Saiyans on the Grandline
"Hey this is strange, the Log Pose isn't reacting to this island at all." Nami said, looking at the compass on her wrist.
"Nor should it. Originally this island came in all the way from the West Blue." Brook stated.
"The West Blue?" Nami questioned.
"Indeed." Brook said, heading back into the cabin.
"Hey, where you going?" Sanji questioned.
"Truly, this has been a fortunate day for me." Brook said, grabbing his cane and heading for the front of the ship. "Not only was I able to meet you, but now my wish has been granted as well."
Jumping down from the railing, Luffy ran around the cabins to the front, with the rest of the crew following, while Kaen flew over it, just as Brook was preparing himself for something. Setting a foot on the railing, Brook leapt from the cabins of the ship, to the decorative head on the bow.
"That's one hell of a jump." Sanji said.
"Yes, there's no pesky flesh weighing me down." Brook stated as the rest of the crew came into view. "Please do not follow me. You must break through that gate, and escape this place. Whatever you do, you cannot drop your anchor in here. That being said, it truly was a pleasure meeting you today. I won't forget your kindness, so long as I live. Farewell, I hope we meet again, on the high seas."
"Hey Brook wait." Luffy called out as he jumped off the decorative head.
"Isn't he a Devil Fruit user?" Zoro questioned, as they all thought he took the final plunge.
"Hey, quit freaking out guys. Brook's fine." Kaen said. "In fact I'd say he's more then fine. He's literally running on the surface of the water towards Thriller Bark." He smiled as Brook ran around the front of the ship, and past the side.
"That is too cool." Luffy smiled.
"Uh, anyway Luffy. We should listen to him and get moving. I don't really understand the situation here, but I do know this island is bad news." Nami said.
"Huh? You guys say something?" Luffy questioned, turning to look back at them, with a big smile on his face.
"He totally wants to go." Chopper, Nami, and Ussop said.
"I've had enough ghosts for today, I don't need a whole island of them." Ussop stated.
"Wait a sec? What about that ghost we saw before? Is it still here on the ship?" Chopper questioned, his voice filled with fear.
"No, looked like it was flying toward the island. I'm guessing that's where the thing came from." Zoro said.
"Interesting." Robin began. "Like Brook said, the loud noise we heard earlier, closing shut. So it's not that we ran into it, but that we were eaten by a mouth."
"It ate us?" Luffy questioned.
"The fog makes it hard to tell. But I imagine the walls we see here, extend all the way around the island, like a circle." Robin said.
"That more then likely means, we were intentionally pulled in, and now that the gate is closed, we're trapped inside, for better or worse." Kaen stated.
"I see, that's why the skeleton ran away, it's because we're stuck inside some kind of trap." Ussop said.
"Wait, then that would mean the sailors here are capturing people on purpose, right?" Nami asked as Luffy ran into the dining cabin and closed the door. "But why?"
"Uh, guys?" Mina said, trying to get their attention.
"If this is a moving island, then that means we're still technically out at sea." Franky stated. "Guess we won't be able to anchor down here."
"Guys." Mina tried again, but louder.
"Hold on, that's the last thing we wanna do." Ussop stated. "We've gotta get out of this place right now."
"Bad news you guys." Nami began. "I think I have, I can't go on that island sickness."
"Me too. I'm real sick." Chopper said.
"Would you two stop pulling an Ussop and grow a spine? It's not like we're actually going. I have a move that can break through that barrier, it's the same one I was gonna use for getting us through that storm, but now's as good a time as ever to use it." Kaen said.
"GUYS." Mina shouted, grabbing their attentions. "I think Luffy's already decided for us."
"Nami, Chopper. You two stay behind with Eri, and watch the ship if you're not feeling well." Luffy said, now wearing a net with a container on his hip.
"An' you've got stupid adventure sickness. Again!" Ussop stated. "Come to your senses, come on, look at that." He said, directing their attention to the island. "That creepy looking building is a bonafide Haunted Mansion, if I've ever seen one, and I'm not talking about the fun kind either, I'm talking about, the kind where you never make it out alive."
"You worry too much." Luffy smiled. "I'm not going there to pick a fight, I'll be careful I promise. I just wanna catch that ghost, and keep it as a pet."
"You really think a plastic cage, is gonna hold a ghost that can pass through solid object?" Mina questioned.
"You're gonna get us all killed." Ussop said.
"Either way. Brook's a part of our crew now. So I have to bring him back." Luffy stated.
"Can't be mad at the captain for looking out for his crewmates." Kaen smiled.
"Sanji! Gimme Pirate Lunchbox." Luffy said.
"He's a part of our crew?" Ussop questioned. "Hey I did not vote for that. If we have a living skeleton wondering around the ship, I won't be able to sleep at night."
"Here, I've got the lunch boxes." Robin said.
"Luffy, Franky, it's up to you to take care of Robin while I watch the boat." Sanji said.
"Nothing gets my cola pumping like an adventure on a crazy new island." Franky smirked.
"Robin, you aren't seriously going with them, are you?" Nami asked.
"It does sound… exciting." Robin smiled.
"Right, now listen up." Franky said.
"Hold it." Kaen said. "Mina and I are going to."
"What? Why?" Ussop questioned.
"Hey, I'm no fan of ghosts either, but I'm not gonna miss out on another adventure." Mina said. "Sanji, think you and Zoro could look after Eri while we're gone?"
"I don't see why not." Sanji said.
"I can give it a try. I'm not really great with kids though." Zoro said.
"Those children I saw you handling back at Water7 would say otherwise." Robin smiled with a chuckle.
"You promised you'd keep quiet about that." Zoro said, his face flushed red.
"What's this now?" Mina asked.
"Some stupid old crown decided to just randomly adopt me, because her kids were calling me, big bro." Zoro said. "It wasn't my most graceful day. She'd put me in charge of the youngest kids."
"Hey, I know her. She's actually well known at Water7 for taking in orphaned children, who lose their parents to accidents, or Aqua Laguna." Franky said. "Anyways, as I was saying. Obviously we're gonna use a smaller boat to pull us close to the shore. An' the Soldier Dock System has something pretty damned Super, for that."
"Swear." Eri said, holding up her jar to Franky.
Franky sighed as he reached into his shirt, and dropped a couple coins into the jar.
"You're luck you're cute kid." Franky said. "I've been keeping this one a surprise. It's channel 2."
"We can discuss the channel system later. We should probably get going, before Brook gets too far ahead of us." Kaen said.
"Smart thinking. Let's go." Luffy said.
"Alright, I'll give the explanation on the way there." Franky smiled.
"Eri, can you behave for the others while Papa and I are out on the island?" Mina asked.
"I wanna come on the adventure too." Eri grumped.
"Now-now, no need to be a grouch." Sanji said. "I can make you a nice sweet treat after the fright we all just had."
"Mina, can you make a copy of this?" Kaen questioned, handing her a pair of sunglasses.
"Sunglasses? What for, afraid you're gonna break them?" Sanji asked.
"These aren't just any ordinary sunglasses. These are a special type of scouter my sister made. A sleeker, more efficient version, that's better then the outdated models the Frieza Force uses." Kaen said. "If Mina can make a duplicate of them, I can use my pair to get in contact with whoever has the second pair here on the ship. The Caller ID will have to be set up of course, but that should be simple enough for Zoro to do."
"Why me?" Zoro asked, a bit surprised at Kaen picking him.
"Simple, you're the first mate, and second in command of the ship." Kaen said.
"Fair point." Zoro acknowledged.
"Eventually, every member of the crew will have a pair, but for now, just Zoro should suffice for this ship." Mina said. "I'll give a pair to Franky, and whoever else comes with us on the way to the island."
"What would the source of the signal be?" Franky questioned.
"This, right here." Kaen said, holding up his left arm, and showing the bracer. "The signal will travel through my bracer, and to any scouters in range. Originally, it was meant to connect with the satellites circling the earth, but since that won't happen, my bracer will have to do."
"Not good enough." Franky said. "Give me a minute, and a few duplicates of that bracer, and then we'll be on our way. In the meantime, Ussop, Chopper, Nami, you three go on ahead and take it out for a spin while I do my thing."
"Take out what, exactly?" Ussop questioned.
"Well, let's head to Dock2 and find out." Franky smiled.
~Afterwards~
"It's really Merry. She's been reborn as a landing craft." Ussop cried in happiness.
"She may be tiny, but I'm happy to ride her again." Chopper said, equally as happy as Nami steered the steam powered Mini Merry.
"Alright, hold on to your seats boys." Nami cheered, speeding up as she swerved the boat through the water, while wearing her own Scouter Sunglasses.
"Why do they seem so happy about that small paddle ship?" Mina questioned, as Franky got to work with five duplicates of Kaen's transmitter bracer, and the original.
"Oh that's right, you weren't here for that little adventure at Water7." Zoro snickered.
"Here you go brother, don't need the actual vambrace part, just the transmitter tech." Franky said, tossing Kaen his bracer.
"The original ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, was one called the Going Merry." Robin said.
"That's right. We've had her since Ussop joined our crew, you could definitely say, he was the second to officially join my team." Luffy smiled. "We'd been through tons of adventures with Merry. But some stuff happened at Water7, and after a rescue mission to Enies Lobby to get Robin back from the World Government, we had to say goodbye to her for good."
"It was tough, and it broke my heart. But we gave her a proper burial at sea." Sanji said. "So the fact that Franky brought her back as this landing vessel, well let's just say, it's a special occasion."
"Gotta say, that was pretty thoughtful of you Franky." Zoro smiled.
"AAAHHH." The sound of Nami screaming echoed through the air.
"Nami." Sanji said, running to the railing.
"That sounded like it came from the island." Kaen said.
"What? No fair." Luffy called out. "You can't just go to the island like that without me. I wanna ride in the Mini Merry too."
"That's what you're concerned about? What about Nami's safety?" Sanji questioned.
"Chopper and Ussop are out there too you know, just sayin'." Franky said, finishing the transmitter tower. "An' done. Now I just gotta hook this thing up to the ship, and it'll fit right in, an' I know just where to put it so it won't get damaged."
Putting his Scouter on, Kaen tried to call the one Mina had given to Nami, but he wasn't seeing her Scouter being active. He could see that she was at the island's shore, with three other dots, but it was getting fuzzy, with some kind of interference, like something was jamming the signal.
"Hold on, three?" Kaen questioned.
"What's the matter Kaen?" Mina asked.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but only Chopper and Ussop went with Nami, right?" Kaen asked.
"That's right." Franky said.
"Then it doesn't make sense that I'm picking up another dot on the…" Kaen paused, when he realized something was wrong, and someone was missing. "Mina, where's Eri?"
Mina looked at Kaen, before her face paled, and turned into an expression of being horrified.
"MAMA'S COMING ERI." Mina shouted, before taking to the air, and flying towards the island.
"Wow… never seen her take off so fast." Kaen whistled, before the sound of something dropping echoed around them, and everyone looked to see one of the anchors had dropped, and none of them even touched the lever for it.
"What the? The anchor just dropped on its own." Luffy said.
"That's not right." Franky said.
"Franky, could it be age and wear on the gears that made the anchor drop?" Kaen questioned.
"Nah, it shouldn't be that, I just built this ship, the gears to the anchor shouldn't have come loose."
"Who cares?" Zoro questioned. "Right now, we can't afford for the ship to become unbalanced, so bring it back up." He said, before the hatch to the docking bay opened up.
"That's weird, did somebody touch the hatch?" Franky questioned.
"No. We were right here, the whole time." Sanji said, as Zoro put a hand to one of his swords.
There was a tense moment of silence, as everyone was on edge, looking at the hatch, before Luffy's cheeks were pulled wide by a mysterious force, and he began waving his arms around.
"Hey, now is not the time for this crap." Sanji shouted, thinking he was messing around. "Could you take things seriously for once?"
"Hold up Sanji. I don't think this is Luffy's doing." Kaen said.
Focusing on the area around his captain, Kaen could sense a strange Ki emitting from behind the rubber man, before he realized, it was similar to Brook's Ki, but different at the same time.
"Gotcha." Kaen called out, grabbing at the thing behind Luffy, and pulling it out from behind him. "Now show yourself, you tricky bastard."
But the instant Kaen had pulled out whatever was behind Luffy, he felt something pierce his arm, like an animal biting it, forcing him to let go of the one most likely responsible for dropping the anchor, before the ship began to rock, as waves began to form within the walls, drawing the Sunny further away from the island.
"The hell is going on?" Kaen questioned, holding his arm, where it was bitten.
~The Island~
"What in the world were you thinking, stowing away on the Mini Merry?" Nami questioned, scolding Eri as the child sat on her knees in front of the orange haired girl, while Ussop was busy rubbing his sore tailbone, and Chopper was just regaining consciousness.
"I just wanted to prove I can be a member of the crew, and come on this adventure." Eri said.
"Your parents really need to set you straight on this." Nami sighed, before looking up. "No good griping about the situation now. That wall has to be at least 6-7 meters high. I'm just glad we all managed to come out of it unscathed."
"Where are we, what is this place?" Chopper questioned.
"We're on the ghost island." Eri said.
"Ghost?" Chopper and Ussop questioned, before they began to have a panic attack.
"What, don't act like you're surprised. We've already been over this, haven't we?"
"But, if we were up there, how did we get down here?" Ussop questioned.
"We got excited about the Mini Merry, and before we knew it, we hit the shore." Nami stated.
"Please explain. I don't follow." Ussop said.
"We didn't notice it, but the wall up there is the edge of the island. When we ran into it, we were all thrown off the boat. That same momentum is also what brought Eri out of her hiding place, and threw her down here with us in this moat."
"I just wanted to come on an adventure." Eri said.
"Now I admit, that was 100% my fault but… I'm cute, so you'll forgive me, right?" Nami asked, pulling a cutsie pose.
"Yeah, right after I smack you." Ussop stated angrily.
A moment later, Nami was on her knees beside Eri, holding a sign that said, I'm sorry, while Eri held a sign that said, no good stowaway, both in Kanji.
"Anyways, what I don't get is why they would have a moat on the other side of the wall, right at the entrance." Ussop said. "What's the point?"
"From the looks of things, it's some kind of trap." Nami explained. "If you think of it that way, we're lucky we didn't fall on any spears, or giant spikes."
"You're right." Chopper said. "It's a good thing we had all these skeletons here, to cushion our fall, huh?"
The moment he said that, the two of them went pale faced, as they began to panic at the thought of their skeletons being added to the mess.
"Would you cut that out already?" Nami questioned in annoyance.
"Hey, but we're still near the entrance right?" Ussop asked. "If we stay here a while, Luffy will definitely come and find us."
"He might try, but we're bellow sea level. Doesn't that put us in a bad spot?" Chopper asked.
"Good point." Ussop said. "If we stay here, then they might not notice us."
"Papa will find us. He can track our Ki." Eri said.
"Him or Mina. Either way, you're in big trouble with your parents when we return to the Sunny." Nami said.
"Oh… I forgot about that." Eri said.
"In any case, we should find a way for them, out of this pit, and wait for them by the shore. It'll increase our chances of being found by them faster." Nami stated.
"I guess so. But which way should we go? It all looks bad." Ussop said, taking a few steps to his right, before stopping as Eri got in his way.
"Not that way." She said, her voice sounding high pitched and terrified.
Ussop looked up, and he froze, seeing five glowing yellow eyes looking right at them.
"What the heck is that thing, a dog?" He questioned, as the visage became clearer.
The beast was large, and it had three heads. Two of them were the heads of blue furred huskies, while the third was of a yellowed furred fox, with bandages over its left eye.
"That's no dog." Nami said.
"It can't be…" Chopper began. "I-it's a-a…"
"Cerberus." Eri said, kinda freaked out.
"Ruff-Ruff-Rawr."
"Everybody run." Eri called out, making a run for it.
"Wait, what the heck's a Cerberus?" Nami questioned.
"Mythical three headed dog. The one who guards the gates to the underworld." Eri stated.
"How are you knowledgeable on mythical monster?" Ussop shouted.
"Papa made sure I knew my mythologies after I learned how to read and write."
"There's no way that's real." Nami said.
"Look at that thing, you got a better explanation?" Ussop questioned.
"So did we die and go to the underworld?" Chopper asked.
"No. Don't even say that." Nami cried.
"Ah." Eri cried out, as she tripped over something.
"Eri." Nami called to her, turning back and running for the child.
Pushing herself up, Eri turned around, and cried in horror, as the Cerberus leapt at her, intending to kill.
"NO." Eri cried out, holding her arms out, and releasing a Ki blast. It wasn't a strong one, but it hit the Cerberus in the chest, and knocked it to the ground.
Getting up on its feet, the Cerberus looked at Eri, its three heads growling, before it tucked its tails and began to run in the opposite direction.
"Hold on… was that a Ki blast you just unleashed?" Ussop questioned.
"Yeah… don't tell Mama and Papa. I want to surprise them that I know how to use Ki." Eri said.
Nami just looked at Eri in astonishment, before she sighed with a smile.
"Considering you just saved us from being dragged to the underworld, it's a deal." She said.
"Thanks Nami." Eri smiled, before she turned back. "But what did I trip over?"
Moving away some of the bones covering what her foot got caught on, Eri was wide eyed when she saw it was a chest.
"What you got there Eri?" Chopper asked.
"I'm not sure." She said, taking the chest out of the ground.
"It looks like an old chest of some kind." Ussop said.
"Ooh, maybe there's treasure inside." Nami said, her eyes turning into the Berries symbol.
"No." Chopper and Ussop said, chopping Nami on the head.
"Eri found that chest, so she gets to keep whatever's inside." Ussop stated.
"Says who?" Nami asked.
"Says we? Or did you forget, you still owe me a bunch of Berries for making your weapon for you?" Ussop questioned. "Not to mention, it's your fault we're down here in the first place."
"Fine."
"Ooh. What's this?" Eri asked.
The trio behind Eri, looked over her shoulders, and in her hands, they saw what looked like a vine of silver grapes, with black stripes and tribal markings on them.
"Holy crap. Eri, that's a Devil Fruit." Chopper said.
"A Devil Fruit?" Eri asked. "You mean the type of fruit you, and Mr. Skeleton ate?"
"Luffy and Robin ate one too." Ussop said. "But that is a rare find. I wonder what type of fruit it is. Like what powers it'll give you if you eat it."
"Mmm…" Eri paused in thought before she put the fruit back in the chest, and stuffed the chest in her fanny pack. "I think I'll give it to Papa." She smiled.
"You sure? A Devil Fruit's power can be unpredictable. Unless you've studied them for your entire life, you won't know what kind of powers you'll get if you eat it. Maybe it's something that won't be suited to him at all." Chopper suggested.
"Maybe. But I'll still give it to him. I'll only eat it myself, if Papa and then Mama don't want it." Eri said.
"Be careful. Devil Fruit's taste absolutely disgusting and bitter. Like spoiled milk." Chopper said.
"Okay." Eri said.
"Come on, I spotted some stairs a ways up ahead. We should be able to get out from the moat there." Nami said.
Traveling further through the moat, the group spotted the stairs Nami saw, and they were filled with joy, as they reached the bottom, finding themselves that much closer to freedom.
"Hey Eri look we're…" Chopper stopped, when he saw Eri was hobbling, almost hopping on one foot, and every step she took, showed an expression of pain on her face. "Eri, what's wrong. Is your foot hurt?"
"It hurts a bit. I don't know why, it didn't hurt earlier." Eri said.
"Let me take a look at it." Chopper said, taking his hybrid form as the child sat down.
Raising her leg, Chopper examined the appendage carefully. Being sure not to cause any more damage, or pain that was already there.
"So, what's the diagnosis Chopper?" Ussop asked.
"Her ankle is swollen, and it's color is off, as if the swelling is cutting off circulation to her foot. I can't be totally sure, but it looks like she has a level 3 sprain." Chopper said. "I don't have any of my medical tools with me, so I can't treat her. But I can carry her on my back in my animal form. I just hope we can find something to wrap her ankle in soon."
"Oh wait, I think I might have something." Eri said, reaching into her fanny pack, before pulling out a first aid kit. "Tada. My Aunty Athena packed my fanny pack full of survival supplies. She's big on the need for keeping family safe."
"Your Aunty must be a very smart lady." Nami said.
"Mmhmm. She was the one who made Papa's Scouter." Eri smiled as Chopper got to work, treating her injury.
"Wow, this first aid kit has almost everything. It's even got Anti-Venom." Chopper said.
"Yep. Grandma's a doctor at a Hospital, so she was able to get Aunty Athena some Anti-Venom for the first aid kit." Eri explained.
"Wow. So your grandma must have been a real big inspiration for you, huh?" Ussop questioned.
"Sort of, but I'm more inspired by my Papa, and I wanna become a great fighter, just like him." Eri smiled, before wincing as Chopper finished up with treating her ankle.
"Well, as your doctor, I recommend staying off this foot for a while, before you do any sort of fighting." Chopper said, taking his animal form.
"Alright, you're the doctor." Eri said, as Nami put her on the reindeer's back.
"Now hold on tight to me okay? I don't want you falling off my back, when I start climbing." Chopper instructed.
"Right." Eri nodded, putting a firm grip on Chopper's shoulders.
Climbing the stairs, Nami and Ussop helped to make sure Eri was safely on the ship doctor's back, with Nami keeping one hand on Eri's between her shoulder blades. After they reached the top of the stairs, Eri relaxed her grip, but remained on Chopper's back, as they went along the trail.
"Hey, did anyone else notice the body that Cerberus had?" Eri asked.
"What do you mean?" Ussop questioned.
"I think I know. One of its heads was a fox head, right?" Chopper asked.
"Yeah, but not just that." Eri said. "It looked like the Cerberus was stitched together, like some sort of zombie monster brought back to life in a mad scientist's lab. I could smell and see some decaying flesh on its body, and I bet the fox head's left eye is decayed to nothing as well, leaving only an empty socket."
"You know, come to think of it. The Cerberus was wrapped in a lot of bandages, almost as if those were part of what kept its body together." Nami said.
"Eri."
The group looked up, and to their relief, saw Mina coming down from the air, a worried, and relieved expression, on her face as she landed in front of them.
"Eri, are you okay?" Mina questioned.
"I'm fine Mama. Don't worry about me, I'm strong like you and Papa." Eri said.
"She sprained her ankle. It's bad, but thankfully she had a first aid kit on hand I used to treat her injury." Chopper explained. "She can keep riding on my back. I don't mind."
"Eri what were you thinking, hiding away on the Mini Merry like that?" Mina questioned. "I've been looking all along the edge of the island for you."
"I'm sorry Mama." Eri said.
"Mina, is there any way for us to get back to the Mini Merry so we can return to the Sunny?" Nami asked.
"I'm not sure. The fog is so thick, it's messing with my Ki sensing abilities. Which shouldn't be possible…"
"Quite the quandary isn't it?"
The five of them looked to where the new voice came from, and they practically jumped out of their skins, when they saw a man sized bat creature, hanging upside down from a branch, with 21 over his right eye, and a scar over his left.
"Who the hell are you?" Ussop questioned, before dropping a few Berries into Eri's swear jar.
"Pardon my manners, my name is Hildon." The bat creature said. "An' speaking of bad manners, I was spying on all of you, that dog from the moat really seemed to scare you."
"I wasn't scared." Ussop said.
"Dog?" This was news to Mina.
"It was a man made Cerberus." Nami said.
"The night has just begun, but already the shadows in the forest are deep." Hildon said, as the howling of a distant canine, echoed through the air.
"Anyone else getting the vibe, that this guy is purposefully being cryptic?" Mina asked.
"Soon it shall be transformed into a world of terror, far beyond your worst nightmares." Hildon stated, as the sound of a carriage echoed through the trees, coming in their direction further down the path, before it became visible to them, and to their shock, it was being pulled by a laughing horse. "Might I recommend you take a ride with me in my carriage? It'll do the little one good for her injury. We could go, to the mansion together."
"Mansion?" Nami questioned.
"Of course." Hildon said. "Dr. Hogback's abode is just up the way."
"Huh?" Chopper gasped.
"Huh what?" Nami asked.
"Do you know him Chopper?" Ussop asked.
"Doctor Hogback?" Chopper asked.
"I don't get it." Eri said, tilting her head to the side in confusion.