LITTLE GARDEN (I)
A Different Species
"Well, Luffy?" Vivi was calmly and patiently awaiting the wolfman's explanation as to why the demon that was the source of many of her troubles, both physically and mentally, was on their side all along…and specifically why Luffy decided to only reveal this now.
The wolfman gulped staring at the sky blue haired royal tapping her foot against the deck with arms crossed and a twitching eye as she glared down at him, how she pulled that off when he towered over her he had no idea, with enough fury to have even Garp sweating bullets. Luffy would know. Makino, while usually the epitome sweet and understanding, could be downright terrifying when she got pissed off. That was the last day Garp bragged about his training methods within her vicinity.
Coughing into his closed fist Luffy looked away as he answered her, "She's pleasant isn't she? A strange and morbid sense of humor but a nice-"
"She eviscerates and strangles bodies beyond recognition to be found in plain sight." The princess cut in with a clipped tone and an unamused scowl. "Sometimes leaving little messages written in her victims blood. 'A loving family awaits this one, wailing in agony they will for good reason, this is the price for treason.' Was one she left behind after desecrating the body of the most loved and respected generals in the Alabasta Military. How exactly is she a nice person?" The low tone laced with thin patience had the wolfman sweating bullets as he tried to find some way of diffusing this situation before the princess slapped him or something along those lines. Luffy wasn't really fearful of the pain to him but to the strain in his relationship with the princess. Connections to royalty would be a great benefit later down the line, not to mention the Nefetari's are one of the better royals, if not the best, and Vivi was actually kinda nice.
'For fucks sake, will you ever stop thinking with your-'
Before the wolf and Luffy could get into another one of their internal back and forths, something the wolfman was happy to say had not been happening as much, everyone aboard the Merry snapped their attention to the…quacking?
"When did we get a duck?" Luffy asked, later adding, "A big duck for that matter."
The big duck of yellow-brown plumage, with black-tipped wings and tail feathers sported a blue and white chullo, pink goggles, and a large saddle carrying multiple saddlebags. A tick mark briefly appeared on Vivi's temple as she glowered at the duck's abrupt interruption only to round back to Luffy when the words, "Yeah, what the duck said." came out of his mouth in complete seriousness, a bit of relief, and more than a little gratitude towards the duck…who gave him a thumbs up back?!
"You can understand duck? I thought you were limited to canines?" Zoro asked, vaguely remembering something along those lines regarding Luffy's Devil fruit abilities. From his side, Nami looked like a light bulb just lit up above her head.
"Dedicated Interspecies Communication." Nami got a quack of approval from the duck who returned to quacking at Luffy, the wolfman smiling and nodding along in the beginning, slowly frowning as the conversation went on, answering in…what the hell are those responses?!
"Quack quack, qua-qua-quack!" The duck, Karoo, Nami recalled Vivi calling him, said with a bit of an apologetic look, or an embarrassed one. A mixture of both? Look she wasn't an expert on duck expressions all right? Sue her.
'Why am I talking to myself?'
"Eh I like 'em thick." All the women suddenly felt the need to take a few steps back…well every woman aboard aside from Nami who just raised a brow, smacking Sanji up the head before the perv could even begin screaming. Whether it was in approval of a fellow perv stating their tastes or disappointment over Luffy's lack of tact, however, she did not know. She also didn't care whichever it would end up being.
Gem wasn't sure how to react to Luffy's statement…well he did but he was sure that if answered as they did in the South Blue all he was getting was a beating. The navigator may have looked slim as hell but damn if she could pack a wallop. Case in point the steaming, pulsing bump of pain atop the swirly eyebrowed cook's head. Mikita…Mikita was suddenly reminded of just how many times she had been oggled on for her assets. The kilo woman began to wonder if Miss All Sunday was trying to say her penance entailed becoming the wolfman's plaything…it was disturbing to Mikita how likely that could actually be the case considering the older assassin's sense of humor and amusement.
"Quack quack?" The duck's question was met with a grimace and a shiver from the wolfman…who's next words had a lot of people being taken aback, and more than a few being offended. Gem surprisingly not as much but Mikita knew he was more than a little insulted despite his expression only crumpling for a moment before returning to a resting bitch face.
"Ok, black is just…just no." One of the Alabastan Soldiers looked a few more words away from jumping the pirate right there and throttling him on the spot. He also happened to be of…darker complexion. Darker than Gem actually, the bomb man noticed.
"Quack!" The duck replied with an indignant squawk and puffed out cheeks. How a duck pulled off the face of an annoyed toddler none of the Straw Hats knew…but damn if it wasn't a little cute though. Zoro and Usopp karate chopped Sanji over the head in unison knowing exactly what the cook was going to blurt out in response to their unanimous thoughts on Karoo's expression.
'Wait…did we just have the same thoughts?!' Zoro, Nami and Usopp turned to one another in askance…before coming to another unanimous decision. They needed to take a break from being around each other so much. Getting close with your friends, your family was a good thing…but this is just weird.
"Who in their right mind goes for the black ones?!" Igaram sweatdropped as Melissa struggled to keep the Alabastan Soldier, Robert his name was, at bay. "No one goes for the black ones! No one should! Yellow is superior!"
At this point everyone aside from the duck and the wolfman were blanching, hell Usopp swears even the Going Merry had dropped her jaw over the wolfman's statement. A few indignant squawks were fired in quick succession to Luffy who only scoffed in response.
"Of course, yellow is superior. That's when they're actually at their best, featherbutt!" Gem, who's always done his best to keep his cool, was then puzzled by the rookie pirate's statement. When something is yellow it's at its best but when it turns black it's…wait a minute. "Green bananas are ok, depending on the kind I guess, but black bananas are gooey, vile, stinking piles of shit! They're inedible! You cannot convince me otherwise, Daffy Dumbass."
Robert's struggle against Melissa ceased immediately as the large man blinked numerous times in his stupor before tidying himself up and pointedly looking away from the rest of his squad. He wasn't quick to jump the gun, certainly not. Igaram shook his head with a tired sigh as the young man had, after 2 years, still not gotten over his bad habit of not thinking twice. There was a reason both Robert and Melissa got along so well.
The rest of the people's reactions were more tame, more 'Oh's and 'Ah's of realization over their misunderstanding due to the wolfman's rather misleading choice of words. Choices he nor the duck seemed to realize were more than a little suspicious as both of them turned as the noises of realization came to their ears.
"What's up with you lot?" "Quack qua?" Luffy and Karoo asked with heads tilted to the right and question marks popping above their heads.
Nami debated on whether or not she should bring up the two's, or more accurately Luffy's, questionable choice of words but Vivi had other plans. Namely ignoring the conversation all together and instead addressing the fact that Karoo seemed to be defending Miss All Sunday.
"Luffy, what exactly did Karoo say about Miss All Sunday?" The princess's voice no longer carried the weight of a conqueror but instead it was laced with thinly veiled ice cold fury that threatened to break through her admittedly impressive calm facade. The wolfman wasn't really looking to have his ears murdered so he answered without his usual douchebaggery.
"The bodies that were disfigured beyond recognition were actually the bodies of criminals. Rapists, human traffickers, drug pushers, etc." The duck nodded along with an angry look. Clearly not pleased with the aforementioned classes of individuals. "The people who were supposedly killed were actually sent to the mountains. The decent ones at least like that general you mentioned. The messages-"
"Quaa…quack quack." Karoo shuddered and seemed to have become paler. Impossible since unlike skin, feathers couldn't pale but years of having him by her side helped Vivi learn his, and by extension, his kind's version of human reactions. This one was something along the lines of "Eh I don't know about that one, chief." Delivered in a very disturbed tone.
Luffy flinched and scratched the top of his head with a grimace as he continued, "Uh, ok yeah those are just her being fucked up apparently. Karoo says that she claimed to have done so to drive the point across that anyone who double-crossed Crocodile or got in his way would fare no differently but All Sunday was far too pleased with herself about it to have actually been guilty for it." The wolfman began to sweat under the royal's pointed glare before shrugging helplessly, "No one's perfect though right? In the end she did as she said. Anyone she was assigned to deal with and whoever else she could reach in time was sent to safety in the mountains behind Arbana. So…work with what you've got?"
The princess took a step towards the wolfman with her patience very clearly depleted but didn't make it past that. Igaram's hand on her shoulder prevented her continued advance on the wolfman. Turning to her second father figure she saw the man shake his head before speaking tiredly, "Though it loathes me to admit it. If Miss All Sunday speaks the truth then despite how…unsavory her methods are they do assure results. What is it Kohza used to say?"
Vivi glared at Igaram for a few moments before sighing in resignation. "As long as it works, that's what matters." The power the Royal seemed to exude with every motion and every word evaporated like the mist, and the princess was left tired and defeatedly looking dead ahead whilst not really looking at all.
'This must be the longest she's ever used Conqueror's Haki. Impressive that she was able to trigger it but the results were…premature.' Luffy gave Igaram a thankful nod as both he and Vivi left to speak with the other Alabastans in the kitchen, leaving the Straw Hats with the Ex Baroque Works agents, Gem and Mikita. The kilo woman fidgeted with the hem of her shirt but other than that she looked calm as could be and the bomb man…well he just looked like he normally did. Cool, calm and collected. 'To normal people anyway. Gem's a natural at keeping a poker face but his heart rate is giving him away.'
"So…what do you want us to do?" Gem asked after a few moments of silence passed. "It's all really abrupt and Miss All Sunday didn't give us a lot to go off of but…" The bomb man shuddered as the idea of not taking the crazy demoness's advice didn't seem all that appealing. If he and Mikita tried to abandon Baroque Works altogether then not only would their knowledge of what they did drag them down emotionally, it would also put a target on their backs for any of the other higher levelled agents. At least if they stuck to the wolfman they'd rid themselves of at least a bit of their guilt in helping the likes of Crocodile. Not to mention it was probably the route that had the highest chances of their survival. "Aside from being a bomb man, in devil fruit and in professional practice, I also have a bit of experience in emergency aid."
Mikita stopped fidgeting with her shirt and continued with her skills to offer, "I uh, I'm good at espionage, covert transport missions and…baking?" The wolfman raised an eye over her lack of confidence in the last one. The hearts practically erupting out of Sanji shattering to smithereens as the topic of food came to the table. Zoro and Nami shared a look before mentally taking note of the fact that between horny and professionalism the cook actually did favor his craft more than his cock. "I haven't made anything in a while…a really long while actually." The woman who seemed so sadistic and cynical earlier that night seemed to have all of that manic energy siphoned out of her. It was a tad jarring to the wolfman to say the least. But while both their skills would be welcome aboard his crew, he wanted something more important.
"Forget the skills you can bring to the table for now. What I want to know is the dreams you had to put on hold for this penance, this redemption you seek." Gem glanced at Mikita who nodded back with a shrug. It wasn't really anything they had any problems sharing.
"I wanted to be a fireman." Gem looked to the side, towards the South with an air of bitter nostalgia. "Was actually going to be one back home…till I fucked everything up." Mikita winced knowing exactly how much this topic ticked the bomb man off. Ticked her off when she first got the full story as well but now…now she was just tired. People like that…people like the ones who did that to Gem…who did that to her family…she despised them but she'd long given up hope in them ever being rid of. Their roots ran too deep to be removed and their seed has spread too far to contain.
"I wanted to be a chocolatier. I was pretty good at making sweets too. My little brother loved my Berry Bunnies." A wistful look settled on the blonde woman's face as well as a deep longing in her eyes as she spoke of her brother. "Runt used to drive me crazy every time he was in the mood for them. We fought a lot but we always looked after each other. I wish I could…could…" Mikita trailed off and the hand that she had around her arm dug into her skin as she closed her eyes tightly and painfully. Gem patted her on the back sympathetically. He may have gotten stabbed in the back but at least he was the only one to get the short end of the stick in his situation. There was still a home for him to go back to eventually. Mikita however…Mikita was alone.
Usopp wasn't sure what was going on with the blonde woman but he could read the room well enough to know he shouldn't ask. Zoro's mood soured slightly but it was Nami and Sanji who had the most violent reactions so to speak. The marksman had a good idea of what was triggering the navigator but the cook? That was anyone's guess. As for their captain, Luffy seemed impassive outwardly but the long nosed man would have to have been the biggest and most oblivious idiot in the world if he hadn't picked up on how to read Luffy's mood by now. The man was pissed…yet excited. Usopp wasn't sure why Luffy liked to pick up strays with baggage, frankly speaking everyone in the crew including himself were emotional messes, the marksman may have an ego but he wasn't blind, and every single member of the crew so far has some emotional baggage on them. Nami with Arlong, Sanji was still a mystery as was Zoro, though the marksman suspected it had to do with whoever Kuina was, and himself. No one turns to lying as a go to, immediate defense mechanism if they were fine after all.
The tengu smirked momentarily before noting the steel that had formed in his Captain's eyes. He recognized that look. Luffy made a decision, and it wasn't easy to get him to take one back. "So you want redemption and then getting back to your dreams?" The marksman decided to speak up and address the two agents while Luffy sorted out his thoughts. Whatever decision the wolfman made was now in the process of being planned out for later execution. How did Usopp know that? Luffy had that far off look in his eyes as well as that random chuckling here and there. Yes it is disturbing, yes it did freak Usopp out at first. You get used to it though.
Gem and Mikita both gave half-hearted responses of affirmation. That was their initial goal in joining Baroque Works but now that they know just who was calling the shots… they weren't exactly happy campers at the moment. Fortunately for them, Miss All Sunday wasn't joking about joining Luffy being they're best way of cleaning their slate. As they were soon about to learn.
"It has been a rough night for all of us so why don't I cut right to the quick. You're both probably wondering how exactly you can get your redemption by joining pirates." Luffy's question was met with cautious smiles as the wolfman's eyes were gleaming gold. Glowing in fact, much like those of an actual wolf. It was…unnerving. "Well to break it down into the simplest words possible…Garp and I have a deal where I deal with any corrupt marines and fake pirates and inform him of each of them. In return, Garp has been pulling some strings to get most of the upper ranked marines out of my way, for now at least. The Straw Hats are essentially a Warlord's crew from the get go but without the restrictions of where we get to travel."
Gem and Mikita shared a look. That would explain why Loguetown was kept intact after the wolfman and his crew went through there. It also explained why someone like Smoker, notorious even in the Grand Line, hadn't done anything against the rookie pirate. This also meant that if Luffy and the Straw Hats were going around doing what Warlord's were intended to do then…yeah, they would be cleaning their slate by going around helping people. Pirates as vigilantes, huh?
"Now, fake pirates. Fake Pirates are, unfortunately, what many have decided an actual pirate is. Warmongering ravagers, vile rapists and basically the scum of the Earth…My father and I have no such desires to be fake pirates." Mikita shot a questioning glance to Gem, to which the bomb man subtly jutted his towards Luffy, specifically his Straw Hat. That hat had been on another pirate's bounty before Luffy's. That pirate was…more serial drunk than serial killer, or rapist, or anything heinous really. Red Haired Shanks was strange for a pirate.
On an island in the New World, the red haired man yonko sneezed much to his companion's chagrin. Her taste in clothes wasn't that horrible, was it? The younger woman frowned as she checked it over again. It wasn't slutty, nor was it…ok maybe it did hug her curves a bit but she was a grown woman. If Luffy could be a pirate then she could wear whatever the hell she wanted. Shanks gave the younger woman a confused stare, stopping in his drinking after noticing the pouty look she was giving him. Great, what did he do this time? Their attention turned away though when dinner arrived.
"So what you're saying is, we join your crew, even past Alabasta, to get the redemption we want, then we go our separate ways? Mikita and I can pursue our dreams once the deed is done?" Gem asked cooly only to get more than a few pitying, and condescending, chuckles sent his way from the other Straw Hats. "What?"
"I want you in my crew period." The wolfman said with finality. No buts, ifs, or anything else of the sort. The two agents also felt this wasn't a desire the wolfman would have denied of him. "You want to be a chocolatier? I'll sail all the high seas, all the torrential rapids, everywhere and anywhere to help you achieve that dream." Luffy said to Mikita who was left stunned to say the least by the pirate's ecstatic behavior as he made the offer, nay the promise, to see her dream fulfilled. He wasn't stopping at Mikita though. "You want to be a fireman? You want to run into the thick of it and save people? Let father's have another day with their son? Give mother's more chances to laugh with their daughters? Well where we go, danger is sure to follow! Innocents will be at stake even if they have no part in our fights, you can be there for them! Even in fights that we don't have any part in, suffering need not be spread but ended! Join me! Join us!" The wolfman's voice reached a crescendo and his charisma entranced both agents to his every word. The Conqueror's promises were tantalizing. "Let's turn this world upside down. Together."
Gem and Mikita stared at Luffy's outstretched hand and reached for it…yet only one went all the way. The wolfman wasn't bothered in the slightest though as he shifted his gaze slightly to the kilo woman. Gem glanced at his long time partner momentarily before walking off towards the ship's side. He could accept the wolfman's words, he knew a lie when he heard one and the pirate was true to his words. Mikita could do the same but her past makes it difficult for her to trust her instincts like Gem does. The bomb man doesn't fault her for it and instead waits patiently. The wolf wasn't done yet. He would have his desires sated.
"You…you make a great offer, Monkey D. Luffy." Mikita said with a shiver racking through her body as the memory of an offer made years ago so similar to this one came to the forefront of her mind. She believed the charismatic man then. "Unfortunately, I…I don't think I can trust you." Look where that got her. "I will help you throughout your journey in Alabasta…but after that I'm gone."
The wolf was far from disheartened by her statement however. If anything he only seemed even more determined to get her to join his crew. Nami sighed fondly yet tiredly. Like Usopp, she too noticed Luffy's tendency to pick up the most broken of individuals without a second thought. He wanted to bring light back into their gloomy worlds. She loved him for it, yes…but he also exposed himself to a weakness further down the road. His crew wasn't just his subordinates, they were his friends, his family, his pack…his Achilles' Heel.
'You go so far to keep others from drowning my love…I fear you may find yourself drowning instead.' Nami looked much older than she was with the look in her eyes as she gazed on her husband's back. 'Reach too far for the sun, and you'll only find yourself plummeting even farther away from it instead.'
"All right." Luffy said with an easy smile that caught Mikita off guard. She was expecting a scowl or a sneer but instead the wolfman just seemed patient. Like an older brother dealing with an exasperating little sister. "When you're ready, we'll be here Mikita." The kilo woman was unsure of how to take the wolfman's actions but…she was feeling a bit warmer inside so she just gave him a nod and a small smile.
Sanji blew out a ring of smoke before speaking, "We have a good amount of baking materials in the pantry. Got stuff for chocolate as well." The blonde pushed himself away from the railing and walked towards the kitchen. His expression was cold and indifferent as he opened the door and held it there. "Let's see what you're made of Mikita." Women were queens. Sanji held this belief in his heart above many things. Compromising food however? "I'm not sharing my kitchen with a poids mort."
Mikita glared at the other blonde but smirked as she retorted, "Regarde ça, chérie. Vous pourriez finir deuxième." Sanji snorted in amusement as the woman passed him and walked into the kitchen, closing the door behind him when he followed leaving the rest of the Straw Hats with Gem.
"No offense but um…" Luffy turned to Gem who gestured towards the kitchen door with a confused expression. "Wasn't your cook supposed to be one hell of a skirt chaser? Like a crackhead pursuing their latest hit?"
The wolfman chuckled in response, nodding his head towards the rest of the crew where Zoro, Nami and Usopp stared at the kitchen door like it was an unstable clima-tact just seconds away from exploding. "Their existential crisis, answer enough for ya?"
Gem shook his head with a small smile before walking off into the storage room. Specifically towards their explosives. "You wouldn't happen to have spare Gunpowder handy would ya captain?"
"O-oh hang on, I was tweaking my formula earlier! You shouldn't be down there!" Usopp cried out running after the bomb man with terror in his eyes. One wrong move and Merry would be blown to bits! Thankfully Gem knew his way around explosives…unfortunately that just made him cringe as he took in the teen's work. The bomb man sighed as he pinched his eyebrows together. Looks like he needed to educate his new comrade on the importance of respecting the methods of actually putting explosives properly. For fuck's sake his ratio for thermite wasn't the only thing that was off, the dumbass hadn't even done the appropriate protective measures to ensure that should the thermite be activated it wouldn't cause severe damage. He placed it next to the fucking gunpowder!
"What did I sign myself up for?" Gem groaned as he turned to face the young teen, Usopp, who was definitely doing everything by trial and error. Not on his watch. "All right kid, I got patience but there's also a limit. You may have been on this crew longer but I live and breathe explosives so listen good all right?"
Luffy smiled as the two newcomers to his crew found their partners for their respective roles. Sanji now had a sous chef, a pastry chef specifically, in Mikita and Usopp had an explosive's expert to teach him the ropes in Gem. They were both agents for an underground organization so infiltration missions were possible now. Nami could get in and get what they needed but being an actual mole was out of her skillset.
'Not to mention they both looked like they needed a place to call home.' Home. A simple word but one that often influenced someone more than anything other than family ever could. Hell to Luffy they were basically interchangeable. To be lost and alone in a world that seems to be out to get you…he knew how that looked from firsthand experience as well as living with Ace. 'That idiot brother of mine might actually be lurking around Alabasta…If there's trouble Ace is probably going to be checking there in the chaotic kingdom first for Blackbeard…'
'Have you decided on how to go about dealing with Ace? You know you can't stop him.' Nami and Zoro shared a look before walking off to different parts of the ship as Luffy scowled while making his way to Merry's figurehead. They started to get a feeling for when Luffy and the wolf were speaking with one another and they knew better than to interrupt the two when they conversed. Nami didn't have much to ask Luffy about anyway so she went up to tend to her tangerines. Zoro on the other hand did have a few questions for his captain so he just walked off to the side and began exercising while he waited. 'Even if you crippled him and dropped his sorry ass right before Whitebeard, Ace would still find a way to get to Teach.'
Luffy groaned and rested his face on his palm. The wolf was right, short of putting Ace in a coma, nothing was going to keep the hothead from seeking revenge and justice for his fallen comrade. 'The best we can do is prepare him, Luffy.'
'And how do you propose we do that?' Luffy questioned, not really needing the answer as he had likely come to the same conclusion.
'Blackbeard isn't the only one who counters Devil Fruit Users, logias especially, exceptionally well.' Luffy scrunched up his face in a grimace. God, this was going to suck. Hard. 'Things will be getting very spicy when you see Ace again, Luffy. Just be glad you can already take the heat.'
Turning his head to see his first mate, Luffy called out to him, "What's bothering you, Zoro?" The swordsman paused in his pushups after being called momentarily before doing the next 158 as fast as he could. Approximately taking 8 seconds to complete. 300 was a far cry from 10000 but the rest could wait till after he got his answers. "This about your cursed blade?"
"No, I'll reign in Kitetsu III on my own later. What I want to know is the plan going forward." Luffy raised a brow at that, he wasn't expecting Zoro of all people to come to him first regarding their plans for Alabasta. "I'm the Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. It's my job to help you lead and protect the crew, so quit giving me those surprised looks damn it." Clearly the swordsman was irritated over his Captain's blatant surprise in his actions.
'Wonder if the fact that Vivi and 9 thought Sanji was the Vice Captain bothered him more than he let on…or maybe he's just competitive.' Luffy hummed in thought for a moment, deliberating over the choice of discussing what he had planned for Alabasta now rather than later. Well, there honestly wasn't much of a plan to begin with aside from some ideas on how to deal with the enemies they'd been informed of in advance. After considering that they now had Gem and Mikita on their side, relatively speaking in the case of the latter, Luffy chuckled. "We'll hold the war meeting later, my friend. For now just enjoy the calm, cool breeze."
The Grand Line chose that moment to say fuck you to Luffy in the form of tempest winds whooshing past him and bullets of rain crashing and pouring down onto them. The wolfman's eye twitched in annoyance as he glared up at the sky, ignoring the swordsman's mirth over the spectacular timing of the storm as well as the strange way the Merry began to rock.
Vivi waved goodbye to Igaram, Melissa and the rest of the soldiers as they set off to Alabasta with the Eternal Pose. The plan they hatched with the information provided by Gem and Mikita was concerning to say the least but it was also the simplest in a sense. Its simplicity mainly rested on the fact that the most crucial part of the plan rested purely on a matter of strength. Thankfully, Luffy had that in spades so it wasn't a matter of concern. At least it shouldn't be.
The princess bit her lip with downcast eyes as the image of Luffy's bright light being snuffed out flashed before her eyes once more. She couldn't rid herself of the sinking feeling that something was going to go very wrong when the two eventually clashed. Luffy was strong enough to stand head to head against Dracule Mihawk, the Greatest Swordsman in the World and the one believed to be the strongest warlord…but there was still the pit in her stomach that Crocodile had something to use against Luffy.
"Keep worrying about things that haven't yet come to pass and you'll be wrinkly and gray long before the end of your days." Vivi didn't acknowledge the wolfman's presence nor his words. She didn't even turn to look at him when he came to lean on the railing next to her. "Everything will work out fine, princess. Anything Crocodile can throw my way, I can handle no problem."
Now the princess acknowledged the pirate captain as she retorted with a scowl, "The arrogant and proud are usually the first to find themselves six feet beneath the ground, Luffy." Vivi wasn't pleased when all the wolfman had to say in response was a dismissive scoff. "Crocodile may have the lowest bounty amongst the warlords but he is a New World Veteran, as well as having a notoriously high intellect."
"Not to mention an ego that could eclipse the entirety of Alabasta." Luffy's words caused the edges of the princess's mouth to twitch upwards but she schooled her expression back into one of dread. They haven't known each other for long but despite his penchant for pissing people off, he was a good person in the end. Twisted and insane, sure, but a good person deep down. "Honestly Vivi, just look around. You're the only one stressing over this."
True to his words, everyone else around them was anything but stressed out and concerned. Sanji and Mikita were in the kitchen preparing breakfast, having taken a break to attend the war meeting earlier, Zoro was going around with Nami as the navigator tended to her tangerines, and Gem…well arguably the bomb man was stressed but not over the inevitable fight between with Luffy and Crocodile. No, he was stressing out the way anyone in the profession of many individuals afflicted with 'Varicose Veins' did.
"Get your head in the game Tengu! This is another failed test! The 37th one in a row!" Gem roared right in the teen's face who also looked just about ready to explode as well. Only keeping himself planted on his seat due to the fact that the bomb man's words earlier this morning, or late in the previous night, were still fresh on his mind. Failing the test meant getting anything aside from a perfect 100 percent. The formulas for the chemicals had to be right, the procedures had to be right, the ratios had to be right, etc. Usopp understood why only perfection would be allowed in Gem's class. Of course he did now after the olderman tore away the curtains. A slip up on a piece of paper was another instance of him failing the crew and dragging them down with him. Killing them because of his own carelessness. Usopp knew that and respected that part…what he didn't appreciate was the penalty. "Another lap around the ship and 20 pushups, Pinocchio! Now!"
Grumbling under his breath, Usopp got off his chair and proceeded to do just as he had been instructed. Muttering pure murder in Zoro's direction when the swordsman gave Gem a thumbs up. Of course the swordsman would approve of Gem's drill sergeant approach to education. Man was as much of a hardass as he was. "Stupid Mosshead, Stupid Horse-hair."
"Horse-hair?" Luffy muttered under his breath in confusion.
"It's an insult for people sporting dreadlocks." Vivi explained not looking at Gem any longer than she needed to. She was a forgiving person and after being given some time to cool down she's at the point where she can at least tolerate him but last night's conversation was still fresh on the mind. The bomb man and kilo woman were still a long way from getting into her good graces. "It's not a very good one but…" The princess made gestures in a 'Ehhh?' kind of fashion, "There isn't really anything you can compare dreadlocks to that would be insulting."
Luffy silently regarded Vivi from the corner of his eye before setting a long, quiet look at Gem. The bomb man shifted slightly under his new captain's gaze but elected to just ignore the wolfman. It worked…at least until Luffy opened his mouth, "Gem looks like he belongs in a corn chip commercial. Like a mascot for…what were they called…Doodooritis?"
Gem, for once in his life since he began work as a professional mercenary, was left stammering incoherently and red faced as everyone who'd heard the wolfman found themselves laughing their butts off. Nami had to hold on to Zoro for support and the swordsman was struggling as right after Luffy said those words, Usopp had slipped and fell onto his back, wheezing and laughing at the same time. "You could have at least chosen a less ridiculous guess you cheeky bastard!" Gem pointed at Luffy accusingly, not believing for a second that the choice of words were unintentional, before rounding on Usopp who was still on the floor dying of laughter and having the wind knocked out of him. "And I will blast you to kingdom come if you don't get back on track, bean pole!"
Luffy ignored Gem, however, in favor of appreciating the fact that for the first time since he met her, Vivi actually looked unburdened by all her troubles. She looked free.
"I see the next island guys!" Usopp yelled as he jumped down the crow's nest. Grabbing hold of one of the frames that held up Merry's main sail to break his momentum. "Looked like a jungle island. No signs of buildings from what I could see." Usopp reported as he came to land between Luffy and Gem with the rest of the Straw Hats nearby, Mikita hard at work scribbling into her notebook with Sanji seated next to her keeping an eye on the notes she was making. Looks like she was determined to fix her mishap from earlier and give Luffy a chance to actually indulge himself in something he was deprived of the moment he ate his devil fruit.
Luffy turned to Gem after giving Usopp a pat on the back, "Any clues as to what's awaiting us on that island?"
"Dinosaurs." The bomb man responded, nonplussed by the way activity on the ship came to a screeching halt. "The island was called Little Garden. One of the islands in the Grand Line that was never affected much since the era of Tyrannosaurs and Diplodocus."
Not even a second passed before Gem raised his hand and said, "Yeah, yeah those were two dinosaurs that weren't even from the same era but tough shit. There's a mashup of em' on that island cuz of the Giants letting some of their pets loose."
Nami then grabbed Gem by the shoulders and forced the man to face her, "Could you repeat that?"
"Huh? Uh dinosaurs from different time periods-" Nami cut Gem off with a hiss.
"GIANTS?!" The bomb man was clearly befuddled by the normally calm and passive gardener of a navigator. Though considering that was just how she was for the past few hours, maybe he was sorely mistaken about what the woman was actually like. It certainly felt like it as she straight up began to shake him around like a kid trying to get a bottle of soda to explode from movement. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN GIANTS?!"
Luffy frowned and scratched the top of his head in thought before asking his wife, "Didn't we buy a book that said something about Little Garden? The one by that adventurer?"
Gem's brain finally stopped pinballing around his skull, not that he could tell as everything was just swirls and swirls of colors dancing around in his vision, as Nami promptly dropped the man like a sack of potatoes and ran off towards the Captain's quarters. Mikita blinked rapidly as she took in the dust trail the other woman had kicked up when she sprinted off and left her partner groaning in pain. Turning to her newly acquired mentor, she asked if this was normal through eye contact. Sanji shrugged and tilted a flat hand one corner up and then the other.
"Just focus on your notes for now. Nami will be back with that book eventually " Sanji then took her pencil and changed up a few of the kilo-woman's ingredient proportions. She definitely knew how to bake but she could do with a bit more refining. As it stands her pastries and chocolate were great but they could be better. "The flour was right but you need more eggs to make sure that a cake like that doesn't come out dry as a brick."
Mikita nodded along with Sanji as the more experienced chef spoke, returning to her scribbling right when Nami came bursting through the door, book in hand. "We are NOT landing there!"
Luffy raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to retort but the navigator wasn't done. Walking right up to Luffy, Nami poked him, hard, on his chest as she glared at him. "You may come out unscathed but the rest of us would be ripped to pieces!" The navigator hissed, challenging the wolfman to deny her claims as she listed down just what was waiting for them if they ever set foot on the island. "Sabertooth cats that hunt in packs, Terror Birds that are quick and bloodthirsty as they come, Sauropods that could flatten any of us, but you, flat in a single normal step, Tyrannosaurus fucking Rexes in the undergrowth, and fucking Giants! GIANTS LUFFY!"
The wolfman glared back though with notably less heat and more annoyance. Mostly out of the fact that his ears were ringing. "Sounds like the perfect way to see how far our crew has come to me." Luffy raised a hand up to his wife's face to stop her retort so he could finish, "Compared to humans, dinosaurs and the other predators lurking around the island aren't intelligent enough to pose a threat to our crew…aside from Zoro but his strength gives him a pass."
"Oi!" The moss green haired swordsman protested but was ignored, save for a little snickering from the swirly eyebrowed cook.
"Sauropods are big, yes and they are strong, but they're also nothing more than massive walking sacks of meat just bumbling about tree to tree for their next meal." Luffy lowered his hand and turned to the island with narrowed eyes before continuing, "As for Giants? Just leave them to me."
Nami gave her husband a skeptical look, "While you might be able to take them on, if any of us are taken hostage-"
"Giants are creatures of pride and honor that few humans could even come close to, and even fewer exceed." The wolfman opened and closed his hands in a stretching manner before his eyes began to glow an eerie gold after snapping to the far side of the island. The wolfman's fangs lengthened and his features became more feral as a heavy blanket of anxiety began to spread amongst the crew. Even Zoro was put on guard as Luffy seemed to be getting more and more beast-like with each passing second. "They won't touch you…but the humans will."
While everyone was left confused by the captain's words, Luffy turned back to Gem who was finally starting to have his head cleared after Nami's earlier throttling, Luffy said, "Gem, I do believe you and Mikita have just received your first assignment as Straw Hats."
Bursting through the trees, bloodied and torn to shreds yet still breathing, a massive tiger roared as it landed on the riverbank. A mighty roar that shocked a certain long nosed archer off of his spot on Merry's balcony caused the tengu to plummet face first into the ship's deck.
"Agh! Son of a bitch!" Holding his broken and bleeding nose, Usopp glared at the swordsman next to him who just yawned in boredom. "Would it have killed you to catch me?"
"Would it kill you to grow a pair?" Zoro retorted back just as the tiger's fate was sealed when, from a few feet away, a bigger predator's massive head burst through and bit into the mammal's sides. The sound of crunching bones and breaking ribs caused the two women aboard to go a little green as they watched the poor animal get ripped apart while it was still struggling to free itself for a few more moments in the world of the living. "Huh, that guy looks like he'd be able to keep us fed for a while."
Nami and Vivi looked at Zoro incredulously as Sanji responded after killing his last cigarette for the next 3 hours, Captain's orders, "It's got a big head, tiny arms and those iconic teeth so it's definitely a Tyrannosaurid." From behind the trees 5 smaller reptilian predators of the same species rushed towards the now dead tiger and joined the larger theropod. "Hunting in packs…Daspletosaurus, I guess." They were too big to be Gorgos and too small to be Rexes, not to mention that unlike their other relatives Tyrannosaurs were more likely to hunt in pairs at most rather than packs.
Luffy raised a brow over Sanji's observation, dinosaurs weren't exactly related to anything the cook was interested in so how did he know so much? "My…my mother was fond of reading books about dinosaurs to me when I was younger. My sister liked them too." The wolfman's eyes widened briefly before he shot glares at the rest of his crew, Usopp specifically, stopping any of them from prying. Luffy doubted the cook was actually aware of just what he said under his breath, just loud enough to be heard with everyone only a few feet away from one another. The cook sighed, his eyes shadowed by his hair and his muscles tense beneath his suit as he looked at the dinosaurs destroying their prey like it was nothing. Decimating something, consuming something completely and ultimately without ever giving it even a hell's chance of survival… "Hey Zoro."
The swordsman grunted back to signify he was listening as he began looking over his blades to ensure their condition. "Why don't we play a little game." It wasn't a request or a question. "The one who bags the meatiest dino for the crew bends to the winner's wishes…for the rest of our journey to and in Alabasta." Zoro didn't say anything in response, he didn't need to. Jumping ship, the swordsman tied his bandana to his head, turning back to give the Straw Hats, where only Sanji and Luffy remained impassive, a nod before walking into the dense jungle, disappearing into the foliage. Nami's eye twitched as she surged forward to yell at the swordsman to get back there only for Sanji to do the same as Zoro, with the only difference being that he went to the other side of the island instead.
"Where the hell do the two of you think you're going?!" The navigator screamed in distress. Yes, she still remembered the conversation she had with Luffy earlier but she wasn't aware the two heaviest hitters aside from Luffy would be going in solo!
"Sanji needs some time to himself, Nami." Vivi said, trying to placate the other woman. "He's probably got himself stuck in some memories he'd rather not remember."
Nami looked like she wanted to argue but after a few more moments the orangette sighed. Setting a tired glare on Luffy she deadpanned, "Let me guess…you're going to be running around solo as well aren't you?"
"Yep." Luffy replied, popping the 'p' and completely disregarding his wife's ire over his nonchalance over the whole situation. If she was this much of a mother hen without the mark then she'll be an absolute pain in the ass when she does get it. Getting off the ship after dropping the anchor, Luffy headed off a slight ways away from Zoro's direction, not that it mattered considering the swordsman's sense of direction was straight ass. Luffy had other reasons for wanting to be alone though.
'How much longer do you plan on putting it off?'
'Buzz off, wolf. I'm not putting her through that until I have to.' Luffy mentally growled back, his mood more pissed than he had ever been this past few months. 'I knew the marking process would be different for my mates but I wasn't expecting death!'
The wolf within only snorted in response, 'Were you expecting everything to be sunshine and daisies? Curbstomp after curbstomp? I may be one of the more busted devils you could have been tied to but I don't make you omnipotent, brat.' Luffy grit his teeth and clenched his fists, trembling furiously as he thought back to the talk he had with the wolf back then. He still had to speak to Zoro about the gift he may awaken later down the line because he accepted the blessing but while that was a very important discussion to have, Luffy was more focused on the fact that Nami would die if she wasn't…if she wasn't… With a roar, Luffy lashed out and punched a nearby tree, sending it flying through multiple others in the process. 'Calm yourself, pup. While I still don't approve of her as your Queen…she is capable.' The praise was spat out as if it was an unsavory treat that left a bitter taste in the wolf's mouth. 'You also aren't alone anymore.'
Luffy relaxed his posture and turned to face Vivi and Karoo, both looking anxious as they eyed him wearily. With a deep sigh, Luffy ran his fingers through his hair, pushing his hat behind him in the process. "Forgive me, princess. This is…unsightly." Contrasting his typical moods of being a cheeky douchebag or a fun loving captain, Luffy looked older, tired and like he was carrying more weight and responsibilities than any person his age should ever have to. Vivi was well acquainted with that look. She saw it every time she looked into a mirror back home. "I'm pretty pathetic for a pirate aiming for the One Piece, huh?"
Vivi tilted her head in askance, prompting the wolfman to elaborate, "To find the One Piece is to be the Pirate King, and to be the Pirate King…is to be the freest person in the world." Luffy explained with a bitter smile, his gaze shifting to the side, above the treeline. "Yet here I am, looking more chained down and restrained than I have ever been in my life."
Vivi silently stared at the wolfman who had yet to return her gaze. Getting off of Karoo, Vivi approached Luffy and forced him to face her. "The road to freedom is a thorny path with twists and turns that try as you might you will be hindered by. Just like how the road to becoming impenetrable requires you to overcome pain time and time again, so too must you overcome these chains and all others that are yet to come." The princess swallowed nervously, her light brown eyes staring into Luffy's golden ones. "I hate pirates, Luffy. They have taken more from me than most will ever know and you want to be the King of them…" Looking down and thus away from the wolfman, the princess grabbed hold of his hands timidly. Luffy raised a brow over Vivi's actions, a small cheeky smile appearing on his face as his eyes quickly glanced back above the treeline as the light was covered. Looking back to Vivi when the younger girl squeezed his hands, Luffy found himself looking at the milky white skinned woman looking at him with a slight blush, "But you aren't like them. If-No, when you become King…you'll show them all what a real pirate is. Freedom doesn't require the suffering of others…to burden others is a burden in and of itself, after all."
The princess shyly began to close the gap between them…only to stop short when the ground rumbled. Her gaze regaining their usual clarity and her blush intensified when she realized what she was about to do in the heat of the moment. "T-that was-umm-huh!" Luffy stopped her stammering by wrapping one arm around her waist and bringing their bodies even closer, her hands now spread on his chest…his very well defined-
"While I do feel the same, my little voyeur." The bluenette's blush intensified tenfold at the reminder that Luffy had known she was there that night. "This isn't the time or place for that…especially since we have an audience." The blood in Vivi's veins froze like ice as she rounded to Karoo behind her, whether to apologize or bullshit her way through explaining her actions no one knows, probably both, only to stop cold like a statue when she saw her partner knocked out with foam gurgling out of his mouth. His body beak pointed up towards the area above…the treeline. The same treeline that Luffy had been staring at earlier and…and the area around them had darkened yet it was only a small portion of the forest that had been cast into shadows and in a strangely specific way too. A human's shadow. A very big human's…oh no. "Yeah, so remember what Nami said about who ran this island?"
Vivi turned back to Luffy without a blush and instead paler than the purest snow. "There's a giant past that tree line, isn't there?"
"Gyagyagyagyagya! Sorry little person! I didn't know I was interrupting till I was already here! Gyagyagyagyagya!"
Sanji pulled out a cigarette and stared at it mournfully. Fuck he wanted nothing more than to smoke one right about now. Sighing, the blonde grumbled under his breath, cursing his captain and the wolfman's orders to limit his smokes to one every three hours. "Shitty Captain, I shouldn't have to deal with remembering them without a hit. Otherwise…" The enraged roar of a charging medium sized horned theropod came from behind Sanji but before the predator could take a bite out of the wretched human it had vanished before its very eyes. The dinosaur, a Carnotaurus, only had enough time left in this world to blink in confusion as the world had flipped to its side and he was significantly closer to the ground than usual. "I lose all sense of holding back…sigh, that's the 8th decapitated Carnotaur. When am I going to run into a Rex." The blonde cook left the clearing littered with the severed heads of a whole pack of Carnotaurus all of varying sizes where some trees had been cut down in the process as well.
'Well, at least now I can also attack from a distance. I'd have to thank Mosshead for inspiring this though.' Sanji thought with a shiver of revulsion. 'God, why couldn't Luffy have mentioned Tempest Kicks before I got the idea from that tactless brute.'
The crash course Luffy had given them on the six powers was insightful but unlike Haki they couldn't activate any of the six without their bodies either having a natural affinity towards them like Nami with Paper Art or being brought to the level where it was possible like Usopp with Shave. In the case of the latter he was limited to about 3 or 4 consecutive Shaves at best before he was left sluggish and right for the pickings against his enemies, a.k.a whoever the marksman had the displeasure of sparring with that day.
"Marimo's muscle headed approach to gaining more strength has him moving to gaining the Iron Body first." Sanji muttered under his breath as he scanned the surrounding area for any signs of his targeted prey. "Gem and Mikita haven't gotten appraised by Luffy for where their specialties lie but I don't see them leaning heavily into any of the six…" The cook's monologue trailed off when he caught a flash of light from the corner of his eye. The light flashed on and off with pauses in some cases between and rapid successions in others. "Morse code, huh?"
.- - / - . - . .-. ... / .- . ... - -..- / ... - / - . - . .-. ... / -. - .-. - ... .-.-.- / - .- -.- . / -.- - ..- .-. / - .. - . -..- / - ... . -.- .-. .-. . / ... - .. .-.. .-.. / - ... . .-. .
Sanji just stared blankly towards where the flashes of light had come from before continuing his trek through the woods. "Hopefully I'll run into a Tyrannosaur on the way. 'Be a shame if I ended up losing to that shitty swordsman."
Nami's eye twitched sporadically as the large chunk of dinosaur meat was being roasted in front of her. Admittedly the creature being slow roasted over an open flame smelled incredible but the literal rumbling laughter of the individual cooking it kind of dampened the mood. Usopp having fainted even with the headphones was the only indication she needed that no she wasn't being bitchy, this giant was just that fucking loud.
"Gabababababa! A human that can turn into a wolf? You sure have strange tastes, little person!" The navigator would argue that her tastes were perfectly normal but even a short trip down memory lane was enough to crush any denials she might have had to the Giant's deduction. "Ah, I do love slow roasted Allosaurus! They usually hunt in groups though so watch out! Unlike me, getting bit in the butt wouldn't end so well for you humans! Gabababababa!"
'Yeah, we'd be eaten whole for one thing.' The navigator sighed and nudged the marksman next to her to get him to return to the land of the conscious. Normally she'd have clobbered him black and blue till he got up but she'd rather not cripple the only other member of their crew who she knew the location of. It didn't take long for the marksman to awaken, and soon she, Usopp and the giant, Broggy, chowed down on the gamey but delicious meal.
"Say Broggy, how long does it take for the log pose to set here on Little Garden?" Nami asked, eyeing the human skeletons warily. She knew they weren't killed or eaten by the giant, none of the damage to their bones suggested anything other than death to either natural causes or predators. Nami seriously doubted Broggy was capable of defleshing a human meticulously or having the patience to not just swallow one whole if he was so inclined to eat them.
The giant took a big chunk out of his theropod leg before he answered, "Oh just about 100 years."
The high end metal spoon Nami had taken from the ship whined in protest when the navigator's grip crushed it after she heard Broggy's answer. A thud was heard by her side as Usopp had passed out again. Probably a combination of shock and the screeching metal. "100 years."
"Yup. That's why you see all these schmucks' remains over there." Broggy gestured to the pile of skeletons Nami had been eyeing earlier. "Some of 'em' were pirates like you, others were marines, others were uh…what were they called? Skylanders or something like that?"
Broggy scratched his head with the theropod leg in thought for a few moments before shrugging it off. "Eh. Whatever they were called, they've been dead a long time. Lasted longer than most though, heck of a lot stronger than humans but surprisingly more peaceful. I miss those guys." The giant was well on his way to a rant but any further details he could share about the skeletons with boney extensions poking from their backs was cut short when earth began to tremble, and a massive pillar of molten rock burst into the air before falling right back where it came from. "Ah, it's time."
Nami tensed and reached for her clima-tact, Usopp jumping to his feet and notching an arrow into his drawn bow like he was never asleep to begin with. The navigator wondered if the marksman was just being dramatic the entire time…it certainly wouldn't have been strange considering it was Usopp she was talking about here. Drama was his thing.
"My 73,466th duel with Dorry has come." Broggy said, rolling his shoulders to loosen up a bit as he rose to his full height. The massive grin etched in his face bursting with excitement and anticipation. "For over a century Dorry and I have fought, for over a century we have ended in ties. Perhaps Elbaf has finally come to a decision and this will be our final clash. Who knows?"
From the distance, Nami and Usopp could see another giant one with a slimmer physique but rippling with muscle. While Broggy was a blonde, hefty, axe and shield wielding viking, the other giant in the distance seemed more like a medieval knight with a sword and shield. The navigator only gave the distant giant a glance however before addressing Broggy, "You and Dorry have fought for more than a 100 years? Why?"
The question gave the giant pause but it was only for a second. With a hearty laugh Broggy answered, "Gababababa! Don't know anymore! Dorry and I forgot a long time ago!"
The response wasn't what Nami was expecting and left her stammering in befuddlement. They fought for over a century, and continue to this day without even knowing what caused it in the first place?! "That is the single dumbest thing I have-"
"Pride." Nami turned to Usopp who uttered the word with such raw emotion that it had cut through the navigator's indignation over the sheer stupidity that she was witnessing before her. "It doesn't matter what caused this fight, what does matter…is that this!" The tengu yelled pointing at the Giants just as the two clashed, sword against axe. "Is a battle between two proud warriors honoring the other through and through…till the very end!"
Nami swears that she'll develop Blepharospasm by the time she hits her twenties if this is the kind of company she'll be keeping for the rest of her journey. She didn't voice any more comments on how absurd the whole thing was though. She couldn't. 'Honestly, Usopp.' Nami sighed, taking a seat against a rock nearby to watch the duel with her, for all intents and purposes, little brother. 'Grown men shouldn't be so open with their feelings.' The navigator giggled a bit as the first tear hit the ground, more following suit as the touched marksman witnessed right before his eyes, that which he himself wished to be.
"A matter of pride? How does pride justify-"
Luffy threw his arm around Vivi's shoulder and shook his head pityingly at the young princess. "Just don't think about it. It's a guy thing that only a small percentage of your species could understand." The wolfman smirked internally as his choice of words had the desired effect.
"My species?! I beg your pardon?!" Luffy could only laugh uproariously as the princess looked ten seconds away from attempting to teach him a lesson. Seeing how that would play out however the princess instead growled angrily and turned away to wake Karoo up and leave the inconsiderate, rude, son of a-"God why did I have to get a crush on someone so infuriating-ahhmph!"
Vivi's scream woke Karoo up, the supersonic duck jumping to his feet and crying out a mighty, "QUAAAAAACK!" battlecry…only to pause in his spread winged pose as he took in his charge's position before him. Karoo just stared at the rapidly blushing princess in her spot, chin tilted up, waist pulled in by a well-muscled arm, and being kissed by the young pirate captain who could understand him…Yeah he had seen enough. "Qua…qua qua." The duck quacked in a 'I have been deeply traumatized and require therapy,' kind of way before turning around and straight up booking it the way he and Vivi had come from, towards the Going Merry.
Vivi glared at the dust trail from the corner of her eye, 'Traitor!' She couldn't keep her mind focused on her runaway partner though as she felt something push into her-Oh Ra! Is this how kissing is supposed to feel?! "Mmph! Ah!" Vivi was left breathless as Luffy pulled back from their kiss, a little trail of saliva between them. The wolfman grinned cheekily, very much appreciating the state he had put the princess in, blushing heavily, desire blooming in her eyes, soft inviting lips that he could just-
'Forgetting heavy topics through thinking with your wanker. Of bloody course. How original.' It was times like this that made Luffy wonder if there was a way to castrate Devil Manifestations and force feed them their own-
The moment between the two was brought to an end when the ground shook and nearly caused the princess to fall but the wolfman had her in his arms. The pair turned to the side to see the results of the battle. Another tie it seems, both Giants knocking the other out and into the dirt with the blunt round edges of their shields.
"73,466 ties, huh." Luffy shook his head with an exasperated chuckle. "Pretty sure if the fights have been going on this long then Elbaf has deemed them both worthy of returning home."
Vivi turned to the wolfman with a frown, "I don't suppose that even if you were to tell them that, it would bring their fighting to an end, will it?"
"Nah…well maybe but at this point it's really just one giant honoring the other and vice versa. They fight for their own pride and because they respect their rival as well…This just sounds stupid to you doesn't it?" Vivi's deadpanned expression was answer enough if Luffy was being honest. The wolfman sighed tiredly but more upbeat than before., "You women are weird."
"I think the word you're looking for is sensible," Vivi turned away with a huff just in time to see Dorry making his way back with…barrels? "Are those from our ship?"
Luffy lost his smile as the friendly giant sat down with them once more. Something wasn't right.
Deep in the forest Gem walked into a quaint little house made of wax…dishevelled as fuck with branches sticking out of his potato chip dreadlock hair and more than a few scratches on his face. The man inside with big lips, round glasses and hair styles into a big number 3 with a flame at the top tip blinked and lowered his tea cup as he took in the bomb man's state. A little redheaded girl nearby paused in her painting to stare at the older man with a frown before scanning for his partner.
"...Do I want to know?" The man with 3 on his head asked rhetorically, bringing the tea back up to his lips, humming in approval of the flavor. Earl Gray was the best. "You were competent enough to at least do as I ordered you correct?"
Gem scoffed as he plucked the twigs out of his hair and dusted off his coat, "Yeah, yeah. I armed the barrel of alcohol the Straw Hats were going to give to that Giant wielding the sword. I can feel it on the move right now."
The redheaded girl turned to her painting with a contemplating look for a moment before sighing and getting on her feet, "Where's Miss Valentine?"
Gem gestured behind him, "She's out gathering some stuff. Didn't mention what though. You could catch up to her if you want?"
"She's out gathering stuff? What exactly could she want from an island like this?" The man with "3" styled hair asked skeptically only to be ignored when the young redhead walked out without a word. "Would it kill her to at least ask permission to leave? God, this is the problem with kids today."
"Better off just leaving her be, Mr. 3. Unlike you, me and a lot of the other agents in Baroque Works, Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek are still pretty soft." Mr. 3 scoffed in response. Soft? Yeah, right, that sadistic kilo woman trampled her targets to dust and Miss Goldenweek? The things she did to get their targets to squeal…Mr. 3 shuddered remembering the poor bloke who'd been her first test subject for her Truthful Silver. "Mind explaining why we're going after Giants? Unlike the Straw Hats, those two have nothing to do with Baroque Works."
Mr. 3 simply pushed an old bounty towards the bomb man. A bounty that depicted the very same Giants who were on the island. Younger, but the same. For a joint bounty of 200 Million Berries, Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Broggy, Co-Captains of the Giant Pirates. "Giant Pirates? Didn't those guys disband around the time Roger set sail?" Mr. 3 hummed to indicate that the bomb man was correct. "Then why would the government still pay you for their bounties? If they've been inactive for that long then they shouldn't pose that much of a problem anymore right? I mean yes, they're Giants but there are also Giants in the marines now. Not to mention that they've been isolated for so long they probably don't know how far things have come since their time."
"An apt observation, Mr. 5. However, your lack of connections is your downfall." Mr. 3 said finishing up his tea with a satisfied sigh. "Some of the Giants in the Marines are members of Dorry and Broggy's crew. Granted pardon as not only were the Giant Pirates relatively tame even among pirates of our time, they also provided a boon in strength to the Marines. A single giant is essentially worth 100 humans in strength alone after all."
"So if these two were to ever go back out to sea…"
"All hell would break loose? Yes. Yes it would." Mr. 3 then laid the bounties of the Straw Hats' Captain and Vice Captain on it. "Now, what can you tell me about Straw Hat Luffy and Pirate Hunter Zoro."
Gem looked at the bounties of his new crew solemnly for a few moments…before sitting across from Mr. 3 and sharing everything he had learned about them so far.
"Shouldn't you detonate that bomb already?" Mr. 3 inquired, taking a sip of his fresh cup of tea once Gem had given him all that he needed to know. "Surely the giant's drank that wine by now."
"He has. Just wanted to wait till we had a plan before doing this. We need to move fast for the next phase to work out seamlessly after all." Gem retorted with a scowl before he snapped his fingers, and an explosion rocked their side of the island. Mr. 3 screamed profanities when not only the tea cup he was holding, but his entire tea set was sent clattering off the table and crashing onto the ground. 'Karma's a bitch, asshole.' The bomb man thought vindictively as he stared out the window, towards where he had just set off the bomb meant to rupture Blue Ogre Dorry's insides.