The Morning Star Pirate's base on Sunspot Island had been cleared out. There wasn't a single belli or item of interest to be found, it didn't look like they were planning on coming back.
"If there was some kind of devil fruit here it's gone now."
"Contact Blackbeard's people, tell them what happened."
Ever since the battle at Marineford, Blackbeard had been busy taking over Whitebeard's old territories and hunting other devil fruit users to amass more power for himself. With the Clock-Clock fruit in his possession he would be all but unstoppable. His contacts in the Navy confirmed that Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had located the fruit, but when he got there it had been stolen. The Fleet Admiral's men spent the next few days tearing the island apart and had found nothing, and no one had seen anything out of the ordinary, so the fruit hadn't been consumed. Black Beard's people were seeing which ships had been in and out or around the island during the time the Clock-Clock fruit was reported to have been found and the time that Sakazuki arrived. Though the Morning Star Pirates hadn't been reported to have actually landed on the island, they were the only group that really stuck out.
"Why would the Morning Star Pirates want the Clock-Clock fruit? Supposedly they all already have powers, and good ones at that."
"The same reason any pirate would want the Clock-Clock fruit, to keep it from the Marines and people like us." said Blackbeard "Let me know when they turn up again. If they have the Clock-Clock fruit we'll either fold them in or kill them, depends on my mood."
Captain Sol and her crew were currently sailing toward Crystalmite Island. They had already sent their possessions off to their new base in unmanned pods, but the Clock-Clock fruit was locked up in the Captain's quarters. They could afford to risk losing their money because on Crystalmite Island they would find more than ten times what they had, but they couldn't risk losing the fruit.
"Where are we going sis?" asked Vega.
"We're going to the place where the Heart of Suijin is along and plenty of other treasures. I promised you that one day we wouldn't have to do this anymore. If we succeed… we'll have finally reached our goal."
Sol and Vega were orphaned at a very young age when their father had a disagreement with the World Government and paid for it with his life. They ran from an abusive orphanage and began to live on the streets, forced to scrape and steal whatever they could to survive. One day by chance they managed to come across the Plasma-Plasma fruit. Sol used her newfound powers to build a crew of individuals with similar origins trying to build better lives for themselves, the kind of lives the World Government could not provide.
"Can I see it?" asked Vega.
"See what?"
"Chomp and the others said you guys found a very rare devil fruit."
"I guess I'll have to have a talk with them that they won't enjoy… but okay."
Sol unlocked the hidden compartment in her armoire and took out the bizarre looking fruit.
"Wow!"
"This is the legendary Clock-Clock fruit, the same power that the Golden Reaper used when he fought Straw Hat Luffy. So powerful that pirates, the World Government, and the revolutionaries are all looking for it."
"Why do we have it?"
"To make sure that the World Government doesn't get their hands on it. Imagine how many other families they could ruin if they did."
"I wish I had powers like you and the others."
"Devil fruits are nothing to be taken lightly Vega. Finding a useful power isn't easy, normal people tend to label you a freak, and then it takes years to master your power. You remember how long it took me to get control of mine. Nearly destroyed several islands… besides…"
Sol gave her little sister a hug.
"You're the only person on this ship that doesn't have a price on their head. I'd like it to stay that way."
"Can you at least tell me what they taste like?"
"Like rotten fish mixed with poison."
Aboard the Thousand Sunny, Nami couldn't stop thinking about the Heart of Suijin. In her childhood she often dreamed about finding it so she, Belle-mère, and Nojiko would have some money to live off of. Then she dreamed that she could use it to buy back her village from the fishmen. She never really stopped thinking about it when she wasn't busy keeping the rest of the crew alive.
"BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK!"
"Has he stopped barking once since he was transformed?" asked Sanji.
It had been nearly a day since Luffy had been transformed into a puppy by the Morning Star Pirates, but somehow he hadn't lost his appetite at all. When the others got tired of his barking they had to toss him a piece of meat.
"Maybe we should think about getting a pet when this is all over." said Robin.
"Knowing our captain it would have to be something absolutely insane." said Zoro.
"Guys… is it snowing?"
It took the others a minute, but they also noticed the sudden decline in temperature and the small flakes falling from the sky.
"It's snow!" exclaimed Chopper.
The wind started to pick up almost immediately, and then even more. All the while the snow continued to beat down on the ship's deck.
"We sailed straight into a blizzard!"
"Icebergs dead ahead!" yelled Usopp.
"Franky! Can we Coup De Burst?!"
"No! We need to preserve our supply of cola!"
"Ussop, prepare the cannons! Zoro and Brook, you're on slashing duty!"
Franky did his best to keep the Sunny clear of any icebergs, but there were far too many.
"Don't worry, Sunny will hold together!"
"This reminds me of a song…" said Brook "My icy heart of winter, in the spring it did melt. I met a pretty woman dressed in purple silk, and a black and white pelt. I'd never see another woman like her, not if I searched all the sea and outer space. I asked to see her panties, and she kicked me in the face."
Just when it seemed like they were about to make ti through, the mother of all icebergs came out of nowhere in front of them,
"Hard to port, hard to starboard! I don't care which; just get us away from that thing!"
"I'm trying!"
The iceberg was just about to hit, when suddenly…
"Gum-Gum Elephant Gatling!"
"Luffy?!"
Somehow Luffy reverted back to his normal self and began beating the hell out of the iceberg until it shattered.
"Hey, I'm back to normal!" exclaimed Luffy happily.
"What just happened?"
"I think I know." said Robin "I heard that sometimes bizarre devil fruit powers wear off on their own if the user doesn't have much experience with them. Obviously Zoo Keeper Felicity hasn't had hers very long."
"Great, then that means we don't have to go charging after Morning Star Pirates after all." said Usopp.
"No! We have to keep going!"
"Why?"
"What are you not telling us Nami?" asked Robin.
"Well… I… I overheard some locals on the island talking about what the Morning Star Pirates are up to. They're planning to sack Crystalmite Island."
"Really? It's not like you to want and do something that dangerous." said Robin.
"What's Crystalmite Island?" asked Luffy.
"Apparently it's one of the places where the World Nobles stash their excess money, meaning there could be hundreds of millions of belli, but I heard there's something there that I want."
"And that would be?"
"You're going to think it's silly… The Heart of Suijin."
For a moment everyone was quiet.
"The what?" asked Luffy just as clueless as ever.
"The Heart of Suijin is a legendary gemstone in a popular children's story of the same name." said Robin "In the story a poor fisherman finds it and gives it to his island's princess so she'll marry him. In the end she gives the gem up when a band of pirates take her husband hostage."
"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Usopp "I'm not getting killed over an imaginary rock!"
"Actually… I did some research on it when I was little." said Robin "The princess that is in the story is Princess Venus Maxia of Olympa. The Pirates that ransomed for the Heart of Suijin were the Golden Gator Fangs. If I'm not mistaken they were eventually destroyed by a rival band of pirates, which in turn were destroyed by another and another, until eventually the Bone Crowns were forced into slavery by the World Nobles. I think Crystalmite Island would make a fine place for them to keep a priceless trinket like that."
"Well.. If Nami-swan wants it, then that's where we're going!" said Sanji.
"Who died and made you Captain?" asked Zoro.
"It is Luffy's call to make."
"Hmm…"
"Luffy, I put up with a lot and I don't ask for much. But I've been dreaming about this since I was a little girl… And you'll probably get to fight more bad guys."
"Giant pearls and more fighting?! Why didn't you say so? Let's go to Crystalmite Island!"
(To be continued)
Next time: The Straw Hats and the Morning Star Pirates arrive on Crystalmite Island, with the Marines and the Black Falcon Clan in hot pursuit. Keen-Eye Kimmi gets a chance to show her stuff, and one of Usopp's lies comes back to haunt him.
(Now on deviantart: Katrina)
