Still looking for a beta reader to bounce ideas off of and help with fiddly little details.
Disclaimer in first chapter. I won't be repeating it every single chapter.
This chapter rated T for Sanji's mouth and Kin'emon's lechery.
Anyone who has read my other stuff may notice this is a little bit of a different style than I've done before. It has less focus on detail and description, and more on dialogue. I'm not sure how I feel about it so far. On the one hand, these beginning chapters feel rushed, like I'm skipping over too much, but on the other hand, I want to get to the meat of the story.
As readers, would you prefer more detail on things like the storm, with more in-depth looks into characters' thoughts and feelings? Or is it okay like this? I will likely go more in depth with characters later on when I can focus more closely on each character, rather than having them all together. It really is hard to focus closely when there are so many characters, and there are going to be a lot of characters in this as things go on.
CHAPTER 2
Getting close to the island proved more of a challenge than first expected. The low-laying island was ringed with submerged reefs, but the tide was high and Nami was able to guide Sunny into the shallows inside the reefs. The waves were calm inside the reefs, making it ideal if Franky needed to do external repairs on Sunny's hull. They dropped anchor and furled the sails.
Kin'emon came up from below deck, glanced around, then made his way to the railing where Nami stood, eyeing the island. "Breast-banded woman, what island is this?"
Nami's eyebrow twitched at the dismissive tone, but she didn't look up from examining her log pose. "I don't know. It's not on any of my maps." Her frown deepened as she tried again to get a log pose reading on the island, but to no avail.
Law stood up and walked past Luffy, Usopp, Brook, and Chopper, whom were all dancing around on the lawn deck, doing his best to pretend they didn't exist. Trafalgar stopped at the railing beside the navigator and samurai, and stared out at the rocky island with a bland expression.
"ISLAND! ISLAND! ISLAND!" four voices chanted off-key, stretchy arms slung over each other's shoulders. Luffy suddenly disengaged and bounced over to the railing, hand slapping down between Law's shoulder-blades. "Naa, Traffy, do you know this island?"
Law jolted in surprise, grunting at the heavy-handed contact from the StrawHat captain. His face twitched slightly as he glanced over at Luffy, and his mouth narrowed into a thin line. "No."
"Shishishi!" Luffy grinned widely, "It must be a mystery island, then!" He leaped up onto the railing and threw his hands into the air, "Alright! LET'S GO!"
Robin chuckled from where she sat on the bench by the mast. "Oh? But I think lunch is ready, Luffy-san."
Luffy suddenly spun around and threw his hands up into the air again. "Aah! AFTER LUNCH!" and then he was gone in a snap of rubber, the galley door swinging behind him.
A roar echoed from out of the galley, "PUT THAT DOWN! LADIES GET SERVED FIRST, NOT SHITTY RUBBER IDIOTS!" A second later, the door swung open again, revealing Sanji in the doorway, holding Luffy by the back of his shirt, the captain pouting despite the bone sticking out of his mouth. "Nami-swaan~ Robin-chwaaan~ Lunch is ready!" Sanji sang out, then abruptly shifted demeanor and grunted, "The rest of you bastards can eat too." Luffy immediately tried to escape, but his shirt didn't stretch like the rest of him. Sanji kept a firm grasp on him until after he'd bowed the ladies into the galley, then the cook dumped him on the doorstep before following the women inside. Luffy, undeterred, was a fraction of a second behind the cook. The rest of the men hurried after, to make sure they got something before Luffy ate the most coveted dishes. Sanji wouldn't let them go hungry, but they had to be quick or else they might miss out on some of the best treats he'd made.
Lunch on the Thousand Sunny was the usual chaotic affair, made even worse because Luffy was so excited by the unexpected island that he couldn't sit still. Law still wasn't used to eating with the StrawHats, but he'd learned early on to defend his plate from stretchy assaults.
"Oi, Nami," Usopp spoke up as he lifted his plate away from a stretching hand, "Are you sure there's nothing about this island on your maps? That's just too strange…"
"Mm," Nami shook her head, not even phased as Sanji used a spatula to fend off a hand sneaking toward the edge of her plate. "The log pose isn't picking it up either… almost like Punk Hazard."
"Trafalgar-san," Robin spoke up as she glanced at Law, "Is it some trait of islands in this area of the sea?"
"Not that I am aware of," he replied as he glanced over to meet her gaze. When he glanced back at his plate, half his fish was missing. His eyebrow twitched as he contemplated stabbing the rubber hand with a butter knife if it came back his way. The things he put up with for this alliance…
Without missing a beat, Sanji dished another grilled fish onto Law's plate as if it was routine… which it was.
"Hmm," Nami mused for a moment before lifting her hand to make a point. "It might have something to do with this island being made from a coral reef. It's more of an exposed section of ancient reef than a real landmass."
"A reef?" Chopper asked, eyes wide, "Was Punk Hazard a reef too?"
Before Nami could answer, Usopp chimed in, standing on his chair and raising a hand to the sky, "Of course! This whole area of the New World used to be part of a grand coral city, with vast palaces reaching into the sky, where mermaids and fishmen lived. But then a great storm came and destroyed the city, forcing them all to evacuate. And of course, even though I was only six years old, they had heard of the Great Captain Usopp, and asked me to lead them to a new homeland."
"Really?!" Chopper gasped with shining eyes.
"Though it was a harrowing journey, fraught with danger and vicious Sea Kings, I was able to lead them to Fishman Island and-" Usopp continued with his tale, gesturing dramatically.
"Oooh! Really, Usopp? So cool!" Luffy chimed in, eyes also shining.
"Liar," Zoro grunted as he set down his bottle of sake.
"O-oi, Zoro!" Usopp flailed at the swordsman for calling him on his tall tale.
"Don't just tell them stuff like that!" Nami snapped as she stood up, leaning over to slam her fist into Usopp's head.
"Sowwy," Usopp moaned from where he lay, face smushed into the tabletop, lump growing on his head. Luffy just laughed happily.
Nami huffed and sat back down. "Punk Hazard had real mountains, so it was more than just a reef. We don't really know why the log pose didn't latch onto it."
"I knew it! It's a mystery island! Just like Punk Hazard." Luffy nodded sagely, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.
Nami just sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Since we're obviously going exploring after lunch…" there was really no point trying to convince Luffy otherwise. "I want to chart this island and add it to my maps. It's not big, so it shouldn't take too long."
There was a sudden shriek from Caesar where he sat by the mast, still chained up and hunched over his lunch. "Give that back! That's mine!" He lunged for the retreating rubber hand holding his piece of meat, falling off his stool and just managing to latch onto the food. A tug-of-war began between the two as Luffy fell off his seat, the recoil of his arm dragging Caesar over toward him. Everyone else completely ignored the scuffle that broke out, already knowing how it would end.
"I wouldn't mind stretching my legs," Robin smiled serenely.
Sanji shimmied over to Robin, handing her, and then Nami, a light, fruity dessert, "Robin-chaan, Nami-saan, it would be my greatest honor to accompany you to the island!"
"I'll need the Shark Submerge to check the outer hull, but I'll prep the Mini-Merry for you while I'm at it," Franky grinned before finishing off his bottle of cola.
"And I'll help!" Usopp announced, grasping for a reason to stay off the mysterious-and-possibly-dangerous island.
"Zobo! Broog! Choffer!" Luffy swallowed his mouthful of meat before continuing, "You can come with me!" He grinned at them from where he sat on top of a bruised and battered Caesar. Then he hopped to his feet and slid back into his chair. "I want dessert too, Sanji!"
"Yohohohoho!"
Caesar moaned from the floor, "Th-this is no way to tr-treat a valu-able hostage… Do-Doflamingo will hear of this…"
Sanji dropped a bowl of dessert onto the table in front of Luffy, "Here. And don't even think of bothering the ladies for some of theirs." With Luffy now busy, it was safe to pass the rest of the dessert dishes around to the others.
Kin'emon put a hand to his chin before declaring, "As a samurai, and a man, it is my duty to protect the weak sex, so I shall accompany the women and make sure they do not fall on the wet rocks." And maybe he'd get to see them jumping from rock to rock, breasts jiggling merrily, held up only by their indecent, scandalous, tiny tops.
Nami scowled with a dark aura, fist clenched as she glared down the table at Kin'emon's suddenly lecherous expression, "Who's going to get smashed into the rocks?"
Sanji's foot suddenly smashed Kin'emon's head into the table, wiping the naughty expression off his face, "How dare you insult Nami-san's and Robin-chan's perfect sense of balance and agility like that! They're more graceful than swans; not like you, pervy samurai!"
With Sanji handling her vengeance, Nami turned back to the rest of the table. "Right then. Even if Franky and Usopp don't have to repair anything, we'll still have to stay here for a while. We can't safely maneuver Sunny back out to sea past the reefs until the tide is at its highest. So we have plenty of time to explore before we need to be back at the ship. Dinner at the latest, though. We should all be back before it gets dark."
"Sanji!" Luffy suddenly shouted, "We need pirate bentos!"
Sanji rounded on Luffy with a boot to the head, "YOU JUST ATE!" Luffy's torso and head just bent to the side with the impact, his butt still firmly planted in his seat.
"But Sanjiii!" he pouted, foot still squishing his rubber head, "We need adventure snacks!"
Even after so long sailing in close quarters with the StrawHat pirates, Law was still somewhat baffled and unsure what to think of the lack of hierarchy on the ship. Half the crew smacked the captain around more than his enemies did – not that it hurt the rubber teen, since none of them used haki when they hit him. And sometimes it felt as if the position of who was in charge was shuffled around more often than a deck of cards. But StrawHat never seemed to mind. Yet, despite the obvious disrespect to the captain of the ship, Law had been on board long enough to pick up on signs of the underlying fondness every member of the crew had for StrawHat, despite the insults and strikes. He'd also seen their faith and respect for their captain during combat situations. They were undoubtedly loyal to StrawHat, and he didn't think most of them would continue to follow someone they didn't respect. It was hard for him to reconcile the two sides of the crew. But if there was one thing he'd learned while sailing with them, it was to take things in stride, or at least try to look like he was. So he pretended to ignore the argument as best he could, and finished his lunch.
After lunch, Franky and Usopp headed down to the soldier dock to prep the Mini-Merry for the others, and take out the Shark Submerge to go over the hull. Meanwhile Kin'emon and Momonosuke came up on deck, dragging Caesar behind them. Momonosuke ran over to the railing next to Nami and peered over at the island. "That's the island? It doesn't look like much."
"Unhand me! I'm still hungry!" whined the chained logia user. "Ack!" Caesar tried to get back to the galley, but Kin'emon just kept dragging him. "Stop- Stop dragging me! I won't be a very good hostage if you damage me! Are you trying to starve me?!"
An apple came flying out of the still open galley door and smacked Caesar in the face, knocking him over. "You already ate! If you don't want my foot in your face next, then stay out of my kitchen!" Sanji roared from inside.
"I… wanted… some dessert too…" Caesar moaned through swollen lips and nose.
"Hostages don't get dessert," Law smirked as he walked past the moaning scientist.
Kin'emon ignored the exchange and just dragged the now bruised prisoner over to chain him to the mast to keep him securely out of the way.
Zoro walked up to the railing and glanced over the island. "Looks boring."
Chopper scrambled up onto the railing next to him and shaded his eyes to peer at the island. "I don't know… there might be some interesting toxins secreted by the coral colonies that I can use to make medicines…"
"Toxins!?" Usopp squeaked as he poked his head out of the hatch to the soldier dock. "Ahaha-" he laughed nervously, then grinned widely and nervously at Zoro and Chopper while waving them off, "You have fun with that, guys. I'm going to get on the sub… and stay off that island." He paused, "Ah, right, and the Mini-Merry is ready too!"
Sanji stepped out of the galley, carrying an armful of packs. "Oi, Luffy!" The rubber captain turned around just in time to catch the packs Sanji tossed at him. "Don't eat those all at once. You're not getting any more till dinner."
Luffy grinned and lifted the packs over his head with a cheer, "Pirate Bentos! Thanks Sanji! You're the best!"
Sanji just smirked slightly around his cigarette before fluttering over to the ladies near the soldier dock hatch, half the remaining packs in hand. "Nami-swan~ Let me carry your things for you and Robin-chan!"
"Luffy," Zoro stepped up next to his captain and glanced from the packs to Luffy's grinning face. Luffy pouted, but handed over two of the packs, keeping only one for himself. Zoro kept one and handed the other two to Chopper and Brook. It really wasn't the best idea to let Luffy carry all the food anyway.
"Alright!" Luffy shouted as he slung his pack onto his back.
Law just shook his head slightly. After all that, the cook made the snack bentos anyway. He turned away to find an out of the way spot to relax while waiting for the StrawHats to return to the ship. However, he didn't get very far before a rubber limb wrapped several times around his waist. "Wha-?!"
"Let's go, Tra-guy!" Luffy cheered.
Zoro made a strangled sound as Luffy's arm continued to stretch and suddenly snaked around him, Brook, and Chopper. "Luffy, wait-!" was all he got out before-
"Gomu gomu no Rocket!"
With a rubber snap, they were all airborne and headed for the island at high speed. They sailed past the coast and up over the crest of a low rocky hillock, quickly out of sight of those left on the ship, though they could still hear Chopper and Brook screeching in the distance.
There was a moment of silence on the ship, then Nami sighed and shrugged with a 'what can you do' air about her. Sanji peered into the distance, hand shielding his eyes, "Ohh, they made some good distance for carrying that many."
Robin chuckled before starting to climb down the steps to the soldier dock. "It sounds like they're having fun. We should go if we want to catch up."
"Right away, Robin-chan!" Sanji sang out as he gathered up Nami's surveying gear and bowed for Nami to go first. "Ladies first~" Kin'emon tried to go next, but Sanji shoved him out of the way, "You're no lady!" Sanji then leaped down after the ladies, with a twirl, "Wait for me, ladies~!"
"Of course I'm not a woman!" Kin'emon bellowed after Sanji as the cook disappeared below the deck.
Usopp just sighed as the samurai chased the cook down the steps. Then he glanced over to Momonosuke where the boy was perched on a barrel. "You're not going too?"
Momonosuke shook his head and straightened himself up proudly, "No. Someone should guard the prisoner, and as a samurai I am not afraid of him at all." He paused, then added, "Also, the island looks boring, and" he took out a bowl of dessert, "Nami gave me a second helping of dessert."
"That's MY DESSERT!" Caesar shrieked from where he was tied, kicking his legs futilely.
"Prisoners don't get dessert," Usopp and Momonosuke said together as they waved Caesar's concerns away, ignoring his indignant shouts.
"Right then. Give Franky and I a call in the sub if this guy gives you any trouble," Usopp jerked a thumb at Caesar. Momonosuke nodded as he happily kicked his feet and ate the dessert. Once the Mini-Merry launched, Usopp headed below to join Franky in the sub.
This chapter kind of got away from me. I first meant to skim over lunch and get to the island, but then decided to flesh lunch out a bit more. It ended up taking up most of the chapter. So, while I meant to get further onto the island in this chapter, it ended up stopping here instead. This seemed like yet another good stopping point.
While I didn't progress the story as much as I wanted, I did get a chance to have more interaction between characters. Think of these beginning chapters as me giving the characters a shake-down to get used to writing them. I'm not sure if I have Momonosuke and Kin'emon down very well as far as characterization goes, though. So if I messed anything up, please let me know.
Caesar is just too fun to abuse while he's all tied up as a prisoner. He's an absolutely terrible person, and I like messing with him. I have no regrets.
Sorry if it seems I'm going slow with things. I'm trying to write shorter chapters than I normally do, so that I can update more often. I'm still trying to get used to that change.
As you can see, I will be using a few Japanese honorifics and terms. It won't be extensive, and will mainly be for attack names, and things that I feel don't translate directly very well.
Please let me know how I'm doing, as it lets me know what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong, as far as writing and characterization goes.
