Loneliness was both new and familiar to Emmy. She had thought it was a common, natural feeling like how air felt in her lungs when she breathed and how her heart felt against her chest with every steady beat.
She didn't realize loneliness could go away. She didn't know what to call it until the time Luffy and Gramps went off into the mountains for a week of training.
She had gotten her chores done at a much slower pace. She kept looking out the window and found any excuse to do her chores on the front stoop so that she could be the first person to spot their return. It did not go unnoticed by the mountain bandits but they didn't say anything to her so she wasn't even aware of her actions.
When she finally spotted a straw hat making its way through the trees, she had bursted into tears, which almost caused Garp and Luffy to destroy the house and attack the innocent bandits that had looked after her while they were away.
"Dadan!" Garp roared, "What did you do?!"
"What? What? What happened?!" Luffy had demanded when he got to her. She had immediately ran into his arms and buried her face in his chest. The front of both their shirts were bunched in each of her hands out of pure fear that they would slip away and disappear for good. "Why are you crying?! Who hurt you? I'll beat them up!"
"Ahhhh! It wasn't us," Dadan had shrieked, "She's crying because of you two!"
"Eh? Because of me?!" Garp had asked, stumbling back as if Dadan had shot him in the chest, point blank.
"Ah! It's because of me?!" Luffy had exclaimed in horror.
Next to Dadan, Magra had flashed a grin at the girl. "Emmy-chan is just happy you two have returned. Isn't that right, Emmy-chan?"
Emmy had sniffled and she could only nod against Luffy's chest. She couldn't bring herself to just move even an inch away from either of them.
"Gahahaha," Garp had laughed, "Is that the case? Sorry, Emmy, I didn't realize you wanted to come with us. The woods up there are tough, you know."
Emmy had heard Luffy's grin in his voice as he patted her on the head, "Shishishishi. Sorry, Emmy. Must've been really boring and lonely without me here, huh?"
That took Emmy by surprise and she had lifted her head to blink her watery blue eyes up at her brother. "L...Lonely?"
Emmy learned two things that day. The first was that the feeling she had always had in the pit of her heart was called loneliness. The second was that it was so much worse when it was directed at specific people rather than just general company.
She sighed and kept her eyes on the whale as the Going Merry sailed out of the metal double doors that Crocus had built to help him gain access to all of Laboon's internal organs and self-inflicted injuries. They reached the open waters and still Emmy's gaze never left Laboon.
"It's the sky! Real sky!" Luffy cheered, despite having spent the least amount of time within the whale out of everyone present.
"Emmy, you okay?" Usopp asked, noticing how she was the only one facing the stern of the ship.
"Yeah," Emmy said quietly, "I was just thinking…"
"About what?"
"How lonely I'd feel if I had to wait for you all for 50 years."
Usopp sighed and he followed her gaze towards the whale. "Yeah...50 years," he sighed, "Those pirates sure are making him wait a long time…"
"Idiot! This is the Grand Line!" Sanji pointed out, "They're probably dead. No matter how long he waits, they won't come back."
"Yeah, it's true that 50 years ago, the Grand Line was an uncharted sea more terrible and chaotic than it is now," Nami added.
Usopp planted his hands on his hips and he glared at the navigator and cook. "Why are you talking like there's no hope? You don't know what happened. They could come back!"
"For starters," Sanji said as he exhaled a stream of smoke from his nostrils and then pointed his cigarette at Emmy, "If Emmy-chan ate the Feel Feel Fruit, that could only mean that the one in the pirate group had died."
"How could you say that? It's a beautiful story! The whale has been waiting so long for his nakama? There's still hope!" Usopp protested and turned to the only other person he thought was in his corner. "Tell them, pops!"
Crocus, who had been sailing behind them from his "island", pressed his lips into a thin line and he looked grimly back at the pirates. "Yeah...but reality is cruel. I confirmed it from a reliable source that the pirate group...they ran away from the Grand Line."
Emmy sucked in a breath and she turned to look at the doctor. "Are...are they not coming back?" she asked, "Did they really leave without him?"
"I'm sorry, Little Lady," Sanji said as he placed a hand on her head, "Lots of weak minded pirates flee the Grand Line to save their own asses. These jerks just happened to be extra shitty and did it while breaking their promise."
"They abandoned the whale? When he's been waiting for 50 years?" Usopp asked incredulously.
"Then why haven't you told him then?!" Nami demanded at Crocus, "The whale can understand what people say, right?!"
"I did tell him. I told him everything," Crocus said and he released a breath of utter defeat, "It's since then that he started howling at Reverse Mountain and slamming his body against the Red Line. It's as if he's insisting that they'll come back from the other side of that wall any time now. He's refusing to accept my words."
"I...I don't think I can accept them either," Emmy stated.
The pirates and Crocus turned to look at her. The first mate's eyes were back on the whale and they ran over every single scratch and scar along Laboon's head. "A pirate group with an empath on board...They wouldn't just run away. I would never run away if I knew my nakama was waiting for me."
"But the old doctor already said he heard it from a reliable source!" Nami protested.
"Nothing is reliable on the Grand Line except for what you see with your own two eyes," Emmy insisted. Her raised voice and stern tone made the crew naturally snap to attention. She turned to her brother. "Luffy. I want to talk to Laboon-san."
"Shishishi. Okay," Luffy grinned as he wound his arms around her waist and then grabbed onto the top of the lighthouse that stood just below Reverse Mountain. Before anyone could react, the rubber boy swung him and his sister over to the base of the lighthouse.
She walked to the very edge of the cliff and cupped her hands over her mouth. "LABOON-SAN! Please! Leave it to me! I'll find them for you! I'll bring your nakama back!"
The whale, who was fixated on the rushing canal up until then, suddenly turned it's head. Then Laboon lowered his head so that the bottom of it was resting on the waters and his eyes met Emmy's.
"What?! Emmy! You can't just say something like that!" Nami shouted.
Sanji nodded fervently in agreement next to the navigator as they leaned over the railing. "Emmy-chan, you're going to get his hopes up and-"
"Laboon-san!" Emmy said, ignoring the disapproval from her own nakama, "Your nakama...one of them...shares the same power as I do now. Can't you sense it?"
The whale swam moved right up to the edge of the water to get a better look at her. Then his eyes swelled with tears as his heart filled up with nostalgia, which made Emmy smile. Good...he did recognize it...
"That makes us connected in some way so...please...wait for us!" Emmy cried out, "I believe some of your nakama are still somewhere out there on the Grand Line. I'll find what's left of them and bring them here, okay? So just wait for us!"
"Shishishi. That's right," Luffy yelled, "After going around the Grand Line, we'll come back to see you again and if we don't find anyone, you're welcome to fight me and try to beat an apology out of me! I have to warn you though, I'm pretty strong. So just wait for us!"
"Eh? How did Luffy turn this into a battle challenge?" Usopp whispered to Nami, who only shrugged.
"Let those two idiots clean up their own mess," Nami said but she had a smile on her face while she talked.
The whale's attention moved between the grinning boy in the straw hat and the girl in the apron. Then he raised his head once more and let out a ground shaking bellow. It made the Going Merry and Crocus' island-ship swish around on the water and Emmy's stance relax.
"Looks like we have a deal," Emmy said and she bowed at her waist to the whale, "Thank you, Laboon-san. Please. Leave it to me."
"Yosh! As a symbol of our agreement," Luffy shouted as he pulled himself back onto his ship, "I'm going to mark your head. Emmy! Where did you put the paints?"
Without the help of the sniper, although Usopp did offer some advice that did not get taken, Luffy painted his jolly roger right over Laboon's scarred head. The rest of the guys busied themselves with reattaching Merry's figurehead and patching up some loose floorboards that had sprung free during their crash landing at the summit of Reverse Mountain.
The navigator came over to the lighthouse to join Emmy and Crocus. The old doctor and Luffy's first mate watched the captain work with smiles on their faces while the navigator tried to pinpoint their next location.
"Little girl," Crocus said quietly, "Do you really believe that his nakama are still out there?"
"Even if most of them died," Emmy replied, "There has to be someone left. I know if our crew made such a big promise, I would make sure that someone was kept alive just so they could make it back to Laboon. Even if that means leaving the Grand Line temporarily."
"That's a big 'if''," Crocus grunted, "And say you do find someone, they'll be as old as I am. I doubt they'd be able to survive the voyage back."
"Don't sell yourself short, Crocus-san," Emmy smiled, "You still have some fight in you. I can feel it."
Crocus let loose a laugh from the belly. "I very much doubt that," he said.
"You're fighting now to protect Laboon," Emmy pointed out, "You managed to build water channels and structures within him to keep him alive. That's no easy feat."
"True," Crocus admitted and then he glanced over at the girl, "If you do find someone from the Rumbar Pirates, make sure they know they not only owe Laboon an apology but me as well. They owe me big."
"I will," Emmy said, "So the pirate group is the Rumbar Pirates…"
Crocus nodded. "Their mark is a skull with bull horns on it and they were known for their singing."
Emmy couldn't help but smile at that fact. "Singing pirates…Luffy would definitely want to meet them then."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Nami's scream pierced through the air. She was sitting cross legged near the lighthouse with her map and compass placed at her feet. Her nakama hurriedly gathered around her to see what had startled the navigator. She had one hand on her face and the other pointing accusingly at the compass. "The...The compass is broken! It doesn't point in any direction!"
The pirates leaned in for a closer look and indeed the compass needle was spinning around and around with no intention of slowing down or stopping.
From his spot outside of the group, Crocus shook his head disappointingly at the group. "For heaven's sake! Looks like you guys came here with no knowledge. Did you come here just to die?"
"Eh?" the group all looked over at the old doctor.
"Common sense is useless in this sea. It's not that the compass is broken. It's that the islands in the Grand Line contain lots of magnetic minerals. Because of that, they are causing a lot of abnormality along the Grand LIne. Furthermore, the currents and winds are also unpredictable."
Nami gave an embarrassed chuckle and she scratched the back of the head. "That is pretty scary."
Her casual attitude earned her a fearful look from the sniper. "Oy! Are we going to be okay?!"
"You need a Log Pose to travel around the Grand Line," Crocus said, "It's a special compass that can record magnetism."
"Is it a strange looking compass?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah, it's shape is unusual," Crocus admitted.
Luffy reached into his pocket and pulled out a wooden armband with a glass sphere resting at the top of it. The captain casually waved it in front of Crocus' face. "Is it this?"
"Yep," Crocus said, "Without the Log Pose, it's impossible to travel around the Grand Line."
"I see," Nami murmured and then swiftly turned on her heels, "Luffy?"
"Yeah?"
Thwack!
The navigator sent a harsh punch right across his face. "How come you have one?! Explain!"
"Ow!" Luffy whined as he snapped his head back to its original position, "I found this when I was looking for the paint. Those two weirdos must've dropped it."
"Weirdos?" Emmy asked and then she sucked in a sharp breath, "Oh! Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday! Are they not on the ship?!"
"Yeah," Zoro said with a casual wave of his hand, "They woke up, got out of their binds, and disappeared. Not important."
"Are you sure?" Emmy asked with a frown, "They don't seem to be like the type to let things go that easily. Maybe one of us should stand guard on the Going Merry, just in case they try anything funny?"
Zoro grunted out a small smile and he nodded at Emmy. "Now you're starting to sound like a first mate."
Emmy clasped her hands in front of her and her eyes glistened with excitement. "Really?!" she asked.
"Ah," Zoro said and then leapt back onto the deck of the ship.
Nami took the Log Pose from Luffy's hand and brought up to her eyes. "So this...is the Log Pose...It has a compass needle but no dial face," she said to no one in particular.
"The magnetism of islands in the Grand LIne follow a certain rule," Crocus explained, "That is, by recording the magnetism of two islands pulling against each other you can find the route of the next island. The magnetism record of the Log Pose is the only thing you can count on. No matter what island you start on, the magnetism of each island will pull at each other to form a route. The name of the island at the end of every route is Raftel, the last point of the Grand Line. The only one in history who confirmed that island is the King of Pirates."
"Raftel," Emmy murmured and she smiled at her brother, who was looking just as excited by the mention of the King of Pirates.
"Log Pose, huh? We have to take good care of this," Nami said with the Log Pose still held up to her face.
"YES! The King of Pirates!" Luffy roared at the same time. He punched the air with too much zealous and his fist smashed right through the glass orb.
His nakama's jaws dropped and their eyes bugged out. "Wasn't...that something really important?!" Usopp shrieked.
"LUFFY! YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled. She landed another punch on the captain, but this time it was a strong uppercut. The rubber boy sailed high into the air and over into the water.
"Ah! Luffy!" Emmy gasped as Sanji hurriedly ran to the edge of the water.
"Don't worry, Emmy-chan. I got him!" he said and dove after the captain.
It took the cook longer than expected to emerge back to the surface with the rubber boy and it didn't take long for Emmy to realize what the delay was. In his other arm, he held a panting Miss Wednesday. In her own hand, she clutched the collar of her partner. Sanji pulled Luffy and Miss Wednesday to land and disgruntledly helped Mr. 9 but only because Miss Wednesday asked him to.
"Luffy, are you okay?" Emmy asked while next to her, Sanji escorted Miss Wednesday towards the lighthouse.
"Nami is scary," Luffy whined, "It's not like I meant to break it."
"Don't worry," Emmy said and helped him to his feet, "Crocus-san has given us his to use."
"Really?" Luffy exclaimed and then he flashed a grin at the old doctor, "Shishishi. Thank you, old man!"
"Oy!"
The pirates stopped and turned to look at Mr. 9, who was on his knees, "I have a favor to ask of you."
"A favor?" Luffy repeated while Miss Wednesday went to her partner's side and matched his grovelling position.
"Yes," she said, "We need a ride to an island called Whiskey Peak."
"Okay!" Sanji sang, "We'll gladly-"
"Not your call!" Usopp interjected and gave Sanji a hard smack along the back of the head.
"Whiskey Peak?" Luffy said and scratched his chin, "What's that?"
"That's the island where we live," Mr. 9 explained.
"What happened to your own ship?" Nami asked.
"It's busted," Miss Wednesday said.
Emmy frowned and tilted her head to study the pair. "I'm sorry," she said, "But don't you think you're asking too much of us, especially after you tried to kill Laboon-san? We don't even know who you are."
"I'm a king," Mr. 9 said.
Wordlessly, Nami reached over and grabbed him by the cheek. "You're not in the position to lie to us either," she advised under her breath and then nodded over at Emmy, "That one over there can tell if you're lying...and that one…"
Nami then nodded at the swordsman, who was leaning over the Going Merry with his hand already on a katana, "Well...you don't want to know what that one does to liars."
"We...We can't say," Miss Wednesday claimed and beads of sweat started to form around her face, "It's not our intention to be secretive but the motto of our company is 'mystery' and...we just can't tell you anything about us. We're placing confidence in your character and begging you for help. We'll return the favor, we promise."
"Don't trust them!" Crocus immediately advised, "They are dishonest people and will betray you as soon as you turn their backs on them."
Emmy's attention zeroed in on the girl. There was something about her that just didn't sit right with the first mate. It was the way she knelt. Even though she was clearly begging for help, there was a stately and regal presence around the mystery woman. It made Emmy stand up a little straighter and put her own guard up.
"Luffy...I don't think we should-" she started to say.
"Okay, you can come with us," Luffy said at the same time, "Whiskey Peak, right? Yeah, we can go there."
Everyone, including Luffy's own sister, gaped at the captain. "Eh?!"
"Oy, are you serious?" Usopp asked, "We're troubling ourselves to take these shadowy people?"
"I don't trust them, Luffy," Emmy added and shot him a worried look.
"What's the problem? Don't worry about small things," Luffy shrugged and looked over at the navigator, "We can head off to Whiskey Peak, right?"
"Technically, you could" Crocus answered on Nami's behalf, "But you can only choose the route here, the starting point. After that, you'll have to go towards whatever magnetism the Log Pose has stored."
"That's fine," Luffy grinned, "If we don't like it, then we can go around one more time."
"But Luffy-" Emmy started to protest but Luffy cut her off by putting his hands behind his head and walking towards the ship. It was the end of the discussion and the captain would hear no more of it.
"Alright, now that we've made a promise with the whale. Let's get ready to set sail!" he announced.
"Who...who are you?" Miss Wednesday asked.
Luffy glanced over his shoulder at her and he smiled. "I'm going to become the next King of Pirates."
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday shared a smirk and they hid a chuckle behind their hands.
Pfft! Pfft!
A shallow cut formed on their left cheek and they turned to see the first mate with fanned out cards in her hands. Her blue eyes were unblinking as she stared solemnly at them over the top of her cards. She held their gaze until they started to sweat. Then she swiftly brought the cards back together into a neat deck and returned to the ship. The captain might be okay with them being on board but the first mate was definitely not.