Hulba Arc

The **Hulba Arc**, also known as **Chapter 1: Faded Memories**, is the introductory story arc of the campaign and the first story arc in the North Blue Saga.

## Summary

### Awakening: The Intruders on Hulba

After a dream of “war”, three men named, Stede D. Herriot, Leon, and Edward D. Low awake on the tribal island Hulba located in the North Blue, with no memory of how they got there and how they know each other. They are approached by two local tribesmen, worried that they are the intruders who took their heirloom. After a fight against them they realize that the group are not related to the intruders, and invite them to meet their chieftain. After meeting the chieftain the group decides to help the tribe get their heirloom back from the invaders. While searching the beach they discover that the intruders who were Pirates, have already been killed by something and retrieve the heirloom from one of their corpses. Out of nowhere a gorilla who is the village’s guardian and user of the Ground-Ground Fruit, burrows out of the ground to attack the group. After defeating the gorilla and taking the egg that it had laid, the group returns to the village and returns the heirloom and are rewarded by the chieftain with a set of devil seeds.

The crew heads back to the beach where they discovered the dead intruders, and decide to take their ship for themselves and form a pirate crew. The crew then decides the captain with a duel, which ends up with Leon winning, but giving up the title of captain to Edward. The crew settles on naming the crew the Gorilla Pirates and sets sail with the intruders ship, the Six Foot Thunder.

### Dead Men Tell Tales: The Ghostly Lumber Pirates

On their way to the second island, the crew comes across a ship at sea that disappeared when they approached it. Stede and Edward felt a ghostly aura linger while Leon noticed a bunch of unknown figures in a circle on top of a rock at sea, humming an unusual tone. The crew anchors at the rocks and climb onto them to attempt to communicate with the individuals. After no response Leon takes the sake that they were surrounding causing them to be transported into the ghost ship. The ghostly figures introduce themselves as the Lumber Pirates, a pirate group of lumberjacks who sold lumber. They explain that they were sailing near this area when an unknown Marine with the Devil Fruit power to raise rocks from the sea destroyed their ship at sea, resulting in their deaths. Edward offered to get revenge for the crew which they declined, having no wish for revenge. While they reminisce about their past, Stede hears them mention a cave in the South Blue that they used to enter the Grand Line. After giving each of the crew a book with special knowledge, Leon lights a match and sets the ship on fire to free their spirits. They all party one last time before their spirits are sent to the afterlife.

After the ship and the Lumber Pirates disappear the crew continues on their voyage to the next island.

## Story Impact

* This arc introduces the amnesia plot point of the story, which so far affects all the members of the Gorilla Pirates.

* Stede, Leon, and Edward form the Gorilla Pirates, setting into motion the main plot of the campaign.
	+ This arc shows how the crew obtained their first ship, the Six Foot Thunder, which would later be given a funeral by lighting it on fire in the Raijeniay-Milaiya War Arc.
* Devil Seeds are introduced in this arc and the crew obtains their first set of them.
	+ Later in the Raijeniay-Milaiya War Arc, an unnamed barkeeper explains that what types of devil fruits the devil seeds can grow into varies between sets of seeds, but can be determined by the seeds pattern. He examined the seeds the crew obtained and determines that a Paramecia or Zoan-type devil fruit can be grown from them.
	+ In the Raijeniay-Milaiya War Arc, Stede plants the devil seeds in a gilded “magical” feeling primate skull which eventually grows into the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Skeleton, the first Mythical Zoan to appear in the campaign and the first devil fruit that is eaten by a player character.