Chapter 7
While I can't recommend sleeping on the deck of a ship during the day for various reasons – of course the sun, but also Garp and other motivated marines reminding you to continue training – I can tell you that sleeping with an open window was still a pleasant way to get your needed dose of Z's. The calming sound of waves hitting the metallic body of a ship and the fresh air can help you fall asleep fast and easy and the sleep quality was very good. You might want to close your window if it is so low that the waves hit it and drench your bed in salt water, though. In this very moment, I could feel water tickle my bare feet and I think my blanket got swept away because there was nothing to hide my feet under. I reached for my pillow to pull it over my eyes because the waves reflected the rising sun just right to hit me in the face. One should think that that wouldn't be possible, but it was happening right now. Instead of feeling the fluffiness of a pillow underneath my fingers, I touched something slippery and definitely not fluffy. Eww, was that seaweed? What is seaweed doing in my bed? …Hang on, I just realized something. The last time this happened, I was not anywhere near my favorite place. I swear if that shitty R.O.B. was behind this again…
I opened my eyes and sat up. Sure enough, I found myself on another, probably deserted, island, sitting on the beach way too close to the approaching waves. How did that happen, anyway? Let's see, what happened before I got here?
So, we left the Gecko islands without a new prisoner. Hina assured that she would take Kuro since that was her mission and reason to be in the East Blue. Something about everyone thinking that Garp was back on the Grand Line already. We sat sail for the Red Line, I panicked because we passed Logue Town and were going straight for the mountain instead though Garp said it would still take a while. Then, err… what happened then? My head felt like it would explode any second now, but that might just be from too much sun and general headaches. I really hope it was just my normal headache and not some kind of injury.
I looked around for some clues, but there was not a lot to be seen. Next to my feet was a necklace with what looked like a claw tied to it. Might as well take that along. Maybe if I walk along the beach I'll find some other clues.
It didn't take long until I heard a kid scream for help in the distance. I wasn't really keen on helping the kid, but maybe he knew something about this island and how I got here, so I headed towards the inner part of the island.
The kid was a small boy who got stuck in a hole in the ground and thought that throwing his arms in wild circles might help him escape his situation. He looked just as bad as I did – shirt torn, pants with holes, his red-white cap with pin-ups was pulled over wet black hair that fell into his face despite the headwear. "Help me, auntie! I'm stuck and I think I'll die if I can't get out of this hole! Please help me!"
I turned around. No matter how much I wanted to know more about my current situation, this kid looked just as clueless as I was and besides, I don't help people that indirectly call me old. The kid still shouted at me but the pleas for help turned into something else. I did not like the new variation. "Hey, you old hag! Don't just leave me here! You're going to hell if you leave me and that trip will happen soon the way you look!"
"Shut up, you stupid brat! Who are you calling old?! I am just 21, you hear me?!" I stomped back to the brat and was about to hit him on the head. If you learn something from Garp, it's that it's okay to hit kids if you pack enough love into your fist. One step away from reaching the kid, I heard something break underneath my feet and suddenly, I was pulled upward and was dangling in a net made of normal rope.
The brat got out of his hole and stuck out his tongue in my direction. An older man with goggles and a aviator's uniform stepped out of his hiding spot behind a tree and shot me a scrutinizing look.
"Borodo, that's the fifth one we caught today, but she doesn't look like she has anything worth money on her," the kid commented, jumping towards the older man that I guess was Borodo.
He sighed. "Today's not our lucky day," he said to the kid and then he turned to me, "Are you with the other three kids? Two of them were wearing marine uniforms and the girl wore a dress that looks like she comes from a nearby island."
I blinked at the guy. I think he was from one of the movies but I wasn't quite sure from which. "One boy with glasses and pink hair, the other with a weird chin and blond hair?"
"Akisu, cut her down," Borodo ordered the little guy who looked kind of sad to let me go already. That's why I do not like kids. They are all evil.
I hit the ground hard but at least I did not land on my face. Borodo started walking and Akisu followed him, grinning at me. "If you want to see your friends, follow us! We expect you guys to give us some money for our service though!" Evil to the very core.
"What service? To me, you look more like thieves than anything else." Both stopped walking and turned around grinning. I blinked and suddenly, they jumped into a pose, back to back and tried to look cool.
"I am Borodo!"
"And I am Akisu!"
"And together we are the Thief Siblings!"
They looked at me as if they expected some kind of reaction. Did they want me to burst into applause? Or maybe I should be scared? I clapped my hands and pulled up an eyebrow. The way the angles of their mouths dropped and their arms slowly descended, that was probably not the reaction they wanted to get but I did not care about the self-esteem issues of people that insulted me and then dropped me to the ground like I was a crate full of unimportant trinkets.
"You wanted to show me the way to Coby and Helmeppo," I reminded them to get them moving again.
Coby and Helmeppo were sitting around a campfire, looking gloomy until we showed up and their expression lightened when they saw me. Coby jumped up while Helmeppo stayed on the ground and was happy with nodding at me.
"Jayna!" Coby threw himself at me and hugged me. "You're alive!"
Not long if you continue to hug me that hard. I am not getting any air. "I am also happy that you are alive?" It wasn't meant as a question but that was what it sounded like.
Coby ignored that part and continued to throw information at me which he accompanied with wide hand gestures. "We were so scared when we woke up and you weren't there. We thought that the storm might've washed you up somewhere else or that you might've drowned somewhere on the way… but you're okay and we're also okay and I'm so happy that nothing bad happened!"
"It would've been a shame if the one who's the reason for us ending up here couldn't be held responsible because she had died, after all," Helmeppo added. I was about to shoot back something mean when he began to grin. Just a joke, haha, I see.
"Oh yeah? What did I do? I can't really remember anything after we left the last island. I think I hit my head somewhere."
Helmeppo turned away from the fireplace to face me better. "Well, long story short: we set sail together with Captain Hina's ship, then we got into a storm. We three fell off when a crate hit us and we couldn't keep our footing because it was so slippery. I almost made it to the ladder when Coby pulled me back down by my ankle. He said that you were the one pulling him away from the ship, so I blame you that I ended up here."
Oh. Right. That storm. I can remember a bit of that, now that Helmeppo mentioned it. Huh.
No one expected a big storm to hit us in the East Blue and there was so much running around on deck. I think Nick told us to keep a rope in position and it took all three of us to manage it… We really are pathetic by this world's standards. Anyway, there was something hard that hit us – crate, Helmeppo said. We hit the water really fast and…
"Not fair! Don't blame me. I was pulled under water, too, and only tried to save myself. If you want to blame someone, blame the person that pulled me down."
Helmeppo's eyes wandered to a figure lying next to him. The girl lying next to him looked young. She had dark blond hair that was styled in one large braid. Some hair at the front of her face was sticking out wildly. She wore a yellow dress that was decorated with circles and next to her laid a strange hat with the same circle motive. Apis sure had a thing for circles.
Oh yeah, that's right. That was Apis, the girl that fled some Marine ship and asked Luffy for help to find a dragon island. Never really liked that arc too well.
Borodo cleared his throat to pull our attention toward him. "So, now that you've found yourself, how about you call your superior and tell him about our gracious help? I am sure, he'd want to give us some kind of gift for all the trouble I and my little brother went through."
I gave him my best expressionless face. "Well, then tell us how to call the old man when we don't have any transponder snails on us. Also: you are thieves, it's the marine's job to put you in a prison. Sure you want us to call the other marines?"
I heard clothes rub against leaves and earth and then a girly voice. "Thieves…?" I turned around to see that Apis has woken up and was rubbing her eyes. "What do thieves want on a marine ship?"
She yawned while everyone stared at her with varying degrees of surprise. She had some great timing waking up right now. We all watched her as she stood up and tumbled to the nearest tree. Her hand went up to her chest and patted it down, looking for something. "That's strange… I thought I wore it when I escaped the ship…"
Suddenly her eyes grew big with realization and then fear and she screamed in the highest pitch I heard in this world yet. "WHERE IS MY DRAGON CLAW?!"
She looked around and grew pale. "Who of you stole my drago- my necklace?! Who of you is the thief?!" She pointed at Helmeppo at first, then at Akisu, and finally at Coby.
Her back hit a tree when she walked into it. "Thieves and marines?! Oh no, no, no, no… this can't be happening!" she stumbled to the next tree and when she bumped into it, to the next one. When she went for the fourth tree, she stumbled over something and fell on her back. She screamed again and crawled away.
"Who are you?!"
I had to switch my position to see whom she was referring to. There, bound to the tree, sat none other than Jango. His glasses were cracked a bit and his prisoner garb had several big rips that exposed his stomach. "I am Captain Jango from the Black Cat pirates."
You could actually see the different stages Apis went through after that statement. First there was fear because any pirate captain meant trouble to a little girl. Next up was relieved because the pirate couldn't harm her, bound to a tree as he was. The third emotion was fear again because she remembered there were still thieves a few meters away that could hurt her plus marines whom she just escaped. the whole situation was too much for her because she lost consciousness and fell over.
Coby sprinted to her. "Do you think there is something wrong with her? Maybe she needs help?"
I walked over and closed Apis's eyes. "Nah, she's just overloaded. A pirate, two thieves, and three marines was a bit much for her."
Helmeppo wandered over, arms crossed behind his head lazily. "Shouldn't she be happy that we marines were there? To protect her or something?"
"She mumbled something about escaping from a marine ship, so I don't think she was all too happy to see us."
"Why would she need to escape? Aren't you guys supposed to help people? She doesn't look like a criminal."
I shrugged. "There are some evil marines, there are some good marines. It's the same with pirates and thieves, ain't it?"
Borodo looked at me, wondering what I meant and Akisu was looking up to his big brother, not sure what this was all about.
"Big Brother, what are we going to do now?" Akisu asked.
Borodo thought about the right answer for a while. He couldn't gain much from staying around but since I remember him as a protagonist of a movie, he couldn't be heartless enough to leave three kids and me on an island, not able to defend themselves well. "I guess we wait until the girl wakes up again and then we'll see what to do." Guessed right.
Apis took her time with waking up. It was enough for Akisu to walk back to the thieves's boat and come back with sausages and bread. Borodo stayed with us to make sure that nobody runs away and he might not get any money for keeping us safe. At least that's what he said. I did not believe that was the real reason.
Apis only woke up when she smelled the sausage roast over the campfire. She kept her eyes closed but I noticed how she seemed stiffer than before. No person looked so panicked in her sleep.
"Hey girl, I know that you're awake. I found something that belongs to you," I told her.
That got her sitting straight in no time. "What?" she asked, dropping all pretense.
I motioned for her to give me her hand and she did so warily. I dropped the dragon claw into her palms and she looked so relieved, all the tension left her shoulders and her eyes became softer than before. "I didn't lose it, thank goodness."
Technically, you did lose it since I found it on the beach and you were nowhere near it at that point. "It's important to you, huh? You seemed really agitated when you didn't find it around your neck."
Apis had forgotten about her problems regarding marines when she acted completely normal towards me. "Yes, it is a gift. I can't lose it. I think it is important in helping a friend."
"Is that friend a Millennial Dragon?" I asked innocently. Apis stiffened again and I could see some of the earlier distrustful look come back. "I heard that there are some legends about them in this area. Something about Warship Island worshipping the dragons."
Apis nodded and still seemed to trust me. "Y-Yes, that's correct. There are a lot of rumors about them. O-O-Of course I haven't seen one myself. I got this claw from my grandpa."
Apis was a bad liar. No wonder that the marines from the 8th division took her as a prisoner to get closer to the dragons.
"I would like to see one someday. They are supposed to be big and be feathery. Their feather might make a comfy pillow." I smiled. Yeah, a pillow would be a really nice idea. The ones the marine gives out aren't that new and not so fluffy as they could be. Same goes for the blankets. they are no quality work.
"Eh? You want the feathers?" Apis looked confused. "Most people talk about their bones…" She looked down and seemed worried. She was probably thinking about the fat marine officer and that mercenary. Eric? Was that his name? I guess it was. No idea how the fat one was called, though. It has been too long since I have last seen this filler arc.
"Why would I want the bones? I want the feathers because you don't have to kill the animal to get the feathers. They fall out on their own. Besides, I don't think that bones can get you eternal youth. You'd need the slip-slip fruit for that. That would be the best choice. Fat, age, and anything else that is unwanted will just fall off. That's how you do eternal youth and beauty right. Besides, bones are not fluffy so they won't help me get a good night's sleep. Being eternally young doesn't help either because I'd stay awake even longer and live like an owl."
Apis started laughing, at least my opinion was good for something. That got other people's attention as well and Coby walked over with a sausage on a stick.
"I bet you're hungry. This one is for you."
Apis took the stick with a wide smile. "Thank you!"
While Apis sunk her teeth into the sausage, Coby and I watched her. Coby waited a while until Apis has finished eating and started introducing everyone.
"I am Coby and that's Jayna. The boy feeding Jango is Helmeppo – you don't have to be afraid, Jango can't do anything. We made sure that the rope is tight enough. The other two are Borodo and his younger brother Akisu."
"I am Apis," Apis completed the list of introduced people.
"You said something about escaping a marine ship, Apis," Coby continued, "and don't misunderstand, we know that not all marines are good, so we want to help you if possible. Please tell us if we can do anything for you."
Apis looked torn between accepting our help and telling Coby that she was fine and could manage on her own. Her hands wandered to the claw that was already hanging from her neck again.
"I… I need to go back home again," she said through clenched teeth.
Of course she wouldn't ask us to help Ryu already. She couldn't be sure if everyone here would be willing to help and that nobody was after the bones. Coby looked a bit disappointed nonetheless. Maybe he felt that there was more that needed to be done.
"The only ones who can get us to Warship Island are the thief brothers. We don't have a boat," I reminded Coby, "but they might do so if they know that there is a reward for their help."
"So, you said your grandpa will give us a wonderful reward when he sees you come back to Warship Island?" Borodo asked for the twentieth time. He was operating something that looked like a parachute to move the boat we were all onboard of.
"He'll make sure that you are treated as our guests and give you part of his treasure!" Apis claimed once again.
Akisu who sat behind her looked up from a metal box he was repairing. It was one of those jack-in-a-box toys that some people found funny for a reason I did not quite understand. "I think that this is the first time we'll ever get something that is worth more than thousand beli."
Kid, you guys call yourselves thieves with such a low win rate? That's ridiculous! I might as well qualify myself as a thief for that one time I ate my brother's chocolates when he had left on a trip for two weeks.
Helmeppo changed the topic from the brothers' choice of occupation to their various talents because it wasn't all that comfortable for marines to let criminals talk about their criminal actions in front of you. "Where did you learn to do that?" Helmeppo waved towards the parachute that Borodo used.
The older thief furrowed his brows. "I never did. I can just do it. It's just how Akisu never needed to be taught how to tinker with machines. He always had this talent to repair anything."
"I remember how I got my special skill. I woke up after taking a nap and a mushroom had grown on my chin. I thought that it might taste good and I could save money and not buy dinner, so I ate the cap. It tasted awful. And suddenly. I could use hypnosis," Jango told us from the back seat of the boat.
I was not the only one who looked at him disturbed.
"What did you do with the rest?" Akisu asked fascinated. Helmeppo looked like that was the one question he'd hoped no one would dare to ask.
Jango looked at the kid, seemingly confused. "Why, can't you see it? It's still there, growing on my chin."
Eww. Like… Eeeewwww. Something I definitely didn't need to know and now I can't un-know it.
Helmeppo turned green and inched farther away from the pirate. "Why did we take him with us again? Couldn't we have let him on the island?"
Coby sighed. "If we let him on the island, he might die."
"And we could get problems with Captain Hina since we let her prisoner go. You don't need to be afraid of Jango, really. He might be weird and have mushrooms growing on his chin… and maybe other places… but he can't hurt us as long as he doesn't get a tool to use his hypnosis with. Keep him away from anything bagel-shaped and we're good," I added.
We continued our boat tour to Apis's home in silence and boredom. The only one who was preoccupied was Apis. She was gazing out to the ocean and I think she was listening to some of the animals around us. I heard her whisper 'Really?' and 'You think so? I don't know…' to a very big dark shadow beneath our boat.
When we finally reached Apis's home island, we had already attracted some villagers. These people don't seem to have much contact with other islands. Children tried to squeeze their way into the front row but they were held back by wary parents. Only when Apis jumped out of the boat and ran towards the crowd did everyone relax and welcome her back. I glanced toward Coby and Helmeppo. Was I the only one who felt weird, seeing a whole village hug a girl and just standing there with nothing else to do than watch? Apparently, I was the only one.
After the initial welcome wave, the crowd split and let an old man through. Apis squealed and ran towards the senior and hugged him "Grandpa!"
I wasn't sure whether the old man's eyes were open or if he could identify the girl only by her voice. "Oh, Apis. Good that you are back home now. We were worried."
Apis smiled. "My new friends helped me get back home." She pointed towards us.
I wasn't sure whether we could really be called friends because all she knew was our names but it doesn't do to smash a kid' delusions this early.
Borodo cleared his throat noisily before he got down to business, "Look, Apis's grandfather. Now that Apis is back home, how about we talk about the business part? See, she promised us a reward. How about you give it to us quickly? Me and my brother have other places to be at."
Jango raised his hand. "I, too, have other places I need to go."
"Oh no, you don't go anywhere on your own," Helmeppo sneered at the pirate.
The old head of town ignored their bickering and thought about what he could reply to Borodo's request so long, I wasn't sure if he hadn't fallen asleep right there in front of us. "We don't have much money but if you want, you can have some of my famous pork buns. I can also tell you the story of this island's kings and queens."
Borodo looked like he was going to decline and ask for the bit of money the townsfolk could give but he was stopped by Akisu who was pulling on his brother's jacket and smiling. "Fine. We'll accept the pork buns," the thief grumbled.
"Wonderful. How about Apis gives you a village tour and I go home to prepare the food?" the old man smiled.
The village was so small and normal that there was absolutely nothing worthy of notice. They did not even have a restaurant like Syrup village. The village on Warship Island only consisted of small family homes who kept their own farm animals and grew their own vegetables, just enough for every family to get by on. We completed our round within ten minutes and headed for Apis's home. There, her grandfather was about to put the last few buns in a steamer.
"So, when is the food finished? I'm starving," Akisu asked the old man.
"It'll take three to four hours, just enough to tell you our people's story. Please sit down and make yourself feel at home."
If someone had recorded the scene, it would've been possible to pinpoint the moment when the hope in everyone's eyes died. Nonetheless, we sat down and played the role of polite guests.
"Our story begins with the first king…" This was going to be a long night.
The first one to leave was Helmeppo. Smart guy found a good excuse to escape this torture of hunger and useless information. "I'm going to ask the villagers if they have a transponder snail. I'll try to call Garp and get us off this island."
Coby beamed at his friend, "That's a great idea! You memorized the number of the ship's transponder snail, I never thought of that."
Helmeppo's smile wavered but still nodded. You have no idea what number to call, even if you find a snail, huh? Still nice escape plan.
That was when the old man reached the twelfth king and his children.
When the story reached the fourteenth generation, I noticed that Apis was not here suffering with us. Now that I think of it, she wasn't here at the start either. She knew what was coming and didn't warn us. Who does that?!
Jango sneaked out with the excuse of needing to visit the toilet. He never came back and Coby was about to go look after him, but I wouldn't let the kid escape and leave me here, so I pulled Coby back down. "Easy there. He has no weapons and looks strange. No villager will help a crazy guy like him and he won't be able to leave the island since he can't operate Borodo's parachute system. We'll find him later."
I know I am not a good person, you don't have to tell me.
Getting to the hundred and sixth generation, the Borodo brothers stood up. "We're going to check on our ship, just in case. It looks like a storm is coming."
Dirty liars. There was not a cloud in the sky.
Coby next to me was almost falling asleep just like our storyteller himself.
"Hey, I think I'll keep an eye on the thieves. You stay here and give the grandpa the feeling that his stories are still appreciated," I whispered.
"Hu-h? uh-huh…" Coby's head fell but shot up just as fast in the attempt to stay awake.
I took that as a 'go ahead' and left the room.
I closed the door behind me and saw Borodo's jacket disappearing around a corner. I could hear Akisu complaining about being hungry. The kid was not the only one around that needed to fill his stomach. I felt like the last time I ate something was a day ago. If the thieves went for the pork buns and ate them, sharing with none of us, I would never forgive myself.
I followed them and kept some distance until I heard Apis yelp and Akisu scolding her.
Borodo was holding Apis up by only her foot while Akisu stood under her. Next to the group lay a big sack full of what I guess was our long-awaited meal.
Akisu was going on about how stealing was their job and that it's unfair to take food from starving people. "What do you want with so many pork buns anyway?" the boy asked incredulously.
"I was hungry!" the girl pouted.
"No way you were going to eat them all by yourself. That's enough to feed a dragon," the boy argued. Apis froze and stared.
"That's probably because she wanted to feed a dragon," I said and pulled all the attention towards me.
Apis was inhaling and looked like she was about to scream or shout at me at the highest volume she could manage but Borodo already sensed it coming and slapped his hand on her mouth. Apis let out a lot of angry 'hmm hmmh hmm!'s but luckily she didn't think of biting Borodo to make him let her go.
I opened the bag and took out three buns. "One for Akisu, one for Borodo, and one for you, Apis."
I put another four back into the steamer for the rest that was still around and took one last one for me.
"Everyone gets one and there is enough for Apis's dragon friend." I took the bag and handed it to a surprised Borodo who let go of Apis.
"Hey! Why am I the one who has to carry the food?" Borodo snapped at me.
"Because you are the only one who has the muscles for the job. Or do you want to let Apis carry the sack?" I grinned when Borodo sighed and began walking out of the storage room. Apis still wore a distrustful look but she began to walk towards the hidden path that led to Ryu.
Apis led us through the mountains and it was just as rocky a path as it might sound. Where I am from, there was a word that described the action of taking a trip through the rougher parts of nature, just like what we did right now, and I believe that most people would've voted for it as national sport. I was not one of these people. I would describe myself as the exact opposite. When we finally reached the cave in which Ryu lived, I was happy that the mountain climbing was finally over and I vowed to myself that I would not move back down on foot again.
"It's really a dragon…" Borodo mumbled next to me. I heard a 'thump' when the sack he was carrying slipped his hands and hit the ground.
Ryu was big. He was big enough to make the cave we were in appear small. His feathered body was bigger than some of the ships I have seen pass by. He could've easily preyed on seakings. And his eyes even though they never opened completely were as big as a wheel on a standard mountain bike.
Apis took the sack and dragged it to the dragon. "Ryu, it's me! I brought you something to eat. My grandfather made his pork buns again. Open your mouth."
The dragon blinked slowly and opened his mouth until it was enough for Apis to walk into it. it was fascinating to see how she just let all the pork buns roll out of the sack and into Ryu's mouth where they build a pile that was gone as soon as Ryu closed his mouth again, not one trace left. The dragon did not even chew.
Apis hugged Ryu before she turned around again and introduced us, "This is Ryu. He's a millennial dragon and my friend."
Akisu stopped hiding behind Borodo and took a few steps toward the dragon to get a better look at it. Borodo was still staring with a wide-open mouth. Are we supposed to say something to the dragon? Maybe introduce us?
"Hi Ryu," someone said behind me. Strange, there should not be anyone. When I turned around, Helmeppo stood at the opening of the cave and grinned.
I blinked. "What are you doing here?"
He grinned even wider. "I was hungry so I wanted to check on the pork buns. That's when I saw you four walk away and after I got me my bun, I decided to follow you. I bumped into Jango. He's still on his way up here. The guy refuses to stop walking backwards. Where's Coby?"
Someone here was definitely more of a secret agent than he looked. That was also the most Luffy-like response to Ryu I could imagine. I felt strange thinking that. Maybe it was Garp's influence on us all. We'll know for sure if we start falling asleep while eating.
"Coby's probably still with the old man, listening to the story." I shrugged.
Helmeppo furrowed his brows and was opening his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by Akisu, "Why is Ryu living in this cave? It doesn't look all that comfortable."
Apis gave Ryu a concerned look before she solemnly said, "Ryu lost his friends and has been living here since then. I found him and take care of him. He said he wants to see his friends again and I tried to find them but then I ran into some marines and everything got complicated…"
For some reason Apis looked at me with new found energy. "The seaking said that you are a nice person and helped him multiple times. He said he got to be with the seaking girl he loves because you did him a huge favor. He thinks you can help me and Ryu, too. So could you please help us find the dragon's nest Ryu wants to find?" Apis's voice grew louder and louder the longer she talked until she screamed at me.
I had no idea what this was about. I never helped any seaking and I was definitely not someone who was a dating guru. Whoever told her something like that and why would that qualify me for helping a dragon find his nest?!
I did an impersonation of a fish to show just how happy I was to be asked for such a favor. Mouth open. Mouth closed. Mouth open. Mouth closed again.
Helmeppo watched a while and shrugged, turning to Apis. "We all can help you. But how about you tell us why the other marines were after you?"
"And tell us why you can talk to the dragon!" Akisu added. Borodo looked at his younger sibling with one eyebrow pulled upward. "She said that the dragon talked to her. I want to know how she does it."
Apis looked at every single one of us and then began to tell her story, how she ate a devilfruit that allows her to talk to animals, all about the marine 'admiral' Nelson Royale who wanted the dragon bones for eternal life and the mercenary Eric that has been going after her and how she escaped them.
"Brother, let's help her ad the dragon! Pleeeeeease?" Akisu used the puppy-eyed look on Borodo but it didn't seem to be necessary because the older brother, too, looked like he thought that was the only correct thing to do. Helmeppo felt all heroic as well and nodded at me with a look in his eyes that transmitted a never-ending stream of 'let's do it' speeches. Why was everyone feeling so heroic today?
"Fine," I said, standing up. Then let's find this stupid island. But first, we'll need a way to get Ryu down from this island.
Akisu jumped up, "No problem! I'll design a raft with wheels so we can use it on land and on sea. Borodo can get some extra parachutes so we can control the raft!" With that, Borodo took Akisu's hand and both disappeared back into the mountain forest.
I looked at Helmeppo and Apis. "Sooo… I guess we'll try to get enough wood for whatever Akisu plans?" How we could accomplish that was still open for debate. If I remember correctly, Ryu did have some strength left and he had a good bite, so maybe… "Can we ask Ryu to bite down some trees?" I proposed.
Apis stomped me on the foot. "Ryu is an old person! You don't ask seniors to do your work!"
Helmeppo looked at the forest. "There was a storm not too long ago. Maybe it knocked down some trees that we can use."
I sighed. Fine. We'll do it the hard way, then.
"Woah! It's a- a- a re-real dragon?!" I turned my head just in time to see Jango fall off the edge.
I don't know how, but we did it. we have built a vehicle that was able to transport Ryu and we even got him up there. Battleship Island was also perfectly shaped as a ramp to get us to the ocean, so we had no need to climb down the mountain again. I told you I wouldn't move down on my own feet anymore.
Borodo and Apis were consulting a map of all the nearby islands to narrow down where the dragon's nest could possibly be and it wasn't looking too good there. I never paid much attention to the filler arcs but something told me that we didn't have to move far to find the nest. "Could it be somewhere on this island?"
Apis looked up from the map. "No. I searched this island already and there are no other dragons and no sign of a nest. We need to look somewhere else. Ryu says that he can't remember much…"
Of course, the senile lizard is not much of a help. "Are you sure that you don't know anything? No hint?"
"The marines are here! They just entered the village and a ship is circling the island!" Akisu ran towards his brother and started to pull him up the vehicle.
Helmeppo appeared now, too, and confirmed what the boy had already said, "It's the 8th division. I was hoping for Garp but we didn't get lucky."
We packed the few things we had secured and everyone took their place next to Ryu.
Helmeppo leaned towards me, "Why do I have the feeling that we forgot something? Something important?"
I went through my mental list. We got a raft-like vehicle that works. We got the dragon. we got the map. We have Borodo doing his parachute thing. Apis is still wearing her necklace. Is everyone on board? Helmeppo, Apis, Borodo, Akisu, Ryu… where was Jango?! Oh, never mind, he just sank into Ryu's feathers.
"I don't think we're missing anything…" I said but Helmeppo wouldn't stop pondering.
"Everyone, grab something and hold onto it as if your life depended on it, we're going down!" Borodo warned us and his last few words were already ripped away by the wind we created with our descent.
I buried my hands in Ryu's feathers and I could feel them cutting into my fingers from all the force I put into the grip.
I could hear three people scream when we hit the first edge and started to soar through the sky with no ground immediately beneath us.
One was high-pitched and girly, Apis. Another was also high-pitched yet it sounded like it was used to adventures that sent you flying, so I guessed that this one was Akisu. The other one was not so shrill but still ear-piercing and I looked toward Helmeppo. The poor guy was crying but his mouth was shut so it couldn't be him and I didn't believe that Borodo could produce such sounds. Maybe it was Coby…shit.
"Helmeppo! We forgot to wake up Coby!"
Helmeppo's eyes went wide with horror. He looked towards the village and if I could read his thoughts, I was sure he was just about to jump off and go back. Since that would be very, very stupid, I let go of one feather and reached out for his shirt just in time to catch him after he let go and was blown away by the wind.
The last screaming voice that I heard was now also filled with pain because, dang, it hurts to feel like your arm is being ripped out. It was on fire with all the sudden weight I had to catch.
Couldn't the idiot wait until we had something solid underneath us? Garp wouldn't let me get away alive if he knew I didn't do anything to save Helmeppo's life.
The wagon and Helmeppo's face hit solid stone soon once again and both did not have a very smooth landing. The one thing that counts though is that we kept moving.
"What is happening to Helmeppo?" Borodo shouted from his position at the front.
"He's going for a face peeling!" I shouted back. Borodo turned around to see what was going on because apparently my answer was not informing enough. He turned back promptly when we hit a tree and started swerving.
Then we went flying one more time and this time, we left the island for real. I glanced at Helmeppo to see how he was doing and caught a glimpse at the marine ship. The one who was in charge of the ship – clearly distinguishable by actual facial features that were not shadowed by his marine cap – was gaping at us. For a second I saw a door slam open and some lilac hair poking out but we were gone before I could make out if that really was Eric. Then, out of range of the marine ship, we hit water and before anyone could set course for us, the parachutes have filled with air again and were pulling us along, away from the marine ship.
Oh, that reminds me of something. "Hey, be careful. We're close to the Calm Belt. If we end up in there, we won't be able to come out."
Borodo's eyes widened and he nodded, changing our course carefully.
"I told you, Coby is fine. He is a marine, they are marines. They won't hurt him without a reason. They probably picked him up and he's on their ship, doing what he always does on Garp's," I repeated for the most likely hundredth time while Helmeppo walked his circle on the raft, gnawing on his thumb nail.
This time he didn't answer. No 'We just left him!', no 'What if they did do something to him?', and nothing anywhere near 'We have to go back!'. Just him walking his circles around the dragon and making everyone else nervous.
It was hard to sleep when the raft was moving so much, even if you haven't had any sleep in the last night and you have a dragon buddy who is so fluffy it feels like a dream.
Borodo was holding us on course while Jango tried to catch some of the smaller fish that swam by. Or the fish that flew by. They were all around us and I was glad that they were there because just a while ago, Ryu remembered where the story needed him to go because the fish looked like small dragons to his old eyes.
I didn't remember that it took Luffy and his friends long to find the dragon island, but we took so long that it was almost ridiculous. We sailed and sailed and sailed there was just no end in sight. It felt even longer because Helmeppo was panicking so much.
"Apis, is it normal for the air around here to show you your own reflection?" Borodo asked confused.
The girl looked at the strange phenomenon just ahead of us. The air was acting like a mirror and reflected our image back at us. "Not that I know of..." She sounded not very adventurous. Neither was I but, hey, at least we've found what we were looking for.
"Probably a way to protect the nest? So we can't see it?" I suggested while everyone around me started panicking, except for Jango who turned his back on the barrier. I guess it was some 'going backwards' variation.
Borodo gulped but kept the course and soon we disappeared into the storm that surrounded the island. I will not tell you about the storm and how we screamed every time we thought we would capsize and sink. I will not tell you how I tried to block waves with Ryu's big wings and was pulled out of there by Apis and Helmeppo while Jango was not bothered even though he pulled the same stunt. It was a very boring storm and nothing important happened. The only thing that matters was that we made it to the island without losing anyone.
The lost city was eerily silent yet it was also very calming. Walking through its ruins was a little like playing an adventure game with muted sound. Or it would've been that way if the guys did not sound like they were dying from overexertion behind me. We didn't get very far at once because someone complained every five minutes and requests for a pause were on an all time high.
Sitting next to one of the abandoned marble buildings, I wondered why the former inhabitants left so much when they left. There were pots and pans scattered in the kitchen and most of the furniture was completely undamaged. They left their lives here and left to begin anew but why? I saw Akisu pick up some metallic toy and hide it under his hat. Apis was playing with toys that depicted dragons and when Ryu opened his eye lazily, she ran to him and showed him what she had found. I held my breath when I saw it hanging in one of the houses. A sword. A katana. Right there with no one else to claim it. I walked up to it and took it from the wall. It was hard to unsheathe it but in the end, I could get it out.
It wasn't the most beautiful sword and it was not the best taken care of sword, obviously since no one has cared for it the last few centuries. It did not reflect the light as it should and looked like it needed a lot of polishing to get anywhere near shiny. I swung it a couple of times. Good balance, nice. The steel blade was heavier than what I was used to. It might take a while until I could use this katana in battle without any problems. I won't be able to swing it too long as well but that was a problem to worry about when I got there. I'll take it with me. Nick couldn't say anything against me practicing with my own sword, hah.
"That's a nice sword," Jango said next to me and I was so close to jumping to the ceiling. "It's better than the ones my captain used."
I eyed him suspiciously, "And you know your way around swords because…?"
"I am a pirate. We fight with swords and guns most of the time. Of course I'd be able to tell a good blade from a bad one."
I didn't stop observing Jango. It was not that I didn't trust him. I just didn't trust him if I don't know what he has been up to. Maybe this wasn't the only weapon lying around and he could've picked up something as well.
Outside, Apis and Akisu were playing a game that required them to throw rings at miniature dragon statues to score points. Akisu was winning and boasting about it while Apis pouted. We better start walking again before Apis causes a blood bath with Akisu as the first victim.
Some birds joined us and told us to head to the ruins on top of the island as if we didn't do that already.
When we reached the building, I took some steps back. Enough to be nowhere near the area that would cave in. When Jango turned and saw me, he started to walk in my direction. That's exactly when Apis tried to put the claw into the dent where it belonged and the ground broke.
Jango's eyes jumped out of his skull when he began to sprint away and somehow he managed to get to safety while everyone else fell.
"Wow, I was so lucky that this one plant caught my interest and I was so far away from the others," I said as a lazy attempt to make Jango think that no, I did not know this would happen.
"Sure. And I am a marine," Jango replied. Oh boy, if you knew…
Our conversation was cut short by the others shouting from downstairs. "Woah, look at all those paintings on the wall," Helmeppo said.
"Hey, isn't that the island we're on right now? And that is Warship island!" Akisu wondered.
"I guess you're all okay if you can appreciate art," I shouted into the hole, making sure to be far enough from the edge. I didn't want to risk falling when more stones gave way.
"But why… why are the dragons painted on Warship Island? That doesn't make any sense! Ryu! Hey, Ryu! This is the island you wanted to go to, right? Right?!" Apis's voice went away for a while and the whole group was silent.
"This… is not the place we're looking for…" Apis sounded like she was about to cry.
"You're right where I want you, don't move," a cold and calculating voice said. I turned around and saw Eric approaching.
I turned around. "You're ERIC THE MERCENARY aren't you?" I grinned at him.
He stopped in his track and frowned. I hoped the others realized that they have to move. Fast.
I glanced at Jango who – wait, he's running away?! What's up with that?! Okay, I can handle this. I don't have to fight the guy, I barely need to stall him. I can do this. It's just like writing a term paper. I can and I will bullshit my way out of this.
"So, you're after the dragon bones?" I asked him.
He only raised his eyebrow. "And I will get them. Now move out of the way or I will attack."
I raised my hands, showing him open palms. "Wow, don't. It's fine, I have no problem with that."
I could hear Apis gasping and someone slamming a hand on her mouth. It made that noise like someone got slapped. Did not sound very nice.
"You see, I have a better idea than to go after this one dragon."
Eric's eyes and his attention were now fixed on me but there was still a certain wariness in them. I can do this. I know I can.
"You see, the dragon here is pretty old and he'll die soon. Since he is going to die anyway, we can use it to our advantage. The dragon is looking for the dragon's nest. Now think about it: kill this one and get the bones or raid the nest and get even more bones? Which is the better deal? Of course, you might not need so many bones, but it would save you the effort to betray Nelson and take the bones before he does. Keep your image up and get what you want. Collect even more bones and sell them to highest bidder! Ain't that an idea worth considering?"
Eric did not react. Why isn't he saying anything?! Give me a reaction you ice block!
"Besides, you don't need to hurry. It's not like they can PUNCH a HOLE into the stone WALL, now that would be ridiculous. Everyone down there is trapped and I don't think your marine subordinates will come anywhere near this island. If they would, they'd be here next to you or their ship would be docking somewhere nearby."
Finally Eric said something, "Your plan makes sense. I like it." He moved closer to me, more relaxed than before and he smiled a very stretched, forced smile.
I began to walk towards him. That's what they always said. Move towards your enemy, take away his chance to get a chance to measure the distance between you. Shorten his time to come up with an action. If I was lucky, he would just like to shake my hand to seal the deal.
He extended a hand, okay he wants to be a friendly sportsman. Let's hunt dragons together. I was about to take his hand when I saw his other one moving in a fast upwards movement. "Sickle sickle…" I slammed my sword hilt down on his hand "Wind Scythe!"
The ground behind Eric was sliced open by his devilfruit-powered attack. I was suddenly glad that I reacted fast enough. That reminds me this fight is not over. Eric was looking behind him, watching his attack unwind behind him.
I grabbed his other hand that was still extended in my direction and slammed it against his thigh, making sure that I locked it correctly. Then I took my sword and placed it near his stomach. "One wrong move and I will make sure you'll bleed out," I snarled at him. His free hand twitch but he didn't move.
We stood still like statues for a while until we heard a big bang and a wall collapsed. The ground shook pretty badly and it was hard to keep my balance. When I looked back to Eric, my chin was ripped up by a sudden impact. That… that hurt. It was not sickle fruit powers. If it had been, I wouldn't have a chin anymore. That felt more like a shoe. I… I never expected this fingernail freak to attack Sanji-style. I touched my chin to make sure that nothing serious has happened to it and slowly let my head sink back into… shit, I dropped my sword.
"Sickle Sickle…" Shit. Shit. Shit shit shit shit. What do I do?! Ah. Riiiight.
I took a step towards Eric and locked his leg. Right before his hand was anywhere near me, I moved just right to give him a trip to the ground. The whirlwind cut some hair near my ear. Phew, that was way too close.
"Let me return a favor," I told Eric. While he was still lying on the ground I had a chance to get some damage in.
If someone tells you that it is not satisfying to stomp someone's face in: they're lying. It was the greatest thing I felt in the whole fight. It was such a great feeling to hear the crunch of a breaking nose under my shoes while laughing like a maniac. "Kurakurakura! How does that feel, you asshole? Is it fun to be on the receiving end? Kurakuraaaaah!"
I shouldn't have let go of Eric's hand. I shoul've paid more attention because now I had his claws deep in my leg. Not around it, in it. he was drawing blood with those long murder weapons. My friends used to tell me that my nails were dangerous but this, this was ridiculous. My pant leg was already turning red. Okay, calm down. Just… cut the hand off? That sounded a bit brutal, but hey, better than nothing. Maybe he loosened his grip if he thought he was in danger of losing a limb. Where was the damn sword?
I looked around and there it was, only a small distance away. I could crouch and get it….
Just as I touched the sword, Eric flung me into the next tree. My breath was knocked out and my back suddenly felt like it was on fire. I wanted to stay where I was and hope that the pain went away but I already saw how Eric was getting back up and dusting off his clothes. No time to relax.
I pulled myself up with the low branches of the tree. I was so glad that none of them had impaled me on impact. Eric began to move. He did not look like he was happy to see that I was still up and going. I secured my sword. Eric was about fifteen steps away. How far did he throw me?! And that from his position. This was seriously ridiculous. And it was my chance.
I took a deep breath and broke the one rule Ichigo-sensei really cared about. I bolted. I ran at a speed I never thought was actually possible for me and I even managed to run down the mountain without tripping and snowballing down the ruins.
Trees and buildings next to me were cut into multiple pieces but I couldn't care less about them. I just ran faster. My bloody leg hurt. It felt like a hive worth of fire ants have decided to attack it all at once.
I passed another white building when someone pulled me into a street right of me forcefully. I only saw black and white stripes at first then I felt a breeze as if someone stopped just there. That's it. I'm done. Maybe I should've just stayed there and died fighting.
"When I say 'one, two, Jango' you fall asleep. One, two, Jango!"
Two men were snoring next to me and a wooden ring on a string fell to the floor, stirring up a small dust cloud.
Jango stood there, between me and the sickle sicko. Jango was back. Jango saved my life.
Talk about a sentence I never thought would cross my mind.
I didn't think he'd come back. The chance that anyone else in the group would've stayed behind to help me was bigger than this weirdo saving me.
The weirdo and the sicko fell down into the dirt almost simultaneously and whirled up more dust. My heart almost stopped before I realized that those whirls had nothing to do with the sickle fruit powers.
I needed to get away before he woke up and wind became a dangerous weapon again. I walked towards Jango and started to pull him by his shirt collar. If he saved me, I should at least get him off the island.
The streets were littered with broken stone from the buildings that Eric had destroyed. Jango was collecting way too many small pieces in his outfit and weighed me down more and more. This couldn't go on like that. I would never reach the others before Eric woke up.
I looked around. Maybe this houses still hid something that I could use. I dropped Jango and went looking. I checked the nearest house and found nothing but pots and furniture. Another room was filled with two wheelbarrows and fire wood, nothing useful. The next one was full to the brink with old, broken plant pots…. Wait. Wheelbarrows.
It was hard not scream the way down. The streets were straight and no building stood in our way but the speed we reached had to be criminal. No one should travel with this much dangerous acceleration rate. I held on to Jango and wished I could use the man as a break but I knew it would end well. I just hoped that no cabbage salesman came crossing our path.
I would love to know if the raft with Ryu had already reached the sea but I didn't dare look up high enough to figure it out. We raced down in the wheelbarrow so fast most buildings were just blurs and I couldn't take it well. It was like a rollercoaster just that I wasn't sure whether the wheels will last until the end. This thing was old, after all.
The wheelbarrow did not break on its own. We almost made it to the end of the ruins when a big block of stone landed in front of me and Jango and the barrow couldn't take it and started to tilt forward. The next moment, I didn't know what was happening. The world was spinning like a carousel that was out of control. I felt stones chip at my skin and leave cuts and then I hit a big stone. Or maybe it was a building. The important thing was that I stopped abruptly. Everything hurt and I felt like puking. Then Jango slammed into me. I really wanted to curl into a ball and pretend I was nothing more than a stone myself. A stone that has probably broken more than just a few bones.
I think I could hear strong winds hit the stone and stone dust rained down on me. Then somebody grabbed me under my arm and started to run.
I could see Eric standing farther up the hill. I don't know why I felt happy to see that. I stuck out my tongue. He wouldn't see it but I felt really great about it.
The dragging stopped. A moment afterwards, I saw Borodo move into my view and he lifted me up. "Take her and put her somewhere near Ryu," the senior thief instructed.
"The birds were right. They look pretty roughed up." I'll let that pass without a comment, Apis. Be grateful.
Helmeppo almost dropped me into the water but he managed to pull up the raft. Maybe I should've told him that I could get on perfectly fine myself but I felt like acting like a princess that needs help. Soon after, Jango was positioned next to me and the raft began to move.
"We're going back to Warship Island?" I croaked.
"Yeah. We think that Apis must've missed something and you need a doctor."
"And my brother needs special parts to repair his hand," Akisu added, sounding grave.
Oh, that's right. The movie mentioned something about his robotic hand. Did he blow a hole into the massive stone wall with it? Huh…
The storm was just as terrible to cross the second time around.
When we finally got back from the hidden zone, I saw the marine ship waiting nearby but it didn't move. I thought I saw a head of pink hair next to the officer in charge, waving his arms around aggressively. I didn't mention anything because everyone else seemed to be obsessed with moving away as fast as possible. Helmeppo and Akisu even paddled. Where did they get the paddles from? They weren't there when we left Warship Island.
We got close to Warship Island when a fleet of marine ships that displayed the number eight on their sails appeared and blocked our way with a chain system that connected the ships.
"What's that?" Helmeppo asked.
"Nelson's tactic that got him so far up marine ranks?" I suggested and earned a panicked look from the kids.
At least he didn't fire any cannonballs at us.
"There's a ship that's coming closer!" Apis panicked.
I glanced in the direction she was looking. it was the ship that had been waiting for Eric and the sicko with the long nails was standing on board, looking creepily happy. He thinks he has won, huh. "Helmeppo, get ready. You have to fight him and save us all," I joked.
The blond teen gulped heavily and formed fists in front of his chest. "I am ready! Come at me, you sicko!" It would've been cool if he didn't shake so much.
The ship approached and Eric was getting ready to jump up on our raft. He was getting ready to deliver some evil line and then he fell over and dropped into the water to reveal Coby behind him. Coby with a mace in his hands and wheezing heavily.
The marine officer approached Coby and put his hand on Coby's shoulder and nodded approvingly. "Men, get that mercenary out of the water and chain him up! It's time to put an end to this crazy dragon hunt." The crew saluted and immediately carried out their orders.
I was confused and I am sure that the others including Ryu felt the same way.
"Does anyone have a pair of scissors? I feel like someone needs to cut their monster nails. Now." I needed to get that off my mind and I had nothing else to say that made sense, so why not?
Before anyone could answer my question, a whale – err I mean a very fat person – hit the water and created a big splash, soaking us all to the bones.
The splash woke up Ryu and suddenly I felt myself fall back when the dragon stood up. Before anyone could react, Ryu let out a loud screech that could burst eardrums.
"Bwahahaha! So you had a fun adventure and found this dragon nest?" Garp asked us with a wide grin. He acted like it was nothing how he punched that fat Nelson so far and saved us all from becoming swiss cheese lookalikes.
Dr Endou was buzzing around us and particularly me, telling us to not pull any similar stunts in the future. As if I could with two broken ribs and several cuts and what happened to my leg.
I looked nervously towards Helmeppo and then at Coby. "I guess it was fun?"
Helmeppo nodded and smiled. Garp did the same. Then he stood up, took the one step that had separated us before and hit us so hard on the heads that it felt like my skull got another crack. "DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!"
Then he turned to Coby. "And you told a marine officer how to do his job?"
Coby was still frozen in shock from what had happened to me and Helmeppo right now. "Erm, well, I did not say that… I told him that Nelson was no better than pirates like Don Krieg who use their power for selfish goals…"
Garp nodded. "I am proud of you." And then he hit Coby just as hard as us. "BUT DON'T COMPARE MARINE OFFICERS TO PIRATES!"
Some dragons near us looked up warily and moved closer to their eggs that still needed to hatch.
Apis was sitting a few meters away and I think she was holding back tears. After all we went through, we still couldn't safe Ryu. He might have taken less damage as in the original story but he was still too old to live long. He still remembered and called his dragon friends and died. He was reborn again but that was not good enough for Apis.
The thief brothers have disappeared into thin air as soon as they could. They were thieves after all. It was better to leave early for them than risk the chance that marines recognized their faces.
"We'll be leaving soon. Hina has taken her prisoner into custody again and we don't have any reason to stay longer, too," Garp informed us, "she's also taking in Eric the whirlwind. There was a bounty on his head because he killed several innocent bystanders during some of his jobs."
"Uhm, can I talk to Hina first, please?" I asked, "It's about Jango. He helped us and he saved me back on the other island. He could've just run but he didn't and ti should count something…"
Garp looked at me intensely before he nodded slowly. "I'll tell her myself."
When Garp was about to leave us, a soldier came running with a transponder snail that was 'buruburu'ing. "Admiral Nelson's private snail is being called and since he is out of commission I was told to bring it to you, Vice-Admiral Garp."
Garp lifted an eyebrow when Nelson was called an admiral but did not comment on it. Without giving it any thought, he took the call and was about to state his name when the caller already broke into a report.
"Nelson! This is Nezumi! You hear me? We've got problems over here at Cocoyashi – some newbie pirate called Monkey D. Luffy is fighting against Arlong and winning! He's winning and we can't do a thing! He's ruining everything I have built here! I couldn't even get the gold of the thief. It's terrible! Send over Eric to help us deal with this catastrophe or we're going to lose or valuable income source."
We all just stared at the snail, some mouths hanging open. Garp's eyes seemed to be leaving his skull the way he stared at the snail. The expression of the snail changed as well as if Nezumi had realized that something was wrong.
"Captain Nezumi, this is Vice-Admiral Garp. I will head over immediately." Before the rat could reply anything, Garp ended the call.
Garp rushed away toward his ship and the other marines who belonged to his crew followed. The one holding the snail seemed lost and after looking stupid for a while decided that it was best to go back from where he came.
Helmeppo and Coby next to me rose.
"That means we'll have to go, too," Helmeppo summed things up.
"Let's say goodbye to Apis while we can," Coby suggested.
I nodded and went with them.
Apis was not very happy that we left but she still smiled at us and told us about her plans to protect the new dragons as good as she could.
When we went back to our ship, Apis waving after us, I saw two figures standing behind old calcified dragon bones. "Hey, Coby, Helmeppo, I think I forgot something. I'll come right back, okay?"
"Um, yeah, sure. But be quick. Garp looks like we'll set sail any second now."
I walked over to the thief brothers. They did not notice me coming up to them, as involved in their discussion as they were.
"But Borodo! Maybe they can help us!"
"Akisu, it is way too dangerous. Maybe they could beat a devilfruit user but they can't beat several of them plus an extra army."
"Okay but the other marines are strong, too. The grandpa sent the fatty flying, he could help us!"
I sighed and they turned towards me, shocked that I made it all the way to their hideout. "We're heading out now."
Akisu looked at the ground like his plans had just shattered and fallen.
"If you don't want to ask us for help, there is another option." Go the canon path.
"There is this pirate crew called the Strawhat Pirates. I know, they are pirates and pirates are evil but they're different. The captain Luffy will definitely help you. You'll just have to get his attention."
Borodo seemed interested but not sure. "Look, they can beat more than one army and a few devilfruit users. They are known to achieve miracles and no small ones either."
"How do we get them to help us?" Akisu asked immediately after I finished speaking.
I grinned. This was the fun part. "Why, you steal their ship and put it in the enemy's stronghold, of course. And don't give me that look, Borodo. You are thieves. You specialize in getting things out of secured places, you might as well get a ship in."
Borodo looked conflicted, "Thanks for your idea, but we can't get people involved if we don't know they can survive."
That's not the idea I got from watching your story. "Well, you have time to think about it. I have to go now. Good luck."
As I turned and walked towards the others, Akisu jumped me and hugged my legs. "Wait a second. I want to give you something. Um, but not only for you, more like for all of you."
I was a bit taken by surprise. I didn't think that I would get anything out of this adventure, much less a present. "Thank you?"
Akisu smiled at me when Borodo caught up with us and took a small pouch out of his uniform. "I was planning on keeping it safe for Akisu for the time he wanted to eat it but it is his to do whatever he wants with."
Akisu smiled even brighter than he did before as he took the pouch and handed it over to me. It was light and felt like there was a round object within. I tried to shake it but it didn't make any sounds. "I found it on the dragon island. The one with the ruins. It hung on one of the trees and I think it's what people call 'devilfruit'.
Did… did the kid really find one of those?! And give it to me?! "Are you really sure you want to give it to me?"
"Not you. All of you. You three should decide who gets it."
I stared at the child and then I stared at Borodo. He just smiled and shrugged.
"Thank you very much. We'll take great care of it." I really didn't know what to say. I did not expect that to happen and I was bad with saying thank you in general. This was just too much for one day.
Borodo and Akisu stayed behind and joined Apis in waving goodbye when we left. Coby and Helmeppo were happy to see them one last time and waved back as hard as they could, too. I thought I saw Garp standing nearby, smiling, and watching us but when I turned around, he was walking away to some other place. Probably the kitchen. The old man is just like his grandson in some ways.
A/N: Did someone order an extra long chapter? No one? Well, here it is anyway.
