Ch. 12- Sabaody Park


One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me


"Okay, you kids take care, now."

"Thanks, Shakky!"

Luffy and the group were about to leave Shakky's bar to look for the coating specialist. The only one who decided to stay behind was Blizzard. He said that he wanted to stay here to keep Shakky company.

"The Marines know for sure that some big-shot rookies are here on the island," said Shakky.

"That doesn't sound very good," Brook said, nervously. "Doesn't that mean that we could ambushed again at any given moment?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Shakky reassured. "You guys are in luck. Right now, Marine HQ doesn't have time to deal with you. They've got their hands full with something else. Unless there happens to be a huge problem, they won't send many forces this way. In other words, do me a favor and don't cause a big scene, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Luffy said with a grin. "Thanks, lady! We're gonna go look for that coating guy now!"

With that, the group got on their bubble bikes and peddled off, leaving Shakky and Blizzard at the bar.

Shakky turned to Blizzard, who gazed up at her.

"Well, Sugar," said Shakky. "It looks like it's just you and me, now."

Blizzard wagged his tail as a blush appeared on his face.

DING! A timer went off inside the bar.

"Oh!" Shakky said. "Sounds like the peanut butter cookies I'm baking are done."

Blizzard panted happily as he followed the woman into the bar, waiting to sink his teeth into some delicious peanut butter cookies.

XXX

Somewhere near Grove 13, in an abandoned building…

"Are you two bounty hunters sure?"

"Yeah. It was 'Straw Hat' Luffy and the mermaid he was with."

"I happened to see the mermaid take off her shoes. She didn't have any feet! She had fins!"

"Really? It's a shame that she's with someone so strong."

Inside the building, the bounty hunters were talking to a large man with a muscular torso and proportionately thin limbs. He had fuzzy black hair, a flat nose, pronouncedly sharp lips, and his shoulders seem to have studs sticking out of them.

He wore a brown shirt with a green vest over it, black pants, a yellow coned hat with a red-tipped feather stick out of it, and boots with frills.

His name is Peterman, the leader of the Hound Pets kidnapping gang.

"A mermaid on land," Peterman began, "is the chance of a lifetime! They're impossible to catch at sea! Thanks a lot for the information, boys. In return, I'll pay you 10% of what I get for the mermaid. Sound good?"

"How about 20%?" asked one of the bounty hunters.

"No, no!" said the bounty hunter leader. "10% is fine! Just fine!"

XXX

"Sabaody Park! Here we are!"

"YAY~!"

Luffy's group had arrived at Groves 32-34, where Sabaody Park is located. It was a huge amusement with a big Ferris wheel, a gondola ride, a roller coaster, and much more!

"Let me ask you this," Pappug said. "ARE YOU GUYS EVEN GONNA LOOK FOR THE SPECIALIST?"

"But that Shakky lady said that he likes to come here," said Luffy.

"ONLY WHEN HE'S NOT IN THE LAWLESS TERRITORY!" Pappug retorted.

Camie squealed in delight as she eyed the Ferris wheel.

"The Ferris wheel~!" the mermaid screamed, happily. "I've never seen so close up, before!"

"All right, you guys!" Luffy exclaimed. "We're going in!"

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed. "Let's have some fun!"

"So you lot aren't really going to look for him, at all?" Pappug questioned.

"I can't wait!" Camie exclaimed. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Camie!" Pappug yelled. "There's no way I'll let you go in there! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

XXX

Moments later, the group had entered the park, and eventually, Pappug couldn't resist going on one of the rides. Luffy insisted that everybody got on the roller coaster first.

KLAK-KLAK-KLAK-KLAK! The cars began to slowly go up and up on the track with Luffy, Chopper, Brook, Camie, Hatchan, and Pappug on board.

"Ah…this ride is slower than I thought it would be," said Brook. "Yo-ho-ho-ho! Plus, we're up so high! We have such a nice view…"

It appeared that Brook had been spoken too soon.

FWOOSH! The roller coaster went down the track at an incredible speed, going straight, up-and-down, round-and-round, and zigzagging, too!

Everybody was screaming their heads off, although Brook was screaming more out of fear and surprise than joy and excitement.

"Man, that SO awesome!" Luffy cheered as the group got off the ride. "Let's go again!"

"Nyuu~! That sure was scary, eh, Camie?" asked Hatchan to Camie

"Sure was," Camie answered. "I was scared out of my mind, but it was also so much fun!"

"My heart's still racing," said Chopper.

"I've never had this much fun in my life!" Pappug said. "It felt back my brain was being squeezed into my back!"

"I wish Blizzard would've come with us," said Luffy. "He probably would've had fun, too."

"Yeah," Chopper agreed, "but he said he wanted to stay with Shakky. He said he'd catch up with us if the coating guy appeared at the bar."

Brook, meanwhile, was down on the ground, panting heavily. He had never been on such a fast ride such as a roller coaster, and now that he had his first experience on a fast ride like that…he never wanted to do it, again.

"I thought…" Brook panted. "I thought…my heart was going to stop beating…although…I have no heart…"

After the roller coaster, Chopper wanted to go on the merry-go-around next. Luffy, Camie, and Pappug got on the pig while Hatchan and Chopper got on the bull.

Brook just sat on a nearby bench and watched his friend have their fun while sipping tea. He didn't really think that going on the merry-go-round wasn't such a good idea, possibly it seemed slow, but then would go fast.

When he chose the next ride, however, he would soon realize that he would get the wrong idea, once again.

The ride Brook chose was tower ride of some sort. The Brook sat in individual seats as they were being lifted, slowly, off the ground.

"Ah, yes," Brook sighed. "I more prefer slow-moving rides, such as these, and we have such a lovely view of the park!"

WOOOSH! Once again, Brook had spoken too soon. The seats went plummeting down like a cannonball, causing the skeleton to scream of fright, once again.

Pappug chose to go on the teacups, next. He, Camie, and Hatchan sat in one teacup while Luffy, Chopper, and Brook sat in another. They would spin the teacups, around and around, faster and faster, until they gained such a speed, they accidentally caused the teacups be sent flying out!

Surprisingly, Luffy's normally strong stomach couldn't handle it, so he actually threw up, and Brook vomited, as well, despite not actually having a stomach.

Then, Camie picked the next ride: the Ferris wheel.

The group all gathered in two separate and looked down below themselves.

"Wow!" Camie said in amazement. "We're so high up! Look, Luffy! I can see an ice cream stand!"

"Really?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah!" Camie answered. "And look! Everybody looks like ants from up here! Ooh! And I can see the ocean from here!"

"Yeah, me too!" said Luffy.

Camie's eyes began to well up with tears. She had never been so happy in her life than right now. This young mermaid had always wanted the Ferris wheel, and now, she was living the dream.

"Hey, Camie," said Luffy, smiling. "Are you crying because you're happy?"

"Yeah," Camie replied, wiping the tears away. "Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to ride on the Ferris wheel. I've never really been up this high, before." She turned to face Luffy. "Thank you so much, Luffy. I'll never forget what you've done! Pappug and Hatchan only let me come because you and your friends are so strong!"

Luffy gave Camie a broad, toothy grin and chuckled.

In the other bubble next to Luffy and Camie's, Hatchan, Brook, Chopper, and Pappug were also looking down.

"Nyuu~! This really takes me back to when I was a kid!" Hatchan said. "Both fishmen and mermaids hardly ever get a chance like this when they're young!"

"We're up so high~!" Brook, Chopper, and Pappug chirped.

And so, the friends continued to have fun in Sabaody Park. After the Ferris wheel, they got on the gondola next. When they were upside-down, Brook almost lost his hat. After the gondola ride, they went on a fast spinning ride which, once again, almost had Brook dying (again) of fright. They bought silly hats to wear, too.

Luffy wanted to go the horror show in the park, next, but Brook and Chopper protested against it. After all, after what they had gone through in Thriller Bark, they didn't want another experience like that, again.

The group enjoyed eating the sweets there, such as cotton candy, popcorn, funnel cakes, taffy, the lot.

All-in-all, the one who had the most fun of all was Camie, and she didn't think that she'd ever have another chance like this, again. She really blessed Luffy for all of this, for the Straw Hat captain had shown her a whole new light.

However, the group had no idea that they had been followed the entire time, for nearby, disguised as one of the amusement park characters…Peterman had set his sights on Camie.


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