Chapter 6
The next morning was full of energy and enthusiasm. The Captain was excited to get on with their newest adventure but the Log Pose still needed more time to set. He needed constant reminding of that fact throughout breakfast, which was quite an overwhelming affair in Sarah's eye. Limbs and food were flying everywhere, despite the early hour. People where shouting and laughing and yelling at one another while trying to defend their plates from the all-reaching hands of their captain.
"Hey, let's go already," Luffy said over a mouthful of sausage and pancakes. "I wanna find the Shining Rock things."
"The Log still has to set," Nami said for the sixth time.
"I wonder if the Cat Piss guy is strong?" Luffy wondered aloud.
"If he was, he wouldn't be sending out cronies," Zoro said. "Don't get your hopes up."
"But he has strong guys working for him, right?"
"Luffy! Keep your hands-off Robin's plate!"
"Ah, Sanji! You messed up my arrangement with your foot!"
"Deal with it!"
"Hey, pass the strawberries—no! Don't eat them all!"
"Hey, hey I wonder what—don't touch that—what the next island will be like," Chopper said.
"Hopefully it will be deserted," Usopp sighed.
"If it's deserted, then there might be monstrous carnivores roaming around, waiting to tear us apart," Robin said with a straight face.
"Stop saying things like that."
"Yohoho, Robin's words always send shivers down my spine. Because I actually do have a spine. Yohohoho."
"Amazing," Sarah said as something went flying and was caught by an air-born Chopper.
Luke started laughing and clapping his hands from his new high chair that Mr. Franky had made. Sarah still wasn't sure what exactly it did and she was a little afraid to ask. He watched as Chopper landed on the table and dove back to his spot to dodge the flying rubber hand aimed at the plate behind him.
But, monkey see, monkey do, and Luke was definitely a monkey. He took a handful of cut up sausage from his almost empty plate and threw it high in the air.
"Lu-," Sarah began to scold him, but cut herself off. A rubber head stretched over and snapped the bits of food out of the air. Luke fell into another fit of giggles and Luffy joined in when his head retracted. Sarah gave up when the others started joining in. Soon it was a competition between Luffy and Usopp on who could catch the most food thrown by Luke. Chopper decided he wanted in, and Brook felt left out to so started to play too. Sanji kept the food coming and even Robin surprised them when a hand with a mouth grew out of Luffy's chin and caught a raspberry he was aiming for.
But eventually, the supply of food dwindled and stomachs began to get full. Mind you not all of them really hit their limit, but it was enough to sate them over till lunch. Sarah found herself smiling and laughing more than she had in months and if there was a tear or two discretely wiped away, anyone would mistake it for tears from laughing too hard.
"Alright, let's divide up the work," Nami called out after things had quieted down a bit. "Franky, you said you still have to pick up the Cola?"
"Yeah," Franky said, flipping down his shades. "My Super order should be ready by noon."
"Alright, it's just after nine and the Pose will set at about two," Nami said. "Usopp and Robin, you have until then to see what you can find out about the Shining Rocks."
"Right," Robin nodded.
"Roger," Usopp saluted. "Just call me Detective Usopp. Have I ever told you about the time when I was eleven and solved a series of murders in the North Blue?"
"Really?" Chopper asked, his eyes going big.
"Sanji, Brook," Nami said. "You guys are on morning watch. I don't want Sarah or Luke out of your sight for one second."
"Aye aye, Miss. Nami," Brook said, up to the task. "Nothing will get past my all-seeing eyes. Although being a skeleton, I don't have any eyes! Yohohoho!"
"Oh! I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day than with sweet Sarah!" Sanji swooned. "Except maybe if Nami and Robin were to join us."
"Actually," Sarah spoke up. "I know it'll be troublesome, but if we're leaving I need to go back to our cabin. I have some things I need to bring along."
"Of course, dear Sarah," Sanji announced. "Just lead the way and we'll—"
"Hold on!" Nami interrupted him. "Where is this cabin?"
"On the other side of the canyon," Sarah replied.
"That's kind of far," Nami argued.
"Then we'd better be going," Sarah said, standing firm.
"But what if more thugs show up?" Nami countered.
"Well, I don't think those two from last night will be causing anymore trouble," Sarah said. "And they haven't reported anything to their boss yet so there shouldn't be any others coming yet."
"Another adventure?" Luffy perked up. "Let's go!"
"Luffy!" Nami snapped.
"It'll be fine," Luffy brushed her off. "If anyone tries anything, I'll just beat them up again. It's no biggy."
"It's a big biggy!" Nami yelled back.
"Let's go to Luke's house!" Luffy pumped a fist in the air.
"Yeah," Sanji and Brook copied his action and they set off with Sarah and Luke in tow.
Oo-oO
"Hey, if it isn't the fellow from yesterday. How's the Froid Mineral working for ya?"
"Haven't had a chance to try it out, but I've got big plans for it," Usopp smiled at the shop keeper he'd met the other day, before everything had gone to crap. He and Robin had set off shortly after Luffy's group decided to go to Sarah's place. Robin had suggested they split up to cover more ground. Usopp would ask around the local shop owners while Robin looked through old records at the library to see if there was anything on paper. Usopp suspected that she just wanted to buy more books, but she just smiled and walked off, leaving him alone in the street.
"Well, what can I do for you?" the shop keeper asked. "Anything you need?"
"Actually, I'm looking for some information," Usopp admitted, leaning against the counter. "You see, yesterday my captain went off on his own and heard about something called the Shining Rocks. And since he's got a one-track mind, he's decided that he wants to see them for himself. Only problem is that we don't know what island these Shining Rocks are supposed to be on, only that it's somewhere in the area."
"Sounds troublesome," the shop keeper said.
"So, have you ever heard of the Shining Rocks before?" Usopp asked.
"The Shining Rocks, huh?" the shop keeper sighed. "We get travelers through every now and then who've mentioned them. But I've never heard of anyone actually finding them."
"Really, what can you tell me?"
"There's not much to tell. Word is that they're used in some ritual or something, but the whole thing is shrouded in secret so who knows what's true."
"Yeah, I'd heard that before."
"As for where, who knows."
"Come on," Usopp pressed. "There's got to be something."
"Hmm . . ." the shop keeper scratched his beard in thought. "Well, I don't know if it has anything to do with it . . ."
"Go on," Usopp urged, feeling the excitement of discovery.
"There's an island with a great mountain that's said to shine brightly once a year. Call it the Shining Mountain. Maybe it's related to your Shining Rocks."
"Really? You think so?!"
"Who knows. You get to decide what you believe."
"So, which island has this Shining Mountain?"
"Actually, if you're following the Log, it's the next destination. Its name is Firannial."
Oo-oO
"Adventure, adventure is waiting to be found. Adventure, adventure us bound to be around," Luffy sang as they came to the canyon wall.
"That's quite the song there, Luffy," Brook commented, producing his violin and striking a few chords.
"I made it up yesterday," Luffy announced proudly. "Sing it with me!"
"Adventure, adventure is waiting to be found," Luffy and Brook sang together.
"Idiots," Sanji muttered under his breath.
"It's nice that they're so full of energy," Sarah said beside him.
"It's nice for now," Sanji said. "But wait until you're stuck on a ship with them for weeks at a time. It gets old fast."
"I think it's charming," Sarah said, watching as Brook broke into a violin solo and Luffy cheered him on.
"So if I join them, you'll think I'm charming too!" Sanji flaunted, fully ready to join in the song if need be.
"Mr. Sanji, I think you're plenty charming on your own," Sarah said, smiling to him.
Sanji melted into a love-struck puddle on the ground.
"Hey hey, Brook," Luffy called out, "take a look at this, Sanji turned into a puddle."
"Ah, I wonder if his bones have liquefied," Brook said, leaning over.
"Ha ha ha, you sounded like Robin," Luffy laughed.
"Did I? Yohohoho."
"Bastards!" Sanji was suddenly up and raring to go. "Don't imitate my darling Robin like that!"
Sarah giggled behind a hand and felt the sling on her back shift. Luke's head popped up over her shoulder and wiped away his sleepy eyes. "Good morning, sleepy head," Sarah said and he latched onto a clump of her hair.
"Hey Luke's mom," Luffy called and she realized she had fallen behind. "How much farther?"
"It's just on the other side of the canyon," Sarah answered as she drew level with them. They all stood at the edge of the canyon over looking the great abyss carved out by ancient rivers that once threaded through the land. She scanned the base of the canyon and could make out the cave she had used only yesterday and the destruction left behind by that encounter.
She shook herself out of her thoughts when Luffy bounded up next to her and awed over the canyon again.
"It's still so big!"
"It's not going to change overnight," Sanji snapped back. "Which way now, Sarah dear?"
"See that cave down there," Sarah pointed.
"Hey, it's the mystery cave!" Luffy exclaimed. "And there's the place where I smashed that guy into the wall. He he, you can still see his outline."
"The cave is an escape route I'd found when I first got here. My cabin's just on the other side."
"Look's like we've got to climb down then," Brook said, observing the height at which they stood. "It's pretty high."
"Right, let's go!" Luffy yelled. In his excitement, and to Sarah's horror, Luffy took a running start before jumping clean off the edge.
"No, don't—!" Sarah screamed as he plummeted out of view.
"Don't worry," Sanji reassured her. "He'll be fine. He's just an idiot."
"Rubber-man, right," Sarah said, more to assure her pounding heart than anything else. "It just took me by surprise."
"He's pretty good at doing that," Sanji said.
"Ah, he made it," Brook said, leaning precariously over the side of the cliff and watched as Luffy waved up at them.
"Hey-ey-ey-ey," Luffy's voice echoed off the rock walls. "Come-me on-on-on-on."
"Moron!" Sanji yelled down, "we can't just jump like you!"
"Why-y-y not-ot-ot?"
Sanji didn't grace him with an answer. He simply turned back to his dear Sarah, "Let's find another way dow—aaaahhhh!" Sarah watched as Sanji was pulled over the side of the cliff, dragged down by his captain's rubber hand. She scrambled to the edge and peered over, scared of what she'd find. She was relieved when she saw the cook land on Luffy's inflated body then proceed to kick the living tar out of his captain. She sighed and flopped back.
"Mrs. Sarah," Brook offered a hand to help her up. "Might I suggest we make our own way down before the captain decides to help us out."
"Yes," Sarah replied quickly and led the way to the path into the canyon. She felt Luke reach over to touch her face, somehow sensing her distress. She twisted around and planted a kiss on his forehead. "It's alright, don't worry," she reassured him. The smile was quick to adorn Luke's face and he went back to having his little dragon make a nest out of her hair.
Oo-oO
Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da
Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da
"Hey Nami, what's that noise?" Chopper asked.
"Huh?" Nami looked up from her desk. "Oh yeah, the Baby Transponder Snail." She pulled the diamond studded Baby Transponder Snail out and placed it on the table.
"You mean the ones those thugs had?"
"Yeah."
Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da
". . ."
". . ."
Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da
"Hey," Chopper said as the Snail continued to ring. "Wasn't that boss guy supposed to call?"
"Caspien? Yeah, he was."
Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da
"Ah! It's him!" they both exclaimed and jumped up.
Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da-ba-da.
"Wha-wha-what do we do?" Chopper stuttered.
"Well don't answer it," Nami sputtered, backing away from the diamond studded snail sitting on the table. "As long as he doesn't know that Sarah is traveling with the Straw-Hat pirates, then he can't send anyone after us."
Up on the deck, Zoro finished a rep and dropped one of his overly huge dumbbells, causing the entire ship to rattle. Back inside, Nami and Chopper watched in horror as the diamond studded Transponder Snail bounced from the surface of the table and collided with the ground.
The snail straightened up and opened its eyes. Ka-cha.
"It answered!" Chopper and Nami silently cursed and felt the life drain away.
"You idiots truly are useless aren't you," the voice from the other end said. "Since I'm the one calling you, I gather that it's safe to assume that you have once again failed in eliminating the child."
Nami and Chopper tensed as the voice got straight to business.
"I have been merciful, given you a second chance, which is more than I have given to the more capable ones I've sent. You must have caught me on a good day, but your luck has run out. Now what excuses do you have this time?"
Nami and Chopper stood petrified, not daring to speak.
"Nothing? Well that saves some time I gues—"
The door opened and Zoro walked in, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Hey have you seen the—"
"Shut up!" Nami and Chopper tackled Zoro as he barged into the room.
"What was that?!" the voice on the snail demanded.
"Ah! You just ruined it! Now he knows we're here!" Nami snapped, strangling Zoro.
"Zoro! Zoro! Why?!" Chopper begged and he pulled on Zoro's pant leg with tears threatening to spill.
"I see," the voice said, calmly.
"No, no, no, no," Nami reassured the snail. "It's not what you think."
"I believe that the woman has found protection. And who might you be?"
"No one, we're no one. Absolutely no one of importance."
"Is that so?"
"Would you get off me!" Zoro demanded and pushed Nami away, shaking off Chopper in the process. "What the hell is going on?!"
"Zoro, Zoro, I don't want him to send people after us!" Chopper sobbed.
"What?"
"Zoro? Roronoa Zoro?" The voice asked. "Now that's interesting."
"No, no, nothing interesting's going on here," Nami tried. "We just happened to find this snail in the street and—"
"Straw Hat Pirates,"
"Ah! He knows!" Chopper cried.
"What a twist of fate. Be sure to tell your captain that I anticipate the day when I cut him down with my own hands."
Zoro's eyes narrowed and he picked up the Baby Transponder Snail. "So you're the bastard who keeps sending thugs out to kill a defenceless kid."
"And you're the infamous Roronoa Zoro, wielder of the Three-Sword Style."
"If you intend to go against my captain," Zoro said, his voice kept even and steely. "Then you'll have to send more than a couple of third rate thugs."
"If you say so," the voice on the other end of the line chuckled. "What you don't know is that at the moment, your captain is more vulnerable than you think."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoro growled.
"That's the question, isn't it," the voice laughed again. "I suppose you may find out eventually. I look forward to seeing how this plays out. But for now, this is farewell."
Ka-cha. The diamond studded Baby Transponder Snail went back to sleep and Zoro turned to his two remaining crew mates. Nami and Chopper were sulking together in a little huddle on the ground, waves of depression rolling off them.
"What's wrong with you two?" he asked nonchalantly.
Two heat filled gazes snapped up to him and Zoro took a step back. "You idiot! You ruined everything! Now he knows!"
"So what?" Zoro tried to fend them off. "It's not like it changes anything.
"Doesn't change anything," Nami mocked. "Sure, nothing except a steady stream of thugs and bounty hunters that will be coming after us to try and get to Sarah and Luke. You just made things a hundred times worse!"
"A hundred!" Chopper exclaimed.
"It'll be fine," Zoro waved it off. "It's nothing we can't handle."
"So he says," Nami went back to sulking.
Oo-oO
"It seems the Occlusal brothers have failed again," the scared man said, hanging up the Transponder Snail.
"So it seems," his right-hand man replied. "Does this hinder us in any way?"
"It's no matter," the scarred man waved. "I didn't expect much from them anyway. They only needed to draw her out into the open."
"She has found protection."
"The Straw-Hat Pirates," the scarred man growled.
"Should I send a pursuit team?"
"No. We know where they're headed. They're going back to where this all started."
"Indeed."
"No need to mess with fate just yet. We've been patient this long. The fire will rage in a week's time, then we will put the final plan into action. The child will die, and this world will be cleansed of a monster."
Oo-oO
"Hey, I see the exit!" Luffy yelled, his voice bouncing off the cave's walls. He giggled as he ran toward the light at the end of the tunnel. "Wow! Look at all the rocks!"
The rocky landscape stretched out in front of them, uneven and strong. Hills of rocks jutted out of the ground at random intervals while other points had deep pits that went down for miles. Vegetation was scarce and other than a small stream nearby, there were no signs of life.
"This island's economy was built around mining," Sarah explained. "There's tons of different ores and minerals that can be found in these mountains. It's all pretty open space, but there's a bit more privacy closer to the canyon wall here."
The others looked up at the rock face they'd just emerged from. It towered over them and formed a sort of cup around where they had come out of. Off to one side, there was a little cabin. Sarah looked at the cabin that had been her home for only a few scarce weeks. It could hardly be called a home, more of a temporary living quarters. Hardly a way to raise a child, but it was the only way she knew to stay alive. Proof of that was evident from the state of the cabin.
The front door was smashed to pieces and a wardrobe had been thrown through a window, although there hadn't been much in it. She took a shuddering breath as she took in the damage. "Well," she said lightly. "At least it's still standing."
". . . Right," Sanji said, watching her closely.
On her back Luke squirmed. He'd been keeping still for too long and he needed to move, needed to play. "Un, un," he said as he tried to push his way out of the sling.
"Okay, okay," Sarah said and untied the sling. "Would you mind keeping him company for a bit," she asked Luffy. "I shouldn't be long."
"Yeah sure," Luffy smiled, plopping Luke up on his shoulders. "Hey buddy, let's go climb a big mountain!"
"Allow me to accompany you," Brook said and the three ran off to explore the island beyond the canyon.
"They get too excited sometimes," Sanji shook his head and turned back to the lady. "Shall we?"
"Let's," Sarah smiled to him and led the way around the broken door. She felt a little apprehensive, not knowing what to expect.
"This place is a mess," Sanji said, glancing around at the turned over furniture and clothes strewn about. "They really did a number here."
The first thing Sarah did was check the wall behind the door. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was still hanging on the hook and looked like it hadn't been touched.
"What's that? Is it important?" Sanji asked.
Sarah held out a tube covered in leather. She unzipped the round flap at the top. He saw the feathered ends of arrows.
"It's a quiver."
"Now I just need to find the bow to go with it."
Sanji smiled. "So you aren't completely defenceless."
"I'm no good in a straight up fight," Sarah admitted. "But it doesn't mean I can't fight back. Earlier, those guys just caught me off guard. We were out in the yard when they found the house. I didn't have time to grab my bag or my bow."
"Ah, is this it?" Sanji pulled a long stick out from under an overturned table. It was snapped in the middle, and both ends were still attached by the bowstring.
"It used to be," Sarah sighed as the useless bow was dropped back onto the ground.
Sanji kept sifting through some of the stuff while she picked her way through the mess to the back room. This door was still on its hinges, surprisingly, but only just. She breathed out in relief when she saw her pack still in the corner of the room where she'd left it. She knelt beside it and threw open the top flat. Everything was still there; rations, warm clothes, extra diapers, packs of formula, her notebooks, and her hooks!
"Is that what you wanted to get?" Sanji asked from the door.
"It's my emergency pack for whenever they find us," Sarah explained, tying up the bag again and throwing it over a shoulder. "`You have no idea how relieved I am that we could come back for it."
"Something important in there?"
"Important to me," Sarah admitted, fingering her notebooks. "My livelihood too. Do you know how hard it is to find a good set of hooks out here?"
"Hooks?"
"Crochet hooks," Sarah explained, and pulled out a little cloth package from the bag to show him the neat row of little hooks of varying sizes. "It's how I've managed to make a bit of money here and there."
"Really? I didn't peg you as the crafty type," Sanji said, but quickly corrected himself. "Not that it doesn't suit you."
"I find it keeps me grounded," Sarah said. "It can get lonely sometimes, always hiding, never being able to get to know people because they might not be friends in the end. But I'm rambling now. . ."
Sanji blew out a stream of smoke and looked at Sarah in a new light. "You've been through a lot."
"You can say that," Sarah chuckled dryly.
"You're not alone anymore."
"Yeah," she smiled and turned to him. "Thanks."
Oo-oO
Usopp trudged through the streets. He hadn't found out anything else that could be of use, and since the designated time was approaching, he was looking for wherever Robin had wandered off to.
He spotted a wooden sign hanging over a doorway with a book on it, and he made his way over to it. He peeked into the library and saw the archaeologist standing at the front counter with an old woman and an even older looking book open between them.
"Hey Robin," he called. She looked up and waved him over.
"A friend of yours?" the old lady asked.
"Yes, a shipmate," Robin replied.
"Well then," the old lady smiled and slammed the old book shut. "I wish you luck on your quest."
Robin thanked the old librarian and led the way back onto the streets.
"So," Usopp said. "You find anything?"
"A clue," Robin said. "The island with the Shining Rocks can be found on a sea torn between heat and cold, on a path shrouded in mist and deception."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"I'm getting excited," Robin smiled.
Oo-oO
"And the dragon defends the castle with his fire breath!" Luffy said as Luke's dragon was placed on the top of their rock castle that they had made under Luke's supervision. Luke giggled as the dragon stomped on little rock soldiers that tried to invade.
"A song of victory was then awarded to the brave dragon," Brook said and struck up a merry tune.
Luke giggled and clapped at the performance from where he sat on the ground. He crawled over to the rock castle and pulled himself up. With one little arm, he reached and grabbed hold of his little dragon and held it up.
"Da?"
"The dragon saved the day!" Luffy cheered.
"Da!" Luke smiled and the dragon was placed back on top of the castle. A moment later, Luke picked it up again and held it up to Luffy. "Dada!"
"Huh?"
Luke smiled and pointed at Luffy with his dragon, "Dada!"
"Oh my," Brook said.
Luffy looked down at the child who was waving the little bronze statue at him.
"Da-da!" Luke squealed and hugged the dragon.
"Oh, dragon!" Luffy laughed and crouched down beside him, pointing at the statue. "Dra-gon."
"Dada!" Luke laughed again and held up the dragon. Luffy laughed along with him.
Brook slouched in relief.
"Is everyone ready to go?" Sarah called out from in front of the house. Sanji had insisted he carry her big heavy bag, saying that no lady should be stuck carrying such a burden.
"Aw," Luffy pouted, "We're going back already?"
"Don't you want to find the Shining Rocks?" Sanji said.
"Yeah!" Luffy jumped up, then he dumped Luke onto his shoulders. "Let's go!"
Oo-oO
Franky loaded the last barrel of Cola into the engine room as a commotion erupted above. He climbed up the ladder and pushed open the hatch, wondering what it could be this time. But one thing's for sure, he certainly didn't expect the ship to be full of a bunch of old men in bikini's tanning on the deck.
"What the heck?" he scratched his head, taking in the twelve or so wrinkly guys who had laid out beech chairs and little tables with fruity drinks and little umbrellas. "I'm not sure what's going on here, but I like your style!"
So, it was to Nami's frustration that she found Franky sun tanning on the deck alongside twelve other men all clad in bikini bottoms and showing way too much skin. "What the hell is wrong with all of you!?" she demanded, and bashed in the heads of the three guys who were closest to her. "Who are you and why are you on our ship! Wait, more importantly, why did you join them?!" She gave Franky an extra hard whack that even managed to get through his thick metal skull.
"Ow," he nursed his new head wound. "Oh! I got caught up in the moment. Hey, who the hell are you guys?"
"You're only asking this now?" a man in a green bikini said, looking over the rim of his sunglasses.
"Just tell us who you are," Nami shouted, raising a fist.
"Okay, okay," green bikini said, raising his hands in defence.
The men, all in their different patterned bikinis lined up behind green bikini guy. As one they all bowed. "Thank you very much!"
"Huh?"
"Let me introduce myself," Mr. Green Bikini said. "I am the chief of this town and these are my chairmen." The Bikini Squad waved. "For months now, the Tiger Hunter Guild has been causing trouble over the whole island. Honestly, they were more trouble then they were worth. But then this morning, one of my chairmen—" he gestures to a flower print bikini man, "told me he saw the entire gang out cold and piled up like a heap of garbage by the pier. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I decided to check for myself. And low and behold, it was true. I was so relieved that I gathered my chairmen and we shipped the Tiger Hunter Guild off on a ship. The only thing left to do was to thank the ones who got rid of this menace and to celebrate."
"So you decided to have a tanning party on our deck!" Nami snapped.
"It's not like that," Greenie said quickly. "It's just that the sun was so bright and the sky was clear and you get the perfect light right here, before we knew it, we had set up camp and were enjoying ourselves rather nicely."
"That's not an excuse!"
"Hey, calm down," Franky reasoned. "They weren't causing any harm—"
WHAM! "You're in trouble too!" Nami seethed. "Who just jumps in and joins a bunch of old guys in bikini bottoms anyway?!"
"Well, it's just that the sun was so bright, the sky was clear and before I knew it, I was sitting on a beech chair enjoying some freshly made fruit punch."
Nami's fist shook with rage and Franky wisely took a couple steps back.
"Hey, we're back!" Usopp said as he and Robin walked up the gang plank. "Woah! There's a bunch of weirdo's in bikinis with fruity drinks!"
"My," Robin smiled, "seems like we're missing out on the party."
"Robin~" Nami whinned. "Don't encourage them. We're trying to get them to leave!"
"But we just wanted to thank you," Greenie said.
"Thank us?" Usopp asked. "For what?"
"For beating up that gang of wannabes last night," Nami sighed. "It's not like we were trying to help out, they attacked us and we just fought back."
"You mean Luffy, Zoro and Sanji fought back," Usopp corrected.
"What's the difference?"
"Those three cause more permanent damage."
"Right. . ."
"Speaking of," Usopp said, changing to subject. "Are the others back yet? "
"No sign of them," Nami checked the position of the sun. "They'd better hurry, it's almost time we head out. By the way, did you find anything about the Shining Rocks?"
"Well, Robin's got some cryptic riddle," Usopp said. "But I heard there's a Shining Mountain nearby."
"I found that too," Robin said.
"Yeah, it's on an island called Fir—fee—far—"
"Firannial."
"Right, what she said," Usopp crossed his arms. "And guess what, it's the next island the log points to."
"Well, it gives us a start," Nami said.
"Ah, yes, Firannial," Greenie said reminiscing. "They've got some good sun bathing beeches there."
"Who asked you?!" Nami screeched. "Get off!"
