Hey everyone who are still reading. Long time no see.
So I have two reasons/excuses for the delay of this part. 1. I finished writing "Jack and the Dragon". No, hear me out! You see, every time I finish a long story, I fall into this feeling of never wanting/being able to write ever again. Like I've used up all my ability. It takes quite long to recover. Thus the long silence from me. Oh, and 2. increased working hours. Due to covid and having already survived it twice, I'm probably one of the most resistent people at work, because the list of absence is really long. As it looks right now I'm working full time until April, so less time to write.
Other than that, I hope you're all alive and safe.
Part 4; A candle for a Giant
Chapter 1/6; Who named the island "Little Garden" when it's not little?
When Nami awoke in the morning, she needed a second to figure out why there was another body pressed against hers. Ruffy whimpered softly, but it turned into a sigh as soon as Nami's thoughts caught up with her and her heart settled from the slight start.
They'd been dreaming together during the night. Nami had been running through familiar streets and rice fields where the workers barely looked up. She'd been in unfamiliar forests where the trees grew so high and thick that you could build houses between their roots. She had chased Nojiko in a game of tag, or play-fought someone with dark, wavy hair. Someone had smiled, showing a gap where a tooth was missing. Everything had been hazy, the way memories are when they grow older and more distant.
Nami tried to focus on the two unfamiliar children she'd played with in her dreams, curious about the friends Ruffy had had as a child. Unfortunately, like dreams often do, they fade faster than you remember them.
Combing her fingers through Ruffy's coarse hair, the navigator decided it didn't matter. She hadn't forgotten the old man she'd seen in Ruffy's heart before, the desperation and despair she'd felt being pulled away from him by the hair. So it was good to know Ruffy had had childhood friends, a forest as a playground and that there had been people who had looked after her.
'What happened in between that childhood and being pulled away by your hair?' Nami asked silently.
"Nami?"
The navigator was more startled by the feeling of lips moving against her bare skin than by Ruffy's groggy voice. She'd totally forgotten about Ruffy's sleep-bite.
"Good morning!" she said, a little too loudly and tried to untangle from the other.
She felt Ruffy inhale in a gasp, and then tighten her arms and legs around her. "Not yet," she breathed. "Just a second."
It was the tremble in her voice that stopped Nami from shoving her captain off, as well as the feeling of a tremor that decidedly didn't come from Ruffy. Whatever the younger girl was doing, Nami didn't like it. It was unpleasant in a way she couldn't describe, and she needed to get out there and see what was happening to the sea.
It only lasted seconds, then Ruffy slipped out of bed, casting a curious glance at the princess who was curling under the blankets of the other bed.
"I'm okay now, Nami," the captain said in a soft voice, only to contradict herself by shivering. "Maybe not yet. I need to get to Usopp and Zoro."
And with those words Ruffy left the room.
Scratching her head in slight embarrassment, Nami also got out of bed and changed her clothes. She'd check the situation on deck first and shower later.
The day started off fairly good. Usopp had been jumped and forcefully snuggled by Ruffy as soon as he got out on deck, and she repeated the odd greeting to Zoro once the swordsman managed to get his ass out of the sofa he slept on. Their captain still seemed… negatively energized, but appeared more in control this morning. Not that Usopp trusted that to last.
Sanji was left out of the cuddle greeting. Usopp thought it was lucky for the cook's feelings to have been inside the kitchen both times it happened, but he still couldn't understand why Ruffy wouldn't listen to his heart, so he decided to question her about it. Thus, after breakfast, the liar caught his captain in the alt where she tried to sneak up on Carue.
"Hey Ruffy. About Sanji."
"Hm? What about him?" Ruffy asked, blinking and broke out of her sneaky pose to stand straight.
"Why won't you listen to his heart? Isn't it kind of bad that he… isn't in the circle?"
The girl shifted her gaze to look out over the ocean. A tremor went through her body, Usopp figured it was the heartbeats that had affected her since yesterday that were at play and was pleasantly surprised to see her withstand and not run straight off the ship. Again.
"It's not me," Ruffy said once she was in full control again. "It's Sanji."
Usopp blinked. "Sanji? Is he stopping you?"
"There's a cage inside his heart. Something like shame. Not every heart is open to others."
Thinking about it, Usopp was still clueless. Sanji hadn't hit Usopp like someone who even knew what shame was.
"It's not the same to everyone," Ruffy said. "Nothing is."
Nope, Usopp still couldn't understand, so he gave up trying. "I see. Would you like to sit down and do some fishing? We could use the extra food."
"Hell yeah!"
It was around midday when Nami spied a shadow through the light fog that hung over the ocean ahead of them. The weather was warm, Ruffy hung over Merry's head with a harness around her body that tied her to the ship (courtesy of Usopp), Zoro was training in the alt, Usopp was fishing, Vivi was reading the newspaper and Sanji was in the kitchen.
"The second island of Grand Line is in sight!" the navigator called out to the crew.
Usopp and Vivi looked up. There was a light clatter from the kitchen and a thump from the alt before Zoro and Sanji came to take a look as well. They wouldn't arrive to the island for another hour, but after seeing only water for days on end, no matter how everchanging it was, land was always a view that filled their hearts with relief and excitement. Once in a while Nami thought it was strange how she longed for the sea when on land and missed solid ground when at the sea.
Only Ruffy had no reaction, clearly having spotted the island long ago. Nami had thought the captain would protest against the harness, but she actually seemed to appreciate it as much as the rest of them. Even so, since she woke up this morning, Ruffy had seemed a lot more in control of herself. The frazzled look in her face yesterday had been replaced by a certain calm Nami couldn't quite explain. Not that it mattered. A Ruffy that wasn't hopping off the ship was a good captain to everyone aboard.
"It's huuuuuge," Ruffy said, trying to lean even further forward. Usopp sat beside the figurehead, and he reached out to tighten the leach where he'd anchored it around Merry's neck.
Nami appreciated the sniper's craftiness. Usopp wasn't strong, much like Nami herself, but he had enough wits to him to make him valuable both in and out of battle and sticky situations. That made Nami feel a lot closer to Usopp than to Ruffy, like someone who could understand how frustrating it was to be the underdog.
It made her think of the future. Nami couldn't rely on the rest of the crew to always be there to save her or for there to always be ways she could assist in battle. One day they would need her to save them, and for that she felt unequipped.
She wondered how Usopp felt about himself, considering he panicked at every turn. Then again, his weapon of choice was one made to be used at a safe distance. Nami's was for close combat. She was comfortable with her staff and thought she was skilled enough with it, but how long would it last? Being skilled certainly hadn't helped her against Arlong or anyone of his crew.
Storing that thought in the back of her mind for now, Nami concentrated on the waters around the island they were slowly approaching. The air pressure was quite high, and the temperature grew warmer the closer they sailed. Every cloud she saw also said warm, humid weather and the fog meant there were no winds.
"So that's Little Garden," Vivi said.
She'd come up beside Nami, and her face said she was jittery with nerves. Nami had a nagging thought in the back of her mind, but struggled to catch what it was.
"We should be careful. I'm worried about what Miss All Sunday said," Vivi called to the rest of the crew.
"I agree, Vivi-chan," Sanji said around an almost finished cigarette. "But we need to stop and gather provisions. We couldn't do that at Whiskey Peak."
Usopp was still hoping to catch something before they reached the island, until he suddenly caught sight of a shadow underwater that was about twice the size of their ship. He promptly packed up his fishing gear, imagining what would have happened to him if a fish that big had gotten stuck on the hook.
'Has this ocean never heard of sardines?!' he cried mentally. Then, unfortunately, remembered the Sea King Dolphin that had chased them a few days ago and his too vivid imagination came to the conclusion that the shadow he'd seen might as well have been a sardine. Grand Line size.
He looked towards the island. It had two rounded mountains on it surrounded by greenery ranging from really dark green to yellow and brown. It looked a little like the forest around his village in the height of summer.
But this was Grand line.
"So… t-t-there are no mo-monsters on that island… right?" the sniper said out loud, looking to Vivi for confirmation.
"That depends on what kind of island it is," the princess responded, wholly unhelpfully to Usopp's peace of mind.
They sailed closer, and Nami directed them towards the opening of a river.
On Merry's head, Ruffy straightened up and pressed the heel of her hand against her right ear.
As they sailed in under a roof of leaves that grew over the river, the light turned green while sounds and scents unfamiliar to them all filled the air. The humidity made the smell of dirt and decay as heavy as the fresher scents from the river and that of the trees.
"Um… doesn't this look like a forgotten valley… or overgrown jungle?" Usopp asked.
"Little Garden, huh? The name is a lot cuter than the place. Who named this place!" Nami demanded as they sailed under enormous trees. "I've never even seen plants like these in any botany book I've read."
"Me neither," Sanji admitted, but rather than worried, he looked excited. "I hope they're edible. I'm sure we can find a lot of good vegetables. Maybe even some rare herbs and spices!"
Usopp glanced at him. How did the mind of a cook work?
A bone-piercing shriek caused both Nami and Usopp to duck and cover their heads.
"Ah, Nami-san is so cute when scared," Sanji sighed dreamily, but still moved closer to comfort her, pointing out the source of the noise. "Don't worry, Nami-san. It's just a bird, and this is just a normal jungle. Nothing to be afraid of."
Zoro was rubbing his chin in thought, Ruffy was still pressing a hand against her right ear and Vivi was simply gaping at the creature flying over their heads. Usopp fully agreed with Nami's howl of; "That is bloody not 'just a bird'!"
Usopp thought that when he next had some downtime, he would draw the bird just so he could show it to Kaya and his friends, all the while knowing they would just dismiss it as another fantasy. He wouldn't even blame them. Have you ever seen a bird with shimmering green, blue and purple feathers, that had clawed hands on its wings and its beak full of teeth? Usopp had a lively imagination that had come up with many imaginary monsters, but they'd never looked like that bird.
Next they all almost lost their footing when the earth shook, accompanied by a sound as if the island was about to break apart.
"Was that a volcano erupting?! What the hell is wrong with this island!"
"Oh, a tiger!" Ruffy suddenly said. "Ah, she's wounded."
Everyone turned to see what Ruffy was pointing out.
Indeed there was a tiger, leaning over the water like it had been about to drink, and was staring warily at them with wide, gold eyes. Just like everything else in Grand Line it was quite large. Its ears twitched back, like it heard something, and then it silently slipped under the foliage and was gone. As it turned, everyone could see the scars and marks of claws over its back, made by something much larger than the tiger.
Nami turned to face her crewmates with a white face and very accusatory look at Sanji. "There is nothing normal about this jungle!"
"We are… not disembarking here," Usopp said like he had the authority to make that decision, but Nami was with him.
"We'll not leave the ship, and just anchor here until the log is set and then get out as fast as we can. We have to hurry to Alabasta after all!"
"LET'S DOCK AND GO ASHORE!" Ruffy called at the top of her lungs.
"Aye, captain," Zoro answered and moved towards the anchor.
Nami and Usopp both turned to stare at their captain like she'd gone insane. For real this time.
"Disembark?! Ruffy, what are you going to do?!" Nami demanded.
The girl captain turned to her navigator with a sparkling grin and even sparkier eyes. "Adventuring! This island is HUGE! Wanna come?"
Okay, so Ruffy hadn't gone insane yet. She was just her normal self, and that normal self was hopelessly unaware of the word "danger". Nothing good was going to come of this.
"No thank you. I'm staying on the ship."
"Can I come with you?" Vivi asked eagerly, making both Nami and Usopp gape at her.
"Okay! Let's go!" Ruffy sang and wiggled out of the harness.
"Wait. Let me prepare some lunchboxes for you," Sanji called and ran for the kitchen.
"And something for Carue to drink!" Vivi called after him.
"Sure thing."
"Wait just a minute here, Vivi. Are you sure?" Nami asked nervously, but Vivi actually looked calm and even a little happy.
"Yes. I'll just get stressed out if I sit still. This will be a good change of pace. Besides, I've got Carue with me."
Hearing something like that, Nami no longer questioned how this girl could have infiltrated a crime syndicate. The duck on the other hand looked like he just realized he was leaving the safety of the ship too, making his feathers stand on end in horror.
Sanji worked fast, putting together some jerky, dried fruit, the salmon rice balls he'd been preparing before reaching the island and some other small snacks he liked to make in his free time. He spent an extra minute arranging everything to look as pretty as possible, even taking a minute to make heart-shapes here and there to show his love for Vivi-chan and Ruffy.
For the duck Sanji poured water and mixed it with some nutrients. Good enough.
When Sanji came out, Ruffy and Vivi had prepared with a backpack each of good-to-have equipment, and Ruffy had her katana strapped to her hip. Sanji carefully fitted the lunchboxes in their packs and tired Carue's drink around the duck's neck.
"Let's go!" Ruffy cried happily.
"We're off," Vivi said and followed Ruffy who was already jumping off the ship.
The girls disappeared into the shadows of the jungle, and Nami really hoped this wasn't the last time she saw either of them as another loud, unfamiliar sound had her almost jumping out of her shoes.
Little Garden was really not little. Even Ruffy said it was…
Again, something tickled Nami's memory.
"I need to move around too," Zoro suddenly announced. "I'll go for a walk."
Usopp sputtered. "A walk?!"
Sanji also perked up and ran after the swordsman who had already ignored Usopp's protests and hopped off the ship.
"Oi Zoro, wait!"
Turning around in surprise, Zoro raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often that the cook called his name.
"We need to stock up on food. If you find some beast you think is edible, bring it back."
Oh, so it was about that. Zoro shrugged. "Sure. I'll bring home something you'd never be able to hunt."
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Sparks flew between the two men, Sanji's cigarette actually glowing intensely and the smoke coming from it was darker as he put his foot up on the railing. Having the advantage of higher ground, Zoro narrowed his eyes dangerously when the cook looked down on him.
"Are you trying to challenge me? You think you're a better hunter than I, is that it?" Sanji growled.
"Of course I am," Zoro answered arrogantly.
"Hunting contest," Sanji hissed and jumped ashore, spitting out his burnt out cigarette and stomping it into the ground in one fluid motion. He turned in the opposite direction from Zoro. "Whoever brings back more kilos wins!"
"Don't you mean ton? Fine by me."
And just like that, Sanji and Zoro both disappeared from sight under the green shadows of the jungle.
"Why are all of them like this?" Nami wailed quietly with only Usopp at her side, sharing her thoughts.
"It's suicide, going into this island. Don't cry, Nami, I'm here," Usopp cried with only Nami at his side, sharing his thoughts.
Another bird called in the silence the rest of the crew had left behind, and only then did Nami and Usopp realize something important.
"I'm defenceless!" Usopp said, tears of fear running down his face.
"That's my line!" Nami hollered. "Why didn't we stop them. Whatever this Little Garden is, it's not…"
The memory that had been just out of Nami's reach resurfaced again, slightly clearer this time.
"I read it recently," the navigator mumbled. "It's in my room. I read about Little Garden!"
With that, Nami promptly left the confused Usopp on deck to keep an eye out. She'd had a little hobby of buying old log books since many years. Book-dealers all around liked to collect logs from dead pirates, adventurers and botanists, but pirates weren't known to be scholars, the government and marines had their own libraries, and adventurers were few nowadays, so those old logs were often sold for cheap. Nami's first one was of a marine, and after Arlong's Park fell, Nami had gone back to find a few logs from the fishmen's crew. Still, she just leafed through the logs, treating it as a casual read. She made a promise to herself that from now on she would read all these logs carefully. This was Grand Line. Every titbit of information could be vital.
"Where did I read it? Come on! Little Garden! I know I read about it!"
She'd almost emptied the whole bookcase when her hand finally closed around an almost a hundred year old log titled "Brag Men".
Nami leafed through it, and finally found the passage she'd read weeks ago. The text was very short, only two sentences, but it was enough for Nami to feel her stomach fill with icy fear, as heavy as lead.
"For the inhabitants of this island, the forest is but a tiny garden. The land of giants, we shall call it Little Garden."
She scraped her knee and hands when she stumbled over the books at her feet in her hurry to return to deck.
"Usopp!" Nami shrieked.
"What? You found the book?" the sniper asked and put away his drawing pad and the half-finished sketch of the scenery.
"Big trouble! We must call Ruffy and them back! This island is…"
Beside them, high above their heads, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed hold of the trees and bent them aside. Trees that were fully grown easily bent under the hands that looked like they could cup Going Merry and carry off with her.
Nami and Usopp looked up, and all they could see clearly was teeth.
