OMAKE: Crossing the Streams 1
The Voice

By: TattootheDL

Soundbite loved being partners with Cross.

He loved being on the Strawhat crew.

He loved being out on the sea, even if he had to deal with the ocassional splash of saltwater from errant sprays of surf.

But if there was something he DIDN'T love...it was the rare nagging voice in the back of his head, which he knew belonged to that BROB who dropped Cross in on this world and jerked the pair of them around for shits and giggles. Most of the time, BROB left the snail alone as even it didn't want to invite the wrath of the future pirate king. But then there were days like today, where the snail was sitting at the bottom of an empty bowl while the rest of the crew finished their own dinners.

Lassoo could hear the very faint grumblings of the snail, but couldn't make out the words, and quickly put it out of his mind in favor of a good nap.

"Would you leave me alone!? Today was agood day-"

"HELL NO,I'd rather chug asalt-shakerthan get 'more powah' from you!"

"...Language lesson my non-existent ass. What language do YOU knowthat I couldn't learn from listening to this Inter-net thing you hooked me up to?"

Soundbite blinked as the voice cut out. He had a moment to wonder if he'd just tempted fate, and in doing so realized that yes, yes he goddamn did and should feel really stupid about it.

When the music started...

It was a strange rhythmic chant, that slowly brought an orchestra into it as a group of male voices rose higher and higher. There were no lyrics, almost sounding like simple rhythmic gasps and wordless yells.

Then the voices harmonized, the song swelled, and Soundbite felt something reverberate in his shell. A feeling of greatness and power that seemed to stem from the song, and made him feel...

Inspired
.

Soundbite narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, and whispered on a sub-vocal level, "What's the CATCH?"

After a moment, he blinked and asked quizzically. "I have to wear a what?"

-o-

"Okay, I know our bounties are big, and bounty hunters would be crawling out of the woodwork to try and have a go at us." Nami sighed heavily and facepalmed at the sight of the bright orange ship bearing down on the Thousand Sunny, the stylized clownfish in place of the normal mermaid on the prow only emphasizing the ridiculousness of the crew manning the eye-hurting vessel. "But this is just sad."

"I feel like any fishmen who saw this would be very offended." Robin mused, one eyebrow cocked at the sight of several Faux-fishmen, who were simply sailors wearing an assortment of fishmen costumes and accessories.

Cross, eye twitching as he leaned on the railing of his home-away-from-home, said dryly, "Yeah, I don't know anything about these guys-"

"YAY!"

"-But that's probably because they were too pathetic to include in the story."

"Aww..."

Cross chuckled a little at the disappointed whine from his captain, whena nudge against the side of his neck brought his eyes to Soundbite, who was glaring at the approaching ship with fierce determination.

"Cross...let ME handle this."

The Strawhats communication officer blinked. "Ahh...okay? I mean, they might have earplugs if they know about us-"

"Won't matter," Soundbite said firmly. "I got a new MOVE, and I've been itching to see if it's worth the price I had to pay for it." Cross frowned, but before he could ask, the snail side-eye'd him. "You might want to set me down, cause this is gonna be LOUD."

Hesitant, but willing to trust his partner, Cross picked up Soundbite and put him on the railing, taking a small step back so he didn't risk his friend falling overboard.

What happened next however, nearly made Cross punt the little escargot off the side of the ship, if he hadn't been utterly stupefied.

Soundbite turned his eye-stalks skyward and hollered, "Alright, you BASTARD! We have a deal!" And then scrunched his stalks down flat onto his head. There was a brief popping sound as something appeared above the snail and landed neatly on his head.

Usopp gave the horned metal helmet, perfectly fitted for a snail, a curious look. "What the heck?"

"Noooo..."

Cross' whimpering moan drew Conis' worried expression to him, while Soundbite stuck his stalks out through the eye-holes of the helmet and resumed glaring at the ship which was about 30 yards away from the Strawhats ship. "Cross, what's wrong?!"

"Attention, bounty-hunting DIPSHITS!" Soundbite roared across the waves. "You get ONE CHANCE toAMSCRAY before I fire the BIG GUNS!"

A cannon, loaded and ready to fire, was turned towards the snail.

Soundbite snorted. "Idiots. Okay then..."

Cross' prayers that he was having some kind of fever dream, perhaps due to a relapse with Primal Cholera were for naught as he heard Soundbite suck in a breath of air with a soft "Fuusss..."

The cannon fired.

The snail opened his mouth.

"RO-DAH!"

Soundbite's vision had briefly been completely blocked by the cannonball that had come within inches of his face when he shouted.

Now his vision was clear, and he smiled from ear-to-ear as the bounty-hunters ship was tossed stern-over-prow, pinwheeling through the air away from the Thousand Sunny until it hit the ocean mast first, hundreds of yards away. The snail turned his stalks around and took in the wide-eye'd gawping of the Strawhats with with the smuggest of smug grins as he asked, "Are you not entertained?"

The first, and for the longest time, only answer was Cross' head repeatedly smacking into the railing next to his partner while plaintively moaning, "Why?"