Updated: April 26, 2018
Chapter Twenty-Five: Galleons from Sky Island!
Rowan was quite happy up in her crow's nest. She was away from 'The Bitch' and as far away as she technically could get while on a caravel. Stretched out, bare feet hanging over the side of the round railing, Rowan had her head cushioned on her arms while lying out on her back. The sun was deliciously warm against her sore body.
It was nice to be able to simply relax. Rowan hadn't had a single good night's rest since leaving Alabasta. She was sure it was somehow The Bitch's fault; couldn't get a wink of sleep with the woman next to her being a trained assassin.
"What's your Log Pose course, Ms. Navigator?"
Rowan heard something in her mouth break as she clenched her teeth. Even The Bitch's voice ran her right up a wall.
Swinging her feet from the railing, Rowan rolled and peered over the side of the crow's nest. The Bitch was standing next to Nami who was peering at the glass bulb on her wrist.
"Ahead west by northwest, Robin!" the young woman chimed in a high pitched voice.
"She gave you a gem, didn't she?" Usopp huffed while rubbing at his eyes. Rowan rolled her own eyes at the sharpshooter. He had no right to talk. Only she and the stupid, stupid, swordsman had stood against The Bitch's advancements towards the crew. Not that she wanted to be on the same side as the stupid, stupid swordsman. She wasn't talking to that idiot at the moment. And she was pretty sure he was another reason she wasn't getting any proper sleep.
"Sanji, how about a snack?" Luffy's loud voice came barreling from the back of the ship.
"Give me a minute!" was the thundered response from the lounge. Rowan looked down at the top of The Bitch's head. She wondered how much force she'd have to put into the jump if she launched herself at her. The Bitch would probably see her shadow at this time of day with the sun well above her head. Perhaps if she hit her from the back instead of coming down from above. If she hit her in the shoulders with her feet she could probably send The Bitch toppling and into the ocean. Sanji was in the lounge and would take a while to find her, while Nami probably wouldn't go in after her. Usopp might but then Rowan could always pretend to fall into him after her landing. The Bitch would probably get eaten before Usopp found her if Rowan did that.
Rowan was just beginning to really formulate a plan when she heard it; a light tap of something against the crow's nest.
Curious, Rowan turned around and looked at the floor beneath her bare feet. There was nothing unusual. Raising an eyebrow up her forehead, Rowan looked around when she heard the noise again, and then, suddenly, a few more times. Curious now peeking into annoyance, Rowan tiled her head up to the sky. She was hit right between the eyes by something.
Snarling, Rowan looked down to the floor demanding whatever hit her in the face to show itself. She bent at the knees and picked up the only thing that could have possibly hit her. The piece of wood was old, almost crumbling in Rowan's fingers as she lifted it up to the sun in order to get a better look. More of the strange pieces of wood continued to fall down around her.
"Rain?" the stupid swordsman asked.
"It's not rain," Sanji commented, telling Rowan he had finally joined the others.
"Rice crackers?" Rowan really hoped that Usopp got hit by a big piece.
"No…something's fall—" Rowan looked back up to the sky. Something was falling towards them. Something large.
Rowan's eyes just about popped out of their sockets while her jaw touched the bottom of the crow's nest.
"Impossible…" she barely whispered, eyes glued to the giant galleon falling towards them.
"From the sky…" she heard Luffy's voice ring in her ears.
"A galleon?"
"How?"
The falling galleon landed in the water. Rowan watched, almost as if the world had suddenly taken to being in slow motion, as the galleon dipped up the water and broke the bonds that kept the water tension at its strongest. Her heart stopped in her chest as she watched the wave the galleon created form before her very eyes. It was by instinct alone that Rowan's fingers dug into the wood of the ship.
The world suddenly sped up again and Merry Go was riding the wave hard. Going parallel with the sea, Merry Go was forced away in the wake of the sinking galleon. Screams rose from the deck as the others scrambled to not fall into the water.
"What's going on? What is this?" Nami screamed from her spot against the mast.
"It's a dream! It's all a bad dream!"
"A dream? That's a relief!"
"There's more coming down! Look out!" Rowan had to dodge a rather large piece of wood from hitting her.
"Hold the rudder!" Nami screamed.
"What good will that do?"
"I don't know! This isn't exactly a normal thing where you know what to do!"
"Luffy! Protect the ship! She'll break up!"
"Okay! Huh? Usopp?"
"Don't worry. Just relax and close your eyes. Then slowly open them. See? It's a nice peaceful morning—" Usopp's scream was capable of breaking glass and Rowan's eardrums. "A skull!" Rowan was propelled from the crow's nest as the wave they were riding jerked and bucked. Tumbling, the woman barely snatched up the sail before plummeting into the sea below. She climbed the sail the best she could and grasped the sail's attachment piece. Arms wrapped tight around the wood, Rowan rode the last of the torrent out with head tucked into her armpit. She wasn't going blind because of a piece of galleon.
"Why is it raining ships?" Luffy barked once the spell was over. Rowan unclenched her arms and fell to the main deck with the use of ropes to stop her from plummeting.
"It's crazy!" Sanji snapped, head to the sky like everyone else's. Rowan also lifted her head and all but glowered up at the blue sky that dared look like it hadn't just dropped a galleon on their head. Nami's scream ripped the air.
"What's wrong, Nami?
"The Log Pose! It's broken! It's pointing upwards and not moving!"
"It's not broken," The Bitch stated, her light brown eyes pointing to the sky above. "The magnetic field of another island has made it switch headings. And if it's point skyward that can only mean one thing. Our Log Pose has been captured by a Sky Island."
"Sky Island?"
"What's that? Is this island floating?" Rowan tilted her head back and looked to the calm sky above.
"Is that where the ship and the skeletons fell from?"
"I don't see any islands up there," Zolo huffed. Rowan slapped her forehead with the heel of her palm. Zolo returned her look of annoyance.
"Actually it's not just the island. It's the sea that's floating in the sky."
"The sea?" Nami yelped at the woman's retort.
"Because that's not just confusing them even more," Rowan barked at The Bitch. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Rowan glowered at The Bitch as she turned to look at her. Rowan wanted to throw her overboard when she only smiled.
"The sea float's in the sky and there's an island on it? Let's go!" Luffy ordered. "C'mon, guys! Raise the prow!"
"Raise the prow!" Usopp cheered. Rowan hitched a thumb at the two and glared at The Bitch.
"Look what you started." Hands sprung out of Luffy's shoulder and slapped down on his face, succeeding in silencing him.
"We can't raise the prow," Sanji explained to the struggling Luffy.
"Actually, I've never seen this Sky Island. I don't know much about it," Usopp quickly derailed at the thought of The Bitch attacking him next. Nami decided to be the voice of reason and shouted,
"But that's impossible! How can an island or an ocean float in the air? The Log Pose must be broken!"
"Nami!" Rowan barked, whirling on the orangette. "What have I told you about the Log Pose? A Log Pose is one's only life line in this sea! Either follow it or die! Those are your two options!"
"Ms. Clodagh is right," The Bitch agreed, causing the hairs on the back of Rowan's neck to rise. She didn't want The Bitch to agree with her; she just wanted her to disappear from her ship. "We don't need a new Log Pose but we have to figure out how to get up to the sky. There will always be an island where the Log Pose points."
"And how do we do that?" The Bitch smiled and motioned to the coffin that had all but fallen on top of Usopp.
"Ask him."
Rowan returned to her crow's nest and ignored The Bitch below. Instead, she pinned her eyes to Usopp and Luffy who had abandoned ship and were now plundering around the last bits of the galleon that were still above water.
"Hey! You put it together!" Chopper's gasped, forcing Rowan to acknowledge The Bitch's work. The Bitch had succeeded in reassembling the skull of the skeleton.
"This hole is man-made."
"So that's what killed him!" Sanji chimed from his kneeling spot next to The Bitch.
"No, these are the marks of brain surgery. Right, Mr. Doctor?"
"Yes…" Chopper commented while trying to hid behind the mast and failing miserably. "A long time ago, people used to make holes in the skull to relieve the pressure of tumors. But nobody does that anymore."
"This man died over 200 years ago. He was in his mid-thirties. He got sick on the high seas and died. Compared to these others, his teeth are well preserved…probably due to the tar on them. His clothes are unique to a particular area of the South Blue. I'd say that ship was an old exploration vessel." The Bitch picked up a book and began to flip through the pages. "Here it is. The St. Briss from the South Blue kingdom of Briss set sail 208 years ago. That's the ship that fell on us. It's has the same figurehead."
"So this ship has been sailing the skies for 200 years?" Sanji mused aloud. Rowan propped her chin up on her palm as she watched more of the galleon begin to sink. The two boys almost fell in when a large piece of the hull went under.
"You figured all that out from a bunch of bones?" Nami questioned, looking impressed.
"They say dead men tell no tales, but that's not always true. If it was an exploration ship, there should be lots of records on board. But it's sinking…"
"Luffy fell in," Rowan called down to the rest of the crew without any real worry.
"Help!"
"I'm coming Luffy!" Usopp squealed.
Sopping wet and panting Luffy was when Usopp plopped him on the deck. The boy still smiled however as he suddenly stretched a piece of parchment out in front of him.
"I found something amazing! Take a look at this!" he cheered.
"A map of a Sky Island?" Nami snatched the map right up and looked hard at the wet piece of parchment. "Is there really an island in the sky?"
"We did it, Usopp!" Luffy howled, arms thrusting into the air. "There is a Sky Island!"
"Chopper! A Dream Island! We're going to a Dream Island!"
"A Dream Island?"
Nami shook her head and fanned the map.
"Don't get to excited," she told the boys. "We don't know anything for sure. There are a lot of fake maps in the world." When Nami turned she was faced with three fallen faces that were simply miserable. "Oh. Sorry. It's okay. I'm sure it's real. But…we just don't know how to get there!"
"Oi!" Rowan snapped as Nami bashed her fist against the mast.
"Nami, take it easy on the ship," Usopp grumbled.
"You're our Navigator, aren't you? Do something!"
"There are some things even I can't do!"
"It's easy! Just sail in to the sky!"
"Nami's beautiful when she's angry!"
"This is useless. We're getting nowhere! The needle's pointing straight up. Robin's right! We need more information! If that huge ship was up there, then there must be a way for us to get up there too! Let's search the wreck for records." Usopp shook his head and leaned against the mast.
"But it sank," Usopp sighed.
"Then we'll just have to salvage it!"
"That's impossible!" Usopp thundered over Luffy's cheer.
"…how did I get roped into this?" Rowan demanded, greatly annoyed by the way her voice echoed in the barrel. Rowan looked around her new entrapment. The encasement was made out of a spare barrel that she had yet to get rid of from the storage. She could still smell the pears that had been harbored inside it. The scent had been absorbed by the wood. Rowan looked back out the makeshift porthole of glass. Her head turned up and looked at the only method of air; a hole attached to a hose. Her arms were encased in shoulder length gloves. Only the lower portion of her body was free but the barrel was tight around her hips to make sure water didn't enter.
"You really like to put us in danger, huh?" Luffy asked from beside Rowan in his double barrel suit.
"How are you supposed to walk?" Rowan demanded from the boy, looking at his encased legs. His feet wiggled.
"I promise to find you a way up to the sky, Nami-chan!" Sanji cheered from the other side of Zolo. Rowan looked forward and glowered at the navigator.
"I'm counting on you," she smiled sweetly. Rowan didn't buy it for a minute.
"Have no fear. My engineering is flawless," Usopp declared with pride. Rowan looked over at the roll of pipe that was going to be supplying her air.
"…I think I'd rather just swim." And Rowan was being dead serious.
"Rowan! You can't just—" Rowan took the barrel off and tossed it to the side.
"How do you think you're going to breathe underwater?"
"Air pockets. There are bound to be some since it just went under. I'm not going in with that stupid thing around my head. I don't even have a peripheral with that wrapped around my head like a idget." Rowan marched on, ignoring Nami and the others.
"Don't worry," The Bitch chortled lightly causing the others to turn to her and ignore Rowan. Rowan disregarded The Bitch completely and pulled herself up on the railing. Taking off her shirt, the woman tossed it to the ground. "Clodaghs are notorious swimmers."
"I'll see you down there." It was with one powerful push off that Rowan cut into the water like a harpoon. The water was nice against her warmed skin but slowly became colder the further Rowan went. Her heart about jumped into her throat when she saw the sea kings lurking below.
'Must be a nest,' she grumbled, kicking her legs hard and sending herself barreling down. Rowan reached the boat with plenty of air still left in her powerful lungs. The salt water stung a bit at her eyes and light scratches that had yet to heal. Her hands grasped a piece of the ship and pulled herself into one of the holes in the brig. She used her hands to see due to their being very little light. An air pocket was a bit more difficult to find but she did in the end. She sucked in a new batch of air with relief. Sliding her wet hair back (it was easily two inches now and in desperate need of a cut as it was curling around her head in clumps) Rowan took yet another breath before diving back down.
She found the boys in the hull. Rowan waved to them and Luffy's arm wiggled in its confinements. Despite the fact the boys were able to breathe easily, Rowan had more maneuverability and was able to scourer the ship a lot faster. Rowan saw that the ship was old like The Bitch had said. Swimming around, Rowan worked her way from one room to the next. Bones were spewed about while some still had the weapon that finished them off impaled into their ribs or stuck in their skulls. Any piece of clothing she found was rotted; books were nothing but a pile of mush that couldn't even be called a book any longer; anything metal was rusting: this was shown by Zolo pulling out a sword that crumbled once freed from its sheath; when it came right down to it, there was nothing on the ship that could be salvaged. That didn't stop the boys though. When Rowan came back from taking a breather she found all three of them jamming stuff into individual sacks.
Swimming above the boys, Rowan looked down at Zolo. The idiot had an octopus on the top of his barrel. If she hadn't been under water, Rowan would have snorted. Swimming down, Rowan motioned towards the octopus with her fingers. Her feet came up over her head before she was able to stand right in front of the swordsman. When he realized what she was doing, he tried to bat her away. Rowan only smirked and resumed her search.
Rowan was just started on another room, hanging upside down as her body continuously tried to float back to the surface. It was only sheer luck that when the giant object came barreling into the wall next to her that it only just missed her. Eyes wide, air escaping her lungs, Rowan kicked off the wall and away from the intruding object. It was big and black and almost reminded Rowan of the point of an anchor. Rowan about jumped out of her skin when she felt the tremor throughout the ship. It seemed that the same thing had happened on the other side of the hull. Rowan kicked a leg out and turned herself back around just in time to watch something appear from the intruding object.
Her floating body hit the ship floor hard when the thing that appeared engulfed her; it was air, vile air that smelled of bananas but air nonetheless. Rowan motioned towards the others that they could take off their submarine barrels. They hadn't even started when strangers that Rowan had never seen before came running in to the ship with much better submarine suits.
Enraged faces appeared on the strangers before they were swimming forward like torpedoes. They hit the air pocket with practiced ease. When one threw a punch at Rowan, she lashed out with a leg. She was a bit surprised that the man fell so easily. Jaw open lightly, Rowan looked to the stunned faces of the enemy. Blinking once, Rowan rolled her eyes and then rushed the remainders. They fell like bowling balls.
"That was a bit of a letdown," Rowan commented drily while ringing water out of her hair. "They weren't even a proper warm up." She ran her fingers through her red hair, pinning it to her scalp.
"They filled it full of air," Zolo observed the obvious. "I wonder who's trying to bring this ship up?"
"I hope Nami-chan and Robin-san are okay. They haven't been responding to my calls!"
"With how weak those fools were, I highly doubt that they would have any trouble," Rowan stated. She was turning towards the boys, jaw pausing mid-word when she saw that Zolo still had the octopus astride his shoulder when the wall behind her exploded in towards them.
"Who are you?" an obnoxiously loud voice thundered as Rowan spun away from the flying wood. "How dare you invade my territory?"
"A monkey?" The intruder squealed to a stop and his jaw opened up into something akin to a smile.
"Huh? You think I'm hunky?"
"Pretty hunky for a monkey."
"…and this is when I leave." Rowan snarled at Zolo when he stopped her from leaving the asinine conversation going on in front of her. Having nothing else to do but listen to Luffy and the stranger, Rowan took the newbie in.
The monkey-man stood tall above the rest of them, his head almost knocking against the hole he had created. His tanned form was covered in a skin tight brown shirt which he wore under orange overalls. Thick lips and squinty eyes only accented his small forehead and large jaw. Rowan swore she saw a tail too.
"Huh? Hey…what's in the bags?" Rowan looked to the three bags the boys had collected. Luffy smiled and opened his.
"A bunch of cool treasures we've found on this ship! We're gonna take 'em—" Luffy almost got the thick fist right to the face. It was only his quick reflexes that saved him from having his head slung across the ship.
"Hey!"
"Crap! Calm down—" Rowan dived under a fist. When the monkey went for one of the bags, Rowan had had enough.
"We can't fight without damaging our only chance to get to the sky island!" The boys nodded to Rowan and grabbed their bags before running.
"But what about the water—"
"Luffy!" Rowan felt Luffy's arms wrap tight around her chest, circling over and under her shoulders so that he had a nice grip and Rowan wouldn't have to keep a hold of him.
It crossed Rowan's mind as odd, while hitting the warm salty waters, that she didn't have to swim far in order to reach Merry Go's side. She had been deep underwater and yet…she had reached the ship in a matter of seconds. Deciding that this was a good thing and that the reasoning behind it was that the ship had been full of air and rising, Rowan quickly climbed Merry Go's side and tossed Luffy onto the deck.
"Set sail!" she ordered just as Zolo and Sanji joined her. Rowan frowned when she found it was hard to see. It was like it had suddenly turned into the middle of the night while she was down in the sea. Looking up, she saw a black sky and nothing else. "What the…" Rowan ignored Nami as the female began to slap Luffy in order to wake him up.
"We're in danger!" Sanji agreed with Rowan, not yet realizing just how dark out it was.
"Thank goodness you're alive! Yes, we should get away from the turtle!"
"What turtle? There was a big monkey down there!" Rowan turned around to help Sanji aboard the ship but instead froze in horror.
"It's gotta be some sort of sea monster!" Sanji stated while matching exactly what Rowan was thinking but the monkey man was the last thing on her mind.
"But he was friendly with Luffy at first."
"Naturally, they're both monkeys."
"But as soon as he saw the stuff we'd picked up from the ship, he went berserk!"
"He turned into a gorilla!"
"That was Masira. He's a salvager. But how did you get out of that turtle's mouth?" Usopp demanded.
"Turtle? What turtle?" Rowan tapped Zolo's shoulder causing him and Sanji to turn around and see what she was gaping at. Floating next to Merry Go, towering over her to the point where Merry was only the size of a small tooth, a giant turtle had what remained of the scuba suits' pipes leading to its mouths.
"Turtle," Rowan stated.
"You're just noticing it?" Usopp roared at Sanji and Zolo's yelps of surprise. "That thing ate you, ship and all!"
"Time to sail!" Rowan shouted to them all, rushing past the waking Luffy and hauling herself up the rigging and towards the sails. She quickly released the ties that kept them in place, the sails unfurling and going taunt with a loud snap. "Zolo, Sanji! Tie the sails! Chopper, to the wheel! Usopp, keep an eye on the other ship! Na—"
"Hold it!" Rowan about fell off the mast when the monkey appeared on deck after jumping up from the water. "You've encroached on Masira's territory! Nobody steals my treasure!"
"Treasure?" Nami squealed. "You found treasure?" Luffy, finally back in action, laughed and nodded his head dramatically.
"Yeah! Lots and lots!" Rowan personally didn't know what treasures Luffy was talking about but let it go. Rowan opened her mouth, prepared to shout out and get the ship rolling but found herself paralyzed in fear. Olive colored eyes stared up into the blackness of the sky and the monsters that stared down at her. Her chest was screaming in pain while fear caused her lungs and heart to stop working.
Standing in front of the ship, three altogether, were the biggest creatures Rowan had ever seen in her entire life. Their size alone made the turtle appear normal in stature.
"…oars…" Rowan whimpered, terrified that if she spoke to loudly the creatures would turn on them. That fear flew out the window when one of the creatures moved and was replaced by Rowan's need to leave. "Oars!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, flying down the mast and running to help get the wooden pieces. The oars were in the water in record time and with the monstrous strength that was her crew, the Merry Go was soon gone out of sight of the monsters and back into the sun.
Once free of the shadows, the group fell, panting up a storm and trying to get back energy. Rowan was lying on her belly, face tucked into her crossed arms. She didn't want to look around in fear she'd find something else large and threatening.
"Impossible," she heard Nami whimper.
"Nothing could be that big," Usopp stated in shock more than anything else.
"Something's just not right today," Sanji panted.
"A falling galleon was bad enough," Zolo snapped.
"The needle was pointing up to the sky," Nami whined.
"A weird monkey came to salvage the wreck," Usopp groaned.
"And a giant turtle gobbled it up," Chopper added, panting heavily.
"It suddenly got dark," Robin sighed.
"And finally those super gigantic monsters showed up," Luffy cried.
"And we barely got away with our lives," Rowan grumbled into her arms.
"Yeah. That was really scary."
There was a pause of silence as everyone took in that one extra voice. Raising her head from her arms, Rowan looked to the side to see the gorilla man was…still on her ship.
"Get lost!" she, Zolo, Sanji and Luffy all screamed as they flew to their feet and lashed out with powerful kicks that sent the monkey flying. Rowan huffed out an aggravated sigh before turning back and stating,
"I'm going to change." Rowan walked past the others, mainly Nami who was beginning to shift through the rubble the boys had brought back up. Going to her trunk in the girl's dorm, Rowan pulled out a fresh, dry, set of clothes and after depositing her wet things on a line, proceeded to pull the fabric on. A purple spaghetti top that had the Dosoki Panda logo printed on the front was covered by a button down black shirt with purple decorations. Rowan chose not to button the shirt close, allowing herself to feel the breeze once she was back out on deck. She chose shorts for pants, the fabric semi-tight around her thighs. Her belt went on last, her dagger slipped through the leather, and her leather bracelet was checked for any fraying. Rowan even put on a pair of sandals that Nami had given her after the woman had insisted she not walk barefoot around the ship.
"Let's make octopus fritters!" Rowan heard the second she stepped foot on to the deck. Rowan rushed forward in two powerful steps and snatched the octopus out of Luffy's hands.
"Leave the thing be, Luffy," she snipped sharply, feeling pity for the stupid thing and its affection for Zolo. Even now the octopus was trying to stretch out its tentacles and get to the green haired man. Rowan walked past the whining Luffy and tossed the thing back into the ocean. "Hopefully the sea kings don't get it," she huffed.
"Rowan!" The woman looked up to Nami who was holding an Eternal Pose in hand. "Heard anything about a place called Jaya?" Rowan leaned her head back and looked up at the bright blue sky and puffy white clouds. So different than what it had been a mere hour ago.
"Jaya? That's a pirate's town I think," she said while rubbing at her still damp hair. Rowan turned her eyes back to Nami. "If I remember correctly…and I can't say that I do…I believe my father took me there when I was a child. I think…" Rowan closed her eyes and bit her lip in concentration. "Yeah…it was after we visited…mother…" Rowan's eyes snapped open quickly before she spun around and faced the direction the ship was floating towards.
"Jaya? Are we going there?" Luffy asked, not noticing Rowan's sudden change in posture. It didn't slip Robin's eye however. The girl had gone from aggravated yet relaxed, to tense and alert in a matter of seconds. Robin look ahead wondering what had caused the Clodagh strife.
"You're the Captain!" Nami roared her answer at Luffy. "It's up to you!"
"Okay! To Jaya! Full speed ahead! To Jaya at top speed!" There was nothing but silence and blank glances from the rest of the crew. "Nami…which way?"
"Starboard," she groaned.
"To Starboard!"
"Chopper, help us!" Usopp ordered.
"Okay!"
"To Jaya!" Rowan watched the boys scramble about her before reaching out and catching Luffy by the back of his shirt.
"Luffy…"
"Come on Rowan! We're headed to Jaya."
"I thought you wanted to go to the sky island." Rowan's eye twitched when Luffy let out a noise of exasperation and turned to Rowan. He then put his hands out and began to talk slowly as if to a child.
"We have to go to Jaya in order to find out how to get to Sky Island. Honestly Rowan, don't you pay attention?" Rowan's eye really began to twitch as she popped her knuckles.
"If you'll remember, Captain, the Log Pose of Nami's, which is pointed at Sky Island, will reset itself once we land on Jaya." Rowan could all but see the light bulb go off in Luffy's head before he was spinning around and lashing out his arms.
"Heave to! We're not going to Jaya!" The boy spun on the Navigator with a huff. "What's going on, Nami?"
"What? You wanted to go to Jaya, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but…I want to go to Sky Island, too!"
"Well, that's your fault. You have to think ahead, Luffy. You know how the Log Pose works."
"Oh yeah! All right! Listen! I'm the Captain so I'm going to choose our destination! I wanna go to the sky islands!"
"Fine. So how do we get there?" Nami demanded with exasperation that was surprisingly calm.
"Well, the best thing is to ask someone."
"That's true. Let's ask somebody on Jaya," Nami agreed with Usopp. "So let's go to Jaya."
"Alright! To Jaya!" Luffy howled. Rowan's foot slammed into the back of the boy's head and shoved it into the railing.
"If you're not going to use that brain I might as well take it out of your skull!" she snarled. Luffy's voice was muffled by the wood she was shoving in his mouth.
"The Log Pose won't reset immediately." Rowan unintentionally slammed Luffy's head harder into the railing when The Bitch spoke up. "Why not go to Jaya and leave again before the Log Pose can lock onto another magnetic field?"
"Yeh! Lebs oh at!" Luffy cheered before gasping for air when Rowan released him.
"We'll need a little luck though." Luffy jumped to his feet and sprang to the front of the ship and the sheep figurehead.
"All right, crew, let's go! To Jaya, the Land of Meat!"
"In your dreams!"
Rowan rolled the last of the barrels up to the deck and towards the ramp that was attached to the dock. Her forearm ran across her brow as she swiped at beads of sweat. That same arm went into her pocket and pulled out a small list she had made. Rowan's upper lip twitched as she looked at her chicken scratch.
"I'm going to go get supplies," she told the others without looking at them, rolling up the list and shoving it back into her pocket.
"Rowan-sweet! You can't leave me too!" Sanji whined, rushing to her side. "I'll come with you."
"No." Sanji jumped at the harsh tone that lashed from Rowan's mouth. The woman rubbed at her eye with the heel of her hand and turned to the chef. She watched the man's stunned expression turn into a gentle one in which he smiled softly. Her face twisted into a frown as he took a step back and nodded lightly.
"We'll be waiting for you here then," he smiled. Rowan looked the blond up and down before nodding and exiting the ramp. She didn't bothering looking back, shoving her hands into her pockets and ducking her head between her shoulders.
'Don't wait too long. I won't be back,' she grunted lightly.
The Merry Go hadn't landed but a little over half an hour ago and Rowan had taken that time to sort through the supplies and see what the crew would need if they really were going to a sky island. Her last duty as boatswain would be to make sure they had what they needed for their next journey.
And this time Zolo wouldn't get in her way of keeping them all safe.
Rowan found herself enjoying Jaya's port. The entire city was bursting with life as countless pirates and law-breakers went about blowing through their money by buying food, booze and sex. The island was warm, allowing everyone to spread their fun outdoors instead of staying inside the bars. The buildings themselves even looked welcoming despite the occasional need of fixing that no doubt came from having countless hotheaded individuals that came with bounties for a reason.
"I'll need these delivered," Rowan told the owner of the supply store, placing a wad of cash in his hand.
"Of course!" the man smiled, more than happy to comply after Rowan made such a large order. "To which ship?"
"The little caravel that has a ram figurehead and a Jolly Roger with a straw hat on the sails." The man nodded while proceeding to run his fingers through the gold. Positive that the shipments would make it to Merry Go, Rowan walked out of the shop. She paused upon exiting, lifting her head and allowing the incoming sea breeze to sooth her skin and the sun to kiss her cheeks. A deep breath was sucked in through her nose.
"Better leave…before they realize I'm gone," she sighed softly. Shaking herself from head to toe, Rowan stuffed her hands in her short pockets and started to the other side of the island.
Rowan made it to the northern docks and sat on one of the many benches that made up Jaya. Sails were tucked and anchors dropped as the ships buzzed with activity. She watched sailors and pirates go about making their ships prosper on the high seas.
It only took her a matter of seconds to find the ship she wished to depart on. A backup was also quickly sorted out just in case. Standing up from her spot, Rowan started to the ship where the man she highly suspected of being either the Captain or First Mate was giving out finishing orders. He was a short man but was built like a draft horse and had a thick mustache. The heaviest of supplies had been boarded on her chosen ship already and now the last, few touches were being taken aboard. Rowan knew it was the time to strike or miss her chance.
"May I have a word, sir?" Rowan questioned the man, coming to stand in front of him. It was hard to force the polite terms but Rowan managed it. The man's brow raised up his forehead causing his receding hairline to appear more dominate with the shift. She withstood his dark eyes going up and down her body in a quick glance.
"You don't look like a working girl. What do you want?" Rowan almost quirked a smirk. She remembered the first time someone had said that and she had punched them in the face. Of course she worked! She'd been worked to the bone since she had been forced off Dublin Isle. It took her a few explanations later to realize that they were saying she didn't look like a prostitute.
"Passage," she answered, rolling her shoulders back and straighten up just a little. She had found that if she made herself look confident without appearing arrogant, most sailors ended up doing what she wanted. "To the next island. I can work for my room and board."
"And what do you know of sailing girly?"
"I was born on a boat and have been living on one since then…sir," she added as a second thought. She had tried to figure the man out before coming over.
She hadn't wanted to go with a man that needed pampering and his ego stroked. That wouldn't last long for her at all. She had already caused one mutiny in her life by punching the captain off board; she didn't feel like going through that again. One haul in the brig had been enough to last her a life time. She also hadn't wanted to go with a man that was overly charismatic. Rowan had found those men were a lot like Sanji. They thought she needed them to do everything and anything for her. That only caused problems with the other crewmen. Rowan personal didn't like having to watch her back at every corner while being on a ship. It made a rather uncomfortable journey.
"You'll have to pay in the beginning," the man told her sharply, eyeing her a second time. "If you do your share you'll get the coin back at the end of the voyage."
"Sounds fair," Rowan nodded. Her fingers began to roll around the bills and coin she still had in her pocket. "How much?" The man said something to her question but Rowan had lost her attention to two men passing them.
"I couldn't believe it! That Strawhat really thought he could beat Bellamy! You should've seen the size of this pup! About as round as a twig!" the man laughed while throwing back his head.
"Girl!" Rowan jumped and looked back into the angry face of the First Mate. Rowan shook her head and watched the retreating back of the two laughing men.
"Forgive me. It would appear I had a change of heart." Rowan gave the man a quick nod and rushed after the two. Her large hand landed on his shoulder when he took the first step up the plank. "You mentioned a Strawhat?" The man appeared confused but nodded none the less. "What happened?" The man shrugged and turned to face her. Rowan's body tensed as he set down his luggage.
"It's what happens anytime Bellamy starts in on someone. Beat the boy senseless." Rowan pulled a face that she couldn't stop.
"What do you mean? Who did he beat up? Was he about yeah tall with black hair? A straw hat with a red band? A scar under his eye?"
"That's the one," the man huffed at being question. He then began to snicker. "Bunch of idiots, the whole lot of them! The girl with 'em even asked about Sky Island!" The man began to howl with laughter, his companion joining in. "Couldn't believe it! To actually think there are still people that ignorant in our world!" The man continued laughing until he caught the look on Rowan's face. Choking on an intake of air the man quickly rushed out, "Bellamy tossed them out of the bar after teaching the two boys a lesson. It's a little bar not far from here. Down that road and three streets down. Third bar on the left."
Rowan didn't bother saying thanks. She just turned around and started off down the road.
The bar was loud and alive, just like most bars she had entered throughout her life. Filled to the brim with men and women, boozing and having a few laughs, Rowan was only spared a few glances when she entered. Rowan in turn ignored them all, going instead to the back of the building to the actual bar itself. A small portion of the bar was caved in, blood marring the destroyed wood. She looked away from the bar, following the trail of blood and what appeared to be booze, to the broken window and table. Her footfall was lost in the boisterous howls of those around her, but one man saw her bend down and run callused fingers through blood.
"What are you doing?" the bystander asked, looking at Rowan like she was crazed. Rowan simply turned her fingers towards herself and looked at the drying crimson.
"What happened?" she asked, rubbing her thumb against her fingers and watching the blood smear. Thoughts of wither it was Zolo's or Luffy's were running through her head. The man laughed and stated with a wild motion of his hand,
"Some idiot in a strawhat tried to pick a fight with Bellamy! You should've seen it! The second they actually met him, the strawhat and his buddy didn't even lift a hand! Just stood there in terror and took it like the dogs they were! Yellow-bellied fools with heads full of idiotic dreams!"
She had been furious before. The idea that someone had beaten Luffy had screamed at her. Something foul. But hearing Luffy hadn't even raised a hand…
Hot wrath had spread through her veins like wildfire, consuming her from head to toe until it caused her sight to bled red. Rowan had felt that anger before. She had felt that many, many times before now.
But the man's words, echoing in her ears, caused something Rowan wasn't familiar with. It was cold, like ice. It cracked its way through her veins, causing her heart to stop and her breathing to falter. All that matter was the ice in her veins and the warmth on her fingers.
Rowan didn't realize she had moved until her fingers were intertwined in the man's hair. His group of friends choked on their grog when the man's head went straight through his table.
The entire bar was silent as Rowan released the back of the man's head and stepped away from his unconscious form. Rowan looked up to find the entire bar was staring at her. She only turned her back to them and looked to the ruins.
She was…furious. Seeing the blood splattered on the ground got her own roaring in her ears, like moving glaciers across a plain. Her frozen blood was demanding retribution, screaming for her to spill their blood.
'Why?' her brain demanded from her heart. She didn't understand these feelings though; she would have understood had it been one of her ken, a Clodagh's blood on the floor. But…Luffy and Zolo weren't kin. She was leaving them, by the Kings! Pirates bled! That was it! She was just about to walk out on all of them. She was leaving them!
And yet…
"Barkeep!" Half the bar jumped at Rowan's bark. Coming up to her full height, which was impressive for a girl, Rowan pinned the beer bellied man in place with a single look. "What did Strawhat say?"
"Huh?" Rowan felt her anger melt and rush to a boil. People were insistent on talking back and not just answering the damn question. Her head tilted back a bit, allowing Rowan to look down her nose at the man.
"There's a reason the fools that attacked Luffy aren't in a bloody pile before my feet. What did he say that stopped them from fighting?"
"Fools?" she heard someone snap from behind but she paid them no attention. The bartender looked around, nervous under Rowan's stare. He licked his lips before stating slowly,
"Nothing." It only took raising one eyebrow for the bartender to stutter on, "T-The girl asked about Sky Island—" There were some poorly stifled snickers. It was silenced with a single look from Rowan. "And then Bellamy started on the New Pirate Age."
Rowan's eyes turned to the only man at the bar as he swirled around completely, long legs stretched out before him and smirked at her. Rowan wanted to punch his teeth into the back of his throat.
"Then the Strawhat order the other man not to fight." Rowan knew that was when the fighting began just because the barkeep looked away. She turned to the arrogant man that didn't see the issue with looking her up and down like she was a whore to buy.
The man was tall and darkly tanned with unkempt blond hair. His white pants were kept up by a green pirate sash with markings, and he also wore a pink sleeveless shirt with a navy blue pirate captain's coat over it. A scar above his right eye, was pearly white.
"What's this New Age of Pirates?" The man opened his mouth but Rowan held up a hand. She saw he was going to keep talking so she barged on, "Be warned. If you start preaching to me I will not be held responsible for my actions." That caused the man pause before he narrowed his eyebrows and sneered.
"Who are you?"
"That's not the answer to my question. Come now. I know you're not one to keep quiet. Luffy would have never asked you about this, meaning you came to him about it. So…speak." The man shifted his position and looked Rowan over a second time, this time focusing more on 'who' then 'yum'.
"The age of pipe dreams is over, girly." Rowan's eye twitched. "All those fools coming from all over the world for the joke that is One Piece are getting themselves killed over nothing more than an old man's last fib. Now, the new era is coming! An era where all those idiots are wiped out! An era of logic and science! Not one of those adventure-seeking fools crying out for their precious dreams!"
"And that is what you told Starwhat? That is what you told Luffy?" The man smirked. Rowan proceeded to bury her face into her hand and sigh heavily. "Idgets."
"Huh?"
"Not you fool. Though…you are also an idget."
"That's it!" Rowan looked over her shoulder and raised a brow at the woman that was all but stalking forth. Rowan almost snorted as she looked her up and down. Rolling her eyes in an undignified manner, Rowan turned back to Bellamy. She opened her mouth, prepared to tell the man off a second time but was stopped when a well-manicured hand landed on her shoulder.
Rowan knew that, had the others been with her, they would have died with laughter. For the first time in a very long time Rowan was actually showing shock on her face. She was staring down at the slim hand on her shoulder, jaw slightly agape and her mind just couldn't seem to connect with the idea that someone dare lay a hand on her; especially someone who wasn't Zolo.
The redheaded female looked up and saw that the woman was saying something. That explained the annoying noise in her ear. Rowan looked at the woman's face, her mouth opening and closing harshly as she spat out her unheard words, then looked back down at the hand. It was small, smooth and…babyish.
Rowan about laughed out loud when she realized how much it looked like the princess's hand in the storybook. It was useless. Rowan knew just by looking at the hand that the girl had never held a knife; never ran her hands along the ropes to hoist the sails or run up the rigging; Rowan doubted the girl had ever had to do a bit of heavy lifting in her life.
And the very idea that this girl thought she could place her hand on her, Clodagh Rowan, both infuriated her and made her want to laugh.
It was the slap across her face that sent Rowan's blood roaring into her ears a second time.
"I think she's slow!" the girl sneered. Rowan felt the trickle of blood come down her cheek. She reached up and touched the nail caused scratch. Her blood was fresh on her fingers, mixing with the blood she had found on the floor. "Did you really think—"
Rowan's fist connected with the woman's chin. She felt the bone give way under her hand, the jaw popping out of place and teeth spew. With the force Rowan had put behind the punch the woman was sent flying, before she crashed into a table and proceeded to take two more out. Her journey ended with her head hitting the wall and her body lying still. If Rowan had thought there had been silence when she smashed the man's head in the occupants of the bar showed her true silence now.
"If she wakes up tell her that whores should stay in the brothel and leave real women to piracy," Rowan stated in a calm voice to the silent bar.
"W…who are you?" one of the other women whispered softly, her eyes wide as she looked up from her seat. Rowan spared her a glance but that alone seemed to almost make the woman wet herself in fear.
Something in Rowan clicked into place and, almost instinctual, she said,
"Rowan. Clodagh Rowan of the Strawhat Pirates."
She was pretty sure someone actually did wet themselves as more than one let out a small shriek.
"Liar!" a blue haired man yelled while storming to his feet. Rowan almost didn't spare him a glance but the tattoo on his chest had her turning back to him; a smiley face with a slash through it smirked at her from his chest. "A Clodagh would never be at the beginning for the Grand Line!" the man stormed forward, daring to get close to Rowan's face. She had to look up a little in order to meet his eye but she had long ago mastered the ability to be looking up and yet somehow still make the other feel like he was being looked down on. She'd learned it from Mihawk.
Rowan jeered at the man.
"Do you think I would dare utter the Clodagh name unless I truly was one? Do you even know the penalty for an outsider to claim Clodagh protection without permission?" Rowan looked straight ahead and into the smirking smiley face. "…I suppose you would know the penalty for wearing symbols without permission."
Rowan couldn't stop the smirk from crossing her lips. Of course Luffy would find the only ones for miles to wear that symbol and get in trouble with them. Rowan shook her head lightly and walked around the blue haired fool.
"I'd be careful if I were you," she warned without looking back. "I've heard that your boss isn't kind to those that fail…in anything. If you don't want him to skin that symbol from your chest, I'd stay away from Strawhat."
"And why's that?" she heard Bellamy sneer at her. Rowan pushed open the flapping door before turning back and smiling.
"Because 'Strawhat' Monkey D. Luffy is going to be the next King of the Pirates."
'This is stupid!' Rowan huffed, glaring up at Merry Go. She could hear the others on board but they hadn't noticed her yet. 'Absolutely asinine!' And all because the stupid boys had gotten in to a stupid fight! Rowan about growled, her teeth clenched tight in her mouth.
'What do you thinks gonna happen if you stay with them? That their never gonna bleed again?' No, Rowan knew that was impossible. They were pirates. Pirates bled. They fought, they went on deadly adventures and they challenged anyone that got in their way of doing what they want.
'So what? You're just going to stay with them? And what happens in the end? Hefinds you again and then kills all of them! That's what happens!'
But it was Luffy. That boy had defeated a Warlord. And it wasn't like the others weren't strong. They all had their faults but then they all had their advantages. When they were together they were all but unstoppable.
'You thought he was unstoppable.'
Rowan's heart felt like it was beating ice spikes through her chest. Bringing her hand up she clenched the fabric above her aching heart and squeezed her eyes shut tight. Sometimes she really hated her voice of reason.
She had thought that. She had honest to goodness thought that. By the Kings she had thought the boy was her everything! Her knight in shining armor that was going to make her world okay again. But then…the fool had gone and got himself killed right in front of her. Dead as a doorknob dead. By Him. Just like with the Strawhats she had thought him capable. She had thought he was different, that he was strong. And in the end…just like everyone else…she had ran for her life only to be tossed in to the world of unfamiliar faces and no place to call home. She hadn't even been able to bury him.
'You should leave and never come back. Let them have their adventures. Let them live out their lives without you putting a mark on their backs.'
But by the Kings of Old she was so tired. Absolutely tired. She wanted to be able to lay her head down and sleep. She might have nightmares now on Merry Go but it was nowhere near how many she had used to have when by herself. Rowan hadn't remembered what a goodnights sleep was before she slept on Merry Go. And she was tired of hiding. Tired of never telling anyone her full name; tired of the shame she had when she ran from her troubles instead of facing them head on; tired of having no one to laugh with even if she did it so rarely here. She was getting better. She was…happy.
'And you'll take that happiness away with their death.' Rowan closed her eyes tighter before opening them. The Jolly Roger smiled down at her…daring her.
"Is it bad to put my needs first for once?" she whispered aloud.
'You know it is.'
"Rowan! About time you made it back! Hurry up and get on," Luffy shouted from the railing were he hung, arms hanging over the side and a huge smile bashed across his face. "Robin found a map! We're going to go visit Noland!" Rowan looked up at Luffy's smiling face and stared. It was so open. So honest. So…damn happy. Even despite the new bandages and bruises that covered him from head to toe. Like nothing had ever hurt the boy or scared his stupid sense of wonder and hope in the world. Like he had nothing to be sorrowful or angry about. Then again…he still had his brother.
'They're bad for you. You can't have anyone. You need to be alone for the rest of your days. If not you'll only bring blood and death.'
"Rowan?" Rowan refocused on Luffy's face. Where the spark of adventure in his eye had been a second before was now replaced by concern. "What's up?"
'What a stupid question.'
"Nothing Luffy," Rowan smiled lightly. Shaking her head free of the voice of reason, Rowan started up the plank to the deck. "What's this about a Noland? Who's Noland?"
She'd leave after the next island. One more trip with them couldn't mean the end of the world. She'd leave before he caught up to them again. She promised.