Happy Thanksgiving,

Enjoy the time you have with your loved ones! We're heading into the holiday season but I hope you take the time to enjoy the company of people close to you and appreciate your memories with them.

I noticed in the last chapter, Walter's weapon is called a slugfist (it is actually a slungshot) which lead me to noticing a couple other errors I fixed up but I will admit, I am not the best proofreader. It's always been a weakness of mine though I reread each chapter a few times before posting. This is going to be a long series and I may not notice some errors along the way. That's why I am thankful when errors are kindly pointed out so I can fix them.

11/26/2022

Log 9: Twin Cape Town! The Navigator's a kid?

The descent down Reverse Mountain was smoother than the ascent so the Viper pirates enjoyed the ride, screaming all the way. It wasn't long before they were shrouded in the cloud cover again.

Mary blinked when a yellow blur passed on the port side of the ship. Then another colorful blur passed by and then another. "What are those?"

"Houses," Valker replied, bracing against the railing. "Get ready."

"Houses?"

"I can answer this!" Yuuna said, eagerly, her tone shifting into a grandiose manner. "For years a single lighthouse stood proudly at the base of Reverse Mountain with an old doctor as its caretaker and a giant whale as its guardian. The whale had been left behind by its crew because of the dangers of Grandline. The whale waited over fifty years to be reunited with his crew who, by the way, joined the Pirate King's crew-"

"We'll be at the bottom before you finish!" Agni yelled.

"-Not long after, pirates inspired by the finding of the One Piece but pirates without a crew started to camp out around the lighthouse, waiting for ships to pass by the lighthouse and have an opportunity to join them. Tents became houses and houses…."

The water sprayed in all directions as the Marina hit the bottom of the mountain and slowed to stop. The lighthouse, weathered by years, stood proudly. Behind it was a hodgepodge of colorful buildings built into the Redline.

"And houses became a town! Welcome to Twin Cape Town." Yuuna introduced.

"Twin Cape Town is considered a neutral zone for travelers to rest but it is essentially a pirate town." Valker explained.

"So cool!" Mary awed.

"Hebi will watch the ship." said Valker.

"YES!" Agni cheered. "I always wanted to visit."

"We don't have to worry about your bounties?" Yuuna asked.

Agni grinned. "Our bounties are a positive here, gives us a reputation."

Valker sent him a chastising glare. "We're not here to play around. That marine ship could still follow us and we have to get a navigator to have a chance of surviving the Grandline."

Mary waved to the ship as they departed. "We'll be back, Marina! Snakey will take care of you!"

The town was as lively as the brightly colored houses suggested and brimming with sailors partying. The Viper pirates barely made it out of the docks before encountering several parties, a couple brawls and heated competitions. Not to mention a good amount of pirates already passed out from drinking booze and with a few less possessions in their pockets.

The pirates found themselves outside a bar.

"Let's start here." Valker said.

Yuuna grinned and grabbed onto Mary. "I wanna see you play poker."

"But poker's boring." Mary whined as she was dragged inside.

"Don't just go off!" Valker reprimanded but was ignored. He made to follow but turned back to Agni, "You coming?" Agni was staring off towards the shaded alleys. "Agni?"

"Huh?" Agni smiled. "I wanna get some herbs, see yah later."

Valker said nothing as his cook walked away and entered the building alone. The bar was just as rowdy inside as the streets.

Yuuna and Mary already had joined a poker game in the corner with some of the patrons. The other players were already getting uncomfortable under the mink's blank stare as she already zoned out, much to Yuuna's amusement. Muttering about slackers under his breath, the young pirate captain slid onto a stool at the bar.

"I'm looking to recruit a navigator." Valker stated to the bartender.

"Ask around, there are enough sailors with navigational skill looking to hitch a ride," was the bartender's reply.

Valker nodded a surveyed the raggedy bunch of pirates partying, "Anyone who stands out?"

"Not really. Like I said, these guys are looking to start their pirating career," the bartender watched one man collapse, booze pouring out of his mouth, "Or drink themselves under the table."

"Come on 'tender," a man with hair shaped like the spikes of a sea urchin swaggered over and sat next to Valker. "Some of us are clearly better than the rest."

Valker asked. "Are you a navigator?"

The urchin man laughed. "Best navigator in all of the South Blue and you're Backstabber Valker, aren't yah? You're bounty recently got released."

"That's right."

"Lucky! To meet such a bigshot before anyone else!" the pirate laughed and took a swig of his drink. "I'm look'n to join a promising crew. I want to gain all the treasures this ocean has to offer."

"I don't care if you have your own goal as long as you listen to my orders," Valker explained.

"Fine by me, captain." The pirate laughed. "I'm Chance. How many do you have on board?"

"Four others,"

"Small crew but you can count the Pirate King's crew on two hands so what do I know? One of them's Burning Crackerjack? I heard you completely demolished his crew."

Valker paused before taking his next drink. "I did."

"Who are the others?"

"Hebi," Valker replied. Hebi slithered up his torso to peer over his shoulder.

"Holy shit!" Chance yelped. "A VIPER!"

Valker frowned. "A constrictor."

"Right, right." Chance said, trying to laugh it off. "Are the last two members snakes too?"

Valker jerked his thumb over to where Yuuna and Mary were playing poker. Yuuna had a scheming look upon her face but Mary, while her eyes were open, she was very clearly snoring. "The women over there."

Chance whistled. "Lucky, hey captain, are both of them yours? If they are could I borrow one for a night? I bet I could make that mink wail—"

Valker socked the pirate right between the nose and sent the man to the ground.

Yuuna glanced over to see was the commotion was going on at the bar. Hebi was looped around the rafters to hold up a spikey-haired pirate as Valker used him like a punching bag. Other pirates were getting involved. A bottle was thrown at the wall nearby and shattered, awakening Mary.

Blinking the tiredness from her eyes, Mary gave a wide smile. In one motion she flipped the table, ruining the game by sending the cards flying, and pulled out her hammer. "BAR FIGHT!"

Yuuna sunk in her seat. "Why can't we have anything nice?"

She was then hit by a stray chair.

-VP-

Meanwhile, Agni casually made his way through the town. He had stopped by briefly in shop and now carried a small, paper bag full of herbs back to the ship. Occasionally, Agni would glance into the dark gaps between the tilted buildings but his gaze never lingered. It was at the docks when Agni spotted a fair looking woman checking her log pose and referencing it to a map.

"Hey there," Agni greeted, "With a log pose, you must be a navigator. Interested in joining an upcoming pirate crew?"

He was promptly shoved away by a large pirate with a feathery hat, "Back off buddy. She's my navigator."

The woman stepped on the other man's foot with her heel. "I can speak for myself, thank you." She turned to Agni and winked. "You're out luck, boy. I'm taken."

Agni scratched his head and laughed. "Had to try."

"How's the log pose?" the man asked.

"I get the concept. Now we have to put it in practice." The woman stated, confidently.

The feathery hatted pirate huffed and turned to his ship. "Alright men, let's set sail!"

"AYE!"

Agni watched the pirates board the ship and sail out into the wide, open ocean.

A crunch of an apple made him realize he wasn't the only spectator. "They're doomed, you know."

Agni turned to the other spectator. Seated on a barrel was a tan skinned boy with a shaved head, munching on an apple, he had double elbowed arms which denoted that he was from a Long-arm tribe.

Agni smiled and humored the boy. "The Grandline is a dangerous place. Not many unfamiliar with these waters make the journey."

The boy rolled his eyes, "I know that, like I know their heading right for a cyclone."

"Why do you think that?"

The boy pointed to dark clouds in the distance in the rough direction the ship had sailed off into, "See how those clouds are starting to swirl?"

Bringing his hand to his brow to provide some shade, Agni squinted his eyes, trying to understand what the boy was saying. Sure enough, he could see the clouds moving as the boy said they would. "Oh yeah,"

"Their ship will be ripped apart," The boy stated casually and took another bite of the apple.

"You don't seem to care very much."

"It takes more than understanding the log pose to make it in the Grandline." The boy stated. "And being able to read the horizon is like the bare minimum a navigator should be able to do."

Agni glanced at the log pose strapped to the boy's wrist. "Are you a navigator?"

The boy grinned, "The best one in this entire town."

Agni grinned back. "I'm Agni. My crew's looking for a navigator."

"I know who you are. You held the second biggest bounty in the East Blue for several years. I'm Tempest Sib." Sib greeted and tossed the apple core into the ocean.

"Interested in sailing the Grandline?"

An honest grin graced Sib's face. "You have no idea."

Agni and Sib walked along the dock, the former describing the crew as they went along. He finally got to describing Valker as they climbed Marina's rope ladder. "…Then there's the captain. He's a bit uptight but fair. I've never met pirate who sticks so honestly to his word."

"Those people are few and not just pirates," Sib muttered to himself and climbed on board.

They found the rest of the crew in varying states of disarray. Sparks of electricity were leaping off Mary's curls as she gave a hearty laugh. Yuuna tried to straighten out her nose while she waited for Valker to finish tending to her other scrapes and bruises. Hebi watched with tired eyes from the railing but looked oddly content. Least to say, they didn't look like much of a pirate crew.

"Did I miss all the fun?" Agni asked with a grin.

Yuuna pointed at Valker in accusation. "He started a bar fight because he 'didn't like the guy.'"

"That urchin bastard deserved it." Valker stated simply. "Who's the kid?"

"Meet our new navigator, his name is Sib." Agni introduced.

"No."

"No?"

"Aw, why not, captain?" Mary asked. "He's arms are super long! Isn't he cool?"

Valker gave them a very stern look. "Kids don't belong on the Grandline."

"I grew up here." Sib defended. "I know more about this ocean than you all do!"

"Since you grew up here, you know full well the dangers that lay before us."

Sib clenched his fists. "I can handle it!"

"The kid's got some real talent," Agni offered.

"That's doesn't change my decision." Valker stated.

"Meanie captain," Mary piped.

Yuuna lightly smacked Mary over the head. "The Grandline's not safe for a kid, especially on a pirate ship. I have to side with Valker."

Valker folded his arms. "I appreciate that Yuuna but whether or not you agree with me, as captain that I have the final say."

Sib's stomach rumbled loudly causing the boy to blush in embarrassment.

Valker sighed and turned to his cook. "When is dinner?"

Agni grinned victoriously. "I'll get it made."

"I can stay?" Sib asked.

"For dinner, then go home." Valker said, leaving no argument.

Agni made a hearty meal with a turkey he stored from Loguetown. The meat was roasted perfectly and the crew ate their fill. Night had come by the time they finished. Full of delicious food, Sib, Mary and Yuuna laid on the deck and gazed up at the starry night.

"Those stars look like a cake," Mary said pointing to a cluster and drooling.

"Some of those are actually part of the Lupis minor constellation," said Sib. "If you follow the tip of the tail it points right to Lupis major."

"Mmmm, I don't see it."

"Oh I do!" Yuuna exclaimed.

Sib's grin widened. "What's even cooler is the light we're seeing from these stars is actually billions of years old. It takes light that long to travel through space to reach our planet ."

Mary eyes sparkled. "So cool."

"Do you like studying the stars?" Yuuna asked.

"It's a hobby of mine. My dad would take me out star gazing since I was a baby…." Sib trailed off. Yuuna rolled onto her side to check on him but found Sib had trailed off into sleep mid-sentence.

Yuuna smiled, softly, as Mary whispered, "We should keep him."

"We can't." Yuuna whispered back. "Sib could really get hurt if we took him with us."

"That's right." Valker said, causing Yuuna to nearly shriek at his sudden appearance. "Kids deserve to have a chance to not feel the entire weight of the world on them."

Yuuna accepted the blankets that Valker had been carrying. "What are these for?"

"The kid can stay the night but tomorrow he's going home." Valker stated and climbed up the mast to start night watch.

Mary smiled as Yuuna draped the blanket over Sib, "See, he's a big softie."

Yuuna was mildly surprised by the kind gesture but decided not to read much into it. It probably was a bad idea to send the kid home in the middle of the night with a town harboring all types of pirates, even if Sib was comfortable with the town.

-VP-

Sometime during the night Yuuna awoke. A warm breeze was blowing off the ocean and the sky was clear of clouds allowing the stars to softly illuminate Twin Cape Town. It really was the perfect night to sleep under the stars. Mary and Sib were passed out next to her and she could see Valker's outline sitting in the crow's nest. The light was still on in kitchen. Curious, Yuuna made her way to the door and peered in.

Agni was cooking and baking. A tray of sandwiches was already made in preparation for tomorrow so that Agni could help with sailing when they leave the town. Because of his devil fruit, Agni didn't even bother putting on oven mitts when he pulled the pan of light, fluffy pastries from the oven. Yuuna still winced anyways.

Putting the pan aside to cool, Agni finished whipping the filling and separated a small glob of the cream into another bowl. Agni pulled out his paper bag from the cupboards and dropped some of the herbs into a medical bowl. He grounded the herbs into the finest of powders and added that to a smaller bowl. He whipped it all together until it was a fully mixed in. Yuuna couldn't even tell the herbs were in the cream.

Realizing she was basically spying on Agni, Yuuna politely knocked and entered. Agni looked up in surprise, unconsciously moving to block the herbs from Yuuna's view. "Yuuna? I thought you were asleep."

"I woke up. It smells delicious." Yuuna complimented.

"I'm making an extra special treat tonight for Valker's snack. You guys can have your share tomorrow." As Agni explained he put the herb filling into a squeeze bottle and used that to fill the inside of the pastry with whipped cream.

Yuuna watched as he did this in thought, remembering back to when Valker collapsed at Loguetown. "Is Valker… sick?"

Agni paused in filling up the treats. "Why do you think that?"

"Valker always gets tired around your 'snack time.'" Yuuna explained. "But then he gets his energy back right afterwards. It kind of reminds me of an illness I read in one of Naim's medical books, when a body can't process sugars right…."

Agni scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, "You thought about this, huh? Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

Yuuna huffed. "That's not much of an answer."

"That's the best I got."

"Is whatever's up with Valker the reason why you left your crew?" she asked.

To this, Agni frowned, a distant look in his eye.

"…. Agni?"

"Like I said," Agni said, coolly, "Don't worry about it."

Agni put his herbs away and walked out with the treat. Yuuna watched him climb up the ropes to join Valker in the crow's nest and figured it was best if she got some rest before her shift started in the early morning.

-VP-

The morning was just as calm as the night was and Yuuna appreciated it from her place in the crow's nest. The sky was rosy as the sun emerged from the horizon and she could hear the town slowly come to life. She could also hear Mary snoring loudly below her but that wasn't the only think she heard.

She could hear bells, almost like an alarm, sounding in the distance. It started far up on the top of the town and made its way closer to the shore. Not only were the sirens blaring but hundreds of pirates were rushing to the docks to board their ships. They were all trying desperately to set sail. Yuuna looked over to the end of the waterfall to see what got all the pirates riled up. She felt her stomach drop from a marine ship with a smiling dog on the sail crashed through the entrance and into the open water.

"Wake up, everyone!" Yuuna shouted and scrambled down the ropes. "OI! The marines are here! They followed us from the East Blue! Get up! Get up! Get up!"

"The marines?" Sib echoed, tiredly.

Mary sat up, looked around before laying back down. "Five more minutes."

Valker nearly kicked down the galley door as he exited, fully dressed and awake. He took stock of the situation and started barking orders. "Mary! Way anchor and take the helm. Yuuna, help me with the sails!"

With ease Mary yanked the anchor out of the water and ran for the helm. "What's the course!"

"Away from the marines," Valker stated.

"We can hide amongst the other pirate ships." Yuuna suggested.

"The Marina's small, she'll get crushed between those galleons."

"I wouldn't follow them. Those ships are sailing without a heading." Sib shouted.

"You're still here?" Valker grumbled, grabbing Sib and hauling the boy towards the railing.

"What are you doing?" Yuuna asked.

"Throwing him overboard." Valker stated.

"WHAT!? NO!"

"If you throw me over your ship's doomed!" Sib declared and held up his log pose. "I can guide you to safety."

Valker stared at the boy hard before dropping him. "Get us out of here."

Sib grinned, rising to the challenge, "Hey, Mary! Hard to starboard."

"Aye!" The Marina jerked as it broke away from the hoard of ships and out into the ocean. Mary easily guided the schooner into a strong current that created a greater distance between them and the Redline.

On the marine ship, Naim tried to find Yuuna and the Marina with a telescope while the men bustled around to prepare for pursuit and battle.

"Do you see her?" Walter asked, petting his dog when she pushed a cannonball over to them.

"No, there're too many ships." Naim said in frustration.

Walter chuckled. "Looks like all the pirates around here panicked. It's rare for marines to travel using Reverse Mountain."

"CAPTAIN! I see the Viper Pirates!" A marine shouted.

Naim's heart leapt to his throat, his sister was so close but in danger of slipping away. "Well then get them in firing range."

"I wouldn't bother." Queenie said. A marine was holding up his shield for her to check her chin for any stubble.

"What are you talking about?" Naim demanded.

"Those pirates caught the current so we're not going to catch up."

"And you're just going to give up?!"

"How stupid can you be? We can't chase them yet."

"Queenie's right. We need the log pose to register the next island's magnetic signature before heading off." Walter explained.

Naim gripped the railing tight. "There has to be something we can do!"

Queenie shrugged. "We were a little too behind."

"And whose fault is that? If you didn't go shopping in Loguetown, Yuuna would have never been taken to the Grandline!" Naim said, bitterly.

"You're dear sister certainly isn't making it easy." Queenie noted, looking over to her captain. "She fired at Walter which doesn't sound like an unwilling prisoner."

Naim's lips pressed in a thin line. He knew Yuuna wanted to be a pirate badly, he could imagine her staying with a crew of questionable character but that reason wasn't going to help get her home safe. "I told you, she was pressganged. Backstabber's probably threatening her to work for him, he could be hurting her!"

"Enough, throwing blame around won't help get your sister back." Walter said, firmly, and looked to his friend. "Naim, I said I would get your sister back and I will. Have a little more patience."

Naim merely looked out after the pirate ship shrinking in the distance with a worried look. He picked up a toy ball and, he walked away with Cloud at his heels, saying. "I have to clear my head."

Alone with his right-hand, Walter told her. "Could you go a little easy on him? He's worried about his sister."

Queenie huffed. "I have sympathy for innocents being used but I have my doubts."

"What doubts?"

"The whole situation doesn't sit right for me and if it's not sitting right for me, then I know your nose knows something off but you're ignoring it because he's your friend. The Mad Dog Investigation's mission is to hunt down corruption and protect those oppressed by criminals not to bow to the whims of one man."

"I know the mission." He gave a wolfish grin. "But imagine a poor, young, defenseless girl at the mercy of ruthless pirates."

Queenie frowned, fold her well-toned arms across her chest in annoyance. "That's cheating."

"Either way, my nose tells me, if Backstabber isn't stopped, the fragile sense of peace we have is going to be destroyed." Walter said, a solemn weight in his words. The two officers stood quietly for a moment and watched Naim play fetch with Cloud on the lower deck. "What were you shopping for anyways?"

"I needed a new razor and, what can I say, I never buy just one thing." Queenie replied.

"A razor? We have plenty on the ship, borrow one from the men." Walter said to which Queenie gave a look of disgust.

"Not a chance! This crew has the hygiene standards of a mangy mutt." Walter opened his mouth to defend his crew but Queenie cut him off, saying. "I know you use the same shampoo you use for Cloud. I live with animals!"

Walter watched Queenie stalk away after her proclamation and went back to gazing out at the sea, in the direction the Viper Pirates had sailed.

-VP-

Leaving Twin Cape Town behind them and the Marina gaining speed, Valker addressed his next problem. "Where is Agni?"

"I think he's still sleeping. He stayed up late to make our meals for today." Yuuna explained.

"Find him and get his lazy ass in gear. The weather near the Redline is notoriously volatile. We need all hands on deck."

"Too late! There's a storm coming!" Sib yelled from above.

Valker cursed under his breath. "All hands on deck!"

He took Hebi from his shoulders and threw him into the rigging and the snake easily slipped between the ropes, curling around it like the ropes were a tree. The storm hit the pirates seconds later. The water poured down on them like a sheet, soaking them to the bone instantly. With Mary at the helm and Sib guiding them, Yuuna, Valker and Hebi were the only ones able to run around the schooner to keep it from capsizing.

The storm did not last long, giving the pirates a reprieve. Yuuna sat down, gasping for air. "That came out of nowhere."

"That's the Grandline," said Sib and frowned. "There're cyclones forming off the starboard side."

"Where is the log pose pointing?" Valker asked.

"The starboard, we'll have to give the cyclones a wide berth-"

Valker watched Hebi swilled his head back and forth, uncomfortable where they were. Knowing his partner was sensing danger they couldn't, he said. "Belay that. We'll sail to the cyclones."

Without question, Mary guided the Marina towards the cyclones.

"Are you crazy?" Sib yelped.

"Hold on tight." Just as Valker predicted, a massive cyclone formed behind as they slipped between the smaller ones, it was risky going through but they would have been dead if they stayed in the open water. Mary sailed right through with all the confidence in the world with Yuuna and Sib screaming along the way.

The rest of the day went about as well as the pirates could have expected. Most of the time they fought to keep the ship from capsizing as the weather changed rapidly from various kinds of storms. There was no logic or pattern to follow and the relied on Sib's ability to read the sky before they were bombarded. They worked right through lunch and ate the sandwiches that Agni had prepared while working on the sails and the rigging. Finally the ocean's calmed down after the last hailstorm.

Mary flopped down on the deck with a content sigh. "That was fun."

Yuuna shook chunks of ice from her overalls and slumped against the mast. "I never want to go through that again. Look, even Hebi's exhausted."

Hebi hung from one of the ropes completely limp and eyes swirling from all the action he participated in.

Valker stormed across the deck after exiting the galley. "Where the hell is Crackerjack?!"

-VP-

Back in Reverse Mountain, the town was empty of pirates who rushed out as soon as the marine ship had arrived. The docks were completely deserted of ships. The only vessel left was an unmarked ship.

It wasn't long since all the pirates fled. Agni stood on the docks alone, noting to himself that the marines had already gone after the pirates. From the dark alleys a group of cloaked individuals emerged and completely surrounded Agni.

One of the taller cloaked figures stepped forward. "We've been waiting for you to be alone."

Taking his eyes off the sea, Agni faced off against the new arrivals.

Agni smiled widely at the group.

"Hey crew. How've you been?"

To Be Continued

CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT

"Accountable Justice"

Name: Walter
Age: 23
Species: Human
Origin: East Blue, D'Little Island
Occupation: Navy Captain, Mad Dog Investigation Force

Description: Walter is a stocky man with a triangular goatee. He has thin, unkempt black hair atop his head but it's shaved short on the sides. He has a vague musky odor. He wears a white Navy jacket, dark blue pants and black boots. He carries a slungshot with a monkey's fist knot as his choice of weapon.

Personality: While often portraying a casual attitude, Walter has a strong drive to pursue justice but prioritizes the well-being of civilians over capturing pirates. Walter is known to have a good intuition, described as being able to sniff out problems before they become apparent, like a dog in search of a bone. He absolutely adores his partner, Cloud, and will often get distracted playing with her.

Background: Walter grew up in the East Blue on a Navy research island, because his father worked for the government, Walter was able to go to the East Blue Navy Academy and trained to be an officer before he was drafted. Walter met Naim at the academy and became his friend. Following the academy, Walter joined the Mad Dog Investigation Force and worked to strengthen the World Government's hold in the East Blue until Naim called, asking for his aid to save his pressganged sister.

Partner: Cloud
Species: Cocker Spaniel
Devil Fruit: Ripple-Ripple Fruit
Origin: East Blue, D'Little Island

Description: Cloud is a youthful, reddish-brown, cocker spaniel with the energy of a puppy. She is Walter's partner and the reason the duo make the best trackers in the Blues. Cloud likes to play tug of with Walter by taking whatever important item he has in his hands, often it is his slungshot.

Devil Fruit: Cloud ate the Ripple-Ripple Fruit and became a Flag dog. Walter and Cloud have combos using her powers to capture criminals or for utility -such as using her as a parachute. Because she can flatten into a flag, she likes to ride on Walter's shoulders. While it provides a spot for Cloud to stay near her partner, it works well as a surprise attack as people often mistake her as a fur pelt.

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