25. Red Line
A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!
Hi hi! Now, as you have noticed in the title, I will make the title longer the more adventures the Straw Hat pirates go through in my fic. I dunno, I thought it was a cool idea. Or maybe stupid. Meh.
-dog: Hey, long time no see! Everything good? Don't worry, I'm glad I'm hearing for you still. Mmm, you know I hate spoilers xD Okay, I'll answer. No, Sankaoken's not related in any way with Koga's parents' death, but it does have some kind of connection with his 'accident'. That's all I'm gonna say, hope you're satisfied with the answer (though I'm sure you feel I'm leaving with more questions than answers xD).
-Blue VanLocke: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. And now, Koga and the Straw Hats are off to the Grand Line, I'm so excited!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.
It was nearly midnight. Everyone slept, except Usopp who had that night's shift. However, he too was asleep, wrapped in a thick sheet against the pole of the main mast, snoring loudly.
In the women's cabin, the largest of the whole ship, Nami slept peacefully after bidding goodnight to the photo of her family with a fond smile on her face.
In the men's cabin, loud snores filled the small room. Luffy was at the top hammock, his arms and legs dangling out at either side, his beloved straw hat over his eyes. There was an empty hammock under him, the place where Usopp slept, and Sanji slept face-down on the hammock above Luffy's. In another row in the opposite wall, three other hammocks hung from the floor to the ceiling. Zoro slept in the middle, his back against the wooden wall. And Koga…
Well, Koga was thrashing around, his sheet entangling with his body, cold sweat covering his whole body. Soft pants and an occasional gasp left his lips. At his feet, Sankaoken hummed in sinister laughter.
xXxNIGHTMARExXx
Fire. Fire eveywhere. I can't see, or breathe. The smoke makes my lungs burn, the flames lick my skin in a dangerous caress. I try to run, but my body doesn't move. Why, why can't I move my body?!
There are laughter. Distorted, barely audible. Kids? I don't know, I don't want to know. They're calling at me; I hear them running along the wooden hallways of the ship. I wriggle, terror filling my lungs now, the fire slowly crawling towards me, towards my frozen body.
"Hi, Koga!"
I don't recognize that voice, so distorted by the fire. My eyes dart frantically around the impossibly dark room, engulfed by black flames; I can barely distinguish the silhouette of a small kid. But I don't recall who he is, or even his features.
"Been a really long time." He suddenly sounds very near, his voice in my ear. My eyes grow wide in terror. "But I'm afraid you don't remember me, huh?"
The flames are even nearer now. Only one and a half meters from my body. It's hot, too hot, and I can't breathe…
"It's okay though…" The flames are about to reach me…! "You'll remember me soon… I can't wait!" A distorted laugh. "Until then, sweet dreams… And welcome home, my chosen one…"
As my body is engulfed by flames, I finally open my mouth… And scream.
"Wake up!"
Koga's eyes snapped open, filled with terror, and found himself sprawled on the wooden floor. Usopp and Sanji were looking at him with barely hidden concern gleaming in their eyes. Sunlight creeping through the small window near the ceiling revealed it was morning already; he also noticed that the others were dressed already, while he was simply wearing some loose pants for sleeping and the bandage of his arm.
He tried to calm down his quickened breaths and rubbed his face with his hand, noting his slight trembling and his cold-sweated skin.
"Koga, are you alright?" The sniper asked in concern, helping him sit up on the floor.
"Yeah, I guess…" He mumbled, not seeing the pair share a skeptic glare at each other. "What happened?"
"Well, you were thrashing around and then you suddenly fell." Sanji explained in a neutral voice. "You were muttering something in your sleep too. Something about 'black fire'."
The chronicler gulped and then shook his head. It had been nothing, he tried to convince himself. He didn't know who that creepy kid was, but he supposed the answer lied beyond the Grand Line.
But, did he really want to know? Something about that kid seemed off. As if he were…
"Well, you should get dressed then." Sanji's voice interrupted his thoughts as he went to the staircase. "We're getting near the Grand Line."
At the thought of the Grand Line, his stomach constricted in anxiety. But still, he sighed and stood up, ignoring the long-nosed teen's worried look. The blond wore his usual attire since before going to Arlong Park. Usopp, knowing he wouldn't get any answer from his companion, simply shook his head in worry and followed him to the deck.
Sun blinded the blonde young man momentarily, but quickly got used to it as he watched the blue skies above him... and the sinister dark clouds on the distance they were heading.
"The Grand Line is over there..." He muttered, a hand caressing the hem of his beloved blue scarf.
Images of his previous nightmare flashed through his mind. His chosen one... Who the hell was that kid and why did he call him 'chosen one'?
Damn... Since his meeting with Yuuto, everything had been confusing around him. The Cursed, the Contracts, the demons... Things he knew and things he didn't, they blended and mixed together in his head.
"Koga, good timing!" Nami called out to him from in front of the kitchen, the chart she had stolen from Buggy unfolded in her hands and a frown on her face. "I need to ask you something."
"What about?" Koga strode towards her as Usopp went to the kitchen to take care of the rudder.
She showed him the map. It was a pretty detailed representation of the Red Line, a great mountain just in its center. "Isn't this chart wrong?"
"No, it is correct."
"Just as I feared. Everyone!" She called to the others, who were in the crow's nest (Luffy stupidly clapping Sanji and Zoro's backs in excitement). "Get in the cabin, we have to talk!"
Once in the cabin, where Usopp was fighting to control the helm, Koga absentmindedly chewed some crackers he had found on the ladder as Nami put down her map on the table. Luffy seated at Koga's right, and Zoro in front of both of them. Nami and Sanji were standing at either end of the table.
"Look at this." She said, and the crewmembers looked at her in confusion. "I heard the rumors, but it is also in this chart. If they are true, and Koga confirmed it, then the entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain." Her finger pointed to the grand mountain drawn on it.
"A mountain?" Luffy asked, a glass gripped between his teeth.
"You mean we have to crash through a mountain?" Zoro piped in. "What the hell?"
"No, that's not it." Koga stood up and reached up to point his finger to the mountain. "This mountain's called Reverse Mountain. See these four lines at either side? Those are rivers, canals that go up the mountain, and this line over here..." He pointed to the thick line that went across the mountain right into the Grand Line "is the one that will take us down the mountain into the Grand Line."
"I knew it!" The only girl in the crew nodded, her doubts confirmed.
"What are you blabbering about?" The swordsman asked again. "Even if there was a canal, we still can't make a ship climb up a mountain.
"But that's what the map says!" Nami replied, looking at him exasperated.
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Sanji yelled at the green-haired swordsman, making Koga cringe because of the loud tone. "There's no way Nami-san's wrong about this!"
"And what about me? Never mind..." The chronicler sighed before continuing his explanation. "Listen, Reverse Mountain is a Winter Island; that means there are massively strong currents that force the waters upward the canals..."
"And if the four currents from each the Blues meet at the top... It would push us down the one that flows into the Grand Line!" Nami finished for him, a huge smile on her face once she understood everything.
At last, Usopp shouted for someone to help him with the strong current, but it was useless. Nami also explained that the currents that collide with the Red Line were forced downward into the ocean floor; if they couldn't make it into the canal, the Merry would smash against the Red Line.
"Now I understand!" Luffy exclaimed, a hand rubbing his chin. "It's a Mystery Mountain, right?"
Nami and Koga looked at him sweatdropping. "You didn't understand anything we've explained..."
"Anyway, we need to be careful." The navigator continued. "We would be able to climb the Reverse Mountain in a canal, but if we mess up, it could end in disaster!"
"Nami-san, you're so wonderful!" Sanji's eye became a hart as he twirled around.
"I've never heard anything about ships climbing mountains." Zoro piped in once more.
As everyone around him talked about the rumors –or lack thereof– they had heard about the Reverse Mountain, Koga looked at the table with a small frown on his face. Nearly half the ships that tried to enter the Grand Line didn't make it. They had to be careful, as Nami said; it was easy to be caught in the mountain's current, but maintaining the course and avoiding the collision against the Red Line wasn't so much. The chronicler touched the bandage in his arm; he knew that that wound would be the lesser of his problems once in the Grand Line. Nothing was going to be easy for them.
Outside, it began to rain, and Nami ordered Sanji and Luffy to furl up the sails. Koga looked at the window from his position at the table and thought of how familiar it was the rain to him.
"OI!" Luffy's voice came from outside, piercing through the gathering storm. "I can see the Mystery Mountain!"
At those words, everyone hurried outside, except Koga, who strode calmly behind them. A massive stone wall stood in front of them, dark clouds obstructed the view of its peak. No matter how many times he saw it, it was simply impressive.
It was then that the ship began lurching forwards, bouncing upon a sudden increase in the current.
"We're getting sucked in!" Luffy cried out, bouncing up and down from the rafters. "Grab the helm!"
"Okay, leave it to us!" Usopp and Sanji hurried inside the cabin.
Suddenly, Koga's intuition began tingling. It was faint, barely noticeable, but it was there. He looked around but found nothing dangerous.
"Nami! Where's the entrance?! If we keep going straight, we'll hit the cliff!" Luffy shouted at his navigator.
Pushing his worries aside for the moment, the blond young man hurried to the girl's side. "There should be a crack on the cliffs! That's where the entrance is!"
"A crack...?" She repeated, before nodding and looking ahead through her binoculars. "There! Hold our path steady! The entrance is right in front of us!"
"Is that crack the canal?" The rubber captain jumped at the red-haired's other side.
"Yeah!" Koga answered, smiling along with his companions. "But we need to avoid the massive water gates!"
The ship began drifting to the left just as the chronicler finished that sentence.
"We're drifting! Hard right!" Luffy ordered.
"Right?! Then hard to starboard!"
Both Usopp and Sanji put all their strength in the helm, trying to move it.
CRACK!
Everyone stood in shock, the sound ringing in the air for a few seconds. Sanji and Usopp pole-vaulted backwards because of the impulse, a great chunk of the helm with them.
"THE HELM!"
Koga swirled around and his eyes grew wide as plates. "Damn! We're gonna collide!"
A red flash darted past him, handing his beloved straw hat to his first mate, and leapt to the portside of the ship.
"Gum Gum... Balloon!" Thanks to his expanded stomach, the Merry simply bounced on him instead of colliding against the Water Gate, safely entering the canal. Before they lost their captain, Zoro hauled him back onboard.
"YAHOOO! WE MADE IT!"
Once the entire crew was reunited on the bow, Usopp and Sanji were arm-to-arm cheering loudly, Nami sighing in relief and Zoro and Luffy laughing wholeheartedly. Koga, though not as expressive as his companions, also had an unusual wide smile on his face as he watched them celebrate not having their ship destroyed.
"And now..." Nami announced brightly, taking off her rain coat and holding it over her head, "we'll just ride straight up to the peak!"
"Wohoo!" Luffy cried out, near his beloved seat at the figurehead. "Koga, you didn't tell us this was so incredible!"
"And spoiling the surprise?" Koga smiled at him, amused by his child-like behavior.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!"
A familiar voice resounded, and all the crew swirled around to find Sicko guy standing simbly on the railing. His sunglasses had disappeared, broken after the beating he received from Luffy, revealing thin closed eyes. A deep frown clouded his expression as he watched them –or so they thought he was doing.
"You again? You never learn..." The rubber captain protested.
"SHUT UP! Everything's your fault!" Eric raised a hand and everyone tensed. "Because of you, I couldn't obtain the Elixir! At least I'll take your head of thirty million Berri!"
Koga's hand closed on Sankaoken's hilt, and Sanji muttered, "This is bad. If he throws his techniques here..."
"We can't get away." Zoro completed his thoughts.
But then, Nami got an idea. "Oh look! Dragonite!"
And, just as stupidly, Eric looked at the direction she was pointing at. The navigator, taking advantage of his distraction, reached up to him and kicked his shin to unbalance him and throw him overboard. Mouths agape, the others could only watch as Eric the Whirlwind bounced a few times on the water before disappearing from their sights.
"Bye bye!" Nami chirped, waving a hand with a huge smile on her face.
"Oh, I should've thought of that!" The others punched the palms of their hands in realization.
Just then, a familiar sound reached Koga's ears and he turned his head sharply, a sudden smile tugging at his lips at the beautiful landscape. "Guys, look at that."
Luffy and the others turned and smiled at the sight. While they were worried about Eric, the Merry was about to get through the clouds. The captain let out a cheerful laugh as everyone dispersed all over the ship; Koga decided to go up the crow's nest to enjoy better the sights. His arms posed against the railing, the light blue scarf and his own braid floating behind as he contemplated the ascension with a small smile on his lips.
'Here', he thought, just as they passed through the cold clouds. 'Here is where the story begins.'
The mountain's stone flew right past them as the white churning water rushed them forward to the peak. The blue sky welcomed them once they got through the thick white cloud, the rocks turning a rusted red as they neared the top. The summit was sparkling from the colliding rivers, a pulse of rainbows and colors dancing upon the top. Because of the impulse the water channel had, the Merry flew out as the water sprinkled around them, plunging straight into the gathering of canals.
"YAHOO!" Luffy cheered from his position at the Merry's sheep figurehead, his favorite seat, as they flew towards their intended course, landing solidly within the only downward steam with a loud splash.
"This is truly amazing..." Koga muttered, a great smile on his face as he gripped his scarf to keep it around his throat.
They then entered a massive cloud bank, hiding the Grand Line from their view. The chronicler enjoyed the speed and the cool air against his skin with a smirk, but then he heard something strange reverberating in the air.
"Did you guys hear something?" Zoro asked before he could, cocking his head to the side.
"Yeah, I did." Koga chimed in from the crow's nest, squinting his eyes forwards, trying to see something amidst the thick clouds. Thinking he saw something, he enhanced his eyesight with his Devil Fruit abilities and then called out. "Oi, Nami! Something is blocking our path!"
"What?" The navigator exclaimed. "That can't be!"
"I can see it too!" Sanji had a hold onto the rope ladder leading to the crow's nest, also looking to the front but aided with binoculars. "I think it's a giant mountain!"
"That's impossible!" She insisted, confused. "There should be only ocean after the Twin Capes!"
'That's also what I remember.' Koga thought, frowning as he gripped the railing tightly with one hand, the other holding his beloved scarf in place.
As the clouds dispersed around them, the crew's eyes widened as they saw a giant black... thing, blocking right their path.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Sanji yelled, the only visible eye bugging out of its socket.
"It's a black wall!" Luffy screamed from the figurehead.
"No it isn't!" Nami responded, grabbing the railing with both her hands.
"Then what is it?!"
Usopp took the scope and looked through it... and paled so much it worried everyone. "I- IT'S A WHALE!"
The deep, blaring sound then was heard again, but so loud that Koga's sensitive ears hurt, making him cover them with his hands, a wince of pain in his face.
'A whale that gigantic can't be a normal whale...' He thought, not hearing the others freak out on the deck below him. 'That must be an Island Whale... But I heard that they were a species that resided only in the West Blue, so what the hell is an Island Whale doing here of all places?'
Hmm, may I remind you shitty host that at this speed we'll collide against that Island Whale or whatever that thing is?
Crap, he was right! This wasn't the time to be stupidly daydreaming!
"... We can get by on the left!" He heard Zoro yell. "Turn hard to port!"
"Did you forget the helm's broken?!" Usopp shrieked at the swordsman.
Koga jumped from over the nest's railing, staggering a bit before straightening and going to help Sanji, Zoro and Usopp with the broken helm, desperation not letting him use properly his Devil Fruit powers. But they were going too fast, and the Merry's direction didn't budge! At that rate they were going to collide...!
BOOM!
A cannonfire! Everyone got thrown forwards until getting back to their feet, confusion at the sudden decreased speed of the ship. Koga helped Usopp stand up before going to the upper railing and watching the giant whale just meters away from them. Luffy then opened the door that lead to the front cannon room with a wide satisfied smile on his face, emitting a proud "Done!"
Although seriously dangerous, it seemed Luffy's surprisingly brilliant plan served to slow down the ship so much that when they did collide with the giant whale, it felt like a tap... But a tap that broke the Merry's head, crashing it onto the deck right to Nami's struck body.
"NOO!" Luffy's horrified yell filled the ship as he got onto the deck and watched his beloved seat destroyed. "That was my special seat!"
Ignoring their idiot captain, the others looked up at the giant whale (not seeing its eyes anywhere, but Koga supposed they were at the sides of its head) and took in its enormous proportions. Fortunately, the cannonball didn't seem to affect it, or even attract its attention to them.
"Let's get out of here before it's too late!"
Zoro ran, going to grab the oars, with Koga right on his heels. Sanji and Usopp agreed and took the other side's. They paddled like crazy, terrified, the small gap at the left of the Island Whale's body a bright hopeful shine. Just as they reached its eye, the loud low noise rumbled again, making them stop momentarily.
"Hurry!" Usopp cried out, his voice barely audible above the noise of the whale calling out. "Just keep paddling!"
But Luffy stepped up near the giant eye. Koga's poor ringing ears didn't register what he said, but he suddenly punched the eye with his elastic arm, making everyone look at him in shock! The eye didn't react for a moment, but then it looked down at the tiny ship, and everyone freaked out, knowing it was going to do something.
Uh oh, big trouble right ahead.
Koga didn't hear Sankaoken's remark before the whale let out a huge roar, ten times louder and more deafening than the other rumbling noises it made earlier. The chronicler couldn't help but to drop the oar and cover his ears with his hands, dropping to his knees, groaning in pain as he tried to block the noise. The Merry shook underneath them and his body stumbled to the side, colliding with the railing, and he cracked open one eye to see the whale's mouth getting closer and closer. They were being sucked in! A freaking giant whale was going to swallow them whole!
But no one could do anything to stop it. And so, Koga watched helplessly, still unable to move because of the painful roar, as they were sucked inside it and its giant maws closed behind them.
A/N: Ta-da, cliffie xD!
I'm sorry for leaving it like this, I just couldn't continue writing anymore. But well, at least they are already in the Grand Line! (and inside of Laboon's stomach xD)
As you have probably noticed, no, Koga doesn't know Laboon or Crocus. He passed the Calm Belt with some well-prepared merchants that had a paddle-ship and that also had Sea Stone coated in the hull (that is how they avoided the Sea Kings). I had indeed thought in making Crocus know the Straw Hat's chronicler, but I couldn't think of a proper background of how they met, I'm sorry about that.
Well, see ya next time, I'm waiting for your lovely reviews!