Sorry, bit of a shorter chapter today! I got caught up with a lot of things, such as work, getting ready for the new semester (which starts tomorrow for me, booooo!), PLAYING FIRE EMBLEM, and my poor dog having to get her foot amputated (she's fine though, and managing quite well with only part of a foot now...). Anywho, busy week! So therefore, shorter chapter.

Note on the reviews: I pretty much busted a gut reading some of them. Some of you had no clue what was going on, but the ladies...oh man, did they ever! (And I'm so glad it entertained you ladies)

Thanks to: AddictWithAPencil, Commando Fernando, ro781727, Angelgirl236, ZabuzasGirl, Momochan77, jazmin4, ABookWormForLife, Fallen Seraphina, , amp183, missNOBODYa. , ChocoGummies, and Hello for the reviews! Much kisses to you all for your support!

ChocoGummies: I can't wait for Punk Hazard either! Too bad it's so far away! It's my favorite story arc so far...

Commando Fernando: I'm sure a bug just flew into your eye during the last chapter, that's all ;)

Anyways, HERE WE GOOOOO


Chapter 43

It was easy to find the others. They were all sitting outside of Cricket's home, with Cricket himself talking to them. I caught the faintest snatches of conversation, such as "Sky Island" and "Knock-up Stream."

But frankly, I didn't care.

"CHOPPER!" I screamed, dashing into the clearing and practically scaring the others half to death. "CHOPPER I'M BLEEDING HELP!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone hopped to their feet, expressions of alarm on their faces while Zoro, who was snoozing against the side of the house, snapped awake. The door to Cricket's house slammed open, and I saw Sanji hurry out through the doorway.

"What happened?!" Sanji demanded, rushing to my side and seizing me by my shoulders. "Who attacked you?!"

At that point, I began to feel a little embarrassed, and I stepped away from Sanji. "Uh, no one," I admitted, shifting and tugging awkwardly on my bloody pants. "I just sat down, and the next thing I knew, I was bleeding! Right here!" I pointed at my crotch, and everyone looked down.

Immediately, a huge, embarrassed flush spread across Sanji, Chopper, and Zoro's faces, and they quickly looked away. Even Montblanc Cricket awkwardly turned away, while Usopp and Luffy looked completely lost. And when nobody made to move, I began to panic.

"What's wrong with me?! Am I going to die?!" I asked, and while the guys choked and spluttered, Nami coughed, a huge, knowing grin spread across her face.

"No, don't worry, you're not," she soothed, coming to stand next to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I watched as she caught Robin's eye, and the older woman chuckled and moved to place a comforting hand on my back while the men were starting to look decidedly green. "C'mon, let's get you back to the Merry and changed. We'll explain everything there…"

And with a gulp, I let them lead me back to Merry.


"This happens every month?!" I squawked, trying to ignore a part of myself shrivel up and die after everything they told me. "How do we not die?!"

Robin laughed. "Good question."

Nami shook her head in exasperation, before she pressed a bar of chocolate into my hand. "I don't know, but it is a natural body process for women." She then grinned, and leaned forward to ruffle my hair. "I was wondering why you were so emotional lately! It's because you're finally a woman!"

After I had been taken back to the women's part of the ship, Robin and Nami had explained everything and helped me change. Needless to say, I don't think I've endured anything this embarrassing since that horrible incident back at the Baratie, when I felt the last of my innocence die with the 'talk' the cooks gave me.

I moaned and batted her hand away with my tail. "I don't have time for this shit! And I don't wanna be a woman! They suck!"

Robin tilted her head, a smile of amusement creeping onto her face. "What are you trying to say about us, then?" she asked. I gulped, and tried to backtrack.

"I-I mean, I don't think you suck, personally, since you're pretty kick-ass, just - uh - Nami."

"YOU BRAT!" In seconds, I was laid flat on my bed, stars swirling in my vision as my skull throbbed. Nami packed a mean punch, and I was sure that if she turned this remarkable ability on our enemies, we'd be the strongest pirates in the entire world.

"Owww…" I whined, clutching at the swelling lump while Nami huffed and folded her arms. "That hurt!"

"Then you shouldn't say stuff like that then!"

I grimaced, and lowered my hands. "So seriously, this happens every month?" When the others nodded, I groaned. "Nooooo…!"

"Yeah, but this opens an entire new door of possibilities," Nami said with a grin, and when I cocked a questioning eyebrow at her, she elaborated, "Almost guaranteed chocolate for five days a month."

"Food cravings, which, knowing Sanji-san's affection for you, whatever you want the moment you want it," Robin added with a smirk.

"And also," Nami said with an almost feral smile, "Instant alone time. You want to have some time to yourself, and the boys are bothering you? You tell them what's up, and they'll be gone like that!" she said with a snap of her fingers.

"But then again, you experience violent mood swings, stomach cramps, some girls feel dizzy, others get really tired…" Robin mused, and I let out a gusty sigh.

"So basically, five days a month, your life sucks," I clarified, and both women nodded.

"Pretty much," they agreed in tandem, and I groaned again.

"Not fair…"


Any awkwardness I might have felt returning to the crew was remedied by the start of a party. Apparently, the others wanted to celebrate before we headed off to Skypiea.

"Hahahaha, the wine tastes extra good today!" Cricket exclaimed. He and Zoro banged their drinks together, and started to chug, while Masira in the back chanted, "Eat, eat! There's a lot more! It's special summer cuisine!"

"Here, Hazel-chan!" A dish was set out in front of me, and I practically drooled at the sight of a plate of marinated shrimp. Sanji leaned in and muttered in my ear, "Anything you need, just let me know, okay?" He kissed the top of my head, ruffled my hair affectionately, and moved away to keep serving food.

"You're really lucky, y'know?" Nami said, taking a seat beside me and gulping down a glass of wine. "It must be nice to have a brother that treats you like that."

I hummed in satisfaction, and munched on shrimp after shrimp. "Yeah, I know. He's always been like that." I smiled at him as he slid another dish in front of us, this time a large plate of yakisoba. "Thanks, Sanji-nii!"

"No problem, Hazel-chan!"

"PUUUUPH!" I saw Masira gasp, flames bursting out of his mouth, and I saw Luffy's jaw drop and lose a few chunks of meat, while Usopp started to laugh his ass off.

"EHHH?!" Luffy screeched in surprise, eyeing the large jet of flames spewing out of the ape-man's mouth, and Usopp pointed at the large man in glee.

"I got you! "Hot Sauce Bomber Jet"!" he crowed triumphantly, and Masira, eyes watering, lunged for our sharpshooter.

"GRRRRR! LONG NOSE!"

"GYAAAAA!"

"Hey, girl, come sit with me!" Cricket cajoled, grinning at Nami, and Sanji kicked his head, his leg swinging over Luffy's bulging cheeks and his hands full of food.

"You want Nami-swan to sit with you? You're a hundred years too early, you piece of shit!"

"Hey, you're a good drinker!" Masira's brother, Shoujou, praised, and Zoro smirked back, holding up his mug and waving it.

"I can still drink more!" he boasted, and Chopper clapped and cheered, urging our swordsman on.

Off in the corner, I spied Robin with a glass of wine and a book in her hands. She caught my eye for a moment, winked, and returned to her book. And just then, I spotted Cricket wandering over to her.

"In the skull's right eye, gold is seen," he quoted, crouching down in front of the archaeologist and looking straight into her eyes. The woman jumped a little, but I saw her quickly settle and tilt her head in interest, while Nami's gaze sharpened.

"Gold?!" she asked, and I resisted the urge to groan.

"The page that has a tear drop on it, is Norland's last words. His sentence was carried out that day," Cricket explained, and everyone hushed to listen. "I still don't understand what that passage means." He took a swig of his wine, and ranted, "The skull's right eye? Is that a city that was here before? Or is it hinting his death? It's all blank after that!"

We blinked at him, and then Luffy grinned, still chewing on his food.

He took a deep breath, and…

"THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO GO UNDERWATER!" he cheered, and we exploded with noise, banging our drinks and laughing.

"DAY DREAM ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SKY!"

"LUFFY, WRONG DIRECTION!" I yelled, laughing.

"AHAHAHA, SORRY!"

"WE'RE GOING TO FLY~!"

"FLY INTO THE SKYYYY!"


The party raged on, and finally, after it got dark, we sat around Robin, listening as she read aloud, "The peal of golden bells can be heard from all corners of the sea, like a message delivering the city's glory in the old days. The change in civilizations throughout the ages in the endless oceans…is for us, who have lived but a few dozen years, a grand matter that leaves us speechless! For a while after that, we would always feel uneasy when we heard the bells~!"

"WOOOO!" everyone cheered, getting pumped for our trip tomorrow morning.

"NORLAND!"

"He said they were gigantic and beautiful golden bells!" Nami gushed, and I could already see beli signs in her eyes.

Then Cricket suddenly started to rummage around in a nearby chest, laughing drunkenly and calling out, "Hey, check this out!"

And, to our surprise and delight, he pulled out a golden bell.

"WOW!"

"GOLDEN BELL!" Nami squealed loudly, and Usopp peered at it, looking a little stunned.

"Uh, how is this considered gigantic?!" he asked, his thought process floundering, and Cricket laughed while Nami seized the bell and started to rub her face against it.

"This is not the one mentioned in Norland's log," Cricket explained, cheeks rosy and jolly. "This is a bell-shaped token. We found three in the sea bed."

"So the golden city did exist after all, right?!" Luffy asked excitedly, and Shoujou shrugged., his wide frame shifting.

"Not necessarily!" he refuted. "A small amount of gold like this is common in ruins."

"What is a 'token'?" Chopper asked curiously, peering at the bell that Nami reluctantly passed over.

"A token is something that represents something else, like a symbol for a government, or in this case, a small golden bell that represents the bigger ones," I rattled off, and Chopper nodded gratefully. He passed the little golden bell to me, and I almost dropped it. "Ooof! Wow, this is heavier than I thought it'd be!"

"I know, right?"

"Regardless," Robin cut in, a thoughtful expression on her face, "this proves that an ancient "civilization" existed in this area. "Tokens" were made to organize gold pieces into millagram units. Meaning they were used for trades like coins," she added, and Chopper and I nodded as we soaked in the information.

"That's right," Cricket allowed. "Also, the mysterious birds that made strange sounds…Masira!" he called, and Masira, grinning, hopped unsteadily to his feet.

"Okay, boss!" He rummaged around, before he found a wrapped bundle. It was placed gently on the floor before he began to unwrap the item. And when he did, our mouths dropped.

"THERE'S MORE?!"

"WOW!"

"This one is much bigger!" Zoro said appreciatively, and I could see Nami practically having a seizure in her excitement.

"This is the last of them," Masira told us, and Nami practically drooled.

Cricket let out a hearty laugh. "Ten years, and I only found these, really not worth it…!"

"Are you kidding me?!" I exclaimed, peering at the statue. It was bigger than my torso, and depicted a bird of some sort.

"So pretty!"

"What's this, a penguin?" Luffy asked, and I hit the back of his head.

"Idiot, it's a flamingo!"

Sanji snorted. "Somehow, I don't think either of you are right." He grinned around his cigarette, and hummed. "A 'bird' holding a 'golden bell'…could this be the symbol of Jaya?"

Cricket shrugged carelessly and pulled out his own cigarette, easily lighting it and placing it in his own mouth. "Not sure," he admitted. "However, I believe that this is a part of some greater symbol. The birds are called 'South Birds,' and they still exist on this island."

"Their chirping sound is weird, right?" Luffy asked around a love-struck Nami, and Cricket nodded.

"Yes, like described in the diary."

The two monkey brothers grinned at us. "Speaking of the south bird," Masira eagerly said, "ever since long ago, sailors -"

He suddenly cut off as he and Shoujou seemed to realize something. They froze, before they both swelled up like balloons, and let out a roar.

"DAMN IT!" Their sudden expletive made the rest of us jump, and we all panicked.

"What?! What happened?!"

"This is bad!" Cricket was on his feet, sober in an instant as panic began to set in. "You should go to the forest, and quickly! Go to the forest south of here!"

"Huh? What are you saying? Are you stupid?" Luffy demanded, and I hit his shoulder.

"You're the last person to be saying that!"

"Why do we need to go there?" Zoro asked suspiciously, and Cricket grimaced.

"You need to catch one of these birds right away!" He tapped a finger against the golden bird statue, and Usopp's jaw dropped, and he screeched, "What?! Why?!"

"A bird…what for?" Sanji asked, and Cricket grit his teeth in frustration and worry.

"Listen carefully," he warned. "The knock-up stream exists directly south of here. How do you think you will get there?!"

"Just sail south, duh!" Luffy said, folding his arms with an "are-you-stupid?" expression on his face.

"No!" Cricket rebutted, slashing his hand across. "This is the Grand Line! Once you set sail, you lose all sense of direction!"

"That's right!" Nami realized, snapping back to reality in an instant. "Since our destination is not an island but a part of the sea, the log pose won't work at all!" She gulped, and asked, "Then, what do we do to ensure our direction?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I chirped up, catching everyone's attention as my tail waved in front of me. "We just catch a flamingo!"

"…You mean a south bird," Usopp pointed out, and I scrunched up my nose in confusion.

"That's what I said!"

"No, you didn't," Usopp said, and Cricket sighed.

"She's right, though, sort of," he said. "You need a south bird. It is said that some animals contain some bio-compass enhancing their sense of direction."

"I heard that pigeons also have that ability," Nami agreed thoughtfully, and Luffy's head snapped over to Zoro.

"So, Zoro, you're worse than some animals!" he exclaimed, and Zoro's face bulged as Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and I dissolved into laughter.

"WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE?!"

Ignoring us, Cricket continued, "Among those animals, the south bird has the best sense of direction. No matter how far away you move the bird, it'll always point to the right direction. In other words," he said, raising his voice and saying though our laughter, "You can't do anything without a bird like that! You won't be able to even try getting onto Sky Island!"

That caught our attention real quick. "AH!"

"How come you mentioned this just now?!"

"It's way past midnight! Yet we have to go to the forest?!"

"Quit complaining, there's no time!" Sanji snapped, leaping to his feet, and Shoujou nodded.

"The three of us will enhance your crappy ship now," he said, gesturing to himself, Masira, and Cricket, and adopted a sheepish expression. "Come to think of it, this wasn't really time for a party!"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT EARLIER!" we shouted as we stampeded out the door.


"Alright!" Luffy yelled, as we gathered at the edge of the forest. "Let's do it!"

"Three nets, so split up to three groups!" Nami instructed, and I found myself with Luffy and Chopper, all of us giggling in excitement.

"Alright!" Luffy crowed, punching a fist into the air and raising his net with the other. "Let's go! Punch that bird into flying bits!"

"No -!"

"It's catch, not punch, you moron!"

I seized Luffy and Chopper's hands, and started dragging them into the forest. "Let's go!"

"Ah, Hazel-chan, take care!" Sanji called, and I waved my tail back at him carelessly in reply.

Fifteen minutes later…

"I CAUGHT ONE!"

"WHOAAAA!" I gasped, my eyes shining in awe at the size of the massive beetle that Luffy was hefting.

"Caught what?" Chopper asked, peering at the creature in interest, and Luffy waved it about. It wriggled in his hand, but it had no chance of escaping from Luffy's enthusiastic grip.

"LOOK, GUYS! AN ATLAS BEETLE!"

"Atlas?" Chopper asked, and I grinned.

"Yeah! Atlas and Hercules are both famous kinds of crabs in the world," I explained to Chopper, and he tilted his head in thought.

"Hercules beetles and Atlas beetles…" He muttered to himself, before he asked Luffy, "Comparing them to One Piece, which is better?"

I opened my mouth to answer. "Isn't it obvious?" I asked, but then I spotted Luffy actually looking stumped.

He grit his teeth and thought hard. "Waaaa…It's too hard to decide!" he shouted, struggling between the two things, and my jaw dropped.

"IDIOT!"

"Luffy! Hazel!" Chopper called, and we turned to see him staring at another tree…and another beetle. "There's another one!"

"ISN'T THAT MIYAMA?!" Luffy nearly screamed in delight, eyes popping out of his skull. "CATCH IT! CATCH IT!"

"Choh~!"

I stopped at the strange sound, tail flicking. What on earth…? Did I just imagine that?

"Choh~!"

"Waaah! It flew away!" Chopper cried, and Luffy waved his net wildly about.

"AFTER IT! WE CAN'T LET IT ESCAPE!" Deciding that I was hallucinating, I shrugged and chased after my two friends, before letting out a massive scream.

"GIANT SCORPION!" I shrieked, halting at the sight of the massive spider that appeared in my path, and Luffy waved a dismissive hand, barely glancing over his shoulder.

"If the spider is in the way, kick it!"

"But I'm in sandals!" I cried, skirting around the large arachnid and chasing after the two, disgusted.

Thunk!

We looked further down the path at the sight of a small, round object dropping to the ground, and I gulped.

"Guys, is that -?"

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

"IT'S A BEEHIVE!" Luffy screamed as we all paled. Immediately, we made an about-face and ran for our lives while we shrieked our heads off.

"RUN!" We practically trampled the large spider from earlier, not caring about it now with a much greater threat right behind us, and we squealed and yelped with pain as we were stung.

"Ow!"

"Ouch! Stoppit!"

"Noooo - OW!"

Almost an hour later, we panted, bodies stinging and swelling thanks to the large amount of bee stings we accumulated.

"Owwwww!" I moaned, trying to not move a single muscle, in fear of making myself hurt even more. "Guys, what are we doing?"

"I don't know," Chopper panted, looking a downright mess and in his reindeer form. He and Luffy had swelling lumps all over their bodies, much like I did.

Thunk!

Slowly, we looked down, and stupidly stared at the sight of another beehive rolling to a stop in front of us.

"Wha -" I began, before an angry buzzing filled the air.

"RUN!" screamed Chopper in terror, and we bolted, running faster than ever before as an angry horde of bees chased after us.

"WHAT'S UP WITH THIS FOREST?!" Luffy and I screamed/wailed, and suddenly, Chopper's ears swiveled.

His head snapped to look behind him, and he gasped, nearly stumbling over a tree root in his path. "Luffy! Hazel, look!"

Off in the distance, we spotted a bird, and it was clearly laughing at our predicament.

"That bird!" I realized. "I heard it earlier!" And we were supposed to catch it, shit…

"THAT BIRD DID IT!" Luffy realized. "IT'S THE ONE THAT MADE THE BEEHIVES FALL ON US!" And suddenly, I agreed with Luffy's earlier statement, about punching a bird to pieces.

"WHAT?!" I shrieked with rage.

It let out several mocking cries, a leer on its face, and Chopper stared blankly at it, a strange combination of fear, anger, and resignation mixed in his facial expression. "Eh…?"

"What did it say?!" Luffy demanded, and Chopper gulped.

"It said, "all who disturbs this forest must be killed"!" Chopper translated, and I ground my teeth.

"THAT'S IT!" I seized my axe, and turned to charge back at the bird…

…Only to get a faceful of bee stings.

"GYAAAAAAA!"

"That's it!" I heard Luffy shout in the distance. "I'm not running anymore!"

"Luffy, you can't! Those are bee stings! They're poisonous! And Hazel, get away from them!"

Oh, right, I realized belatedly as I stumbled away. I needed to get away…

And the world went black.


I woke up two hours later, covered in swelling lumps and Chopper pressing something to my lips.

"Oh, good," he sighed in relief. He still looked lumpy and swollen, but not to the extent that I felt. "Drink this; it's aloe juice. It should help a little."

I drank, and sighed at the feeling of some of the swelling going down. "Thanks, Chopper."

"So we can hear, but never see one," I heard Zoro say, and I blinked at the sight of everyone standing and sitting around the clearing. When did we get back together?

"We saw one," Luffy said, huffing, "but the bees were everywhere, and there was no time to catch the bird! Plus, Hazel fainted and we had to carry her!"

I tried not to shuffle in embarrassment. "My bad…"

"We had to keep running," Chopper added.

"I can't take it!" Usopp waved his arms in frustration. "We have eight people, but can't even catch one?! You guys should try harder!"

"Speak for yourself!" Sanji snarled over his cigarette, and Usopp whistled innocently and looked away.

Nami sighed and took a seat. She was covered in sweat, and she looked exhausted. "I don't have the strength to run anymore!" she confessed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Choh~!"

I felt my teeth grind at that hateful sound, and all of us glared up at the stupid, idiotic bird that dared to grace us with its presence. It chortled at us, chanting "choh" over and over again, and Chopper made a face.

"It said, "Did you catch anything? Dumbass"!" he translated, and I leaped to my feet, practically gnashing my teeth together in fury.

"THAT'S IT! I'M TURNING YOU INTO A SHITTY STUFFED FLAMINGO IN MY ROOM, YOU STUPID CREATURE!" I shrieked furiously, preparing to throw my axe, and Usopp practically jumped on me.

"You can't do that! We need it!"

"Did he show up here on purpose, just to say that?!" demanded Sanji angrily, and Luffy hopped to his feet.

"I will hit you down!" he warned the bird, who laughed in reply.

Suddenly, arms sprouted out of the bird's wings, and the bird slowly stopped laughing to look at them in confusion. "Choh?"

In an instant, they wrapped themselves around the stupid bird, while another arm formed beneath it and flung it to the ground. It landed with a satisfying thwack on the forest floor. I felt a grin spread across my face while the others gaped at it in surprise, then over to Robin, who shrugged.

"As long as I can see it…" she said, and refused to elaborate more.


Sorry about the short chapter, guys! And it was written in a bit of a hurry, so if there's any mistakes, let me know! Next up, Mocktown, Bellamy, and the Knock-Up Stream!

Please, review, critique, share, etc! I love hearing from y'all!

Posted and Edited: 1/11/2015, 10:15 PM