Blood ties like Iron Binds: Chapter 8
Closing in
(One of the Germa Flagships, Niji's Castle).
Cobra had been right.
As soon as the defeated (a word that no one of the Vinsmokes had dared use after seeing the face of King Judge as the thought of his second son losing at anything began to creep into his head) Germa prince Niji (numbering ones children seemed more like a sign of bad parenting to Cobra than a sign of affection), had arrived on the seagoing giant snail-powered castle, all possible medical attention had gone straight to his recovery.
Fortunately, by the time he (and his party) did actually arrive, Pell and Cobra had already seen the doctor of the royal family.
The King of Alabasta had expected the news as soon as he'd seen the doctors report and notes about his condition, so right now he was more interested in hearing what had happened to the small foraging party that had gone ashore.
Almost immediately after they'd received the news, the germa 66 had been mobilized and surrounded the little island, making it look like they were about to start a full blown Bustercall on the little town at it's shore.
Naturally the towns inhabitants had panicked, and it was thus nearly impossible to gain any witness statements from any of the civilians that had been taken for questioning.
To Cobra it all seemed at tad too excessive, bullying a tiny community like that and then not provide any reason at all.
But there was no way he could command the frantic Judge to stop his tyrannical behaviour, he depended on him too much for tracking down his daughter for that to happen, the same went for the other kings. He could see their displeasure and disdain for Judge's methods and Judge himself by extension.
Fortunately, they had the King of Prodence, Elizabello II to tell them part of what had happened, and the very flustered head chef Cosette.
And Cobra looked very much forward to hear their tales, anything that could take him mind of his disease or the anxiety of not knowing where his daughter were was worth the hassle.
(Aboard the Sunny)
Nami took in the sight before her with a sense of wanting to slap everyone in sight, including herself for suggesting what had led up to this point.
Sanji sat on the bridge, the wheel in his hand all the while Usopp, Luffy, Broook and Franky tried to make him concentrate on the missing princesses, which in Sanji's case was complete and utterly redundant.
Usopp continued to show him graffiti of the women, Brook held up a newspaper where their pictures were shown (in the most flattering way possible) and Franky kept urging him to think of those he'd met.
But Somehow Luffy was the most idiotic. Not being aware of what it was Sanji liked about any of the women (the answer is everything) heød just started talking about what the women of Amazon Lily wore normally, and their food and their fighting style (all of which made Sanji's heart pound like a hundred drums (at one point Chopper thought it was somekind of new way to call for dinner instead of a bell (subsequently the Reindeer had tried to make the Chef follow his Doctors' orders, but to no avail, he was too far gone in visions of bikinis and small skirts, and what the other women would look like wearing the same outfits))).
Robin toppled it however when she showed Sanji her drawings of what it was Luffy was describing, streamlining the chefs' imagination as if adjusting a showerhead to give one hard stream of water.
When the rest of the crew held up both ewspaper pictures and drawings, the amorous chef's head began to turn in almost every direction at once, though it mainly focussed on Robin holding up a sketch of Shirahoshi in a kuja attire (even with the little skirt and a snake for company and armament).
This wouldn't have been so bad if only Sanji didn't steerd the ship in the direction of his attention, which was placed on the ship, meaning that he'd more than occasionally make the ship sail in loops indefinitely, until something else caught his attention (which didn't happen, a real Robin and sketch Shirahoshi was too much of a treat for him too ever let that happen (not to mention the idea of Seeing the pirate empress in a similar outfit)).
When Jinbe finally managed to wring the wheel from the zombie-minded chef, so that he could steer again, Nami wasn't certain that even she knew how far off course they were.
Sighing deeply, Nami quelled her urge to slap the dunderheads (Robin excluded) silly, instead she turned to Jinbe
"So how long do you think it's take to get back on track?"
"winds are decent so it depends on the waves I think, if we'd use the coup de burst we'll make up for lost time rapidly"
"We can't overuse it!"
Both turned to Franky, the shipwright in the act of combing his hair into a pair of twin pompadours, but his face very serious "If we overuse it, the mechanism might be damaged!"
Jinbe scratched his chin at this "true, relying on that trick too much might also damage our strategic and tactical possibilities later on, the wordst thing that could happen was if our enemies foresaw us using it"
"Right! And we don't have endless supplies of Cola, I need that for all my other machines!"
Finishing with his haircut (leaving it in the shape of a pair of fish tails with a large mermaid on the other end ), Franky smiled as he adjusted his sunglasses "Besides…. If people get used to it…. It won't be as super cool anymore!" finishing his argument with his trademark pose, leaving Nami stunned at his priorities and Jinbe laughing heartily.
As he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye Jinbe looked at Franky again "Well, (wahahaha) jokes aside…."
"I'm not joking" Franky responded, still in his pose "Too much and it ain't cool anymore, gotta be super economic with it!"
At this Jinbe had joined Nami in looking dumbfound at the shipwright, not certain what to do
"Will it get us to the action faster?"
All looked at Luffy, his hands at his sides, looking like he had just heard of a room full of meat and had been told that he could go through the wall to get it faster.
"Yes!" Nami said, a moment before Jinbe repeated it, same with Franky (albeit reluctantly).
"Great, let's do it!" Luffy raised his arms in rapt anticipation before he turned around and headed for his regular spot on the fighurehead, sharply followed by a nervous Franky.
"Please, Luffy, if we burst too much, it won't be as cool if we need it in combat!" the cyborg pleaded, but to no avail
"We're going on adventure! That's cool too! Load up the cola and we'll be off!"
Franky bowed his head, not willing to go against his captain but not being happy with it either.
Nami smiled as Jinbe prepared himself for the burst, all the while the rest of the crew either went inside or getting a firm grip on either ropes or the railing. Naturally, Usopp tied himself to the mast with chains and started praying to land safely (or if that didn't work, that his chains wouldn't snap or harm him upon hitting the water).
Nami sat down in front of the wheel, looking straight ahead into the horizon ahead of the Sunny (although it was a bit obstructed by her captains' Strawhat). Down on the main deck, Franky was loading barrels of cola into the tank of the cannon, sounding like he was about to complain about using all his precious fuel just for sailing, but an undertone to his voice told that he was also secretly excited to just use his and Iceburgs invention (but also that he wanted to make serious improvements in the future). Longer distance wouldn't be a bad idea Nami thought, or perhaps less cola consumption, but that really was way less important than getting away or moving forward. But right now, improvements took a secondary position to their mission:
Saving their friends.
And Nami looked forwards to it.
Perhaps Luffy's crazed greed for adventure was rubbing of on her.
Momentarily she thought that it'd be horrible if he mirrored some of her greed, demanding payment each time he saved her or listened to her for that reason…. The idea sent a shiver down her spine, if that ever happened, she'd be bankrupt within a week!
Fortunately, the big lug would never learn from example from one of his crew, that much was certain, and deep down, Nami was extremely thankful for that.
Naturally, she'd be more thankful when they'd reached their frineds.
It had been years since she'd seen Vivi and she'd have to remind Luffy and the crew that they'd have to show Shirahoshi a real surface forest with all different sorts of trees and birds and animals and she'd have Sanji introduce her to this Viola woman and make sure that the handmaid didn't feel left out of any of the fun they were going to have…..
The two she was a little lukewarm about meeting was those Kuja. She'd have enough experience with Shichibukai to steer clear of their underlings as well of their masters. But Luffy didn't speak ill of the Pirate empress so she assumed that her subordinates wouldn't be too bad to meet.
But first they'd have to find them.
But as the Coup De Burst was fired and the Sunny leapt into the air as a dolphin, Nami firmly believed that they'd find them soon.
(Somewhere on the sea)
Vivi yawned, it had been a long day already, and running from the fishman pirates and that other crew hadn't been the most relaxing experience.
Not that it had been particularly hard for her personally (when she'd sailed with the Strawhats that sort of thing was practically a Tuesday morning) at least not physically.
It was harder for Shirahoshi, being the only one that could pull the boat with all of them, plus whatever food they had left. And the huge mermaid had really pulled hard at the boat since they met those pirates and would-be-slavers, being all too terrified of them, which Vivi could understand, but it was especially hard for her as it was part of her own kingdom, her own countrymen that posed the threat to her, to them. Because of her own experiences with the civil war (courtesy of Crocodile), Vivi could relate.
Looking at her Dressrosan counterpart, Vivi could regrettably state that Viola hadn't woken up yet, her head resting on the pink haired handmaiden Rebecca's lap. Occasionally the younger woman would stroke her mistress hair, like an elderly woman petting a cat, not knowing what else to do.
Rindo was going through their food stocks, taking mental notes as to how much food they had (having lost some trying to fend of the fighting fish they didn't have food for several days, six people (one of whom was far larger than the others) could eat a large amount of food surprisingly fast).
Marguerite wasn't doing much except look at the group with something approaching sadness. Vivi didn't know why, but she felt it had something to do with what had happened today, but there was no way to be certain. Not yet.
She guessed she could talk to her about it at some point, perhaps when Viola was conscious, and they were less stressed.
Vivi's eyes lit up momentarily, she'd completely forgotten to talk about something with Rindo! Something she said while they infiltrated the beautiful pirates's ship (the narcissism flagship) with it's even more vanity-stricken captain and the pompously dressed crew.
Getting up and walking towards her, the dark haired Kuja immediately stopped what she was doing and watched her like a hawk.
"Hi, got a minute?"
"I think I have hours to be honest…." Her response was deadpan, but there was a brief moment where her eyes looked at the slightly shaking Shirahoshi, but not in a condescending or blaming way "….at least until nightfall that is"
"Well, true" Vivi responded with a small laugh "We might need to gather some firewood, perhaps get some better shelter than here on the beach" she finished, gesturing at the small campsite they'd chosen. Not much to look at, but better than remaining on the seas and be subject to the waves.
"Covering the fire would be enough I think, either that, or covering the marks from the keel and hide amongst the palms over there"
"Yeah that seems like a good idea for later…." Vivi was silent for a moment, not quite sure how to proceed "You mentioned something earlier at that ship earlier, remember?"
"About what?" Rindo kept going through the packets of crackers, small barrels of freshwater and the odd bottle of wine that had snuck into the provisions
"About…." Vivi struggled to remember "..oh yes! That… thing your mother wrote in her diary"
"Are you talking about your mothers?"
The voice had been timid, shaking and endearingly cute, and Vivi wasn't at all surprised that it belonged to Shirahoshi, the mermaid princess' hearing seemed on par with her size.
"Yes…erh, I mean no…" Vivi began, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as she tried to find a way to reasonably explain the situation.
"We got to talking when we infiltrated the ship, I mentioned something my mother wrote, nothing much really" Rindo responded offhandedly, not bothering with how much it sounded like she was brushing the question (and Shirahoshi) off.
The mermaid completely ignored the Kuja's curtness however, instead leaning downwards so to be better able to speak to them (and perhaps look less intimidating, but Vivi doubted that she considered herself such).
"What did you mother-sama write Rindo-sama?" Shirahoshi inquired, her large eyes shinning with that wonderful mix of interest and anticipation that Vivi recognised from her time on the Going Merry (Luffy loved pretty much everything he came across on the seas).
For a moment Rindo was silent, perhaps weighing the pros and cons of telling Shirahoshi that particular information (Vivi couldn't make herself think that it was to spare the mermaid any potential hurt or discomfort) "That Fishmen were a savage race and couldn't be trusted"
"….Oh…" Shirahoshi fell silent, a shade of grey appearing on her face as the words sunk in "… how many fishmen have your mother met?"
"None" Rindo looked lazily at Shirahoshi, her face emotionless, her lips only puffing on her cigarette. Meanwhile Vivi could only look back and forth between the two women, not being quite sure it was wise to base a view on a race on what seemed to be rumours.
"….Then how could she make that assertion?"
Taking another puff, Rindo paused looking thoughtful for a moment "….Someone told her, long ago, she mentioned him a few times in her diary…."
As Rindo fell silent, not knowing how to proceed, Vivi couldn't control her confusion
"Him? I thought that Amazon Lily was only inhabited by women?"
"It is"
"Then…. How do you…. Become more…?" Vivi began uncertainly, not being entirely comfortable with the subject matter and as she looked at her companions, their blushes showed her that they shared the sentiment.
"If a woman wants a daughter, they leave the island, comes back pregnant" the curt answer was given in such a matter of fact tone that should have calmed any interest in the subject, but given it's nature, Vivi couldn't help but blush a little.
"Sometimes, they're all happy to be home, while some hope they can go out again soon, don't know why though….." Rindo continued going through their meagre supplies, which left Vivi, Shirahoshi and Rebecca time to blush a deeper shade of red "Mother wanted to go back as soon as i was born though…. Don't know why, our home's great" She continued, only stopping when Vivi held up a hand in front of her, Rebecca and Shirahoshi doing the same. Cocking an eyebrow, Rindo observed them with calm, if confused eyes
"Why do you all look so nervous? Is there something behind me?" slowly reaching for a crate lid, Rindo looked like she was getting ready for a fight, eyes no longer observing them, but squinting a little, growing cold and calculating "Did those fishmen sneak up on us again?"
"NO!... no" Vivi waved her hands in front of her frantically, trying to distract the Kuja "We're just…. Having a bit of a cultural…. Misunderstanding, that's all!"
"Then…."
Vivi looked over at Marguerite, the blonde Kuja scratching her head in confusion
"What do you do to get a child?"
Vivi blushed madly now, the Kuja might be the more ferocious fighters, their warrior culture being renowned up and down the Grand Line (and probably below it too), but when it came to men and women on the rest of the sea, they were extremely unknowledgeable.
"Well…." Vivi began, not being certain how she could wiggle her way out of explaining the birds and the bees to the two pirates, both of whom were looking expectantly at her, silently pleading for an answer.
Help came from an unexpected front.
A happy squeal from Rebecca distracted the assembled women and as Vivi turned around, she could understand why.
Viola had woken up, her brows furrowing, a groan slowly escaping her lips.
When she looked up into Rebecca's eyes, the Dressrosan Princess couldn't do anything but smile.
"VIOLA-SAN! YOU'RE AWAKE!"
Even as the pinkhaired girl hugged her tightly, still saying her name as if she had been in mortal peril, Viola smiled gratefully, even if it appeared to Vivi that she was in danger of going deaf from all the Viola-san the girl was spouting.
The older woman waking up had been a godsent save for Vivi, who wasn't late to capitalize on the change and suggest that they could move on.
Hopefully, Vivi wouldn't need to explain basic procreation to the Kuja anytime soon…
(on the sunny, several hours later)
"So this is it? This is as far as you two's visions go?"
Looking at her captain and the ships' chef, Nami couldn't help but feel a tad of pride as at least one looked down in shame and depression. Luffy wasn't paying attention and was looking at the seas in all directions, annoyance evident on his face.
"Nami-san, you really can't blame this on Snaji-san and Luffy" turning around, Nami looked at Jinbe, standing behind the wheel as if he'd never done anything else, steering the ship through the calm waters "we knew from their campsite that they had somehow gotten supplies and a boat, so of course they'd try to get away on their own"
Nami could only pout and look down in shame at his words, he was right obviously, but she really wanted to went her frustrations at someone, and those that could actually help them home in on a course were both completely out of visions at the moment.
Sanji's perv-voyancy was down for the moment and Luffy didn't feel that he was losing out on any excitement either.
So neither could get a… signal.
It ws beyond frustrating. Nami was the navigator, she was in charge of setting the course, she used maps and charts and common sense and logic…. And her bountiful experience at predicting weather patterns. Being reliant on two nitwits' sudden and unpredictable fancies which came and went like the wind turned in the New World…. Was a bit intolerable for her.
Taking a deep breath and counting to ten had lost its' charm and effect years ago so now all Nami could think of that might ease her nerves were finding some treasure along the way (preferably an evil country's ransom or the tribute meant for the tenryubito (or even the bounty from one of their enemies, that'd be nice too, really nice in fact, their finances hadn't been the best lately)).
But thoughts about economy had to stand aside, they had friends to save!
While Nami looked at a map for the umpteenth time, Franky walked up the stairs to join them on the bridge.
"Okay, I'm gone over the stocks, we've got enough Coal for about 2 shots, but not anymore"
"what's with the about, Franky-san?"
"Well Jinbe, I've got my own needs too you know" Franky smiled at him, clicking his nose and exchanging his usual haircut with one shaped like a barrel "We'll need to get more soon, I've got needs you know"
Nami sighed
Great! More expenses, if this continued they might have to act their profession and board a merchant ship.
"What's that?"
Turning to Luffy, Nami saw him standing at the railing, pointing down at something.
When she joined him, she saw what he meant.
A huge dark…something! was sloshing around in the water, it's huge form bopping up and down in the water, being covered by the water now and then.
Jinbe looked at them thoughtfully, a hand on his chin.
"That's afish" he eventually stated
"That's very perceptive Jinbe" Sanji cut in, his voice filled with sarcasm "Did the fins give it away?"
"Can I eat it?"
Nami slapped Luffy over the head, part by reflex, part by experience "Don't say that! Don't you remember last time you just went and ate a fish right out of the ocean?!"
"Yeah, it was yummy, especially the skin!" Luffy smiled and licked his lips, oblivious to the danger he had been in at the time, and the one he was in at the present, Nami being more than a little tempted to slap him silly. Fortunately for the Strawhat captain, Nami settled for yelling at him.
"YOU ALMOST DIED!"
"This ain't the same fish is it?" Luffy drooled on, a small part of his brain starting to understand that it might be a good idea to listen to his navigator for a change.
Meanwhile, down in the water, the fish had bumped into the Sunny, which led to the black body turning over in the water.
Nami took in the sight with some rising dread. It wasn't that the fish was almost as large as the Sunny that scared her.
Nor was it the vicious horns on either side of it's head.
Or the fanged teeth that was trapped in a bloodthirsty grin.
It was the fact that it bore numerous battlescars, slashes from swords, wounds from polearms and damages to its' body and head that looked like they had been inflicted with fists alone!
Someone dangerous were in these waters that was for sure!
Next to her, Luffy had stopped drooling and looked down at the fish thoughtfully, Nami didn't believe that it was a good sign.
"I think I've seen one of this before… just can't remember….. oh well" the captain shrugged, much to Nami's dismay
"It's one of the fighting fish we encountered in Dressrosa Luffy, those are some bloodthirsty beasts" Sanji informed the group "I could cook it, but I think the meat has turned bad by all those injuries"
"What's more important…" Jinbe interrupted the chef
"….what dealt the damage" Franky finished for him, one of the shipwrights' metallic hands already extending down and tugging at the mouth of the fish, trying to free something from its' teeth.
When he finally got it free, the cyborg examined the object.
"It's a piece of wood…" was all Franky could state, looking at the wood, a bent nail connecting it to another, the fishes' teeth having sawed through some of it, and bitten through another.
"Not just that" Jinbe reached for the flotsam, examining it more closely "It's the same type of wood as the trahs we found on the beach from before"
"Which means that we're on the right track" Nami smiled at the news reaching for her maps and charts.
Going over what she knew of the local sea currents, Nami could quickly see where the fish might have come from, as long as it hadn't been thrown off to the side or somehow flown from somewhere else.
And with Jinbe at the wheel, the sunny began to pick up speed rapidly.
(on the seas, around dusk)
Vivi yawned as she stretched, her back against an almost empty barrel of drinking water.
After their meeting of two groups of Princess hunters, their little group had decided against making camp anywhere near the rocky archipelago. Instead, the crew had decided, especially considering that Viola-san was not unconscious anymore and thus fit for travel, that they could go a little further than before, perhaps continue into the night and avoid any more sudden pirate attacks.
That was not to say there were not dangers involved with sailing at night. More than once they'd been forced to steer clear of some very long ships that patrolled the waters like a frenzy of sharks, but now they were pretty much alone on the sea, neither a ship nor a raft in sight. There were however, a few isles that could hide them if need be, but the same could be said of a pirate ship, or worse, more slavers.
But right now she couldn't help but love the gentle splash of the waves as they hit the boat. Shirahoshi had begun swimming gently through the water with the boat instead of hauling it around, not only was it far less tiring, but it also allowed her to chat with those that were sitting in the boat.
And chat they did.
Rindo and Marguerite had still some questions about men and women, but fortunately for Vivi (and, she assumed, for Rebecca and Shirahoshi) Viola had plenty of experience in that department, so they were off the hook for explaining the mechanics.
"….so basically if you like a guy, you go on a date with him and if he is gallant and kind and attractive and cute and…." Viola droned on, a small blush playing on her cheeks while her eyes shone like little Christmas lights. To Vivi's delight she hadn't yet come to the part where things became…. Private.
"That doesn't' answer our question about pregnancy at all" Rindo stated bluntly, looking straight at her while smoking her last cigarette.
"I'm coming to that, first you have to have a man….." Viola continued, visibly annoyed at being interrupted
"So that's a prerequisite?"
"What's a perereguisid?" Marguerite cut in, scratching her temple in confusion
Grunting in annoyance, Rindo turned to her comrade who sat next to her, and not for the first time Vivi noted how much the two of them looked, at least in the waning light, and if you ignored the different haircuts the two of them could pass as twins.
"It's something you have to have in order to get something else"
"Like haki and a snake for being one of the empress personal warriors?"
"Yes, pretty much" turning back to Viola Rindo opened her mouth to speak again "If you'd continue, that'd be perfect"
"Yes… a man is a prerequisite for getting pregnant…" Viola began hesistantly, to Vivi it appeared that she half expected to be interrupted again (she wasn't disappointed)
"Do you speak out of experience on this matter?" Rindo's question took Viola off guard, making her blush all the harder, her shoulders trembling a little and for an extended moment she was speechless as her nervous eyes darted from Rindo, to Shirahoshi, to Vivi, Marguerite and ending up on Rebecca, where she grew visibly nervous, sweating a little and starting to avoid eye contact.
"Tha-that-that's…." Viola began stuttering, her blush turning a deeper red than before as she tried to find a suitable response, looking nervously at Rebecca for some reason, which really wasn't a good idea when dealing with someone as attentive as the Kuja.
"So you know something she doesn't?" Marguerite spoke to Rebecca, who began to blush at the question
"SHE MOST CERTAINLY DOES NOT!" Viola responded angrily, an arm raised defensively in front of the pink haired girl. The Kuja's response wasn't much better, eyes narrowing and reaching for object to use as weapons. Vivi knew that at least Rindo wasn't much for thrusting anyone and she had apparently shared her views with a sliglty reluctant Marguerite. The situation had grown from awkward to downright dangerous in the matter of seconds.
"Perhaps it's best if we didn't talk too much about this with Viola-sama, she seems upset" Shirahoshi cut in, much to the relief of Vivi. Had things escalated they might have a serious problem on their hands. Fortunately, the two Kuja seemed to tolerate the suggestion, at least for the time being.
"By the way.." Vivi began, drawing every ones attention "… Rindo-saan, did your mother ever mention who told you mother those… interesting things?"
For a moment the Kuja looked like she was considering the question.
"eerrh, Ri-" Vivi began after a while of not getting any response, only for Rindo to hold up a silencing finger.
"I read it years ago, can't rember it properly, F…. something, Fe, Freeeer….?" The kuja tried without any luck, scratching her chin trying to remember the name
"Fruit I think… Fruit-something or another, Seller perhaps"
"A fruit merchant told your mother that horrible thing?" Vivi looked aghast at the Kuja. All Rindo did in response was to nod "Yeah, that's what he was called Fruit Merchant, didn't say much about him besides that"
At her seat Rebecca began to giggle "Perhaps it was your dad" snorting the pinkhaired girl tried to stifle a teasing laugh. Both Kuja just looked at her, silent and with raised eyebrows.
"What's a… dadde?"
Vivi looked at the befuddled pirates with more than a bit of surprise, well figures, if they're only women on Amazon Lily, they don't have fathers… poor girls
"A dad is the same as a father"
"So a man-parent?"
"Yes, exactly"
Both Marguerite and Rindo leaned back, deep in thought about what they' had just heard, both with a strange faraway look in their eyes, as if their whole world view had been turned upside down.
The rest of the women merely shrugged at the Kuja's ignorance of the rest of the world.
They didn't have much time to talk about other things however, as a moment later, a loud splash erupted off to the portside!
A collective scream followed from several of the women, shocked and afraid of the new development. The following wave would have capsized their boat if Shirahoshi hadn't held on to it, yet still there were crates and barrels that tipped over and Vivi herself fell into the bottom of the boat, landing on her elbows and tore her dress in the process.
"IS IT THE SLAVERS AGAIN?" Marguerite blurted out, looking at the water, half expecting another fighting fish to emerge from the deeps.
"NO! LOOK!"
As soon as Vivi had hoisted herself up against a crate, she could see what Rebecca had meant.
Looking across the waves, three of the ships they'd seen earlier had appeared from behind one of the islands.
In the advancing darkness little detail could be seen upon them.
One thing was certain however, made even more evident from the second projectile the landed in the water starboard side, not 3 meters from Shirahoshi.
The mermaid didn't waste any time (except for screaming) and started to tug at the boat, swiftly accelerated herself and the vessel through the water and away from danger.
Vivi wasn't confident that the mermaid could outrun the range of the huge cannons that seemed to be positioned right in the front of the hostile ships.
(On the Sunny)
Nami almost yelled as soon as Sanji ran for the bridge screaming his lungs out for Jinbe to change their course as he could sense the princesses being in danger.
Next to her, Jinbe squirmed as he removed the fingers from his ears, while all the others around the dinner table did the same (except for Zoro who was busy both drinking and cursing the chef for his cooking).
"Perhaps I should go after him before the ship turns?"
"That might be a pretty good idea Jinbe-chan" Nami confided, hoping against reason that it wouldn't give her (or her friends) any seasickness.
As soon as the ship began to turn sharply, as if it was caught in a storm, the nights dinner began to fly all over the place, most of the plates of fighting fish, either baked, roasted, stewed or made into a delectable sushi (and the assorted accompaniments) only avoiding being spilled due to Robins' devilfruit ability. A dozen arms held unto the platters and the cutlery, even as the different members of the crew began to land, butts, cheeks and front first on the floor and the furniture of the kitchen.
Nami was perceptive enough to hold unto the table, and so did not curse like the rest of the crew present.
Zoro was lying in a puddle of Sake, fish dishes and salad, with a plate of spaghetti and mushroomsauce mixed into his otherwise green hair could have been hilarious under different circumstances, but the look in his one open eye would stop anyone sane from doing so in less than a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, Luffy was too stupid to be sane, and even as his state wasn't much better, Sushi and fishstew intermingling all over his body, he couldn't supress a hearty laugh at the swordsmans' expense, much to the latter's chagrin.
Usopp swore as he tried to rise from the slippery floor, being helped by a more joyus Brook (lucky bastard was too light to slip on the greased-up floor) and Franky (who in contrast was too heavy to be bothered with a little sauce spill).
Carrot and Chopper were laughing like crazy at the scene, copying Luffy's reaction. Outside Nami could hear Jinbe yell at Sanji for getting him thrown overboard. The subsequent loud splash that could be heard from the outside told a satisfying tale of justified revenge being both swift and decisive.
As she got out on the bridge she could see that the water… whatever it was Jinbe had fired at him, had little effect. The steam was coming off of him, surrounding him like an aura, his tongue hanging out off his mouth like that of a dog and his eyes "starring" straight ahead (having ones pupil turning into eyes made it hard to determine where they were looking, Nami assumed it was in the direction they were pointing).
Deciding against scolding him like she wanted to (which was unnecessary both because of their new helmsmans' retribution, and because Zoro would exit the kitchen as soon as he had drunk all the spilled alcohol and immediately chew out the chef to the best of his ability).
Fortunately, Sanji was coherent enough in his explanation that Nami could pinpoint an area that their friends were in from her maps.
"Ok, now we just have to get there…" Nami began, before she was interrupted by the rest of the crew.
"Franky, load the Coup De Burst!"
"Can't do that Luffy, we don't have much cola left!"
"Yeah Luffy, we need that to get away if it's too tough for us!"
"Stop worrying Usopp, it'll be fine! Think of how much fun we'll have!"
"Luffy, Usopp and Franky are right!" Nami noted to her satisfaction that her captain was listening to her for a change, turning towards her with a slightly disappointed (and definitely sour) look on his face.
"You'll have plenty of excitement when we save our friends, this whole search is one big adventure after all!"
"No it isn't! We've just been sailing around since for ever, not knowing if we'd find them or not! I want to find them as soon as we can!"
Nami frowned, wanting to pinch the bridge of her nose (or slap her captain silly), but on a level she could understand his impatience, it had been troubling her for a while as well. But personal opinions and emotions had too be put on hold when it came to efficiency.
"Luffy if Sanji is right and they're in danger, it's better we…"
"GET THERE FASTER!"
"NO!; KNOW WHAT WE'RE IN FOR YOU DUNDERHEAD!" She roared at him, joined by both Usopp, Chopper and Carrot.
After having told him three times, it finally seemed to sink in, and after both making sure that Luffy couldn't take the submersible either (reminding him that he still hadn't had food worked wonders sometimes) and Nami had improved their sailing speed by filling the sails with a well timed Gust Sword, The Strawhat Pirates' ship, the Thousand Sunny, moved onwards.
(In the main castle of the Germa Kingdom, in the evening)
Cobra had expected a wild story when the kings gathered around the Prodence King and the petite head chef of the Germa's main castle.
The girl had still been shaking like a leaf after the ordeal (Though Cobra half expected it was because she was surrounded by men of power, which kings naturally were, one of which were her own liege, whom she seemed more than a little terrified of).
Elizabello scowled and seemed more disappointed than upset at what had happened.
The Prodence King could only tell that they'd been at a cosy little restaurant where Niji were about to get some food (which seemed odd to Elizabello, since there were going to be a banquet not much later in the evening) and when the fighting king had turned around to visit the men's room a loud crash had erupted from the dining area, followed by several more, not to mention all the panicked shouts and screams of men and women alike.
When he'd emerged from the men's room (through the wall no less) he'd found that most of the restaurant had been abandoned and demolished, little chef girl to one side looking horrified at the crater that had appeared in the middle of the floor amidst broken walls and shattered furniture.
When he looked down into the crater, Elizabello had been forced to agree that ithad been some sight: Prince Niji of the Germa Kingdom, battered, beaten and bowed like one of the fighting kings' own sandbags, blood dripping from bruises, his clothes torn from being hammered into walls, tables and cutlery, his glasses shattered and his mouth jammed full of broken chairs and the remains of someone else's dinner.
"It looked like a sack that had been filled to capacity I tell ya!" Elizabello said as he ended his tale "I think I dug a fullsize boar out of his mouth! And it's piglets! ALL….. On a Silver Platter! And then there were the stuff that had been forced into his ears….."
Blinking a few times at the very idea of what his son had been put through, Judge eventually turned to Cosette "WHAT….. happened?" the first word was yelled, the other set somewhere between normal and a hoarse, throat-wringing whisper, the kind that were only used by dying men and those whom would soon seek vengeance. When he was done the King of Germa looked like he was ready to give up from mere shock alone.
Stammering her way through an explanation, Cosette almost couldn't control her fear, but eventually Cobra started to make sense of the whole situation:
They'd visited a restaurant as Elizabello had stated, and after he'd left, Cosette had been spoken to by an odd, and very large man under a cloak.
The man had stated he could tell she was a chef, didn't say how, and had started, for gods knew what reason, to order food from her, while he was eating the before mentioned boar (and piglets!).
The most esteemed prince Niji (in Cosettes' own words) had stepped in to stop the man behaving inappropriately, at which point the man had escalated his behaviour in great excess.
The man had attacked Prince Niji and destroyed the restaurant completely!
After that Cobra had left the light hospital area, leaving Judge and the other Vinsmokes to have a moment to themselves.
Cobra saw right through the whole thing.
Hell, he heard through it!
As soon as he'd left the tower he could hear the fighting break out, the complaints, the blame and the chastising flying around like a murder of crows, some howls of rage and confusion.
In short: the very picture of a family that was used to one thing and was getting something completely different.
As he was pushed through the dark and metallic hallways of the main castles outskirts, Cobra couldn't help but smile. Throughout his stay as the Germa's guest, the Vinsmokes had tried to display themselves as the perfect royal family, dignified, proud and completely cut off from their subjects.
It was all an act to make them look good before the other kings they were hosting, and why wasn't hard too realise. Pell had been right that the Vinsmokes had been planning something and Judge-dono's previous offer had only proven it even more.
To a more benevolent ruler like Cobra, it was a mark of the kind of royalty that the world hated, and to him, the world were the people put before, the ones who led them.
Most royalty had it the other way around, like Flevance in North Blue for example.
Taking another turn down the ever darkening corridor, a thought struck Cobra:
"Pell…." his voice was low, lower than it ought to be, as if he was about to fall asleep, but it also spoke of a man that was alert.
"Yes your highness, I sense it too…."
"No need to sense anything, just look"
"Yes… it's pitch black here…" Pell tensed behind Cobra, his grip on the handles of the wheelchair tightening "And there should be guards here too…."
"Indeed, there should be life…. Servants…. Soldiers…."
"Do you think it's an ambush?"
"I doubt it, we're already in the grasp of the Vinsmokes, they'd get nothing by killing us before they get what they want" Cobra gritted his teeth.
As soon as he'd finished his sentence, a sound began to ring down the corridor. Short, deliberate and full of sarcasm.
Someone, out in the darkness, was applauding him!
Three claps was all he was given, too slow to show any joy from whomever the clapper was and that in itself spoke volumes. If only he could manage to read the pages at one point.
Whomever had applauded him, hadn't made a sound beyond that, all Cobra could hear were his and Pells' breath and the occasional squeak of his wheelchair.
"And what do they want?"
The voice was strangely hollow and dry, as if the speaker was a ghost in a tomb, like one of the mummies he'd been told stories of when he was a child. If he wasn't sick already, he'd be terrified.
"You tell me" Cobra began to respond, a trickle of sweat starting to run down his forehead "You seemed so knowledgeable before, or was that just an act?"
Again the slow clap came, three times again, still without Cobra being able to pinpoint where the person was.
But somehow, the king of Alabasta could feel that the person was close.
"It's a question of math really" the voice began, still as stone and as sure as destiny
"Math?" Pell began, confused at the strangers' words, and a little irritated that they didn't explain it better
"three and three…" Cobra began, his face grave, his teeth gritted so tight together that his jaws were beginning to hurt.
"Your highness, what do you mean by…."
"Three princesses are missing…. And here comes a king with three princes, simple math…." The assured voice came again, interrupting Pell, like a lightning bolt from a clear sky.
"So that's their plan…." Pell began to draw the wheelchair back as he spoke, trying to distance Cobra from the voice, something about the person made his ears prick and the hairs at the back of his head stand on end.
"Exactly…." The voice came out of the darkness again, closer this time around "…with the Germa's recent mistake of trying to ally with Big Mom, they're in need Of Allies, and three kingdoms that have suffered under the yoke of Yonko and the mistakes of the marines, seems to be in need of allies aswell"
Cobra looked shocked into the blackness, his shock prevalent in his tone "They tried to allly with Big Mom? Who were they going to sell off to that old hag?"
"Why the black sheep of the family off course…" the voice continued, coming from his left, but Cobra could tell that Pell coul feel the person's presence to the right. Naturally the bodyguard pulled the wheelchair a little faster backwards, seeking an escape from the stranger.
"Who would that be?" Cobra blurted out, trying to distract the voice from what his bodyguard was doing.
"Reiju, ichiji, Niji, Yonji…." The voice recited, clam as a gentle breeze, but there was a storm beneath it somewhere, both Pell and Cobra could feel as much. Whomever they were dealing with, were strong, and they knew it!
"There's one missing…." Cobra began, catching on faster than Pell did "0, 1, 2, and 4…. Sanji-kun is a Vinsmoke!" he said it outloud, genuinely shocked, but forcing up the volume any way, trying to alert anyone nearby to what was going on here.
"Yes… the little chef turned out to be a Prince. You're catching on faster than I expected of you, Cobra Nefertari"
"How did you know who I am… I can't even see a hand in front of me"
"Experience, knowledge…. And I read your medical report"
"WHAAA?!" Cobra could genuinely not control his surprise at this, this man had been in the hospital wing, going through his personal papers…. But why?
"Why would you be interested in my health?" Cobra was shaking a little now anger and surprise mixing together in the bottom of his stomach.
"I'm not" the voice responded in a manner matter of fact tone "I just got bored as I eave-stropped on the tall tale the chef told you"
"And how would you know it was a tall tale? Unless you were there…"
"Yes…" the voice responded, the tone indicating neither urgency nor emotion. "The girl lied a lot, but that is inconsequential to me"
"How so? What, if I may ask, happened exactly" Still Pell pulled Cobra backwards, and still the voice did not get more distant, the person was obviously following them. Good, was all Cobra could think at the time.
"I was trying to enjoy my mediocre meal….. the chef didn't know how to season it properly, then I have the fortune to meet a chef that in contrast knew what she was doing, so I began conversing with the little girl…" the voice droned on, seemingly oblivious to how unnerving their presence were to Pell and Cobra.
"how did you know that Cosette-chan was a chef?" Pell said, his eyes fixed ahead of him, while still pulling his liege's wheelchair backwards.
"Girl was perceptive of her surroundings and was scrutinizing the dishes in the restaurant even more than I were… the burns on her hands from boiling oil and cuts from knives were another indication of her trade"
Cobra was starting to be afraid of this person, anyone that paid that much attention to detail was bound to be a problem.
"So you wanted her to cook a meal for you? That's all you did?"
"Indeed, then the little prince got impatient and tried to assault me" the voice stopped, and a deep condescending chuckle travelled down the hall, the voice's opinion on the germa princes' capability being plain to both Pell and Cobra, and given the state that Niji had arrived in, Cobra agreed wholeheartedly. If he had been a sadist, he was pretty sure he'd have joined in the chuckle.
"If that's true, then Cosette-chan lied about what happened, but…." Pell began, trying to keep the voice distracted as he sped up their escape, hoping that the voice and whomever the person were would soon be revealed by the light. With every step it felt as if the darkness became a little bit thinner, and soon they might see an outline of whomever it was that had attacked the prince earlier.
"Not hard to understand why, as soon as the pest started talking she acted like she was staring down aa gun barrel, and with good reason I'd say" the voice continued, the person behind it never straying far from the two men, even as it started to become lighter in the hall.
"You're coming with some pretty harsh accusations against my hosts right now…" Cobra began, hoping that some sort of guard would hear them and come investigate.
"Accusations are aa light word for it, what I offer is judgements, but before I can judge you King of Alabasta, there is something I'm not aware of…"
"And what would that be?" Cobra wrinkled his brow in confusion, the tone of the voice for the first time gaining an edge of uncertainty.
"You know that You're dying…" the voice began tentatively, the owner calmly observing Cobra from somewhere in the darkness before him "… so are you really that foolish to try and save your daughter with what little time you have left?" the voice finished, leaving Cobra stunned, not because the speaker knew of his condition (he'd read his medical report after all), more because the voices' owner didn't understand common empathy or the love a parent had for their children.
Behind him, Cobra could feel Pelll fuming and itching to assault the speaker, either with words of his own or with his sword. Holding up a hand to stop him subordinate, Cobra began to speak, his voice firm and strong, despite his disease, he could stand behind every word.
"Vivi is my daughter! If I didn't try and save her what father would I be?"
"One that might live a few months longer" the response shot back like a bullet, making Cobra scowl.
"It's worth it, if you had any children of your own, you wouldn't hesitate to aid them if they needed it!"
Now, all he got in response was a scoff, the stranger seemingly not believing him in the least.
But from the sound of rapid approaching footsteps, Cobra didn't care in the least about that.
"HE'S HERE!, THE ASSAILANT OF PRINCE NIJI IS HERE IN THE CASTLE!"
(on the seas)
Vivi looked backwards again, their mermaid-drawn dinghy had begun to rapidly outpace their three pursuers.
But at the same time, Shirahoshi was growing more and more tired, which to Vivi was understandable, the poor girl had been pushed hard all day, and a short rest hadn't been enough to restore her energies (days of stress and second grade rations had their part to play as well).
In the advancing darkness however, Vivi was sure they'd lose whomever was chasing them this time. Even if Shirahoshi was running low on steam.
Meanwhile the pursuers kept firing in the water around them, but never close enough for them to be damaged in any way, were they really that bad shots?
Eventually, as another cannonball thundered into the water on the boats' portside, Vivi decided that the more incompetent these pursuers were, the better.
"YOU'RE DOING GREAT SHIRAHOSHI!" Vivi yelled to her labouring friend "A FEW MORE MINUTES AND WE'LL DEFINETLY LOOSE THEM!"
In the darkness that was beginning to reign over the sea, Vivi could barely see the look on Shirahoshi's face as she turned her head around to look at her. But she was getting more and more tired by the minute, that much was obvious.
As Shirahoshi did a ship right turn to avoid another projectile, Vivi noted something that had appeared ahead of them.
"Wha….?"
"MORE SHIPS!" Marguerite yelled, gripping onto one of the barrels in the boat "INCOMMING!"
A mere moment later, a cannonball blasted into the surface on their starboardside, causing Shirahoshi to twist and turn again, going backwards towards their previous pursuers.
"Shirahoshi-chan!" Vivi gasped, unsure of what was going to happen "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She yelled while standing up in the rocking vessel.
A hand yanked har back down to a more stable position, making her topple onto her back "She's trying to make them stop shooting" Vivi looked up into the eyes of Viola "If we're close to the ships, they're unlikely to fire, just in case they hit their comrades!"
Vivi could see the logic of that, and so could their attackers, for in the next moment, a cone of light erupted from the first ships, bathing their vessel in whiteness.
"They can't see us properly" Rebecca said out loud "So if we get in between them fast, we can escape!"
Shirahoshi didn't say anything, she just swam to the best of her ability, despite being blinded by the spot that the attackers pointed straight at her, the mermaid princess managed to avoid them on several turns, despite the projectiles slamming down at their sides corralling them in and forcing them to stay in the light.
To Vivi, it appeared to make little difference to Shirahoshi, the large mermaid speeding onwards like a bullet, dragging the boat behind her like a child would a baloon on a trip to an amusement park. Which was more sinister than it sounded, sharp tuggs and pulls would eventually make the baloon float away, a danger which Vivi was getting more and more afraid of by the second.
But, the chain that Shirahoshi pulled the boat with held, and they were nearing the first ships that had shot towards them.
Behind them, the new ships had stopped firering, just like they'd hoped, for fear of hitting their comrades.
up close, Vivi could make out a little of the ships in the dying light of the passing day.
Long and slender ships as she'd previously observed, a longbarrelled cannon on the bow, the huge weapons still smoking from their last salvo.
from the masts flew the same flag, unsurprisingly, it was a pirate crews' Jolly Roger.
It wasn't one Vivi was familiar with, it was the usual skull and crossbones obviously, its' single noteworthy characteristic being the skull having an unusually high forehead (It looked like one of the Marine Vice admirals she'd seen at Reverie, Strawferry or something? Truth be told: Vivi hadn't payed much attention to all the marines that were present, there'd been an army after all!).
But all that didn't matter, in a few short moments, they'd pass by the ships and make a swift escape.
the whole boat shook as a cannonball thundered down in the water to the portside, making all the girls within it scream and cringe at the shock. At this point, they were close enough to the ships, that they could be heard on it, and vice versa. Already Vivi could hear excited howls from the crews' officers, barking orders to get them trapped in the spot, so they could shoot at them propperly.
It was futile.
they were already too close for thier cannons.
In the short span of time, darkness had almost completely descended upon the waves, the last few rays of red, orange and near purple light mirroring upon the surface of the sea, making whatever obstructed their path appear vast and infinetly more monstrous than it would in normal lightning, such as the ships they were approaching at a rapid pace.
The cone were upon them again, though it focussed more on Shirahoshi than on their little craft.
The large mermaid didn't seem to bother with avoiding it anymore, and Vivi agreed, they were too close for the attackers to attack them now, a few more seconds and they'd be be able to make a succesful escape. The ships had no way of turning around to pursue them and Vivi couldn't see any more of the long ships behind them. There was also less danger for them to be shot at any more, from her time as a pirate, Vivi had never heard of a ship that had a cannon placed in the rear.
As their craft shot through the water between the ships, large cones of bright, blinding light bathing both the dinghy and Shirahoshi in warmth, Vivi smiled confidently.
They were going to make it!
She smiled with mirth at the shouts from the attackers, yelling that their little group had gone in between which ships.
Then a loud howl echoed across the ships, drowning out all other sounds.
"PUUUUUUUUULLLLLLL!"
Vivi scarcely had time to comprehend the word, before their boat came too a sudden halt that sent her, and everyone in the boat, loose their hold and slam into the bottom of the boat, the cones of light concentrating on them, casting pitch black shadows beneathe their fallen forms.
Raising her throbbing head above the railing, Vivi saw to her horror what had happened.
A giant, dark net had been raised from the dephts between the ships, their thick masks holding a weary Shirahoshi like a giant fish caught by a trawler. Vivi watched the mermaids' shoulders tremble each time she took a deep, rapid and exhausted breath. It felt like a stab in the heart for her.
Even if they somehow managed to get free of the net (which Rindo and Marguerite had already begun to cut with pieces of crates, but with little luck) there was practically no way for them to escape!
Slowly the net ascended, dragging the mermaid and the dinghy upwards.
Vivi could see that they were surrounded, the crewmembers that were not busy pulling at sturdy ropes connected to the net, were aiming long rifles and pistols at them.
It was unlikely that they'd fired any killshots, at least intentionally, but thei group had little choice but to surrender.
a concclusion they all arrived to without a word.
Much to the joy and celebration of the attackers,
the women, as one, raised their arms, admitting defeat,
and submitting to their captors.
End of chapter 8
I'd like to thank the new followers of this fic (and potential watchers) for their attention and I hope that you've enjoyed the story thus far, there's going to be many more new chapters in the future.
Threads this time around:
The Strawhats: are to rapidly catch up to their missing friends.
The Princesses: Viola is back up and the girls keep on moving, right into a trap.
The princes hunters: one more crew joins the fray!
The royals: Germa has been infiltrated, and Cobra is standing right before him!
Rnr if you'd be so kind, I can't get better without some feedback