(Sec 65) * * * * *
The mermaid kept shaking Sanji, "Are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Yeah~"
The two crews just stared at the mermaid. She froze and turned around, "AHHHHHHH! WHAT A SHOCK! THERE ARE SO MANY HUMANS HERE!!"
"What?" Luffy asked.
"You were a surprise, too!" Chopper said, stepping forward.
"I thought I was going to be digested. Thank you for saving me. I keep getting swallowed by monsters. This was probably the 20th time."
"You get eaten too much!" Usopp stated.
"I have to repay you somehow," the mermaid continued, "OH, I know! Would you like some takoyaki?"
"Takoyaki!? That's my favorite food!" Luffy exclaimed.
"REALLY!? Then, That'll be 500 beli per person!"
"EH!?" Everyone shouted.
The starfish slapped the mermaid, "Hey, You're selling them!?"
"GAH! I screwed up!"
Sanji regained a little consciousness before he started spinning, "MERMAID~! MERMAID~! Mermaids, the dream of all mankind! Mermaids, the jewels of the ocean! Yes, I've finally gotten to meet one of them! She's so CUTE~! This is the first time I've ever met one! Caimie, was it?"
"It's not the first time," Usopp corected, "You remember Old Lady Kokoro, didn't you?"
Sanji froze, a look of disappointment on his face, "Thriller Bark? No, that wasn't scary. Not scary at all. The scariest thing we've encountered so far was..."
"Uh, That's right, Sanji!" Usopp said, now realizing his erorr, "Let's just pretend that never happened! This is the first mermaid we've ever met!"
"You guys are so rude!" Nami said.
Luffy turned to Franky, "Huh? Old Lady Kokoro was a mermaid? But she could walk, couldn't she?"
"I see..." Franky said, "You didn't know, huh? Well, it happened while you were fighting that Lucci fellow after all."
"Imagining Old Lady Kokoro as a mermaid is for some reason really gross."
"You're too freaking blunt!" Nami said as she punched Luffy.
"That hurt! What's up with you, Nami!?"
"Geez, when it comes to these guy's expectations of mermaids..."
"But she seems like a cute mermaid, doesn't she?" Robin interupted.
"This is my first encounter with a mermaid, too," Brook said as he stepped forward, "Excuse me, would you please lend me some money?"
Sanji jumped up and kicked Brook upside the head, "WHY WOULD SHE!?"
"A SKELETON!?" Caimie said as she freaked out.
"SEE!? How are you gonna make it up if you scare her!? Get lost!"
"I can open my head as well," Brook said as he popped it opened, "Isn't that funny?"
Sanji took several more kicks at Brook. "That's so funny!" Caimie said as she clapped.
"She sure got over that quickly," Vyse said to Aika.
"By the way," Luffy asked, "Can you poop?"
Luffy dodged Sanji's kick, "What are you trying to ask, Damn YOU!?"
"Ah, well, I-"
"DO NOT!" Sanji shouted, tears in his eyes.
"Caimie? Caimie? This is just weird," The starfish said, Leaning against a wall, "Aren't you missing someone? Who's the one left out of this fun group? Answer: me."
Sanji stopped trying to kick Luffy as they both looked over. Luffy stretched out an arm and grabbed the starfish by the hat. "That's right," Luffy said, "I was wondering about that...Caimie, what's this? This talking glove-thingy..."
"Oh, sorry. I completely forgot. He's my pet, Pappagg." He's a starfish, and he's my master.
"Master?!"
"Yes, my master."
"This guy?"
"Yes."
"Nice to meet you!" Pappagg said as he waved.
"Can starfish talk?" Nami asked Usopp.
"Isn't it strange for her pet to be her master?" Usopp asked back.
"Isn't it also strange that My crew isn't freaking out as much as yours?" Vyse asked.
Pappagg jumped onto a railing, brining out a guitar, "Well, I was taken in, and with reason." He turned around and strummed his guitar a couple times, "~Caimie always feeds me clams~"
"So she feeds you?" Nami asked.
Pappagg kept playing, "Am I a person? I'm a starfish, yet I'm not human. Am I not a person? I'm not a person, but I am a starfish. Are you busy? No, it's fine. We've got enough hands around here." He finished with a guitar solo, "Yay, thank you!" He turned around only to see Fina clapping.
"This is where you're supposed to laugh!"
"So," Caimie explained, "This T-shirt is of the 'Criminal' brand, and it's really popular on Fishman Island these days."
"Oh?" "That's pretty cool," the crews complimented.
"Pappagg designed it! I want to become a designer one day, too!"
"You'll become one!" Sanji said, "You'll definitely make it Caimie!"
"Thank you, Sanji!"
"Nobody listens to me..."
Luffy turned and looked at Pappagg, "Oh yeah, you. How can you talk?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Pappagg said jumping back onto his feet.
"He got over that quickly," Usopp said.
"Back when I was a kid, I always thought I was a human. By the time I found out I was a starfish, I was already speaking the human Launguage!"
"Does it really work like that?" Vyse asked.
"Ah, the world workis in strange and frightening ways. That's just how the world is! Anyway, I'm Pappagg the Starfish! Up-and-Comeing Designer. Thanks for saving me!"
"This is actually a stroke of luck," Aika said to Nami.
"Yeah, we were having trouble figuring out what to do. Mind if we ask you something?"
"HEY! Nami!" Luffy shouted waving his arms around, "The Takoyaki comes first!"
"Ah, that's right!" Caimie said, "The takoyaki to show you my gratitude! Well, I've got to meet up with Hachi somewhere," she brought out a Den-den Muchi.
"Hachi?" Luffy and Vyse asked.
"Hello, Hachi? This is Caimie! Sorry I got kinda lost. Where are you right now?"
"OH, that voice must be Caimie, right?"
"Hachi?"
"Do you know who you're talking to? This ain't Hachi, y'know!"
"YOU'RE NOT Hachi!?"
"This is Makuro! From the simple-minded Makuro Crew! Wait, I shouldn't say that myself..."
"Seems like trouble," Robin said as she put one hand on her face.
"Why do you people have Hachi's Snailphone!?"
"Cause we beat up that Hachi! Isn't it obvious!?"
"Liar! There's no way Hachi would lose to you guys!"
"You have a point. Usually, we'd be no match for him, but this time, we had the Flying Fish Riders on our side!"
"The Flying Fish Riders!?" Pappagg said as he jumped down and around so he was now standing next to Caimie.
"Caimie, you're still alright? Thank goodness."
"H-Hachi! Didi they really beat you?"
"I let my guard down. Dont come here! I'll take out these guys and come strait back! It'll be fine!"
"Hachi..."
"Y'know, Caimie, we're just about to sell this guy. Octopus Fishmen are pretty rare, so he should fetch us quite the price. Feel free to come and save him! We're at the Sabaody Archipelago, in the waters five kilometers east of Grove 44. This is where the Flying Fish Riders' base is!"
"NO! Caimie, don't come here!"
"Shut up, you damn octopus!" *thwack!* "See ya!" *click*
"Hachi..."
"Hey," Usopp said, holding up a hand to try and reasure her.
"So, where's the takoyaki?" Luffy asked.
Vyse smacked the back of Luffy's head and shouted with Franky and Sanji, "This isn't the time for that!"
"Wait..." Nami said, "The voice of that Hachi guy we just heard on the Transponder-Snail, it seemed kinda familiar...It's just my imagination, right? There's no way..."
"Sorry, Luffy," Caimie said, "Can we do Takoyaki later? I've got to save my friend!"
"Huh?" Luffy asked.
"HEY!" Franky, Sanji and Vyse all struck Luffy again.
"Wait, Caimie, I shouldn't be meddling here, but if you want to save your friend, then we'll help you!"
"And we Blue Rouges are always willing to help someone in need," Vyse inputted.
Usopp and Franky nodded there heads in agreement. "No, that's wrong. I mean THEY'LL help you!" Nami said, correcting herself.
"WHY, You..."!
"And in exchange, how about you help us get to Fishman Island?"
"Really, Nami?" Caimie asked, a smile on her face.
"Of course! Right, Luffy?"
"Huh? Sure."
"You're gonna help me save Hachi, Luffy?"
"Well, I'm fine with it, but who's this Hachi anyway?"
"He runs the takoyaki store I work at. Out takoyaki is the best in the world!"
"That's Important! MEN! Even if it costs you your Lives, we're gonna save the takoyaki!"
"YEAH!" The Straw Hat crew men cheered.
"I doubt we'll have to go that far," Vyse said.
"TAKOYAKI! TAKOYAKI!"
"Alright, looks like we all agree to saving your friend," Aika said, "So do you know where they are?"
Caimie brought out a map, Pappagg jumped over after she opened it. "Grove 44 is an island at the very eastern edge of the archipelago. 5 Kilometers east from there...I guess the Flying Fish Riders' base would be about here. Seeing as we're about here right now, if we head strait for the Sabaody Archipelago from here, we should pass it on the way. So, let's head west! Afterwards, we can ask the fish, and figure it out."
"Yeah, that's right." Caimie said, "Let's hurry and go!" She got up and hopped over to the railing.
"Blue Rouges! Back to the Little Jack," Vyse said, turning to Luffy, "We'll take a head start and ambush them from above. If they plan to attack, we'll have the upper hand."
The Little Jack rose from the water, continuing high above the clouds. "AHHHH! That's so cool!" Caimie exclaimed.
"Caimie, pay attention," Pappagg said.
"Right," she turned and cupped a hand over her mouth, "HEY!!!"
Luffy looked over as fish started popping out of the water, "WOW! The fish are sticking their heads out!"
"We want you to lead the way!" there was a pause as Caimie cupped her ear, "They say they're afraid of the Flying Fish, so they won't take us all the way there. But, they'll show us where to go."
"INCREDIBLE!" Nami exclaimed, "You can talk to fish? I had no idea mermaids could do that!"
"Camie, if you were around, we could eat as much fish as we wanted!" Luffy said, a smile on his face.
Sanji reached over and grabbed half of Luffy's face, "Watch your mouth! I'll beat you senseless."
"But how do we follow the fish in the sea anyway?" nami asked.
"Well just take a look!" Pappagg chuckled.
"AWESOME!" Luffy exclaimed.
"The fish are drawing an arrow on the sea!" Usopp stated.
"Fantastic!" Nami said, "We just have to follow this, right?"
"You're awesome, Caimie," Luffy complimented.
"No, I have a long way to go," she said, rubbing the back of her head.
Luffy started patting her on the back, "No, this is really impressive!"
"Alright then, I'll take the helm!" Usopp said as he rushed off.
"Turn it around to 4 o'clock," Robin said.
"Right!"
"YOSH! Let's go, you guys!"
At the Flying Fish Riders Base(which seems like more of a fortress then anything else)...
"So that's how it is, Master Duval." said a fishman, "We've managed to lure the mermaid here! Everything went according to plan!"
"Heh heh heh heh." Chuckled Duval, "Got it. Hey, you guys!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Go meet them."
"Understood."
"Umm," the fishman said, "she is a precious product, so try not to injure her, okay?"
"Hmph."
"This is looking promising," the fishman looked over at Hachi, "Hey, Hachi! This time, both you AND Caimie are done for! Well? Are you ready?"
"Nuu..."
"How's that? You can't do anything here, right!? Muhahaha! Muhahaha!"
Back at the Sunny...
Zoro jumped out of the crows nest from his workout session.
"Zoro!" Luffy said as he landed.
"Are we already setting off? Does it look like we can make it to Fishman Island?"
"Forget that, and look here. It's Caimie the Mermaid! She's real! Awesome, right?"
"Hello!"
"A mermaid, huh?" Zoro thought back about Old Lady Kokoro before he destroyed the memory with his own willpower. "First one I've ever seen."
"He erased it!" Chopper exclaimed, "He just...Erased his memory!"
"We're taking a short detour to save her friend's takoyaki."
"But I'm worried. Hachi sounded like he had trouble talking. I'm sure they've done something awful to him."
"Well, he's tough," Pappagg said reassuringly, "so he should be alright." He turned to Luffy, "Anyway, you guys were pretty quick to offer your help, but are you sure you can handle this?"
"Yeah! We're strong, you know? And Vyse and his crew are strong, too."
"I should warn you though, there's not just one group of kidnappers around here. There are plenty of these guys on the Sabaody Archipelago. Human trading is big business around here."
"Selling human lives? That's horrible!" Sanji said as he lit a cigarette.
"And seeing how mermaids are particularly valuable, the Makuro crew, a gang of three fishmen, have been after Caimie for a while now. Hachi, from the Takoyaki Shop, propably thought we had been kidnapped by the Makuro Crew and went after them since we'd been missing for a while, after being eaten by that monster."
"That's probably it," Caimie said, "Hachi is a kind, straight-forward person, after all. It's my fualt."
Zoro sat down, drinking a gallon of water, "Hearing about this octopus named Hachi, I can't help but think of that stupid fishman."
Sanji took a puff of smoke, "If it's really him, we're not gonna help. There's just no way..."
Pappagg continued, "Usually, Hachi could beat those guys easily, but who'd have thought the Flying Fish Riders would help them?"
"Who're they?" Franky asked.
"Another kidnapping gang who started causing a lot of trouble around these parts recently. They say if they target you, you're doomed! Their boss, Duval, is a guy with an Iron Mask. Nobody knows what he really looks like. It seems like they're looking for someone. They check every single ship that passes this area."
"Huh, what an annoying guy." Franky said, leaning up against a wall, crossing his arms.
"Well, anyway, there's no need for you to worry Caimie," Luffy said, "We'll definitely save the takoyaki!"
"It's the Takoyaki Seller!" Pappagg corrected.
"Thank you, Luffy!"
"Sure! Well then, Brook! Play a song to get us in the mood!"
"Yohohoho! With pleasure!" Brook exclaimed as we got his violin ready.
As Brook played, everyone danced, even the fishes making the arrow, until spread out in fear.
"Huh?" Usopp asked, confused, "Is that...? HEY! We're in trouble!"
Caimie cupped her ear. "What's wrong?" Nami asked.
"The fish said, 'we're sorry, but we can't take you any further.'"
"Hey, what's wrong?" Luffy asked.
"They're here!" Pappagg said, "The Flying Fish Riders!"
Luffy stretched his arm and flung himself on the Sunny's head, "Where? I can't see anything!"
Caimie started hopping up the stairs. "Where are you going? You have to hide!" Nami tried to reason.
"Wrong! They're not in the sea!" Caimie said as she got close to Luffy. She pointed up, "They're in the air!"
Luffy looked up just in time to see three riders coming towards him, dropping a couple of cannonballs.
"The fish are Flying!?" Usopp said, still manning the helm.
"So COOL~!" Luffy said as he peaked around one of Sunny's points.
"Is this the time to be impressed!?" Zoro yelled.
"Damn, they're going to attack us!" Franky stated.
"So the 'Flying Fish' really CAN fly!?" Chopped questioned.
"Hey, did you see that?" one of the riders asked his team mates.
"I saw it," said the second, "No Doubt, that's the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Contact him right now!" the first demanded, a wide grin on his face.
"Understood" said the third.
"We only came here to find a single mermaid, but this must be our lucky day!"
"Master Duval will be overjoyed!" the second exclaimed as all three turned around.
"Here they come again!" Sanji shouted.
Usopp started turning the ship around, "DAMN! How close are they going to get!?"
The three Fish dove, then rose up once they dropped their bombs.
"Bombs, huh" Zoro said taking out two of his blades, "Damn those guys!"
"GUM GUM..."
"72 pound..."
"PISTOL!"
"CANNON!"
The bombs exploded in midair.
"That was close," Usopp said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Be careful!" Caimie warned, "Once the Flying Fish jump out of the water, they can stay in the air for five minutes!"
"There's no mistaking it, Master Duval!" the third said, "It's them! Sure...WHAT? What did you say!?*click* Return! He told us to pull back!"
"WHAT!?" the first shouted, "Don't be ridiculous!"
"Master Duval's Orders!"
"Fine, but I don't get this...!"
Luffy was in a battle stance when he realized" they had flown away, "What the...?"
"Hey, Makuro," Duval said.
"Yes, Duval, my lord."
"It seems the mermaid you were luring to the base is on a pirate ship right now."
"HUH!? Caimie's on a pirate ship!?"
Duval broke the glass that was in his hand, "I'm sick of waiting...I really was sick of waiting! That pirate ship is the one I've been waiting for!" He grabbed his harpoon gun from his side, "I'll kill him! That man who screwed up my life! You will DIE, Black Leg Sanji!"