As he busied himself driving the bus, Franky glanced at the wreckage of cars littering the city streets. Some had returned, others had been burned and many were abandoned. Twice he had been forced to change course, since he was unable to keep going. As for their former owners, most of them had become nothing but corpses half embedded in the windshield, or now lying on the ground with horrible injuries. As for the others, they were still able to move but, looking at their injuries, the cyborg was certain that they had been infested and transformed into zombies.

Of course, they saw several other people fleeing, but the zombies were the ones they encountered in greater numbers.

" It is better not to go outside. " He remarked.

Behind him, the rest of the group was immersed in the deepest silence. Everyone was trying to understand the situation. On the other hand, that did not prevent certain from not being concerned by what was happening. Zoro, for example, had dozed off and was sleeping peacefully. Luffy, meanwhile, was sniffing the air for the slightest smell of food. For him, it was essential to eat as quickly as possible. Five hours without eating was almost a record.

Looking at both the city and the strange crew, Takashi couldn't help but think about what was to come to the group.

"These guys are overkill! If we have managed to survive until now, it is thanks to them! However, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up going their own way, leaving us behind! In this case, what can we do? "

Asking himself the question, Tsunoda wanted to know.

"Hey, the robot! Where are we going now?"

"What?" Said Franky. " I already said I have no idea! You know the city, not the other way around! If you have an idea of a place where we can rest, let me know."

"Don't mock of me! If you were in high school, that means you knew the city."

"For the last time, we are not from here." Nami insisted. " Truth be told, your world seems very strange."

" Strange ? " Morita wondered, looking at the crew. " Sorry but I remind you that your team has a robot, a talking animal and a living skeleton! And again, I only dwell on your physique! I'd rather ignore your powers. "

" So what ? " Sanji questioned, exhaling smoke. " Do you have something to reproach us with ? "

"No, no, not at all. " Assured the boy. " Just that … "

" With all that is going on, most of us are lost. " Hisashi cried. " Now that everyone is together, I would like to know what you plan to do from now on. "

" We're going to eat. " Luffy decided.

Nami immediately pulled his cheek so that he was quiet before asking.

" And you, what will you suggest we do? Where do you want to go ? "

"" Me, I… I would like to know if my family is well. " Rei told him.

" Me too. " Yamada adds. " I had to go home to find out if my parents are doing well. "

" The problem is that many of us live far from here. " Miura noticed. " This is why it will take a long time to get to each of us. "

Looking out the window, Robin wanted to know.

" I don't want to scare you but, do you think, with this carnage, your families will still be at home waiting for you? "

" What do you mean ? " Misuzu asked her.

" With what is happening, the population had to be evacuated. " Remarked the archaeologist. " Which means we have to get to where the evacuation is. "

" Yes, but where ? " Kohta asked her.

" The city is separated into two parts. " Saya told them. " The river that passes through the city separates the city center from the less populated areas! In my opinion, the whole population is leaving the city center since the zombies must be more numerous there. "

" It's true that fleeing to the countryside is a good idea. " Taniuchi approved. " But, if this virus has spread all over the planet, will it be enough to save everyone ? "

" I have no idea. "

Noting that the discussion was going round in circles, Takashi preferred to leave his seat before heading towards Luffy.

" Hey, Mugiwara! I would like to thank you. "

" To thank me ? "

" Yes, it's thanks to you and your friends that we're still alive. "

" But there is nothing. " Assured the pirate. " And then you promised me a feast, in return! Me, that's fine with me, Kashi. "

" My name is Takashi. "

" Yes, Kashi! Don't worry ! We will take you to a safe place. "

" How can you say that when we don't even know where we are ? " Usopp sighed.

Before he changed the conversation, Takashi wanted to share a remark he wanted to tell Luffy at all costs.

" If you don't mind, I want the group to stay as it is! As you have noticed, we are much weaker than you! So will you allow us to stay with you? "

Opening one eye, at that moment, Zoro asked him.

" And what will we gain there, on our side? As you say, you are weak and rather useless! For us, you will quickly become a nuisance. "

" Zoro ! " Exclaimed Chopper.

" Are you ashamed to say that? " Asked Nami. " It's not their fault they don't have superhuman strength like yours. "

Suddenly speaking, Sanji unwillingly approved of the swordsman's words.

" Sorry to say, Nami-swan, but Zoro is right! Before deciding to take them with us, we should first know if they trust us enough and that we risk no betrayal from them! Honestly, I think it is not! Many are afraid of us. "

Staring at the group of high school students, he asked them.

" Me, I have only one question to ask! Do you agree with your friend that we keep the group as it is, even if that certainly means putting you under Luffy's command ? "

Looking at each other, several showed that they did not all agree with this idea.

" Me, I am ready to continue with this group. " Cried Saeko. " Nevertheless, I am not the type of person who blindly obeys someone no matter how powerful they are! I respect your captain's strength, but I don't know him enough to fully trust him. "

" For my part, I trust Sanji more than Mugiwara. " Yuuki confessed, who found it hard to understand that the cook was under the orders of a person who seemed to him completely stupid.

" We only traveled with Robin, who protected us. " Adds Kawamoto. " Likewise, several members of your gang had to protect other high school students by being separated! As a result, we place our trust more in them than in your boss! To be honest, all I know about him is what Robin taught us! And it seems to have as many good qualities as it does flaws. "

" What faults ? " Luffy wanted to know, immediately turning his head to Robin.

" Look at yourself before asking these kinds of questions. " Usopp advised him.

"Maybe it's true." Suddenly asserted Takuzo. "Maybe many of us don't know enough about him! But, I remind you that they protected us all! We can trust them, right?"

"They are far too strange for that." Tsunoda retorted. "Really, who can believe that they fell from the sky like this?"

"Who would have thought that we would experience a zombie invasion?" Hisashi questioned. "Honestly, me, more surprises me! At least I'd rather be around these guys than be hanging out outside."

Getting ready to say something, Franky in turn suddenly saw several cars blocking the way. Inside, their drivers were honking their horns or showing signs of their displeasure.

"What is happening?" Brook wanted to know, approaching the cyborg.

"It looks like we can't go any further."

"Everyone must head out of the city center." Misuzu noticed. " The roads are now blocked around the bridges! People have to drive their cars one by one to make a check to make sure they don't let any infected pass. "

" The Ichiyama bridge is several kilometers from here. " Yuuki remembered. " So we are not ready to go there. "

" In this case, the living dead will have caught up with us very quickly. " Robin remarked! Even if they are slow, they will have no trouble getting here! And with all those horns, they know very well where we are. "

" Huh, precisely, there are some who happen. " Miura told them, looking out the back window.

Indeed, a dozen zombies were arriving, salivating in advance of the feast they were going to have.

" Franky, turn around. " Nami suddenly ordered him.

" What? But the bridge is… "

" We don't have the time ! We will not even have traveled ten meters that these monsters will have already surrounded the bus! In addition, night is falling! In the dark, repelling their assaults will be even more risky! It is better to leave and wait until the road is less crowded. "

'' But ... where do you want us to go, while waiting? " Asked Usopp. " These monsters are all over town. "

" In a supermarket. " Cried Kurokami. " This way we can take whatever we need to survive. "

" Bad idea. " Saeko retorted. " Many people must have already thought about this idea! Suddenly, people must have taken refuge there and surely defend the place with firearms! Fear will make them shoot zombies as well as us. "

This remark then made the boy swallow.

" Me, I want to go where there is food. " Luffy announced.

" No, it is better to go and collect weapons. " Franky retorted.

" Good idea. " Kohta approved. " With firearms, we will be able to support you! However, there is no military base nearby. "

" Rather than thinking about food or weapons, it is better to first find a place where we will be safe. " Saya remarked.

" Safe. " Someone thought.

Immediately, Toshimi stood up before declaring.

" If you want, we can go to my place! There is room for everyone. "

" At your home ? " Repeated Chopper.

" Yes. " Cried Misuzu. " Your house is huge and then there is a huge gate surrounding it! With him, no zombie will be able to pass. "

" Is it near here ? " Kawamoto asked her.

" Yes, it is not far from the river! It offers a good point of view over part of the city! We can therefore black arrive the zombies if ever the idea of attacking us comes to mind! And then there are a lot of reservations! We will not be able to starve there. "

It didn't take more for Luffy to exclaim.

" Franky, let's go. "

" Minute. " Nami stopped him. " We can't just go for it on a whim. "

" However, this is surely the best solution we have. " Robin retorted. " If this place is well and truly protected, we will be able to spend the night there to reflect on what is happening. "

'' But what will we do if the giants return ? " Morita asked them.

Zoro immediately pulled a saber from its scabbard and asked.

" Another question ? "

" No, it'll be fine. "

" In this case, let's go. " Franky decided, putting the reverse gear

After a hundred yards, he turned the wheel before setting off, jostling several zombies in the process.

Glancing behind him, Takashi spotted several people in their vehicles fleeing, as undead emerged from the back alleys. To get rid of it, fleeing was useless. No, they had to be beaten to the last. Looking at Luffy next, he smirked, before thinking.

"As long as I'm with this guy, I'll be fine."

"Wow." C ried Luffy. "This is a house."

In fact, he was visualizing the huge mansion that stood in front of him as he had just left the bus. The house in question was a sort of mansion, surrounded by a gate measuring more than two meters high. As Toshimi had announced, the place was large and had fairly good protection.

"Well, it has been a long time since I came here." Misuzu remembered.

"It's huge." Naomi noticed.

"That's a rich man's hut." Yuuki approved.

Seeing the building in turn, Usopp had a feeling of déjà vu. With a few minor details, the mansion looked like Kaya's. After sneaking into it discreetly hundreds of times, he knew the whole mansion inside out.

Trying to push open the doors of the portal Hisashi noticed.

"It's locked."

" It is necessary to insert the code. " Toshimi explained, showing a digital code near the gate.

But before she had time to dial it, Luffy's arms suddenly gripped the top of the portal and he began to back away.

" Uh ..., what are you doing again ? " Usopp questioned.

" I can't wait anymore. " Luffy cried, completely hysterical. " At the table. "

Then, he propelled himself over the portal and smashed against one of the windows of the building. The latter shattered as the pirate disappeared inside. Another sound of broken glass, as well as that of a big fall, showed that his landing had done much more damage. Finally, a cloud of dust came out of the window the instant the crashing noises ceased. Watching the pieces of glass fall in the garden, Sanji thought it was good to say.

" I believe that we will maintain a notebook to mark the things that it will have broken and what we will have to reimburse. "

" There were some very expensive vases in the hallway where he landed. " Toshimi asserted.

" Luffy. " Nami then shouted.

Looking out onto a balcony behind one of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, as night had fallen, Takashi could see, through binoculars, lights showing the location of the Ichiyama Bridge. Each light showed him that people, both civilians and law enforcement, were still there.

A little further down, just about twenty meters from the building, a few zombies were motionless in the street, waiting for a person to make the slightest noise that could betray his presence. So knowing that a portal was protecting them was pretty reassuring.

"Wanting to go for a night walk to get some sleep or to be able to smoke is really not the best idea! He noticed, leaving the balcony."

Entering the living room, he saw a good part of the group being crowded there. Even though the room was very large, most everyone had gathered into two groups: the high school kids on one side and Luffy's crew on the other. As for the women, they all agreed to go to the bathroom. Because of this, the teenager still had a hard time figuring out who got along well and wanted to stay with the pirates.

As far as they were concerned, the five pirates who were in the room - that is, Usopp, Chopper, Zoro, Franky, and Brook - seemed rather laid back. To believe they had lived worse than that.

"So ? " Morita wanted to know.

"It is not yet the massacre, but it is better not to go outside."

"Like we're going to do it." Tsunoda growled, probably the only person who had somewhat isolated himself from everyone.

"Chut. " Kohta said to them, trying to listen to a program on television.

" With the high-speed expansion of this mysterious evil that is currently affecting the whole world, Japan, like many other countries, finds itself in the throes of panic! Indeed, the number of deaths continues to increase and currently reaches more than two million deaths! According to various scientists, this disease is caused by a virus hitherto unknown. ' '

" A virus ? " Repeated Usopp. " He doesn't talk about riots anymore ? "

" It is no longer useful to want to hide the truth. " Kohta remarked. " Now that everyone is aware, it is better to tell the truth so that they do the right thing so that they can escape death. "

" Anyway, given the panic, I doubt that continuing to lie would have brought order. " Miura noticed.

'' Given the rate of spread of this disease, we assume that the number of victims in Japan could exceed ten million in the space of 48 hours. ''

Listening to this number, several people began to ask.

" How many ? "

" At this rate, we will soon exceed the number of deaths caused by the plague. " Kurokami noticed. " Now, we just need to know if we will be part of the survivors or this percentage of potential victims. "

'' We also inform you that many of our teams have been sent to the field have also been tainted by this evil! This is how we are announcing that this flash will be the last that we can broadcast! It is therefore to close this show that I bid you farewell, as well as good luck. ''

This is the moment Kohta chooses to turn off the TV.

" Hey, why are you switching off ? " Franky asked him.

" No matter how long we listen to the news, we won't have any reassuring news. " Assured the boy. " We already know everything. "

" For me, the fact that they stop taking us for idiots is reassuring news. " Takashi retorted.

" Me, I find precisely that it is the opposite. " Hisashi replied. " What are we going to do now that we have no government to count on ? "

" Surviving is the only option we have. " Takuzo said, heaving a weary sigh.

" No, stop that Luffy. " Someone suddenly shouted.

Then opening the living room door on the fly, Sanji appeared with a ladle in hand and Luffy in the other. The latter himself held a ball of bread between his teeth and several apples in his hands.

'' Someone prevent him from entering the kitchen. " Ordered the cook, swinging him in the middle of the living room.

Returning to the stove, he left them with Luffy, who gobbled up whatever he could steal at lightning speed.

" Igd jdifjss vkfbhss fjdns. " He declared with his mouth full.

" What are you talking about ? " Usopp questioned.

" He says he can no longer wait for the meal to be ready. " Brook replied.

" A day, you would have to teach me to decipher his language. "

Yawning, Zoro then asked.

" Good now that we are here, we should know what we are going to do next. "

" No one has the slightest idea. " Franky declared. " Already being in an unknown world is misery! But, in addition, we are in full chaos! So, to come back home, it's mission impossible. "

" You told us about a man who brought you here. " Kurokami noticed. " Isn't it then possible for him to send you home? "

" It might be the case, but the problem is, we don't have the slightest idea where he might be. "

" If he remained in our world, no chance for us to find him. " Adds Chopper.

" That's what he calls bad luck. " Hisashi remarked.

"Where then, we are the lucky ones to have them with us." Takashi almost said. "

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Nami was stretching her arms out as she took a bath.

" Ah, that's great. " She asserted, looking at the huge bathroom where she was with the other high school kids.

As large as a living room, it had two tubs, which could easily accommodate two people, across the room. On the left side, a series of stools were arranged in front of mirrors with handheld shower heads. The mirrors were fog-free, so the girls could see themselves while washing their bodies.

In front of the redhead, Rei was also enjoying the bathtub while Toshimi and Misuzu shared the second. The rest of the girls sat on the stools and washed their bodies with sponges.

Although the comfort was finally present on the face of some, Saya was simply pouting. Compared to others, she hated bathing with other people. In addition, she had great difficulty recognizing the soaps in front of her, since she had taken off her glasses.

" Is it soap or shampoo ? " She wanted to know.

" Shampoo. " Saeko told him. " But, in my opinion, it wouldn't be too bad if you were wrong. "

" You can pass it to me, then ? " Naomi asked her.

Seeing a second bottle lying around near the bathtubs, Robin made a hand appear to grab it, before throwing it in the direction of the schoolgirl, who received it. Looking at the vial, then the hand disappearing, Naomi stared at the woman before trying to give her an awkward smile.

" Thank you. "

" Why are you worried? " Asked Taniuchi. " Don't worry, she won't hurt us! Isn't it, Kawamoto ? "

The redhead immediately began to stare at Robin, who decided to imitate her. Finally, she ends up nodding before saying.

" She is not mean! I even find its power pretty cool. "

Robin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, since she was sure Kawamoto was just disgusted by his power.

" Waouh, your chest is huge. " Cried Rei, looking at Nami's bust.

" I know one who keeps repeating it to me. " The young woman assured her, referring to the cook of the crew.

To her surprise, she saw Rei reaching out to her before squeezing them.

" Hey, what are you doing ? "

" Let me touch them. " She asked her, continuing to squeeze them.

Seeing the two girls struggle, Misuzu sighed.

" Even a bath turns into a battlefield. "

She was about to get out of the tub, when she noticed that Toshimi was very quiet. Face downcast, she seemed lost in her mind, as if something was tormenting her.

" Toshimi ? " Asked the young girl.

No answer.

Wanting to get her out of her torpor state, Misuzu suddenly threw water in her face. The effect was instantaneous. Toshimi was so surprised that she let out a cry of fear.

" But what happened to you ? " She wanted to know.

" I wanted to know when you would finally react. " His friend told her. " At least I'm sure you haven't become a zombie, that's it already! But tell me, why are you…? "

She was cut by a jet of water which hit her in the face.

" And like that ? " Toshimi asked, directing a shower palm towards her face. " Do I still look like a zombie? "

Wanting revenge, Misuzu tried to spray her again. Foreseeing her gesture, the young girl where the reflex to bend down and the jet of water sprayed Saeko and Saya who were behind her.

" Hey. " Cried Saya.

" Oops, sorry. " Misuzu apologized.

Looking at her amusedly, Saeko ended up taking part in the battle and sprayed her in turn while Toshimi moved to his side. Soon the bathroom floor was flooded.