A/N: Ah yes, now that all the fundamental characters have been introduced, we can now have some fun.
BTW, so sorry for the delay, college applications you know. I'll try harder update every two weeks or so in the future. I'm also trying to make chapters shorter and of readable length.
Forest Repose
Picky huddled in a dark corner, as groups of mermen congregated on certain areas of the ship. He had given up all hope of escaping. After all, these mermen were born natural swimmers.
Fear was the only thing that kept him from screaming as random mermen would come and taunt him every five minutes. After Picky had drew Sarlong a shaky, vague map of Fuchsia and its surrounding villages, the giant sawfish merman had laughed and drove him out of the cabin. No merman was permitted to touch him, under Sarlong's orders, so they resorted to other forms of torture instead.
In truth, Sarlong had only spared Picky to confirm whether the maps were correct, for if they weren't, the consequences would be dire.
As Picky hauled himself to the side of the ship, the cabin door banged open. Sarlong emerged, along with Picky's three merman captors. All hands on deck ceased, to face their captain. Sarlong took a few heavy steps until he was near the middle of the ship. Everyone, even Picky, stared intently at him.
"SO, WHO WANTS TO HAVE FUN! HAH!" he boomed in his scratchy voice.
Cheers were roared back in response as mermen rose their fists in the air, "YARRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
Picky cringed as Sarlong continued his speech. He had a pretty good idea of what the mermen were planning to do now.
"EVERYONE, HAH! WELL GOOD, BECAUSE THERE'LL BE PLENTY OF 'FUN' ONCE WE LAUNCH OUR ATTACK ON THOSE SLIMY HUMANS! AND AFTER WE ENSLAVE ALL OF THEM, AND BUILD OUR KINGDOM, WE'LL BE SURE TO GIVE MY FOOLISH YOUNGER BROTHER A WARM WELCOME!"
More cheers ensued, as Sarlong clacked his teeth together. "YES, THAT TRAITOR ARLONG, JOINING UP WITH JINBEI! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM!"
The cries were so loud, coming from the three galleons were so loud, that Picky could have sworn he heard the cavern shake. Picky tried to block his ears from Sarlong's speech, but even though he couldn't hear the words, he couldn't block Sarlong's voice either. And the fact that he had a brother was just plain scary.
As the commotion of the mermen died down, Sarlong said his last bit. "TOMORROW! WE WILL TAKE TWO GALLEONS AND ATTACK BEFORE THE SUN RISES! FUU AND HER CREW WILL STAY HERE AND GUARD THE CAVERN! BUT DON'T WORRY MY DEAR, WE'LL LEAVE SOME FOR YOU AND YOUR CREW! RIGHT MATES!"
"YARRRRR!" replied all the mermen. Fuu, who was standing next to Kuromaru puckered up her lips in response, as well the female portion of her crew, who also mimicked her.
"GOOD! NOW EVERYONE! BACK TO YOUR STATIONS!"
Picky, looked on in fear and dismay, as the mermen hordes scattered, and started to prepare the ships for sail. Kuromaru was whispering something to Sarlong and pointing at him. Flinching, Picky looked away, but Sarlong's heavy footsteps indicated to him, that he was coming.
Twisting Picky's face as to look at him, Sarlong smiled his sinister, toothy smile, hissing, "As for you, slimy human, you'll be coming with us. So do the crew a favor and don't wet yourself."
Releasing his iron grip on Picky's face, Sarlong, Kuromaru, Tatchi, and Fuu trudged back to the cabin. Picky closed his eyes, and sunk back down in a near fetal position. Between facing the red haired pirate again, and this, he'd sooner face the red hair any day.
Shanks abruptly sat up. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but with the combined effects of alcohol and the mini adventure with Luffy, he did. But fortunately enough, they hadn't been attacked, while sleeping which was a plus.
Briefly glancing around, Shanks noticed that Ace and Luffy were still asleep, with the cloak wrapped around their small torsos. It was actually quite a humorous site since Ace had shifted his leg on top of Luffy's head. Luffy on the other hand, snored with his mouth wide open, whilst Ace's leg was over him.
Turning his attention elsewhere, Shanks surveyed the bottom of the hill on his left and right sides. It looked rather semi marshy and watery. "Probably from the flood," he pondered aloud. "But at least its dry on the other side."
However, the dry side that Shanks had depicted was encased by a multitude of dark trees, which particularly worried him. In their hurry to escape the flood, Ace had led them rather deep into the forest. And soon, they would be going deeper in order to retrieve Ace's treasure.
"Oww, stupid brother!" Nearby, Luffy had woken up, after Ace had kicked him in the head with his other leg. Ace merely responded by rolling over to the other side, his sleep still undisturbed.
"It's about time you brats got up," said Shanks walking back toward the ashes of the fire. "We better start moving. The sooner we get your treasure, the sooner we can try to find a way back to Party's."
Luffy, who was still treating this excursion as a game, grinned. He was beginning to love this adventure. "ACE GET UP! WE'RE GOING TO LOOK FOR THE TREASURE!"
Shanks hit Luffy in the head. "Idiot!" he hissed, "Don't shout! What if you attract something bad!"
Luffy rubbed his head and sorely shot back, "Oh, so you're afraid of the forest!"
Shanks rolled his eyes, "Not afraid enough to call for 'mommie' in my sleep, unlike someone…"
"Oh that was probably me." a voice said, behind the two. Apparently, Ace had been waken up by Luffy's shouting. An awkward silence followed as Shanks tried to stifle his laughter.
After the ashes of the fire were scattered, the three set off silently towards the dark forest with Ace in the lead. Their pace was slower than that of yesterday, seeing as there was no flood to wash them away. The chirp of the birds did not recede, as the trio entered, a good sign to Shanks. But being the sort of guy he is on a foreign land, away from the ocean, he had to confirm his doubts with Ace and Luffy, who were somewhat familiar with the land.
"Hey Ace, have you been this deep in the forest before," asked Shanks in a skeptical manner.
"Hmm…I can't say I have. I'm just following what some of the woodlanders said." Ace replied, sending Shanks back into his cautious state again.
"But what if they set up traps or something?" piped up Luffy. After all, he had never been in the forest before either.
Ace, who was still huffy from the incident of the stolen treasure, cockily responded, "Woodlanders don't setup traps. They're so stupid that they forget where they put them, and then end up getting caught by them. Besides, they're always by some river. Can't live without water you know."
Knowing that it was too late to go back now (and cursing his lack of navigation skills), Shanks gave up on the prospect of returning to Party's very soon. Instead, his mind wandered to how the rest of his crew was doing. They were probably still asleep from the drinking and partying. Speaking of drinking, Shanks thought he could use a few bottles of rum about now.
The hiking pace fluctuated, as Luffy and Ace refused to be carried by Shanks, whenever they felt fatigued. As the three ventured deeper, the trees appeared more larger and older. The numbers of rocks and boulders also increased, slowing them down occasionally.
Countless hours passed, before all three of them heard the sound of the river. It was a relieving sound, and provided Ace hope that he'll get back the treasure soon. By this time, the sun had begun to nudge its rays through the lower cracks of trees and mountainsides.
As they trudged toward the sound, Shanks felt a jolt of pain in his hand. Apparently, the knife stab from Ace hadn't healed properly. He had bound the wound with a simple poultice comprised of random vegetation, but that only seemed to stop the pain for short intervals.
Eventually the three emerged from the woods, arriving in front of the small river. Along the other side of the bank were more trees, though not like the dark ones Shanks saw before. The current was fast in the river, weaving its way around a large log that served as a makeshift bridge.
"Oi, don't go too far, you two! If it's like you said, the woodlanders are probably lurking near here!" Shanks called after the children, who had rushed ahead of him.
Ace and Luffy wandered near the river's edge to look for something edible in shallow areas, while Shanks poked around the trees for traces of small plants he could freshen his poultice with.
Having little success, Shanks decided to sit at the base of the tree that served as the bridge, shouldering his sword in ronin fashion. Unlike before, the chirping of the birds had stopped but the noise of the river did not cease.
"ACE! LOOK HERE, I found some fish!" cried Luffy, waving some dangly things in the air, which were presumed to be "the fish."
Shanks and Ace's heads immediately snapped up in alarm. "Quiet! You idiot!" they hissed at Luffy in unison. Luffy froze, the current streaming around his legs.
The trio stared at the other side of the riverbank. It seems that Luffy's shout had attracted the woodlanders, comprised mostly of middle aged males. Most had on an arrogant smirk and carried bo staffs. Some had projectile weapons and swords, but being warriors themselves, Shanks, Ace and Luffy weren't afraid of any of them.
Shanks sighed to himself as he blocked out the ruckus the woodlanders made in their chatter, "Well, we have to face them sooner or later."
Heaving himself from the base of the tree, Shanks stepped gingerly on to the log bridge. On the other side, their supposed leader did the same. He was a rough looking man, carrying a bo staff, probably 10 years older than Shanks. The man looked and dressed as what townspeople would call a true rogue.
On the banks, Ace and Luffy silently glared their hardest at the woodlanders across the river, but they were mainly ignored as the wood villagers talked and joked amongst themselves while keeping an eye on the bridge.
The gruff man on the bridge smirked, "Hey, aren't you gonna pay the toll for crossing!"
"Toll?" Shanks asked, scratching his head.
"Yeh, gotta make a living ya know. Well I suppose, that sword you're carrying will do, if you don't have anything."
"Oh you mean this flimsy thing? You can have it, after you tell us where the nearest town is, and give back my friend's treasure." Shanks replied nonchalantly, gesturing to Ace.
The wood villagers on the other side of the bank sniggered.
"What's so funny?"
The man grinned slyly. "It's not my place to harm an unarmed man you know."
Before Shanks could reply, a whip snaked out of nowhere coiling around Shanks's sword. Of course Shanks secretly wasn't surprised.
"Ok, so you have the sword. So can we go now?" asked Shanks looking bored.
The crowd, instantly turned nasty. Apparently, they had expected a fight or something between the two men on the bridge.
Finally the gruff man responded greedily, "Hm…unfortunately the villagers don't think this is enough to compensate."
"Oh, what else do you need?"
"Oh, I don't know, if you have nothing, you'd best turn back. Unless you can force your way through me of course, but I highly doubt that'll happen."
Shanks stood his ground smirking, "If it's a fight you want, I guess I can't avoid it forever. But you wouldn't hurt an unarmed man would you?"
On cue, one of the villagers flung something at him. Shanks reached out his with his right hand, catching the object. Apparently it was a bo.
"Heh, brace yourself rich boy, or you're gonna get beat. We woodlanders are best with the bo's." grunted the man, raising his staff.
Everyone on the side was excited now, judging by the volume of the voices. "HEY SHANKS! IF YOU DON'T BEAT THIS BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU!" shouted Luffy. Ace had fallen asleep at this point.
Shanks gripped the long bo loosely in his right hand. His hand was starting to pain him again. "Damn," he thought, "Its been a long time, since I've touched a bo. Only Nettles uses one nowadays."
"Well, what are you waiting for!" the gruff woodlander said charging at him. Shanks had barely managed to step aside.
"Oh crap, this is not going to go well." Shanks thought as he blocked the second strike from the woodlander's bo. "If only this damn bo didn't take up enough space."
Luffy and Ace looked on vigilantly as if they were trying to study the moves. Shanks struggled barely blocking the blows with the bo in his injured hand. Strike after strike rained on him, from the woodlander. His blows were mediocre for a man his size, but still, it caused Shanks's hand to grow more sore and painful.
However, moments later, the gruff man sent an unusually strong blow knocking Shanks a couple meters across the log.
"Ughh" Shanks groaned. Looks like he was a little more rusty than he thought. But nevertheless, he stood up, spitting out the blood from his mouth. Looking all around him, Shanks briefly glanced at the villagers. They seemed to happy that he was getting beaten but that was no surprise. However, seeing one man carrying two swords gave him an idea.
"Heh, had enough?" asked the man sarcastically, leaning on his bo.
"You wish, bandit!" yelled Shanks. With that, he snapped the bo clean in two across his knee. Now he had two sword sized sticks in his hand.
"GET HIM SHANKS!" yelled Ace and Luffy enthusiastically. This time, it was Shanks's turn. Sure, he hadn't had much experience in double swords techniques, but it was definitely more advantageous than the bo, as he could attack and block simultaneously now.
Swishing the makeshift swords in a light, walking stance, Shanks tested their weight in each hand. The woodlander smirked. "So, you split the stick in two, so what? Like that'll help you now! Now, SUFFER FOR NOT PAYING THE TOLL!"
Charging forward, in his predictable manner, the burly man rushed to attack Shanks. However, with lighter sticks, Shanks had the upper hand in control, even if he had an injured hand.
As the woodlander bo was about to reach him, Shanks thrust himself forward, pushing the man back with an x-block, and throwing him off balance. It was then, that Shanks began his counterattack, returning strikes in circular motions (think star wars light saber fights) and ending with a jab to the man's middle.
Rather than being hit, the man chose to jerk backward, allowing himself to fall off the log and into the river. However, while falling he had managed to flail out his bo in such a way between Shanks's feet that the pirate captain came tumbling down soon after him.
At first Shanks was dubious, but as he hit the water he felt surge of confidence go through him. After all, he was a pirate, and pirates live on water. Resurfacing after he had been knocked down, Shanks carefully began to scout around quickly for his enemy.
By this time, all of the villagers lined near the banks began to shuffle around and look nervous. But that didn't stop Shanks from his search.
Shanks was about to dive under again, when his ears were serenaded by watery screams of "HELGHGHGHP!" and "SSBAVE ME!" further downstream some distance away from the bridge.
Diving under Shanks immediately swam to the source of the voice. When he emerged, he was greeted with the image of the rough woodlander, only the man wasn't really rough looking anymore, but strangely comical, spewing out water while screaming and flailing his arms around like a cat. Shanks grinned gleefully with malice, drinking in the screams, apparently, this man couldn't swim.
Swimming over the flailing man, Shanks neatly cuffed his arms behind him and dunked the poor man under. By this time, the villagers had shifted to downstream banks. Ace and Luffy were now cheering while the villagers were in confusion. What should they do, now that their leader was at the mercy of a red haired pirate?
Dragging the woodlander to the surface, Shanks grabbed hem of the man's shirt. "Do you surrender?" he asked almost in a sarcastic voice. When didn't get an answer (for the man was too busy coughing up water), Shanks dunked him under again as a warning.
After waiting for 20 or so seconds, the man was pulled up again by Shanks with his devilish grin. "Oh and by the way," Shanks added, "You are to return whatever belongs to Ace, is that clear? Or do you need some more time to think? Well by all means, take your time, the river isn't going to dry any time soon."
Just as Shanks was about to pull the woodlander under again, he let out a loud, piteous yell, "ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! I GIVE UP! I'LL GIVE YOUR FRIEND HIS THINGS BACK! JUST HELP ME! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SWIM!"
Satisfied, Shanks loosened his grip, only to cause the man, to cling on him more tightly, in a suffocating embrace, almost.
"Gah! Get off me you smelly bandit!"
"B-b-but I can't swim! I'll drown!"
"Idiot, just place your feet on the ground, it isn't even that deep!"
Following Shanks's advice, the man found much to his amazement, that the water only reached his neck height. How embarrassing. But anyway, with the aid of Shanks, the woodlander was able to eventually wade to the river bank where of villagers waited to pull them both out.
"Oi! Shanks! That was nice!" cried Luffy running across the tree bridge.
However, there wasn't time for more chatter, as the group of villagers had now parted to let someone through. A semi large woman in her mid forties wearing a thick dress and cloak decorated in furs stepped up to the soggy warriors.
The hefty woman promptly raised the frying pan she was carrying, and brought it down over the gruff man's head, gesturing to Shanks, Ace and Luffy. "Tyr You Idiot! Don't you see he doesn't mean anyone harm? For the Grand Line's sake, he has pups with him!" (Cue the part where Luffy and Ace make big puppy eyes at the woman.)
"Aww…but sister." Tyr whimpered, rubbing his head, he tried to kill me!
The woman rolled her eyes. "Well then, maybe you shouldn't have enforced that stupid toll rule on him!"
Tyr began treating the lump on his head silently, when the large woman turned to Shanks
"As for you…"