Chapter Three: Laboon and the Fun of Whiskey Peak
The Going Merry was being pulled along by the old man's boat. It must be nice having a motor, no rowing required for him when he literally lives in a whale's stomach without wind. The oddity wasn't lost on her, by the way.
She was sitting on the railing on their ship, kicking her legs back and forth gently since they dangled and didn't reach the ground. Sometimes, she wished she was tall. Height gave intimidation. There was a reason some of the most powerful people in the world are at least 6'5". Some reached all the way up to 20 feet tall if the rumors about Whitebeard were true.
She shook her head as she kept up with the conversation. Luffy, like the kid that he was, was leaning over the railing with his head resting on his folded arms and talking to the old man like he was fascinating.
"So, you're a doctor?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Do you want to be our doctor?" Luffy asked in the same flippant tone.
The old man scoffed and said, "No, I'm too old for that shit. Besides, I've been here for damn near fifty years. I'm not leaving Laboon alone."
She laughed softly to herself. She wished she had living grandparents given the crotchety, angry old man cracked her up. That ship sailed long ago though.
"Laboon is lucky to have you," Nami said. "I can tell that whale is miserable."
It left a somber atmosphere amongst them all just as they left the sedated whale's mouth back into the outside world. It felt great to be in fresh air once more.
She finally was able to get a good look at the whale now. He was huge, of course, but the most prominent feature was the numerous scars on his head from slamming into the rock face for years. The love and longing Laboon must have held for the crew that was here fifty years ago was inspiring, immense, and tragic.
They stopped on the tiny little station in front of the entrance of the grand line. She hopped up easily onto it and took a seat on the rustic table and seats out in the open. She put a boot on the edge of the table and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh look, the two tied up fell off the ship," Silas said casually, looking over at the empty spot that once held them.
"Oh shit."
"I wonder if they drowned at sea?" Zoro asked casually.
That comment earned a scowl from Nami and Usopp. The others didn't care, but Silas laughed shortly to herself. They were funny. She didn't have any siblings she knew of, but this was probably the closest for her in a long time.
Laboon was beginning to stir from his sedation, and she looked at the whale curiously. She could see the pain in the whale's eyes. It probably wasn't just physical (though he did ram his head frequently into the wall), but it was mostly emotional pain. The poor creature was abandoned, and the whale couldn't accept it.
"Have you tried to explain to Laboon that his friends aren't coming back? He understands human language right?" Nami asked.
"He won't listen to me," the old man said. "I've tried to explain it, but he won't listen."
She knew the five stages of grief well. It seemed Laboon couldn't move past the first stage of denial. It was sad. He couldn't move past it and caused self harm. It reminded her of the music she liked when she was a teen.
In a flash, their captain roared like a wild animal from the forest. It startled everyone as he lunged himself from his sitting position, ripped the mast off the ship and leapt through the air like he weighed nothing. Luffy whacked the whale across the face and then stabbed him with the broken, splintered end. The whale shrieked and thrashed in pain, and him and Luffy looked one another in the eye. Silas wasn't aware that the captain was feral and possibly insane.
"Stop!" Luffy shouted, standing tall. "It's a draw!"
The sound Laboon let out was one of confusion, but he stalled, looking directly at Luffy.
"We don't know who won the fight, so I'll just have to come back one day and see who's stronger!" Luffy shouted with a big grin on his face. "We'll see each other again and have another fun fight!"
A fond grin grew on her face as she watched tears fall down those large, round eyes. So, Luffy wasn't just a violent idiot. He held compassion. It warmed her heart.
In moments, Luffy painted a sloppy Jolly Roger on the whale's head with his signature straw hat worn by the skull. It was kind of precious in its own way. That was definitely an upgrade from the multitude of scars on that poor whale's head.
"This is your reminder that we'll be back," Luffy said. "So don't rub it off by banging your head on that rock!"
She hoped he would keep his promise. It would be such a slap in the face to that poor whale if he was abandoned twice. Luffy didn't seem like he was the deceitful type. Maybe, he was the forgetful type, but she would assume he would keep the promise he made.
She heard sniffling and looked over curiously as to who was that touched. Of course, it was Crocus. It was endearing to see such a crotchety old man express his love for his whale he'd been a caretaker for. He did have a heart.
They were sitting at or around the picnic table as the lighthouse keeper spoke to them. She rested her cheek in her hand. Namely, he was speaking to Nami, their navigator.
"Log pose? What's a log pose?" Nami asked.
She couldn't help herself.
Silas said, "It's a special compass to navigate the grand line."
They all looked over to her, and oops, she accidentally drew attention she didn't really need. Oh well, might as well explain it.
"You know about the grand line?" the old man asked.
"Yeah," she said simply, casually with a small smile, "And I found this on the two people before they drowned at the bottom of the sea."
She twirled the log pose on the tip of her finger before twirling it off towards Nami. She caught it, of course. There was an incredulous look on all of them which felt unwarranted.
"What?" she said simply, making sure her man-voice wouldn't crack.
"You didn't think this information was worth bringing up?" Nami asked incredulously.
"I thought you all knew," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Who goes to the grand line without a log pose?"
She laughed light heartedly, but they didn't join in except for Crocus. She gave the old man a smirk for that.
"Can you believe him?" Nami scoffed, pointing her thumb at Silas as she looked at the rest of the Straw Hats.
"I like him. He's funny," Luffy said with an amused grin.
"Thank you," she said, returning the smile sincerely.
"Why do we need a log pose?" Nami asked, bringing the attention back to the topic.
Silas looked at Crocus, and he returned the look. Did he not understand?
"Do you want to take this one, Crocus-san?" she asked. He didn't answer. "Fine, it's my turn I suppose. So, the magnetic fields in the grand line are chaotic and ever changing. The log pose records them continuously to tell the navigator where the next island is. Once on the island, you have to wait until the log pose resets and points to the next island. They say the final island on the grand line was only reached by one person, and that would be the pirate king: Gol D. Roger."
"That must be where One Piece is!" Usopp said with a hopeful, entranced grin.
"That's what they say. Exciting, isn't it?" she said with a big grin on her face.
"We'll be the second pirate crew to do it!" Luffy declared. "I believe in us."
Nami was admiring the log pose so thoughtfully that it was almost adorable. Sanji was attempting to get her attention with a large platter of fanciful food he made from the kitchen on the Going Merry. The artistry wasn't unnoticed by her. Hmm, maybe, he was professionally trained. That explained why he was so up his own ass when she was in his kitchen, cooking with his ingredients for everyone. It still made her laugh at his own persnickety attitude about it. But nothing made her laugh more than the unnoticed attempts of flirting by the cook gave to the openly female member of the crew. She didn't even grace him with a look. It was hilarious.
"I have a beautifully prepared salmon for you, Nami-swan~"
She didn't acknowledge him. Luffy grabbed the whole giant piece of fish for himself much to Sanji's ire. They fought like bizarre siblings. She didn't have siblings, so who was she to say what normal siblings were like. Nonetheless, it was just amusing to watch especially when their captain ate the fish whole, leaving behind only bones.
She watched as Sanji continued to kick Luffy in the head until, well, his kick dislodged a fork into the log pose sitting on Nami's wrist, shattering it. Well, shit. Now, it was Nami's ire to be wary of. Without hesitation, she kicked Sanji and Luffy. They, of course, went flying and landed off the island and into the ocean below. Yet again, Silas was laughing softly to herself. The Straw Hats were so funny.
"This is so bad!" Usopp said, freaking out. "Wasn't that the most important thing?!"
"Crocus-san, what are we going to do? We—"
"Oh calm down," he groused. "I'm giving you mine for what you and your friends did for Laboon."
The compassion warmed the young woman's heart. He had to cover his ooey gooey center with a hard candy shell. That trait reminded her of her husband, and she deflated somewhat. She tried her best not to let it show on her face, but it did put a damper on things. She wondered how he was doing. Did he miss her? She was such a bad wife; she acknowledged that already when she woke up and faced the reality of leaving behind her husband. But he wasn't the best of husbands either, but that shouldn't be an excuse. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. She still left him behind to join an upcoming crew of pirates.
Sanji, Luffy, Mr. Nine, and Ms. Wednesday suddenly appeared wet with sea water and panting. Their captain was nonplussed per usual. Sanji, however, was focused completely on the blue haired girl with the high center ponytail. The other two looked genuinely terrified and ready to grovel.
"Please," Mr. Nine, who tried to kill Laboon earlier, said, dropping to his knees next to Ms. Wednesday who was kneeling as well. "We need your help to get to Whiskey Peak."
"Oh, you're still alive," Silas said casually with raised brows. "Aaaaaand, why should we help you?"
She didn't hold sympathy for them. Yes, they weren't selfishly looking to kill Laboon. Their island did need food to survive and a giant whale would supply it for a long time, but they still wanted to kill Laboon. That whale is such cutie pie and clearly depressed. How could they go ahead with that plan? There are other ways to supply food for an island after all.
"Because we'll die at sea if we don't have your help," he said pleadingly.
"They can come," Luffy said.
"Okay," Silas said with a shrug, standing up and walking towards the ship. "Bye, Crocus-san, it was nice meeting you."
She walked near Zoro and poked him with the tip of her boot. He grunted awake from his nap. He was annoyed clearly. She gave him a playful smirk. She didn't know why she found picking on people so amusing. Maybe, it's because she hadn't had the opportunity in a long time.
"We're setting sail. Let's go."
"Fine," he said, clearly annoyed.
They set sail on the grand line. It didn't take long for them to come across bad weather. The snow was so high that Luffy and Usopp made snow sculptures. Usopp molded the shape of a beautiful young woman, and Luffy made a simple snowman.
"Pay attention, Silas. I want to see what you've got."
When Zoro moved in looking to attack, she turned around and punched him in the center of the protective gear. He collapsed with his hands on the ground and sucked wind.
"You're so weak, shitty swordsman. This shrimp of a boy knocked you down. Let me try."
The boys switched positions except Zoro decided to sit down back against the wall. She could see he was still wincing. She would've felt badly, but he asked her to show him what she's got.
"Don't hold back," Sanji said. "As if you can—"
She didn't let him finish as she kicked him in the center of the protective gear strapped across his stomach. She didn't go easy on him, so he, of course, fell over. Zoro laughed at Sanji's expense, and she, Luffy, and Usopp laughed as well.
"It seems my strength training really paid off," she said playfully.
"I told you he's funny," Luffy said, rolling around in the snow.
"Everyone!" Nami shouted. "Turn the ship around 180°!"
She looked over and took off the boxing gloves and headgear off to give Nami her full attention. Did the log pose change that rapidly? She knew they were known for it.
"Why? Did you forget something?" Luffy asked.
Sanji wobbled and removed the boxing gear as well. He was clearly having trouble recovering from their encounter.
"Nami-san wouldn't forget something," Sanji said, simping despite his shaky delivery due to his earlier gut kick.
"No, this insane sea changed! Now, turn it 180°!"
Sanji immediately went to the rudder and grabbed it. Silas looked over and casually pointed at the giant block of ice sitting in the ocean casually. The fog was so intense this evening they couldn't hardly see in front of them until well it was too late.
"There's an iceberg," she said simply.
"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!" Nami and Usopp yelled at her.
Silas shrugged as they continued to scream and panic and run around. She looked around, trying to figure out where and what to help with. Usopp began to scream about the ship leaking just as they scraped into the iceberg, knocking everyone over. Silas stood up and ran down to the lower decks.
"Silas, I need help with— holy shit!"
She again didn't let someone finish their sentence before doing something they deemed shocking. She had ripped off one of the planks from the boys' room wall, and put it against the leaking hole. She took the hammer and nail from Usopp's hand. In seconds, she patched the leak.
"You ripped off part of the wall," Usopp said incredulously.
"You didn't have any spare wood," she said. "We'll have to repair it when we dock."
He looked as if he was going to argue, but he just gave up with a soft sigh of exclamation. Another lurch of the ship, and they were thrown sideways once more. They crashed to the floor.
"Usopp! Silas! Get your asses up here and help Sanji!" Nami bellowed.
They did so and ran upstairs to the upper decks. When they arrived she saw Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday cackling softly at the kitchen table.
"You call yourself a navigator, and you can't handle the grand line," the blue haired woman taunted.
The reaction was immediate. Nami kicked them both in the ass right out of the kitchen.
"Shut up and help, you ingrates! Or else, I'll throw you into the ocean myself!" she shouted.
Immediately, they apologized and began helping.
Silas laughed softly to herself as she went over to help Sanji. She didn't want to be the target of Nami's wrath. Silas was seen as a boy, and the navigator held no compunction in slapping them around.
When she grasped the rudder, it finally began to move in the direction they were trying. It seemed the cook's upper body wasn't all that strong. He did look super lean compared to Zoro and herself. She worked hard to get these arm muscles after all. Nonetheless, the rudder moved, and they avoided another collision into an iceberg. They didn't see it coming. It sent another panic through to Nami, Usopp, Ms. Wednesday, and Mr. Nine.
Just when the Straw Hats and guests didn't think they could take anymore, they pulled through the thick fog into lovely, sunny, mild weather. All of them collapsed onto the floorboards, feeling simultaneously defeated and victorious. At least, that was how Silas felt.
When she turned her head to look out at the horizon, she saw what looked like weird mountains. Were they bizarre sea rocks? No, she squinted and looked closer. They were cactuses?
"Land ho!" Silas exclaimed in relief as she sat up from the floor board, reenergized.
"Really?" Nami said in relief.
"Yeah."
Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine sat up as well. They moved past the Straw Hats and almost stepped on Usopp in their beeline to get to the rail of the ship. Usopp yelled at them, but he was ignored, of course.
"That's Whiskey Peak," Ms. Wednesday said. "We better get going."
With that, they hopped off the Going Merry and left them in the dust. She blinked incredulously at their previously unforeseen athletic ability, and then she shrugged it off. It was no skin off her back.
"What an odd pair," she said casually with a shrug as they got closer to the dock.
"Agreed," Nami said.
Then, Zoro got everyone's attention by saying, "Be on your guard. This island might not like pirates."
Oh right, she's a pirate now. She still hadn't fully adjusted to being deemed a pirate. That was a whole bag of cats she wasn't too keen on opening. For so long, she was a marine's wife. And of course, they villainized pirates as the bane of the World Government's existence. Occasionally, the higher ranked officers were forced to attend functions where the wives were invited. She heard about the victories and bloviating speeches honoring the arrests they've made and goals to lock away more high bountied pirates. It always made her uncomfortable. Not only because the marine wives were so beautiful, tall, and imposing that it made her feel like a feral street cat brought in out of pity, but the way they would talk about their fellow human being was disgusting. It was as if they treated pirates and other lawbreakers like vermin to be exterminated instead of human beings. No one there called it out, and she certainly didn't feel comfortable enough to do so.
Being a pirate? Is that where life took her? Or would her husband hunt her down and punish her for 'acting out'? It didn't unappeal. The adventure and excitement alone already tantalized her. Not to mention, she could meet people along the way that would help her further her skills as a blacksmith. Yes, she felt guilty, but she was also brimming with excitement.
"Silas? Are you coming?"
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and hopped onto the dock. She looked around and saw the welcoming committee in front of them. They were weirdly excited that pirates were here. From what she understood, most islands hated pirates because they inherently brought trouble. However, the last few days were so stressful and difficult, she would accept the welcome and the promise of a relaxing time.
A man in a curled wig resembling a big time judge stepped forward out of the crowd. His face was long. He stood tall, and all of the town's folk instantaneously respected him given they gave him a wide berth and bowed their heads. He must be the island's leader.
"Who are these fine people?" he asked, putting on a politician's smile.
"We're the Straw Hats," Luffy said, gesturing to her and the others next to her.
She couldn't help the happiness that blossomed in her chest at the inclusion. It's been a long time since she's been a part of a friend group. It felt unbelievably good to be included in a group and recognized. Luffy, whether intentionally or not, uplifted her. It felt good to be called funny, interesting, and included in the crew. She really didn't realize how much she needed words of affirmation and inclusion until she was given them. It felt good, and she smiled gently to herself.
"Let's throw them a party," the mayor said.
The town cheered. Soon enough, they were led to the big town hall. She was shocked by the amount of booze and food offered to them. Wasn't Whiskey Peak struggling with food? Why would they be so generous to them? Before she could voice her concerns, Luffy went to the buffet table and started inhaling the food there. Well, that was a lost cause. She looked over to Nami, and she was having a drinking contest with a group of girls. So, she looked to Usopp, and he was dancing wildly with a large crowd of townies. Then, she looked at Sanji who was talking and trying to impress a large gaggle of girls who seemed to be into it. Her last hope to discuss this was Zoro, and she couldn't find him. He wasn't in this giant town hall. Where was he?
"What's your name?"
"Silas," she answered.
"Maybe, we should get you cleaned up. We have a bath in the—"
"No," she said quickly. She tried to cover up her quick, high pitched answer with a deep clearing of her voice to save the situation.
She couldn't let them or the Straw Hats know she was female. She wasn't ready for that. Being seen as a man brought her comfort. She felt free as a man. It gave her an out. No one would recognize her and punish her for being selfish for wanting to set sail and accomplish her dreams. So, no, none of them would ever catch a glimpse of her naked and identify her as female.
"What about some whiskey? We're known for our whiskey," the girl insisted with a smile that didn't affect her eyes.
"I don't think so," she said inching away from her.
"Oh come on," the town girl insisted.
"Uh, I think I'm going to get some air," she said. "I think one of my friends is missing too."
She opened the door behind her and stepped out into the open quickly. She took a deep breath and shook her head. The air in there was odd and thick. It distorted her senses and made her feel like garbage. It felt like a weird energy zone she couldn't quite put into words. She just needed to breathe and expel those weird people's energy.
She walked along the dirt road, admiring the tall cacti in the distance. She looked around, hoping to find Zoro. Maybe, he was on the ship sleeping. It seemed likely.
"… bounties could buy us some food…. Completely worth it if we just…"
She moved closer curiously, wondering who was speaking and talking about what. She tiptoed and hugged the brick wall of the building. Curiously, she listened in on the mayor talking to Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine:
"Baroque Works can't wait. We and the organization need the money. Once those Straw Hats are passed out, we can turn them in and get that cash from their bounties."
She was about to run back to the Straw Hats and warn them until a hand wound around her mouth and dragged her backwards….
Author's Note: The next chapter is from Smoker's perspective. I hope you'll enjoy it. ?
