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03/30/22 EDIT: Thanks to KumaZura for proofreading this chapter.
Chapter 15
100% thrill guarantee
"Island in sight!" Brook exclaimed with delight two days later.
Immediately, the crew gathered on the deck, Luffy bursting with impatience at the front.
"It's a tourist island known for hiking on ancient volcanoes," Robin explained.
"Volcanoes?" Ussop worried. "These things are dangerous..."
"They are mostly all asleep for thousands of years but it is true that an eruption is generally unforeseeable," The archaeologist agreed.
The sniper turned pale and put a hand to his stomach, wincing. "Here I go again... A fit of "don't go on this island full of deadly volcanoes!""
"You can stay watching over the Sunny if you prefer," Nami suggested, indifferent.
The gunner thought about it for a second before straightening his head, determined. "I am the Great Captain Usopp; despite diseases and danger, it is my duty to stay with my crew and-"
"Look at this mountain!" Chopper cut him short. "It's strange!"
They all followed the direction shown by the little reindeer and could indeed see a hill in the shape of a huge monster struggling against an invisible enemy.
"It's so cool!" Luffy said, getting enthusiastic.
"How did they manage to make a sculpture of this size?" The cook wondered.
"It's not a sculpture," Nami disabused him.
"What is it then?" Franky asked. "Yet it looks super similar!"
"Probably a real monster buried under the earth," She replied, shrugging.
"H-How?" Brook stammered.
"The second phase of an eruption is the most destructive," Robin confirmed, "It gives rise to more or less dense flows of incandescent materials and gas along the sides of the volcano called glowing clouds or pyroclastic surge. It burns everything in its path. Living beings trying to flee are then found under a layer of ash mixed with gas that has entered the lungs and caused asphyxiation of the victim. Over time, the rock dust solidifies and they become like stone."
"So this monster was killed in the last eruption," Zoro concluded.
"Most certainly," The archaeologist agreed, "He is frozen for eternity."
Usopp could no longer stop his legs from shaking and he hid behind the swordsman who just remained stoic. "Maybe I'll stay on the ship after all..."
"Luffy, before you jump overboard, I'd like to talk to you," The navigator stopped him when she noticed their captain was already stretching his elastic arms on the rail. "In the meantime, get ready to disembark," She told the others, "Sanji-kun, I let you be in charge of the helm. Try to find us a quiet spot."
"You can count on me, Nami-san!"
Nami dragged the straw hat boy into her cabin. After he closed the door behind him, she grabbed her compass without thinking on her desk to keep her hands busy and glanced at the captain who was waiting for her explanations.
The navigator grimaced and decided to sit on her bed. It was rather rare that she ran out of words and she was usually never embarrassed to tackle any subject but right now, she had to admit she didn't know how to do it.
"I wanted to talk to you about something," She spoke again, "Something important."
"Sure. What is it?" Luffy stepped forward and sat down on Robin's bed, facing her. Nami sighed in front of his curious look. Of course, he had no idea what she wanted to say to him.
"We never talked again about what happened when we were on the island where that watermelon guy wanted to attack us. You know...when we were on the ship that night."
The captain nodded and Nami was glad he understood so quickly. "What we did at the time, when we... kissed. It's a bit peculiar and I wanted to know what you think about it today."
"What do I think about it? Well..." The straw hat boy seemed to think intensely about the question, which worried the navigator a little. So he had never thought about it again since all this time?
"I thought it was weird," He admitted, "At the same time, it was nice. Like you found something that resonated with my stomach ache..."
Nami breathed inwardly. "Do you still have... a stomach ache?" She might as well keep using this metaphor if it allowed him to understand faster...
"It's more or less strong depending on the moment but it's still there, why?"
"I just wanted to be sure." The navigator took a deep breath and looked into Luffy's eyes. She didn't know exactly what she was going to embark on but adventures with her captain had always been successful so far. Why not try this one after all… "I thought maybe, if you agree, we could do it again sometimes," She whispered, feeling a blush upon her cheeks, "It's possible that... I have a bit of a stomach ache too when I look at you."
"Really? So cool!"
Luffy gave her his broadest smile and she smiled back, pleased with his reaction. She was going to take advantage of their quiet time to talk a little more when Franky knocked on the door to tell them they were going to be able to disembark. Luffy immediately went off and she didn't try to hold him back.
The straw hat boy probably didn't realize all that could be implied in this new relationship between them but the young redhead woman wasn't worried, she knew that each question would come bit by bit. Today was a start. A good start.
The island was pouring an impressive amount of tourists each year and in view of the pirate flag, the port guards had indicated to the crew a remote place to moor. They weren't refusing to welcome outlaws but they were also quick to warn the Marines in case of problems and their latent warning wasn't lost on them. The top priority of the local authorities was to maintain their attractiveness with the population of the Grand Line who were providing their main income, which included their security.
Nami paid the regulatory sum for their ship while grumbling and she quickly warned her friends to be careful with tourist traps because prices seemed excessively high to her.
The straw hat boy crew members then headed towards downtown to get to know about the different possibilities of the island. They soon learned that the market was taking place every morning and that many excursions were offered. Loading time for the Log-Pose was going to be two days and the boys asked to sleep here but the navigator refused in view of the price of the inns around. She promised them however that they would dine on the island that evening and that was enough to revive the enthusiasm.
They were quietly walking around the city when Franky stopped short in front of the shop of his dreams. "Wow, I can't believe it!" He exclaimed. "Look at that!"
Everyone approached with curiosity and while some laughed, others sighed.
"I absolutely need it!" The cyborg got enthusiastic, rushing into the store. His friends decided to wait for him outside but soon, the shipwright called to show them his finds and they joined him with resignation.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Usopp flinched as he approached his friend. "Don't try those things!"
"Oh no, and how am I supposed to make a choice, huh?" Franky replied, admiring himself in a mirror. "What do you think?" He then asked the others.
"This is kind of interesting," Brook commented, "It definitely changes your style."
"It's for disco parties!"
Sanji frowned and Zoro looked away, disgusted. Nami got furious. "Buy some pants for a change, you pervert! Don't you see that everyone is looking at you every time we go somewhere?!"
"So what? The looks I get from people don't affect me," The engineer replied, observing the effect of golden glitter on his underwear.
"Did you see that one, Franky?" His captain asked him, his eyes bright.
The cyborg turned to him and nodded. "A little provocative but that might do it."
"Luffy," Usopp whined when he saw the cyborg grab the red and green polka-dot swimming trunks the straw hat boy was holding out to him.
The huge store was bursting with briefs, underpants, boxers, thongs and bathing suits of all kinds. Most of them seemed to be too small to be worn by children over 12 years of age but that was enough to make some people happy, like their shipwright.
"There are really all shapes and colors," Chopper noted, walking around the shelves with astonishment.
"We all might as well get a whole new wardrobe!" The musician exclaimed.
"If you think I'll ever wear something like that," Sanji grimaced, catching a blue boxer with red and gold stars with his fingertips.
"I confirm, it wouldn't suit you at all," The swordsman sneered as he was passing by.
"Just wait til I find one with the same color as your hair, cactus head!" The cook sharply replied.
"Hey! Look, guys!" Luffy showed them a tiny fluorescent pink thong that made the audience shudder. "Where does that go?" He asked, puzzled.
"Put that down!" Usopp pleaded.
"Oh, yeah, it's bold!" The cyborg said as he exited the fitting room and headed for them.
"Franky, don't even think about it," Sanji firmly threatened him.
"No, no, don't worry," His crewmate laughed, "By the way, how do you find this one?"
"For Christmas, it will be perfect," Brook pointed out.
"That's exactly what I thought!" Franky agreed. "Red and green, it's super for the holiday period."
"Let's go, Luffy, we're leaving!" The navigator suddenly intervened, snatching the thong from his hands.
"Hey, don't go! I'm not done!" Franky got indignant.
"We don't need to see you doing a fashion show in underwear!" The redhead fumed. "We already see you every day and that's enough, thank you!" On that note, she pulled Luffy behind her and Usopp followed her with relief before Zoro, Chopper and Sanji followed suit.
"But I need to work on my style, I need advice!" The shipwright said, offended. "Oh, Robin, what do you think of that one?"
The young woman glanced at the piece of chick yellow cloth and shook her head. "I prefer this one." She pointed to a turquoise-blue underpants which was intensely reminiscent of the hair color of the engineer before leaving the store with a smile on her face.
Franky grabbed the piece of clothing, delighted. "She has some taste, this archaeologist. I'll have to bring her back next time." He then went to try it while Brook was still examining clothes in search of the one that would suit him.
Outside, the cook was trying his luck. "Nami-san, Robin-chan, don't you wanna buy lingerie since the boys did it?! I could carry your bags!"
"You've gotta be kidding me, there are only perverts in this crew," Nami was annoyed, punching him.
Robin chuckled while Chopper was examining the blond's head. He wasn't regaining consciousness since he was imagining his princesses in nighties.
"There's an adventure tour!" The captain suddenly shouted, waving the booklet an advertising-man had just given him.
At that moment, Franky exited the store, his arms full of bags with the skeleton. "An adventure tour?" The cyborg asked, interested.
"We'll climb a volcano and beat monsters!" Luffy showed him, drunk with joy.
"Are there really monsters here?" Zoro wondered. "It seems rather quiet..."
"In any case, the brochure guarantees a tour "100% thrill"," Robin read on the booklet.
"Adventure! Adventure! Adventure!" Luffy and Brook chanted, on fire.
"Okay, go do your adventure," The navigator gave in, "We meet tonight on the Sunny."
"Great!" The straw hat boy cried out, running towards the volcano.
Brook and Franky decided to follow him while Chopper suggested to Zoro to go around the island with him and Usopp so he wouldn't get lost. After the swordsman had denied he could get lost in a place like this and everyone sighed in the face of his epic denial, they also went away. Nami then agreed to let Sanji accompany her and Robin on their shopping trip while reminding him that they wouldn't buy panties in his presence. Too happy to spend all his time alone with his two goddesses, the blond settled for covering them with compliments all the way.
Luffy was running like a madman, rushing past the tourist groups that climbed quietly up the green side of the volcano. Behind him, Franky and Brook had decided to not catch up with him and followed the flow of people in front of them.
"This landscape is absolutely enchanting," The skeleton appreciated.
"Yeah, that's nice. Too bad there are so many people. If there are really monsters, they'll run away with all that noise."
They continued their walk while talking about the shipwright's new purchases when an elastic head crashed into them. "There's a cave!" The straw hat boy shouted. "The monster's in here!"
"A real monster?" Brook asked, frightened.
"He's huuuuge!" Luffy sang before heading off again.
"Don't worry, it's an attraction," Franky showed the skeleton, "They say on the booklet it's a reconstruction of the prehistoric era at the time of volcanoes' activity."
"Here I am reassured," The musician whispered.
When they arrived at the entrance of the cave, they obediently followed the arrows showing them the direction of the "hell monster". Soon, they saw below a gigantic platform, a reproduction of a beast as broad as it is high which seemed to sleep. The monster was mechanized and it snored and blew at regular intervals, scaring the youngest ones by muffled grunts in the darkness.
Luffy found them, a huge smile on his lips."This monster is so big!" He clung on to the security fence and stretched his neck to the fullest to see it more closely under the shocked look of people.
Brook leaned a little closer to the fence too and jumped when the monster moved. At his side, a child stared at him and threatened to cry, obviously frightened by his skeletal appearance. Suddenly, the beast grunted and smoke rose from his mouth. Brook and the child screamed in terror and ran off.
For his part, Franky was wondering what circuits were used to move this huge machine. He had spotted the mechanisms of functioning for the limbs but because of the ambient darkness, he wasn't seeing the thinner ones used to move the jaws of the animal rhythmically.
Brook found him, out of breath, and urged him to leave. The cyborg went to look for the captain who had tucked his elastic head inside the mouth of the animal as he was about to roar and they followed dark corridors dug in the wall of the volcano towards the rest of the trip.
The path led to a vast open-air plain not far from the top of the dormant volcano. A multitude of animations on the volcanoes' functioning and the monsters that populated the island at the time of the eruptions were offered.
Brook approached a model reconstructing the island and its inhabitants and he pressed a button to simulate a volcanic eruption at the present time. A lava flow rushed down the slopes of the volcano and engulfed a large part of the houses while shouts of fear and terror were echoing above the model.
"It's creepy," The engineer commented.
"Not very cheerful, indeed," The musician grimaced.
They walked away and met Luffy who was laughing while shooting at monsters with his laser pistol on a giant screen in front of him. At his side, many people were also struggling to get rid of the animals. Eventually, the captain shot down about fifty and he received a huge stuffed toy in the shape of a prehistoric monster as a reward. Overjoyed, he showed it to his friends who were learning on another model how terrestrial and underwater volcanic eruptions were created.
Luffy then bought a volcanic rock for Usopp as he was devouring a "volcano" ice cream that looked like a cone, running like a madman again through the long cave's corridors.
"Robin-chan, this blouse perfectly suits you!" The blond exclaimed. The archaeologist thanked him and he turned to Nami who was trying on shoes. "Nami-san, these court shoes enhance you beautifully!"
"Really? I feel like they're a bit tight," She grumbled.
"Do you want me to go get the shoe size above?" He inquired immediately.
"Yes, why not. And take the pair just next to it, the blue ones."
"I'm on my way, Nami-san!" Sanji flew to the concerned department and found the shoes in seconds. He went back to the navigator and showed her the box.
"No, definitely, it's not right!" Nami sighed after having tried the second pair. "It's a shame, I liked them a lot..."
"I saw a pair that looks like it but the base is more flared," The blond remembered, "Do you want me to take it for you?"
"Yes, it'd be perfect, Sanji-kun," She replied with a smile.
The cook rushed back into the department and picked out two pairs of black pumps. He was going back to his princesses when a young woman called out to him. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find sandals?" She asked. "I can't find them."
"Nothing easier, I'll show you!" Sanji gallantly took the lady to the right department and she thanked him, delighted. The blond was about to leave when another woman called out to him, this time asking for the children's clothes' department. Unable to resist, he accompanied her through the store to show her where it was and he even suggested several styles for his seven-year-old boy. Other customers soon asked for his services and soon, Sanji was busy running from one department to another to satisfy their requests, overjoyed.
"Sanji, where are my court shoes?!" Nami exploded when she saw him pass for the third time in front of her without stopping.
"Oh, Nami-san, forgive me! Here are your shoes, my dove. I took two pairs, you tell me the one you prefer!"
The navigator snatched the boxes from his hands in a bad mood while an umpteenth customer approached the blond. "Excuse me, I'd like to know if you have any-"
"He's not working here so go get it yourself!" Nami barked, glaring at her.
The woman glared back at her before turning on her heels and walking away quickly. Grumbling, Nami took her new fittings out of their boxes. The navigator didn't care if the cook ran everywhere to satisfy the others' requests but when that prevented Sanji from serving her first, she couldn't tolerate it. She had even thought for a moment that the cook would stop being so much at her service after she caught him with Zoro but apparently, he wasn't afraid of paradox and she expected to enjoy it as much as usual. Or maybe more.
"Sanji-kun, could you get me the red boots at the entrance of the store? I'm afraid I won't find my size anymore since they're reduced."
"Of course, my beauty! Do you need anything else?"
"Yes, I'm a little hungry. A waffle would be great."
"I'll get you that right now!"
The cook under the spell then turned to the second woman of his life. "Robin-chan, have you found all that you need?" He asked the beautiful archaeologist who was admiring the effect of her pants in a mirror.
"Yes but I would like to find a scarf to go with this outfit," She replied, showing him a light blue jacket.
"Don't move, I saw exactly what you need!" Sanji ran off again and Robin smiled lightly, re-examining herself in the mirror in front of her.
"Zoro, can't you follow the path?" The sniper sighed. He was calling the swordsman to order for the third time when the coastal path was clear in front of them.
"Not my fault if it's poorly marked," The man grumbled before turning 90 degrees to resume the correct route.
"Look, we see Sunny!" Chopper showed them excitedly.
"We're really high," Usopp noticed, adjusting his binoculars.
They continued to walk for a good while. The coastal dirt road was pleasant and a forest bordered the other side, bringing them both the smell of the sea and the one of the earth. They would regularly meet couples and families who were also walking or eating at the picnic tables. At last, they arrived at the monster frozen under ashes and Usopp couldn't help but turn pale. "He was really huge," He winced.
"He's very impressive," Chopper agreed next to him.
Zoro sized it up before shrugging. Fighting against such a colossus could have been a fun distraction but the beast had been dead for thousands of years and therefore no longer interested him. As Usopp and Chopper were talking about the monster's likely adventures, the fencer went to the forest side a few steps away to enjoy the shade of the trees. He then sat down against a trunk and closed his eyes.
When he awoke a good time later, he took a few steps back towards the coast but found he was now in the middle of the forest. Puzzled and angry, he decided to go straight, sure to get somewhere at some point.
At the end of what seemed like an eternity, Zoro sighed heavily. Idiot trees that looked alike and blocked his view! He was about to slice them to have a clear vision when a girl about five years old pulled on his pants. "What are you doing here all alone, are you lost?" She asked him innocently.
"Of course not!" The swordsman replied sharply. "I'm just walking around."
"Ah. A long-nosed guy and a raccoon are asking everyone if we saw a green haired man with three swords, I thought it was you," The girl apologized with an adorable smile, "Say, you didn't see him?"
Zoro grimaced. "No, I didn't see him but could you tell me where these two people were?"
"Over there."
She pointed at a spot on the left and the swordsman smiled victoriously. "Thank you."
He went to the specified point but the little girl called him back again. "Hey, sir who's walking around, you're going in the wrong direction!"
"What?" The fencer mumbled.
The little girl came up to him and shook her head kindly. "I'll show you." She grabbed his hand and made him turn around before heading to the coast with a sure step. Ashamed, Zoro decided to let himself be guided and he arrived on the road a few minutes later. Since he had been walking so long, he had gone round and round...
"Zoro, you're here!" Chopper cried out, leaping into his arms. "I was so scared!"
"There's no way you got lost in a place like this!" The sniper got indignant. "It's been hours we're looking for you!"
"I wasn't lost!" The swordsman growled, embarrassed.
"Thank you very much for having found him!" The reindeer told the little girl.
"He was just walking around," She replied with a big smile.
"Yeah, sure, he was just walking around," Usopp grumbled.
She waved them goodbye before meeting her parents a little further and they decided to go back to the Sunny since they had spent all their time looking for Zoro.
When the crew met on the ship at sunset, some told the others their day with more or less excitement or frustration.
"Zoro got lost and we looked for him for hours, " Usopp explained with a sigh.
"No way! You got lost again, cactus head!" Sanji mocked him with a burst of laughter.
"I wasn't lost!" The swordsman defended himself with embarrassment. "I just took a nap and when I woke up, you were no longer here!"
"I'm telling you, it's a knee-high girl who brought him back," The gunner whispered to the blond who was shrieking with laughter.
"You're really funny, Zoro!" The captain laughed, giving him a huge pat on the back.
"Your stuffed animal is beautiful, Luffy!" The little reindeer marveled at his side.
"He is!" He showed him proudly. "It's because I killed a lot of monsters on the volcano!"
"It's huge," The navigator noted, "It'll take a lot of space in your room, boys..."
"And you, ladies, have you found what you were looking for?" Brook asked, turning to the girls.
"Absolutely," Robin replied, showing him the dozen bags Sanji was still carrying, "There was a lot of choice."
"We've been at it all day but we couldn't make it to the last department. If someone hadn't felt obliged to serve all the customers in the store, we could have done it," Nami grumbled, glancing badly at the blond.
"Your next reincarnation will be as a dog," Zoro pointed out to the chef with a condescending smile.
"It's still better than in a decerebrate algae, pseudo swordsman!" The blond immediately snapped angrily.
"Fuck, you take that back, shitty cook!" The fencer snarled, catching his swords.
"I take back nothing at all, lost child marimo!"
Around them, their friends sighed in unison. They had really hoped their new relationship would calm the constant tension between them...
"Well, that's nice but we should eat!" The captain cried out, interrupting them cheerfully.
"It looks like some things will never change," Franky summed up as everyone was nodding around him.
I wanted to write for the crew now that they're aware of their crewmates' relationship. As you can see, it doesn't change a thing!