Sanji lightly tapped the bridge with his foot. With two fingers, he removed the cigarette from his mouth and tossed it over the cliff. He watched as it got smaller the farther it went down. Eventually, it disappeared in the flowing current. "If we go slowly and keep our balance straight, I'm sure we can make it through in one piece. Just try not to rock it so much, Luffy."
Luffy noticed the other adults glaring at him. Luffy stared up at them innocently. Honestly, he didn't know why they were staring at him. He hasn't done anything wrong. "What?"
"Should we go one at a time?" Aria suggested.
"That would take us forever," Zoro said.
"Luffy should start us off," Franky suggested. "If anything happens to the bridge, he can just rocket himself back up here and we'll find another route. If it's stable, we'll follow right after him."
Luffy shrugged. "Sounds good to me." He picked Anna off his shoulders and set her down by her mother. Her expression showed concern and confusion. When he set her down, she immediately reached for her mother's warm hand.
"Papa?"
"I'll see you on the other side." Luffy winked.
"Be careful, Dad," Haru said.
Luffy stared at the bridge. Now that he looked at it, it was pretty long and if he were to fall, it would be a long drop. Whenever he and the guys would come up here to hunt, they never used this bridge, because they never needed to. If they were still traveling on their journey, this wouldn't matter to him, because he could easily catch himself. However, he has kids now, and he had to consider that. Those days of reckless behavior are definitely over.
"What if I fall into the water," Luffy murmured to himself.
"We'd still dive down after you, Captain," said Zoro.
Luffy chuckled. He took one step forward. The weight of that one foot slightly rocked the bridge vertically. With another step forward, the bridge rocked again. Slowly and steadily, Luffy moved forward cautiously. It wasn't until he was halfway that he heard a small crack from one of the planks he was stepping on. From the sound of the waves below him, he couldn't tell which it was. He glanced back. He could see the anxiety in Nami's expression and the fear in Anna's.
Thankfully, Luffy made it safely to the other side. He sighed heavily. He waved to the others and gestured that it was safe to cross. He yelled, "It's safe! But be careful!"
"So, who's going next?" Zoro asked.
"We'll go in pairs, just in case," said Robin.
"Haru and I will go next," said Nami. "Taichi, I'm leaving Anna to you."
Taichi nodded. He watched as his mother and brother took their turn on the bridge. When they were a quarter of the bridge away, he held his hand out for his sister to take. "Let's go, Anna."
The raven-haired little Monkey took his hand and grasped it tight. He could tell she was terrified by the way she squeezed his hand. Her hands were wet from sweat and she was squeezing it until it turned red. In order to make her feel more at ease, he removed his hands from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her closer to him. She clutched his shirt. Together, they took their first step onto the bridge and continued further slowly.
"Sanji, you're next," Robin said.
"Of course, Robin-chan."
"Please, take Riko with you."
When Sanji turned to face Robin, he saw her clutching her daughter's shoulders. She must be scared to let her youngest go on her own without someone she can trust. This made Sanji grin with confidence. "Hai! Let's go, Riko-chan."
Zoro was glaring at the cook from behind as the two started on the bridge. At least he'll know who will be responsible if anything happens. "If anything happens, I'm going after you first."
Riko turned back to see her mother's reassuring face, and her father's hard glare to Sanji. She gripped Sanji's hand. For some reason, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Syo, Yasopp, you're next. Then, it'll be Franky and Kaito," Zoro said. "Zero, you'll be with your sister."
Zero turned to his parents. "What about you two?"
"We'll be right behind you," Robin reassured him.
Aria was feeling uneasy about all of this. She could tell Riko was feeling it too by the way she was fidgeting with her shirt earlier. After hearing all the stories of their adventures from her mother, she saw a pattern in all of them. They always get separated. In one way or another, they always get separated.
Zero was about to enter the bridge when he realized his partner wasn't next to him. He turned back and saw his sister spacing out. "Oi, Aria, we're next."
Aria snapped out of it. She clutched his arm as they stepped forward. Up in the front, she could see Nami and Haru nearing the end of the bridge. Aria was surprised how well this bridge could hold all of them up, despite its appearance. There are currently, twelve people on this long bridge and so far, it hasn't give way. At least, not yet.
"How are you holding up?" Sanji asked his shaking partner.
"Barely," Riko replied.
Sanji turned back to the two boys behind him. "Syo, how are you?!"
"I'd be fine if Yasopp wasn't shaking the bridge," Syo said out of irritation.
"S-Shut up!" Yasopp said. The two boys reached halfway, surprisingly. Yasopp tried his best not to look down, but the cliff where Luffy stood waiting was right in front of his eyes, it was hard to look away. The second he wasn't paying attention to where he was stepping, he heard a squeak from one of the planks.
"Did you hear that?" asked Yasopp. He paused to a stop.
"Just keep walking and it'll all be over," said Syo. Yasopp took one step forward, but it was a big mistake. When he took that one step forward, the plank snapped in half, causing his leg to fall through and the bridge to shake unevenly. Everyone on the bridge held onto the ropes for dear life.
Yasopp was in shock. He couldn't move. As of now, everyone is stuck at where they're at on the bridge to due the shake. Syo fell on his rear because the impact was bigger in his area thanks to Yasopp. He used one hand to clutched the ropes, while he used to other to pull Yasopp back up. He grunted when Yasopp wouldn't move, nor help himself up.
"Come on, Yasopp. You gotta help yourself up! Otherwise, we can't move forward."
"YASOPP! GET IT TOGETHER!" Luffy yelled from the end.
"Yasopp! Hurry!" Kaito yelled from behind.
It may not look like it, but he was definitely trying. The only problem was that he was trying to make sure the bridge wouldn't shake anymore. When he finally got the balance to bring his leg back up, the two planks supporting him snapped, bringing not only him, but Syo down as well.
"YASOPP!"
"SYO!"
Franky's eyes grew wide when he saw the two boys in front of him fall. He leaned over the side and only saw the planks falling. He didn't see two bodies. Franky turned back to the new hole on the bridge. Luckily, Yasopp grabbed a hold of the ropes before he could fall. After missing the ropes, Syo grabbed the next thing he could reach, Yasopp's leg. However, it wasn't helping either of them. Syo could only grab the ends of his pants, and his grip was slipping. Due to the heavy weight of both of them together, Yasopp couldn't hold on any longer.
"NAMI! TAICHI! HURRY! SANJI! FRANKY! QUICKLY! HELP THOSE TWO!" yelled Luffy.
"ZERO! ARIA! HURRY BACK!" Robin called out.
Yasopp could feel the part of the rope he was holding onto getting smaller and smaller. He shut his eyes tight and gritted his teeth. "Shit!"
"Huh? What's the matter?" Syo asked. He was trying his hardest to not let go of Yasopp's trousers. He looked up to see what could possibly be worse than the state they're currently in. When he saw the problem, Syo cursed. He closed his eyes and took a huge breath. The ropes snapped. Right down the middle, the bridge snapped in half. Everyone on it, without a warning, lost their footing and started to fall.
Like his father, Yasopp tried hard to "swim" back to the cliff. Syo opened one eye. When he looked down, he could see he was getting closer to the river. He gazed up and saw the others that were on the bridge falling as well. However, he and Yasopp got a head start. Before they could reach the water, Syo grabbed Yasopp's backpack so he wouldn't lose him.
Taichi tightly held onto his little sister. Anna was screaming for her life while tucked in her brother's arms. There was nothing that can prevent them from landing into the river. Taichi couldn't possibly see any other way to save them. So instead, he made Anna his first priority. Just before they landed in the river he took a deep breath and pinched Anna's nose.
Sanji tightly kept his arms around Riko. She wasn't screaming, but he knew she must be beyond terrified. He glanced at the cliff where Luffy stood. Sanji knew he could get himself out of this situation. However, where would that leave the kids? There was no choice. Syo, Yasopp, Taichi, and Anna have fallen in just a couple seconds ago. He and Riko will flow with the current and catch up to them. He had to remind himself to apologize to Robin later.
While holding Kaito on his shoulders, Franky tried to grab the cliff with his Strong Right, but he had fallen too far to reach. He reached over his shoulders and swung Kaito to his chest. He wrapped his arms around his little body to protect him. His big arms almost nearly covered him. Franky spun around so his back will be the first thing to land into the water.
When the bridge broke in half, Zero and Aria got separated for a second due to the surprise. Zero reached for her and pulled her in so she had her arms wrapped around his waist. He knew Aria was shaking in fear, so he had to come up with something to prevent them from landing into the water. With no other choice, he decided to make use of his surroundings. He dived for the rocky wall, unsheathed one of his katanas and stabbed the wall.
Zero gritted his teeth when his plan faltered. They weren't slowing down. His katana was so sharp, it was cutting down the wall. As a back up plan, Zero brought his feet up against the wall, but he skidded down the wall unpleasantly. Suddenly, he lost his grip on his katana. The sword slipped out from the wall and followed its master into the water. Zero fell into the water before he had the chance to even reach it. Now, his first priority was to make sure he and Aria got to safety. As much as that katana was dear to him, it would have to wait.
When the bridge snapped, Robin acted on instinct and crossed her arms. Millions of arms sprouted from the walls forming a big hand to catch them before they can reach the water. While using her power, she could feel the pain at the pit of her stomach. This happens every time she overused her powers while carrying a child. The stress and anxiety was hurting the baby. She'd only use her powers at the slightest like a couple arms here and there, but this was an emergency.
When Robin cringed, Zoro could tell she was in pain. He uncrossed her arms and pulled her back from the cliff. Robin lost her footing, causing her and Zoro to land on their rears. Robin gasped when she saw her million arms disappear. "No! We need to save them!" Robin cried.
"They'll be fine! It's you I'm worried about! We agreed with Chopper that you wouldn't use your powers until after you're due date!"
Robin pushed his arms away and stumbled back for the cliff. "They're gonna-"
Zoro cupped her cheeks and turned her attention at him and away from the cliff. "Robin, calm down. They'll be all right. Everyone knows where to go. We'll meet them there."
"The kids.."
"I'm sure Zero knows what to do in this situation. Aria's with him and Riki's with that idiot cook. If anything happens, they all have a den den mushi on them. They'll be fine."
The only ones who haven't reached the water yet were Nami and Haru. Before they could fall into the water, Luffy stretched an arm out and grabbed Nami's hand. Unfortunately, they were the only pair he can reach. He had to use his other arm to wrap it around a tree to hold himself from falling. As he pulled them back up slowly, Nami could feel her grip on Haru slipping.
"M-Mom.."
"Haru!" Nami tightened her hold on his hand, but he was slipping from her. Haru grabbed her hand with his other hand, but he was sweating from the pressure. He looked down and saw the others being washed away by the current.
Haru closed his eyes.
"H-Haru, what are you-" Haru slipped his hand out of hers. "HARU!"
Luffy heard her screams. Suddenly, the weight from Nami and Haru got lighter. He looked down the cliff and saw his son falling into the water as well. "HARU!"
The Straw Hat Captain pulled Nami up faster. Once she reached the edge, he helped her up then shook her shoulders vigorously. "WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT HAPPENED TO HARU?!"
"I don't know!" Nami tried to catch her breath. "I had a tight grip on him, but he slipped himself out of my hand!" Nami raised her hands to her head. "I already had him. We were so close.."
Luffy could see the tears silently streaming down her cheeks. He removed his straw hat and placed it on her head. "It wasn't your fault. We'll find them."
Luffy walked to the edge, then cursed under his breath. Who knows how long until they can find them. If it wasn't for his devil fruit, he'd jump in with no hesitation. He glanced up and noticed Zoro and Robin still on the other side of the river.
"Oi, Zoro! Robin!" Luffy called out.
The swordsman and archeologist glanced up to see Luffy waving at them.
"Nami's all right," Robin murmured. She was relieved at least one of them was saved.
"What should we do?" Luffy asked Nami. "Everyone knows where to go, right? Should we try to find the others, or go to the spot?"
"Finding out whether the ghost is real or not is the least of my problems right now," Nami said. "I just want my kids back."
Zoro sighed. "Splitting up won't help us."
"We'll travel down the path of the river and try to follow them," Robin suggested. "We'll try calling for them through den den mushi if it hasn't been washed away by the river."
"Nami and I will searched through the sky," said Luffy. "If they start walking, we'll spot it. You guys search by ground. Robin, don't overuse your powers!"
Robin frowned.
While holding onto the straw hat, Nami climbed onto Luffy's back. When she was perfectly secured, he heard her sniffle. He exhaled, then turned his head to look at her.
"No more crying, okay? We'll find them," Luffy whispered.
Nami nodded.
Luffy stretched his arms onto a branch and rocketed them into the air.
-x-
"Grab onto my hand!" Franky yelled. Along the river, Franky and Sanji pulled themselves and some of the kids onto shore. Kaito and Riko were already on shore busy catching their breaths. Syo and Yasopp were stuck on a boulder in the middle of the river. They were holding on to a branch on top of two large boulders to keep them from being pushed by the water. While Franky was busy trying to save the two boys, Sanji was busy drying up the other two.
"Yasopp, quit shaking!" Syo said. "We'll never get out of this if you keep it up!"
"Do you see how fast the current's flowing?! We're lucky I grabbed onto this branch in the first place!" Yasopp exclaimed.
"You wouldn't have grabbed onto it if I hadn't seen Dad and Franky at the shore!"
"Quit arguing!" Franky yelled.
"Syo! Yasopp! Just take Franky's hand and he'll reel you in!" Sanji shouted. Syo nodded. After shaking off a terrified Yasopp, Syo pulled himself towards Franky's hand. Yasopp followed behind. They grabbed a hold of Franky's large hand as tight as they could because of the water. Franky reeled them too quickly that the two boys crashed into Sanji in the process.
Sanji coughed. He landed flat on his back while the two boys toppled over him. Because of their situation, he wasn't so angry. He was just glad they managed to get out of the river. "We're still missing some people."
"Nii-chan and Nee-chan," said Riko.
"Taichi and Anna, too," said Franky. "And the last time I saw Haru, Nami was holding onto him when Luffy caught them."
"Damn. This is a real pain. Who knows where they've drifted off to." Sanji lighted another cigarette. "At least we have all our stuff. Not sure about the food, though. Still, who knows how far the river took us."
"Dad, there's something coming down the river," Kaito said.
Franky and Sanji ran to the water to see if any of the other kids that had fallen might have shown up. They were surprised to see that it wasn't any of them. What they saw was a hint of orange hair flowing with the current. Sanji would've immediately guessed that it would be Nami, but his small figure and spiky hair said otherwise.
"HARU!"
"Haru! Swim over here!" yelled Sanji.
While trying to fight the wave, Haru looked up when his name was called. He felt so relieved to see the others safe. It took all of his strength to swim over to the shore before he could pass it. When he finally got close enough, he grabbed Sanji's hand where he was harshly pulled away from the water. Again, Sanji landed on his back with Haru landing on top of him.
"What happened? What about Nami?" Franky asked.
Haru coughed. He panted to catch his breath. "She's fine. Mom's safe."
"Then, what happened to you?" Yasopp asked. He placed a towel over his best friend's back to keep him warm.
Haru looked down, his orange hair hiding his eyes. "I could feel Mom's grip on Dad slipping. I had to let go."
Sanji sighed. He patted the kid in the head. If he had stayed on, they both would've fallen off. A true man this kid is. He takes after him. He could tell he was on the verge of tears, but he was proud. "You did good."
"That leaves Taichi, Anna-chan, Zero, and Aria-chan," said Syo.
"If Haru was the last to fall in, I doubt any of them fell behind," Yasopp said.
"Then, we missed them. Let's just hope that they're together with a den den mushi on them," said Sanji.
Fun Facts:
- When nervous or embarrassed, Riko tends to fidget with the ends of her shirt.
- Haru and Yasopp's relationship resemble their fathers' relationship. They're nearly the same age with Yasopp being a year older. They've been together since birth. With their crazy ideas and misfits they get themselves into, their mothers can tell they'll get themselves into a whole lot of trouble when they're older.
- Syo tends to add '-chan' after any girl's name. He does this with 'Aria-chan,' 'Riko-chan,' and 'Anna-chan.'
