Hi there, dear readers in these trying time. I light a candle and pray you are all here and well with no other disease than boredom. I know that's what I'm down with, plus a touch of loneliness. I need a hug ;_; Even our king was out a couple days ago pleading the people to stay home during Easter. It has been decided that those of us who are healthy will participate in some chuch activities since this is such a grand holiday for us christians. It's just that we're about... six people rather than thirty like we usually are.
LET US NOT THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A FEW MINUTES! Here's the start of the next part and... yeah, it's part 2 instead of 3. Decided that little bridge really did belong with Island Whale.
I hope you'll enjoy! Stay safe!
Part 2; Pirate Graveyard
Chapter 1/4; There is no such thing as logic
They had set out from Twin Peak about three hours ago, and the weather had changed drastically. Gone was the sun and the relative warmth of the ever windy mountainside, replaced with winter, snow, and the occasional gust of spring happening.
Zoro still sat by the railing, snoring away like he was never going to wake up while Ruffy and Usopp were making snowmen around him. Sanji had begged Nami to share a jacket with their captain, unable to stand looking at the girl playing in the snow wearing only shorts, a tank top and sandals. While Nami was doubtful Ruffy would actually get sick, she still agreed and stuffed her captain into that pretty wine-red winter jacket she'd bought in Rouge Town. It was a little big on her, and her feet were two sizes smaller than Nami's so Ruffy kept to her sandals, despite Sanji's moaning about it.
Now Ruffy and Usopp were showing off their snowy creations. The captain's piece was pretty much a heap of snow with an indent where the neck was supposed to be, some paper that was probably meant to be a face, brooms as arms and a barrel for a hat. Ruffy proudly announced her creation as "The man who fell from the heavens; Master Snowman!"
Usopp cast one look at the snow figure, laughed and stepped aside to show his own "Queen of Snowland".
"Usopp, that's amazing!" Ruffy praised.
"Of course! My artistic skill…"
"Let's see who is stronger!" the captain cried and jumped behind her creation. Usopp's only warning was a call of "Snowman Rocket!" before one of the broom arms of Master Snowman came flying, effectively beheading Usopp's queen.
"HOW DARE YOU!" the boy cried and returned the favour by kicking off Master Snowman's head.
Inside the relative warmth of the kitchen, Nami sighed to herself, wondering how the two could be so energetic in the cold.
"Nami-san! How do you like my loving snow-shovelling?" Sanji asked from across the deck where he was busy throwing the quickly accumulating snow over the railing into the sea.
"Keep it up until the snowfall stops, Sanji-kun," the navigator called back as sweetly as she could.
"Your word is my command!"
Behind Nami, seated at the table rolled up in blankets, the duo Ruffy was gracious enough to allow to come along had the audacity to sit around and complain.
"This ship really is barely a step above a raft," the king said. "You should have had the mind to install a heater in this floating bark-boat."
"Get out and help shovelling instead of…!" Nami started yelling, but was startled when thunder suddenly rolled over them. "Lightning? When it snows? Shit, Crocus wasn't joking when he said logic doesn't apply here."
There was a haughty scoff from behind her. "You really don't know anything about Grand Line," the princess said. "Are we even going the right way? You haven't checked the log pose in a while."
Nami frowned, recognizing she was the underdog here since she couldn't deny she was on unfamiliar waters, and the fact that the weather was so messed up unsettled her more than she wanted to let on. "A while? What are you saying? I just…"
A terrified cry from the kitchen had Sanji rushing over. "Nami-san! What happened?!"
"This is insane!" Nami shouted and ran out. "Turn the ship 180 degrees right now!"
"Huh, why? Did we forget something?" Usopp wondered.
"Did the current take us?" Ruffy asked.
"No, we have…!" Nami started before her captain's words registered. "YES! The ship has turned around! We're completely off course! Even though there's barely any wind and the waves are calm."
Laugher from their freeloaders spiked Nami's rage.
"Are you even a navigator?" the princess asked. "You can't trust anything on this sea. The waves, the winds, clouds, sun and stars. All you can ever trust is where the log pose points."
Ruffy's navigator stomped over and forcefully threw and kicked the fake royalty out. "GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSES AND HELP OUT OR I'LL THROW YOU TO THE FISHES!" And she really hoped she left bruises because those two deserved them.
"Have the main sail catch the wind from starboard. Usopp, get the jib sail and Sanji man the rudder!" Nami started ordering the crew around, sending warning glares at the muttering king and princess, letting them know she hadn't been joking about throwing them overboard.
"Wait, the wind just changed!" Usopp called as he was on his way to the alt.
"What?"
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday turned their faces and sighed contentedly. "The first breath of spring."
"Say what?!" Nami yelled again, but then realized that may be why there was thunder rolling above them; the warmth clashing with the cold.
"Keep an eye on the log pose, Nami!" Ruffy reminded from where she was pulling the main sail beside Mr 9.
"We turned the wrong way!?"
"The waves are getting higher!" Usopp shouted from the alt.
By this point Nami was ready to tear her hair out. The sea danced with Merry, making her turn this way and that every few seconds, forcing Nami to keep a constant eye on the log pose, and the sea wasn't giving them an easy ride. A fog came in, blinding them until it faded as suddenly as it appeared, allowing them just enough time to avoid a frontal collision with an iceberg, but not damage. Merry rocked and groaned as she scraped against the ice.
Ruffy grabbed a rope and leaned dangerously far out to see what had happened. "The iceberg made a hole! We're taking in water!"
"Hurry up and seal it!" Nami yelled.
"I'm on it!" Usopp called, running towards the stock room, passing by a snoring figure. "Hey Zoro! How the fuck can you be asleep at a time like this!"
Because he was. Zoro was sleeping like a baby, so completely oblivious of their predicament that Usopp would have loved to step on him if he hadn't had an emergency to take care of.
"The wind is too strong! The sails are tearing!" Miss Wednesday called.
"Help me raise them!" Ruffy ordered and ran up the rig.
"Roger!" Mr 9 said and undid the ties that kept the sail taunt while his partner followed the other girl.
The hours ticked by. Rain made way for hail followed by warm winds and thick fogs tailed with high waves and almost no wind until they were hit by storms that lasted for minutes but threw them wildly off course. Sanji broke off his duties for just long enough to make rice balls, ordering everyone to grab one as they ran by. Mr 9 grabbed one for his partner, downing his own as fast as he could so he could free Miss Wednesday's hands from pulling the sail taunt.
"This is unusually bad," she commented after swallowing.
"We would have died if we'd tried to go through this on our raft," Mr 9 agreed. "And we have thirty hours left before we reach Whiskey Peak.
"You're so optimistic," Miss Wednesday smiled before she hurried to catch the straw-hat girl when a gust of wind tried to abduct her.
Approximately forty-five hours later, Zoro yawned and stretched. He hadn't felt this well rested in ages and welcomed the feeling along with the warm sunlight.
"Ah, that was a really nice nap."
Looking up, Zoro was surprised to see all of his crewmates laying around in undignified heaps, as if they'd been bored out of their minds for days and thus allowed laziness to consume them.
"Hey, aren't you a bit too lazy? I know the weather is nice and all but are we even on the right course?"
If Nami had had any juice left in her, she would have murdered the swordsman on the spot. Usopp and Sanji would have helped her and Mr 9 and Miss Wednesday would have enjoyed the show.
Zoro was looking around for Ruffy when he spotted the two newcomers. "Why are you on our ship?"
"You noticed just now?!" Mr 9 yelled hoarsely, the fact that this guy had been fast asleep since before they left Twin Peak with the weather going from one bad mood to the next fuelling both rage and jealousy.
Ruffy turned around where she lay sprawled across Usopp's lap, forcing her sore arms to fold so she could rest her head on them.
"We're headed for their hometown," she explained with a sleepy smile.
"So we're giving them a ride?" Zoro asked, surprised. "Are we in their debt?"
"Are not," the captain sighed and closed her eyes. The weather had stabilized just ten minutes ago and she was determined to rest for as long as she could before something else decided to strike them. This was Grand Line after all.
Usopp appreciated Ruffy's warmth and might have showed it by stroking her back if he could move his arms. Or if his hands weren't raw and bloody from two days of pulling ropes and sealing leaks.
Zoro's gaze rested on his captain a moment longer before his eyes returned to the people who had tried to kill Laboon. He was man enough to realize the spike of anger he felt towards them was purely caused by a feeling of protectiveness of Ruffy. Not that she needed it, Ruffy had trust issues enough not to turn her back. But right now; sprawled across Usopp with her head resting on her arms and the sun hitting a patch of exposed skin on her lower back, Ruffy looked so defenceless Zoro couldn't help it.
"Hmm… don't you look like you're up to no good," the swordsman said with pleasant coldness as he sat on his heels before the duo. "What are your names?"
The both of them struggled to sit up and back away from the steely eyes glaring at them.
"Mr 9," the king said shakily.
"I'm Miss Wednesday," the woman said. She tried to smile, but even those muscles felt tired, so whatever face she managed to make was probably not so pretty.
The swordsman sat down and rubbed his chin, smirk in place. "Oh yeah…" he said slowly. "There is a bell ringing somewhere, hearing those names. Have I heard them before?"
The princess was not smiling anymore.
Zoro didn't notice Nami struggling to her feet, forcing her aching body forward, fuelled by fury and stress. She came down on Zoro fist first.
"How dare you!" the navigator snarled, two days of yelling orders making her voice gravelly. "All that and you just kept right on snoring."
"Huh?" Zoro said, glaring at the younger girl, only for Nami to release all stress on the top of Zoro's head.
"Stay alert," she ordered the crew once she was satisfied. "We don't know what might hit us next. I have finally understood how terrifying this ocean really is! Why they call it the Pirate Graveyard and why they call it Grand Line! My knowledge and experiences as a navigator is completely useless here!"
Usopp managed to lift his head. "And that's good?" he asked, because Nami sounded like she was bragging.
"Don't worry, I can manage this too. As proof, look over there."
Usopp was not going to move, not with Ruffy comfortably resting across his legs, but he could lean his head back over the railing and see what Nami was referring to.
Sticking up over the surface of the sea was an island. The shape was still blurry, hidden in part by mist.
"If nothing else happens, we'll reach shore before sunset," Nami said.
"Good, I'll sleep until then," Usopp decided and closed his eyes.
Nami looked at him for a second. Then she closed her eyes too, falling asleep while still standing, but luckily landing on Sanji.
The cook had already been asleep, and Nami landing on him was a bit of a rude awakening. He certainly wouldn't move though, not with Nami willingly on top of him, no matter how uncomfortably her head was resting on his collarbone.
Mr 9 and Miss Wednesday had also spotted their island, sighed with relief and promptly fallen asleep too.
Zoro looked around at them all, puzzled. "What did I miss?" he asked.
"You've slept for two days, Zoro," Ruffy reprimanded him huffily. "We couldn't. There were storms and stuff. You keep an eye on that island now and make sure we get there. Wake us up if something happens you can't handle yourself."
"You're going to sleep too?" the swordsman asked, trying to hide his surprise.
"Maybe." She sat and curled up against Usopp, head tucked under his chin, ear over his heart.
The sea didn't change. No matter what time of year or day, no matter what happened in anybody's life, the sea never changed. Sometimes he hated it. But it was just water in the end.
He started throwing rocks at it.
"Usopp?"
The boy looked up.
Ruffy stood on the rocky beach, the chains around her falling into the water that went from dark blue and grey to bloody red and black.
Something pulled at one of the chains, and Ruffy tugged back.
"Hey, calm down," Usopp urged.
"You're homesick," his captain said, expression pinched and eyes on the chain that was pulling at her.
Flickers of flames started dancing with the red waves, the shadows growing darker and sharper in contrast.
Usopp saw the shadows take the shape of a small person. Or maybe two? No, there were multiple of them gathering under the waves. The flames encased them.
"Homesick is bad," Ruffy said, and now all the chains were tugging her towards the sea and the flames.
For a moment, Usopp just watched. He knew what he saw, felt it in his heart, and it saddened him.
"You're right, homesick is probably bad if the people you miss aren't there."
He looked over his shoulder. He saw Piiman and Ninjin wave at him while Tamanegi came running from the other side, yelling something about danger. He saw Kaya leaning out from her open window, the wind playing with her hair while the sun kissed her pale face. The villagers waited with their hands on door handles, holding brooms to have their daily stress relief and exercise by chasing Usopp around. It was safe and warm and boring. But he had been happy, he supposed. Not exactly content; his heart chasing any kind of thrill and wishing for the same grand adventures he read about in his books.
Ruffy's cold hands clasped his tightly, the chains still pulling her limbs, but he didn't turn to look at her. He didn't want to see what kind of state she was in right now, as she fought against memories of her home that evidently hurt.
"I didn't want to leave home." Ruffy said with a small voice.
"I did. I don't regret leaving."
The hands holding his relaxed and something cold and wet and solid bumped into his neck. Ruffy's body pressed into his back when the chains stopped pulling. The sea was blue again.
"I really love you, my brother Usopp."
"Hey! Could you all wake up?!"
Ruffy jolted and Usopp yowled in pain.
"Ruffy, what the hell! You bit me!"
The captain had already jumped off her brother, yelled at Nami and Sanji and started pulling at the sail opposite of Zoro. The swordsman was wet and his eyes were wild with stress as if he really had been having trouble handling Merry while everybody slept off the worst of the tiredness from their first leg of journey.
They were so close to the island now and the sun had already set. From behind them the moonlight was bathing the giant cacti in a silvery white light.
"So that's Whiskey Peak," Ruffy said, mostly to herself, her eyes locked on the cacti.
"Did it really take us two days to get here?" Zoro asked with bewilderment.
The king and princess were just starting to look up and orienting themselves. The princess noticed the island first.
"We made it," she said, shaking he partner.
"Thank goodness," he sighed.
The two looked at each other, and suddenly they both stood on the railing.
"Allow us the liberty of dropping off here," the king said.
"If it is fate's will, we shall meet again," the princess nodded with smug features.
"Bye-bye baby."
Zoro, Ruffy and Usopp stared when the crazy pair dove into the waves. Nami rubbed her tired face, having awoken just as the duo got on the railing. "What just happened?" she asked, voice slurred.
"Those two jumped overboard and are now swimming towards the shore," Ruffy reported.
"…okay. I don't care. Are we near land?"
Usopp was rubbing the sore mark of Ruffy's teeth. "Yeah, we've arrived," he answered.
Shaking the sleep from her head Nami gave Sanji's head a hard pat and stood. The cook followed her example and stretched his long body as far as he could, yawning widely.
"Food?" he asked.
"After we've docked," Nami decided. "There's a river right up ahead. We can anchor inland, and then sleep for the rest of the night."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Usopp suddenly shouted. "There aren't any monsters on the island, right? There's so much mist around! What if we're attacked?"
"Then we fight," Ruffy replied happily.
"What! Why? No! We should run away!"
Nami sighed. "Idiot, we have to stay here for as long as it takes."
"As long as it takes?" Usopp repeated, blinking.
The navigator held up her left arm, pointing at the log pose. "The time it takes for this to register the magnetic field differs from island to island, and we can't move on before that because the needle will keep pointing towards Whiskey Peak."
"Oh, oh no. Guys, this is terrible. I think I've come down with Can't-Enter-Islands disease!"
"This is Grand Line!" Ruffy yelled at them, shivering and eyes blown wide with excitement. "There is no such thing as logic here. That's what makes it so great!"
Zoro frowned at his captain, reminded of a couple questions he'd had for a while now but never had the opportunity to ask.
"Hey. Ruffy, have you been to Grand Line before?"
"Yup, when I travelled with Sun," she answered happily.
Zoro nodded, because that made a lot of sense to him.
This was the first time both Usopp and Nami had even had the notion.
Sanji looked lost. Since he was the last man to join the crew there were obviously a lot of things he wouldn't know, but the fact that Ruffy had been to Grand Line he had figured out from the fact she was familiar with Hawkeye.
Sanji hadn't asked for confirmation though, mostly because he didn't want to open himself for questions.
Nami was torn between wanting to question Ruffy further and the need to steer the ship into the river they were already straying away from.
"Let's discuss this later. Usopp, grab the helm, the rest of you keep the sail pulled tight and prepare for fight or flight!"
Ruffy cast another glance at the cactuses and the gravestones that had looked like thorns from a distance. Whatever lay in wait for them, it was probably not going to give them a warm welcome.
