that the young slave had brought them.
'Well, I am glad that those of us who have met him were able to have a few moments of peace under his watch. May you rest in peace, good sir.' a malnourished, green-haired young woman with the right side of her face covered in burn marks gloomily thought to herself after hearing the shocking news, certain of the fact that the man who had shown her and a few of the other slaves in the Holy Land kindness would not survive the harsh seas below the Red Line.
A certain island located in the West Blue, a week after Saint Hamilton left the Holy Land
On a bright and sunny afternoon, the large ship that was escorting Saint Hamilton (who was wearing a brown Hawaiian shirt and a white pair of trousers and sandals) and Valerie (who was wearing a dark green blouse and an orange knee-length skirt) had docked at the shores of an island that was surrounded by hills. The resources of the island were said to be bountiful along with a few trees being scattered here and there visible for all to see from the shores near the island. And at the center of the island was a ridiculously large rock statue that was carved to resemble the face of a man with a fedora hat looking in the southern direction.
Standing in front of the new residents of this bountiful island was a middle-aged man who was of average height with his purple hair styled in a buzz cut wearing a black suit along with a gray tie around his neck and a pair of black tinted shades covering his eyes.
"Welcome to the island of Fedora, your new home. Due to the fact that we are at an island that is not affiliated with the World Government and hostile towards anyone affiliated with the World Government, this will be as far as we can take you and your daughter, Mr. Hamilton." the man in the suit explained as the ship was docked at the coast of the island where no people were present.
"Now I would ask that you hand over your World Noble I.D. chips before you leave the ship." the purple-haired agent asked the former World Noble as he held out his hand in Hamilton's direction so that he could confiscate the identification chips that identified Hamilton and Valerie as World Nobles.
Hamilton silently obliged the purple-haired agent as he handed him the two I.D. chips that they had previously owned. As soon as the purple-haired agent had the I.D. chips in his hands, he promptly made his way towards the ship with a stoic look on his face.
And when the agent made his way towards the ship, he turned towards the two former Celestial Dragons one more time before commanding the men aboard the World Government ship to make their departure.
As soon as the large ship was clear out of sight, the blonde father picked up the large briefcase that was on the ground next to his feet before he walked towards the other side of the coast while holding his daughter's hand.
After walking for around half an hour, Hamilton and Valerie had finally reached the center of the island where the large statue stood. The center of the island was surrounded by a large number of wooden houses along with a few buildings that looked to have been made using stone walls.
'Time to see if you're still living on this island, you old hag.' Hamilton thought to himself while he surveyed the town square for a moment, before he and his daughter made their way towards one of the buildings that had a sign that read [Granny Blue's Sweets Cafe] on top of the entrance of the building.
And once Hamilton and Valerie entered the building, they were greeted the sight of a lavishly decorated bakery which was filled to the brim with people enjoying their deserts and other pastries at the tables with some of the customers standing in line waiting from a counter looking to buy some baked goods.
But before the two of them could take a step further, one of the waiters working at the café approached them with a neutral expression on his face. He was a young man with shoulder-length brown hair that was combed back and he was wearing a black suit with a dark blue bowtie and he was carrying a letter in his hands.
Once the young man gave the letter to the blond father, he promptly left to continue serving the customers in the room.
After receiving the piece of paper from the waiter, Hamilton opened it and read it before folding it and putting it in his pocket.
'Guess I'll meet her later tonight, after I find a place to stay for the night and put Valerie to sleep of course. But for now, I think I'll treat myself and my daughter to a snack from the restaurant.' Hamilton thought as he went to the back of the line in order to buy some baked goods.
Later on in the night, at the back of [Granny Blue's Sweets Café]
At the back entrance of the building that Hamilton had visited earlier in the day, the former Celestial Dragon was currently standing in front of an elderly woman of short stature and grey hair that was tied in a neat bun who was currently looking at him with a deep frown on her face. She was wearing a blue dress that had floral patterns on it.
"So brat, what brings you to my humble abode?" the elderly woman inquired of Hamilton as she continued to look at him with a look of doubt.
"Well master" the former Celestial Dragon began as he knelt before the woman standing in front of him before he continued to speak "I was hoping that you could help me get to God Valley."
"And why would I do that after all these years of silence from you? Also, why would you want to go to God Valley instead of staying here?" the elderly woman asked as she looked down on her former student.
"I'm sorry for not contacting you after all these years, but I was busy dealing with a number of matters. As for why I wanted to go to God Valley instead of here on Fedora Island, God Valley is a peaceful island with many of the citizens compared to Fedora Island in order for me to make sure that my daughter will able to have a normal life on the island, don't you agree master?" Hamilton listed his reasons as he continued to bow before his former master.
"Very well brat, I'll lend you a hand in getting you to God Valley." the elderly woman said after thinking over what Hamilton had said to her.
"Thank you Master Sapphire." Hamilton sighed in relief as he began to stand up from his kneeling position.
"I expect that you will be keeping in touch with me more often from here on out brat. There are so many things that I can use your help with after all. We can discuss the details of that on a later date, but for now I will help you and your daughter get to God Valley. I'll send someone to meet you at the port to guide you to one of the cargo ships that will be going there tomorrow." Sapphire said before she walked back into her café. And soon after Sapphire went in her café, Hamilton left the back entrance of the older woman's café.
Two days after Hamilton and Valerie docked at Fedora Island
After boarding a cargo ship that was headed to God Valley, the father and daughter duo had finally arrived at their destination.
And in front of the port of the island, the father and daughter could see two large mountains that were right next to each other with the structure of the mountains resembling the hands of a person of faith putting their hands together in order to make a prayer.
"Are you ready to see our new home, Valerie dear?" Saint Hamilton asked his daughter as they began to walk towards their destination.
"Yes Daddy!" the green-haired girl shouted with great excitement in response to her father's question.
"I'm glad to hear that! Now, let's go and see what our new home has in store for us!" the single father excitedly told his daughter as they continued to make their way towards their new home and the place where a new chapter of their lives would begin.