Ch. 2- Comic Strip

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard and Monkey D. Aika © Me

"Ship~py! Ship~py!" Big Mom's ship sang as it kept sailing through the water, while Sanji walked across the deck, trying to ignore the ramblings of Vito behind.

"Nyororororo!" laughed Vito as some of Big Mom's pirates were seen, bringing aboard some more gifts for Sanji's "wedding". "I used to read that comic strip in the World Economic Journal. You know, the one called Sora, the Warrior of the Sea, with that dreamy giant robot. Sora the Hero who can walk across the sea-rero, teams up with a transforming robot and a seagull-reroro." It's a tale of a Marine hero who risks his life to fight the army of evil, Germa 66! People all over the world love it-rero! Nyorororo!"

Sanji only rolled his eyes and shook his head in irritation.

"From what I hear," Vito began, "the story was based on the true exploits of heroes within the Marines. In other words, it was propaganda for the kids! 'The Marines are always just and mighty' and so on! But that wasn't why I was fascinated with it! It was Germa!"

'You're buggin', man,' Sanji thought as he kept walking towards a door.

"The army of evil that used a variety of forces and weapons to put the screws Sora each time!" Vito continued. "And sure, they always lost in the end-rero, but I still cheered like hell for 'em! You guys were always the best! Nyororororo!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Sanji barked. "Don't include me in that group! I have nothing to do with them!"

"Oh, come on," Vito replied. "Don't be like that. I'm actually honored to meet you in the flesh!"

"Oh, yeah?" Sanji questioned. "Well tell THEM that, not me!" He then tried to open the door...but it wouldn't budge. He looked up and saw that, for some reason...it was sleeping. The door had an actual face...and it was asleep!

"Rrrrgh...!" Sanji growled as he began to knock on the door, causing it to wake. "Open up, already, dammit!"

"Door~!" the door sang as it opened, and Sanji walked into a rather lavish room.

"So as I was saying," Vito started as he followed Sanji inside, only for the cook to sneer at him.

"This is my room!" Sanji barked. "Stop following me! Leave me alone!"

"Hey! It's my room, too, you know! Let me out of here!"

In the corner, there was Caesar, locked up in a cage with seastone shackles.

"I don't deserve this kind of treatment!" Caesar yelled. "I'm a genius scientist!"

(A/N: You ain't shit.)

"What, you haven't given up, yet?" asked Vito. "Nyorororo! We were ordered to capture you and bring you back, Caesar!" He then to turned to Sanji, who sat on a sofa. "But this guy is a totally different story! He's the bridegroom to tie the Vinsmoke and Charlotte families together! He's worth a hell of lot more-rero! Nyorororo!"

"I told you, I'm NOT getting married!" Sanji rebuked. "Now get outta here!"

"Get out?!"

Suddenly, a very large, muscular, bald-headed man with a spiky light purple beard and sideburns. He wore a black vest with a white suit underneath it, with a large green cape draped over it. He also had a silver, metal plate on his left shoulder going down his left side, which bore the name "Gotti" and the same tattoo Vito has on it, and on his right arm appeared to a very large machine gun with a chain attached.

"What did you just say to Vito, punk?!" the man, Gotti, questioned as he prepared to shoot Sanji.

"Whoa!" Vito cried. "Calm down, Gotti! Don't be rash-rero! It wasn't anything bad, you hear?! I appreciate you sticking up for me, but he's just joshing!"

"I'm not joshing," Sanji answered. "Now both of you, get your asses outta my sight!"

"That does it!" Gotti shouted as he pointed his gun at Sanji, who nonchalantly lit a cigarette. "I don't care about myself, but I don't forgive anybody who insults my buddies!"

"Gotti, no!" Vito cried. "Let him off the hook-rero!"

"Don't bother trying to forgive me," said Sanji. "I'm not here to make friends."

"GOTTI!"

Gotti froze up and looked back upon seeing a large woman with pink hair gathered in pigtails and with thick lips and blush spots on her cheeks. Her attire consisted of a white dress with a floral design and a light blue shirt worn over it along with a pair of high-heeled boots.

"What do you think you're doing, you brute?!" the woman questioned. "That's the 3rd son of Vinsmoke, I'll have you know! If you put so much as even a tiny scratch on that man, then the Godfather's head will fly right off his shoulders! Do you understand?!"

"But...but...!" Gotti stammered.

"No excuses!" the woman barked as she grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out. "Let's go, you oaf!"

"Ow-ow-ow!" cried Gotti. "I'm sorry, ma'am! I'm sorry! OW!"

"You, too, Vito!" the woman shouted. "Come on!"

"Nyororo!" laughed Vito. "We can catch up about Germa another time, okay, Mr. Sanji?"

"Please don't," Sanji replied as they left the room. "...That's strange...I can't help thinking I might've seen that woman, somewhere before."

XXX

A few days late on the Thousand Sunny...the sun was beating down on our hapless crew.

"Aaaahhh...it's all over..."

"I'm gonna die...it's so hot..."

"I'm dead..."

Luffy, Chopper, and Brook were all sitting on the railing, trying to fish for their food...which they had been deprived of for quite some time. In fact, Luffy practically looked like a mummy, all over again.

"I'b shihhuuhh..." Luffy groaned with his tongue out. "Hangii...hoog...hiii heeeb...!"

Translation: "I'm shriveling up. Sanji. Food. Ice cream."

"I can't take this heat much longer..." Chopper said, weakly. "I wish I could take off my fur."

"Indeed..." Pedro said, also wavering. "We Minks are susceptible to heat, too..."

"It's so very hot," Brook added. "I think...I might turn into a mummy." He then gasped. "A mummy...Miss Nami, do you think that would count as rejuvenation for me?"

"WHO GIVES A DAMN?!" Nami questioned as she lied in the shade with Blizzard, Aika, Carrot, and Pekoms. "Ahh...it's so hot...!"

"In that case," Brook started, "may I see your panties."

"I don't even have the energy to smack you," Nami said, panting heavily.

"Big Sis...I'm so hot...!" Aika whined as she leaned on Nami.

"Me, too," Carrot agreed, lying in Nami's lap. "And I'm hungry."

"Can't...move...!" Blizzard groaned as he also lied in the shade.

"I need nutrients...!" Pekoms spoke up.

"A lack of food," Nami started, "an inability to fish due to days of storms. It's FINALLY sunny again...so we've got to catch some fish before the weather changes again! Or else we'll starve before we reach Whole Cake Island!"

"Nothing would make me happier, Nami," Chopper began, "but the water's so hot...it's practically boiling beneath us!"

"What?!" Nami questioned.

Chopper was indeed right. The sun's rays made the water so hot, it really was boiling the sea.

"We'll never be able to get any fish this way," Brook said. "What are we going to do?"

"...Emergency food supply..." Luffy murmured as he looked to Chopper.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT WAY!" the little reindeer barked.

"LUFFY!" shouted Pedro. "LOOK! YOU'VE GOT A BITE ON YOUR LINE!"

Luffy looked to the water and gasped when he saw something beginning to tug on the line of his fishing rod.

"A bite!" Luffy exclaimed as he began to reel it in.

"Is it food...?" Carrot asked, drooling hungrily.

"Luffy, you better not lose that fish!" Blizzard shouted.

"Pull, Luffy!" Chopper called. "Reel it in, quick!"

"Rrrrrrgh!" Luffy growled as he began to pull on the rod. "It's...really big, whatever it is! I can't pull it up!"

"Wait, hang on!" Nami cried as she ran up and grabbed her fiancé from behind and helped pull as well.

"Wait! Let me help, too!" Carrot exclaimed as she grabbed Nami from behind, as well, followed by Pedro, then Brook, then Chopper, then Blizzard, and finally, Aika, who grabbed onto the wolf-dog's tail.

"Okay, everyone ready?!" Nami asked, which caused everyone to nod. "Okay! Heave...HO!"

With that one big pull, the group managed to pull up a huge fish with purple skin and green fins.

"FOOD AT LAASSST!" Luffy exclaimed with starry eyes.

"We did it!" Nami cheered.

"Finally...!" Pekoms said as he licked his lips.

"Look at how humungous it is!" Brook added as the fish landed on the deck. In fact, it took up about half the space.

"Finally, we can eat!" Carrot exclaimed.

"Food, food, food!" Luffy chanted. "Yummy in my tummy~!"

"I can't wait to cook this one up!" Aika added.

"Hey, hold on a second!" Chopper called. "Are you sure this fish is safe to eat?! It has a really weird color!"

"Yeah," Nami agreed, "I think maybe we should check and see if it's safe, first."

"But Nami~!" Luffy whined. "My tummy needs food~!"

Grroooooooooowwl~! His stomach growled deep and long, signifying his hunger.

"Chopper, I think Sanji made a note of this kind of fish, once," Blizzard said. "Go check his books. They're in his locker."

"Oh! Good idea, Blizzard!" Chopper exclaimed as he ran to the men's quarters, where he opened up Sanji's locker and found a few books...as well as some photos of Vivi in bathing suits at the beach. "Huh? What are all these pictures of Vivi doing in Sanji's locker? ...Oh, never mind."

That's when he found a book about fish at the bottom of one of the shelves. After he searched through the pages, he gasped upon seeing the fish that Luffy had caught.

"Here it is!" Chopper exclaimed. "Hmm...let's see, now. It's an Armored Stonefish...it's edible...except for..." He then gasped in horror. "OH, NO!"

He then ran outside, holding the book in his hooves.

"GUYS!" he called. "Listen, the fish is edible, but you can't eat the skin! It's very poisonous and-"

"This skin is really good!" exclaimed a fattened Luffy, who was peeling the skin off the fish.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" Chopper groaned as he tripped on the deck.

"Luffy, wait!" Nami called. "We should let Aika cook it before we eat it!"

"I couldn't help it," Luffy replied. "I was hungry." He then handed some skin, which dripped with slime, out to Carrot and Blizzard. "Here, guys, you try some!"

"Hell no!" Blizzard answered. "That's nasty!"

"Eww, it's all slimy!" Carrot added.

"LUFFY~!" Chopper shrieked, causng everyone to look at him.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Aika asked. "Is everything okay?"

"No, everything is not okay!" Chopper shouted. "Your brother's life could be in danger! The skin he just ate is poisonous!"

"POISONOUS?!" Nami, Brook, and Aika cried.

"So? What's the problem?" Blizzard asked, surprisingly calm about the situation. "Luffy's immune to poison. It shouldn't bother him."

"He's immune to SOME poisons!" Chopper replied.

"Luffy, are you sure you're okay?" Nami asked. "Does your stomach hurt?"

"Do you feel sick, Big Brother?" Aika asked, worriedly.

"Nah, I'm good," Luffy answered before he looked down at Chopper. "But are you sure it's really poisonous."

"There's no mistake," Chopper answered. "Sanji even made a note about it and everything!"

"Well, what about this fish, then?" Nami asked.

"If we can't eat it," Pekoms began, "then let's throw it back into the sea, instead."

"What?!" Luffy questioned. "But we went through so much trouble to haul it up here!"

"Well, Sanji's note says we can eat it as long as we just peel the skin off, first," Chopper pointed out. "He even made a recipe for it and everything!"

"Then that's my job, right?" Aika asked. "I'll cook it, then!"

"All right!" Luffy cheered. "We get to eat more of Aika's yummy cooking!"

"Luffy," Chopper began, "are you sure you're really okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Luffy asked.

"Because of the poison, Luffy!" Chopper argued.

"I'm totally fine!" Luffy rebuked, putting his hands on his hips.

"...Well...if you say so," Chopper said.

XXX

A little while later, Aika was in the kitchen with Nami, who was supervising her as the 6-year-old put the fish's meat on a skillet.

"Okay," Aika said. "What does it say to do next, Big Sis?"

"Hmm," Nami hummed as she looked at the recipe. "It says to add salt, pepper, and just a sprinkling of coriander."

"Right," Aika answered as she put said spices on the meat, which began to turn a white color as it was being cooked. "Mmm...it smells so yummy!"

"Of course!" Nami answered. "It's Sanji's recipe! I bet he'd be so proud of you for cooking it properly."

"And this time, I'll ration it," Aika added. "That way, nobody will hungry again!"

"Good girl," Nami praised as she pet Aika on the head.

A little while later, the food was all cooked and ready to be served.

"Eat up, everybody!" Nami called as she handed plates of food to everyone. "Aika followed Sanji's recipe exactly and she worked hard to make it, so make sure to eat every last bit, okay?"

"Yummy~!" Carrot exclaimed as she took a bite. "It's so good!"

"Yohohohoho!" Brook chortled. "How delicious!"

Blizzard was scarfing down his food like...well, a wolf.

"Man, that kid's a good cook!" said Pekoms as he ate, too.

"I can't stop eating it!" Pedro added.

"Here, Chopper," Nami said as she held up a couple of plates. "Here are yours and Luffy's- oh, my god!"

"Nami!" Chopper cried as he sat next to Luffy...who was lying on the deck, foaming at the mouth. "Luffy...LUFFY'S DYING!"

"WHAT?!" Aika questioned as she turned into her wolf form and ran to Luffy's side. "Big Brother, are you okay?!"

"So...cold...!" Luffy croaked.

"Luffy, hang in there!" Nami exclaimed. "It's gonna be okay, I promise!"

"I don't understand!" Blizzard spoke. "Poison shouldn't hurt Luffy, let alone kill him!"

"He's only immune to some poisons," Chopper reminded, tearfully.

"Here, Chopper, eat this," Nami said as she handed the ship's doctor a plate of food. "Maybe it'll help you calm down."

Chopper sniffled as he took a bite of the fish.

"I tried giving Luffy all the antidotes I had," he started, "but it didn't work...mmm, this is yummy...!"

"Big Sis, we gotta find an island!" Aika said as she held Luffy's hand. "Big Brother's in danger!"

"I know," Nami said as she looked at the Log Pose, "but we can't just snap our fingers and have an island appear. Besides, it looks like Luffy's gonna be okay for a little while longer."

"She's right," Blizzard said. "His immune system is just holding it back. If we're lucky, we might find an antidote before then."

"Luffy, are you okay?" Carrot asked. "You're not gonna die, are you?"

"I'm fiiiine," Luffy slurred. "I'm just looking at the pretty river...oh...my Mom and Ace are on the other side...they're calling me over...!

"HOLY CRAP, HE SEES THE RIVER STYX!" Blizzard cried. "SNAP OUT OF IT, LUFFY!"

Aika whimpered worriedly before she looked up at the sky and gasped upon seeing cotton candy flurries.

"Hey, look!" she called. "What's that?"

"Snow?" Nami asked as she caught one of the flurries in her hand. "Wait...this is...!"

"Cotton candy!" Chopper exclaimed as he began to catch them on his tongue. "Mmm~! Yummy!"

"Looks like we're almost there," said Pekoms as he stood up and tore off his bandages. "Based on the passage of time, Black Leg should already be on the island by now. We're bound to catch up to the territory any moment, now."

Down below the waves, some strange looking slugs with a blue-and-yellow square pattern and wearing what looked like top hats on their heads, and on those hats were antennae, which began to beep.

PURU-PURU-PURU~! PURU-PURU-PURU~! PURU-PURU-PURU~! The Transponder Snail in the kitchen began to ring.

"Someone's calling us," Aika said as she held Luffy's hand in her little paws.

"But whom?" Brook asked.

"No one," Pekoms answers. "It's just intercepting a warning signal-grraaawr! We've entered Mama's territory. You guys had better hide or get into a disguise."

"Cotton candy~!" Chopper cheered as he and Carrot caught the flurries.

"So sweet!" Carrot chirped as she ate some.

"Pekoms!" Pedro called. "I can see something coming this way!"

"Dammit," Pekoms cursed. "Must be one of our Tarte scout ships. I'll handle this, you guys! You all just stay back and keep quiet!"

"I hope they have something that'll help Luffy," Chopper said.

"Mom...?" Luffy asked, weakly. "Is that you...?"

As everyone looked up, they gasped upon seeing that it was not a Tarte ship...but a gigantic snail, glowering down at them, and on its back was a giant ship with a sail that held the number "66" on it.

"This is Germa. We've identified the vessel as the ship of the Straw Hat Pirate crew."

"Crap!" cursed Pekoms. "That ship belongs to Germa 66! We're in big trouble, now!"

"EH?!" the group questioned as they looked up...and saw a hooded figure glaring down at them. As he pulled down his sunglasses...Aika gasped upon seeing that he had a swirly eyebrow.

"Sanji...?!" she asked.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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