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m1lady · 5 years

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Of Pirates and Gods Ch 1 The New Journey

Sasuke was at the wheel of his boat, thinking of the treasure they were after. The fountain of youth, one of the worlds most infamous legends. An old woman told him of it, and that it was very much true that it existed, just that no one ever found it and lived to tell the tale of it. He thought back to their meeting.

-Flashback-

His crew walked inside this large old drinking tavern for booze and wenches for a good time. He on the other hand just wanted some rum to take back to his quarters. He needed to map out their route for the next island. As he is about to return to his ship he see's this old hag sitting at a table in the corner. He looks at the old woman dressed in dirty raggedy clothes. She stares at him and holds her hand out in front of her to motion him to go to her. He hesitates for a minute but decides to see what she wants out of curiosity.

"Tell me my dear lad, what does ye look for in life?" She asks him

He tilts his head slightly "I look for wealth, health, fun, and a long lasting life to sail the seas."

"Long lasting life eh? Have you ever thought about finding the fountain of youth?" She asked with a gleam in her eye

"The stream that carries the water of life? That's just a myth, an old legend that foolish pirates sail the sea's looking for in vain" He stated

She smiled, "Ah my young lad, it does exist, but those who've seen it never lived to tell of its true legend"

"Then how do you know it exists?" He had asked her

"Because I've seen the guardian of it. She is as beautiful as Nature and merciful as the storms, she guards the fountain with her life. Kills anyone that tries to steal even a drop of it." She had told him

"Then if you've met her, why are you still alive?" He asked her

"Because my intentions were never to use the fountain, and I had proved my worth to live when I offered her some of my life force in exchange for me to lives." She answered

"But doesn't that shorten your life? What's the point? If you are going to die sooner then why not just let her kill you?" He asked curiously

"Because she only took a year off my life, it was enough to show her that I never intended to steal from her and I get to live longer than dying at the hands of the guardian." She explained

"So she has some mercy to her?" He asked

"She see's into the souls of men, not hear what they think, but feel what's in their soul. The good, the bad, whether you are innocent and worthy enough to live or you are as dangerous and greedy enough to kill others for the sake of selfishness and power, in which case she kills you. She has never let anyone live except for me because those who come seeking the fountain only come out of greed and power. For letting me live I am grateful to her for." She told him with a small smile

He pondered that for a minute "This guardian, she is an immortal?" He questioned

"Yes, she is the goddess of water, life, and beauty, who chose to guard one of the god's most sacred treasure's."

"So there are more sacred treasures than this fountain that hold the water of life?"

"There are about 10 of the most sacred items that the gods will kill to keep protected. This one is the only one I know for sure that exists."

"How do I know you are not lying? You could just be telling me a off set of the legend just to send us pirates out for nothing but a myth?" He questioned sounding a bit irritated.

"I have this" she pulls out a small pouch from her pocket and takes its contents out. "It's not the waters of life, but it has magical qualities to heal injuries or sickness. A gift that was given to me by the guardian. Here, you can have it, as a gift. An old lady like me doesn't need that anymore." She told him with a smile.

He took it and looked at the small clear container. It looked like clear liquid with a faint pink glow to it and what looked like very small light pink flower petals.

"Thank you, how do you use it?"

"If it is a wound you are trying to heal, simply put a drop on the injury, if it is a sickness then put a drop on the tip of your tongue."

"He looked at the vial, "So all it takes is a drop to heal?"

"it was made by the guardian herself, it is very potent, so yes only a drop is needed, but I ask you to use it only if you need it, because one day you may only have a little left and it wont be enough" She warned.

He narrowed his eyes at her, but nodded and put the vial in his pocket "Alright, how do I find the fountain?"

"First, you must Go to the island that bears the blood of beasts, there you will find a sacred chalice that the water of life will not disappear from. Made from the blood stones and gold from the king of gods crown, Then you must go past the sea of mans last voyage, and no matter how much it calls out to you, never listen to the song that sea sings. There's a reason its called man's last voyage. once you cross the sea there will be a land that looks small, but I warn you it is an endless land. Travel through the forest of that land, mark your way through so you don't get lost. Ignore the sweet voices that call out to you, they are traps placed to lure you to your deaths, much like the sea you will have to cross. There is a hidden passage to get to the fountain, among the waterfalls, behind the biggest one there is a cave, you must go past it without distractions, so you must not touch the gems within that cave, the gems have spells placed upon them that drive men mad. When you reach the end of the cave you must follow the path up to the small hill, on the top of that hill there is a pond next to an old Cherry blossom tree. That pond holds the water of life. Beware though, my dear pirate, for one that holds so much beauty, can be harsher than any man alive." She explained.

"I understand" He said and left back to his ship.

-End Flashback-

They had to resupply their goods at Jinjuri's Island before they left on their journey. It would take a while out at sea before they could reach land again.

"Captain, I was thinking about our next journey, and I was wondering if we are really going to set out for the fountain of youth?" Sasuke turned his head towards his quartermaster (second in command)

"Yes, ive had a talk with someone who has seen its guardian, you know I don't believe stories so easily, but I know that what she said was true, we will stock up in Jinjuri's island and then head to the islands where there it bears the blood of beasts." He explained. His quarter master was also his closest friend. And he could see uncertainty in his blue eyes.

"Do not fret, my friend. It is a treasure worth going after, yes? We all did a vote and we all agreed upon it. And its one of 10 sacred treasures of the gods, can you imagine having that much treasure? We will be set for life!" Sasuke looked at his friend

"Do you think we will really find it?" Naruto asked

"Aye! Now hows bout we set our course and start our journey!" Sasuke grinned at him

He grinned back, "Aye aye cap! Lets do it!"

After a few hours of sailing Sasuke decided to go below deck to check their supplies.

"Here Naruto, take the wheel, I have to go see what supplies we have left before we restock" He commanded and left him in charge while he went below deck. Before he went under he stopped and looked at one of his crew members.

"Neji! Go to the crow's nest and lookout for land!"

"Aye aye captain!" He yelled out in response and quickly did as he was told. Sasuke continued to go below deck.

He was thinking about the other 9 treasures. He didn't know what they were and the old had didn't either. How could he figure out what they were and how could he get it? And if they do come across the guardian, how will they get the treasure and leave alive?

Then he thought of something. Maybe he can capture her somehow, and use her to find out the other sacred items and to find where they are. How can he imprison a goddess strong enough to be a sacred guard? He will have to ask questions as soon as they get back on land. There has to be some way to capture gods.

A day and a half later they finally docked at Jinjuri's island. It took them a while, but they managed to restock the ship for the long journey. With his crew behind him, Sasuke went to the Sages Tavern in hopes of talking to the old man Jiraiya. A seadog that loves to visit this island in particular for its women and grog. (diluted liquor)

He walked through the stench filled room full of pirates who were three sheets to the wind. The bar wenches were walking around offering drinks and some of them offering up themselves for a good time.

He looked to his men and yelled out "Avast ye, me hearty's. Have a clap of thunder, some women and good rest! we leave at dawn!"

"AYE! AYE CAPTAIN!" He heard his men cheer. He walked up to the bar and called over the woman wiping the big mugs. "What'll ye have good sir?" She asked him sticking out her chest a bit.

He rolled his eyes, but continued to speak to her "I'm looking for a man called Jiraiya, He's tall with long white hair and is always grabbing on women. Has he been here recently?"

She frowned before answering him "Eh, that perverted old geezer is always here. He is occupying one of the rooms at the moment, if you want to pass the time sooner, I can keep you company, there are a few rooms available and even a special room I can take you there." She offered caressing his cheek.

He just looked at her with a neutral expression "No, I will wait for him out here with my men."

She huffed but turned away to go about her business. "Your loss" she murmured too low for him to hear.

Sasuke went to where all his men had been sitting and waited for a while until Jiraiya was finished with his business. He decided to have a few drinks and was watching his men all on one side of the old tavern singing one of their favorite chants

Naruto: "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

Naruto and Choji: We pillage plunder, we rifle and loot.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Lee and Neji: We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

crew: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

Shikamaru and Sai: We extort and pilfer, we filch and sack.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Kiba and Shino: Maraud and embezzle and even highjack.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho."

Sasuke smiled and decided to chant the song with his crew, he raised his mug of beer and sang out loud

Entire crew: "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

Yamato and Kakashi: We kindle and char and in flame and ignite.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Sasuke: We burn up the city, we're really a fright.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Lee and choji: We're rascals and scoundrels, we're villians and knaves.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Kiba and sai: We're devils and black sheep, we're really bad eggs.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Entire crew: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me

Suigetsu and Juugo: We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads,

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yamato and Kakashi: Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Entire crew: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"

"AYE!" The entire crew cheered as soon as the song ended!

"I'm glad you lads seem to be having fun" Sasuke heard a voice beside him. He turned toward the voice and smirked. Jiraiya had finally shown up.

"Yeah well, we will be at sea for a long time so my men need to have a good time before we set off." He explained

"Ah, what about you?" He asked

"What about me?" he retorted

"I see almost all your men have atleast one lass with them to show them a good time, are you going to find yourself one of these pretty things before you set sail?" He asked watching some of the females walk by.

"None of these wenches fit my taste" Sasuke stated.

"That's too bad, these women sure know what they're doing" Jiraiya shrugged

"I'm sure" Was all Sasuke said before changing the subject "Listen, I also came here to talk to you"

"Oh? About what?" He questioned and took a swig of his beer

"I have some questions for you and I need all the information I can get" Sasuke demanded

"Hm, sounds serious, but fine. I'll tell you whatever you want to know"

Sasuke smirked "Okay first question, What is the island that bears the blood of beasts?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened at Sasuke's question, but answered him "It's an Island that holds the worlds most dangerous animals, Vicious creatures that tear every one and each other apart."

"How does one survive on such an Island?"

"Defend yourself well, most of the creatures there come out on night, so if you ever wanted to explore there with a lesser chance of dying, then do it when the sun is at its highest."

"Alright, what about the sea of mans last voyage?"

Jiraiya's eyebrows furrowed "Why would you even think of traveling there? Sailors do not go there. Monsters lurk there, they do. They use the wind to carry their voices and call out to the men on their ships and lead them to their death."

"Monsters?"

"Aye, Sirens. Beautiful creatures, but their voices poison the mind. They sing and when a sailor hears her song its like they go into a trance and jump off the ship to find the person singing, once they fall into the water, the sirens drag them down into the depths and take their life force. They usually target their captains and anyone who they think holds power on the ship, with out its captain or his high ranked matey's the ship is less likely to survive. Or if the ship has a big enough crew it'll try to have its captain steer the ships towards a dangerous area so sink it. But nobody knows how many there are out there, could be one siren or a hundred. So if you do decide to travel through that sea, Just remember to ignore the songs you hear, steer away from it. Do not let you crew listen to it either. There's a reason its called man's last voyage."

Sasuke thought about that for a minute, when the old woman had told him of the fountain, she made it seem easy to get to, but in reality its course to get there was dangerous enough to kill his entire crew. He would most likely have to take a vote again with his men.

"Okay, one more question"

Jiraiya just nodded

Sasuke took a deep breath and asked his last question "How does one kill a god, or at least capture one?"

Jiraiya's face showed surprise and curiosity "This must be one hell of a treasure to risk your life and the life of your crew for." Jiraiya pointed out

"Aye, do you know?" Sasuke asked annoyed, but anxious to know if there was any chance in hell he could capture that goddess.

"Aye, it's a good thing you are travelling towards the sea of mans last voyage. There is a small island right when you reach that sea, its small enough that it probably wouldn't even be considered an island, but There a god was cast down and sent to live as a human. He left a few of his possessions behind on that little piece of land. He tried to swim to a bigger land, but being cast down as a human, he fell to mans temptation with the sirens."

Sasuke frowned "what does that have to do with capturing a god?"

"There was a rope there that was crafted by the gods. Only things made by gods can catch them. So if you find that rope you can use it to bind them."

"do you know how to weaken them?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at him. "Each god is different, some have material weaknesses, some have physical weaknesses, and other have actual people for weaknesses, but then you have your very few who don't have any weaknesses."

Sasuke was confused. He didn't say anything, but Jiraiya continued to talk, "Of course, if you know what specific god you want to weaken would help me figure out his weakness."

Sasuke nodded slowly looking up in thought. "Well, it's actually a goddess."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Oh? It's a goddess you are after? A goddess you want to want to weaken and bind? No wonder you don't want any of females here, not if you can have a goddess." Jiraiya laughed

"I'm not weakening her or capturing her out of lust. She is a guardian, of a certain item I am searching for. And she knows about more of the items I am also searching for."

"Yeah, yeah, sure kid. Anyways, do you know who?"

Sasuke sighed impatiently "The goddess of water, life and beauty."

Jiraiya's eyes went wide. "Are you serious? You are going after her?" asked sounding a bit angry

"Do you know of her?" Sasuke questioned

"Sort of, and as far as I know she doesn't have a weakness, your only chance of capturing her would be the rope I mentioned." Jiraiya stood up "I have to go. Good luck"

Sasuke watched the old man walk away. He knows something, whatever. He headed back to his ship, His long journey begins tomorrow.

#sasusaku #ProSasuSaku #Sasuke Uchiha #Sakura Haruno #pirate #captain sasuke #goddess sakura #ss #fanfiction #fanfic #sasuke x sakura

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animalistauntamedblog · 6 years

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“Stunning limestone cliffs, lagoons with turquoise waters and long stretches of untouched beaches.” Palawan, one of the world’s most beautiful islands, home to the Philippines’ last remaining forests and an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot.

But this seeming paradise is also the setting for greed, corruption, even murder – and jaw-dropping heroism. Meet the PNNI, the Palawan NGO Network Inc, a strangely grand title for a small band of ragged flipflop-wearing underfunded environmental crusaders, many ‘baptised’ with scars from sharp-toothed chainsaws at the hands of illegal loggers .

50 year old ‘Tata’ Balladares has already led his small band of six environmental para-enforcers up and down the steep mountain slopes of Palawan for 15 hours, searching for signs of illegal logging, only stopping once for 30 minutes sleep on a mountain path. Reporter Kari Malakunas stands by as they stealthily close in on what the whine of a chainsaw gives away as a crime scene – a site of illegal logging.

Completely unarmed, their only weapon in these dangerous situations is surprise. This time luckily, caught in the act of felling a giant apitong tree, are only two young men. Tata asks if they have a permit for the timber, and if the chainsaw is registered. They don’t, and it isn’t. His little band confiscate the men’s chainsaw and machetes, and search the area for possible concealed homemade pistols and rifles.

Tata, though ‘only’ a civilian para-enforcer, wraps up the brief skirmish with calm unflappable authority. But afterwards, during a short break for a meal of rice and dried fish, he breaks down in despair at the enormity of the task the PNNI is facing.

“This should be the work of the government but they are not doing their job. Who else is going to stop this if we’re not here,” he says.

Traditional campaigning has failed to prevent corrupt businessmen, politicians and even the security forces from pillaging the rich resources of this beautiful island. So the PNNI goes for direct action – confiscation and citizen’s arrest – against illegal loggers, miners and cyanide fishers, however many and whoever they may be.

On display at their small HQ in Puerto Princesa is a ‘Christmas tree’ standing two storeys high, made entirely of chainsaws. The organisation has confiscated more than 700 in its 20 years of life, along with a boat used for transporting illegally-logged timber, two drills used for illegal gold mining, and a number of firearms.

Tata and his men may be unarmed themselves – besides being overworked and underfunded – but they have the support of local communities, as anxious as they to stop the despoliation of their island home. Nevertheless, they are ill-matched against their greedy and powerful opponents. It’s an unequal contest.

And though many small and not so small victories are won, as witnessed by the chainsaw ‘tree’ at HQ, there is no end in sight to the war being waged over the paradise of Palawan. It would be demoralising for the best of us. Add to that these men, passionate about preserving their environment though they are, live daily with the inescapable knowledge that the supremely taxing task they have taken upon themselves also puts their lives on the line.

Twelve of their courageous fellow-enforcers have been murdered since 2001. In 2004, PNNI’s founder and leader, environmental lawyer Bobby Chan was out with his team when they discovered the body of Roger Majim, one of their own, on a beach. “The loggers put his flip flops on the mound where they buried him. When we unearthed him he had, I think, 16 stab wounds. His eyes were gouged out. His tongue was cut off. His testicles were cut off and placed in his mouth,” says Chan.

“The government does little to stop the violence and rarely holds anyone to account for the killings,” says Global Witness‘s environmental and land defender campaign leader, Billy Kyte.

The most recent murder was last September. 49-year-old father-of-five, Ruben Arzaga was shot in the head as he was approaching an illegal logging site. Earlier in the year Arzaga, during another mission to confiscate chainsaws from illegal loggers, had told AFP “If this illegal activity is not stopped, I think before my youngest daughter becomes a young adult and has a family of her own, all the big trees here will be gone.”

On their way to Ruben’s funeral, Tata’s team stopped to confiscate another chainsaw. For them it’s simple: forest lost equals their priceless paradise lost. That also means inevitably, extinctions.

These are some of the animals the PNNI are fighting to protect –

Frank Passamonte hatched on Sept. 5, 2011. Turtle was less than a month old at the time of this picture.

Some of the most endangered species of the Philippines. L to R, Top to Bottom: the Philippine eagle (critically endangered), Palawan forest turtle (critically endangered), the rufous-headed hornbill (critically endangered), the Philippine tarsier (near threatened), the bleeding heart mindoro (critically endangered), the Nicobar pigeon (near threatened)

The Palawan purple crab, only discovered in 2012 and already critically endangered by mining, and the Philippine crocodile also critically endangered

The waters surrounding the Philippines have the highest level of marine biodiversity in the world. It is estimated that half of the species that live on Palawan are endemic ie. unique to the island – existing nowhere else in the world.

The hawksbill turtle (critically endangered), the lionfish, and the flamboyant cuttle fish

Those are just a few of the treasures for whom these heroes are risking their lives on a daily basis. “It’s a selfless, courageous task that should be celebrated,” says Billy Kyte, Global Witness.

The country of the Philippines is not just a biodiversity hotspot, but an environmental murder hotspot, one of the most dangerous in the world. Last year in this country, environmental activists were killed at a rate of one every 12 days.

But such egregious violence is not unique to Palawan, or to the Philippines. The problem is worldwide. This is Global Witness’s record of environmental activists, men and women, murdered in 2016, “some shot by police during protests, others gunned down by hired assassins.”

Brazil 49 men and women

Colombia 37

The Philippines 28

India 16

Honduras 14

Nicaragua 11

DR Congo 10

Bangladesh 7

Guatemala 6

Tanzania, Mexico & Peru 3 each

South Africa, Myanmar, Peru 2 each

Ireland (!), Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Iran and Pakistan 1 each

“Far from the corridors of power ordinary people defending their rights to a healthy environment are being killed in record numbers. If governments are serious about stopping climate change, the very least they can do is to protect the people who are personally taking a stand.”

These are not just statistics. These are flesh and blood, men and women often from indigenous communities, with families of their own. People with a level of courage I can barely imagine, and know I would never be able to emulate, defending their land not just against illegal loggers and miners, but against legal but environmentally destructive industries like mining, agribusiness, logging and hydropower.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the Earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” — Rachel Carson

Let us hope and pray that the lives of these protectors of our planet, deserving of our admiration and gratitude in equal measure, do indeed find reserves of strength and last long. And that in 2018 they notch up many more successes protecting paradise and its animals – and above all, stay safe.

Like and follow PNNI’s Facebook page, and send them a few words of encouragement. And if you are ever lucky enough to get to travel to beautiful Palawan, be sure to support them with a visit to PNNI’s HQ in Puerto Princesa.

Take a look at the Rainforest Alliance supporting indigenous peoples, their lands and their wildlife, all around the world. On their website you can sign petitions for the environment until your fingers ache! You can also help protect the planet by donating

Sources

Confiscation crusaders try to save Philippine paradise

Philippines a global hotspot for environmental murders

Bright Purple Crab Discovered in Philippines

A Fragile Butterfly Joins The Face Off At Standing Rock

The Rights of Nature

On April 29, We March for the Future

Tsá Tué, Where People & Animals Are Equal

These Are the Heroes Putting Their Lives on the Line for the Animals of Paradise "Stunning limestone cliffs, lagoons with turquoise waters and long stretches of untouched beaches." Palawan, one of the world's most beautiful islands, home to the Philippines' last remaining forests and an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot.

#Birds #ClimateChange #Ecosystems #Endangered #Environment #Extinction #Fish #Justice #PlanetEarth #Primates #Wildlife

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