Chapter Six: Dinosaurs, Giants, and Rivalry
Finding privacy to shower and change clothes was, um, interesting to say the least. Everyone, especially, the boys were pretty tightly knit on this small ship. It didn't bother her on principle. She really liked that everyone just seemed to enjoy each other's company. It was very family-like. Though, the trade off made it difficult to keep secrets. She would like to believe these practical strangers would be cool with someone who had a gender identity that broke from the norms. Pirates, after all, had zero compunction breaking rules, but the possible hatred and sigma weren't what she was prepared for yet. Passing as a man was easier and nicer than as a gender confused person. Also, worse than being gender queer, she was a marine's wife. That would probably be seen as a betrayal amongst the crew given they hunt them down like deer. It was best to keep all of it a secret for now.
She walked along humming. Her hair was wet but she tucked it underneath her shirt to hide the white tips and closed the curtain for the shower.
Speaking of showers, why was male hygiene so bad? Seriously, she found a bottle of three in one for both the skin and hair in the boy's shower and nothing else. Did no one tell them that it feels glorious when you're clean? She ended up borrowing some of Nami's items. She hoped the navigator wouldn't mind. On the next island, she was going to buy her own stuff to avoid being a complete mooch. Perhaps, the men will take a hint when she put it in the shower.
"Nami-swannnn~" she heard Sanji's voice. She looked around trying to find where Nami was, but she couldn't be found. "Oh, it's you. Why do you smell like Nami-san?"
How odd that he knew her scent like that. He was a true simp to be dedicated to that level. It was almost impressive.
"Same shampoo?" she shrugged.
"What are you a girl now?" Sanji said.
Silas tried her best to school her features. She laughed uncomfortably, trying to brush it off and come off normal. It wasn't easy. She had to suppress the desire to laugh like a maniac because it truly is a hilarious statement he just made. On a side note, why was smelling nice a womanly thing now? Smelling nice should just be a human thing. It made things a little better.
"Very funny," she said after finishing her controlled laugh.
He gave her an odd look, so she walked to the kitchen, finding this interaction boring and potentially dangerous. That was when he put a hand up and blocked her by the shoulder. She stared at the hand that was a little too close to her chest for her comfort. She had tied down her already small breasts, but he may notice something was odd if he touched her chest. Though, she had an inkling he had never been fortunate enough to touch a woman's breast.
"Don't touch my kitchen," he said seriously.
She could feel a smirk pulling at her face. She grasped his wrist and took it off her without care or effort, much to his chagrin.
"Why?" she said. "Afraid I might be better than you?"
"Don't be ridici—"
"Then, there's no harm in it. I clean up after myself," she said, walking over to the kitchen once more.
She didn't understand why she liked pissing him off. Maybe, it was because he came at her with hostility, so she felt the need to tease and bother him in retalitation. It was easy and amusing. She had a similar dynamic with Zoro. Although, the swordsman was different, more relaxed and stoic. He had less triggers than the cook. He wasn't totally exempt from it; he did do the jokey-joke competition thing when it came to fighting. That was about it from him. It was one of the only times she saw some fire in his veins. The other boys on the crew weren't like those two though. Luffy was like a child, and Usopp was a coward. Those two didn't take the traditional 'tough guy' stance, so they didn't take her bait when she goaded them. It wasn't fun to pester anyone besides Sanji and Zoro, and Sanji happened to be her favorite.
"Sanji~! Silas~!" Luffy whined loudly suddenly. "Feed me!"
"Luffy likes my cooking," Silas said with a playful smile, knowing it was like rubbing salt in the cook's wound.
"Luffy is practically a human garbage disposal. I would not pick him as a judge," he said.
"Whatever," she said with her hands folded behind her head.
She walked over to the kitchen. She ignored him. It didn't do much given he tried to kick her from behind. She didn't even have to look and knew it was coming. She sidestepped easily, and she watched amusedly as his heel ended up slamming into the flooring. It splintered and broke around him.
"Usopp is going to be mad~" she said in a sing-songy voice.
Oops, was that too feminine? Did she give herself away? She looked over, and he just continued to mutter angrily to himself, trying to get his foot out. He wasn't paying attention to her. Good. She could feel the tension leave her shoulders.
"Get out," he said with gritted teeth.
"You're getting so mad," she said amusedly.
He then shoved her out and slammed the kitchen door shut in her face. Well damn.
"What happened?" Zoro asked casually.
She looked over and saw him casually resting against one of the posts. His hands were folded behind his head, and he didn't even bother to open his eyes. Drinking and sleeping were probably his favorite hobbies. She wondered how long he's been there.
"He threw a fit because he doesn't like it when I cook," she said amusedly.
"Your cooking ain't bad," he said.
"Don't tell him that," she said, trying not to laugh. "I think that's why he's mad."
She saw a smirk.
…
Little Garden? She's heard of the island before, but she couldn't remember what was said about it. There were just so many islands that it was so difficult to keep straight every tiny one on the grand line. Was it the snowy one? Was it the desert? Hm, which one was it?
"Land Ho!" Luffy yelled from the figurehead attached to the bow.
Silas looked over and saw it was a rich, green, luscious forest that was impossible to see anything beyond the thick trees. It was beautiful and serene, and it was probably filled with all kinds of nasty, giant bugs with sticky air included. She really didn't remember this island. The unknown was exciting and wonderful. She was craving a little adventure since being on the ship can be a little mundane.
"Maybe, we should wait it out until the log post resets," Nami said nervously.
"A-agreed," Usopp said.
"No, I'm going exploring!" Luffy said immediately.
"By yourself? Don't you want a buddy?" Silas asked.
"Who's gonna buddy with me?!"
Everyone looked around. No one really seemed to want to run around on the mystery island with him. Knowing Luffy, despite it being a short time for her, he wasn't the type for a leisurely walk in the forest, taking in the sights.
"I-I'll go," Vivi said suddenly, raising her hand hesitantly.
"Wow, you're brave," Silas said without a second thought.
"Th-thank you," Vivi blushed, not looking her in the eyes.
Hmm, did Silas flatter her by accident? She didn't think she was the flirtatious type normally. It didn't mean she couldn't though; clearly, she just did with Vivi. She hadn't needed or wanted to flirt in a long time though. Perhaps, her normal behavior around women while she presented as a man was now interpreted as flirting. Women tended to be more affectionate in general. Wow, she never considered that when she decided to take up this gender presentation. Should she be careful, or should she simply just be herself and not care? It would be kind of mean if she got another woman's hopes up. Perhaps, she should just be cold and detached. Or maybe, being a ladies man who didn't want to be with ladies would be fun. That concept alone was hilarious enough, she wanted to do it.
"You asshole," she heard the cook mutter to himself not that quietly, "making beautiful Vivi-chan blush."
Silas couldn't help the small smirk. If only that love-cook understood what was really going on, then he wouldn't be bothered. Being a ladies man who wasn't into ladies was sounding even better. Fuck it, she was going to be a flirt and flatter women.
"Can we go?" Luffy whined.
"Yes, Karoo, let's go," Vivi said.
The duck blanched, but he complied and let the princess ride on the saddle attached to his back and follow Luffy's break neck speed across the forest. It looked kind of fun.
"She's a lot braver than I am," Nami said softly.
"You're brave in your own way," Silas said with a soft smile.
Nami scoffed, brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, and looked away. "I'm not that easy to flatter," she said.
"Ok," she said simply, not affected.
She shrugged, uncrossed her arms, and then hopped down onto the island. She could feel the crew's eyes on her as she stretched, preparing for all kinds of weird things in that thick forest. Then, Zoro landed next to her as well. Was he going to be her hiking buddy? He didn't seem the social type. Was he just bored? Did he tire of sleeping and drinking on the ship?
"Wanna go exploring with me?"
"Might as well," he shrugged.
"You two," Sanji said as he started to light his cigarette, "go hunting. We're low on meat."
"Okay, I guess you're too much of a pussy to do it yourself," Silas said with a growing smirk.
Zoro laughed with her as the cook steamed angrily. Call it pay back for calling her an asshole. He then hopped down in front of the two of them before poking her in the shoulder which just further amused her. Ooh, she must have gotten under his skin. Was he going to fight her?
"I'm not a pussy, you short-stack!" he said angrily.
She supposed she was short for a man, however, for a woman, she was of average height. My how just a change in gender presentation suddenly changes that classification. It was just a little bit funny.
"Oh my god, you're getting so mad," she taunted yet again.
She saw his cigarette break between his teeth as he scowled at her.
"Silas, I'm going to—"
"Whoever has the biggest kill wins," Zoro said, cutting in.
Oh, so it's the 'who's bigger' game amongst men, is it? She didn't expect it to get so phallic that quickly in this male competition, but here it was. It just made her laugh much to the other two's anger and confusion. She didn't know if she would ever want to win beyond seeing them angry. She didn't need the 'who's bigger' question answered, truly. It was quite obvious what the answer was. She just wanted to poke the bear some more and get part of the male experience, so fuck it why not.
"Sounds good, I'm off, gentlemen," she said.
She headed out casually. Her arms stretched behind her head, looking at the forestry and listening to the woodland animals. The air was sticky and warm much like a swamp. It made breathing a little difficult. This place wasn't terrible, but she wouldn't want to be in this climate long-term.
She couldn't help but wonder about the long-term. Did she miss her husband? Yes. Did she like the crew? Also yes. It was strange how quickly they made her feel like she was a part of a family. But was this going to last? She doubted her husband would forgive her. She was being a terrible wife as of late, especially a marine's wife. She highly doubted the other captain's wives hung out with pirates and fought like the rest of them. Would Smoker even accept her back if she chose to be with him again? It wouldn't be the same which was probably for the best. She felt they were both miserable before at least she did. If her marital life was wonderful, she wouldn't have joined the Straw Hats.
What about her identity? What about male pronouns? Should she call herself by he/him, she/her, or they/them? It was bizarre when she thought of gender. For so long, she was a woman and filled a very traditionally feminine role. However, many of her hobbies were traditionally masculine such as blacksmithing, and she liked being seen as a man. She was almost invisible in society and yet people took her seriously. She also liked being and being seen as a woman too. People were sweeter, noticed her but also infantilized or harassed, depending on where she was. Would the best word be 'gender queer'? Queer was still an insult and used as such in certain circles. But she didn't see it as an insult. It was fitting because gender is complicated to her.
Snap.
"Hmm?"
She turned around and saw a small reptile. Confusion hit her. Wasn't those little things extinct for millions of years?
Boom!
The little lizard was stepped on by a giant, three-clawed, leathery foot. Her eyes slowly roved up and saw exactly what shook her and the earth below her. It was tall, scaled, and huge. It was an apex predator with tiny arms and all. It stood at about forty feet tall. The only way that massive head was counterbalanced was with an equally massive tail. The large maw opened and roared loudly, and she closed her eyes at the way it blew the trees. The T-Rex was gorgeous. It was almost a shame to have to put him down, but she wanted to win to upset the boys.
One leap and a well placed kick to the head, and the dinosaur went down. She looked at the large animal, then she grasped it up by its tail before dragging it across the forest floor. Back to the ship they go.
She was humming some tune mindlessly when she felt another disturbance in the forest. A questioning sound left her as she let go of the dinosaur's tail and looked around. Immediately, her eyes came across a strange, white substance creeping towards her. So, she jumped away from it, landing on the tree branch crouched like a cat. Odd. If she was perverted like the cook, she would think it was—
"Get down here, Mister!"
She looked down and blinked at the stranger. He was a man who resembled the shape of a pencil sans the hair shaped into the number three on top of his head formed by a weird substance. Gee, she wondered what his rank was.
"What is that on your head, Mr. Three? Don't tell me it's… you know."
"No, of course not!" he shouted incredulously.
She laughed at his scandalized expression, and she took the advantage of snapping a branch next to her off and throwing it like a javelin. Her eyes blinked as she watched as it was deflected with a solid form of that white substance. Oh, he made that gunk himself. He was a devil's fruit user, hmm? Well shit, she didn't have any sea stone on her. It seemed she'll just have to do her best.
"Nice try," he said and then weaved some signs and shouted. "Candle lock!"
She watched as a candle pillory came at her before jumping out of the tree. She landed on the ground across from him and rolled her shoulders to prepare for the fight. She wasn't going to let that wax touch her. It just spelled bad news.
"I already have your friends. If you so much as— what the hell?!"
During his little sentence, she ripped off a massive branch from the tree and went to flatten him with it like a fly by a fly swatter. When she did indeed flatten him, all that was left was a white splat. She walked over for a closer inspection. She watched it for a few moments before shrugging and leaving. She grasped the T-Rex's tail and dragged him back to the ship.
"Odd," she whispered to herself.
When she returned to the ship, she noticed that either Sanji or Zoro returned with their hunt. A smirk grew. Hers was more impressive.
She hopped up and stood on the deck or The Going Merry. She looked around and saw the back of Sanji's blond hair. It seemed to notice her. A mischievous idea came to mind. She raised her hands up to her chest with her fingers pointed at the ground and with exaggerated, slow steps she tiptoed over to Sanji. She was holding back her giggles so hard that she had to bite her lip and her body was shaking. When she was right behind him, she raised herself to her tiptoes right beside his ears and…
"Boo."
He nearly jumped out of his skin and off the ship. She didn't have to hold back the almost hysterical laughter now. Even though he was angry, she kept laughing, seeing the tears blot her eye line.
"Silas, you son of a bitch!" he growled.
She saw him trying to kick her, but she sidestepped sloppily. He was too angry to fight properly, and she was too pickled to take it seriously and nearly fell off the ship. Thankfully, he didn't try it again, having recovered some of his composure. She wiped her eyes.
"Where's the rest of the crew?" she asked casually as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hell if I know," he said in his indifferent tone, lighting a cigarette.
It was such a contrast from his simp mode. He was cold and tried to act 'cool' when it didn't involve women he deemed beautiful. It seemed like a front because he sure got pissed whenever it came to cooking or Nami and Vivi being flattered by Silas. It was rather hilarious actually. She didn't know why she felt like picking on him much like a sibling would. Maybe, it was because she didn't have siblings, and he made it easy.
"I'm going to look for them," she said, sitting on the rail, facing the island. "One of my hallucinations told me they're in danger… or, well, tried to tell me before I smacked him with a tree."
"What?" she heard the incredulity in his voice, but she didn't see his face.
"See ya."
She hopped down and began to casually walk around the island, looking around to try and find them. Was three-man a hallucination? She hoped so. That meant that her friends would be okay, but it also meant she was losing it a little. She felt some prickles of worry, but she had trouble bringing herself to care about that.
She came across a giant's face and an incredulous sound escaped her. There were dinosaurs and giants on this island? There was no mistaking the man passed out, decked out in armor was indeed a giant. She was going to examine him closer, perhaps touch him to see if he's real, but the giant startled awake and thus startled her for a moment.
"Who are you? What are- oh, it's a little person," he said.
Again, her height was brought up today. Except, in this case, it was appropriate. Compared to a giant who stood well over seventy feet tall, she was a little person. Interesting possible hallucination of hers.
"Wait, are you real?"
"Huh?"
"Sorry, I'm off my meds, and one of you already melted in front of me today," she said straightforwardly. "I might be bugging right now."
"No, I'm real," he croaked.
His hand moved towards her and she blinked as just one touch from his finger caused her to topple over. Well, he wasn't a hallucination that's for sure.
"Oh, you are real," she said, standing once more as she really looked at him. "What happened to you?"
"My hundred year battle was decided. I lost," he said with tears in his eyes.
"A hundred years," she said softly to herself as she walked over to his weapon. "It seems your blade's dulled a bit. You don't have a whetstone, do you?"
"No, maybe, that's why I lost."
Well, damn, she's really not finding a whetstone or forge on this island. It was quite primitive without a single person in the blacksmithing industry. She longed to make actual weaponry. Broken trees wouldn't suffice for a replacement for long if she was going to take on Baroque Works with her crew.
"Are you a blacksmith?" he asked.
"How'd you know?" she asked curiously.
"You've got the calluses on those tiny hands of yours."
She smiled and decided to take a seat across from his face with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees. Rarely did she meet neat people, especially giants who've fought for a hundred years and immediately recognized her as a blacksmith. He seemed like an interesting conversationalist. Might as well indulge.
"I'm Silas. What's your name?"
"Dorry," he said, coughing.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "I have some willow bark. It's good for pain."
"I doubt it's large enough to mean anything," he said.
"It's better than nothing," she shrugged.
She fished out of one of her pockets and tossed it towards his mouth. It landed in there, and he began to chew the chunk of willow bark she had on her. She saw his face pinch, and yeah, it was bitter. It worked though.
"Why and who have you been fighting for the past one hundred years?" she asked curiously.
"I've been fighting my best friend—"
"Best friend? What the hell happened between you two?"
"I don't remember what started it, but it's about honor. To be a citizen of Elbaf is to hold the honor of Elbaf," he said. "No one has ever won until Brogy won today. I guess… it's over."
Elbaf? Why did that sound familiar? Elbaf, giants, armor… oh shit! It's the nation famed for its army and exceptional weaponry and armor!
"Elbaf? They're known for their exceptional steel! I would very much like to go there!" she said, unable to hide her excitement.
The look on his face told her, he noticed something was up with her voice. She tried to make her most manly posture and voice to compensate for her high excited voice.
"Elbaf is a place. What's that got to do with honor?" Silas asked, deepening her voice and trying her best to look serious.
"Elbaf is a way of life. You've never fought on behalf of your honor or someone else's, young man?" he asked.
A beat.
"No."
"You're still a teenager. You'll understand soon," he smiled with a fond smile that resembled a grandpa or a mentor.
She supposed it made sense that when many women wish to look like men they end up looking like a boy. She didn't have a man's strong jaw, strong chin, stubble, or a thick neck. She didn't know if she wanted that in particular, but she enjoyed having upper arm strength and abs which was usually associated with men. Why was gender so complicated for her? Her desires conflicted.
"Is the willow bark working?" she asked.
Another beat.
"Yes."
She watched his face as he slowly rose to a sitting position that mirrored hers. She smiled at him gently.
"I've lost my friends," she said. "Will you help me find them?"
"Makes sense. I've lost mine too."
Her smile widened. And before she knew it, she was standing in the palm of a friendly giant with cool armor and weapons. She never thought she would ever be adventuring like this in her life, and she couldn't help the elated laugh she let out. Finally, she was having some fun.
X
"Captain Smoker! Captain Smoker! Cap—"
"What?!" he barked.
Even he knew he was being more intense than he usually was. His subordinates were cowering a lot more than usual. They also held their noses more and were terrified to put a plate of food in front of him. They should. They did laundry and cooked like shit. Gods, when was the last time he ate something Sienna didn't make? Years ? Her cooking was far better than anything the navy chef ever made.
"We just intercepted a den-den mushi message," Tashigi said cautiously.
"Is it something to do with Sienna or Straw Hat?" he said angrily. "Otherwise, I don't care."
"Yes, it's about Straw Hat."
He stood so quickly that the chair knocked back behind him. He marched over, nearly knocking into his subordinate. She gasped and moved out of his tunnel vision directly.
One of the marines had the black detection den-den attached to his wrist. Smoker watched, waiting for the static to pass from the transmission. He could feel the tension on his brow as he glared at the den-den, waiting for the piece of crap to give them intel.
"Zzzzz… Princess Vivi and pirate kids… zzzzz… Mr. Zero… zzzzz… order by mail… zzzz."
Princess Vivi? Pirate kids? Mr. Zero? Order by mail? What did that all have to do with one another? He collapsed into the captain's chair and continued to smoke his cigars to think on this. Vivi is the princess of Alabasta, the desert kingdom facing civil war. The pirate kids were obvious, and he wondered if they and Princess Vivi had teamed up. Now, who was this 'Mr. Zero', and who was sending orders by mail? Was it Mr. Zero? It was clearly a code name, and it was surely connected to this 'Mr. Eleven' he captured on the grand line while looking for Sienna.
Where would he find Sienna and those damn Straw Hats? It seemed Alabasta would be the best bet. That's where Princess Vivi would most likely go.
"Contact the marine base and get me an eternal log post for Alabasta," he ordered.
"Yes sir!"
He hoped Sienna was alright. Who knows what those pirates would do to a marine's wife?
