I do not own any ideas taken from One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, HunterXHunter, Yu Yu Hakusho or Rustage's One Piece D&D. Eiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto, Tite Kubo, Akira Toriyama, Yoshihiro Togashi and Rustage are the brilliant minds behind those stories and I'm simply using them to set the stage for my story! It's all for fun so please enjoy!
Chapter 61: Winter Wonderland
Four days after landing back on the Blue Sea, the Misfits sailed north en route to the next island. The air began to chill and harsh winds clawed at their faces as they sailed onward. They wore thicker winter clothes as they continued through the wintery climate and eventually an island came into view.
The group of them stared at the island as they slowly approached it, Bulma guiding them away from icebergs in the sea. Yasui shivered as he controlled the helm and slowly but surely the Whore carried them to the shore.
"Brrr." Asuka shivered as he crossed his arms across his chest, "It's so cold."
Thick snow blanketed the ground and a continuous flurry of snow fell down onto them as they dropped anchor and surveyed the winter island.
"Do you reckon people live on this island?" Renji asked.
"I hope so." Zika muttered and rubbed his hands together.
Hama barked happily and sprang from the ship. He galloped through the snow and wagged his tail furiously as he danced around.
Yasui chuckled and said, "Didn't you grow up in the snow?"
"I haven't experienced cold like this in a long time." Zika replied.
Mugen nodded, "Same here."
The seven of them hopped off the ship and stumbled around in the snow for a few moments. Bulma stored the Whore in the large DynoCap and they began marching through the snow.
"Those DynoCaps are so damn handy." Yasui chuckled.
"Yeah, no kidding." Shuhei nodded.
"I have a house that I can set up too. In case we don't find anyone out here." Bulma said and smiled.
Hama dashed ahead of the group and began barking and circling around something. They approached the barking ninja hound to find a large footprint in the snow.
"Holy shit." Zika muttered.
"Based on the size and indent of the footprint, this thing is ten feet tall and around three hundred pounds." Shuhei stated.
"You can tell that by a footprint?" Yasui gaped.
"There's a Yeti!" Asuka exclaimed and laughed.
"A Yeti? Like the Abominable Snowman?" Renji asked with a laugh.
Asuka nodded, "What else could it be?"
"A big ass bear." Zika suggested.
"Let's not follow these tracks…" Bulma muttered.
"Look at that." Mugen pointed to the left of the group at a set of smaller footprints. "Someone came through here recently."
"Let's head that way then. Think you can track 'em, boy?" Zika asked and Hama barked happily.
Hama led the group of them through the snow as he followed the tracks down a hill and through a frosty forest. They trekked onward for nearly forty minutes before a sudden scream pierced through the silence of the forest.
"That came from this way!" Asuka exclaimed and took off running deeper into the forest.
"Hey, wait up!" Shuhei and Mugen dashed after him.
Renji, Yasui, Bulma, Zika and Hama bounded after them as the scream sounded off again. They dashed through the forest and erupted out into a clearing where a white hulking nine foot tall mass of fur was rampaging.
The beast leapt around and obliterated trees as it swung its hulking arms around. A little red haired girl tried to run away and fell into the snow as the beast roared.
"A Yeti!" Yasui and Asuka exclaimed.
Mugen dashed at the Yeti as it turned its attention toward the group. He grabbed his sword and the little girl screamed, "Don't hurt him!"
Mugen hesitated for a split second and the Yeti slammed its massive leg into his side and sent Mugen skipping across the snow. The Yeti charged forward and Bulma sent it staggering back with a blast of wind.
Zika and Hama ran over to the girl and stood between her and the Yeti as the beast roared and pounded its fists against its chest.
"He's my friend, don't hurt him!" The little girl screamed again.
The Yeti charged at the group of them and they all skipped away from it.
"Tell him not to hurt us, then!" Asuka called out.
"He's hurt and in pain!" The girl cried.
The Yeti bounded forward and slammed a savage punch into Asuka's face. He was sent flying back and crashed into the snow awkwardly as the beast let out a painful scream.
Hama barked and bounded at the Yeti. He continued barking and circled quickly around the Yeti as the beast hopped up and down. Both animals growled and glared at each other and circled around one another.
"Look here, Yeti, we aren't your enemies!" Asuka roared as he jumped back up and the Yeti seemed to whimper and step away from Asuka meekly.
"You said that he's hurt?" Bulma asked.
The little girl nodded, "The soldiers shot him." She sobbed and wiped her eyes.
"Soldiers?" Zika questioned.
"Well, I'm no doctor but I can try taking a look at your friend here." Bulma smiled and asked, "What's your name?"
"A-Alice." The girl answered and wiped her eyes again.
"Well, Alice, let me take a look at him okay?" Bulma smiled.
Alice nodded and said, "His name is Sully."
"A real life Yeti." Asuka grinned and looked at the creature closely.
"Thing packs a helluva punch." Mugen muttered and rubbed his side.
Bulma pulled out some of her medical supplies and checked out Sully's right shoulder as the others talked with Alice.
"Where're you from?" Shuhei asked as he snacked on a granola bar.
"Jingle Village." Alice said, "It's on the other side of the forest."
"And do the soldiers live there?" Renji asked.
Alice shook her head and said, "They live up in the mountains. They used to hassle us but… They leave us alone now." Alice made a sad face and looked down at her feet.
"How did you become friends with 'ol Sully here?" Mugen asked.
"I like to explore the forest and I found him in his lair one day. He was really sick so I took care of him until he was better." Alice smiled, "He's my best friend."
"Would you mind taking us to Jingle Village?" Asuka asked.
"I'd be happy to." Alice smiled and nodded her head.
Bulma wrapped a bandage around Sully's shoulder and patted him on the back, "That's the best I can do."
Sully nodded slowly and stood up. He waved at Alice and lumbered off into the forest as the others sat and watched him go.
"C'mon, this way." Alice smiled and waved for the Misfits to follow. "Oh, who are you guys?"
Asuka chuckled and introduced himself, "I'm Asuka."
"I'm Bulma."
"I'm Renji, it's nice to meet you."
"Mugen."
"Yo, I'm Shuhei."
"I'm Zika and this is Hama." Hama barked happily.
"Hey, I'm Yasui."
"Good to meetcha!" Alice chuckled.
"How old are you, Alice?" Bulma asked.
"Nine and three-quarters." Alice announced proudly.
"The soldier guys live up there, huh?" Zika asked and pointed up at a tall mountain spire clawing up at the sky like a black sword. Swirling mist and snow fluttered around the mountain like a shawl.
"Mhmm." Alice nodded, "They patrol the forest around the village to make sure we aren't spying on them."
"Hm."
"Are they marines?" Renji asked.
Alice shook her head, "No, they're different."
Alice led the group of them through the forest as they continued to bounce questions off of each other. The treeline began to thin out and a large village came into view. Bright lanterns hung all around and people rigorously shoveled snow out of the streets.
"Wow, this place is nice!" Bulma looked around, "I could buy a nice winter coat here."
"My house is this way." Alice said and tugged on Bulma's sleeve.
She led them down a wide street lined with impressive wooden structures. They moved up the hill toward a large purple house in the middle of town.
"Your house is huge!" Yasui exclaimed.
"Are you rich, Alice?" Asuka asked.
Alice shrugged and opened the front door and led them all into the living room. They stepped into a large room with nice furniture, a lit fireplace and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, "Mom, I'm home!"
A tall purple haired woman in an orange fur coat stepped out of the kitchen and looked at the Misfits, "Oh. You've brought home guests…"
"Mhm. Don't worry, they aren't strangers! This is Asuka and Bulma and Yasui and Zika and Hama and Renji and Shuhei and Mugen." Alice panted heavily.
Her mother chuckled and said, "It's good to meet you all. I'm Elyse."
"It's good to meet you." The Misfits said in unison.
Elyse smiled, "Would you like to join us for dinner? I can prepare some more food."
"Yes please!" Asuka exclaimed.
"I can help you cook." Bulma offered.
"Yeah, me too." Yasui smiled.
"I'll never accept help in the kitchen." Lysa smiled and waved for them to follow her.
"Hey, Alice, is there a bar in the village?" Mugen asked.
She nodded quickly and said, "Yep. The Squeamish Seal."
Mugen grinned, "I'm gonna go find this place."
"I'll come with you." Renji said and the two of them walked out of the front door.
"Colonel Beige, we're tracking the monster through the woods." A voice spoke through a Transponder Snail.
"Good, good. I can't wait until it's resting as a rug on my floor. Fafafafafa!" Colonel Beige guffawed.
High up in the mountains of Clockwork Island sits a built-in laboratory, home to soldiers of the Red Ribbon Army. They have mined strange minerals from the mountains and have used them in their experiments and projects over the years.
As soon as Beige ended one call, his snail began ringing again. He furrowed his brow and answered, "What?"
"Sir, we have reports of an unidentified ship landing on the southwestern shore earlier today." A voice came through slowly.
"Is that right? Have they been spotted traversing the island?" Beige questioned.
"Not that we know of. Should we send a unit into the town?"
"Fafafa, do whatever you want. As if I'm gonna honor my pact with that scientist." Beige ended the call and threw two more logs into his fireplace. He walked around and stared out of his office window, observing the swirling snow being blown around by the wind. "What did I do to end up stuck here?"
Renji and Mugen sat at a table inside the Squeamish Seal, drinking and watching the surrounding people laugh and down their own drinks. The two sat drinking in silence for several minutes before Renji asked, "What are you hiding?"
Mugen placed his drink down on the table, "Hm?"
"Something's up between you and Zika. I can feel it." Renji took a drink of his wine.
"I'm just reliving the past." Mugen chugged the rest of his ale and set his cup down, "And the Land of Snow."
"The Land of Snow? What about it?"
"It's my homeland, the same as Zika." Mugen sighed, "And I'm pretty sure that his family killed mine…"
"Have you talked to Zika about it?" Renji asked.
Mugen shook his head, "There's no way to bring it up. And he wasn't involved so it's better left unsaid."
"...We should get back. Dinner should be ready soon."
Mugen nodded, "Sounds good."
The two of them stood up from the table and left the bar in silence. They stepped outside into the snowy streets of Jingle Village and came face to face with a unit of soldiers. Twelve of them in all, they each wore long black coats with thick boots and black helmets. A red ribbon was emblazoned on their chest with two white 'R's in it.
"Hey, we found the soldiers." Mugen pointed at them.
"Looks like it." Renji nodded.
The soldiers aimed machine guns at the duo and chuckled, "We have some questions for you boys."
"Is it necessary to point those guns at us?" Renji questioned.
"We're asking the questions, fuckhead." A soldier replied with a sneer.
Mugen reached over his shoulder and gripped the hilt of his sword, "You can make the first move if you'd like." He grinned devilishly.
"Are you talking to me or them?" Renji asked.
The soldiers opened fire on them and Renji leapt high into the air as Mugen drew his sword and swung it upward. The snow on the ground twisted around and formed an ice wall that shielded both Mugen and the bar from the hail of bullets.
Renji landed on top of the ice wall as six chains erupted from each arm. The chains slithered quickly through the air as Renji guided them downward and struck the soldiers with the points of the chains.
The ice wall erupted as Mugen slashed through it and chunks of ice were sent flying into the soldiers as Renji leapt up again and used his chains to hold the soldiers in place.
In a few moments, the soldiers laid battered on the ground as the duo stood over them in the street. People looked at the duo in horror as others dashed down the street to hide in their homes.
"Let's get going." Renji suggested.
Mugen sheathed his sword and nodded, "Yeah, I'm hungry."
The table was covered in food and the Misfits ate happily beside Alice and Elyse. There were biscuits, smoked salmon, king crab and mashed potatoes. They ate and chatted until Alice brought up the soldiers, mentioning to her mother that they had shot Sully.
Elyse wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "I told you that it's dangerous out in the woods. You shouldn't play out there anymore."
"But Sully is my friend! I can't just abandon him.
Asuka chuckled.
"Oh, yeah." Renji said suddenly.
"We ran into those soldiers in town earlier." Mugen said with a nod.
"Oh, dear. I hope they didn't hassle you too much. They don't come here too often anymore." Elyse said.
Mugen shrugged, "We kicked their asses. No big deal."
"Huh?!" Alice exclaimed in amazement.
"Y-You did what?" Elyse looked horrified.
"Who are those guys anyway?" Zika asked.
"They're soldiers of the Red Ribbon Army." Elyse said slowly, "You just declared war on them…"
"The Red Ribbon Army?" Bulma raised an eyebrow, "I forgot about them."
"Who are they?" Renji questioned.
"Defectors from the Navy and World Government. They banded together to create their own organization." Bulma said matter-of-factly.
Asuka drank his juice and set his cup on the table, "No worries, then. If they're like the marines then we can take care of 'em no problem."
"The Red Ribbon Army is terrible. They chose to take over my husband's laboratory up in the mountains and forced him to work for them. Please, don't get him in trouble." Elyse pleaded.
"They kidnapped your husband?" Yasui asked.
Elyse began to cry and nodded, "He hasn't been home in years. He's a hostage against the town."
"Shit." Mugen muttered.
"Okay." Asuka cracked his neck and smiled, "Let's go beat these guys up."
"Really? You will?" Alice teared up and smiled at the Misfits.
"Who are you kids?" Elyse asked.
Asuka grinned and said, "We're pirates."
To Be Continued