After beating the crap out of the bounty hunters in Whiskey Peak, Nami, Zoro, Vivi and Luffy get hits placed on them by the creepy sandman Crocodile, Shichibukai and supposed to be secret leader of the evil Baroque Works. After leaving the island, Kim and Ms. Sunday, otherwise known as Robin, have a nice little chat and the usual StrawHat actions throw Vivi for a loop. And there might be a little romance brewing between Jianyu and Carue. Which is weird but whatever.
And that's what you missed on GLEE! ...wait a minute...
"They call it Little Garden, right?"
"Y-yeah."
"That's not very little."
The crew let put a collective noise of agreement, staring at the island and it's collection trees that reached giant-like proportions. They were still a few miles out from it's beaches, but the fact that they could set the trees as clearly as if they were standing next to them told of their true size. A sharp cry echoed through the air, causing Usopp to shake like a leaf in the wind and Nami and Vivi to pale.
Kim and the rest of the boys exchanged excited grins, the Chronicler nearly bouncing in place as she anticipated exploring the jungle waiting ahead. It was like stepping into Jurassic Park but infinitely safer with the presence of the Monster Trio band the StrawHats' collective luck. Kim couldn't wait to get on that island and see the impossible.
Dinosaurs.
They were to reach the island within a matter of hours and everyone (apart from a fearful Usopp, worried Vivi, and fretting Nami) decided to kick back and relax, lounging around on deck with a few of Sanji's delicious drinks at they waited for adventure.
Kim prepared herself ahead of time, dressing in hiking appropriate clothes that covered nearly every inch of her body. She wasn't taking any chances on catching some extinct bug bite like Nami would later. The Chronicler pitied the older girl but her illness was the key to getting Chopper on the crew.
Dressed in a button up over a tank top and tights beneath shorts, Kim laid out on her stomach, chin propped up in her palm as she watched the island grow bigger and bigger. Zoro was sprawled out next to her, dressed in his usual attire and snoring away like a chainsaw. While Nami was up and pacing the gallery with Vivi, Luffy took the opportunity to occupy her lounge chair, dragging Usopp down into Kim's so they could enjoy Sanji's drink in the shade of the girls' umbrella.
"We're almost there," Nami announced as she emerged from the gallery, sipping at her drink and looking significantly more relaxed than she had upon first seeing the island. Vivi trailed after her, brow scrunched up with worry and annoyance at the mellow vibe the kids on deck radiated.
"Shouldn't you be more worried?" The blue haired princess demanded, glaring at them.
Usopp jumped at the sharp tone and looked on the verge of panicking again until Luffy looped an arm around his shoulders, grinning confidently at his newest friend.
"Nope!" "Is this attitude really alright?" Vivi exclaimed, turning to look at Nami in disbelief.
The navigator shrugged, looking untroubled now that she had accepted her fate. "Trying to get them to worry about the future is pointless. If something dangerous happens they'll be ready for it. After all, no one here plans on dying any time soon. Relax a little, Vivi-chan."
"Yeah, come and chill with us, Vivi-hime." Kim invited her, patting the empty space at her side. Sanji grinned charmingly, sitting down beside Kim's head so that the brunette could use his lap as a pillow. "You haven't lived until you've been in a StrawHat pile."
"No thank you." Vivi said weakly, unable to accept the lack of tension in the crew.
"Your loss," Kim shrugged as Luffy rolled off the lounge chair and over Zoro's sleeping form before settling between first and second mates. "Luffy's really squishy!"
The rubberman grinned as he rested his head on Kim's stomach, looking over the sea lazily. "Hey, look! That dolphin's so pretty."
The rest of the crew turned their heads to watch as well,w arching silently as the animal in question rose gracefully through the air in an arc.
Right over their ship.
Which was a bit of a problem seeing as the dolphin was the size of a small island.
"We're going to die." Kim said flatly as the descended on them.
Her words triggered the StrawHats into action, everyone on their feet in an instant and rushing to their stations to move the Going Merry out of danger's path. Vivi looked on in awe as the crew quickly and efficiently maneuvered the ship, adjusting sails and rigging until the ship caught wind and shot off toward the island, making double the time in their approach.
"Will there be monsters here?" Usopp asked nervously, clutching at an equally frightened Carue as they approached the mouth of a river leading into the island.
"I'm willing to bet money on it." Kim said confidently, shouldering a backpack full of water bottles, rope, a lunchbox, and the Log Book. With some help from Zoro, she strapped her naginata to the back of it, leaving the weapon in easy reach. She wouldn't enter the island as defenseless as the last.
"I don't know about monsters, but we need to collect the supplies we didn't get at Whiskey Peak," Sanji frowned, stomping out a cigarette as he surveyed the island.
"Can I come with you?" Kim asked the chef, smiling up at him. The blond grinned back, making Zoro's expression turn sour.
"Of course, Kim!"
As the Chronicler and Cook smiled at each other stupidly, they were oblivious to the irritation growing within the resident swordsman.
Nami, sensing the growing tension on Zoro's part, smiled weakly and pulled Usopp to her side. "That's great. While you guys go get supplies, Usopp and I will stay here and get familiar with the island's Log frequency. That way we can get out of here and head to Alabasta as soon as possible."
"Okay!" Kim said brightly, dropping off the side of the Merry-go and onto the sandy riverside below. "Sanji! Bring another bag for fruit!"
"Hai~!" The chef sang as he passed out lunch boxes to the rest of the shore party (except for Zoro). The chef tied a bag around Jianyu's neck before shouldering one of his own. "You're the size of a horse so you can help too." He informed the large chimera, ruffling his furry ears as he headed over to the side of the ship.
"Is fruit all you're going to get?" Zoro scoffed, frowning at the chef. He launched himself off the ship, landing next to Kim and nearly knocking her over. The Chronicler stared at him with wide eyes as her arms wind milled to help keep her from tumbling over into the sand.
"Z-Zoro!" She spluttered indignantly, gaping at him.
The swordsman ignored her annoyance and walked off, leaving her stunned at the side of the Merry-go. "Since you're incapable of finding real food, I'll go catch us some meat."
"Bastard!" Sanji roared, leaping off the side of the ship.
As his feet touched the ground, a great rumbling shook the ship, knocking both Kim and Vivi off their feet as the rest stumbled around, trying to remain on their feet. Jianyu jumped from the deck to land beside his mistress, curling himself around her protectively.
"What the hell was that?" Nami wailed, clinging to the mainmast until it was over. With shaking limbs, she released the mast and retreated into the relative safety of the galley, Usopp following her closely.
"It sounded like a volcano," Kim commented, rising from the sand with Sanji's help.
"Cool!" Luffy squealed, dragging out the word. "Vivi! Let's go find out where it came from!"
The princess in question smiled a little nervously, as if reevaluating her choice to partner up with Luffy, but still looked excited as she straddled, Carue, the duck easily chasing after the hyperactive rubberman. "Wait for me, Luffy-san!"
"Shall we get going too?" Kim asked brightly, lacing her arm through Sanji's.
The blond grinned back as they set off into the jungle, carefully picking their way around giant trees, towering ferns and twisting vines.
An hour after they set out onto the island, Kim was grinning like a fool, clinging to the neck of a long bodied dinosaur who closely resembled a chicken, the multitude of feathers and wing-like arms adding to the feel. However, despite its resemblance to one of Kim's favorite meals, the dinosaur in question did not bob its head like the modern bird Kim was familiar with. Instead it moved much like a lizard, a similar feel to how Jianyu moved.
Kim cooed as she ran her fingers over the soft feathers atop her new friend's head, the reptilian creature gurgling in delight. Not ten minutes ago Sanji managed to take down a large carnivorous dinosaur who was trying to catch a snack, earning the traveling trio the smaller dinosaur's affections.
"So, if my research is right, this guy is an Alxasaurus." Kim informed Sanji as she scrolled through a dictionary of dinosaurs on her iPod. "He's an herbivore from the Alxasaururidae family. I want to call him Saxon."
"Saxon?" Sanji asked curiously, reaching out to pet the feathered dinosaur. "That's a nice name but what's the reason behind the choice?"
"I once had a toy rooster with that name." Kim hummed, allowing the dinosaur to carry her along beside Sanji, the blond pulling his kill from earlier along behind him.
Ahead of them, Jianyu stopped suddenly, ears perked and muscles tensed, Saxon freezing similarly just seconds later. Kim and Sanji barely had time to be confused before another great rumbling racked the land, sending Sanji to the ground and Kim flying off Saxon in another direction. Jianyu chased after his mistress with a yelp while the newest addition to the group hovered nervously over the cook who saved him, great wing-like arms spread in an attempt to shield the blond from any falling tree limbs.
"You stupid bird," Sanji growled, trying to steady himself on the shaking ground. "Take care of yourself!"
Saxon squawked in protest and huddled closer to Sanji as an overhead tree limb fell on his body, hitting his wing with a sickening crunch. The dinosaur squealed but stubbornly continued to shield his new friend.
Sanji grimaced at the sight Saxon's mangled limb presented and, as soon as the earth steadied itself, the cook scooted out from beneath the dinosaur and took the chance to get a better look at the limb. It didn't look too pretty but then again, Sanji was no doctor. Kim knew enough about first aid to treat an injury better than Sanji ever could.
Speaking of Kim...
Where did she go?
Ordering Saxon to hold his wing close to his body, Sanji and the dinosaur headed off into the jungle at a slow and careful pace, the blond worriedly calling for Kim as they went.
The brunette in question had fallen in the direction opposite of the one Sanji and Saxon decided to travel.
With a groan, the Chronicler pushed herself off the ground, swatting irritably at the ferns invading her personal space.
She almost wished she hadn't cleared her vision. Standing before her in all its disgusting glory was an earwax sculpture of her captain, the likeness touching a disturbed nerve within her as her mind practically screamed danger.
She had literally fallen into Baroque Works' trap, something she had tried to avoid by traveling with Sanji.
"Well shit," Kim sighed, bracing herself as she felt something whizzing towards her head.
As expected, she was knocked upside the head by some unseen force (one of the Baroque Officer Agents) and slumped to the ground in an unconscious heap, Mister Three standing above her with a bat and a satisfied smirk.
A/N: Seriously, I do feel bad about these updating gaps. But on the upside, I just graduated from high school with honors and finished the first chapter of a book I'm writing! Oh yeah, The Red Fate got its first hate review! I feel like its a bit of an accomplishment really. (I laughed as I read it and then deleted it)
SBS!
Thanks For Favoriting and Alerting: SaiKaiya01, jesusaj8, MusicOfMadness, SnowKae, Berserk Kyuubi, xForeverGamerx, Nic7C, GaarasMyBoyzz, Dark-Forest-Clouds, chiiaraaaa, Hesperidelsis, Ravenclaw-Girl28, ItsALifeToLiveIn, A Vampire's Vanity, SoraSira, NekoAria14, Polymon, Irokoutlol1, White Aura Dragon, csal07, Starlight149, wolfzero7, Jaxx Ren, elemir123, The Corrupted Hobo Ninja, and DigiPokeNinjaDragon Fangirl!
TheRealEvanSG: I think I might do just that!
imafangirlforever: Thanks!
Molly Grace 16: I call it Jurassic Park myself!
Shiningheart of ThunderClan: Vivi has no idea what an iPod is and therefore sees it as some strange iPod. Waaaay earlier on in The Red Fate, Kim entertained Luffy with episodes of Naruto when it was just them and Zoro (maybe Nami too? I can't remember.).
10th Squad 3rd Seat: Ooh, thanks for pointing that out!
CherriRoseGirl: Thanks! I think Vivi needed it too!
XxCupcakeAssassinxX: Thanks!
Nameless-dono: The chapter title is a song collaboration by Kim Jong Kook, Kang Gary and Haha from Running Man. I happen to be a big fan of Jong Kook and Gary/Leessang and wanted to throw them in here too! I'VE NEVER BEEN CALLED MA'AM BEFORE IT MAKES ME FEEL IMPORTANT THANK YOU!
The Liesmith: Sorry! I am so sorry! I am unworthy of anything *rolls in the floor*
elemir123: It's okay! I've got you! Here, have an update and thanks for reminding me that I need to get off my but and update!