Ch. 33- Promises
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
Shade © Gakuto1991 and Me
The Straw Hats sat around each other in the dark void, taking a moment to get over the shock of Shade's appearance. Aika and Kumi were still visibly shaken by the black dog's attack, but thankfully, Nami was there to calm them down. After taking a moment to finally settle down, Usopp finally chose that moment to speak.
"So...anyone else wondering what that dog meant?" Usopp asked. "You know, about us 'experiencing hell' if we continued any further?"
"Perhaps there are even worse memories here than what we saw at the beginning," Robin implied.
"Are you trying to say that there might be even worse things that Luffy's been hiding from us?" Nami asked.
"It's a possibility," said Robin.
"In that case," Sanji began, "we might need to stay on our toes. After all, now we know that Kovar's not gonna make it easy for us to find Luffy, what with that mutt showing up."
"That's right," said Brook. "This is Kovar's domain, and that means we're still in danger, as well."
"He's right," Franky agreed. "That bastard dog could come back at any time!"
"If he does come back," Zoro started as he gripped his swords, "we'll be ready."
Suddenly, there was the sound of a loud splash, and the Straw Hats stood up as the darkness around them suddenly vanished, giving way to the sky. However, that wasn't what startled them. What startled them was the group of massive Sea Kings...and the Going Merry was sitting on the snout of one of them!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Usopp, Chopper, and Brook shrieked. "SEA KIIIIIIIIIIINGS!"
"THEY'RE HUGE!" Aika and Kumi cried.
On the ship, Past Nami whimpered as she hugged the mast, tears of fear in her eyes, while Luffy, Past Zoro, Past Usopp, Past Sanji, and of course, their guest at that time, Apis, stared out in shock and disbelief.
"The Calm Belt is home to the Sea Kings," Past Nami wept. "It's their main place for breeding! They're the biggest reasons why nobody leaves the Calm Belt!"
"What the hell happened here?!" Franky questioned.
"And who's that girl?" Robin asked.
"Oh, yeah," Nami said. "Sometime after we left Loguetown, we met a little girl named Apis. We were taking her home to Warship Island, but...we kinda ran into some trouble."
"We ended up getting caught by this huge wind," Sanji began, "and we kinda end up landing in the Calm Belt."
"And not long after," Zoro started as he pointed at the gigantic beasts, "those guys showed up."
"You guys got into all sorts of crazy trouble, didn't you?!" Blizzard asked.
After Past Usopp accidentally got the Sea Kings' attention, one, a giant yellow frog, tried to jump up and eat the Merry, and Apis ended up getting knocked off the ship. Luckily for her, Luffy managed to rescue her...but not without her grabbing one of the Sea King's nose hairs (which caused some of the crew members to groan in disgust). Before long, though, it caused the huge sea beast to sneeze, thus sending the Straw Hats back into the waters of the East Blue. After sailing a while longer, they managed to reach Warship Island, where Apis was reunited with her fellow villagers, as well as her grandfather, Bokuden, who invited the Straw Hats to his house for pork buns...which would take quite a long time to cook, unfortunately.
After bringing them inside, the old man began to tell the Straw Hats the stories of the ancient kings of the island, but the memory faded to black sometime after, signifying that Luffy had fallen asleep due to listening to them for so long. Hell, even the current Straw Hats felt like falling asleep, including Robin of all people, but they managed to wake themselves up.
"He kinda reminds me of this one neighbor I had on Wolf Paw Island," said Aika. "He would tell me and my friends these boring stories about when he was our age and then we'd end up falling asleep...but he enjoyed our company in spite of that, so I guess there was an upside to it for him."
"That's nice, honey," Nami said.
Sometime after, Luffy awoke to use the bathroom, but instead followed the scent of the pork buns cooking. By the time he got there, though, he was still so tired from hearing Bokuden's stories, he fell asleep for a little while longer until Past Nami hit him in the head to wake him, thinking that he had eaten all the pork buns until she realized someone had made off with them, so she and Luffy followed the trail into the mountains until they found Apis talking to a giant dragon covered in green feathers, whom Apis had affectionately called "Grandpa Ryu", who, for some reason, Luffy could understand.
"Whoa, what is that?!" Aika asked.
"A Millennial Dragon," Nami answered.
"Wow!" Chopper exclaimed. "He's amazing!"
"And SUPER huge!" Franky added.
"So Millennial Dragons do exist!" Brook said. "Yohohohoho! And here, I though I had seen everything! Even though I don't have eyes."
"So they are real," Robin smiled. "How fascinating...a living relic, so to speak."
"I'm more surprised at the fact that Luffy understands what he's saying!" Blizzard exclaimed. "He didn't even have Observation Haki back then, did he?"
"Maybe it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing," said Sanji.
After the rest of the Past Straw Hats met Grandpa Ryu, they agreed to take the old, senile dragon back home to the Dragon's Nest. Of course, they did have some opposition from Commodore Nelson of the Marines and Eric the Sickle, or as Luffy put it, Eric the "Sicko", which caused the Straw Hats to laugh.
"Actually, Sicko does sound better!" Franky commented.
"Tell me about it!" Usopp laughed.
After facing Eric's powerful Sickle-Sickle Fruit powers, the group managed to escape for the time being, towing Grandpa Ryu along on a raft behind them. After they sailed through a mirage and through a terrible storm where they almost lost Grandpa Ryu, the group managed to reach what they thought might have been the Dragon's Nest, but further exploration (plus a cave-in into an old temple) revealed that their destination was actually on Warship Island all along.
"I still couldn't believe that we were actually at the Dragon's Nest, all along," Usopp said in disbelief. "Talk about being misled!"
"Sometimes, even ancient history can be a bit misleading," said Robin, professionally.
Of course, it wasn't easy, trying to head back to the Merry, since Eric followed the Past Straw Hats, and Past Zoro chose to stay behind and hold him off while Luffy and the others escaped. It was a real wild ride down from the temple, and after a few scares, they managed to reach the ship...although Past Nami, Past Usopp, and Past Sanji did get thrown off because they weren't holding on tight enough, and Luffy scolded them for just sitting around, much to their ire. What made it funnier though was that once again, Luffy "saved" Past Zoro by stretching his arm and pulling him to the ship, which of course caused the present Straw Hats to laugh at their swordman's expense while Zoro grumbled under his breath.
"I'm still gonna kill him for that...!" he muttered.
After leaving the island, of course, the Past Straw Hats were still met with opposition from Nelson. The reason why he and Eric were after Grandpa Ryu so much was because they wanted to extract "Dragonite", which was said to be the elixir for eternal life. Of course, that wasn't going to settle with Apis or the Past Straw Hats, especially Luffy, so they engaged the Marines at naval combat while Past Zoro (somehow) managed to cut the chains that the Marines were using to keep the small crew of pirates trapped. What really amazed the Straw Hats was when Grandpa Ryu decided to take action after Apis got hurt. Unfortunately for him, though, the Marines opened fire on him and severely injured him to the point where he fell into the sea.
Naturally, Luffy flew into a rage and attacked Nelson's flagship, which caused the overly obese commodore to try and have him and the Straw Hats killed, but before they could, a gigantic swarm of Millennial Dragons appeared and attacked his ship. At that moment, Grandpa Ryu, suffering from his injuries and his old age, had passed away, furthering enraging Luffy when Nelson mocked his death. Luffy managed to jump onto the back of one of the Millenial Dragons before delivering a powerful Gum-Gum Battle Axe, destroying the flagship.
"Hmph!" Sanji scoffed. "Fat tub of lard got what was coming to him."
"Poor Grandpa Ryu, though..." Aika said. "I can't believe he died."
"He was really old for a dragon," said Chopper. "He probably wouldn't have lasted much longer, regardless if he got shot or not."
"Don't you worry," Nami smiled. "It's not over yet. Just look!"
Just then, Warship Island seemed to rise out of the sea, which caused the legendary Dragon's Nest to finally appear. Even more so, the nest had many little eggs around, and out of one of them hatched a little baby Millennial Dragon that beared an uncanny resemblance to Grandpa Ryu, to Apis' joy. Of course, the joy was momentarily short-lived, for Eric had appeared for one final showdown with the Straw Hats. He attempted to make a bargain with them in order to obtain the Dragonite from the Millennial Dragons, but Luffy refused.
"Luffy seriously would turn down eternal life?" Franky asked.
"Of course," Nami said. "What good is eternal life if it means you'll outlive the people you care about, most?"
"You got that right," Zoro added. "Plus, Luffy would just find it boring."
Of course, Apis wouldn't stand for Eric attempting to kill her friend a second time, but thankfully, Luffy managed to step in before she could get hurt. Of course, he was hit with several of Eric's Wind Slash attacks, but the Straw Hat Captain bravely pushed through them before he sent Eric flying with a Gum-Gum Bazooka.
Their mission complete, the Past Straw Hats offered to take Apis with them, but she politely declined, saying that she had to protect the Millennial Dragons, now, even though they would outlive her, which was why she was willing to grow up and pass on what she knew to her children, and hopefully, they would do the same with their children and so on and so forth. With that, the Past Straw Hats said their goodbyes and continued on toward the Grand Line.
"That looked like it was a lot of fun," said Aika.
"Yeah...I wonder how Apis is doing, these days," said Nami. "We should go and visit her, sometime."
"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "I bet her gramps is still putting her to sleep with those stories of his."
The Straw Hats all laughed at this.
"Still," Robin began, "Apis is one brave little girl." She looked down at Aika, who blinked up at her. "Reminds me of someone I know, actually."
"Who? Me?" Aika asked.
"Well, you used to be kinda apprehensive about a lot of things until you met Luffy," Kumi began, "just like Apis!"
"I think it's because somewhere deep down," Aika began, "I knew he was my Big Brother."
"Hey, guys, check it out!" Chopper called. "Something's happening!"
The Past Straw Hats had all gathered in the galley, sitting at the table while Past Usopp stood at the rudder...which seemed to shift to the left, a bit, but no one seemed to notice.
"Listen up, boys," Past Nami said as she put the map of the Grand Line on the table. "I've heard the rumors, but I didn't think that they were true until I looked at the map, and it turns my suspicions were correct: the entrance to the Grand Line is up a mountain."
"A mountain?" Luffy asked, holding a glass cup in his teeth.
"Are you saying we have to crash through the mountain in order to reach the Grand Line?" asked Past Zoro while Past Usopp was struggling with the rudder.
"How's that work?" asked Past Sanji.
"I took a closer look," said Past Nami, "and there are canals drawn on the mountainside, meaning we may have to climb it."
"Climb it?" Past Zoro repeated. "Are outta your head? There's no way we can use a canal to climb up a mountain."
"But that's what it says," Past Nami rebuked.
"You really don't know maps all that well, do you, Moss-head?" asked Sanji.
"Ah, shut up!" Zoro barked. "Like you know any better!"
"Ooh, this sounds like fun!" Luffy exclaimed.
"That's right, you dolt!" Past Sanji barked. "There's no way that Nami would ever make such a mistake!"
"But you stole that map from Buggy, didn't you?" asked Past Zoro. "Are you sure it's a good idea to trust it?"
"ZORO!" Past Usopp yelled. "HELP ME OUT, WILL YOU?!"
"Ugh..." Past Nami groaned. "Sanji, help Usopp with the rudder, please. It's hard to think with all his screeching."
"Of course, Nami, my sweet!" Past Sanji exclaimed as he grabbed onto the rudder, as well...and yet, it didn't even budge. "What the-?"
"See that?!" Past Usopp questioned. "This must be some crazy-fast current if even you can't turn the rudder!"
The room suddenly fell silent.
"Usopp...what did you just say?" Past Nami asked.
"I was saying that I can turn the rudder with this incredibly fast current!" the sniper exclaimed.
"Seriously," Usopp said. "I thought my arms were gonna pop right outta my sockets if I pulled that rudder any harder!"
"But of course," Brook said. "The current that leads up Reverse Mountain is incredibly strong! Can't tell you how close my former crew and I were to losing our ship when we entered from the West Blue! Yohohohoho!"
"The current..." Past Nami whispered before she gasped in realization. "Of course! That's it!"
"What's it, Nami?" asked Luffy.
"We really do have to climb up Reverse Mountain!" Past Nami answered as she looked at the map.
"Are you still going on about that crap?" asked Past Zoro.
"Shut up and pay attention!" Past Nami demanded as she pointed at Reverse Mountain. "Now, look here. See these four currents from all four of the Blue Seas? If powerful currents from all four seas converged at that mountain, the waters would shoot up the sides through the canals, collide at the top, and then flow out into the Grand Line! The Merry is already riding the current, so all we have to do is steer!"
"Wow!" Aika exclaimed. "Big Sis, you're so smart!"
"Well, I am the navigator," Nami smiled. "I have to know these things."
"Yeah, but some help you jerks were when I had to steer," Usopp said with a glare as he watched his past self struggle with the rudder.
"Still," Robin began, "sailing up Reverse Mountain is no easy feat."
"Huh?" Chopper asked. "Why's that?"
He soon got his answer, though, when Past Nami continued her explanation.
"Reverse Mountain is a Winter Island," the navigator went on, "so when the sea currents collide with it, the upper currents are forced back under. If the ship were to miss the canal, we'll crash into the mountainside and get swallowed up by the sea. Got it, now?"
"Ah, yeah, I get it," Luffy smirked. "So it's a mystery mountain? Heheheheheh!"
"Of course you don't get it..." Past Nami muttered in exasperation.
"Nami, you are so amazing!" Past Sanji exclaimed.
"Seriously, though," said Franky, "can't tell you how many times you got us all outta some tight spots because of your know-how, Nami!"
"Yeah, well...y'know," Nami said, blushing with a bit of pride, "I just gotta do my job!"
"Big Sis is the best navigator in the whole wide world!" Aika exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Kumi cheered. "Way to go, Nami!"
"I heard rumors about the Reverse Mountain and climbing up it," Blizzard said, "but this will be the first time I actually see it happen."
The Past Straw Hats soon gathered outside, where a storm began to rage, and soon after, the Merry began to rock up and down on the angry waves.
"Sanji, quick!" Past Nami called. "Furl up the sails!"
"Of course, Nami, my dear!" exclaimed Past Sanji said as he grabbed Luffy. "Hey, Luffy, get over here and gimme a hand!"
"Ah! Okay, lemme go!" Luffy cried as he and Past Sanji hurried to raise up the sails before they got torn off the wind. At that moment, Luffy looked up and saw something up ahead: a massive wall of red rock.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Look, there it is! The Mystery Mountain!"
"Is that the Red Line...?!" Aika asked in disbelief.
"That's right, Aika," said Robin.
"It's so tall!" Kumi cried as she sat on Blizzard's head. "You can't even see the top!"
"This is it," said Past Nami. "It's the entrance to the Grand Line!"
"Ahahahaha!" Luffy laughed in excitement. "So that's the Red Line, huh?!"
"Holy crap, it's huge...!" Past Usopp gaped. "You can't even see the peak through the clouds!"
Suddenly, the sea seemed to get even angrier as the Merry was being pulled toward the mountain by the powerful current, causing her to bounce up and down on the water's surface and spraying the ocean about. At first, it looked like they were going to crash until they spotted the canal, going up the mountain through several gates.
"You know," Robin began, "to this day, I still don't know where those gates come from."
"You saw them, too, Robin?" asked Nami.
"Yes," Robin said. "I think I might know about them the further we go on our journey."
"We're being pulled in!" Luffy shouted. "Quick, steer the ship, but carefully!"
"Got it!" Past Usopp and Past Sanji called as they ran to the rudder and tried to steer the ship.
"I don't believe it!" Past Zoro exclaimed as he looked through a pair of binoculars. "The water is climbing UP the mountain!"
"Hey!" Luffy called. "We're veering off course! Turn to the right! Right!"
"Right?!" Past Usopp questioned. "Don't you mean starboard?!"
Unfortunately, because he and Past Sanji were pushing on the it too hard, combined with the strength of the current...the helm snapped in half, causing everyone to gasp in shock.
"Oh, no!" Chopper cried.
"How are they gonna steer the ship?!" Blizzard questioned.
"I can't look!" Aika exclaimed as she covered her eyes, as did Kumi.
As usual, though, Luffy was the first to act as he jumped off the railing and in between the ship and one of the gates.
"GUM-GUUUUUUM...BALLOON!" he shouted before he inflated himself, acting as a cushion for the Merry. As the hull of the ship collided with him, it momentarily squished him and caused his face to turn blue, but he managed to steer her in the right direction.
"LUFFY, QUICK! GRAB A HOLD!" Past Zoro called out to his captain, which prompted Luffy to deflated and stretch his arm, allowing the swordsman to pull him on board...although his head up ended up going through the deck.
"What happened?!" asked Aika. "Did they make it?!"
"Yeah, they made it!" Franky answered.
"Well done!" Brook exclaimed.
"Phew...!" Aika sighed in relief.
"This is it!" Past Usopp cheered. "We made it in!"
"Yeah, baby!" Past Sanji exclaimed.
"All right!" Past Nami said as she took off her jacket. "Now all we have to do is reach the peak!"
"Wait! Hang on, I wanna see!" Luffy called before he pulled his head out of the deck. "I'm free!" He soon ran to join the others at the bow. "What'd I miss?! Wait for me!"
Soon, he joined the others as the Merry kept climbing up and up toward the peak of Reverse Mountain, causing him to let out a whoop of excitement before giving the biggest, toothiest grin ever, while Past Zoro smirked and Past Nami grinned, broadly, as well, while Past Usopp and Past Sanji were cheering and hollering. However, their celebrating was short-lived when a familiar someone appeared on the railing: Eric, though without his shades, but looking plenty angry.
"You bunch of brats!" Eric shouted.
"Uh-oh!" Past Nami exclaimed.
"It's the sicko guy!" Luffy cried.
"What the hell is he doing back?!" Blizzard questioned.
"Man, I thought you were dead!" Past Zoro complained.
"You don't give up, do you-" Past Usopp started.
"SILENCE!" Eric yelled. "You lot have crossed me for the last time! Thanks to you, I can't even dream of obtaining Dragonite, but I'm not going to let it end here!" He then pointed threateningly at Luffy. "I'll at least have the pleasure of collecting the price on your miserable head!"
"Oh, boy...!" Luffy gulped.
"Well, now what?!" Past Sanji questioned. "If he uses his Wind Slashes here, he'll tear the ship apart!"
"Yeah, what did you guys do?!" Franky asked.
"Wait for it," Nami smirked.
"Oh, look!" Past Nami exclaimed as she pointed in a random direction. "Is that Dragonite?!"
"Where?!" asked Eric, only for Past Nami to run up and do a sweep kick, knocking him off the rail and into the water, where he splashed on the surface a couple times before finally sinking underneath.
"Buh-bye~!" Past Nami waved while the boys (both past and present) pounded a fist in their palms.
"Nice one!" they exclaimed. "Good thinking!"
"That would have been risky," Past Nami began, "that is if I didn't know for a fact that he can't swim!"
"And even if he could," Past Usopp began, "it wouldn't matter in this current!"
"That's the Nami I know and love!" Past Sanji exclaimed with heart-shaped eyes.
"Wow, Big Sis, that was so clever!" Aika praised.
"You don't think it was too cruel of me, do you?" Nami asked.
"You kidding?" Zoro asked. "I couldn't have done it better, myself!"
"Yeah, and besides, he was gonna kill us!" Usopp added. "What choice was there?"
"True," said Nami.
"Look!" Luffy called from the memory. "We're going beyond the clouds!"
The Straw Hats looked up, just as the Past Straw Hats rode the current all the way passed the clouds and were soon greeted by the shining sun...and needless to say, it was truly a sight to behold, even for those who had been there. It got even more grand by the time they got to the peak.
"Wow...!" Aika whispered in awe. "It's...it's beautiful!"
"Yeah...!" Kumi agreed.
"Sweet mother of Whitebeard...!" Blizzard gaped.
"Amazing!" Chopper exclaimed.
"Now that's a SUPER sight for sore eyes!" Franky added.
"Yohohohoho!" Brook chortled.
"Beautiful," Robin smiled.
"You said it," Nami concurred.
"Now that's one sight I'll never get tired of," Sanji grinned.
"That was one of the best things we ever saw," Usopp said in amazement.
"The world can be full of great things to see," said Zoro. "And we're bound to see much more."
"...This is it," Luffy spoke as he sat on the Merry's head, staring down at the Grand Line below. "The greatest sea world is down there...and somewhere up ahead, the One Piece is waiting!" He then grinned. "So...LET'S GO, YOU GUYS!"
"YEAH~!" the Past Straw Hats cheered...but as they were riding down the waterfall towards the Grand Line...
BUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH~!
"Huh?" the Straw Hats muttered.
"What was that?" Aika asked. "It sounded like Big Brother when he gets an upset tummy."
"Nah," Kumi said. "It sounds like Blizzard when he eats boiled eggs."
"...Wait," Usopp said with dread. "I know what comes after this!"
"Hey!" Past Zoro called. "You guys hear that? It sounded like it came from up ahead."
"Who cares?!" Luffy questioned, too excited to even pay attention to it. "Let's keep going, full speed!"
"Maybe it was the wind," said Past Nami. "There are usually a lot of rock formations around here."
BUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH~! The howling sounded off again, a bit louder than before.
"...Wait...can it be...?!" Brook whispered.
"What is it, Brook?" Robin asked.
"H-hey," Past Usopp said as he looked through his goggles. "What's up ahead?"
"Nami!" Past Sanji called from the yard arm. "I see something! I think it might be a mountain!"
"What?!" Past Nami asked. "That's impossible! We should only be hitting open sea when we get to the bottom!"
"Hmm?" Luffy hummed, inquisitively as he took a closer look...only to gasp upon seeing this huge wall of bluish-black, pointing up to the sky. "That's not a mountain!"
"Holy crap!" Franky exclaimed. "That's...that's...!"
It was soon revealed to be...a massive whale!
"A WHAAAAAAAAALE?!" the Straw Hats, both past and present, questioned, save for Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji.
"LABOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" Brook cried with tears spilling out of his eye sockets. "IT'S BEEN SO LOOOOOOOONG!"
"THAT'S Laboon?!" Franky questioned. "That's the whale who's been waiting for you for more than 50 years, now?!"
"HE'S FREAKIN' ENORMOUS!" Blizzard gaped.
"Oh, yeah," Zoro recalled. "He kinda became a nuisance for us when we tried to enter the Grand Line."
"What?!" Brook questioned in disbelief. "Preposterous! Laboon wouldn't hurt a fly, no matter how big he was!"
"Uhh...Brook?" Nami asked, nervously. "Listen...don't get mad about what happens next...okay?"
"What do you mean?" Brook inquired.
"Well..." Nami started with a sheepish chuckle.
"Just watch and you'll see what she meant," said Sanji.
"What are we gonna do?!" Past Usopp asked as the Merry continued to ride the current down the mountain, heading straight for Laboon, who roared towards the sky.
"Should we fight?!" Past Zoro asked.
"You idiot!" Past Nami shouted. "How are we supposed to fight a hundred-ton WHALE?!"
"But it's blocking our way in!" Past Sanji cried. "Up close, it just looks like a big, black wall! Where the hell are its eyes?!"
"Hey, wait!" Past Nami realized. "If it can't see us, maybe it doesn't even know we're coming!"
"But we're headed right for it!" Past Zoro cried as he pointed to an opening to the left side of the ship. "Look, there! There's a gap, just between it! We can make it there if we hurry! Quick, hard to port!"
"We can't steer!" Past Usopp shouted. "The rudder's broken, remember?!"
"We gotta do something!" Past Zoro yelled as he rushed to the galley. "Come on, I'll help!"
"Oh, good heavens!" Brook cried. "Quickly, Laboon! Get out of the way!"
"This is a memory, Brook!" Nami reminded. "Laboon can't hear you, no matter what you do!"
"Oh, wait!" Luffy exclaimed, all of a sudden. "I just got an idea!"
"Oh, no..." Blizzard bemoaned, knowing very well that Luffy plus ideas usual equal big time trouble.
"Now what's he gonna do?" asked Chopper.
"Wait a minute!" Past Nami called as she saw Luffy hurry down below deck. "Luffy, come back! Where are you going?!"
Of course, Luffy didn't reply as he hurried to the bow cannon, which was below Merry's head.
"...Wait a minute," Brook muttered. "Don't tell me he's going to-"
"Okay!" Luffy exclaimed as he lit a torch and lit the fuse. "And...FIRE!"
KABOOM! The cannon fired...right into Laboon's underbelly, causing the ship to momentarily stop...but also causing Brook to gape in horror with tears in his eye sockets.
"Oh, dear," Robin said in concern.
"Brook...are you okay?" Aika asked.
"...How...could he...?!" he whispered while Nami sighed and Zoro put his hand on his shoulder in consolation.
"Sorry, Brook," Usopp apologized, weakly.
"If you think about it, though," Sanji began, "there wasn't much of a choice. He was blocking our way."
At that moment, Luffy spotted something drop and tumble along the deck, and he gasped in horror when he realized it was the Merry's figurehead.
"AAAAAAAHH!" he screamed. "NO, NOT MY SPECIAL SEAT!"
"...Oh, yeah," Usopp realized. "I forgot, the figurehead snapped off when we collided with Laboon."
"Quick!" Past Zoro called from above deck. "Let's get outta here, while we still can!"
"What the hell happened?!" Past Sanji asked. "Did it even notice the cannon?! Or is it just stupid?!"
"STUPID?!" Brook questioned as he glared at Sanji, who held up his hands in defense. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT LABOON LIKE THAT!"
"Easy, easy!" Sanji cried.
"Who cares?!" Past Nami asked. "Now's our chance to get outta here!"
As they were about to row passed Laboon, the whale opened his mouth and let out a huge roar, which forced the Straw Hats, both past and present to cover their ears.
"AAH!" Aika cried. "TOO LOUD, TOO LOUD!"
"DAMMIT, MY EARS!" Franky cursed.
"Urggh...!" Chopper groaned before he gasped. "Huh?"
"What is it, Chopper?" asked Nami.
"I think he said 'Where are you?'," Chopper replied.
"Where are you?" Usopp repeated. "Wait...you mean he might be talking about Brook and his old crew?!"
"Maybe," Chopper answered.
"Laboon...!" Brook whispered.
"YOU STUPID WHALE!" Luffy shouted as he came outside. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY SPECIAL SEAT?!"
"Oh, no..." Nami groaned with dread.
"DAMN YOU!" Luffy cursed before he punched Laboon right in the eye.
"YOU IDIOT!" shouted the Past Straw Hats in disbelief.
"LUFFY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Brook screeched.
A pause...but then, Laboon glanced down at the tiny pirate ship, to the Past Straw Hats' terror.
"OH, NO!" Past Usopp cried. "I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY, LUFFY, BECAUSE NOW HE'S LOOKING RIGHT AT US!"
"COME ON!" Luffy shouted as he took a stance. "LET'S GO, RIGHT NOW- UGH!"
"SHUT UP, YOU MORON!" Past Zoro and Past Usopp shouted as they kicked their foolish captain in the back of his head. That's when Laboon opened his enormous jaws and began to suck the Merry into his mouth.
"OH, NO!" Past Nami cried.
"WHOOOOOOOAAA!" Luffy screamed as he fell of the ship.
"LUFFY!" Past Zoro cried.
"AH, CRAP!" Luffy cursed before he stretched his arm and grabbed onto Laboon's head, just as the whale swallowed the ship whole.
"Oh, no!" Aika cried. "Big Sis Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji got eaten!"
"Relax, Aika, it's okay," said Sanji. "As you can see, we're alive."
"Still, that had to be one of the dumbest things Luffy's ever done!" Blizzard added. "What was he thinking, punching the whale in the eye?!"
Soon, Laboon closed his mouth, leaving Luffy stuck on top of his snout, panting heavily from the shock.
"That was close," he said before he looked down at the water. "But what do I do, now?! The others got eaten!" He then glared at the whale before he started stomping on his head. "Hey, you! Cough up my friends! Spit 'em out, right now!"
"Stop stomping on him!" Brook shouted.
Instead of having the desired effect, Luffy's stomping only caused Laboon to begin to submerge.
"Crap, he's going under!" Luffy cursed. "Hold it! Gimme my friends back, you stupid whale! We're all going on an adventure together! I need them!"
Despite the situation, the Straw Hat members who were there at the time couldn't help but feel just a little bit touched at what their captain had said. However, just as it looked like Luffy was about to drown, he spotted something on top of Laboon's head: it looked like some sort of a door.
"Is that...a submarine hatch?" asked Franky. "What's that doing there?"
"I don't remember Laboon having something like that," Brook said.
"You'll see why he has that in a minute," said Nami.
Thinking fast, Luffy quickly opened the hatch door and ducked inside, just as Laboon had finally finished his dive, but now, he found himself standing inside what looked like a metal corridor.
"Uhh...okay," Luffy said. "I'm no scientist or whatever...but I'm pretty sure the inside of a whale's tummy doesn't look like this."
"How odd," Robin commented.
"You think this is how Franky's tummy looks like on the inside?" asked Kumi.
"I dunno," Aika shrugged. "Maybe."
All of a sudden, the whole room lurched and Luffy suddenly found himself tumbling downward, and then he started bouncing around the halls like a rubber ball until he landed next to what looked like a canal of water. He then sat up, wobbling back and forth with comically swirled eyes before he snapped out of his dizziness.
"Ugh..." he groaned as he looked around. "Where am I, now?" He looked down at the river. "Is this a canal? What's going on in here?" He then stood up and dusted off his pants.
'I hope the others are okay...I don't want them to turn into whale poop.'
"...That's a...rather disgusting way to care about us," Nami sweatdropped.
"You're telling me," Zoro grimaced.
"At least he was thinking about us," Usopp added.
Just then, the whole room tilted, once again, causing Luffy to yelp as he tried to grab onto the walls, only to slide down, again.
"Not again!" he cried before he was forced to run at top speed. "WHOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!"
Before too long, Luffy's running caused him to spot two people, a man and a woman, respectively...but it was the woman whom the first 5 members recognized the most.
"Look!" Chopper exclaimed. "It's Vivi!"
"Oh, my god, it is!" Nami realized.
"VIVI, MY DEAR~!" Sanji swooned with hearts in his eyes. "IT'S BEEN SO LONG, MY BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS OF THE SAND!"
"Oh, boy, here we go..." Zoro grumbled.
"Wait...that's Vivi, the princess you told me about once?" Aika asked. "How come she looks so...mean?"
"Well, back then," Zoro began, "Vivi wasn't really on our side. Plus, when we met her, she went by Ms. Wednesday. The guy with the crown is her partner, Mr. 9."
"Ah, yes," Robin realized. "This was back when she was a member of Baroque Works...or rather, she was a spy, trying to infiltrate Baroque Works."
"...I don't get it," Aika said.
"The memories will explain it better," Chopper replied. "Trust me."
"AAAAAAAAAAHH!" Luffy screamed. "LOOK OUT! I CAN'T STOP!"
"What is that, Mr. 9?!" Vivi, or rather, Ms. Wednesday, questioned.
"I don't know, Ms. Wednesday!" Mr. 9 exclaimed.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Luffy screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Mr. 9 and Vivi shrieked in terror before they all ended up crashing right through a gate...into open water with the sky, seagulls, and even what looked like a small island, and there was the Merry right in the middle of it.
"Wait...they're outside?!" Chopper asked.
"How is that possible?!" Franky questioned.
"Actually," Nami began, "we're not really outside. That's just a mural. We're actually still inside Laboon. Crocus did all this."
"What?!" Brook questioned. "I...I don't understand! Why would he do that?!"
"Brook, I know it looks bad," Sanji said, "but honestly, Laboon wasn't even bothered by it! In fact, this was Crocus' way of helping him!"
"Helping him how?!" asked Brook.
"Again, you'll see," said Nami.
"Luffy?!" Past Zoro asked.
"Oh!" Luffy realized. "Hey, guys! You're okay! You think you can do me a favor and SAVE ME!"
KERSPLASH! He, Vivi, and Mr. 9 ended up landing in the greenish-blue water, and the memory soon faded to black.
"...I just realized," Chopper started, "that's gastric acid, isn't it?"
"Eeyup," Nami said.
"And Luffy just landed in that, right?" asked Blizzard.
"Yeah, pretty much," said Sanji.
"Uh...if I may ask," Brook started, "why were those two inside Laboon in the first place?"
"Well...they wanted to kill him," Nami said.
"WHAT?!" Brook squawked.
"They were trying to get his meat for the town they were stationed at!" Nami replied. "I'm sure Vivi really didn't want to kill Laboon! She's really a nice person!"
"Yeah!" Chopper added. "Calm down, Brook!"
After a while, the memory returned and the Straw Hats found themselves sitting with Crocus and Mr. 9 and Vivi all tied up.
"What happened to them?" Franky asked.
"Luffy knocked them out after they shot Crocus," said Usopp.
"I'm still mad he hit my precious Vivi," Sanji glared.
"Get over it," Zoro said.
"Laboon is an Island Whale, a species that inhabits the West Blue," said Crocus. "These two creeps are from a nearby village...they're trying to kill Laboon for his meat. They could feed their entire village for at least 2 or 3 years off his blubber. However, I won't allow it! There's a reason why keeps ramming his head against the Red Line and crying toward Reverse Mountain."
That's when he began to explain Laboon's actions, about how the Rumbar Pirates first entered the Grand Line with Laboon, who was but a mere whale calf at the time. He told them about how they had sailed the West Blue together, but since the Grand Line was no place for a baby whale, they decided to leave Laboon behind. Of course, it wasn't easy, since Laboon saw the Rumbar Pirates as his family and wanted to follow them.
Since their ship was damaged, it took several months until she was repaired, and even Crocus got to know them after a while. That's when Captain Yorki asked Crocus if he could watch Laboon for them until they returned in at least a couple of years. Laboon seemed to understand, so he waited there for them with Crocus as his guardian. Unfortunately, since he was an animal that lacked rational thought, Laboon eventually started growing impatient and began to ram his head against the Red Line and howl out to the other side, thinking that if he broke through it, the Rumbar Pirates would finally come back...and he had been doing that for over 50 years, now.
"That's why he has all those scars on his snout," said Nami before she looked at Brook...whose eye sockets were full of tears. "I'm sorry, Brook."
"Laboon...!" Brook whispered. "I...I had no idea...! I..." He then covered his face and sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Laboon! I'm so sorry we made you wait so long!"
Usopp and Sanji reached over and put a hand on each of Brook's shoulders as he continued to cry for his friend.
"BWAAAAAAAAAAAHH~!" Franky bawled. "Even though I already know the story, it's still so damn sad! THAT POOR WHALE~!"
"Poor Laboon...!" Aika whispered with tears in her eyes while Kumi whimpered, sadly. Blizzard and Chopper didn't look that far off, either. Even Robin was moved to tears at this, covering her mouth as she looked away.
For some reason, Luffy seemed eerily silent...but then he glanced up at the mural and breathed a small sigh from his nose.
'So you're alone, too, huh, whale? I know how that can be like...'
The Straw Hats felt those thoughts strike a cord with them. They knew that from Luffy's experiences, he had felt the pain of loneliness, as well. Not as long as Laboon's, but it still hurt very much.
Soon, the group sailed out of Laboon's belly via a waterway the Crocus constructed. Since Laboon was so big, the old doctor had no choice but to hollow out his insides and reinforce it with metal in order to make it easier for him to treat Laboon from the inside-out. Needless to say, Luffy was happy to see the real sky and sea, again.
After throwing Vivi and Mr. 9 overboard- the two of them threatening that they'd return and Past Sanji make a love-sick cooing noise after Vivi- the Past Straw Hats were speaking with Crocus again.
"So this big guy's been waiting for 50 years for his friends to come back?" asked Usopp.
"Those pirates sure have kept him waiting for a pretty long time, have they?" Luffy asked, sitting against a rock with his hands behind his head.
"This is the Grand Line," Past Sanji answered almost callously. "They said they'd be back in a couple of years, and they've been gone for 50? Do the math. They're dead...and that whale's gonna be waiting for them until he kicks the bucket, too."
"Dude," Franky said. "Real harsh."
"I was only being realistic!" Sanji argued.
"Honestly...I don't blame you for thinking that," Brook said, sadly. "It's natural that someone would think you were dead after being gone for that long."
"How can you say that?!" Past Usopp questioned. "You don't really know that for sure! They could still come back! It's the heartwarming story of a whale who never lost faith in his friends! Don't you get it?!"
"Hmph!" Crocus scoffed. "This ain't some fantasy novel, boy...this is cold, hard reality." He then looked down at his palm. "Those pirates fled the Grand Line...and I know because I heard from a reliable source."
"Y...you mean...?!" Past Usopp whispered.
"...He's not wrong," Brook sighed. "Half of the Rumbar Pirates actually did leave the Grand Line, due to a grave illness...Captain Yorki was among them." He then looked down at the ground. "I'm...I'm not sure if they actually did survive."
"Oh, Brook," Robin said as she gently touched his arm.
"I'm so sorry," Aika added.
"You mean they actually abandone that poor whale?!" Past Nami asked. "I don't believe this! If they really did flee the Grand Line, how did they get across the Calm Belt?!"
"I'm not sure," said Crocus, grimly. "That's why their fate is currently uncertain...but even if they are alive out there, somewhere...they can't come back here. The season, the climate, the ocean currents, and even the air currents...everything about this place is completely unpredictable." He then raised his head up. "On these seas, nothing is ever normal...weak hearts succumb to fear, here on the Grand Line."
"And the weak of heart," Past Sanji, "care more about saving their own skins instead of keeping some promise.
"...You know," Zoro said, "it occurs to me that he's probably speaking from experience."
"Oh, right!" Nami realized. "Crocus was once the doctor on Gold Roger's crew, because he was trying to look for Brook and the rest of the Rumbar Pirates, but he never found them!"
"Is it true that a lot of people are afraid of the Grand Line?" asked Aika.
"Aika, you saw how people can get when they can't explain things, rationally," said Usopp. "Hell, remember what happened to Don Krieg? He had a whole armada, and it was devastated in an almost an instant! Anybody would be afraid after that!"
"It's mostly because not many pirates are prepared to face the challenges of both sides of the Grand Line," Robin added.
"So they did abandon the whale!" Past Usopp shouted. "And after all these years, he still thinks they'll be back?! How cruel can they be?!"
"...You...you really thought that...didn't you?" Brook asked.
"Now, Brook, relax!" Usopp reassured. "This was before we met you, remember?!"
"Why didn't you tell Laboon the truth?!" asked Past Nami. "I thought he could understand what humans say to him!"
"I tried," Crocus said, "but he just wouldn't listen to me. When I told him, he just roaring and bellowing at me. Then he splashed me with his tail and started waiting at the bottom of Reverse Mountain...crying out towards the summit. That's when he started to ram his head against the Red Line. It was as if he was convinced that any day now, the pirates would come back for him from behind the mountain. I tried so many times to explain it to him...but he just won't face the truth."
"...I know how that can be," Blizzard said.
"Blizzard?" Chopper asked.
"There were always times that I felt that my Master had died, out there," Blizzard replied, "but...I refused to believe it until I saw with my own eyes...and when he didn't return...but instead, that traitor did...I realized he really was gone." He then heaved a sigh. "I'm sure Laboon thought that, as well, sometimes..."
"...Oh, Blizzard," Chopper whispered.
"That's one hell of a whale," said Past Sanji as he took a drag of his cigarette. "His friends ditched him, and yet he still believes they'll return."
"But he's doing all this waiting for nothing!" Past Usopp said.
"Yes, indeed," Crocus concurred. "More than anything, Laboon is afraid to lose his reason for waiting. After all this time...I'm sure he's terrified of losing that hope. His home is in the West Blue, which lies on the other side of the Red Line...but there's no way back home from here. Those pirates he came here with were not only his friends, but they were his only hope of going back home."
"Jeez," Past Sanji said. "You can't really help but feel sorry for the poor creature...but they lied to you, didn't they old-timer? Why still take care of the whale?"
"Do you see the scars on his forehead?" asked Crocus, pointing at the scars on Laboon's snout, which caused Brook to shudder. "If Laboon just keeps ramming the Red Line like that, he'll surely perish. We have an odd relationship, but we've been together for 50 years, now. I can't just sit by and watch him try and kill himself."
"...Laboon...!" Brook whispered as tears fell from his eye sockets, once more.
"Whales can be tough," Chopper began, "but with all that scarring, the flesh around his snout has probably grown raw. Crocus was right. If he kept ramming the Red Line like he did, he would've killed himself."
"I don't think he even cared about himself," said Nami. "He just wanted to see his friends, again."
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!"
The grim silence was interrupted when the Straw Hats heard Luffy screaming as he ran up to Laboon's snout...carrying the mast with him.
"What the hell?!" Franky questioned.
"...Do I even wanna know?" asked Blizzard, incredulously.
"No, you don't," said Zoro.
"GUUUUUUUUM-GUUUUUUUM..." Luffy shouted...before he threw the mast right into Laboon's scarred snout, "FLOWER ARRANGEMENT!"
Brook gaped in horror at what he just saw...while Laboon let out a roar of pain that shook the whole sea!
"YOU ASS!" the Past Straw Hats shouted. "LUFFY, STOOOOOP!"
"WHAT IS HE DOING?!" Brook questioned.
"We're sorry...!" Nami squeaked.
Soon, Laboon began to thrash about in the water, wildly, tossing Luffy around as he did. Then he tried to ram Luffy into the rocky cape, but all that did was cause the mast to go further into his wound, which caused him even more pain.
"Heh!" Luffy smirked. "Dumbass!"
He then stretched his arm out and punched Laboon right in the eye, again, causing the whale to roar in even more pain before he struck Luffy against the lighthouse. Brook could only pull at his Afro as he watched in horror while the Crocus and the Past Straw Hats tried to get them both to stop. Why would Luffy hurt his dear friend like this?!
"Luffy! Are you insane?!" Past Zoro questioned. "What the hell are you trying to do, you knucklehead?!"
A pause...but then Luffy smirked as he sat up, just as Laboon was getting ready to charge, again.
"...It's a draw!" he declared, causing the huge whale to stop right in his tracks.
"Huh?" Aika muttered.
"What does he mean, a draw?" asked Kumi.
"Just keep watching," Sanji said.
"...I'm pretty strong, huh?" Luffy asked. "Don't worry...our duel isn't over. You and I are gonna settle the score, one day."
Laboon just blinked, seemingly confused.
"Your friends might be dead," Luffy began, "but now you've got a rival- me!"
At that moment, Laboon's eyes began to tear up, and Brook gasped silently in realization.
"After we sail around the Grand Line," Luffy started, "I'll be back here...and we'll have us a rematch! Sound good to you?!"
BUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH~! Laboon bellowed jovially while the Past Straw Hats and Crocus all smiled...and if he had skin to show it, Brook would be smiling, as well.
"...Thank you, Luffy...!" Brook whispered with tears in his eye sockets, once again.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within
Aika: So where's this place?
Zoro: Whiskey Peak.
Nami: Boy, I remember this part.
Luffy: ZORO! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!
Past Zoro: WHAT?! WHAT DID I DO?!
Vivi: You'll all never last against Crocodile!
Luffy: Hey, who are you?!
Past Robin: Well, hello...
Aika: Aunt Robin?!
Next time: A Matter of Trust
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