A new chapter is finished! I feel I got some motion here.
Enjoy!
Chapter 2
A blonde head popped up over the crest of the cliff. Blue eyes searched the bottom and scanned the surroundings. Beneath the cliff laid dozens of shipwrecks that had caved into the fearful weather that could appear above the surface.
"Sanji! Wait for me."
The blond prince rolled his eyes and turned around towards the voice.
"Usopp, hurry up!"
A panting fishboy swam to Sanji's side. Merpeople and fishpeople were the two major nationalities that lived in Atlantica. They both had upper bodies like normal humans but there were one big difference. Merpeople swam just like dolphins and whales, waving their tail up and down. Fishmen on the other side swam as sharks and fishes, swaying their fins from one side to another.
"Sanji, you know I can't swim that fast. Merpeople are normally faster than us fishmen, but seriously! With that tail you could swim faster than a dolphin."
Sanji rolled his eyes. "You know that I can beat a shitty dolphin anytime, Usopp. Now look at that."
The fishboy looked to where his friend pointed. In front of them they could see many ships and Sanji just had to point at the most eerily of them. Dark shadows danced over the deck and the masts were draped in shredded sails.
"Don't you think it's fantastic?" Sanji said, voice full of expectation.
"I think you need a new pair of eyes", Usopp mumbled. "Let's get out of here."
Usopp started to swim away but Sanji only sighed and pulled the fishboy's tail.
"You're not getting cold fins now, are you?"
"M-me? Usopp the brave Warrior of the sea, a-afraid? HA! No wa- Oi Sanji! Wait!"
The fishboy realized he had been left alone in the dark water and hurried after his friend. When the shipwrecked towered over them Usopp shuddered.
"I think I have the do-not-swim-into-the-shipwreck-disease", Usopp said and coughed, fake-blood running from his mouth.
Sanji looked inside the ship through one of the small round glass-less windows and then gazed down at his fishfriend.
"Fine, I'm going inside."
Sanji turned so he was upright again and looked nonchalantly at Usopp.
"You can stay here and watch for sharks."
"Okay", Usopp whispered back and started to look around him.
With that said, Sanji smirked and swam into the wreck through the window.
"Yeah you go", Usopp kept whispering. "I'll stand here... What! SHARKS! SANJI!"
Usopp shrieked and swam into the window. Unfortunately, his waist was bigger than Sanji's and he got stuck.
"Urg- Sanji, I can't- I mean-" Usopp said as he tried to struggle free. "Sanji help!"
The blonde prince heard his friend's cry and turned around to help. He chuckled as he saw that his friend were stuck.
"You're hopeless long nose", he said as he took Usopp's hands and started to pull.
"Sanji," Usopp whispered as he was pulled. "Do you really think there might be sharks around here?"
"Don't be such a wuss Usopp." Sanji said and pulled harder.
"I'm not a wuss", the boy said with a pout as he was pulled free with a pop.
The big shadow that float over the wreck went unnoticed by the two of them.
Sanji peeked down into a storing space and swam down in the dark.
"Oh great. Yeah I really love this." Usopp muttered sarcastically as he slowly swam after the blonde. "Excitement, adventures, danger lurking around every corner- AHH!"
The fishboy flew back as he faced a human skeleton, mouth hanging open in a wicked grin.
In his haste to get away, Usopp's back bumped into a rotten tree balk and since it already was so weak, it broke. The whole ceiling over the balk gave in and fell down. Usopp shrieked again and swam away as fast as he could. He bumped into Sanji's back and the fell into a lump in the corner.
"Ouch, Usopp your fucking klutz." Sanji turned around grunting at the pain in his back. When he turned he bit his tongue. He could see how the fishboy was shaking with fear above him. The prince was stricken by guilt and sighed, pushed himself up from the floor.
"Sorry Usopp, are you okay?"
Usopp nodded, still shaky. "I-I'm okay", he answered in a whisper. But Sanji's attention was already caught by something else.
"Sshhh", he said and put his finger in front of his mouth.
Usopp closed his mouth and followed Sanji's gaze up through the new hole on deck. When he realized Sanji had begun swimming up to the hole, the fishboy soon followed.
Sanji threw his bag over the edge before he looked over the floor and let his gaze sweep over the floor. The hole had led them into the captain's cabin. Something gleamed in the weak sunray's that filtered through a huge window, and it caught Sanji's searching gaze.
"Oh my god", he whispered and swam towards the gleaming object. "Have you ever seen something so wonderful in your entire life?"
Sanji lifted up the gleaming object and looked at it with affection. The object was small and slender. The figure had a similar form to his father trident.
"Cool", Usopp said as he looked at the object over Sanji's shoulder. "But what is it?"
"How should I know?", Sanji said dryly. "I bet Franky knows."
A muffled sound swept by and Usopp put all his senses on high alert.
"What was that?", he said warily.
Sanji didn't listen to him as he saw something else that caught his eye.
"Did you hear something?", Usopp kept asking. He swam closer to the window on the other side, looking around frantically.
"Hm, I wonder what this thing is", Sanji said to himself, completely ignoring Usopp's questions. This time Sanji had an item that was kind of an 'S' form. It had one small end and one thicker. The thick end had a hole in it.
"Sanji", Usopp pleaded.
"Usopp", Sanji sighed annoyed. "Nothing is going to happen."
Usopp felt a disturbing presence and turned as a shadow fell over him. The only thing Usopp was able to register before the window was broken was some huge and very, very sharp teeth.
"AAAHHH."
The shark's shaft slammed close and missed Usopp with only a few millimeters.
"SHARK! WE'RE GONNA DIE! SANJI, HELP ME!"
Sanji turned around and was knocked down once again by the shrieking fishboy. Only this time Usopp had downright panicked.
Sanji saw the shark advance towards them and kicked a drawer that stood nearby, aimed for the shark. The huge fish crushed the drawer with ease, but it gave Sanji and Usopp enough time to sneak away with a few seconds advantage. Sanji grabbed Usopp's wrist and pulled him with him, fast. Sanji was strong enough to drag them both and yet succeeded to almost reach his top-speed.
"Sanji!" Usopp screamed again. "Can't you do something?"
Sanji gritted his teeth as he feverishly looked around for an escape in the hurry. Sanji was an excellent fighter. His fins could break stone if he got a good hit.
"This space is too narrow, we have to get out of this wreck!"
They both could hear how the shark crushed the narrow corridor right behind him.
"What are we waiting for!" Usopp shrieked and passed Sanji with lightning speed.
Sure Sanji was counted as the fastest swimmer in the sea, but nothing could beat a panicked Usopp when fleeing from danger.
"OH NO!"
Sanji heard Usopp's scream and the prince could see the way too small window from where they entered the wreck coming closer.
"MOVE!" Sanji screamed and pushed Usopp out of his way. He turned so his tail was flying forward. Tail against rotten tree, easy win. Sanji made a crack big enough for both him and Usopp to flee out from.
"Hide somewhere Usopp!" Sanji shouted and threw his bag to the fishboy as a loud crack was heard. Sanji turned to see that the shark also had broken out from the wreck. Usopp gave a squeak as answer and vanished behind a mainmast on a different ship, bag in his arms.
As soon Sanji was sure Usopp was hidden safely he swam towards the shark, ready for a fight with quick ending. A shark was never a tricky opponent, just avoid the mouth with the sharp teeth and sometimes a strong tail.
It only took on quick spin of Sanji's tail to send the shark flying through the water and right in the ring on the top of an anchor. It struggled for a few second but it was no use, it was stuck rock solid. Sanji snorted at the helpless shark. Usopp swam towards the struggling shark, brave now when the animal was harmless.
"You big bully", Usopp said and struck out his tongue.
The shark had some power left though. It aimed for the fishboy with its sharp teeth and a shrieking Usopp swam as fast as he could after Sanji who had began to swim upwards.
Sanji rolled his eyes and snatched back his bag as Usopp swam with shaky breaths beside him.
"Usopp you really are a wuss."
"I am not!"
On a flat stone plateau just one meter over the surface was only one tiny mast with a crownest lying, supported towards a higher cliff on the stone. The crownest was in very bad shape, but it was enough for Franky the seagull. Said fowl was right now doing his morning dance, singing along with his movements.
"Butt~ to the right!
Right hand in the waist!
Left hand straighten out~
Left!
Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! Left!"
"Franky!"
Franky jerked and almost dropped the telescope he had in his wing. He caught it clumsily and looked through the bigger glass on the telescope. In the other end the seagull could see a smiling blonde waving towards him.
"Owwwweee! Merman off the port bow. Sanji how ya doing!"
Franky put the telescope down and was suddenly face to neb with the merman-prince.
"Whoa, I know you're a fast swimmer. But that takes the prize."
Sanji ignored Franky's stupid statement and lifted his bag up on the rock.
"Franky, look what I found!" He said and gave the seagull the bag.
"Yeah", Usopp said. "We were in a abandoned wreck which was really freaky-"
"Human stuff, huh? Let me see!"
Franky jumped down the crownest and fluttered to the bag, jumping on Usopp's head in to process. He dove into the bag and started roaming around.
"Aha! Look at this", Franky said and pulled out the silver object. "Wow this is special, this is- well it's unusual. It's Supaa!"
"What", Sanji interrupted, eager to now. "What is it?"
"It's a Dingelhopper. Human use this babies to straightening their hair out." Franky stuck the dingelhopper into his blue locks, turned it from one side to another. "See just a little twirl here, and a little yank there and viola! Yeah, I got a stunning pleasing figuration of hair that people go nuts over!"
Sanji had to admit that this new haircut was much more fitting. Instead for having his hair pulled back it was no standing straight up. Much like a shark fin.
Franky gave the dingelhopper back to Sanji and the young prince looked at his object with affection.
''A dingelhopper, huh?" he said with astonishment.
"What about that one", Usopp said and pointed towards the other object Sanji had picked up from the wreck.
"Owwwe, this", Franky said and picked it up. "I haven't seen this in years. This is wonderful. A bandis bobbes snarfblat. "
Sanji and Usopp looked at one other, reflecting each other's curious face expression.
"Now a snarfblat dates back to three historical times, when humans sat around and stared at each other all day." Franky leaned forward and looked Sanji deep in the eyes, to show what he meant. "Very boring", he continued after a couple of seconds, pulling away and jumped up. "So they invented this snarfblat to make fine music. Allow me." Franky took a deep breath and blew air through the little mouth pipe. A discussing goo in a sickly green and yellow color bubbled up from the opening in the other end. But Sanji didn't take any notice to that. A word Franky had said had struck his mind.
"Music, oh no! I totally forgot about the shitty ball, and my performance! Oh my god I'm so screwed. The old jerk's gonna kill me!"
"The ball was today?" Usopp gasped and clasped his chins with his hands.
"Maybe I could make a..." Franky mumbled and turned the snarfblat up and down, but Sanji snatched it away from him and put it in his bag.
"I gotta go! Thanks Franky!" Sanji waved and dove back into the ocean.
"Anytime sweetie, anytime!", Franky shouted back, even though Sanji couldn't hear him.
From underneath a cliff down on the bottom two green creatures were watching the merman-prince and his friend as the swam away. The distance between the crocodiles shrank as they scooted closer to each other. Each one of their yellow eyes started to glow as their vision became one, showing the picture of the swimming merman to a lurking figure far away from the scene.
Inside a dark cave, in the deep, a low chuckle could be heard. In the middle of the cave, a big white scallop shell filled with a shining crystal-clear liquid reflected exactly what the two crocodiles saw with their eyes.
"Yes," a dark voice hissed as a pair of black eyes watched the prince's every move. "Hurry home mr. prince. We wouldn't want to miss old daddy's celebration now would we?"
A ironical laugh could be heard, echoing through the cave. "Celebration huh? Bullshit. In my days, we had real feasts, when I lived in the palace."
The voice stopped and the person stepped out from the shadows, walking over to the crystal orb. He was an enormous man at more than 2 meters showed himself. He had road shoulders, muscular arms and thick neck . His skin was sickly pale and his hair deep black-purple, slicked back to nape-length. A scar covered his face, going from one ear to another; over the bridge of his nose.
"But now, I've practically faded away from the surface to nothing. Banished, exiled and languishing, while King Zeff and his flimsy fishfolks celebrates. Well I'll give them something to celebrate soon enough. Bananawanis!"
The crocodiles jerked out of their trance and listened carefully at their master.
"I want you to keep an extra close watch on this pretty little son of his. He may be the key to the king's destruction."
Yeah I know crocodiles don't live in seas! (they don't, right?) But can you see Crocodile together with two morays? Yeah right. So let's pretend crocodiles live in ocean, thank you very much.
A well, see ya in chapter 3