Ch. 9- Decisions
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Marguerite's nieces © Me
When we last left Luffy and Blizzard, our heroes had gained the trust and friendship of Boa Hancock and her sisters, who revealed their horrific past and the meaning behind the Mark of the Sun. Hancock decides to lend the two Straw Hats her ship so that they can sail to the Sabaody Archipelago and get back together with their friends, much to their joy.
However, Blizzard has this odd feeling that things were not going to go as planned.
"Are you seriously gonna give us a ride?" Luffy asked.
"Of course," said Hancock. "You need not to worry. I never tell a lie."
Thank goodness, Blizzard thought.
"That's awesome!" Luffy said. "It doesn't have to be a good ship as long as it can sail!"
"You will be departing tomorrow morning," Hancock said. "The Kuja Pirates will give you and Blizzard a ride on the ship."
"Our pirate ship?" Marigold and Sandersonia questioned.
"Sorry to be a bit of a bother," Luffy said.
"It's fine," Hancock said before she turned toward her own bed. "Until you leave, get plenty of rest."
Luffy just smiled, and then grabbed Blizzard by his front paws and began to dance.
"We're leaving, Blizzard!" he cheered. "YAHOO~!"
RUFF! RUFF! RUFF! Blizzard began to bark happily.
Hancock, however, froze at their cheers.
"We're finally gonna get to see the others, again, buddy!" Luffy said. "I can't wait!"
Me neither! Blizzard thought. I hope Chopper's okay.
Hancock narrowed her eyes. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt slightly angry.
RRRUUUUUUUMMMBLE! Luffy's stomach started growling.
"Oops," said Luffy, sheepishly grinning and scratching at the back of his head. "'Scuse me. Guess I'm kind of hungry."
Come to think of it, Blizzard thought, I'm kind of hungry, too.
Blizzard's nose twitched at a pungent smell entering his nostrils. Looking up, he soon traced the smell to Luffy. He grimaced and backed about a foot away, covering his paws with his nose.
"What's the matter, buddy?" Luffy asked. He reached up, smelling his own armpits, but then recoiled with a grimace of his own. "Whew! I guess we need a bath, too."
You think so? Blizzard thought, sarcastically.
Hancock smiled at the two and then turned to face them.
"Sonia, Mari," she said. "Escort Luffy and Blizzard to the hot springs. Afterwards, invite them to the banquet."
Upon hearing "banquet", Luffy's attention was immediately caught.
"What?" the two younger sisters said.
"A man at our banquet?" asked Sandersonia.
"Big sister, isn't that…?" Marigold began, but trailed off.
"Do you not understand my requests?" asked Hancock.
"N-no," the sisters said.
"What banquet?" Luffy asked.
"It's a celebratory banquet we hold for the Kuja Pirates' safe return with a big haul," answered Nyon.
"Oh!" Luffy said, a small rope of saliva escaping his lips. "You gonna have meat at this banquet?"
Hancock just turned away, heading for bed.
"Wait," Luffy called. "Aren't you coming?"
"No," Hancock replied. "I'm a bit too tired, right now."
"Suit yourself," Luffy said.
With that, Luffy and Blizzard followed Sandersonia and Marigold out to the hot springs.
XXX
The steaming water of the hot springs glistened in the moonlight. The place seemed a whole lot quieter without all the women crowded around it.
It looked like Luffy and Blizzard were going to have a nice, peaceful bath.
SPLASH!
"AAAAAAH! BLIZZARD, HELP! I'M DROWING!"
Dammit, Luffy! Not again!
Or not…
Luffy, who had given his smelly clothes to Marguerite to wash, had slipped into the deep end of the hot springs and Blizzard was forced to save him drowning a second time. Once that was over, the two were now sitting in the water, together. They had just finished their bath and just decided to wait for Marguerite to deliver Luffy's clothes to him and relax.
"This sure does feel good, huh, buddy?" Luffy asked Blizzard.
Grrrff…! Blizzard let out a sighing growl.
Luffy looked up to the nighttime sky. He saw that crescent moon and the twinkling stars.
Their beauty reminded him of his beloved Nami. He just realized how much he really missed her, now.
He just realized how much he missed everyone, now.
"I wonder where Nami could be," he said aloud. "I really hope she's okay." He heaved a sigh, his voice suddenly sounding sad. "I really hope…everyone's okay."
Blizzard looked at Luffy, his ears hanging besides his head. He knew that Luffy would end up saying something about missing the others.
Being the sincere canine that he was at heart, Blizzard waded through the water and licked Luffy's face, making him chuckle.
"Thanks, Blizzard," said Luffy, scratching his best friend behind the ears.
It's what I'm for, Luffy, Blizzard thought.
Luffy looked back up to the sky, this time with a smile.
"The first thing I'm gonna do when we get back with the others," he began, "is take Nami into my arms and give her a great big kiss…and have Sanji make me a lot of meat until I feel like my tummy's gonna burst."
I'm gonna eat me an jumbo-sized jar of peanut butter, Blizzard thought, licking his chops.
They were unaware that they were being watched by six curious eyes.
"So that's the man?"
"Yeah."
"He's so skinny. It's hard to believe that he and his wolf actually defeated the Gorgon Sisters."
Blizzard's ears twitched and then he looked behind himself. Luffy also looked.
What was that? Blizzard thought.
"Girls!"
Upon hearing the familiar voice of Marguerite, three figures yelped and jumped out of hiding. It was revealed to be her three nieces. Marguerite stood before the three, a stern look in her eyes and Luffy's clean clothes and some towels in the crook of her elbow.
"What have I told you about spying on people?" Marguerite questioned the three sisters.
"But Auntie Marguerite," Hibiscus said, "we just wanted to see the man!"
"Yeah!" agreed Buttercup.
"And his wolf, too!" added Daffodil.
"I don't care!" Marguerite said. "Now, off to Granny Nyon's house with all of you! I'll bring you your dinner later, and after that, it's straight to bed!"
"But Auntie Marguerite-" the girls started.
"No buts!" Marguerite said. "Go!"
With a disappointed groan, the triplets walked away, arms folded in a pout. Marguerite couldn't help but smile at them as they left. At their age, their curiosity was natural.
"Sorry about that, Luffy," Marguerite said as she approached him. "Those three tend to spy on people, but it's only because they're curious at heart, the cute little things."
"It's okay," Luffy said. "Who were those three anyway?"
"My nieces, Hibiscus, Daffodil, and Buttercup," Marguerite said.
"Oh," Luffy said. "I didn't know that you have a sister."
Marguerite's expression suddenly became somewhat distant. She looked away from Luffy, sighing quietly.
"I had a sister," she whispered.
Luffy, sensing that he might've stepped over an emotional boundary, gritted his teeth and raised his hands up.
"H-hey," he said. "I'm sorry, all right. If something happened, then-"
"No, no, Luffy," Marguerite said, her smile returning. "It's fine. It's just…my older sister, Orchid…she disappeared, 5 years ago, and she hasn't been seen since, so I took it upon myself to raise her daughters for her."
Wow… Blizzard thought. Having your sister disappear for 5 years? That's just upsetting.
"I'm sorry," Luffy said. "I didn't know."
"It's all right," Marguerite said. "For me, having to raise my nieces is like keeping the memory of my sister alive, and even after all these years…I still feel like she might be out there somewhere."
Luffy and Blizzard stared at Marguerite in silence.
"Oh, right!" Marguerite said as she set Luffy's towel and clothes down on the ground. "Here are your clothes, Luffy, and a towel to dry off."
"Thanks," Luffy said. "I guess it is about time we got out now."
"When you're finished, come and meet me at the Kuja Castle," said Marguerite. "That's where the banquet's being held."
"Will do," Luffy said.
XXX
Moments later, the Kuja warriors had gathered into the castle banquet hall. There, they watched in silence (and perhaps a bit of disgust) as Luffy and Blizzard messily ate the dishes that had been set out for them.
Meat, fish, game birds, bread, shellfish, buns, anything Luffy and Blizzard could get their hands or paws on was soon devoured as quick as a wink. Luffy even took some of the other Kuja warriors' food.
Some, such as Marguerite, Sweet Pea, and Aphelandra, were discussing about how he and Blizzard had saved their lives. Others were discussing how they wanted to touch Luffy's rubber body and see how much it stretched.
However, one group was still suspicious of him: Ran, Cosmos, Daisy, and Rindo.
"What in the hell is a man here on our island, Ran?"
"And of all places, he had to be at our banquet!"
"It's hard to believe that the Snake Princess has forgiven him!"
"Perhaps it's a trap," Ran said. "A clever trick laid out by the Snake Princess."
"A trap?"
"Yes," Ran said. "She invited him to the banquet and eat to the point where he can't even move, and then…unleash hell upon him."
"I see, now," Daisy said. "So once he's gotten so lethargic from eating so much, it's up to us to bring hell upon him. ZAHAHAHA!"
URRRRP! Luffy let out a satisfied burp while Blizzard continued to chow down on some fried noodles.
CHINK! The sound of knives being drawn was heard, and Blizzard's sensitive ears soon picked up the noise. A glint appeared in his cherry blossom eyes as he looked to Ran and the others.
"Uh-oh," Daisy said. "I think the wolf might be on to us."
SLUUUURRP! Blizzard slurped up the fried noodles, but he still didn't take his eyes off the group of Kuja warriors.
A long pause occurred.
"All right! That does it!"
Everyone in the room looked up and saw Luffy, his stomach now big and round from his gorging, holding a pan and ladle.
"Oh, no!" Ran gasped. "He must've noticed!"
"Does he plan on fighting us with the pan and ladle?" asked Cosmos.
"That definitely sounds like something a man would do," Rindo said. "Don't drop your guard!"
With that, Ran, Rindo, Daisy, and Cosmos charged at Luffy, armed with knives. However, their path was soon blocked when Blizzard jumped up on the table, as well, growling and snarling, forcing the Kuja warriors to stop in their tracks.
"I was right!" Daisy said. "The wolf was on to us!"
Blizzard continued to growl at the women, prepared to lash out at them if they attempted to get passed him, but then…
"Why aren't you people singing?"
Everybody turned their attention back to Luffy.
"S…singing?" Ran repeated.
"Yeah," Luffy replied. "This is a banquet, right?"
"Well, yes, but-" Daisy started.
"Listen, you guys!" Luffy shouted. "This is what your supposed to do at banquets!"
KLANG! KLANG! Luffy started to bang the pan with the ladle, dancing on the table, before he started to sing.
"Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho!
Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho!
Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho!
Yo-ho-ho-ho,
Yo-ho-ho-ho!"
Blizzard smiled at Luffy, now getting the message.
ARRROOOOOOOOO! He started to howl along to the song, his voice sounding more off-key than Luffy's.
"Gather up all of the crew,
Time to ship out Binks's Brew!
Sea winds blow, to where, who knows?
The waves will be our guide!
O'er across the ocean's tide,
The sunset is goin' wild!
See the sky! The birds singing in circles, passing by!"
Soon, the room was filled with waves of laughter at Luffy and Blizzard's performance. They had never seen such a funny and entertaining, before, and now, they were glad they did.
This man and his dog had shown them the first step to having fun, and this was only the beginning.
As the night went on, Luffy and Blizzard showed the Kuja warriors how do the Chopsticks-and-Basket Dance. Kikyo said it was rather vulgar, but inside, she found it rather humorous, as well.
Luffy stuffed himself to the point where he was bloated like a balloon, again, and even drew a funny face on his stomach.
Blizzard absolutely loved getting petted and spoiled by the Kuja, who marveled at how soft and smooth his fur was.
However, things began to get a bit too much for the two Straw Hats.
Luffy found his skin getting pulled on by the Kuja, who wanted to see how stretchy he was before and Blizzard left tomorrow morning, and because of this, he couldn't eat as much as he wanted to, and no matter how many times he asked, they wouldn't leave him alone. Some were even charging money to have him looked at!
Blizzard found himself with the same problem. Some of the women were starting to pet him a bit too hard, almost the point where they were pulling his skin back and pulling some clumps of his fur out.
I've heard of too much love, thought Blizzard, but…THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
"GO AWAY!" Luffy yelled. "I CAN'T EAT WITH ALL OF YOU PULLING AT ME!"
At that, Luffy and Blizzard made a desperate break for it to get away from the women, the former of the two grabbing a huge leg of mutton on his way out.
Luckily for them that they had a friend to lend them a hand.
XXX
"Phew! Finally, I thought we'd never lose those crazy girls. Thanks, again."
"Don't mention it."
After about an hour of running, Luffy and Blizzard found salvation in Marguerite, who helped them escaping from the mob of obsessed Kuja. They were now standing on the rooftops of the city.
"This little morsel of meat was all I could get," Luffy said, referring to the leg of mutton he had strapped to his back.
THAT'S a morsel? Blizzard thought, questioningly.
"Come," Marguerite said. "Follow me."
Luffy and Blizzard nodded before they followed Marguerite, jumping along the rooftops.
"So, Luffy," Marguerite began, "are you happy that you and Blizzard will be able to reunite with your friends?"
"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "Oh! Yeah! We sure are!"
Woof! Blizzard barked in agreement.
"You've been a really big help to us since we got here, Marguerite," Luffy said. "Sorry we got you turned to stone, though. We were really worried about you."
Marguerite turned to Luffy with a smile.
"And you both fought for me," she said. "I heard about it from the other Kuja. I didn't get the chance to say this before but…thank you, Luffy."
Arf! Blizzard barked, again, making Marguerite giggle.
"Of course," she said. "You, too, Blizzard."
Just doing my thing, Blizzard thought, smiling happily.
XXX
"Yes, Marguerite?"
"Luffy and Blizzard are very popular with the girls, Granny Nyon."
"Hey, there, bean lady!"
"Well, it's only nyatural that they're curious. They have nyever seen a man before, but they can relax, nyow. We're on the outskirts of the city. AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BEAN?"
Marguerite had brought Luffy and Blizzard to Nyon's house in the outskirts of the village. Luffy settled down on the floor, eating a bit of his mutton, while Blizzard just lied down, preparing to get himself a good night's rest.
"I see you brought your own food," said Nyon. "Marguerite, go and make Luffy some tea."
"All right," Marguerite said. "But first, let me check on my nieces. They're upstairs in the guest bedroom, right?"
"Nyaturally," Nyon answered.
As Marguerite went upstairs to go check up on her nieces, Luffy continued to eat. He noticed that Nyon was reading a newspaper.
"You really like reading the paper, don't you?" Luffy asked with a mouthful. "You're like my navigator, Nami."
"The Nyews Coos do nyot come to the Calm Byelt," Nyon answered, "so nyews is hard to come by here, but since the empress is one of the Seven Warlords, it's good to be well informed."
"One of the Seven Warlords?" Luffy repeated. "Who?"
"The Snake Princess," Nyon answered.
Luffy gagged, his meat almost going down the wrong pipe, but once he swallowed, he managed to catch his breath.
"WHAAAAAAT?" cried Luffy. "THAT SNAKE LADY IS ONE OF THE SEVEN WARLORDS? SHE MUST BE CRAZY STRONG!"
Now he gets it, Blizzard thought, sleepily.
"You're a pirate and yet you do nyot knyow?" questioned Nyon.
"I-I guess not," Luffy answered.
"You don't read the newspaper?" asked Nyon.
"I read the funnies," Luffy said.
"What a surprise," Nyon said. "The Snake Princess became our empress, as well as the captain of the Kuja Pirates, 11 years ago. She was still quite young, but one expedition was enough to put a bounty of 80,000,000 Berries on her head. The name of 'Kuja' was already infamous, and the people of central became very fearful of the Snake Princess, thus quickly naming her one of the Seven Warlords, but it appears that now, she's in danger of losing that title."
"But why?" Luffy asked.
"Because," Nyon started, "she has been summoned to go into war at Marineford between the Marines, the Warlords, and the Whitebeard Pirates."
"WHAAAAAAAAT?" Luffy shouted, again.
Will you freaking stop with the shouting? Blizzard thought. I'm trying to sleep, over here!
"Now, hang on!" Luffy said, frantically. "Y-you just gave me too much information at once! The Warlords and the Marines are joining forces to fight against the Whitebeard Pirates? But why? How? What's gonna happen?"
"I can nyot believe you!" Nyon said. "Your ignorance is unbelievable! It's probably just a hunch, but I believe that war is coming!"
Marguerite returned with a cup of tea for Luffy, who took the cup and drank.
"Thanks," he said to blonde-haired girl.
"The World Government knows that Whitebeard will nyot allow one of his crewmates to get executed," Nyon explained, "but nonetheless, they've announced the public execution Whitebeard's powerful underling, Portgas D. Ace!"
Luffy's eyes went wide, and Blizzard soon switched into full alert mode.
"W…who?" Luffy asked.
"Ace," Nyon repeated. "Portgas D. 'Fire Fist' Ace."
Luffy felt his heart sinking into his gut. Perhaps even lower.
He remembered when he had been having those nightmares about Ace getting killed, and now, he finally realized what they meant.
"Ace…" Luffy whispered. "Ace is gonna get executed?"
Fire Fist… Blizzard thought.
"It appears that a pirate named 'Blackbeard'," Nyon began, "had captured 'Fire Fist' Ace, and because of that, he was recently named one of the Seven Warlords."
A pause came.
"Also," Nyon said, "the people of central have caught a huge fish. They're going to take advantage of it and-"
"Granny! Granny!" Luffy cried, grabbing Nyon by her shoulders. "He's my brother! 'Fire Fist' Ace is my big brother!"
"What?" Nyon asked.
Marguerite gasped.
"Is it true?" asked Nyon. "Is he really your big brother?"
"I didn't know he got captured!" Luffy exclaimed. "I didn't know he was gonna get executed, either! He's in big trouble!"
"Hmm," Nyon hummed. "If Whitebeard wins this war, then maybe he'll be able to rescue your brother."
"What am I gonna do?" Luffy asked. "Where are they gonna kill him?"
"They will do it an open square in the city of Marineford, a town governed by Marine Headquarters. It saws they're going to execute six days from now."
"WHAT?" Luffy questioned. "But that's so soon!"
"Luffy, please, quiet down," Marguerite pleaded. "My nieces are sleeping!"
"How long will it take for Blizzard and me to get to the Sabaody Archipelago from here?" Luffy asked.
"A week," Nyon replied.
"But Ace will be died before I can get to my friends!" Luffy remarked. "How far is Ace from here?"
"He's being held in Impel Down," Nyon replied, "so from here, it would take you a week by pirate ship and four days by a Marine ship!"
"Why?" Luffy asked. "Is a Marine ship that much faster?"
"There is a special ocean current that only World Government ships can use," Nyon explained, "Enies Lobby, Impel Down, Marine Headquarters…a giant swirling current connects these three government facilities. Each of them have the Gates of Justice. When the gates are opened, the current speeds travel between the facilities. However, if the gates remain closed, you'll continue to ride on the whirling current, indefinitely."
That's not good, Blizzard thought.
"Pirate ships have to avoid the current," Nyon continued, "so they are forced to take a detour."
"What should I do?" Luffy questioned himself as he reached into the ribbon of his hat from which he pulled…Ace's Vivre Card.
It was even smaller than the last time he saw it. Last month, it was about the size of his pinky finger. Now, it was about the size of his little toe, and it was still burning away.
"Is that your brother's Vivre Card?" asked Nyon.
"Isn't that the scrap of moving paper that was so important to you?" Marguerite asked.
"No," Luffy answered. "It's a different one. It's Ace's."
"The Vivre Card is also called 'Life Paper'," Nyon explained. "It shows the owner's direction and vitality."
Marguerite gasped.
"If it's that small…!" she whispered.
Luffy turned and walked away from Nyon and Marguerite. Blizzard, concerned, stood up and followed him, walking beside him with a worried expression.
I think I know what this means, he thought, and I don't like it.
Luffy looked down at the Vivre Card, his eyes concealed beneath the rim of his hat. He knew that Ace had his own adventures and that he'd probably get mad at him for trying to help him, but he felt like had no choice. Ace was his big brother…the only one he had.
However, if he was going to rescue Ace…then that meant that he had to postpone one thing: the Straw Hats' reunion.
Whine. Blizzard whined as he nudged Luffy's hand, looking up at him, sadly. Luffy absentmindedly petted the wolf-dog on the head.
"Sorry, buddy," said Luffy, "but it looks like the others are gonna have to wait."
Blizzard heaved a sigh.
I knew it.
"Granny!" Luffy called as he turned to Nyon. "Blizzard and I have to go save Ace!"
"You're making a rather reckless decision," said Nyon.
Being reckless is what he's known for, Blizzard thought. That's why I gotta go with him.
"A terrible war is about to break out," Nyon began, "and you and your wolf will be right in the middle of it. You two would be like ants diving into a monsoon and will only end up getting swept away."
"I don't care what the hell happens to me!" Luffy barked. "I HAVE to do this! I can't just sit here and let them kill my big bro! NO WAY!"
"Well," said Nyon, "its one-in-a-million chance, but you should head for the Great Prison. Once your brother is on that execution platform in Marineford, he'll be surrounded by Marine soldiers, Vice-Admirals, Admirals, and Warlords. It will be impossible for you to save him, then. Even so, your brother is a top priority prisoner, right now. He'll be subjected to the most intense security the prison can devised. You and your wolf probably won't even make it into the facility."
"I'll worry about it, later!" Luffy said. "First, I gotta find some way to get there in time! Blizzard and I have to get to that prison while Ace is still there! Maybe if we can find a huge oar, we can row all the way!"
THAT'S your plan? Blizzard questioned in thought.
"Now, hold on," Nyon said. "Some problems can't be solved by force, you know. This might be a big gamble, but the Snake Princess has refused a summons of the Warlords. If she were to accept it, you two might be able to go to Impel Down aboard the Marine battleship."
"There's a Marine battleship here?" Luffy asked. "If that's the case, then I better go ask about it! Blizzard! Let's go!"
RUFF! Blizzard barked in agreement.
XXX
Another hour later, Luffy, Blizzard, and Nyon had arrived at the Kuja Castle. When they entered, however, they were soon met by Enishida, who seemed rather panicked.
"Granny Nyon!" Enishida cried.
"What's wrong, Enishida?" asked Nyon.
"Thank goodness you're here!" Enishida said. "I was just about to call you!"
"Eh?" Nyon muttered. "Why? What's the matter?"
"It's the Snake Princess!" Enishida answered. "She needs help! She's fallen victim to an unknown illness and has suddenly collapsed!"
Luffy, Blizzard, and Nyon all let out a simultaneous gasp of shock.
Oh…crap… Blizzard thought.
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