Chapter 3 - Twin Capes
Megumi's POV:
It's been a few days since we left Loguetown, we made it out of the storm safely, but we're heading back into another that surrounds the Red Line, along with a strong current that pushes any ship up the canal from each of the four seas. I walk up from our room as I pack the rest of our things away, letting Nami plot our course; I look to see the boys in the kitchen and Nami placing the map on the table. "Look at this! I'd heard the rumours about it, and it's drawn on this map, too!" Nami tells the boys, acting all serious.
"Don't forget me!" I tell her and sit down on the table, fixing the button on my slightly oversized black dungarees. The straps are too loose, so it keeps slipping and bringing the white tank top strap down too.
"Yes, Sissy, you did." Nami sighs as if I'm annoying her. "If it really is true, and not one of Big Sis's tall tales, then the entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain!"
"Hey!" I protest with a whine
"A mountain?" Luffy questions as he eats again.
"We go to crash into a mountain?" Zoro asks, clearly not thinking straight.
"You can't be serious," Sanji says.
"I didn't believe it myself, but the map has canals that lead to the mountain. That might mean we have to go up it!" She argues.
"Neat!" Luffy exclaims, clearly not listening.
"What're you talking about?!" Zoro asks out oblivious Captain. "Even if there are canals or whatever, a ship can't climb up a mountain!"
"Does too!" I argue.
"Does not!" He argues back.
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does not!"
"Does too!"
"Ha! I got you!" I cheer as Zoro groans. "Anyway, who here has been to the Grand Line?" I point to myself. "Me! Anyway, there's a strong current that pushes the water high up the side of the Reverse Mountain, allowing ships to rise to the top and go down into the beginning of the Grand Line."
"Exactly! Megumi-chan has the most experience with the Grand Line out of all of us! Stop being so stupid and listen!" Sanji backs me up.
"H-hey! Someone help with the rudder!" Usopp cries out.
"Sanji-Kun! Give Usopp a hand!" Nami orders him.
"It won't budge!" He shouts.
"I can't think with all his shouting!" She snaps.
"It won't move! Someone help!"
"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji swoons and rushes to help Usopp. "Okay!"
"D-doesn't this current seem a bit strong?!" Usopp asks.
"Eh?! Usopp! What did you just say?" Nami asks him, and he repeats himself with more anger.
"Oh, we must be getting close," I mumble.
"Really?!" Luffy exclaims with glee.
"Yep!" I grin back.
"That means Big Sis was right!" Nami says, and I glare at her.
"Hey!" I yell.
"So that means we go up these canals, up the side of the mountain. Reverse Mountain." She concludes.
"Yep!" I pop the P.
"Hey! Little help over here!" Usopp yells as Sanji walks over.
"So, that means with the harsh current, if we miss, we're screwed, and we'll get wrecked." Nami points out, and I nod.
"You have to be dead on for the entrance," I tell her. "So we have to make sure the rudder works perfectly till we make it into the Grand Line."
"So clever, Nami-san, Megumi-chan!" Sanji exclaims with love hearts in his eyes.
"I've never heard of ships going over mountains before." Zoro, the cynic, says.
"I've heard some stuff before!" Sanji jumps in.
"Stories about Reverse Mountain?" Luffy asks with a big grin on his face.
"No, I heard that half of everyone who heads to the Grand Line dies before entering it...I knew getting in wouldn't be easy." He tells us.
"Well, if it was, everyone would do it." I smile and hear the sound of rain coming from outside. "No! Not rain! We just had rain!" I whine.
"I'll get our raincoats," Nami says and walks off down to our room.
"Okay!"
"Why do you hate the rain so much, Meg?" Luffy asks.
"It's really girly, but it makes my hair go all crazy," I answer.
"That is really girly." Zoro jumps in, and I turn, glaring at him, kicking him on the forehead. "Ow! What the hell!" He yells, but Luffy just laughs.
"Shut up, Greenie!"
"Why don't you, Pinky!" He snaps back.
"Zoro, leave Big Sis along!" Nami says as she comes back wearing her raincoat and hands me mine, which I happily put on. Since it's been raining non-stop and it's driving me crazy.
"Sanji-Kun! Could you get the sail?" Nami requests of the lovesick fool.
"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji replies with the obvious. "Luffy! Help out!" He snaps.
"Eh?!" He complains; it's quiet for a few minutes as they pull the sails back because of the harsh winds.
"Can you swap your raincoat for a different colour?" I ask Nami randomly.
"But we're matching, and mine's longer than yours anyway." She replies.
"But...okay." I sulk a little.
"Hey! I see the Red Line!" Luffy shouts from outside, I look out the window, but it's hard to see and follow the others outside with the rain.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
I come outside in my new pink raincoat; I zip up the front of my coat; I don't want my top to get wet and pull the hood, making sure my hair is tucked in safe from the rain, before stepping outside with the others. "W-what?!" Usopp exclaims in shock. "T-that's insanely huge!"
"The entrance to the Grand Line…." Nami mutters in awe.
"So that's the Red Line, huh?!" Luffy grins.
"I-I-I can't see the top because of the clouds!" Usopp yells, and I pat him on the shoulder.
"Yeah! Isn't it great!" I beam, about to move when a shake goes through the ship, knocking us around a little; I try steadying myself on the railing.
"We're getting sucked in! Hold the rudder good!" Luffy shouts as he hands from the sail.
"We're on it!" Sanji and Usopp shout as they run back into the room.
"N-Nami! Where's the entrance?! We're gonna crash into the rocks if we keep going this way!" He shouts as he swings back and forth.
"The crack in that cliff, it's the entrance." I jump up and down but nearly slip due to the wet wooden deck.
"Nami! What do we do?!" Usopp shouts from inside.
"Keep going straight ahead!" She answers with certainty.
"A-are you serious?!" He shouts, freaking out.
"Just do it!" I snap, and Luffy stretches down, standing next to me.
"Meg! Is that the canal entrance?" He asks.
"Definitely!" I answer.
"This can't be for real!" Zoro voices, and I look over to see him looking through Usopp's binoculars. "The damn ocean really is flowing up the mountain!"
"I love being right and proving Zoro wrong; it just makes it better." I hum to myself.
"We gotta make our way through those water gates just right! Otherwise, the ship'll be busted into pieces!" Nami warns the boys, and we keep sailing, but the strong current seems to be knocking us off course slightly to the port side.
"W-we're getting off course! More to the right! Right! Right!" Luffy shouts out in warning.
"Go right?! Go starboard!" Usopp yells as he and Sanji try to move the rudder, but it seems the current is strong. "C-come on, now!" I hear a snap from inside and a girlish shriek coming from Usopp; I turn around to see him and Sanji crash into the wooden bench with the rudder. They crash into the bench, breaking it in half; we all look in shock as we are now rudderless.
"The Rudder!" We all scream, and Luffy rushes off.
"Gum-Gum no...Balloon!" He shouts as he rushes, jumping into the air, off the ship, swallowing air, expanding his stomach. He comes between us and the sea gates; I rush over, jumping down the stairs, towards the front of the ship, grabbing Luffy's vest as he knocks the Going Merry back on course.
"You got him?!" Zoro asks as I haul Luffy up the side of the ship by his vest.
"Yeah! I got him!" I shout back as he lands on his front; I look over to the others with a thumbs up, who all let out a breath of relief; even Sanji and Usopp are cheering in the kitchen.
"We made it!" They cheer as we sail calmly and quickly to the top.
"Now it's just a straight shot to the summit!" Nami announces and takes off her raincoat; I do the same with mine as Luffy stands next to Zoro and me as we watch as we break through the cloud line, almost reaching the top.
2We're above the clouds now!" Luffy yells over the rushing water as he sits on the figurehead. "We've made it to the top!" I look around in awe; it doesn't get old, I'll tell you that. "Yahoo!"
"Hold on!" I warn them, but it's too late as we come to the peak fast, sailing in the air before dropping back down; the others all stay in the air for a few seconds before falling back on the ship. I'm glad I hung onto the railing, seeing them all getting back up, a little slowly. "Now we can sail down!" I tell them.
"So this is the greatest sea in the world! The Grand Line!" Luffy cheers as we sail down Reverse Mountain and soon come to the cloud line.
"Whoa! This is great!" Sanji shouts as he and Usopp hold onto the ratlines; I hear something strange.
"Did you just hear something?" Zoro asks over the loud rush around us.
"Huh? What'd you say?" Nami asks though she's slightly further away.
"Don't you hear a strange sound?" He asks.
"Isn't it the wind?" She questions. "There must be lots of unusual landforms!"
"What's that?!" I hear from Usopp, after hearing the noise again, but closer.
"Nami-san! I see a mountain up ahead!" Sanji calls down.
"A mountain?! That can't be!" She argues.
"But it's really there!" He argues back.
"Who cares?! Go!" Luffy cheers,
"After passing the Twin Capes up ahead, there should be nothing but ocean!" She points out, I feel like I'm forgetting something important.
"What the HELL is that?!" I shout as we sail down Reverse Mountain to see a large black wall blocking our way once we break through the clouds. We keep picking up speed.
"It's not a mountain! It's a black wall!" Nami yells.
"No, it's not!" Luffy shouts back.
"Then what is it?!" Zoro demands.
"I-I-I-It's a whale!" Usopp shouts, and the large creature lets out a large deafening sound; I cover my ears. "Wh-wh-wh-what're we gonna do?!"
"Should we fight?" Zoro asks, always opting for violence.
"Idiot! There's no way we can fight that!" I snap at him.
"B-b-b-b-but, our path is blocked!" Usopp points out in a panic. "What're we gonna do?!"
"Hold on a sec!" Sanji says. "If it looks like a wall from this close, then where are its eyes?!"
"That's right! It's possible that he may not have noticed us!" Nami agrees.
"But unless we do something, we'll run into it!" Zoro points out. "Hey! We can get through on the left!" He says, turning to the boys, pointing to the far left. "Port! Hard to port!"
"But the rudder is broken!" Usopp shouts back.
"Do something!" Zoro snaps, jumping down past me. "I'll help, too!" He runs over to the broken rudder and Usopp.
"Oh, yeah! I've got an idea!" Luffy announces and rushes off.
"Luffy? Hey, what're you doing?!" I shout after him. "Are you three even trying?!" I shout to the boys as I watch all three of them try turning the rudder.
"Like you can do any better!" Zoro shouts back.
"Dammit!" Usopp cries out.
"Don't give up!" Sanji orders, and there's a large boom coming from in front of us; it knocks us back a little as the cannon hits the whale, causing an explosion.
"Cannon?!" We all shout in shock, falling back from the hit, I fall against the railing with a hiss, and we slowly hit into the flesh wall, the figurehead snaps off, spinning towards Nami.
"Ah...we're screwed...this might be it…." She mutters as it flies over both our heads, landing on the main deck with a crash.
"My special seat…!" I hear Luffy shout from below, it's tense for a while, but the damn whale doesn't even flinch.
"Let's get out of here before it's too late!" Zoro orders, and we all get to our feet.
"What the heck is going on?!" Usopp shrieks. "Demon Woman, you've been here before; why didn't you tell us?!"
"I never noticed it before! I must have missed it! I do remember hearing about a rumour once, but I didn't think it was real!" I reply as we get out the oars.
"Did he not notice the cannon attack because his body's too big?!" Sanji questions as we paddle around him. "Or is he just slow?!"
"Who knows! Anyway, let's get out of here now!" Zoro snaps, and it makes that horrible sound again.
"Ahhhhh! My ears hurt!" Sanji cries out.
"Paddle! Just paddle!" Usopp demands. "We have to get away from him!" The sound stops, thankfully.
You…! What the hell did you do to my special seat?!" Luffy shouts; I look over to see him stretch out his arm, punching the whale in the eye.
"Dumbass!" We all shout at him; it's tense for a few seconds till its eye looks down at us; we all cry out in shock, afraid of what'll happen next.
"How was that?! Bring it on, you bastard!" He continues shouting, and Zoro and Usopp rush over, kicking him down.
"Shut up already, you idiot!" They snap at him; it makes a groaning sound before opening its mouth wide, letting out a large bellow.
"Wh-what?!" Nami whimpers as we start to get sucked in, it opens its mouth wider, and we start to flow into its mouth.
"Luffy!" The others cry out, and I look to see him falling overboard as we get swallowed.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
"Where are we, do you think?" Nami asks as she looks around the sky on the Going Merry, which seems to be popping on a strange green liquid beneath us.
"What do I think…?" As I look around, to see a small island with a house in front of us, Zoro parrots.
"How should I think…?" Sanji asks.
"H-h-h-h-how…" Usopp stutters, still in shock.
"I was sure we were swallowed by that damn whale…." I respond as I sit on the floor.
"Is this a dream?" Usopp questions.
"Yeah, it's probably a dream." Zoro agrees.
"Some weird-ass dream," I mutter.
"Then, what're the island and house doing there?" Nami asks.
"They must be illusions." Zoro comments, and something rises in front of us, the water falling away to reveal a giant squid.
"Then this is…." Nami says, the fear creeping up on her.
"-a Great King Squid!" Usopp and Nami scream as they run, leaving us to fight the thing. I get to my feet, taking out my guns, pointing them towards the giant squid; when three harpoons pierce right through its body, it falls back into the green liquid with a massive splash.
"Looks like there's at least someone there." Zoro comments.
"I hope it's really a person…." Sanji replies.
"I've had enough. I wanna go home." Nami whimpers.
"Luffy went somewhere, too. What's gonna happen to us?" Usopp cries, both of them crying with sad looks on their faces.
"Come to think of it, where's Luffy?!" Nami questions; I put my guns back when a figure appears in the doorway.
"Sh-sh-sh-shall, we fire the cannon at that island?!" Usopp shrieks in fear.
"No, hold on a sec...someone's coming out…." Sanji says, and the figure starts pulling the rope attached to the harpoons and walks further into the light. "Ah?! It's a flower!"
"A flower?" I question as I look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, never mind. It's a person." Sanji retracts his earlier statement.
"That old man killed a Great King Squid with a single hit…." Nami mutters in shock.
"Was he just fishing...or did he do it to save us?" I wonder as the unknown old man looks at us as he ties the rope and walks to the left; still making eye contact, he wordlessly walks over to a beach chair and sits down, starting to read the paper.
"Say something, you jerk!" Sanji snaps in anger after the tense staring contest, and the old man looks up from his newspaper.
"I-If you wanna fight, we'll fight, you bastard!" Usopp shouts from the safety of the back room. "We've got cannons!" He glances over at us, and I feel an uneasy tension in the air.
"You'd better not, or someone will die." He warns us, and the two babies hang onto each other.
"Oh? Just who're you saying will die?" I ask him.
"Me, of course." He answers.
"You?!" Sanji exclaims. "Why you…"
"Well, calm down," Zoro tells him, pulling him aside.
"He's mocking us. That bastard…" He mumbles and steps aside.
"Hey, old man. Tell us where we are and who you are." The swordsman demands, and the old man looks over at us again for a few tense seconds.
"When asking someone a question, isn't it proper manner to give your name first?" He questions.
"Hm? Yeah, good point. Sorry. My name is Roronoa-" He replies, but the old man cuts him off.
"My name is Crocus. I'm the lighthouse keeper of the Twin Capes. I'm 71 years old and a Gemini." He says over Zoro, angering the swordsman.
"Can I cut him?!" He snaps as Sanji, and I stop him.
"My blood type is AB. you're asking where we are? How dare you run your mouth when you barged into my private resort? Does it look like we're in a rat belly?" Crocus points out.
"S-so we were eaten by a whale after all...but is this inside a whale's stomach?" Usopp asks as he looks around.
"Wait a sec! What's gonna happen to us?! I don't wanna be digested!" Nami shrieks with fear, and Crocus looks at us again.
"Would you cut that out?!" We shout at him.
"Haven't you guys heard of the 'repeating gag'?" Crocus asks us.
"That was a gag?!" We shout back.
"The exit is over there." He tells us, pointing over to a door in the middle of the sky.
"We can get out?!" We exclaim in shock as we look at the door, supposedly standing in the middle of the sky.
"Hold on a sec! Why's there an exit in a whale's belly?! Why's the door in the sky?!" Nami questions, and I look closely.
"Wait...look at it more carefully...the sky...the seagulls...they're all painted. It's all painted inside of the whale's stomach." I point out in shock, this would have taken ages to paint.
"Huh?" Nami looks around as well.
"Call it a Doctor's playful mind," Crocus says.
"You bastard! What the hell are you doing here?!" Usopp shouts at him in anger, and Zoro pulls him away.
"That's enough! Leave him alone." Zoro tells him.
"Agreed," Sanji says for the first time.
"Nami. there's an exit, so why don't we leave already." I tell her.
"Yeah." She agrees, but before we can, even more, the area around us rumbles, the stomach acid rocks violently, creating big waves, rocking us violently.
"What's going on?!" Sanji shouts.
"It's started…." Crocus mutters, but still loud enough for us to hear.
"Look!" Nami announces and points over to the little island. "That's not an island! It's a ship. On top of that, it's made of iron!"
"Of course! It's because this sea is gastric acid!" Usopp announces.
"I guess that means that a wooden ship would melt if they stayed here long." Sanji comments.
"Hey! What's started?! Tell us!" He demands.
"This whale has...Laboon has started hitting his head against the Red Line." He explains.
"What?!" Zoro and Sanji yell together.
"Come to think of it, I remember hearing the rumour, and it does explain the large terrible scars on his forehead," I comment.
"He was also howling at the sky…." Nami adds.
"What does that mean?" Usopp asks.
"He's suffering!" She concludes, but it doesn't make any sense.
"I see! So that's what that geezer's trying to do!" He replies.
"Likely...he's probably trying to kill the whale from inside his body!" Nami jumps to a terrifyingly dark conclusion.
"Now…" Crocus mutters; he seems worried; he can't want to kill this whale, Laboon.
"What a vicious way to kill it…!" Usopp cluelessly agrees.
"Whoa! Whoa! Why jump to that conclusion?" I ask them.
"What is it, Big Sis?" Nami asks.
"Why are all of you jumping to that horrible version of events? It's not likely at all that he's trying to kill the whale." I point out.
"Well, what other reason could there be?" Zoro asks.
"Well, how long do you think it took to build the door in the whale's stomach or painting the sky mural? Or building that iron island?" I ask them, and they seem to think about it. "You only do things like that if you either are completely heartless…."
"See, we're right!" Usopp jumps in, and I glare at him; he shrinks back.
"Or, you care so much about someone." I finish.
"She's got a point; we have nothing to say about his treatment towards the whale, nor are we under obligation to save the whale if he's whale hunting." Sanji comes to my defence.
"Thanks, I think," I mutter.
"Let's get out of here." He adds, and Laboon starts bashing into the side of the Red Line again, causing the gastric acid to shift, creating high and rocky waves.
"Ahhh! Dammit! With the waves surging like this, I don't know if we can even reach the doors…" Usopp warns us.
"We have no other choice but to paddle! Take the ores!" Zoro orders the others.
"Let's leave as quickly as possible! I'm starting to get worried about Luffy." I tell them and see the look from my sister as she walks past, heading to the helm. "Shut up," I tell her softly.
"He's outside! I saw him fly out of the mouth!" Zoro replies, and I hear a splash.
"That old man jumped in!" Nami informs us as she points over into the water.
"Huh? What's he gonna do? He's gonna be digested." He remarks.
"Probably, but he must have done it a few times already! Let's just get out of here." I tell him, and I see the old man pop up near a ladder leading to another door above the larger door. "Hey! The old man made it out!" I tell the others.
"Forget about him!" Zoro tells me. "More importantly, how do we open these doors?" Suddenly the doors up the ladder crash open, three figures come sailing out.
"Ahh!" Usopp screams in worry as the three figures fly across, two I don't know and Luffy.
"Luffy?" Zoro questions as he floats by.
"Hey! So everyone's okay?" He asks. "In any case, help me!" He drops into the water along with the two others with him.
"Aside from Luffy...there are two weirdos…." Usopp comments.
"Hey! That old man disappeared!" Nami exclaims.
"Don't bother! For now, let's save Luffy!" Zoro tells us, and I start taking off my heavy boots.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Nami demands as I hop onto the side railing.
"To go get Luffy, I am the better and fastest swimmer," I reply and dive into the gastric acid below.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
I swim down to see the two others swimming towards the surface, leaving Luffy behind. I swim faster towards Luffy, who keeps sinking further down, and I hook my arm around his waist as I swim quickly towards the surface, though the extra weight slows me down slightly.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
"Hey!" I shout as I break to the surface to see the two others being pulled up, and Nami throws two ropes; I secure the first around Luffy and then around myself. We climb aboard, and Sanji steps on Luffy's stomach, making him spit out any of the gastric acids he may have swallowed as I walk off. As I make it to the door, I hear Luffy groan; I let out a sigh of relief as I step inside.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
I walk back out, and there's a howling sound, softer than before, coming from Laboon. "It's calmed down. The whale is quiet now." Nami comments, and I see Luffy is awake, sitting behind the two strangers.
"Seems so." I agree as I dry my hair with my towel in a rogue red velvet dress that comes to my mid-thigh - that thankfully hides my shark teeth scars, barely - with white collar and wrist pieces, though I can't be bothered to put shoes on right now.
"We did save you guys for the time being, but who are you?" Zoro orders the two strangers.
"Mr 9, they're pirates." The woman whispers loudly, looking uncomfortable from Sanji's love stare and goofy smile.
"I-I know, Miss Wednesday." He whispers back, though we can still hear him. "B-but if we talk to them, they should understand...perhaps…."
"You thugs're still around?!" The old man shouts from the high door; we all look over at him, thinking he means us. "Don't make me say this yet again! I won't let you lay a finger on Laboon as long as I'm alive!"
"Who's that pops?" Luffy asks us, but before we can answer, the woman laughs, though it sounds kinda fake.
"Even if you say so, we can't leave." She says as she gets to her feet, carrying a bazooka. I want it.
"Taking down this whale is our mission." The man, so-called, Mr 9 adds as he gets to his feet, carrying his bazooka. I want it. "We won't let you interfere with our whale hunting this time!" They turn around to face Crocus, aiming their weapons at the whale's stomach wall. "We'll open an air vent in his stomach! Let's go, baby!"
"Roger!" Miss Wednesday replies, and they fire; two cannons sail out, heading with a curve towards the stomach wall, but the old man rushes towards the two cannons, jumping to catch them before they hit their intended target. They explode on contact, though it's not as powerful as it could be, and most likely, if it'd hit the whale's stomach wall, it wouldn't have made a hole. The old man falls down from the explosion, heading below for the gastric acid, looking semi-conscious.
"That pops jumped straight into the cannons…!" Usopp gasps in shock.
"Could it be...that he protected the whale?!" Sanji exclaims.
"Told ya!" I snap, and the female starts laughing.
"Stop this pointless resistance!" She shouts.
"If you want to protect the whale that badly, go right ahead." Mr 9 snaps, and the female partner keeps laughing. "We'll turn it into food for our town!" He starts laughing along with the woman.
"What's going on?" Nami asks, and Luffy jumps to his feet and smacks their heads together, stopping their annoying laughter, they fall down to the floor, and I step forward, wanting their bazookas.
"Luffy…?" Usopp questions in shock.
"I just...felt like hitting them." He replies angrily, and the others start helping the old man aboard, and I take the bazookas from the floor, taking them into the kitchen as we sail towards the little iron island.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
"I thank you for saving me...but why?" Crocus asks us as we stand around on his island.
"I wasn't trying to save you." Luffy answer honestly. "I just didn't like them for some reason."
"Say, who are these guys?" Nami asks, pointing to the tied up Mr 9 and Miss Wednesday by her feet, and Luffy starts trying to climb the tall palm tree.
"Hey, Luffy! What're you doing?" Usopp demands as he tries pulling him down.
"What're you doing inside this whale?" She asks him.
"Stop it! Hey, Luffy! Stop it!" He demands as he keeps pulling his vest.
"They're thugs from a nearby town. They're after whale meat." Crocus explains.
"What're you trying to do?" Usopp asks Luffy, who keeps trying to climb.
"If they capture Laboon, it can feed the townspeople for at least 2-3 years, so…" He explains.
"Laboon?" Nami parrots.
"It's the name of this whale. It's the world's largest whale, called the Island Whale, which lives only in the West Blue. I won't let them have him as food. There's a reason he keeps hitting himself on the Red Line and howling towards Reverse Mountain." He tells us, and I frown, wondering what it could be.
"A reason?" Luffy asks.
"Yeah. He's a whale with a human heart." He answers and looks up. "And he's been devotedly waiting for a certain pirate group...for 50 long years…"I'll tell you...Laboon's story…" He looks around at us, and I sit down on the real grass, careful of my short dress. "One day, while I was on duty as the lighthouse keeper, as usual, some good-natured pirates came down Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line. and a small whale came in as well as if following them. That was Laboon. The Island Whale lives only in the West Blue, and it's the world's largest whale. The pirates had been travelling with Laboon all that time, but they left him in the West Blue since the Grand Line is extremely dangerous. Although they thought they did, he followed them. Island Whales usually travel together as a group, but I suspect Laboon felt that he was a member of that pirate group. Since their ship had broken down, they stayed at the cape for several months. So we became quite good friends. Because of that, on the day of their departure...they asked me to look after Laboon, for 2-3 years, while they sailed the Grand Line...that was 50 long years ago…."
"50 years…!" Sanji questions in shock.
"Laboon has been waiting for those guys for 50 years?" Usopp asks him.
"Is that why he continues to howl at the wall, hitting himself on it?" I ask him.
"Yeah…" He answers, I can't help but wonder what stopped them from coming back for their friend, why it's taken 50 years; either they fled and couldn't take the embarrassment, or they're dead.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
We make it out of the stomach and sail along a long canal, heading out. "This is an amazing canal. I'm surprised that he's still alive, having a hole like this inside his body." Zoro comments.
"Is this also your playful mind?" Sanji asks Crocus.
"A Doctor's playful mind." He replies.
"Doctor?" Usopp exclaim in shock.
"I may not look one, but I'm a Doctor." He answers. "I also ran a clinic on the cape a long time ago. It was just for a few years, but I was also a ship's Doctor."
"Really?" Luffy asks from the broken figurehead. "Then be our ship's Doctor!"
"Don't be ridiculous. I no longer have the energy to do reckless things like you guys do." He replies as he stops by a ladder and climbs up quickly.
"A Doctor, huh? That's why the inside of the whale's body is like this…then these are from the treatment…" Sanji guesses.
"That's right." He confirms as he reaches the top. "When the whale is this big, it's impossible to treat it from outside. I'm gonna open the doors." He starts turning the wheel, and the doors open, and we sail through.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
We sail out through the side of Laboon under the real sky; Luffy jumps to his feet happily, laughing. "There it is! The real sky!" He cheers as the old man follows.
"But 50 years…? Those pirates sure are making him wait a long time…" Usopp comments.
"Idiot! This is the Grand Line. They're dead." Sanji snaps at him. "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 agrees.
"Why are you talking so hopeless?!" Usopp exclaims as he rushes over to us as we crowd around the Going Merry figurehead. "You don't know that for sure yet! They might come back! It's a very touching story! A whale continues to believe in the promise his friends made… right, pops?!" He asks the old man.
"Yeah...but reality is cruel. I confirmed it using reliable information. They ran away...from the Grand Line." Crocus informs us, but I don't want to believe it; it seemed they were family; from his story, you don't abandon family.
"Can't be...don't tell me...they left without him?!" Usopp yells in disbelief.
"Ran away from the Grand Line...does that mean they went through the Calm Belt alive?" Nami asks him.
"Even if they are alive, they'll probably never come back here. Seasons. Weather. Current. Wind direction. They are all random. Common sense is useless in the Grand Line. The terror of the Grand Line takes over weak minds in an instant." Crocus explains.
"So having weak minds, they ran away from this sea without keeping their promise in order to save their asses…." Sanji remarks.
"They abandoned this whale?! When he's been waiting for 50 years…?! That's cruel! Megumi! Do something!" Usopp shouts and slaps his hands on my shoulders.
"What can I do?" I ask him calmly.
"Find them!" He snaps.
"I doubt you can find them," Crocus says, and Nami takes a sharp breath in.
"I can find anything. What Pirate name did they go by?" I ask him as I walk to the side to look down at him.
"The Rumbar Pirates." He answers, and I take a deep breath, closing my eyes; I frown, feeling them coming from ahead, not from the West Blue.
"I think whoever told you was lying," I tell him.
"And why is that?" He asks.
"Because I found the Rumbar Pirates dead ahead," I tell him; he looks at me in shock.
"How can you possibly know that?" He demands.
"Finder Power!" The crew cheer behind me.
"I see, so all those years." He mutters.
"They are likely dead, but I don't know. What happened, but I can sense them somewhere within the Grand Line. It is possible one could have survived." I comment and frown.
"I see, but if they did, why didn't they return for him?" Zoro questions.
"I don't know; they could be stranded on an island or held prisoner, who knows." I snap back at him. "I don't have all the answers."
"I see, thank you. I am sure Laboon will be happy to know that. I just wish it had come years before. Because when I told him, he started howling at Reverse Mountain, then ramming his head against the Red Line as if it was stopping them from coming back for him." Crocus explains. "We are all each other have now." Luffy jumps to his feet with a roar and snaps out mast off, running towards Laboon.
"What's that idiot doing?" Sanji asks as we watch.
"When we looked away for a second…." Our First Mate sighs.
"I don't like this," I mutter as we watch him climb up the side of the whale to the tip.
"Gum-Gum no...Flower Arrangement!" He shouts and pins the mast into a fresh wound on the whale,
"Isn't that a mast" Zoro questions, as if not realising it's ours.
"Yep. it's from our ship." Sanji confirms.
"It's the main mast...Hey! Don't break the ship!" Usopp shouts at him, and I get a bad feeling as Laboon starts tearing up before thrashing around in pain, howling.
"What the hell are you doing!" We shout, and Laboon jumps from the water, heading for land, crashing down headfirst.
"Wha…?! Hey, kid!" Crocus shouts in worry.
"Don't worry. He doesn't die even when he's crushed!" Nami assures the old man, and Laboon falls back into the water, leaning back high.
"Ha! Dummy!" Luffy shouts as he sits up; Laboon burrows towards him, shovelling the rock out of the way easily, Luffy jumps out of the way, but Laboon flicks his tail, sending Luffy back. He stretches his arm, punching the whale in the eye again, who knocks the rubber man into the lighthouse.
"What does he think he's doing?!" Usopp exclaims as we all watch Luffy punch Laboon on the head twice before being thrown against the lighthouse again.
"Luffy! What the hell are you trying to do?!" Zoro demands as Laboon charges at our Captain.
"It's a draw!" Luffy says, and Laboon stops as Luffy gets to his feet and puts his hat back on that fell during their fight. "I'm strong, aren't I?" He grins. "You wanna defeat me, don't you?! Our fight isn't over yet! So we have to fight again. Your buddies're likely dead, but I'm your rival forever. We definitely have to fight again in order to decide who is stronger. After going around the Grand Line, we'll come back to see you again. When I come back, let's fight again!" He tells Laboon, who starts welling up and makes a happy noise in agreement. Luffy grabs the spare paint from the ship once we dock by the lighthouse. "Hmm. This is good." He marvels at his mess of a Straw Hat crest on the forehead of Laboon. "This is the symbol of our promise to fight again. Until we come back, don't remove that mark by hitting your head. Got that?!" Laboon response. "All right!"
"Hm? Where're those guys?" Usopp asks suddenly as he starts trying to fix our mast
Those guys? Oh, those two weird people?" Nami asks. "Maybe they ran away? I wonder who they were after all…."
"Who cares," I remark and walk back to my room to put on some shoes.
ONE PIECE - REVERSE MOUNTAIN ARC
I walk back out in my black knee-length platform wedge boots, and I hear Nami shriek. I come running to my baby sister as she sits at the table with the map and her compass that keeps spinning. "What's going on? Quiet down." Luffy says as he stands by Laboon, who hides from Nami. Sanji comes up with plates of food with Usopp slowly behind him.
"If it's food you're worried about. It's ready!" He tries to assure her.
"Oh? Mealtime?" Usopp beams as he climbs up.
"Th-the compass is broken!" Nami announces. "It doesn't point in any direction…!"
"Ahh, you're right," Sanji says as the boys look at the spinning compass, though I think Luffy came over for the food.
"It's spinning," Usopp adds.
"Whoa! That's cool!" Luffy exclaims.
"Looks like you guys came here with no knowledge. For heaven's sake! Did you come here to die?" Crocus asks as he walks over to us, and I sit down in Nami's vacant seat.
"What?" Nami asks, looking a little lost.
"Food!" Luffy beams.
"Feed, in your case," Sanji remarks.
"I thought I told you...that common sense is useless in this sea. It's not that that compass is broken." He tells us, and I start picking at the food quickly, knowing Luffy won't wait for all of us to eat.
"Hm? Then, could it be that the magnetic fields are…" Nami concludes, my genus baby sister.
"That's right. The islands in the Grand Line contain lots of magnetic minerals. Because of that, they are causing abnormality throughout the Grand Line. Furthermore, the current and the winds don't have constancy. If you're a navigator, you should know how scary that is." Crocus explains as Luffy starts eating along with me, and the others are none the wiser.
"It's true that if we don't have a way of knowing our direction, it's hopeless." Nami agrees and turns to be. "Why didn't you tell me! You've been to the Grand Line a dozen times!"
"Hey! I didn't know!" I defend myself as she glares at me. "I go on my so-called Finder Power! Anyway, I got you tons of books on the Grand Line! And they weren't cheap! Why didn't you read any of them!"
"I haven't had the chance!" She argues.
"Well, I'd start now if I was you." I snap back.
"Well, that doesn't help us now! Does it!"
"Not my problem! You're the navigator!"
"You need a Log Pose to travel around the Grand Line," Crocus explains.
"Log Pose? I've never heard of it." Nami admits.
"Should have read the books then," I mutter as I eat.
"It's a special compass that can record magnetism." He adds.
"Is it a strange-looking compass?" Luffy asks.
"Yeah, its shape is unusual." He confirms, and Luffy pulls out an odd-looking band.
2Is it something like this?" Luffy asks.
"Yeah, that's it," Crocus confirms. "Without the Log Pose, it's impossible to travel in the Grand Line."
"I see...but hold on a sec." She says and turns to Luffy. "Luffy?" She asks him, clearly not seeing that he's nearly eaten all the food, with some help. "How come you have one?!" She snaps as she punches him across the face, sending him to the ground; he sits up unhurt.
"This is something that those two weirdos dropped on the ship." He explains himself.
"They did?" She asks.
"Why did you hit me?" He asks her.
"Just going with the flow." She answers.
"Oh, the flow, huh?" He seems to accept her response. She looks over the new navigation equipment.
"So this is the Log Pose. there's no dial face." She comments.
"It's known that the magnetism of islands in the Grand Line follows a certain rule. that is, by recording the magnetism of two islands pulling against each other, you can find the route to the next island. Since you can't even figure out its location in this sea, the magnetism record of the Log Pose is the only thing you can depend on. At first, you can pick one out of the seven magnetism produced by Reverse Mountain. But no matter which island you start with, and link themselves to one route. And the name of the island at the end of the route is...Raftel. It's the last point on the Grand Line. the only one in history who confirmed that island is the King of the Pirates. It's a legendary island." Crocus explains.
"Raftel…" Nami mutters.
"Then, the One Piece is there?!" Usopp exclaims, bursting with excitement. "Right, Megumi?!"
"She can't find it." Nami jumps in before I can swallow my food.
"Wait, really?" Luffy asks.
"It's strange; I put it down to the strange weather surrounding the Grand Line or how far away it is," I answer. "But, there is one theory that I always think of."
"What's that?" Sanji asks.
"I don't wanna know." I giggle.
"We'll know once we get there," Luffy tells us as he finishes eating. "Now that I'm done eating, shall we get ready?"
"Did you eat this all by yourself?!" Sanji shrieks at him.
"It was super yummy, Sanji!" I tell him, and he beams over at me.
"Whoa! Even the bones're gone!" Usopp gasps.
"Log Pose, huh? We have to take good care of this. This is the key to our journey." Nami smiles.
"You damn rubber man!" Sanji snaps at Luffy. "I wanted Nami-san...I wanted Nami-san…" He spins around, kicking Luffy in the stomach. "...eat more!" He sends our Captain flying, knocking into the Log Pose that shatters as he skids to the ground.
"Ouch! What're you doing?" Luffy asks him.
"That'll show you, you damn rubber man!" Sanji snaps.
"Sanji-Kun…" She calls out to him.
"Yes, Nami-san!" He replies with a swoon.
"Both of you, go cool your heads off!" She yells at them and kicks them into the water below.
"Nice one," I comment.
"Wasn't that something really important?!" Usopp shrieks.
"Our precious Log Pose was…." She crumbles a little as she looks at the broken Log Pose.
"Don't panic. I'll give you mine." Crocus says. "I wanna thank you guys for Laboon, too." Said whale comes up, bringing along Sanji and Luffy along with the two weirdos from earlier.
"Ahhh...I thought I'd die." Luffy sighs in relief as he lies on the ground, and Sanji's chivalry turns on as he sees the bluenette lying on the ground and walks over to her, acting all charming.
"Here, take my hand, honey." He offers, and she accepts.
"Oh, thank you." She smiles as they get to their feet.
"Nice day, isn't it?" Sanji tries making conversation.
"Hey! We have a favour to ask." Mr Green Suit says, and they walk over to us as they explain their situation.
"Whisky Peak? That's a weird name." Luffy comments as he sits on top of the table.
"What's that?" Usopp asks them.
"That's where we live...uhm, sir." Mr 9 replies as he and his partner kneel before us.
"What happened to your own ship?" Nami asks as she kneels next to them.
"It's busted." Miss Wednesday answers.
"Isn't that asking too much, Mr 9, after trying to kill the whale?" Nami questions, getting in his face a little.
"So what are you guys?" Usopp asks.
"I'm a King." He replies with an obvious lie.
"And I'm the Ruler of the World," I remark.
"We can't say." Miss Wednesday says, bowing her head.
"But we want to go back to the town. We don't want to be secretive, either, but…." Mr 9 tries to tell us.
"The motto of our company is 'mystery' after all…." Miss Wednesday explains, it sounds fishy.
"We just can't tell you anything about us." He adds.
"Placing confidence in your character, we're begging you." She begs.
"We will definitely return the favour." He assures us.
"Don't do it," Crocus warns us. "No matter what they say, they're dishonest people."
"By the way, we don't have a Log Pose because we broke it." Nami lies, holding up our old one. "Do you still wanna ride with us?"
"What?! You broke it?! That's mine, you know!" Mr 9 yells.
"How dare you act stuck up just because we're being humble!" Miss Wednesday snaps. "You guys can't go anywhere, either!"
"Oh, is that so?" I grin as I look at my sister. "But we have another one, don't we sister?"
"That's right, sister; Crocus gave us his old one." Nami grins, and they fall to their knees again.
"We beg you, people of such character…." Mr 9 begs though he looks like he's planning our murder in his head.
"You can ride with us." Luffy accepts.
"What?!" They ask in shock at his agreement with their request.
"Did you say Whisky Peak? Let's go there." He says,
"What?" Nami asks him.
"Are you serious? We're troubling ourselves to take these shadowy people?" Usopp demands, scared of the shady duo.
"What's the problem? Don't worry about small things." Luffy assures him.
"But you can only choose the route here, the starting point." Crocus points out,
"If we don't like it, then we can go around one more time." He replies, and Crocus looks at him with a smile.
"I see…" He smiles, glad to hear his words.
"Now, shall we get going?" He jumps from the table. "Now I've made a promise with the whale. Let's get ready to set sail."
"Who on earth are you?" Miss Wednesday asks him rudely.
"Me? I'm...the man who'll be King of the Pirates." He replies, and I see them giggle to themselves.
"Crocus, if you'd like, I could find them. If our Captain would allow it." I look over at Luffy, who stands over by Laboon.
"I think that's a great idea; what do you think, Laboon?" He asks the whale who flaps his tail in the water.
"I'll take that as a yes. I look forward to seeing you again." I tell him and look over at Laboon. "Don't worry, buddy; I'm sure we'll be back in no time with some new friends." I place my hand on his rough skin; I look over at Luffy, who grins as we start packing up, ready to head out as the sun begins to set.
"It should be okay by now. The Log must've been stored. Is it pointing in the same direction as the map?" Crocus asks Nami, who checks on the Log Pose.
"Yep. It's pointing at Whisky Peak." She answers.
"See ya, flower pops! Thanks for the Log Pose!" Luffy exclaims as he jumps onto the ship.
"Yeah. Have a safe trip!" Crocus waves us off.
"See ya, whale! I'm leaving now!" He says goodbye, and Laboon lets out a noise of well-wishing. "To Whisky Peak...full speed ahead!"
"Yeah!" We cheer, and Laboon says goodbye, and Usopp and Luffy jump around the ship, happily.
"Sissy." Nami gains my attention, and she leans over. "Keep an eye out for Whisky Peak and those two." She tells me, and I nod.
NEXT ON MY TREASURE HUNTER….
"I'm cold!" Megumi snaps as she bundles up in her winter coat, scarf, and a thick blue blanket as she watches Usopp and Luffy have a snowball fight outside as she stands by the helm, keeping them on course.
"Yeah! I could like this place!" Nami grins as they look around at the welcome party as they sail down the canal.
"Full House!" Megumi beams as she shows her cards and takes the money from the pot.
"So, she's a Princess?" She asks as she looks at the man as he lies on the ground. "Cool. Zoro, follow me."
"Bang!"
Author Note: Don't forget this is the second from last chapter, then I'll be going onto my next story on the list, Naruto - The Child Born in Moonlight. Hope you enjoyed reading. DEADGIRLETERNAL OUT!