Chapter 23: Recuperation

The next morning passed, and the green haze in the sky had finally lifted. The mood of the crew had risen as well. For example, Hanataro had finally woken up and was trying out his new prosthetic. Sasori tinkered with the arm, while Apacci polished her cannon nearby.

"Wow…"the Soul Reaper gazed at his prospective new arm.

"As long as you can maintain a connection of Reishi with it, you should be able to move it like normal," Sasori told him. "I simply don't have the time or resources to make an arm to directly connect to your nerves."

"Oh…you've done more than enough," Hanataro bowed his head.

"I'm well-aware," Sasori slid the arm on with a 'CLICK'.

"Alright…try turning your arm," the Ninja instructed.

"WHOA!" Hanataro yelled as his 'arm' quickly turned on his new elbow like a helicopter blade.

Once that stopped, Sasori moved on, grabbing Hisagomaru. "Now…let's see how your grip works."

"So far, so good," Hanataro's fingers came down as he turned. Well, almost all the fingers. His middle finger was still sticking straight up…much to Apacci's displeasure.

"YOU DIRTY SOUL REAPER!" she started charging.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Hold it," Sasori quickly turned a screw, allowing the middle finger to rejoin its brethren. "There we go."

Apacci stared for a second. "Weirdest glitch ever."

"Now, try a Kido," Sasori instructed.

"Umm…Hadō #1: Shō!"

Now usually, the pointer finger sends a small amount of energy, just enough to push an object a few feet away once it connects. This time, a man-sized hole was punched right through Sasori's wall.

"AHH!" Hanataro jumped back in fright at his own newfound power.

"It's a little sensitive," Sasori gave the understatement of the day as he quickly sealed the hole.

"HA! Damn, you've got some punch now!" Apacci laughed and roughly patted Hanataro on the back.

"Uh…right," the Soul Reaper sheepishly replied, starting to feel a little woozy.

"Well, I'm honestly shocked that the stored Chakra and your Reishi are mixing so well. They're even going so far as to amplify each other," Sasori looked in fascination at his newly-made limb.

Hanataro looked at his new arm with a shaky smile. For a brief moment, he thought that he'd now be able to easily perform Kido at the Lieutenant-level at least. Then, he shook his head, thinking that was just silly.

OoOoOoO

Halibel was not feeling good. Not at all. Her head had never felt this particular kind of ache. She blinked at the harsh sunlight. It took her awhile to even want to get out of bed. The ship tilted right when she stood up, and she stumbled, hitting her head on the wall.

"Damn it all!"

Righting herself, she opened the door. On a small table outside, there was a strange-looking drink, along with a note.

"This is North Blue Ginger Juice Sanji made. Drink it and have a COLD shower. It'll help the headache."

Halibel pinched her nose as she swallowed it all in one gulp. Then, she felt goose bumps as the cold water did wonders.

"CRISH! CLANG! HAHAHA!"

"Nope, nope, nope…I will not let those blue-haired maniacs ruin my shower time…I will not," Halibel closed her eyes, just hoping her hangover would fade away.

OoOoOoO

Now, we go to said 'blue-haired maniacs'. See, Grimmjow had not been in a good mood. He was still bitter about Lucci getting the better of him, regardless of that crocodile's interference. Back then, he'd usually find some dumb Hollows to rip apart if he ever was in a bad mood. Now, not so much. It wasn't because he'd probably be ripped apart by sharks this time, not at all. He just didn't feel like it.

Although, on the topic of sharks, Kisame seemed to completely ignore the Hollow's foul mood.

"Aww…why the long face?" the Ninja had that seemingly permanent grin, which did nothing for Grimmjow's mood.

"Oh, piss off," came the ever-eloquent reply.

"Now, now…no need to be so rude," Kisame shouldered Samehada. "But seriously, what's next for you, now that you're back on your feet?"

"I'm gonna find that miserable stooge of a leopard, and finish the job," Grimmjow growled.

"Well…it's good to have reachable goals," Kisame shrugged, completely nonchalant about the implied mutilation to come.

That got a raised eyebrow. "That's…one way to see it."

"Anyway, how about we continue what we started?"

"Huh," Grimmjow was honestly taken aback at someone openly offering to fight with him.

"Well, I find the best way to stress-relief is to tear someone apart," Kisame hopped off the ship.

"Oh…you really think I can be torn apart by you?" Grimmjow's frown curled into a smirk.

"Only one way to find out," Kisame landed on the water, giving a 'come at me' gesture with his free hand. "But how about we do this without transformations, Jutsu, or Ceros? Just some good old-fashioned swordplay and hand-to-hand."

"I'll teach you for going easy on me," Grimmjow walked on air towards him.

"Oh…it's not going easy on you, I just don't want a serious fight yet," Kisame raised Samehada.

"All fights are serious," Grimmjow drew Pantera.

"Hmm…we'll see."

"CRISH!" Grimmjow started to grin despite himself. "Ya know, I was kind of surprised."

"Oh?" A slash and parry.

"Didn't take you for the type to hang around with a killjoy like Halibel."

"Really? A killjoy huh?"

CRASH!

"Yeah…she kept shutting down every challenge I gave for centuries," Grimmjow scoffed.

"Funny…she agreed to a one-on-one the first week I met her," Kisame boasted.

"Oh that's just not fair!" Grimmjow pushed back the Ninja in irritation.

"Hahaha!" Kisame was just laughing in satisfaction.

OoOoOoO

"Oh Jinbe…keeping an eye on them?" Brook wandered up to his fellow Straw Hat, playing a merry melody on his violin.

"Yeah…I know Kisame said he'd keep it simple, but things do have a tendency to escalate with him around," Jinbe admitted from the helm.

"Umm…I think that applies to us Straw Hats too," Brook mused, earning a chuckle from the Fishman.

"You certainly have a point," Nami looked up at the sails. "10 degrees to port, we can avoid a storm and still reach Asphodel Island."

"Aye, aye," Jinbe duly turned the wheel.

"Anyway, I've still got a bad feeling about that Kisame," Nami couldn't help but note of someone actually getting along with Grimmjow.

"Don't worry, I had that same feeling when I first met him," Jinbe recalled. "But he's not going to turn his blade on his crew and comrades. He's a man of his word after all."

"Think of it this way," Brook suggested. "You know how scary Zoro could get in a serious fight."

She nodded.

"Well…it's like if Zoro was like that 100% of the time," Brook compared the swordsmen.

"That…doesn't comfort me at all," Nami gave a deadpan look.

"Ooh…now I've got a chill down my spine at the thought," Brook chortled.

Far away, a certain moss-head and his equally-directionally challenged companion sneezed.

Anyway, Brook quickly got back on track, having wanted to ask Nami something since he first saw her again.

"Umm…Nami? Could you perhaps, show me your…"

VOOM! "What was that?"

Brook most definitely did not scream like a baby when Halibel appeared right behind him. Not at all.

"You…I like you," Nami couldn't help but laugh. 'Finally…someone else with a bit of sense,' she praised whatever higher deity there was.

OoOoOoO

Tsuyu and Juvia were wandering below deck. The Wizard gave the Pro-Hero a concerned look.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Juvia asked.

"I'm fine…ribbet," Tsuyu nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh…Hanataro should be able to help in growing my tongue back once his new arm works out," the Pro assured herself.

Juvia was quiet for a bit. "It amazes me what these other worlds are capable of. I'm sure Wendy could heal us up just as well, but to think all this damage was from one crocodile. I'm honestly worried for the rest of Fairy Tail. Very few of them would've even survived against an opponent like that."

"I don't even want to imagine how many people it could've killed at UA," Tsuyu shuddered.

"Honestly…I'm tempted to tell the rest of my class to stay as far away from the Gods as possible," she continued.

"Would they listen?" Juvia wondered.

"No…they wouldn't," Tsuyu shook her head affectionately. "Some of those boys would be gung-ho about rising to the challenge."

"I can certainly relate to that," Juvia chuckled. "My darling Gray would never back down."

"That your husband?"

"Yes," Juvia said nothing more as she went into a lovesick daze, hearts in her eyes.

"Wow," Tsuyu didn't really know how to react. "I…never really got the whole 'head over heels' thing."

"Oh…one day, you'll feel the joy of going CRAZY for a man!"

"I'll pass," Tsuyu gave her typical deadpan.

OoOoOoO

Franky was down below, welding his General Franky back together. With his watch over, Usopp decided to join his fellow handyman.

"Huh…I don't recognize this part," Usopp squinted at a pipe built into the arm.

"Oh…I got inspired by Sasori's design for his body," Franky shrugged.

"Ah…right," Usopp shuddered. He'd gotten a VERY good view on Sasori's fight with that Etherious. "Still get the creeps around that guy."

"Believe me, I get it," Franky assured him. "But after fighting him, I can't help but respect a fellow craftsman. Besides, he cares about this ship, so he won't step too far out of line."

"Really?" Usopp raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…as much as he goes on about 'eternal art', he does have a point," Franky mused.

"Oh, I bet he loved your cyborg body," Usopp laughed.

"Yeah…now that I think about it, he probably went easy on me because of that…if his fight with Jackal was any indication," Franky recalled. "Although, it seems that wind pipe adjustment I gave him worked out just fine."

"And that figurehead?" Usopp asked.

"Hehehehe…that was the first time we combined Chakra with my tech. It served as a sort of rough draft for the Cutty Sark as a whole," Franky reminisced. "At least in terms of what we could get away with."

"Anyway, when we run into the rest of the crew, do you think the others will go along with following Luffy?" Usopp wondered.

"I…honestly don't think so," Franky's expression downturned. "With how…impulsive Luffy can get, I don't think those Ninjas will EVER follow someone like that. Probably the same for those Hollows too."

"But…Luffy became King of the Pirates, he's…just got that…'something' that makes you want to follow him," Usopp tried to reason.

"Yeah, he does," Franky smiled. "But…these Ninjas and Hollows…I'm not sure they really believe in dreams like we do. Sounds like their worlds didn't have the luxury."

"Maybe they can again," Usopp gave an optimistic smile.

"I hope you're right," Franky turned back to welding.

OoOoOoO

Finally, in the kitchen, Mirajane was brewing some fresh tea for everyone. Sanji was over to the side, making sandwiches. Notably, he'd made the ones for the six ladies somehow look better.

"Aww…you always put so much effort in my meals. It's so sweet," Mira smiled.

"Hehehe," Sanji only restrained his 'love hurricane' for the sake of his culinary art. "It's nothing less than a mademoiselle such as you deserves."

"But…" Mirajane gave a little frown. "Isn't that a little unfair for the boys?"

Now, on the one hand, Sanji balked at the very idea. On the other, Mirajane, a VERY beautiful woman, was just too much of a sweetheart not to be bothered by it. So, Sanji's face made a very…interesting…contortion as he tried to reconcile the two sides.

")(^$# *(^%_ #%*)# *(" Sanji's speech devolved into tongues as well as his internal struggle intensified.

"It's okay…I can handle the boys' sandwiches," Mirajane offered.

"No, no, no…" Sanji got a hold of himself. "It's all right, I can do it."

A few minutes later, all the sandwiches looked equally filling.

"And done…that took longer than usual," Sanji couldn't help but observe.

"Well…your leg's still healing. And we usually have help from Sato and…" Mirajane's mood instantly faltered.

"Please don't," Sanji looked down.

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe it," Mira's eyes seemed a little watery. "We were his crew, weren't we?"

"Apparently not," Sanji started pouring out tea.

"Oh…what are we going to tell Sato?"

"The truth," Sanji firmly decided. "It always comes out one way or the other." He recalled the hell he'd been forced to endure at Whole Cake.

"I suppose you're right," Mira solemnly nodded. "What'll you do when we see him again?"

"Kick all the metal out of him for making you sad," Sanji immediately answered.

"At least let him explain himself first," Mira tried to compromise.

"I get the feeling you won't like what you hear," Sanji bluntly put it.

"I know, but I still need to hear it," she insisted.

"We'll see," Sanji picked up the sandwiches.

"LUNCH!" Mirajane's voice resonated throughout the ship as the two cooks headed up to deck. Her Demonic Magic may or may not have had something to do with it.

OoOoOoO

Now that the crew was assembled, Kisame followed up on his promise, spilling everything he knew about any Ninja that could be a problem for them. Didn't make some of the things he'd seen any less believable. It helped distract everyone from Nami's quiet coughing at the sandwich.

"Hold on…this 'Pain' called himself God?" Apacci sounded incredulous.

"Wouldn't be the first God-complex we've run into," Sanji mumbled, still hearing that annoying laughter in the back of his head.

"Believe me, he and his 6 bodies can back that up," Kisame seriously replied. "It was HIS power that kept me, Itachi, Sasori, Deidara, and those Zombies in line."

"Someone capable of cowing 6 people at your level," Jinbe seemed to pale.

"So Pain was the leader of Akatsuki…what about this Madara you told us about?" Halibel asked from next to Kisame.

"It was both of them, Pain was the one with the raw power. Although, as far as the Zombies and Artists knew, Pain was the only leader," Kisame glanced at Sasori, who looked interested for once.

"Madara was someone who led from the shadows. He simply didn't have Pain's raw power, not any more. It was still his vision and cunning that led the Akatsuki," Kisame recalled.

"Again, I have to emphasize this, if any of you meet Pain or Madara…tell them you know me, because that'll be the only slim chance that they'll let you live. Talking would be our only way out," Kisame looked Halibel in the eye. "And if things go bad, you just run from them, is that clear?"

Halibel took a deep breath. "All right…but don't expect me to just leave you behind in that scenario."

Kisame sighed, knowing that he wouldn't win that argument. "Still, nothing can hit Madara. He can turn completely intangible and warp things to another dimension. And this next bit applies to any Uchiha. Do…Not…look them in the eye, or you'll all be stuck in their illusion."

Halibel scowled. "Which brings me to Sōsuke Aizen."

Grimmjow took an angry bite out of his sandwich. "That bastard."

"And he could use illusions too?" Kisame asked.

"From the second he releases his Zanpakuto in front of you, all 5 of your senses are his to play with, even centuries after he first uses it against you," Halibel explained.

"For the love of God," Apacci interrupted. "Stop him from ever saying 'Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu'. That's how he does it."

"It won't matter," Grimmjow scoffed. "Aizen is too fast, too strong, and too skilled in Kido for any of you weaklings."

"Regardless," Jinbe preempted his fellow Straw Hats' protests. "You said he controlled all 10 of you Espada, yes?"

"He's the one who made us Arrancar. For those of us who weren't blinded by gratefulness," she glanced at Grimmjow, "a little show of his strength was enough. He even forced the old God-King, who had power over time itself, to bow before him. Aizen was someone who legitimately could take over the world."

"Then how did he get defeated?" Kisame asked.

"A boy named Ichigo Kurosaki, or so I'm told," Halibel revealed.

"Like HELL!" Grimmjow growled. "That 'Hat-n-Clogs' was probably keeping something from us when he said that."

"Entirely possible," Halibel admitted.

"Umm…would this Ichigo be a problem to us?" Jinbe cautiously asked.

"No," Grimmjow scoffed. "He's the goodie-goodie type that cares too much about his friends."

"Be that as it may, he's still the only one with Soul Reaper, Hollow, and Quincy power within him," Halibel remarked.

"Quincy?" Tsuyu asked.

"An order of Humans that can wield Reishi to the point they can match the best Hollows and Soul Reapers," Halibel explained. "And their King, was Yhwach."

A chill seemed to enter the room when that name was dropped.

"His power dwarfs even Aizen's…he wasn't even trying when he beat me and chained me up," Halibel shuddered at the memory.

"WHAT?!" Kisame and Jinbe both exclaimed, indignant at the mere thought of that scenario. She hadn't brought that up last night. Nevertheless, she pressed on.

"I've heard that his special ability is The Almighty, where he can see every possible future and alter reality to the point his favored path will come forth."

That shocked everyone.

"How are we supposed to fight against that?" Usopp whispered.

"You're not," Halibel firmly declared. "The best case scenario is that the strongest of us all die while delaying long enough for the others to find someone else to face Yhwach."

The worst-case scenario went unsaid.

"That…goes beyond anything from my world," Jinbe sat, still shocked at the mere idea of The Almighty.

"Really?" Sasori raised an eyebrow. "From what Franky mentioned, you've had your own share of ridiculously devastating foes."

"We certainly have," Sanji took a drag of his cigarette.

"But the closest to world-ending…Marshall D. Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard," Jinbe revealed.

"Wait…your world has a Blackbeard too?!" Tsuyu wondered.

"What do you mean, your world too?" Franky had an uneasy look.

"The most infamous pirate in world history, Blackbeard," Tsuyu elaborated. "He lived hundreds of years before my time."

Every single Straw Hat froze in horror. Their absolute worst enemy…and there was now more than one.

"Did your Blackbeard have special abilities?" Jinbe gravely asked.

"This was hundreds of years before Quirks developed. As far as I know, he was just a mortal man," Tsuyu put a finger to her chin. "What about yours?"

"He commanded the power of darkness itself," Jinbe put it.

"Well…that sounds ominous," Kisame tried to sound light-hearted.

"That's not all…he found a way to steal Devil Fruit abilities, and cancel out others. The Quake-Quake Fruit was the first one he stole, from Whitebeard. In a world like this, he could very well sink every single island if he so wished," Jinbe revealed.

"Stealing Devil Fruits?" Tsuyu looked up at her sensei. "That's possible?"

"Only for Blackbeard."

"That reminds me…there's someone you should know about," Tsuyu stood up. "Tomura Shigaraki. I don't know all the details, but his original Quirk was Decay. He could rot anything his five fingers touched."

All the Hollows were immediately interested.

"But that's not all…he somehow got another Quirk that allowed him to take the Quirks of others, and unleash all their powers in any way he wished."

"So many worlds that have the ability to steal others' strength," Juvia mused.

Samehada gave a guilty-sounding chirp.

"Does that mean there's someone like that among Wizards?" Halibel guessed.

"Not a Wizard…he wasn't even human anymore," Mirajane shuddered.

"Who?" Hanataro shakily asked.

"Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse," Juvia had a far-off look.

"A dragon?" Kisame seemed awed. "An actual dragon?"

"He was originally human, but he learned Dragon Slayer Magic," Mira started.

"Normally, Dragon Slaying allows you to create, manipulate, and consume a single element with S-Class levels of power behind you," Juvia explained. "My friend, Gajeel, had Iron Dragon Slayer Magic for example and managed to beat that Torafuzar all on his own."

"But Acnologia…he used his power so often that he transformed into the very thing he swore to destroy," Mira got back on track. "Unlike others, Acnologia wasn't just the Dragon Slayer of one element. He was the Dragon Slayer of ALL Magic. Any attack that even registered to him, which was no mean feat, would just be swallowed and make him stronger."

"The day our Guild first saw him…he defeated all of us with a single attack," Juvia trembled at the memory.

"Did he ever get beaten?" Nami wondered.

"Yes…but it took every single Wizard in the continent combining our power together," Mirajane reminisced.

Suddenly, Sasori's eyes widened. "Blackbeard, Tomura Shigaraki, Acnologia…"

Kisame realized an idea was forming in Sasori's head. "What is it?"

"Those three could all get stronger with the powers of others', yes?"

A round of nodding.

"Then in this world, what's to stop them from learning to use Chakra, or Reishi, or some other skillset? Or stealing a particular Kekkai Genkai?"

Looks of absolute horror dawned at the comprehension.

"If that's the case," Halibel gave a look to Kisame, "we should count ourselves fortunate for Samehada."

Said sword gave a pleased chitter.

"And I'll give you as much Reishi as you need if it comes down to it," she told the Ninja.

"Umm…thanks," Kisame looked down at his tea. "Anyway, I'm sure there's a LOT more people we need to look out for, so let's keep talking."

As the sun descended, the whole crew stayed on deck. With the help of some skilled drawing skills, the whole crew had sketches of every Kage, every S-Ranked Ninja (with a few A-Rankers to be safe), every Soul Reaper Lieutenant and Captain, every Espada, every Sternritter, every Emperor, every Warlord, every Admiral and Vice-Admiral, every W.G. Agent, every notable Pirate, every Dark Guild Member, every Supervillain, and any other possible threat to anyone on their crew. At least, everyone they could remember.

OoOoOoO

The discussion went on the rest of the day, with only Jinbe and Nami occasionally getting up to adjust the ship's course.

Some highlights…

"Wait…you mean she had 85 CHILDREN?!" Apacci's jaw dropped to the floor.

"That's not…I mean…why?" Halibel couldn't form a complete sentence.

"Aww…I've always wanted a big family," Mirajane gushed at the idea.

"Umm," Sanji hesitantly said. "I really don't want to be the one to burst her bubble," he couldn't help but think.

OoOoOoO

"There's ANOTHER Dragon to worry about?" Kisame nearly shouted at Jinbe.

"Yep, and he's just as blue as you are," Brook joked.

OoOoOoO

"You're saying this guy became the most feared of Mizukage…with a clam?" Grimmjow scoffed.

"Yes," Kisame sighed. "Yes, he did."

"Bullshit," Apacci agreed with Grimmjow.

OoOoOoO

"So the only Soul Reaper that beat you was a white-haired kid with ice powers?" Tsuyu bluntly put it to Halibel.

"Hey…don't disrespect the ice," Sanji and Usopp said in unison, shivering at the memory of the first Admiral they ever met.

"I wasn't disrespecting ice, just surprised that power of all things got the better of you," the frog-girl mused.

"I underestimated him, it won't happen again," Halibel decided.

OoOoOoO

"He was another literal skeleton?" Brook asked.

"Yeah," Juvia nodded. "And I blew him up from the inside out."

"Well…guess you'll watch what you'll say around her, huh?" Nami chuckled at Brook.

"Yes…I suppose I will," Brook shivered.

OoOoOoO

The discussion went on for so long that nobody noticed as the sun went down. They were discussing The Pirate World's own version of Poseidon…when the moon came out.

"AIEEE!" Brook shrieked, as he was the first to notice. "How terrifying!"

"Brook, I swear I'll…" but Nami never finished her threat. She had just gotten to the part where she pointed her finger at him. That's when she noticed, there wasn't any skin on her hand. Slowly but surely, her eyes wandered up the rest of her arm. Aside from the occasional rotted piece of hanging flesh, it was just pure white bone. Looking down, she only saw bare ribs and aged-looking cloth hanging from them. She brought her skeletal hand to her face, but could feel nothing.

She ran inside to the mirror in her room, sighing in relief at her normal reflection.

"Whoo…thank goodness," Nami puffed up her beautiful orange hair, even if her fingers couldn't feel it.

She was just about to walk out and reassure the others, but she watched as moonlight seemed to make her skin and flesh vanish.

Half the crew had backed away, the other half had moved a hand to their weapons. Who could blame them? Considering they already had a skeleton, they shouldn't have been too shocked. That's where you'd be wrong. Unlike Brook, Nami still had bits of flesh hanging off her. Plus, her now-lidless eyes were still perfectly intact, frantically looking every which way. Funnily enough, her hair was the only thing undamaged. I guess it is true what Brook said about deep roots.

"Nami…what did you do?" came Jinbe's concerned voice.

The other Straw Hats were an equal mix of concern and horror. Well, Sanji was bemoaning the loss of those two soft…okay, let's not finish that sentence and say we did.

Anywho, in her now-exposed pocket, something gold reflected the moonlight.

"That medallion," Mirajane spotted it. "Did you get that at Tamatoa's Horde?"

"I…I don't…" Nami started shaking and hugging herself, retreating past the doorway away from the moonlight.

"Is this why Cipactli kept charging at you on the beach?" Apacci gave a suspicious look. "Because you nicked something from that god-forsaken chest?!"

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening."

"And we've lost her," Hanataro said in a resigned tone.

"Regardless," Halibel got back on track. "If this is what a single piece is capable of, we have to assume that hundreds of his animals will be turned into undead abominations."

"HEY!"

"No offense."

"You know, I'm curious about something." Without warning, Grimmjow fired a small Bala at Nami, who yelled in pain.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my crewmate?!" Jinbe slammed the Hollow onto the deck by the wrist, yelling in his face.

"Take a look," the former Espada gestured to Nami.

To Jinbe's surprise, Nami hadn't been damaged at all.

"I wanted to see how tough that stupid coin makes someone," Grimmjow nonchalantly shrugged as he got back up. "Now, I'll make a point to cut off Lucci's head, smash it to pieces, blast those pieces to ash, and scatter the ash all over this damn sea. Although, maybe I should test to see if that'll work." The Hollow leered.

"Wait," Tsuyu interjected. "You're telling me that Cipactli will have hundreds of invincible animals running around?!"

"Maybe not invincible," Sasori observed. "She still screamed after all, so they can still feel pain."

Clearly not comfortable with where this conversation was going, the Straw Hats were forming a circle around Nami, glaring at both Grimmjow and Sasori.

"Hey, cool it down, dudes!" Franky raised his open hands.

"Hold it," Jinbe raised his voice. "Before we do anything else, we need information."

"Wait a minute," Sanji came back to reality. "Silver…he mentioned the people who originally had this chest. The Aztecs, I think."

"Okay, that's a good start," Kisame admitted. "But where do you think we'll be able to find information on a long-dead civilization? At least any relevant information."

"There's something else," Franky brought up. "If Cipactli really has been in charge for a while, there's a good chance he's destroyed and erased everything he can about these Aztecs." He spoke with experience from the W.G.

"That may be so, but what choice do we have?" Halibel's voice soothed the on-edge crew.

"If it comes to it, we might have to strike a deal with another 'God of the Sea' in exchange for Nami's condition," Sasori pointed out. "They're probably the only ones who have consistent details on Cipactli's weakness."

"No," Nami stood up, having composed herself. "Don't bend over to a God for my sake. I'll find a way to live with this. I'm just feeling a little thirsty is all." She tried to shrug off the aggravating hunger and thirst.

"I have no desire to watch you suffer," Halibel had a pretty good intuition when it came to women hiding their pain for the sake of others. "Regardless, we should search for a solution on our own."

"Once we get to Asphodel Island, we'll keep an ear open for any libraries or experts on the Aztecs," Jinbe decided.

"Still, we better not be too direct," Kisame added. "We don't want anyone knowing we have something Cipactli wants."

"Got it," the crew chorused.

Nami sighed to herself. Even if she was the only one who'd gotten into this mess, there was no changing this crew's mind. 'Oh well.'

"I have to admit, this'll take some getting used to," Brook looked at Nami's exposed arm. "Just the thought makes my stomach queasy. Oh wait…I don't have a stomach, and you don't either! YOHOHOHOHO! Skull Jokes!"

"Goddamn it, Brook!" Nami promptly whacked him on the head, and the general mood lifted once again.

OoOoOoO

Within another couple of days, they'd reached Asphodel.

In general, the island mostly consisted of rolling hills, covered in lush green grass. Small houses, farms, and pastures were spread throughout. Although, there was one port on the southern side.

Once the ship docked slightly out of sight, the crew made its way to the settlement with the exception of Usopp playing lookout and Sasori staying to repair his 3rd Kazekage. Then, something unusual happened.

When they reached the outskirts of the town, the crew was just about to split up.

"Oh my Gods, it's them!" a woman in a toga exclaimed.

"Holy…you're right!"

A second later, a gentleman in all blue stared right at Kisame, Halibel, and Jinbe.

"WAUGH! WAUGH! WAUUGGGGHHH! Grgrgrg!" Said gentleman had screamed, foamed at the mouth, and fainted. The crew watched this poor man go down from sheer excitement at their leading trio. Jinbe seemed horrified, Kisame was holding back unsure laughter, and Halibel looked very confused.

"That's so awesome!" a younger man in his own toga exclaimed as he led a whole crowd at them.

"You three are so strong," another middle-aged woman started getting very close to Halibel.

"Uh guys?" Kisame looked at the others. "What the hell is going on?"

"Please, please," Jinbe raised a hand in surrender. "What's this all about?"

Almost suspiciously eager, a paper was shoved in the Fishman's hand.

Halibel and Kisame both leaned over Jinbe's arms to get a good look.

Imagine their shock at seeing their faces on the paper. Along with individual shots, there was one picture of the three fighting the Cipactli-possessed-Gustave in the water.

"HUH?!" all three sharks screamed in shock, their jaws dropping and eyes bulging.

Grimmjow snatched the paper. "What the hell?! I blew an arm off that crocodile, and it doesn't even mention me! This is bullshit!"

"That's not the point!" Halibel snapped back. "How did they even get these pictures?!"

"Shit," Kisame grumbled. "Now my face is all over the world." His old Ninja habits had ingrained a sense of unease at such wide levels of recognition.

"Okay…how about next village, we wear disguises?" Jinbe muttered, just as lost as the others.

"That's all well and good for next time, but what about now?!" Halibel was starting to feel very uncomfortable with all the abject adoration.

Soon enough, the whole crowd of incredibly star-struck people were leading the shark trio into a tavern. The rest of crew stood forgotten, a tumbleweed blowing past them.

"Well…that happened." That was all Apacci was able to get out. The situation was so bizarre to her that her usual temper didn't even pop up.

OoOoOoO

Three figures watched in the distance.

"Well…that was unexpected," the sole woman put it. She was tall with skin as white as snow. Long, wavy, and glossy black hair reached to the small of her back. Piercing purple eyes and ruby red lips added to her impressive beauty. Opera gloves and stilettos gave a sense of refinement to her looks. Her choice of garb was a single black dress, putting great emphasis on a frankly divine bosom. Right above her cleavage, was a red Ouroboros tattoo.

"No kidding," her androgynous companion agreed. "Don't think we'll be able to get resources with them lurking around." This individual was slightly shorter, but lean and muscular. Their green hair was long and wispy, to the point it could remind some of a palm tree. It was held up with a black headband with a strange triangle on it. They wore pieces of a black bodysuit that covered their chest, nether regions, wrists, and lower legs. Their Ouroboros tattoo was on the left thigh.

"Can I eat them, Lust?" a much shorter and fatter man asked. He also wore a black bodysuit, which did absolutely nothing to hide his rolls of fat. He had a bald head and round face, with small beady eyes. A dopey grin completed the ensemble.

"No, Gluttony," Lust sternly said. "A direct confrontation with people that matched Cipactli would kill us all. We'll have to rethink things. Envy!"

The third Homunculus raised an eyebrow.

"Change your form, get in that crowd, and listen to everything."

"Fine." Envy scoffed, but he still quickly changed into a toga-wearing man and walked off.

Omake: Anything but that!

"Goddamn it, Kisame!" Halibel was at the end of her patience.

"What…they had it coming."

"No they did not!" Jinbe argued.

"Let me tell you a story," Kisame glared at the others. "Imagine the last month of your life, you listen to music."

"Okay…"

"But this music doesn't stop…oh no. It's just one man, saying horrible rhymes to a beat that's only in his head. He doesn't ever talk normally, he doesn't stay quiet for a single minute…it just goes on and on. Even in his sleep…he does not stop. You have no idea how tempted I was to suffocate him with his own pillow."

"Kisame…no matter what happened in your first life," Halibel adopted a tone she used for when her Tres Bestias were at their most childish. "There's literally no justifiable reason to completely destroy an entire island…BECAUSE OF A RAP FESTIVAL!"

"One day…you will meet that damn Eight-Tails, and when you want to kill him, I will laugh at you. You hear me, LAUGH!" Kisame seemed at the end of his sanity.

Months Later:

"Oh man, with you I feel a spark!

"Yo, yo, yo, bodacious sweetheart!

Why don't ya ditch this shark!

You and I can lovingly depart!"

Halibel glared at Killer B.

"Go ahead…say it," Kisame had a vindicated smile.

"I'm going to kill him."

"No, Halibel!" Jinbe pleaded. "Violence isn't the answer!"

"Violence IS the answer to stop that rapping!" Kisame proclaimed.

And that was how the Cutty Sark learned to NEVER rap around Kisame Hoshigaki.

A.N. Well, this took longer than expected. On top of moving, I still have trouble with these violence-light chapters. So, sorry for the delay. Anyway, I felt more time was needed for 'Crew-time'…just showing them interact and bond. Plus, I was eager get to Grimmjow's dynamic with everyone. That's going to be fantastic in its dysfunction and violence. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy establishing relationships within this crew…but I feel like I'm still coming down from the high that was Tamatoa's Horde and all its gratuitous violence.

It took me long enough to cut the bull with Nami, right? But yes, can you believe how much time has passed since I first hinted at her being cursed…oh man. And yes, Nami's curse is going to be the linking chain for all the arcs between now and Cipactli's.

And, what's wrong with me? I just can't resist putting in some ominous observation at the end there. My crew just can't go to one island where nothing bad happens…can they? But I have a confession to make, Halibel wasn't my first anime crush (I know I'm speaking blasphemy)…It was Lust. I don't know if it was the voice (All Hail Laura Bailey) or just how much she enjoyed being bad…but there you have it.