Nami held onto her hat as the Going Batty traveled down the rapid. The peak of Reverse Mountain was behind the Straw Hats, and in front of them was the Grand Line. They saw the mighty sea stretch into the horizon, but their line of sight was eventually broken as they descended through the clouds. For a moment they saw nothing but white, until they broke through and once again the ocean was within vision. With a final splash that sent a mist of seawater washing over the Straw Hats, the Going Batty took its first step into the Grand Line.
"We're finally here!" Nami grinned, looking to the horizon.
"Not to be a downer, but…" Usopp spoke up. He was crouched near the remains of the broken rudder-lever. "What are we gonna do about this? Sailing the Grand Line's going to be hard if we can't use a rudder."
"Hey! There's a big building over there." Luffy called out, pointing towards the foot of Reverse Mountain. Not only was there a large building, but a small harbor with several ships anchored by it. A few of them even had pirate flags with Jolly Rogers on them.
"Mmh, smart business sense." Nami smirked, touching her chin.
"Huh? How do you know it's a shop?" Chopper asked, tilting his head up at her.
"It's just a guess. But it'd be a great place for one. Lots of ships sailing by, and easily found by any local sailors. Look, they've even got a lighthouse to draw people's attention."
Chopper felt the wind blow through his fur, nodding to himself.
"We're in luck. The wind's gonna let us sail right over there without using the rudder," he explained.
"Good. If I had to control the rudder with my legs one more time, I'd rather just swim. My thighs are killing me," Nami smiled with tears in her eyes. "I'm gonna go sit down for a bit."
There were stairs carved into the small cliffside to connect the harbor to the plateau the building was on. The building itself was two stories, with a stone exterior. A tall lighthouse was built into it as well. Above a large wooden door was a sign featuring a happy-looking whale, and the word LABOON'S, seemingly the name of the establishment.
Pushing the door open, the Straw Hats stepped into a large tavern hall. The hall was filled with people talking, drinking and eating. There were multiple open doors leading to other parts of the building, through which they could spot ship materials, crates and other resources.
"Ah, hello! You're new here, haven't seen you around here before."
A voice called out to the five, drawing their attention to a woman at the bar waving at them. She looked old, probably well into her eighties, but still had a lot of energy and a pleasant smile. She wore a frilly light-purple top with a pink stripe down the middle and puffy, light-purple pants. Her white hair was done up in pigtails, bangs pulled back to show her forehead… and the third eye she had there.
"How are you so sure?" Usopp questioned, rubbing his chin and raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you're right, but look at how many people there are here! Surely you can't remember all of them?!"
The old woman simply chuckled.
"What can I say, I have a good memory. My name is Pudding, I'm the owner of Laboon's," she introduced herself. "We're a bar, an inn, and a general store all in one."
"Ah, that's good. We didn't get to stock up on supplies, because we had to run from the last town we were in. Nami has a big bounty, so a bunch of guys attacked us" Luffy grinned, only to get smacked upside the head by Nami.
"Don't go around revealing things like that!"
"Don't worry about it," Pudding chuckled. "Nobody's gonna try to cash in your bounty here. This is a safe haven for pirates, civilians and Marines alike. Look, those two over there. That's a pirate with an 8,000,000 Belly bounty drinking with a Marine lieutenant. The general rule here is that if you throw the first punch, you're not throwing the last."
As if he had suddenly materialized to emphasize that last point, the Straw Hats suddenly noticed a man standing with his arms crossed behind Pudding. He was also quite old, with gray hair and wrinkly skin. His hair reached all the way down to his thighs, and he wore a t-shirt that showed off his muscular arms. He had clearly retained a lot of strength into his old age. His expression was unreadable, on account of the mask he was wearing. His mask covered his entire head, and was white with vertical blue stripes and multiple small holes for him to see and breathe through.
"This here's Killer," Pudding smiled, leading to concerned gulps from Nami, Usopp and Chopper. Killer simply stood there stoically, betraying no emotions on his part. "He's part of the reason nobody makes a ruckus here. The other reasons… well, you can see them yourself."
Looking around, one could see that the employees of Laboon's all looked very strong, especially when contrasted with the comparatively small and slender Pudding.
"Noted, ma'am," Usopp saluted with a gulp. "No ruckus-ing here, not at all!"
"This place reminds me of the Baratie," Luffy grinned. "We also let both pirates and Marines eat. And then beat up people who caused trouble."
Pudding perked up at the mention of the Baratie.
"Ah, I thought your outfit style was familiar! Burgess opened that place, right? Is he still running it?"
"Huh? You know Burgess?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.
"Oh yes, over a decade ago now. Real loud guy. He went to the Grand Line, but I don't think he found what he came for. I've seen thousands of pirates come by here. It's rare I ever hear about them again, though. The Grand Line is merciless." Pudding explained with a shrug.
"Didn't come here thinking becoming the Pirate Queen would be easy." Nami stated, putting her hand on the counter.
"Wait, THOUSANDS of pirates?! How long have you been here?" Chopper exclaimed in disbelief. He had clambered onto a bar stool to be level with the others.
"Mmmh… 62 years… five months and eight days."
"That's so long! And specific!"
"Told you I have a good memory," Pudding winked with her right and top eye. "Anyway, how about you all find a table? You must be hungry or thirsty, having just conquered Reverse Mountain."
After finding a free table, Killer approached the Straw Hats to discuss services and, to Nami's horror, pay.
"Squard will be able to help you out with your rudder problems," Killer nodded, jotting down notes on a notepad. "Should be all fixed in a day or two."
"Hey, has Pudding really been here for 62 years?" Chopper asked.
"As far as I can tell. I've only been here for just over 50 myself." the masked man shrugged.
"That's also long!" Usopp half-yelled. "Does everyone here work here their entire lives?"
"No, just me and Pudding. Everyone else only works here temporarily. Pudding cares for this place, and I made a promise to keep her safe. So I go wherever she goes, and stay wherever she stays."
Franky started loudly sobbing, whirling around in his chair to hide his crying face from the others.
"So loyal! You a real man, bro!" he cried, rivers of tears and snot flowing down his face.
"Ah… thanks," Killer replied awkwardly, as a bead of sweat appeared on the back of his mask. "Pudding also made a promise years ago, but… ah, it's not my place to talk about that. Tell me, are you five the entirety of your crew? You don't have a doctor?"
"Not yet," Nami admitted. "We've mostly been picking friends up along the way."
"Only want people you can trust, eh? Smart. But a doctor's gonna be essential. I was a doctor for a pirate crew once too, and I can guarantee you won't last long in the Grand Line without one," he warned them. "So however you do it, better find one soon."
"Hey, mask-guy," Luffy spoke up, putting his hands on the table and leaning up. "What kinds of grub do you have at this place?"
"We've got a big menu. But I don't know if it can really match up to what I've heard about the Baratie." Killer admitted, scritching the back of his neck with a pencil.
"Then, how about you let me try cooking something?" the wrestler grinned, lifting his feet up to squat on his chair.
"Would have to ask Pudding about that, but I don't think she'll say no," Killer said in an amused tone. "Do a good job, and she'll even pay you for it."
"Ah, don't worry about it," Luffy laughed. "I don't need any-"
Luffy suddenly found his head being forced downwards, as Nami leaned over him and took over the conversation.
"What he MEANS to say is, to give his pay to his crew's captain and treasurer," she laughed while showing Killer a big, forced grin.
"…sure." Killer shrugged.
"Just let me eat some of the food, and we're even!" Luffy protested as he flailed his arms around.
"You can definitely have so-" Killer started, before being interrupted by Nami.
"No we're not! Besides, you'd eat so much we'd end up losing money from the whole thing."
"Well, we can discuss all of that later," Killer shrugged.
"Hey, do you sell cool masks like that here?" Chopper suddenly asked, looking up at Killer's mask with sparkles in his eyes.
"Sorry, no."
"Do you have one of those walls with pictures of celebrities who have been here? You should hang up my picture, it will become invaluable once I become a grand pirate!" Usopp grinned, puffing out his chest.
"We don't have that either."
"I'd like you all to hear a song I just wrote, called A Killer's Manly Loyalty!" Franky declared, having turned back around in his chair and now holding a guitar.
"...I think I hear Pudding calling. See you all later."
As day turned to night the repairs on Going Batty's rudder got underway, and the Straw Hats set to enjoying their time at Laboon's. Franky had gone straight to the karaoke bar-section, throwing himself into every song with a fiery passion that made everyone around him swoon. Luffy was enjoying great success as a temporary cook, giving lessons and tips to the astonished chefs feverishly taking notes. Usopp was regaling a crowd of excited listeners about his many adventures, with at least 5% of it being true! Chopper was at the moment taking a small breather, quietly sipping from a mug at the bar while making pleasant conversation with Pudding. He noticed Nami walking by behind him, holding a small sack of money and looking very pleased with herself.
"Huh? Where did you get that money, Nami?"
"You aren't pickpocketing, are you? Don't lie now, I'll know~" Pudding asked teasingly, raising her left and middle eyebrow. Nami just grinned and gestured towards a different part of the hall.
"Those guys over there are playing pool for money. Couldn't let an opportunity like that slip by." Nami snickered, and gave the bag a little shake. The jingling of coins could be heard within.
"I didn't know you played pool."
"This was my first time playing. But I NEVER lose when money is on the line." Nami declared, fire appearing in her eyes.
"G-gotcha!" Chopper nodded, slightly terrified.
The Straw Hats were unaware, however, that they were being watched. In a corner of Laboon's main hall, peeking over a menu to watch Nami in particular, were a large man and a somewhat short woman.
"Mmmh… we need to find a way to bring her with us," the woman whispered. "She's worth 30,000,000 Belly! That's a super big amount of money!"
"YEA-" the large man yelled, only to get shut up by the woman elbowing him in the side. He cleared his throat, then somehow let out a yell that was at the volume of a whisper. "YEAH!"
"Ooh, what if we put a trail of things she likes that leads to our ship?" the woman suggested. "Then we stuff a bag over her and bring her back to Whiskey Peak!"
"GREAT IDEA!" the man yelled, returning to regular yelling volume.
"Only question is, what stuff does she like?" the woman mused, raising an eyebrow as she stared at Nami. Nami was currently cuddling her sack of money, with heart eyes and Belly pupils.
"Are you two ready to order?"
The man and the woman cried out in surprise, almost falling off their seats. They saw Killer standing right next to them with a notepad.
"You've been looking at the menu for over an hour now. You should order as fast as you can. We have a temporary guest chef right now, but I don't know how long he's gonna stay." Killer said. With his mask and calm tone, it was difficult to tell exactly how much of the preceding conversation he had overheard.
"Um, uh, yeah!" the woman nodded, fumbling with the menu until she found a random page. "I'll have a… this!"
"...the menu is upside down. And you're pointing at a drawing of our mascot. We don't actually sell whales here." Killer explained calmly.
"THAT LOOKS YUMMY!" the man yelled, thrusting his finger at the menu… and knocking it out of the woman's hand, sending it sailing away and out of sight.
"...do you need me to find you a new menu?" Killer asked slowly.
"Yes please. Thank you. Sorry." the woman nodded sheepishly, looking down in shame.
"Ah, I'll tell you about the time I beat that stone giant another time. Even brave adventurers like me need to quench his thirst every now and then!"
Usopp waved to his crowd of listeners, who had been enjoying Usopp's stories with a mix of genuine amazement and amused disbelief depending on how skeptical each individual person was. Whether they believed his tales or not, all of them agreed it was incredibly entertaining to listen to. The long-nosed pirate strode to the bar, sitting down and lightly slapping the top of the bar. He had a wide smile on his face, and his eyes closed in a cheerful manner.
"Oi! Pudding! How about a drink for the guy keeping your guests entertained?" he laughed, before opening his eyes… and seeing a two and a half-meter tall, muscular ray fishman with his arms crossed on the other side of the bar. Usopp yelped, almost falling backwards off his chair as the fishman just frowned at him.
"Miss Pudding has retired for the night. Is there anything I can help you with?" the fishman asked plainly.
"Yes, sir. I'd like to order a beer, please. Sir." Usopp nodded politely, shrinking a bit in his seat. The fishman simply grunted in approval, and went to fill a mug.
"Well now, what happened to all that bravado you were boasting about earlier?"
Usopp looked to the side to see who was talking, seeing a woman in a turquoise cloak fastened on one shoulder sitting on the seat next to him. She seemed to be in her late thirties, early forties at most. There was a soft smile on her face as she regarded Usopp.
"H-hey! Just because I'm courageous, doesn't mean I'm dumb!" Usopp corrected her, clearly a bit flustered. "Seeking out unnecessary danger is the line between being brave and being stupid. I'm brave when it counts, that's all that matters!"
"Wow, impressive" the woman smirked, resting her elbow on the table and holding up her head. "You've got that whole speech prepared to make your excuse."
"It's not an excuse! It's the truth!" Usopp huffed. The woman laughed.
"I'm just kidding. I've been listening to you for a while, and I overheard some wild stuff. Like how you're going to defeat the World's Strongest Swordfighter with a hammer? Bit of an odd goal, isn't it?"
Usopp scratched the back of his head.
"Ehh… probably," he admitted. "But it's something I've gotta do. That goal's the whole reason I started training to fight exclusively with hammers. Did you notice the big hammer on the ground just outside? That's my five-ton hammer!"
"I did notice a big hammer beside the door. Too heavy for most thieves. Still… why hammers? You said it was to 'give yourself a challenge', but… there must be more to it than that?" the woman pried.
"It's… not a fun story. Don't want to bring everyone's mood down," Usopp sighed. He had a morose expression on his face.
"I still want to hear it. If you don't mind," she spoke softly. Usopp glanced at her, feeling a small compulsion to do as she said. Something deep inside him felt like it wanted to impress her for some reason. Was it just because she was pretty, or was there something even Usopp hadn't caught onto yet?
"Ah… sure," the long-nosed fighter relented. "I'll give you the summary. When I was a kid, I had a best friend. His name was Dragon. We'd hang out all the time, but no matter what we did he was always stronger, faster and more skilled. So I started making up wild stories about myself, feats of strength and bravery, and told them to him as if they were real. I don't think he ever believed a single one, but he had just as much listening as I had making them. The last story I ever told him was when we were walking by a construction yard. I was talking about how I'd one day defeat the World's Strongest Swordfighter, when I felt I needed to spice the story up a bit. And I noticed a hammer on the ground.
"So I grabbed the hammer and said I'd use that to defeat them, rather than an actual sword. He laughed at that, and said that if any of my lies would ever come true, I should make sure it was that one. At that point it was late, so we had to go home. I went one way, and Dragon took a shortcut through the construction site. That… was the last time I saw him. He took one wrong step in the construction yard, and…"
Usopp's voice trailed off.
"A promise to your friend… a noble aspiration" the woman nodded solemnly. "I have to go now, but I really do hope you'll succeed some day. To honor your friend's memory if nothing else."
"Thanks," Usopp smirked. He gratefully accepted the beer handed to him by the bartender, as the woman got up to leave. The Straw Hat sat in silence for a short while, as the mysterious woman exited the building. He couldn't shake the feeling that she felt familiar. Suddenly, something flashed in Usopp's head. He bolted off his seat, weaving past drunks and tables as he made his way towards the exit. He reached his arm out to grab his five-ton hammer on the way as he entered the plateau outside Laboon's. The plateau was bathed in moonlight from the full moon hanging in the clear sky.
"WAIT!"
His yell made the cloaked woman, who was further down the plateau, stop. She turned her head to gaze at him, with a slight smirk.
"I…" Usopp started. He was trembling with nervousness and determination, gripping the handle of his hammer with both hands. "I know who you are!"
The woman gradually turned around, reaching up to pull down her hood. As she removed it, she revealed her pink hair braided into a ponytail.
"The World's Strongest Swordfighter, Rebecca of the Blunt Blade!" Usopp declared. "You know what has to happen, don't you?!"
"What did you say the line was between bravery and stupidity?" Rebecca asked plainly.
Usopp hesitated to answer, gritting his teeth and looking down.
"Unnecessary… danger," he eventually muttered, already knowing exactly what Rebecca was saying.
"Are you absolutely, 100% certain you can win at this point?" Rebecca asked, leading to more silence from Usopp. He finally answered by slowly lowering his hammer, holding it vertically in one hand and letting it slide down to the ground before letting go of the handle. Rebecca nodded, a soft smile on her face. She pulled her hood back up, and turned to leave again.
"Can you…" Usopp spoke up. "Can you at least show me how far I have to go?"
Rebecca stood silently for a short while. Then, before Usopp even saw her move, Rebecca was gone. Then, she reappeared at her original location. She had her hand up, with only her pinkie finger outstretched. She lowered her hand before she continued walking away.
"...24?" Usopp asked with a neutral expression. His body was covered in bruises.
"37." Rebecca corrected him.
"That far, huh?" Usopp sighed, dropping down into a sitting position.
Not long after, another person came out of Laboon's doors. It was Chopper, having seen Usopp run outside and become worried.
"Usopp? You ok?" Chopper called out to him. Usopp was sitting with his back to Chopper, and turned his head to look at him.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just… saw someone I recognized. Nothing to worry about," Usopp waved dismissively.
"Ah. Well, it's good that everything's… ok…"
Chopper's voice trailed off as the young Mink's gaze turned upwards, seeing the full moon hanging overhead.
"Yeah" Usopp nodded, turning to face forward away from Chopper again. "I'll tell you all about it later. And… don't worry about the bruises, they-"
He was cut off by Chopper screaming behind him.
"H-hey! I told you they're nothing to worry about, I-"
This time Usopp cut himself off as he looked up. He saw the full moon glaring, and remembered the warnings Chopper had given the crew, long before they even reached the Grand Line.
"Again?!"
A man at a poker table slammed his fist down in frustration, as all but one other at the table groaned and threw their cards down. The only one smiling was the orange-haired, straw-hatted cyborg currently pulling a big stack of money towards herself.
"I'm starting to think you're cheating" a woman at the table said accusingly, to which Nami simply stuck her tongue out at her.
"If none of you've caught me, how could I be cheating?" Nami asked with a wink, not saying anything about whether or not she actually was cheating. Their discussion got tabled by a rising commotion throughout the tavern, which drew Nami's attention. She was about to ask what was going on when she heard a roar outside. While she initially felt fine letting the Laboon's staff handle it, she grew concerned when she looked around and couldn't see Chopper or Usopp anywhere. At this point, Franky and Luffy had returned to the hall as well.
With a bad feeling in her gut, Nami left the table and ran towards the exit. A large crowd had gathered around the open door to look outside, but a divide formed when Killer and a few other Laboon's employees yelled at them to stand aside. Nami slipped through the crowd and through the entrance at the same time as Killer and the rest. What she saw confirmed her worst fear.
Usopp was holding his five-ton hammer in both hands, fighting a large monster almost 10 meters tall. What was worse, was how familiar the monster was. It had a humanoid shape and was covered in light brown fur, with the hair around its neck and shoulders having a darker shade of brown and being significantly longer. The beast had a relatively small head akin to that of a reindeer, with a blue nose, glowing cyan eyes and large multi-pronged antlers. The monster was also wearing maroon shorts.
Chopper had told the crew about Sulong, an incredibly powerful state Minks enter when they look at the full moon. In this form a Mink gains immense strength, speed and durability, and their Electro is empowered. However, without proper training, a Mink entering this form loses all sense of control, becoming reduced to a mindless beast that attacks anything nearby.
Chopper said that he had mastered this form before he even met the Straw Hats, to keep himself from harming anyone, but after a certain traumatic event with Perona, he no longer had any control. Perona apparently found Chopper hideous in this state, and so the first time he transformed she freaked out and ordered her crew to attack him. Chopper was nearly beaten to death before he transformed back, and Perona immediately halted the attack now that he was cute again. But ever since, the trauma of his near-death experience has made him revert to this state whenever he enters his Sulong form.
A state in which he'd even attack his own friends, as demonstrated by him throwing a downwards punch towards Usopp. His fist slammed into the stone ground, making a small crater as Usopp leaped out of the way. The uncontrollable Chopper reared back and let out a loud roar, while Nami watched in horror.
