fierybluebird | [voice]

[voice]

[Marco's voice starts off cheerfully enough.]

Hey everyone, I think I found the place where the cave-in for the train-thing is. The currents here are pretty weird so if we can get ... some ... strong swimmers then...

[He starts trailing off, obviously seeing something.] Pops...? [His voice is quiet, barely audible. It's not possible, he knows it's not, he watched the man die. So it's just like Luffy's food and an illusion. Has to be. But then it gets stronger.] POPS!! [He starts running, sandals hitting the wood of the deck.] Pops... [This time he just sounds anguished. And then suddenly there's a splash. Uh where did Marco go?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I have seen an example of how cruel this world can be thanks to the fakes, but this...

It must be a cursed placed upon me, aru. I know that other people are experiencing this yet [A very long pause.] I cannot help but feel that I am being punished for the things I have done this past year.

[He cannot keep the dread out of his voice this time.]

Things you've done?

I am afraid I am not allowed to speak of it to anyone else, except for my boss, aru. I can say, however, that it has changed me.

[He assumes that Marco had known about his week disappearance.]

Edited 2011-09-19 00:38 (UTC)

I see.

Being a country is never easy.

No, it is not, aru.

I do not know if anyone has told you yet, Marco, but when I disappeared for a week from Fortuna, I went back home for thirty years. Even though that is a short period of time for us Nations, so many things happened.

Hah, I was not expecting another cruel stunt so soon after my return, aru. Then again, at least we do not have any fakes to worry about this time.

30 years... Does that put you in America's time-frame then?

This place is pretty brutal. You're not even allowed to die, just so they can torture you more.

Yes, and it also puts me between his conflict with my sister, Vietnam, aru. My boss has ordered me and my countrymen to provide weapons, food, and men for her. It has been exhausting for me.

Us countries are not exactly allowed to die back home either, aru.

Why is he fighting with her?

He fears the spread of communism, aru. The northern half of Korea, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, East Germany, and many others are already under communist rule, and now he fears Cuba will follow.

As for myself, I have been communist since 1949, aru.

It is not only Vietnam he is fighting against, though. This is conflict is really between him and Russia, or more specifically, the USSR, aru.

[He was getting tired just talking about it and it is obvious in his tone.]

I'm sorry... "Communism?" I'm unfamiliar with this term.

Russia seems like a troublesome person.

[There's a sound of exasperation, though not directed at Marco.]

There are too many things to explain about it, but basically it is a system where all property is owned by the government and everyone works and gets paid according to their abilities and needs, aru.

He can be at times, but he is my friend.

And that works well?

It depends on one's opinion, aru.

Edited 2011-09-24 20:39 (UTC)

In what way?

Well, America does not seem to believe it works, aru. That is one example.

All right, what do you... or he... consider to be its faults versus its strong points?

Měiguó is just paranoid, aru. He fears that if it continues to spread to other countries, it will pose a threat to his own nation and then the whole world. That, or he cannot stand the idea of a classless society.

Edited 2011-09-26 04:54 (UTC)

Is that classless? Wouldn't the government have it all? It's similar to the tenryuubito in a way, isn't it?

Though I do not know what the tenryuubito is, you do have a point, aru. A classless society was the original vision of the man who formed the idea. Over the years, though, it began to branch off in many directions.

The branch that my country has taken is the one where, as I mentioned earlier, the government owns everything, aru.

To free people from worrying about it, is that it?

Are those in the government allowed slaves then?

China has no slaves, aru. At least, not since 1910.

We have farmers, factory workers, soldiers, and any other people you can think of, but not slaves.

Even for the government?

Yes. [So he says.]

That's good then. I almost envy it, eh.

My world isn't quite as much a caste system as say, the troll's world, but with the world government controlling everything, people put far too much stock in bloodlines.

But my Pops always said it didn't mean anything. A man of the sea is free from all of that.

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