Chapter 1: An island they landed on
## Deep in the Forest ##
The strawhats crew had come to term with horrifying experiences too often, if not too many times. They had faced demons of many kinds – real demons, demons in human skins, but still those experiences had yet prepared them for the time when they landed on this very island they have embarked on. Bad vibes always sent shudder down every spine when Luffy was involved in the decision-making. This one just sent terror throughout their bodies eventhough they had just landed on the shore. Even Brook who was physically bony lacked his usual yohohoho spirit. To think he was already dead...
Except for Luffy, no one wanted to take a step forward.
"Hey, what'cha guys doing? Let's go!" Luffy pointed straight at the awaiting greenery.
"Luffy", Sanji said, his cigarette still clenched between his teeth, "I think we should leave. Definitely not this island".
"Seconding", the usually stoic swordsman agreed to Sanji's suggestion almost too immediately.
"I think Sanji's right", Nami said, supporting the vote.
"Nope. I am not setting foot near that forest", Usopp shook his head.
With Luffy however, voices of the mass wouldn't change his decision at all.
"Guys, guys. We Pirates must explore when we are given the chance to do it", Luffy reasoned, giving his usual ear splitting grin like everything would be alright. Why they were all looking at him in disbelief he would never understand. The island called for fun adventure! Who were they to turn their back from the loud obnoxious cry of the island spirit? He bounced a little in excitement at the thought of his beloved meat treasure that could be hidden on the island.
Sanji, frustrated by the captain's obliviousness, threw his cigarette butt to the ground. "We're not going! I feel so freaked out by this place I don't even want to get close to it!"
Luffy didn't look all too pleased. With his hands on his waist, with his pose changing to one that of a captain, he said, "We're exploring. That's final". Everyone let out massive melancholic sighs except for Robin who seemed to agree with Luffy. The captain had made up his mind and nobody can disobey. Giving one last longing look at A Thousand Sunny a few miles away from the shore and Mini Merry, the crew tailed behind the captain sluggishly. They were not even ten steps away when they were taken by surprise by the rustling noise from a nearby bush and the loud cawing of crows.
"See? It's just like any other island. They have wild birds and wild animals and wild trees. Nothing to be afraid of", Luffy said. He was also shaken by the sound that he had almost jumped out of his skin but he put on his brave mask to show the rest of the crew that he wasn't affected.
Another ten steps and the weather changed for the worse. Dark clouds shrouded the sky and ceaseless lightning streaks crackled. The cry of the wind were lost beneath the thunder that rolled overhead, kicking their exploration spirit to a level below zero. The sea that was once calm and gentle was tumbling the waves fiercely, folding each ascend higher and higher by the minutes. Franky shrieked when a lightning limb struck mini merry, lighting a fire on the poor boat's front end. The cyborg ran back towards Mini Merry to put the fire off but half of the boat had been already licked clean. Mini Merry had been charred together with their hope to leave the island. At least the fire had been put off by the waves before it could burn the engine part and put a damp on any hope to go back to A Thousand Sunny at all.
"This is SUPER bad. We are SUPER stuck. I have to SUPER fix the boat or we can never go back. I'll stay to mend this", said Franky. The first mate decided that it would be a good excuse to run away from the exploration group and help with Mini Merry's carpentry instead. "I'll stay and help Franky fix this".
He felt a hand forcefully grabbed his shoulder. Exaggerated puffing sounds made his blood curled if it hadn't curled enough with Luffy's decision. It almost felt like he was being challenged and the way the cook spoke next only ignited the desire to lash at him. "What, Marimo? Ready to shit your pants already?"
"Of course not".
"You don't sound convincing", Sanji snickered mockingly. Zoro swatted the annoying hand away, grudgingly following the progressing team towards the forest. This whole thing sounded like a bad news but since when being in Luffy's crew was a good news?
He just had to make sure nobody died. That thought alone was enough to put out the fear on what's to come.
## Deep In the Forest ##
Robin,Brook and Nami had gone off in the middle of their jungle tracking. Although Sanji offered to accompany the group, Robin insisted for him to find a town to restock the supplies while the three of them tried to find relics of the island. With a heavy heart, Sanji let them go while Luffy soothed him with absolute confidence in the girls ability to protect themselves. A few minutes later, the team was further divided to Luffy, Chopper and Usopp and the usual Sanji-Marimo pair. The captain disappeared together with his usual playmates to chase after a glowing butterfly before Sanji could suggest a new pair-trio arrangement.
"What the hell, Luffy? At least leave Chopper behind!"
"It's not like I'm happy being left alone with a shit-cook!"
"Shut up, Marimo. Am not talking to you!"
The usual string of insults rolled from their tongues as they walked further into the forest. It grew darker the more meters they covered to the point that Zoro had to follow Sanji's cigarette glow because it was the only part of the cook that was visible to him. It wasn't even the cook's limbs so to say. Just his usual extension he couldn't go without. Sanji had to take a break to think about where exactly they were heading. He halted for a moment and leaned against a hard surface – possibly a rock – to mull over the possibility of finding a town.
"I don't think there's any town on this island", the cook said.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I don't know... how about we have been walking quite far in and have yet to find a building? Sounds convincing to you?"
"We could try going to the other side of this island. We might find a tribe or two that are willing to supply us food".
"Or we can hunt the first animal we spot and stock the supply with that".
"Sounds reasonable". Zoro tried his best to sound cooperative. Then come his own demand. "Can you at least make a torch and light the way? I can see shit in this darkness other than your mouth tail".
"Mouth tail", Sanji snorted. Leave it to Zoro to come up with a new insult. He searched the ground for any kind of wood like thing and wrapped his good handkerchief around the stick. He flicked his lighter, hovering it on the piece of cloth until it caught on fire. "Happy?" He asked, waving the torch lightly in front of the swordsman. The only gratitude he got was Zoro staring at him with wide eyes. "What's with that face?"
"Don't move, shit-cook".
"What? Why?"
"Just don't fucking move from there. Stay fucking still", Zoro hissed. And like hell was Sanji going to take his warning. Sanji stubbornly straightened himself, uncaring to Zoro's hitching breath. "Fuck!" the swordsman cursed and along with that, Sanji heard a snorting noise, not coming from the Marimo but from behind him.
"What's behind me? Do I need to kick the shit out of it?"
"A boar! A BIG one! Fuck! Run!" Zoro sprinted away as fast as he could. From over Sanji's shoulder, his eyes locked with a pair of red angry eyes of the said boar. The boar, fur standing up in agitation, was ready to run him over and probably pierced him with its protruding tusks. It didn't look too happy at the sight of Sanji. "Fuck", he followed the Marimo's steps, trying to keep the torch from dying out as he ran away from the boar. Not long after, he saw Marimo's back. He increased his own sprinting speed to close their distance as much as he could. "Fuck! Fuck!" he cursed, reaching out for Zoro's shoulder to propel himself forward. It was a dirty trick but a necessary one.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? LET GO OF MY SHOULDER!"
"As if! I just had to fucking outrun you to save myself!"
"Like hell I would become the bait!"
"Goddamnit, Marimo!" Sanji used the swordsman's shoulder anyway. He could care less about fair game in the situation they were in. Zoro's pace slowed down from the impact of Sanji using him to gain speed, opening the only other option he had to survive. Someone would be on the grill tonight, so it seemed. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the hilt of his swords, ready to put down the wild boar to where it belongs - on his plate. "You'd better make a nice meal out of this piece of meat, you heard me, shit-cook?" He didn't bother listening to the cook's answer as he trained his eyes at the boar's direction. The glowing red eyes were enough to indicate the distance between him and it. With a quick precision to a fault execution, he slashed the boar, sending it to death's door. He waited for the tumbling noise of the body but strangely enough, it never came.
"Hm?" he pondered over the odd silence. He did feel like he had cut through flesh but the lack of thud sound puzzled him. What surprised him more was when he saw the cook running towards him from the direction where they were initially being chased by the boar. Sanji put a brake on his sprint, shocked to see Zoro standing in front of him.
"What the fuck, Marimo? How did you get in front of me?"
"Hey, can you light that side of the trail?" he pointed to the spot where he was sure the boar should have been, ignoring Sanji's question.
"Hm?" Sanji walked towards where Zoro had asked him to stand. "What game are you playing at? There's nothing here."
"There was a boar. I cut it and it was supposed to have landed there dead".
"You'd probably missed it and let it escape".
"There should be blood trail if it escaped. I cut it. I could feel the flesh when I cut it", Zoro showed his bloodied sword to prove his point.
"Weird. No sign of bloodbath anywhere", Sanji said, trying to look around the area for any sign of blood trail. Zoro watched him shuffled the leaves with his foot with a disappointed look. The boar could've been their dinner. A luxurious one if it hadn't been for the fact it was nowhere to be found.
"Anyway", Sanji decided to get back to his question, "how did you end up being in front of me?"
"I didn't end up in front of you. You were running from the direction where we found the boar".
Sanji's face blanched. "Damn. Marimo, do you think I was running in a loop?"
"I fucking have no idea, ero-cook".
"If I had been running in a loop, how do we get back to the crew?"
"I fucking have no idea".
"I can feel the tormenting hunger inching fast".
"Shut up, cook! I am trying to find a fucking answer here. Can you be reasonably quiet for five seconds?"
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
"So, have you thought of anything yet, Marimo?"
"Fuck!"
## Deep In the Forest ##
It was by pure chance, Robin, Nami and Brook had reached the town of the Island. The town was small but it was a bustling one. There were a few shops selling the latest gadget on the market and a few high-rise shopping malls around for Nami to shop to her heart content. Instead of finding relic, they had found entertainment.
"There's quite a few gambling locations in town. A nice peaceful place, I dare say, despite the bleak weather outside", Robin made a remark while looking at the clothes line to see if anything would fit her nicely. Nami nodded in agreement. She pulled a striped jacket, showing it to Robin to see if the young woman would agree with the design. Brook was quietly admiring the two beauties prancing the corridor like models. Apparently, he was not the only one looking and drooling. A few other men were staring at them with hunger – the not hunger-hunger but the hunger hunger-hunger. As long as no one hurt the girls, Brook allowed a little show. Good for the men that Sanji was nowhere near the girls right now.
There was an old lady with her grandson sitting on the waiting chair. It was an adorable story-telling session between the two in Robin's opinion. She walked closer to hear the conversation. There could be information she could use to find the island's relic from simple conversation she listened to such as this one. Though, it wasn't always the case, collecting information this way could bring reliable result sometimes.
"Listen, child!"
"Yes, grandmama. I'm listening".
"You must never go into the depth of the forest! Heed to my words!" Robin chuckled. The way she talked was like how the non-playable character in RPG game would talk when they were giving instructions for your next objective.
"Why, grandmama, why shouldn't I go into the forest?"
"You dumb boy! Do not go into the forest, I say!"
"But, you haven't told me why I shouldn't go into the forest!"
"Oh, yes. Because of my age, I must have forgotten. The forest is a dangerous place, child. It is full of trickery and supernatural creatures of unimaginable power. They can kill you in the blink of an eye".
"But what if I have to visit grandfather next time? I would have to go into the forest. Isn't there anything I can do to protect myself?"
"Then walk blindly in the dark. Light will make you lose your way and awaken the creatures but darkness will bring you to where you need to go. That's why the weather bestows its protection on us".
"Oh, my", Robin said, remembering the boys who had gone into the deeper part of the forest earlier on. "I hope they'll be alright". She kept the piece of information to herself, moving away from the two to where Nami and Brook were. After paying the amount for the new purchase, they made a stop at a cafe to enjoy hot drinks and light lunch. Robin took the opportunity to share the details she had heard.
"What?" Brook and Nami said at the same time, sharing horrified looks.
"The boys might be in immediate danger".
"We should find a way to help them", Brook suggested. "The town people might know a way to reach them".
"This might be fun", Robin smiled. A part of her was enjoying her own adventure.
Meanwhile, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were having fun in a small village located in the middle of the forest. The glowing butterfly had made home around the village entrance and thus, fluttered to safety when it was being chased by the strangers. When the trio reached the village gate and lost sight of the butterfly, they had knocked on the village chief's door. Warm friendly gesture was shown towards their arrival and the villagers started preparing for a feast.
"Please, stay for a few days until you recover. We will prepare for you food, good food", the chief promised them delicacies. Luffy, accepting the promise easily, decided to stay for a while. Chopper was immediately surrounded by the children as they studied him in fascination. Usopp was lost in telling his adventure stories to the adults who listened. The captain Usopp adventures sure brought smiles on every face.
"Shishishi", Luffy rocked his body back and fro, enjoying the smiling faces of the villagers.
"You boys are great. We rarely receive visitors here. It's a surprise to find young people like yourself walking into the forest", said the chief.
"Why won't people come here?"
"The forest brings bad tidings if not entered properly. Supernatural creatures reside in the forest. If they are awaken by light, they will disturb you. The feral ones will hurt or kill you. Sometimes, the forest will play tricks on you. Make you walk in circle. Make you fall down but ended high up on a tree. If you climb up, the trees grew larger that you can't see the end. A lot of crazy things had happened".
"A trick forest? Sounds interesting".
"... I lost my son to the forest a year ago. A few nights before his wedding, he claimed to have heard voices calling him from the forest. The night before the wedding, he just disappeared right in front of our eyes".
Luffy didn't comment on the remark. Losing someone you love would carve a deep scar in one's heart. From his own experience, he knew what the chief needed was not pity but someone who would listen to his story and probably share his own weakness. Luffy did just that.
"I lost my brother two years ago in a battle. I can understand your feeling. Losing someone you love hurts the most".
"Everyone has to die someday, huh?" the chief patted Luffy's back. They continued to listen to Usopp's enjoyable tales of the sea.
## Deep In the Forest ##
Sanji wanted to kick the ground and quite figuratively, he landed a blow he later regretted onto the ground. He hurt his own foot with his idiotic display, gaining a smirk from the moss head swordsman who took pleasure watching him jump around on one leg while nursing the other. The torch in Marimo's hand was growing shorter by the hour and judging from how much it had shrunk, it was already night time. For all the time they had wasted, they had yet to get out from the loop.
Stranger things kept happening to them too. Once, Marimo tripped and successfully planted his face into the ground which gave Sanji a good laugh and he just disappeared with the breeze, giving Sanji a good scare too, only to end up on the branch above the cook, giving both of them quite the shock. They had even tried going in all directions but no matter where they walked, they would always find themselves back in the same location.
"This is bullshit. Fuck, I'm tired", Zoro slumped down and sat against a boulder.
"I feel like I am a directionally challenged idiot like a certain moss-head".
"Cut down on your insult, shit-cook. Give me some peace so I can think of a way to get us out of here".
"Why don't you listen to your own advice, huh?" When Zoro didn't shoot a comeback, he decided to gather some woods on the forest floor and used the torch's fire to lit up the piling woods. The night was chilly and not in a good way. Sanji pulled his jacket closer, slightly appalled at how Zoro easily braved the cold night with his yukata and haramaki. He scooted closer to the swordsman, trying to get some warmth using body heat osmosis or something. Well, the only reason he was doing this because Zoro had hogged the boulder closest to the bonfire and he seemed to have endless supply of body heat. Nothing more.
He heard Zoro's stomach grumbled. As a cook, failing to feed a person was an insult. Remembering he had a homemade energy bar in his jacket's pocket, he took it out and divided it between the two of them.
"Here. Something to fill your stomach".
"Thought you'd never offer", the swordsman took the bar and began to munch it slowly. There was a pleasant silence between them as they sat watching the fire flickered as the smoke rose to the forest roof. Sanji was scared to break it with words. He too was a little tired from delivering a mouthful of unpleasant commands and insults to Zoro during their walk. He deserved this little break before morning came.
Patting the ground and sweeping a good pile of dry leaves to make a nice makeshift mattress, Sanji readied himself to go to sleep. His feet were throbbing in pain from walking for hours. He carefully tucked them in a comfortable position to expel the numb feelings. Just like Zoro's prized swords, he prized his legs because they were his weapons. He heard the snoring sound coming from Zoro, gladly administering the usually unwelcome companionship if they were back on Sunny. At least he wasn't alone in this. He turned his body away from the fire but he sat up quickly when he heard faint sound of footsteps.
"Oi, Marimo", he called out to the swordsman. Zoro mumbled incoherent response like he cared more about his sleep than what the cook had to say.
"Marimo!" Sanji threw a small pebble he collected from the ground. It hit Zoro's face, earning him a surprised yelp. The swordsman glared darkly at him for aiming the pebble, giving him a you better have a good reason look.
"What is it?" he indignantly asked, rubbing the sore spot where the pebble had hit him.
"I thought I heard footsteps".
"It could've been some wild creatures or your damn imagination. Can we get some rest now?"
"... Fuck you", Sanji flipped him off when Zoro had indirectly questioned his sanity. The cook laid back on his not-so comfortable mattress but good enough to keep him off from the dirt that may soil his precious jacket. He closed his eyes and scrambled back to a sitting position when he felt someone breathing closely to his ear. Thinking it was Zoro, he approached the man with a promise of eternal pain.
"Marimo, oi!" he jabbed the swordsman with his finger harshly.
"WHAT? Goddamnit, cook! If you don't fucking sleep, I'll make you!"
"Was that you?" asked the cook, sneering accusingly.
"What are you talking about?"
"You blew air into my ears, didn't you?"
"... Hey, cook. Are you alright?" Zoro emphasized his question by poking on Sanji's forehead.
"What? I am sane, thank you. If that's what you're implying!"
"How the fuck do I get here quickly if I tried to play trick on you? You would've caught me doing it".
"So, it wasn't you? Then who did?"
They were trying to calm their mind – at least Sanji did – to figure out the culprit when a song resonated their limbs to the pit of their stomach.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
"D-Did you hear that?" the small trembling in his voice betrayed his downright terror-stricken heart for the world to know. Zoro nodded, craning his head to see what was coming at them. Except for the endless darkness, there wasn't any movement for him to tell whether they were in immediate danger or not.
A soft clang like a metal being dropped onto the ground attracted their eyes back to the darkness before them. Sanji had moved even closer since Zoro was the only one with real weapons. Both of the men were dressed in cold sweat. Both were alert to their surroundings.
A small light gleamed in the dark. Chop. Chop. Chop.
"D-Do you think we should- " Sanji's Adam apple bobbed as he swallowed down a little. Both of the men shrunk when an axe was flung at them, just in time to avoid it by a hair breadth. They looked at the sharp blade of the axe partly buried into the boulder. If that had hit them, they would've been dead. "Sh-Shit!" They both said at the sudden realization. Zoro grabbed the hilt of his sword, ready to send the light out of their attacker but the only thing they heard was approaching footsteps.
"COME OUT!" Zoro angrily taunted at the attacker. When he thought he saw moving shadow, he slashed out but nothing hit.
"This is hard. I'll go find the bastard. You stay here and be on guard".
"Fuck no, Marimo. Don't go! How can you fight when you can't even see him?"
"What? Are you pissing in your pants already?"
"... Is now really the time to say shit to me?"
"No. I was trying to get your moral up".
"Thanks. It definitely works and I feel like killing you instead", Sanji said sarcastically. He heard Zoro muttered "good to know" before the swordsman entered the darkness to find the attacker. What is he? A kamikaze bomber? He heard the sound of clashing metals. Zoro must have found the source of their problem.
"Cook! Come over! I need some light here!"
Sanji picked up one of the wood in the burning pile. He followed the direction where Zoro had shouted from. There was no human form around in the direction he was heading. He squinted his eyes to make out for any shapes or movements."Oi, Moss head! I can't see you anywhere", he stated to let the other know.
"Over here, shit-cook". Of course the Marimo would've changed his location! Sanji walked in the direction he was called from, humming a soft calming tune to calm his head down. He really couldn't see the Marimo anywhere. Did he move elsewhere?
"Shit-cook", Zoro's voice resounded from behind him. Sanji turned around to scold him but it wasn't Zoro that he saw. A glowing light shone in the darkness. If the pearl white razor sharp teeth was not enough to scare him, nothing would. He was in so much shock that he forgot he could've defended himself with a kick.
Sanji took a step back. He carried on running afterwards, panting in fear as he ran away from the chasing creature. He heard the sound of the trees being axed to the ground and he could sense the creature closing up on him every time he looked over his shoulder. Finally, he saw the light of the campfire. Safe. Safe. Safe.
Sanji entered the campfire proximity but fell down on his back when he saw Zoro leaning against the boulder looking like a mess. There were injuries everywhere on the swordsman. A deep ugly cut adorned his neck, barely missing the vital part. Zoro evidently had been hacked brutally with an axe.
"Marimo! Zoro! W-What should I do? Think. Think. Think!" He took off his jacket and ripped the sleeves to wrap it around the bloody wound. The neck. Anything but the neck. He sighed in relief when he saw Zoro's chest rose in delicate movement. Still alive. Zoro was still alive.
"Shit. Don't scare me like that, moron", he wiped his face, forgetting the fact that he had been chased.
"Oi, cook. What the fuck are you doing?"
Sanji froze. Was that the creature? He was too afraid to even turn around. He felt a hand grabbed and shook his shoulder.
"Oi, you're alright, shit cook?"
That did it! If the creature was trying to trick him with concern, he sure as hell wouldn't believe it. Sanji flexed his leg and kicked the attacker. "OI! WHAT THE FUCK, COOK?"
Sanji too had almost sputtered when he saw who it was cursing at him and had his hand blocking Sanji's kick. Zoro raised an eyebrow, confused as to why he was being attacked by the cook.
"Stop messing with my head!" Sanji said between his gritted teeth warningly.
"Huh? I'm not messing with anyone's head".
"You're not him! Don't talk like you're that shitty swordsman!"
"What the fuck, cook? You're questioning my existence now?"
"Zoro is right behind me injured! Stop with your bullshit!"
"Oh, wow. Funny, I can only see a chopped trunk over there", Zoro pointed out. Sanji turned to look behind him for a second. There was really a chopped trunk leaning against the boulder with his sleeves tied around it.
"... Sorry", but it had been real. He really thought he was losing Zoro a moment back.
"Sit and calm your head. I don't know what you saw but I couldn't find the attacker at all".
"But I heard your swords clashing in the dark".
"... I wasn't fighting shit. But I did find ourselves a stray rabbit. Wait a moment here". Zoro went to search the rabbit he had hunted and forsaken for a few minutes to talk sense back into Sanji. He grabbed the ears and carried it back to where the cook was.
"Now, who's hungry for dinner?"
"... Skin it. I'll make something", Sanji huffed at Zoro's antique.
Zoro's eyes softened. At least, shit –cook won't be kicking his gut anytime soon.
## Deep In the Forest ##
A/N: Alright~ I hope you guys enjoyed this. I won't update as frequent so the next chapter may come sometimes later, which I don't know when. Still hope you guys would like it. XD