ONE PIECE
Two Worlds, One Family
A young woman struggling to find her place in the world wakes up to find a bunch of cats in her room...cats that turn out to be the characters from her favourite TV show, One Piece! Bound to each other, whether they like it or not, and trying to figure out a way to find a certain somebody's lost Nakama and get everyone back to their home, what follows is bound to be chaos, friendship, tears, romance - and, adventure! (Kind of a re-write of Straw Cat Pirates).
~Parental Warning~
The following chapter contains:
. Low-level adult themes
. Low-level violence
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Tomoshibi
Okay ... where exactly am I . . . ? Emma thought, as she slowly looked around her. She had come to to find herself on a stone bridge - actually, she had been hanging halfway over the edge of it, her stomach on the balustrade and Su-Chan just barely hanging on. After a few frantic seconds of nearly dropping the Baby DenDen-Mushi and then pulling herself back up, Emma had then taken a few deep breaths before she'd tried to get her bearings.
I...I'm in the Forest Realm ... aren't I? Emma swallowed. She could see the trees, alright ... but, it felt more like there were fields on either side of her. She could see towns in the distance either way, and the sky above her was dark and star-studded. It didn't seem at all like what Death had described it as. Where was the endless mass of trees? Why was there land? What was going on with that river?
Looking down at said river beneath the bridge, Emma caught sight of her reflection in the dark, slowly moving waters.
She looked as awful as what she felt. There were dark circles underneath her eyes, and she was pale and had dirt on her face. She bit her lip; her reflection followed suit. She didn't want to check on the wound on her chest where Ino's attack had struck her. She got the feeling that it wasn't too why her chest was hurting.
The last thing that I remember ... I was reaching for Law-Chan ... did I want to go back to everybody? Yes ... but ... no ... I can't ... oh my God . . .
Tears stung Emma's eyes.
How can I even think about letting everybody keep on with this, after what's just happened? After what happened to Daddy ... it's just not fair! I only just got him back! I don't care if this is how Eiichiro Oda wrote about it happening! This is my life and I wanted to get to know my Father! And ... if this ended up happening after all, then ... what would I do if Ace-Chan ended up dying, as well? Or, Law-Chan? What happens if my First Knight dies?
The thought made her shiver, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her shoulders. And, that was when she noticed that she was wearing different clothes; like all of the Realms that they had previously visited, this place came with a new wardrobe. Emma was wearing a dark pink yukata, with a black obi and a big light pink bow at the back ... her heart soared all of a sudden.
I ... I always wanted to wear one of these! True, it's not a kimono, but, I've heard that they're more uncomfortable, and, it's certainly not cold enough to be wearing all of those layers! This is so cool! She did a little twirl, and then realised that there was more. A mask?
She reached up and drew the mask down from the top of her head, down onto her face; it felt like it was made of wood of some description.
Before she could look at it, though, she caught sight of something else in the water that made her remember why she had been so upset in the first place.
A small boat, maybe about the size of a child's toy boat, had just drifted from underneath of the bridge. The boat was lit with a small lantern and, even before it was joined by numerous other boats, Emma's tears began to flow. Because she knew. She had seen that episode of Pokémon, she knew what the connection was between lantern boats and spirits.
'To help light the way for any wandering spirits who can't find their way home.'
It didn't help that that first boat had a whale figurehead.
"Daddy . . . " She whispered. She sighed. "Okay, I need to keep on going ... for you, and, for all of my brothers and sisters ... I know which way I need to go, now . . . " She added and, taking a deep breath, she set off on the right side of the river, following the flow downstream.
She stopped only briefly to read a signpost.
"Twi ... light ... Twilight ... Candle ... Village . . . ? No, it's Town, there's a little line over that bit there, making it bigger ... Kure Shoku Town . . . ?"
I can read that first bit ... I guess that Robin-San's explanations about those glyphs are sinking in ... I don't know what that but below it says, though. It's probably not important.
"Okay, just sit up slowly." Chopper instructed.
"I know." Law replied, as he sat up.
"I said slowly!"
"I know!"
Law looked frustrated and so did Chopper. Nami understood that this was difficult for both of them (Law wasn't used to taking orders from anybody, and Chopper was just trying to do his job - which was Law's job at other times, making this a small matter of pride, as well, for him) but, for now, she had her mind focused on other issues.
Like trying to keep everybody together.
Because she was not going to let them all get separated again - no matter what happened from now on, they were going to stick together. And, once they found Emma, then, they were going to make sure that she stayed with them. Nami would chain her to Ace if she had to.
Nami was also slightly worried about what had happened in the time when the Chaos Inuksuk (they couldn't believe that it was back) had thrown Emma into the Portal and Law had immediately gone in after her. Even though Luffy and Ace had reacted almost as fast, leaving the rest of them to set a speed record in yelling 'goodbye' and 'thank you' to Chō, Dr. Hiluluk, and the dogs before realising that they faced another problem - the Inuksuk had broken up the ice. The dark water looked cold and uninviting, and none of them - Devil Fruit user or not - had wanted to test it. Which left them with no way to get to the others.
Almost as soon as they had realised this, Marionette had grabbed Vivi by the hand; whether because of the Ocean's Flower or not, none of them knew, but for whatever reason they had all been swept up in a tornado of wind and light that had suddenly enveloped them all. With Marionette to guide them, they had fallen through what felt like a mass of leaves and trees, before landing unceremoniously on the ground in a heap, with Marionette sitting on top of the pile and reminding Nami of when Sumi had tagged along on their trip back to Syrup Village. If not for the fact that they had found Luffy and Ace crouched over an unconscious Law, and that they were now in an unfamiliar Realm (again), then, Nami would have been somewhat annoyed. Not that it would have been easy to stay annoyed at Marionette. They had a lot to thank her for, and there was something very sweet and sincere about the dancing Portal Guardian, who was now hovering on the edge of their group, looking around at the endless mass of dark trees silhouetted against the dark sky.
She seemed to be searching for somebody but, before Nami could ask her who, she noticed that Luffy appeared to be listening very intently to something. That was unusual for him.
Leaving Chopper and Law (who were busy having a disagreement of doctors) and Ace (who was clearly trying not to show how frustrated he was that they were unable to keep on moving), Nami walked across what she had at first thought was grass but actually turned out to be moss, according to Robin and much to Usopp's nervousness, and over to Luffy and Marionette.
Marionette was holding what Nami recognised instantly as being one of Emma's white feathers, from when she went into her Princess form. She was pointing in the direction of another feather and, sure enough, further along from that one was yet another feather.
Law had been right a few weeks ago when he'd said that Emma was moulting. Nami had heard all about how the trail of feathers had nearly led Akainu and Ino right to Emma, Luffy, and Law, but now it seemed that the occurrence was a good thing.
Something was bothering Nami, though, and she was glad when Usopp brought it up.
"So, about that stone statue," he said, and a few of them turned towards him, except for Chopper and Law who were still arguing but not really, and Luffy who was still listening to … something. "You guys, how did that thing come back? Stoney threw it right into the ravine back in the Hills Realm, we all saw that . . . "
"What if when it fell it didn't get destroyed?" Vivi said quietly. "After all, that's right where the Portal opened up."
"Yeah, but, how did it get through without any of us noticing?" Usopp wanted to know.
"Maybe it took a little bit longer . . . " Vivi mused. "Or, it landed somewhere different … after all, it's not here now . . . "
"Tropical Cyclone Yuki!" Chopper squeaked, at the same time that Ace muttered: "Its probably somewhere with Ino . . . "
"That's probably right," Nami said quickly, jumping in. "And, on that note, there's something that's been bothering me, since we saw Ino that time in the Hills Realm. It's about this whole First Knight thing." She now had everybody's attention, except for Luffy and Marionette's. "You see, when I look at how Em is with Law, and vice-a-versa, it's how I picture that this whole thing should be - a long story short, this is probably the longest that they've ever been separated."
Law looked surprised, very briefly, and then he looked away.
Ace, by comparison, looked annoyed.
"What are you getting at, Nami?" Zoro wanted to know.
"What I'm saying," Nami said. "Is that - and, maybe this is just me, because I'm more used to seeing Em and Law - from what I've seen, Ino and Teech don't exactly seem like First Knight and God."
"But, we haven't even seen them together." Sanji pointed out.
"Exactly." Nami agreed. "Look at Em and Law - they fight the best when they're together, they've been on practically every mission together, I think that their powers are even starting to match each other's."
Okay, Ace definitely looked annoyed now.
"Nami-San's right," Vivi said suddenly. "Law-San is definitely fulfilling his role as the First Knight in many senses of the word. Ino … does not seem to be reflecting the same values. Even if Teech has sent her out to do these things that she's been doing, it seems more like she's . . . "
"Acting on her own." Law spoke up. They all looked at him. He had sat up, and now he stood up, holding his nodachi over his shoulder. "Vivi-Ya, you said that Ino was not present at Marineford after Teech transported the Whitebeard Pirates there, correct?" She nodded. "If it were Emiko and I, then, I would have never let her do something like that on her own. Maybe the other way around, although she wouldn't have liked it, but . . . " He sighed. "And, also, there's the small matter of what Ino is doing … how she's been using the powers of Chaos . . . "
"She shouldn't be able to do that." Vivi also sighed. "Chaos and Darkness are two separate things."
"This is starting to sound bad." Nami realised all of a sudden, trading a grim look with Sanji. And, that was when she happened to glance at Robin, and recognised the look on the archeologist's face. "Robin … what is it?"
Robin regarded them all steadily. "When I was speaking with Carmilla-San — "
"Is that when she told you about Cameron?" Chopper interrupted her.
Robin nodded. "Hai. She also told me briefly about her time spent back in our world, after Emma-San teleported her and her fellow police officers there."
"That was when she was with Akainu and Ino." Law realised, remembering that encounter that he and Emma had had with those two. He recalled how Akainu and Ino had tricked them all into believing that Ino was set to be executed, how well the couple seemed to work together. Law's eyes suddenly widened. "Matte … Nico-Ya . . . "
She met his gaze. Piercing blue eyes stared into cool grey ones. Robin nodded, slightly.
Law glanced swiftly at Ace, just then; the Whitebeard Pirate looked back at him, and then he froze.
"Somebody's coming!" He hissed, suddenly.
"We're still wearing our Snow Realm gear!" Chopper exclaimed.
"We look like outsiders!" Usopp added.
Before everybody could completely start to panic, though, Marionette took matters into her own hands. She hurried - well, actually, she jeté'd - over to Vivi, and took her hand once again.
This time, they all saw her necklace glow, just as a quick wave of light seemed to wash over them all.
The result was that all of them were wearing various coloured yukata and masks by the time that two similarly-dressed people walked out of the misty darkness.
Marionette was nowhere to be seen but, before they could all react to that, one of the newcomers spoke up.
"There are people out here!" He was a large man, with slightly tanned skin and very light-coloured hair. A fierce-looking orange and blue mask covered his face, and matched his yukata. He held up his lantern. "Blimey! Looks like you were right." He added, looking down at the smaller figure by his side.
She was only young, by the height of her. A black and lavender dog-like mask covered her face, and she wore a lilac and light pink yukata. "Mmhmm." She nodded. "Mochiron, Eric-San."
They all froze. That voice . . .
"But," Eric swung the lantern across again, looking at them all. "They're missing somebody, by the looks of things … if I've got my zodiac mythology right, that is . . . "
They heard her sigh, as she reached up to take off her mask. "At least you remembered the story, Eric-San."
He scratched the back of his head. "Well, bits of it, Cora."
"Kuina." She corrected him.
"Kuina."
"Kuina!" Chopper, Usopp, and Nami all cried.
"Kuina-San!" Brook and Vivi said at the same time.
"Kuina-Chan!" That was Sanji, of course.
Kuina rolled her eyes, but she smiled nonetheless as she placed one of her hands on her hips. "Well, you guys finally made it, huh?"
"For the most part." Ace sighed. They couldn't see his expression behind his cat-like mask, but, they all heard the sadness in his voice.
Kuina nodded. "Yeah, I know." She turned from Ace, clearly not wanting to press him any further. "I take it that Marionette-San has gone to find her?" She directed her question at Luffy, who nodded.
"Yeah," he said, his voice still clear from behind his monkey mask. "Mary-Netto thinks that Emmy's on the other side of The River Of Dreams. She went to check."
"She told you that?" Nami blinked. "Also, what's The River Of Dreams?" It sounds pretty.
"I'll explain it all to you." Kuina said. "Come on, back to the Ryūshū Inn. Rest up, and then you can go and find her." She looked directly at Ace.
He didn't look happy, but he did nod. "Okay . . . " He suddenly paused, and then added: "And, does this 'dragon boat inn' have a DenDen Mushi, by any chance?"
"No." Kuina shook her head.
Ace sighed.
"But," Kuina went on. "It has a ... what's that thing called again, Eric-San?" She glanced up at him. "That you use to make calls on?"
"A phone." He replied.
Kuina said: "Ace, will that do?"
"That'll work."
After following Kuina and Eric along a narrow path through the misty trees for about five minutes, Nami dared to ask again: "Kuina, what's The River Of Dreams?" She continued walking as she adjusted the collar of her orange yukata; the light orange obi and the dark blue bow at her back perfectly matched the striped tiger-like mask that she was wearing.
"It's the river than runs through this part of the Forest Realm," Kuina explained. "It separates Akai Aki Town - where we are - and Kure Shoku Town . . . " She lowered her voice. "Where Marionette-San has gone to look for Emma-San."
Nami nodded and Chopper, walking beside her, mumbled: "Let's hope that she finds her." He was wearing a light pink yukata with a light blue obi, and a tan mask that resembled an ox (making him a reindeer-human-ox?). "Do you know where we have to go next, Kuina?"
She shrugged. "The Cursed Gates, probably." She replied. Chopper and Nami both flinched. "Don't worry, it's just a name." She reassured them, or, at least she tried to.
Nami and Chopper just exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable beneath their masks but it was obvious that they were still not convinced of the gates' benevolence.
This left Zoro (in a green yukata with a white obi) to pick up the conversation and ask: "Those separate this place and the last level, right?"
"Hai." Kuina nodded. They watched as she waved the lantern that she was holding out in front of her, and disperse some of the fog that clouded their way. "If you want to go to Level Zero, then, you have to pass through those gates."
"Oh, right," Sanji, in a yellow and medium blue yukata, nodded. "You've been there before, haven't you, Kuina-Chan?" He remembered, causing Zoro to glare at him from behind his brown dog-like mask. Sanji pretended not to see this, and just lifted his green snake mask up so that he could light up a cigarette.
He was stopped, however, by Eric.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, boy," he said, from the back of the group where he was holding up the second lantern. "We used to think that we were the bees knees, lighting up and smoking like that - I'll tell you, though, the end of my life was the complete opposite!" He shook his head. "Now, where was I?" He asked, speaking to Vivi, Usopp, Franky, and Brook again.
"You were telling us about the legend of The Great Race." Vivi supplied. She was wearing a white yukata with a light pink obi and a golden bow. Her mask was also white, with big ears that resembled a jackrabbit.
"Yeah," Usopp nodded, eager to steer the conversation away from how he was imaging that the end of this man's life had been. He was also wearing a white mask, although his was more sheeplike. His yukata was beige, and had a dark brown obi. "You said that God had twelve places at his banquet, and that all of the animals were in a big race to earn a place at the banquet."
Eric nodded, as well, said said: "Yes, that's right. So, two of the animals in this were the best of mates - the cat and the rat."
Vivi, Usopp, Franky, and Brook looked ahead, past Robin and Luffy, to where Law was walking a few paces in front of Ace. Ace, in a vermillion yukata with an orange obi that contrasted with his blueish-black cat-like mask, and Law, in a dark brown yukata with a yellow obi that also seemed to contrast with his greyish-blue rat-like mask, both sensed this and tensed slightly, but otherwise pretended not to notice.
"Were they both in the race?" Franky wanted to know. He was wearing a light blue yukata with a red obi, and a golden and red rooster-like mask.
"Well, you would think so," Eric replied. "But, as it turns out, that cheeky rat wanted to win at all costs - he didn't even want his very best mate to win!"
"Oh my." Brook chuckled, from behind his brown mask which had two tusks resembling a boar's. His yukata was black, and his obi was grey.
"What happened?" Vivi and Usopp asked in unison.
"Well," Eric rubbed the back of his head. "The cat wanted to win, too. He also wanted to be well rested beforehand, so, he asked the rat to wake him up in time for the race."
"I'm betting that the rat didn't wake him up." Usopp remarked.
"That's right," Eric replied. "But, there's more."
"Of course there is." Usopp rolled his eyes beneath his mask.
"At the last leg of the race," Eric said. "The ox was in the lead."
"He means you, Chopper!" Usopp called ahead, and Chopper jumped.
"So, the rat - that cheeky bugger - jumped onto the ox's back, and because he was so light the ox didn't know." Eric said. "This allowed the rat to jump off of his back closer to the finishing line, Bob's your Uncle! The tiger came in after the ox, having been sent a little bit off-course by the river's current. The rabbit was also set back by the river, but was saved by a floating log to finish in fourth ... the rabbit never did know how the log ended up at the shore." He added, thoughtfully now.
"What about the boar, Eric-San?" Brook asked, pointing one skeletal finger at his own mask.
"He was a lazy bugger and almost didn't wake up, but, his mate the dog woke him up." Eric replied. "That's why the boar finished last, and the dog finished second to last. The rooster finished before the dog," he added, glancing up at Franky. "And, before that was the monkey."
"Shishishi," Luffy chuckled from behind his yellow monkey mask, which was as bright as his red yukata with the dark red obi and seemed to go with his straw hat. "But, the monkey should have won." He added, as an afterthought, walking backwards with his hands behind his head.
"Oh, Luffy," Usopp shook his head. "It's just a legend ... where did the sheep come in?"
"Just before the monkey," Eric sounded amused. "Along with the rooster, they piloted a small raft which carried them safely across the river."
"See, you guys?" Franky spoke to Luffy and Usopp both. "It's super cool teamwork!"
"Yeah!" The both agreed.
Eric continued. "The horse came in before the sheep, just after the snake - the snake was almost as cheeky as the rat, and had wrapped himself around the horse's leg, to conserve energy and spook the horse to assure himself sixth place."
"I would never do that!" Sanji called back. He had lit up his cigarette despite Eric's warning.
"Hmm," Robin said, walking next to Luffy and discretely stopping him from tripping over a tree root that was sticking up. She was wearing a purple yukata with a lilac obi and a black bow, and a dark grey mask that resembled a horse. "Eric-San ... you mentioned that you knew that somebody was missing due to our masks. Which animal came in before the snake and after the rabbit, and, what is its part in the legend?"
"Ah, yes . . . " Eric nodded. "That one ... well, umm . . . "
"You don't remember what it is, do you, Eric-San?" Kuina called back to him. She sighed. "Check your own mask?" She suggested, and a few of them chuckled as Eric reached up to touch the horns of his orange and blue mask. Kuina just rolled her eyes. "The dragon came in fifth place."
"Ooh, a dragon." Usopp nodded.
"That sounds cool." Luffy said. "Shouldn't something that big have been first, though?" He realised.
"Everybody else thought so, too," Eric responded, seemingly having remembered the rest of the story. "But, the dragon didn't hesitate to deviate from the race to extinguish a fire that was threatening a nearby village. What's more, on the way back, when the dragon saw the rabbit struggling, the kind old chap blew on the log to push the rabbit to the shore, and was happy to finish in fifth."
"The rabbit and the dragon must've been friends, then!" Luffy said.
"Aye. They were the best of mates." Eric confirmed.
"Oh, now he remembers." Kuina rolled her eyes.
"Hmm . . . " Vivi said, sounding thoughtful.
"So, Emmy's probably gonna have a dragon mask on?" Luffy said.
"That would make sense." Kuina responded, nodding. "It would certainly tie her in with you guys, her Allies." And, then, Chopper thought that he heard her mutter: "And, considering that both Zoro and I have inu masks, and that Eric-San is wearing a tatsu mask . . . "
But, before he could ask her what she meant by this, Nami spoke again, with: "But, what's with these masks, Kuina? And, how does it tie into the river?"
"Because of our Lantern Boat Festival. And, with that in mind," Kuina said, as they came out of the fog and into a clearing where a traditional-looking inn was suddenly a very welcomed sight; they hadn't realised just how tired they all were! "Welcome to the Ryūshū Inn!"
"Where's that phone?!" Ace and Law suddenly asked in unison.
Kuina didn't falter. "Come on, I'll take you to it."
"My shadow's only one that walks beside me, my shallow heart's the only thing that's beating . . . " Emma sang, as she walked along the wooden walkway beside the river. "Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me, 'til then I walk alone . . . " She couldn't help but notice that there was a gap in some areas between the ground and the river - there was just black, empty space down there, and she got the strangest sense that the river was floating in mid air.
Well, Death did say that this place was just a mass of trees with no real ground . . .
She was so busy focusing on these thoughts, that she didn't actually notice that she wasn't walking alone anymore - something was in fact following her, keeping to the shadows and waiting until she stopped.
Emma did so, all of a sudden, glancing to her left and seeing Marionette standing on the opposite side of the river, waving frantically to her.
'Run! Emma-Sama! Run away!'
There was no time to, however, as the thing that was in the shadows suddenly reared up to its full height - all twenty feet of it, and five times as many feet as that - and lunged at Emma before she could even turn around.
Marionette suddenly came flying across the river in a swift and graceful jeté.
The result was that she pushed Emma aside, and Emma lander on the nearby grass, to turn around and finally see what had been stalking her.
A twenty foot tall black and red centipede stood before her, with Marionette clamped firmly in its forcipules.
Emma was frozen, absolutely frozen to the spot, as she stared up something that she had only ever thought that she'd see in a nightmare. She could see herself reflected in Marionette's indigo eyes; even behind the azure dragon mask that she was wearing, she looked as scared as what she felt, and she couldn't move, not even rescue Marionette from this creature that would potentially destroy her.
'Run, Emma-Sama ... go back to your Allies, before it's too late!'
I can't ... I can't run, I can't even move! Emma realised, as her arms began shaking, and her lower lip began to tremble. Tears filled her eyes. You see ... this is ... exactly why . . . A single tear dripped down, and landed directly on the centre of the Tomodachi No Konpasu. Just ... somebody ... PLEASE SAVE MARIONETTE!
She had closed her eyes by this stage, and so didn't see what happened next - her first indicator that something had changed was when a pair of arms were suddenly wrapped around her, and she opened her eyes again in surprise to see the fabric of a light pink yukata, and bright turquoise hair. She looked past the blue-green hair, and immediately wished she hadn't. She didn't see Marionette flung to the ground, or the tall man in the orange yukata that appeared to be wrestling with the centipede. He was still shorter than the beast, and that was all that Emma could see.
"Don't look at it!" The woman that was holding her instructed her, holding her even closer as she began to sing. "No one, could ever see, the best of me," she had a soft and gentle voice, one that was somehow able to drown out the sounds of whatever was going on with the giant centipede. "Somehow, all I can ever show, are the things no one wants to know...please take, my hand . . . " There was something very ... Motherly about this woman, and Emma found herself beginning to calm down ... at least she had stopped shaking by that stage, as the sounds of the battle seemed to fade away. "Tell me that you understand, I need a new start, I need you to heal my heart . . . "
But ... I wonder how she knows this song . . . Emma thought, only daring to open her eyes again when the woman started to rise and pulled Emma to her feet, as well.
A pair of very vivid turquoise eyes met her gaze from behind a white and light pink dragon-like mask.
Emma blinked. This woman was looking at her in a very familiar way ... almost in the same way, no, it was exactly in the same way that Rouge had been looking at her before. She looked happy to see her ... relieved, too. And, she clasped Emma's shoulders and looked at her just like Queen Otohime had. There was no doubt about it; this woman knew who she was.
"There," the woman said calmly. "Daijoubu, Emma-Chan-Sama . . . "
I knew it!
"A-Arigatoō . . . " Emma mumbled, feeling embarrassed.
The woman shook her head. "Daijoubu." She said again. "My children also don't like mukade - it's how I used to calm them down, as well."
"Yeah ... about that song . . . " Emma began but, just then she sensed that somebody was approaching, and turned.
Walking towards them was the man who she had seen taking on the giant centipede, which was now nowhere to be seen. He was about twelve feet tall, and was wearing a bright orange yukata and a white and purple dragon-like mask. His hair was incredibly interesting - it was black and very wild, and gathered into a large flat plane at the very top. Emma wondered if it doubled as an umbrella for him.
Over one of his shoulders he had a long katana with a black and golden decorated handle and a cross-shaped guard. There was something rather familiar about it but, before Emma could figure out what it was, all of her attention was suddenly focused on the man's other shoulder, where he was carrying . . .
"Marionette!" Emma gasped, suddenly finding her voice. The colour must have drained from her face and the woman must have been able to sense this, because her grasp tightened on Emma's shoulders as she spoke to the man that was carrying Marionette.
"What happened to the Akuma Mukade?" She asked.
"Retreated, but, it'll come back - they always come back . . . " The man responded, although from the look in his dark eyes from beneath his mask, he looked like he actually wanted that to happen.
Emma, on the other hand, would have been perfectly happy to never see the thing again. She would probably never forget its striking colour scheme, how it had snuck upon her from behind, and the way that it had clamped its pincers around poor Marionette, who had just been there to save Emma.
The woman was looking intently at Marionette. "Did it bite her?!" She asked all of a sudden and, when the man nodded, she drew in a sharp breath. "Then, we must hurry!" She took one of Emma's hands. "Hayaku! Back to the Biyorinosuke Inn! We must speak with the Doctors!"
Emma stood outside of the door to the room that Marionette was in. She had been ushered out when the two Doctors had arrived, but, that didn't stop her from eavesdropping.
The two people that had saved her were in there now, talking with the two Doctors. They were speaking in hushed tones, but, Emma could hear things like 'severe' and 'not much time' and 'more vicious than usual'. She was biting her lower lip so hard that it practically bled, and then she heard the woman that had saved her say: "Doctors, are you sure that that's the only way to save her?"
Emma's ears pricked up, although her heart was also hammering in her chest. What would happen if they couldn't save the Portal Guardian? Would she disappear?
"I'm afraid so." The female Doctor (Emma was quite sure that the two medics were husband and wife) replied. A silver mask with a mouse or rat-like motif, which she had perched on top of her head, now cover her face once again, but, Emma thought that her light brown eyes seemed kind. "Whatever that Chaotic Energy has done to the Akuma Mukade has affected Marionette-San in a way that we can't handle."
"We believe," her husband said, adjusting his golden mouse or rat mask, and Emma spied a pair of glasses on top of his head and wondered if the mask had lenses in the eye-hole. "That the waters from Umi's Spring can counteract the powers of Chaos."
"Demo," the woman that had saved Emma said. "Those are the same waters that the Chosen Ones must purify themselves in before they proceed through the Cursed Gates . . . "
"At the end of The River Of Dreams," the man that had saved Emma (she was also convinced that he was the blue-haired woman's husband) mused. "Just before the gates . . . "
Emma dared to look around the corner, and saw that he had placed the blade that he had used against the giant centipede back into its sheath. Something about the black sheath with its intricate golden designs gave Emma another sense of familiarity.
Wait . . . She thought, squinting a little bit and wishing that her mask had lenses in the eye-holes. Is that ... Yubashiri . . . ? Huh ... I guess that swords go to the Celestial Realm, too ... just like people and ships and animals . . .
The male Doctor's voice dragged Emma sharply back into reality. "If Marionette-San isn't treated soon, then, she will fade away." He said.
Emma's breath hitched in her throat.
"What was that?!" The female Doctor said immediately.
The blue-haired woman's eyes widened behind her mask, and she gasped: "Emma-Chan-Sama!" She hurried to the door.
Emma, who had briefly contemplated teleporting away, stepped out from behind the doorframe.
"I'll go," she said, in a voice that she hoped was a lot stronger than what she thought that it was (which wasn't very). She swallowed. "I'll go. I was heading there, you know ... to the gates, and the springs too, apparently . . . " Tears had filled her eyes, but, she refused to let them fall. "I'll get the water for Marionette, it's my fault that she ended up like this . . . " She added, and went over to the still form of the Portal Guardian that was lying on the bed.
Nobody else said anything, that is until Emma reached out and took one of Marionette's cold hands in her right hand.
The male Doctor seemed to look at her more closely, then. "You . . . " He began.
Emma looked up at him. He had silver eyes beneath his mask, and, she could see that the eye-holes did indeed have lenses in them. Lucky . . . "I . . . ?"
"You're — "
"She's the leader of the Chosen Ones, yes." The swordsman with Zoro's old sword said.
The male Doctor shook his head. "Iie, that's not what I meant, I meant — "
"That she's Edward Newgate's daughter," the blue-haired woman nodded. "Which, of course, makes her Edward Undine's daughter." She added pointedly.
"I meant that she — "
"Looks like O-Dine-San, but acts more like Whitebeardy, I'd say . . . " The blue-haired woman's husband remarked, nodding. "Very stubborn . . . "
"Oden-San!" Said blue-haired woman admonished him.
"What?! You said it first!"
"The word that I used was tenacious!"
The male Doctor appeared to be frustrated. "Will you please stop interrupting me, both of you?" He looked from one to the other, as they both exchanged a glance, and then the female Doctor stepped forwards.
"Why are you not with the rest of the Chosen Ones now?" She wanted to know.
"We got separated." Emma explained, not wanting to say how.
"You're going to meet back up with them though, aren't you?" She pressed.
Emma wouldn't look at her. "I ... I guess ... I mean . . . " She suddenly wished that they would all stop looking at her like that.
"You'll need your Allies to face Infinity." The male Doctor said gently, and Emma wondered how much he and his wife knew about this. And, how much the other two (Oden and his wife) knew, as well. "The Princess and her First Knight are supposed to work together, as well." He added.
"I know." Emma muttered. She was starting to feel very put on the spot, all of a sudden. She also began hoping for a distraction - anything - and suddenly her prayers were answered when the Baby DenDen-Mushi on her wrist began to ring. "Oh, thank God." She breathed, and answered the call. "Moshi moshi?"
"Emiko . . . "
Emma's breath hitched in her throat once again. "Law-Chan . . . " She managed to say, and then realised that Oden, his wife, and the two Doctors were still in the room with her. They also weren't doing a very good job of making it seem like they weren't listening to her. Emma rolled her eyes. "Hang on a second . . . " She said, and got up and walked out of the room via the porch exit, closing the door behind her and sitting on the edge of the porch railing, staring out into the dark mass of trees.
What she didn't know was that the window behind her was ajar - she had been so distracted that she had failed to notice this, and so she didn't realise that those that were still in the room could still hear her conversation perfectly.
"Are you okay, Emiko?" That was Ace's voice, now.
Emma nodded and then, remembering that neither of the two men could see her, said: "I am, but ... Marionette's not . . . "
"What happened?" Ace asked her.
"She's been poisoned," Emma whispered, shivering despite herself. "If I don't get her the healing waters from the spring by the Cursed Gates then ... she'll fade away to nothingness ... I'm not gonna let that happen!" She added, in a slightly stronger voice. "It's my fault that this happened, she was only protecting me, and so now I have to help her."
"We'll help you." Ace said immediately.
"Ace-Chan," Emma swallowed. "You ... you guys can't . . . "
"Please don't tell me what I can and can't do, Emiko," Ace said firmly. "You knew what you were getting into when you agreed to marry me."
"And you knew that about me too, Ace-Chan," Emma pointed out. "Look at what's happened to Marionette ... look at what happened to Daddy, and to Sumi-Chan ... I thought that my being involved in all of this was supposed to prevent things like that from happening ... what if I lose you, as well . . . ?" The thought filled her with a sinking and dreadful feeling of hopelessness. "I mean, why did Teech transport the Whitebeard Pirates to Marineford, if he was just planning on killing Daddy by himself?" Her back was to the window, and so she didn't see Oden sink to his knees in horror and his wife immediately put her arms around him. "There's something more going on here, I don't want you guys involved in it . . . "
Ace didn't say anything, but, Law did. "Emiko," he said quietly. "You were reaching out to me after we were pulled into the Portal ... you wanted to come back, I could tell."
"Y-Yes . . . " She stammered, remembering. "It's not that I don't love you guys, I do," she assured them. "You're my . . . " She trailed off. They were her ... what? Friends? Best friends? Nakama? Allies? Family?
"I'm your First Knight," Law reminded her. "And, you mean everything to me."
"Do I mean everything to you because you're my First Knight?" She found herself saying.
"No," he told her. "You mean everything to me and that's why I'm your First Knight."
Enma didn't know what to say to that.
"Emiko ... please come back." Law said suddenly.
Emma was about to respond but, just then, she recalled something. She took a deep, shuddering breath.
"Law-Chan, back there ... something was keeping us apart. And, until I figure out what it is, I can't be with you guys. It's not you." She realised. "It's me. It's all totally me."
"Emiko . . . ?!" Both men heard the change in her voice, but, it was too late.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, and hung up the receiver.
She would have lost it completely at that point, if not for the light that she saw down by the river's edge that distracted her, enough that she hopped off of the porch railing and walked down the quiet, mossy path towards the river.
Behind her, the blue-haired woman was trying to console her husband.
He was saying: "I can't believe it ... Toki-Chan ... how could ... how could Whitebeardy have been killed?! By Teech?!"
"I don't know," she whispered back to him. "But, you know, there have been rumours that he was involved with what happened to O-Li-De ... we have to believe in Emma-Chan-Sama and her Allies, though . . . " She glanced up at the two Doctors, who were both staring out the window at where Emma was standing by the river's edge next to another person. "We just have to . . . "
The woman smiled at Emma, even as she returned the dark red and white rat mask to her face. She had brown hair and light brown eyes, and was dressed in full nun habit, complete with the headdress. Around her neck was a golden pendant with a ruby in the centre of it.
"Oh, sumimasen . . . " Emma mumbled. "I didn't realise that you were praying . . . "
"Daijoubu," the woman replied, as she picked up her lantern. "I was just offering my prayers to the spirits of the Lantern Boat Festival." She explained, gesturing out to the lantern boats that were drifting down the river. "There are many, right now."
"I know." Emma found herself saying. "They're my brothers and sisters ... and, my Father."
"Oh ... I'm so sorry." The nun whispered.
"So am I." Emma reached up a hand, as tears were threatening to escape. Her hands touched the wood of the mask, instead. "Sister-San ... will they be okay? Their deaths ... they shouldn't have happened. Even though we're not ... I mean, we ... we always try to help others. And, they were all good people. Will they be okay? With their deaths?" She just had to know.
The nun put a hand on her shoulder briefly. There was nothing but concern and compassion in her light brown eyes.
"There are many spirits that still don't know where to go." She explained. "This Festival helps to guide them, although it also brings people together that reside in the Forest Realm."
"I see . . . " Emma muttered. She was silent for a moment, before she said: "Sister-San... do you think that it's not just spirits that don't know where to go? If the boats can guide them, then, for everybody else ... what should they do?"
"Sometimes," the nun said peacefully. "It's simply a matter of looking inside yourself. To find what's out there."
"That doesn't make any sense." Emma admitted.
The nun laughed gently. "I pray that it will, I really do." She nodded. "Just believe in yourself, and in those around you."
"I'll try." Emma replied, and then she sighed. This was going to take some work. But, for now, she had other issues, as well. "Sister-San, do you know how to get to Umi's Spring? I need to go there to get the healing waters for Marionette."
The sister nodded, and pointed downstream. "Hai. Just follow the river, as it slopes downwards; you'll reach Peaceful Falls - the spring is beneath that." She turned back toward Emma, and held out the lantern. "It is best to take this with you, to deter any unwanted creatures that stalk the darker parts of this Forest Realm."
"Have they always been here, Sister-San, or, is it a recent thing?" Emma wanted to know, as she took the lantern. If it would fend off the giant centipedes, then, she'd use it!
"Being so close to Level Zero, the Forest Realm occasionally overlaps with it," the nun explained. "Although ... just recently, things have been getting worse ... I'm worried for the Doctors' daughter," she went on, clasping her hands. "She went to see her friend, the Spring Keeper, and I'm worried because she hasn't come back yet. She really wanted to go to the Festival . . . "
Emma sighed, again. "She doesn't have a lantern with her, does she." It wasn't a question.
The nun shook her head. "She is afraid of fire." She explained. "She said that she was going to get her mask and left for the springs around lunchtime, but, now that night has fallen . . . "
"I'll have a look for her while I'm there." Emma told her. She was starting to feel tired. Plus, her chest was hurting from where she'd been struck during her fight with Ino back in the Snow Realm. "Anything else that I should know?"
"The Spring Keeper is a ... unique character," the nun told her. "But, I believe that you will like him." She assured her. "Godspeed." She added, genuflecting as she bowed her head briefly.
"Arigatoō." Emma replied, beginning to walk away in the direction that the nun had indicated, but was stopped by a call from Oden.
"I'm coming with you!" The man declared loudly and dramatically as he reached them. "Daughter of Whitebeardy and O-Dine-San, on your quest to save O-Mari, I will be your guide!" He struck a pose.
"Oden-San!" They heard his wife calling to him from the inn. "You forgot something!"
"I remembered to get the container for the water, Toki-Chan!" He yelled back.
"I meant your clothes!"
Oden looked down. Aside from his mask, he happened to be wearing only a loincloth and sandals.
Emma and the nun both stared at him, and then Emma said to the nun: "When you say that the Spring Keeper is a unique character, do you mean that he's like this guy, or is he less eccentric?"
Oden looked shocked as his dragon mask slipped off of his face, and Emma shifted uncomfortably, and the nun tried her best to calm the situation and send them both on their way after Toki had made Oden put on a robe.
"So," Oden was saying presently, as he and Emma walked along the riverbank. "Tell me more about your Allies, daughter of Whitebeardy and O-Dine-San!"
"I have a name, you know," Emma replied, glancing sideways up at him. Why did he have to be so freaking tall?! Was he also from Samoa? She wondered if tall always had to equal strength in the One Piece world, or, if she could change that. "And, what would you like to know?" She added.
"Are they strong?" Oden was strolling quite casually, and spoke with such confidence that his whole demeanour was rather unusual for Emma. He held the lantern out in front of him with ease (Emma had almost immediately surrendered it to him to hold, as her arms felt very heavy all of a sudden). "What are their names? Where are they from? What do you all do for a living?"
"You mean that you don't know?" Emma tilted her head to one side. Oden shook his head. "Huh ... strange ... the other Guardians seemed to know a lot more ... well, regardless." She shrugged. "My Allies ... let's see ... there are thirteen of us, altogether. We're all pirates." She had no hesitations in telling this man that - after all, he referred to her Father as 'Whitebeardy', suggesting that they had been in good terms. "Ace-Chan — "
"Your husband." Oden interrupted her.
"Yes, him," Emma rolled her eyes at being interrupted. "Is - was? Is? - a Whitebeard Pirate, Second Division Commander, in fact — "
"Just like me!" Oden interrupted her again, excitement evident in his voice.
Emma huffed. "Okay, fine, now pay attention!" She scolded him, hardly even hearing what he had just said. "So, Ace-Chan are the Mera Mera No Mi — "
"The what?"
Emma held up her right hand, with her thumb pointing out and her index finger pointing up, and a red ribbon immediately shot under Oden's dragon mask and wrapped itself around his mouth, effectively shutting him up much to his shock.
"It's a Devil Fruit, with Ace-Chan's letting him control fire and mine - the Ribon Ribon No Mi - letting me do that, among other things." Emma explained to him, and he could only nod, as she continued: "Since you knew my Father you knew his Devil Fruit power - it's like that." Oden nodded again. "Law-Chan - my First Knight - has a power like that as well, but his let's him take control of things in certain ways in a 'Room'," she made quotation marks with her fingers. "Which fits him, I guess, because he's a Doctor. He's also the Captain of his own pirate crew - the Heart Pirates." She glanced at Oden, who looked like he wanted to say something, and so she let him speak.
"So, do you guys have an alliance or something?" Oden said immediately. "What about the others? Are they part of a crew that's the same or different? What about you — ?!" He was silenced again by the ribbon wrapping itself around his mouth once more.
"I don't think that there's an alliance beyond what we're doing here," Emma said, although the question was certainly an interesting one. "Law-Chan's ties are mainly to me, although he did go to Luffy's aid when Luffy and Ace-Chan were at Marineford . . . "
"Wwy fwer whey where?" Oden tried to say.
"Huh?" Emma looked up at him. "Do you mean 'why were they there'?" Oden nodded. Emma sighed. "Ace-Chan got captured by the Marines. They were going to execute him, mainly because he's the son of the Pirate King." Oden's eyes widened. "Luffy came to his aid because he's his brother - by adoption," she added hastily, correctly interpreting Oden's widening eyes. "But, they're still very, very close. It's like Nami and her adopted sister, Nojiko. Nami is Luffy's Navigator, and one of our Allies." She explained. "She can be a bit bossy, but she's got a sharp mind and she cares a lot - she puts up with a lot from the crew!" She laughed, thinking about it. "I mean, Luffy's the Captain but Nami even bosses him around! He needs it - he can be a bit all over the place at times. He ate the Gomu Gomu No Mi, which allows him to stretch like elastic and he's super strong! Some might call him crazy, even. Still . . . " She smiled. "He went through Impel Down to save Ace-Chan. He took out a powerful Fish-Man to get Nami her freedom back and save the East Blue. In that same sea, he beat up a murderous pirate captain to save Kaya and Usopp - Usopp then became Luffy's sniper, by the way, and he's also one of our Allies." Emma nodded. "Our other Allies are also all a part of Luffy's crew. Sanji-Kun's the cook - he's also an expert fighter, he taught me how to kick like a pro. There's also Franky - he's a cyborg and the shipwright for Luffy's crew. His mentor was Old Tom - I mean, Tom, the shipwright ... alright, you know who that is." Emma blinked, seeing Oden's eyes light up again. "Okay ... umm, well, there's also Chopper, the Doctor - he's a reindeer . . . " She trailed off, seeing Oden's eyes continuing to light up. "But, he ate the Hiro Hiro No Mi and so he's a reindeer-human ... thing ... we love him." She added fondly, thinking about what Chopper's reaction would be if he heard that. "And Brook, the musician. He ate the Yomi Yomi No Mi, so even though he died he's still alive - as a skeleton!" Oden looked positively thrilled, even behind his mask. "He's also a swordsman, although the honour of World's Greatest Swordsman is going to go to Zoro - he's Luffy's first mate and the crew's combatant. He wields three swords ... which reminds me . . . " Emma glanced up at Oden. "That sword that you've got there ... it is Yubashiri, isn't it?" Oden nodded, his eyes now at their widest. Emma smiled behind her mask. "Zoro left it at the graves of Brook's old crew, the Rumbar Pirates, after he and the others got Brook's stolen shadow back and he joined the crew. Okay, now you may speak."
"That explains it!" Oden exclaimed. "O-Kami-Death came to see me with the sword and said that it had appeared in the Mountains Realm and that the Rumbar Pirates' Captain thought that I might like to have it because O-Lunar told them that I was quite the swordsman, which is true if I do say so myself - and I do - and so of course I accepted the sword — !" He was cut off again when the ribbon rewrapped itself around his mouth.
I wonder why my Mother wasn't the one to tell Death, though. Emma thought. Being a God herself and all ... where is she? "Well," She said to Oden. "I'm glad that Zoro's sword found a good owner. You know, it was once used when Zoro was accidentally handcuffed to Usopp - who was going by Sogeking at that stage due to an 'incident', shall we say - and he had Usopp hold the sword and he still managed to defend against a Rokushiki Master!" Taking Oden's silence as him being impressed, she went on with: "That was around the time that Luffy declared war against the whole entire World Government! Those guys - Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp (as Sogeking), Sanji-Kun, and Chopper - burned the World Government flag at Enies Lobby, stormed the building, and freed Franky - who wasn't even in the crew at that stage - and Robin-San!"
"Wwy i whey oo a?"
"'Why did they do that'?" Emma looked up at him. "The World Government was going to take Robin-San away. She was going to sacrifice herself for them - the only friends that she had left - and Luffy wasn't about to let that happen. Robin-San's amazing. She ate the Hana Hana No Mi - that lets her create any part of her body on any surface, as many times as what she wants!"
"Efwen hew — ?"
Emma silenced him with a glare. "She'd been on the run since she was a little kid, the last survivor of her people. All because she can read those Poneglyphs." She shook her head, and didn't see as Oden began to struggle to try to remove the ribbon that was preventing him from speaking. "And, Luffy could tell straight away that she had a good heart - he knew that even back in Arabasta, when Robin-San was their enemy! Of course, she had her own reasons for working with the Warlord Crocodile, who was on the cusp of taking over the whole entire country! But, Luffy's belief in Robin-San proved just. It even inspired Arabasta's own Princess to trust Robin-San just recently - of course, now, Robin-San and Vivi-Chama are friends in their own right. Oh ... Vivi-Chama must be so worried about Carue... that's her pet Spot-Billed Duck. He was with the Whitebeard Pirates at the time that Teech transported them all to Marineford. So was Luffy's Grandpa ... who's Ace-Chan's Grandpa by adoption and actually mine too for that same reason, and, he's a Vice-Admiral but I'm still so worried and I can't believe that Daddy is actually dead, when I only just found him again!" She wailed, and that was when she finally broke down completely. It had taken days, but, she was finally going to cry about it, and to this stranger of all people.
Oden, who by that stage had succeeded in freeing himself from the ribbon took a deep breath, and said: "I heard your tears before ... they're resounding in my heart, now. Because ... I understand - Whitebeardy was like a brother to me. He called me his little brother." He added, almost proudly.
Through her tears, Emma stared up at him in amazement. "R-Really?" She whispered.
Oden nodded. "Indeed. And now, Edward Emma, I have three questions for you. One, will you hold this?" He held out the lantern to her.
"Hai." She took it.
"And, two," Oden went on. "Do you know what that sign says?" He pointed to a nearby signpost.
Emma shook her head. "Iie. I mean ... Robin-San could read it, but my ability is decidedly limited. Why? What's it say?"
"It says 'beware the demon that inflicts the three wise curses'." Oden said very seriously, and Emma just stared at him. He went on: "And, three ... I - who sailed with both the Whitebeard Pirates as my family and also the Roger Pirates - have to know: if your husband is a Whitebeard Pirate, and your First Knight is a Heart Pirate, and the rest of your Allies are . . . ?"
"Straw Hat Pirates." Emma told him. "After the Hat that Luffy got from Shanks-San ... they're the Straw Hat Pirates." Her voice was still shaking, but there was a resounding note in it as she said: "And ... and, Zoro's gonna be the World's Greatest Swordsman, and Nami's gonna chart a map of the whole entire world, and Usopp's gonna be a brave warrior of the just like his Dad Yasopp who's in Shanks-San's crew, and Sanji-Kun's gonna make it to the All-Blue, and Chopper's gonna make that cure for very illness in the world, and Robin-San's gonna find the true history of the world, and Franky's gonna see to it that the Thousand Sunny makes it all the way to Raftel, and then afterwards Brook's gonna reunite with that whale Laboon and play the recording of the Rumbar Pirates performing Binks' Sake for him just like he promised, and Luffy's gonna be the King Of The Pirates!" She finished. There were still tears running down her face, but her voice was as strong as it had ever been, and rang out through the mist. "And . . . " She whispered, all of a sudden. "Whatever Ace-Chan, Law-Chan, and Vivi-Chama want ... however I can help them ... I want to find a way to help them, too . . . "
"The way that you talk about the Straw Hat Pirates ... you trust in their abilities as your crew mates but not as your Allies?" Oden asked her.
Emma looked up at him. Her hazel eyes met his dark ones. "Isn't it obvious?" She whispered, just as the Akuma Mukade attacked.
"So, Emma's going to meet us at the springs?" Chopper summarised everything that Law and Ace had just told them, as they walked along the banks of the left side of The River Of Dreams.
"Mmhmm." Ace said, staring straight ahead.
Law kept on glancing to their right, as if trying to see through the mists to the other side of the river.
"Does she know about this?" Nami asked suspiciously.
"Probably." Ace replied.
"That means 'no'." Nami sighed. Em's still not okay with this.
"Hey, that old guy's following us." Luffy said suddenly, and they all stopped and turned around to see that Eric was indeed hurrying after them. They waited for him to catch up, and then Luffy said: "What's up, old guy?"
"They said . . . " He stopped to catch his breath. "They said that you ... were heading out to the springs, before going to the gates, correct?" He questioned them.
"We are." Nami confirmed. "And, no, we can't tell you why."She added.
"I don't care about why you're going!" He waved his hand. "I can't stop you, either — "
"You're also not coming with us." Nami told him.
Eric rolled his eyes. "Such a cheeky bird." He said to nobody in particular and, ignoring Nami's outraged look, he said to Ace: "You're the fire chap, right?"
"Yes, that's right." Ace blinked.
"There's been some strife with the local critters lately," Eric told them. "You'd all be best to stick close to this chap, since those critters can't stand fire!"
Ace suddenly staggered slightly, because Nami, Chopper, and Usopp had just latched onto him. He continued to speak to Eric, though, as he said: "Now that you mention it ... Emiko said that Marionette got poisoned . . . " His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait ... critters ... Eric, they're not centipedes, are they?!"
"Aye," Eric nodded, much to the horror of at least half of those that were standing before him. "Bigger even than the bag of bones over there," he indicated to Brook. "And, twice as mean, I'd say. Bloody horrible buggers . . . "
"Oh, why didn't you tell us about this before?!" Nami wailed.
"Hey, I only remembered because some chap back there had a newspaper and I remembered how my granddaughter and I used to use magnifying glasses to burn holes in the newspaper!" Eric told them and, seemingly unaware of some of their raised eyebrows, added: "She didn't like those leggy little critters, after somebody told her that they were poisonous . . . "
"Venomous." Chopper muttered, and added: "Are you sure that it wasn't you that told her?"
Even behind his mask, Eric looked surprised. "Oh, don't go and say that, space coyote."
"Space coyote?" Vivi repeated, as Chopper looked outraged.
"That's a new one." Sanji agreed. "I also can't blame Eric's granddaughter for not liking centipedes."
"Yeah, well," Luffy crossed his arms. "Our Emmy doesn't like those things, either, so, let's go and find her before they do!" He began marching off downstream again, followed by Law and Ace (with Nami, Chopper, and Usopp still clinging to the latter).
"Thank you very much, Eric-San." Vivi bowed hurriedly to the old man, before quickly going to catch up with Luffy.
Brook, Franky, Sanji, and Zoro followed after her.
Robin, however, lingered.
"Eric-San," she turned to the old man. "Could you please do me a favour and remove your mask, for a moment, please?"
Eric seemed surprised, but then he complied, and briefly removed his mask.
Robin gazed upon his face for a moment, before she smiled beneath her own mask.
As he replaced his mask, and Robin turned to go, Eric called to her: "Wait! What was that all about?"
At the same time, they heard Luffy's voice calling back: "Robiiiin! Hurryyyy!"
"I should go." Robin said simply. "Our Captain was quite correct when he said that the person that we're searching for doesn't like centipedes. She doesn't seem to mind fire, though ... she never grew out of either of those things, our Emma-San."
Pain was shooting all up Emma's right arm and leg, but she forced herself to run ... well, limp-run.
She had just been bitten by the giant demonic centipede, which was now being fought by Oden.
Oden had said that he'd be fine, and that the entrance to the spring was just up ahead . . .
How can I just leave him to ... ow, OW! Tears stung her eyes, as the pain almost caused her to trip. She had always thought that a centipede bite would be as painful as a wasp sting (not that she'd ever been stung by a wasp ... yet?) but, this was almost unbearable.
And, then, Emma did trip, and the lantern flew out of her hand and landed, of course, in the river.
Emma's left fingers clenched at the wet moss that was beneath her. Her right hand was painfully swollen and, with shaking and numb feeling fingers, she only just managed to slide the ring from Law off of her finger. The swelling was starting to scare her ... so was the pain.
And, unfortunately, her hands were now shaking so much as she attempted to put the ring onto her left hand, that the ring nearly ended up in the river as well.
Luckily, a small hand reached out and grabbed the ring before it could disappear, helping Emma to secure it onto her left ring finger just above the ring from Ace.
"There you go!" The little girl in the pink and yellow rat mask chirped. "Although ... eww! It's all covered in moss, now! Hey ... are you okay? What's wrong?"
Emma dared to look up. A little girl stared back at her. She couldn't have been any older than eight, and had light brown hair tied up into two short pigtails, and dark eyes that peered at Emma from beneath her mask. She was wearing a pink and yellow yukata that matched her mask, and, something about her . . .
"Are you . . . ?" Emma tried to say, and then she sighed. The action caused pain to shoot down her right side, and she tried not to gasp; she didn't want to scare the little girl.
But, something must have given her away.
The little girl looked concerned; Emma could see it, even beneath her mask. "Daijoubu ... he'll be back, soon."
"Who . . . ? The Spring Keeper?" Emma guessed. Her head was starting to feel light ... it was spinning. The little girl's face kept on swimming in and out of focus ... the colours of her mask began to blur together.
"Uh-huh . . . " The little girl was still concerned. "Hey ... daijoubu desuka . . .?" She touched a hand to Emma's left hand. "Hey! You're really cold! My parents are Doctors! They said that that means that's something wrong!"
Emma tried to tell her that she'd be fine, even as she marvelled at her luck at having found the little girl that the nun had mentioned. But, before she could, a new and unfamiliar voice spoke up, instead.
"It's fine, I've got her."
And, before Emma could protest, she felt herself being picked up against her will. But, she was too tired to protest and too weak to fight back.
"Are you sure?" The little girl said. Emma sensed that she was hovering nearby, probably standing up on tiptoes to see her better.
The person holding onto Emma, a man she was fairly certain and a very tall one at that, must have nodded, or something, because Emma then heard the little girl sigh.
"O-kay . . . " She whined. "I suppose that you want me to go back to Wanosuke, too . . . "
"You wanted to go to the Festival, didn't you?" The man reminded her.
"Well, yeah, but . . . "
"Then go."
"She can't ... go by herself . . . " Emma tried to open her eyes, but found that even that was too much for her. "O-den ... where's Oden . . . ?"
"I'm here!" Even his loud voice sounded very far away, now.
Am I ... fading away? What about ... Marionette? "The ... water?"
"I've got it!" He declared. "Worry not about O-Mari-Sama!" There was concern even in his confident tones. "But you've been bitten by the Akuma Mukade! You must get to the springs!"
"Yes, I'm taking her there, now." The man that was holding Emma said quietly.
"Where . . . ?" Emma tried to say. This is the end for me. "Did it . . . ?"
"If it strikes again then I will protect O-Lami-Chan!"
"What . . . ?" Emma could hardly hear, now.
"Is she going to be okay?!" The little girl cried.
"I . . . " I don't know. Emma realised. Why did I think that I ... could do this on my own?
"Daijoubu ... I've got you . . . " The man holding onto Emma said, still in that soft voice.
"Is she the one that you were waiting for?!" The little girl called.
Emma struggled to open her eyes, and managed to catch a glimpse of a dark red and purple rat-like mask, and a pair of reddish-brown eyes. They flickered down to look at her briefly as the man nodded, before Emma fell into the blackness of her own mind . . .
Law and Ace both stopped dead in their tracks, and the others paused, as well.
They both wore identical expressions on their faces, and Vivi knew that look all too well.
"Something's happened to Emma-Sama." She surmised, and the others all wore expressions of varying shock. Vivi sighed, and glanced down at the Ocean's Flower necklace around her neck. She wished that it could tell her which direction to take, to quickly find its previous owner's daughter.
I know what you're feeling right now, Emma-Sama ... I would be feeling the exact same way, if it had been my Father who'd been killed even after I'd managed to prevent it before. And, what's more, you're so confident in what Luffy-San and the others can do when it comes to being pirates, but ... when it comes to this whole Gods thing, you were a little bit more hesitant. You agreed to let us help you ... until Teech became the God Of Darkness and killed the Strongest Man In The World! I don't know how you can realise that you can trust all of us not only as pirates but as your Allies in this fight as well, but ... you have to. Let us be what you need us to be.
She thought about what had happened when she'd been exposed to Baroque Works as a spy, and how she'd been forced to escape from Whisky Peak after Igaram's apparent death. At that time, Nami had been the one to reassure her, saying how her crew mates could handle Baroque Works and that they'd get her home. Looking at Nami now, as she discussed with the others about what they should do about their current situation, Vivi happened to notice that Nami still had the whistle around her neck from the Snow Realm. It didn't seem to matter - Vivi still had hers. A souvenir from their adventure, perhaps?
Nami was currently standing with Luffy, as the two of them watched Chopper moving frantically from Ace to Law.
"I'm a Doctor!" They heard him wail. "Not a ... not a God Doctor!" He looked up at Nami and Luffy. "This ... this has something to do with Emma, and her being the Princess Of Light!"
"Hmm, good point." Nami looked over. "Ne, Vivi, can you give us a hand?"
"Sure," Vivi said immediately, and came over to them right away. "What do you need?" She had a feeling that she already knew.
"Answers." Said Nami, rather flatly, but, her brown eyes showed worry. "What's going on with these two? Is it because of Em?" She glanced at Ace, who was currently deviating between twisting his engagement ring and twisting the woven bracelet that served as his wedding ring. The Whitebeard Pirate's face was pale, and his skin was clammy - Vivi discovered this when Ace faltered, and she, Luffy, and Nami all reacted instantly.
Next to them, Robin had already activated her powers to support Law, who looked even worse than Ace, if that was even possible. He didn't even protest at the help that he was getting, which was a sure sign that something was very wrong.
"The First Knight has a very strong connection with the Princess Of Light." Vivi said quietly, as she, Nami, and Luffy helped Ace to lean against a nearby tree. She looked over at Law. He seemed almost like he was about to pass out. Ace, meanwhile, looked like he was in pain. Vivi sighed. "And, this is the longest that Emma-Sama and Law-San have been apart. It's no doubt been difficult on them, even if they don't understand why."
"I know ... why . . . " Law said, very quietly, but, they all still heard him. "It's because ... she's my ... whole reason for existing. I don't exist ... without her."
"Yes," Vivi said patiently. "But, the reason is why." I really have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm just repeating what the Gods told me! Emma-Sama's Nanna told me that it would all make sense eventually, but . . .
"It sounds like he can't figure it out unless Emmy's with him." Luffy said suddenly. He had his arms crossed, and looked very serious all of a sudden. They all looked over at him, as he seemed to be contemplating something.
"That still doesn't explain what's wrong with Ace . . . " Usopp began, but was silenced by a fierce glare from Nami.
"There's a lot going on right now." Vivi said quietly. She bit her lower lip, wondering if she should mention what she had on her mind. A quick glance at Ace told her that now was not the time. No doubt he knew and, for now, that would do.
Luffy seemed to be deciding something. He then adjusted his monkey mask. "Okay! That's it!" He declared, all of a sudden, and a few people jumped.
"What's 'it'?" Nami sounded almost as if she didn't want to hear the answer.
"Ace and Law will stay here until they get their energy back," Luffy told everybody. "And, I'll go and get Emmy and bring her back here!"
"You can't go by yourself!" Nami said immediately.
"Will you come with me?" Luffy looked at her.
"Absolutely not." Nami replied. "Zoro will go with you. I'll stay here with Ace and make sure that he's okay."
"It doesn't have anything to do with what Eric said about the centipedes not liking fire, does it?" Usopp asked her wryly, and Nami gave him another fierce glare.
"You do realise that he probably can't fight right now, Nami." Zoro pointed out.
"Duh," Nami rolled her eyes. "That's why Sanji-Kun's staying here to keep us safe, and don't look at me like that, Law, you can't move right now, either!"
Law just sighed, and leaned back.
Nami's eyes widened. "Yikes," she whispered. He didn't react! "This is really bad. Hurry, you guys!" She urged Luffy and Zoro. "If you just keep on heading straight, and follow the river ... Vivi, go with them!" She added, realising that Luffy and Zoro would probably get lost if they didn't have somebody else with them. Short of going with them herself (which she was not prepared to do) Vivi was the next best thing.
Vivi nodded.
To their surprise, Chopper suddenly said: "I'll go too! I mean, there's not much that I can do here, but . . . "
"Okay, then!" Luffy nodded, obviously eager to get moving. "Let's go!" Hang on, Emmy . . .
White snow swirled around Ino. She stared into the depths of the black portal before, with a sigh, she prepared to step through it. She was not a hundred percent happy with the way that things were going. True, some parts were working in their favour; it seemed that Emma had been deeply affected by her Father's death, as Ino had suspected that she would be. Her decision to try and leave her Allies behind was definitely an upside - it meant that they would be slowed down considerably, although Ino was fairly certain that the separation wouldn't last for very long.
"She's too much like her Mother . . . " Ino muttered, as a cold breeze blew her blonde hair back. She then suddenly tensed.
"Don't say that like it's a bad thing, Mother."
Even without that last part, there was no mistaking the identity of the person that was now standing behind Ino, some ten feet away but her soft voice still carrying easily across the frozen landscape.
Ino turned around slowly, to face her daughter.
Standing there on the edge of the semi-frozen lake, with her feathery white wings and golden halo practically luminous against the white snow, Sumi's teal eyes stared into Ino's icy blue ones, and it was the look on her daughter's face that immediately set Ino on edge.
"You've been talking to them." It wasn't a question.
"I now finally understand," Sumi replied. Her voice was low, her tone cold. She seemed oblivious to the cold wind that was whipping around her bare arms and legs, the skirt of her white dress billowing about her knees. On her back, the purple ink of her tattoo seemed to shine. "I understand just what it is . . . "
"You understand nothing," Ino replied, just as coldly. She had come too far to be distracted by her daughter, now. She let her frustrations begin to bubble up again. "You and your kind ... you have all been doomed to fail before this even began."
"Do you really hate pirates so much?" Sumi questioned.
"With every ounce of my being." Ino whispered, her voice dripping with venom. I cannot forget ... what happened on that day ... thirty-six years ago ... when I finally realised the truth . . . "The fact that her Allies are all such ... maybe it's Karma at work again, I honestly don't know and I don't care." She flicked her long hair back. Sumi recognised the action instantly, and tensed. "All that matters to me is that which I have set out to do."
"I won't let you!" Sumi said immediately, and Ino's eyes narrowed. "I know that you're the one who's been causing problems for Emma-Chan and Ace-Kun and the others, not to mention everything that's been happening back in the Mortal Realm!" Her voice was rising. "It's not fair and it's not right, and you're not going to get away with it!"
Ino was momentarily stunned. For a second, she saw her daughter standing there as a small child, vehemently denying something that she did and earning herself a swift backhand to the face for it, only for the little girl to stand up a second later and tell Ino that she was in the wrong. Even back then ... Sumi had always been defying her. To the point where Ino could no longer control her without resorting to drastic measures, but that had not been without its risks. Here, however, it was different . . .
"Oh, but I already have." Ino said suddenly, and even the snow seemed to stand still around them. "You truly know nothing about all of this. This was all set up to happen long before you were even born ... Sumire."
And, as she had predicted, her daughter shuddered, bowing her head instantly at the power behind her True Name. But, then, to Ino's surprise, the moment passed, and Sumi looked up again. She now wore a small smile, and her gaze was not fearful as it had been when she was a child.
"I am not a little girl anymore." She said, very clearly, staring directly into her Mother's eyes. "And, you do not tell me what to do ... Inoshishi."
Ino hissed a slight curse under her breath, feeling her anger and frustration, which had already been close to boiling point, well up and over in that instant. Her right arm shot out to the side, forming an arc of Chaotic Energy. "You have no idea what you're dealing with!" She snapped, taking a half a step forwards. "I had no qualms about letting your Father kill you and I certainly have no qualms about making you disappear myself!" Will I ever be rid of this child?!
"No, you have no idea what you're dealing with." Sumi said frustratingly, just as a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone directly into her. Ino watched as the sparkles were drawn into Sumi's wings, almost as if she was absorbingthem and their power. Her left arm shot out in front of her, and the light seemed to travel through her, shining through her veins and down her left arm to form an orb of light within her palm. "I'm so much more than what you ever thought that I could be! And, I had to learn it on my own ... with some help." She added, a touch of fondness in her tone just then. "I am who and what I am today, not because of you, but ... because of my friends, and what they made me. My friends are my power."
Ino narrowed her eyes, again. "Your power is no match for mine." She warned, although her gaze never left that orb of light. "I have been doing this for longer than what you could ever comprehend. You cannot hope to defeat me."
Sumi's smile only seemed to grow. "I don't have to defeat you. And, don't talk about Hope like you know her!" She added. "Hikari No Tempest!"
Author's Notes: This chapter somehow became two, much like chapters 24 and 25. That's ... probably an indicator of what kind of chapter is to follow . . .
If you vaguely recognise the story that Emma's Step-Granddad was telling the group, then you either know your mythology and / or you are a fan of Fruits Basket.
Also, the chapter's title means 'Lamplight', and is from the song of the same name from To Heart 2.
~Extended Japanese Lesson~
赤い秋 - Akai Aki
Red Autumn
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暮れ燭 - Kure Shoku
Twilight Candle
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日和の助 - Together, this Kanji becomes Wanosuke
On its own, the Kanji is:
日和 (Biyori) - Weather
の助 (Suke) - Suke - Assistance (part of the name モモの助 - Momonosuke)
It makes sense that both Oden and Toki reside here at this inn.
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悪魔ムカデ - Akuma Mukade - Demon Centipede, although a more direct translation is Devil Centipede, and both names are appropriate.