Ch. 60- The Serpent Strikes
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
Shade © Gakuto1991
Author's Note: I want to thank those who still stayed around to read this story, even though I took so long with this chapter. Originally, I was going to make this one a little longer, but I decided that this was good enough. I also changed the title, and I edited the end of the previous chapter, so be sure to take a quick look if you want.
Thank you for being patient and I hope to get the next chapter out a little faster than I did last time, but considering this is one of the longest One Piece arcs, this might be a while.
Enjoy!
Nami sighed and shook her head, embarrassed and hoping that that really didn't happen...but it did.
"I still can't believe that happened," she muttered.
"Well, you were pretty drunk, Nami," Zoro pointed out.
"But what I don't understand is that you woke up in the tent with Robin, right?" asked Usopp.
"That's true," Nami said. "I guess Luffy must've put me in there while I was sleeping."
"I actually did see him put you in there, just as the party was starting to die down," Zoro pointed out. "He said he didn't want you to catch a cold."
"Hmph..." Sanji chuckled. "So it looks like our captain does now how to treat a lady."
"Big Brother's always cared for you, hasn't he, Big Sis?" Aika asked.
Nami smiled, warmly. Even before she and Luffy started their relationship, he was always thoughtful of her wellbeing...in his own Luffy way, of course. Sure, he was blunt and that would make him come off as sounding rude, but in spite of that, Nami always knew that his heart was always in the right place.
Soon, the memories began again, this time showing the Straw Hats surrounding the Going Merry...but something was different. The ship was missing the comb, waddle, and wings that Cricket and his crew had placed on her. Not only that, but her mast had been put back where it belong and some boards were nailed to her sides, as well.
"I'm telling you!" exclaimed Past Usopp. "I saw something here, last night! You gotta believe me! I wasn't dreaming!"
"I don't believe it!" Past Nami said as she put her hand to the mast. "It almost looks like it's as good as new!"
"Oh, Merry!" Past Usopp cried in joy and relief. "I can't believe it! It's a miracle~!"
"Well, if you ask me," Past Sanji began, "whoever did this did a lousy job."
"YOU INGRATE!" Past Usopp snapped. "After all that, you go and complain?!"
"Just making a statement," Past Sanji said in defense.
"Well, whoever did it sure was nice!" Past Luffy added. "Shishishi!"
"Hey, I hate to break up the moment," said Past Zoro, "but who in their right mind would actually risk getting eaten alive by a pack of Sky Sharks? Last I checked, the only ones who live around here are our enemies."
"You mean someone came and fixed your ship during the night?" Brook asked. "How odd!"
"As far as I know, though," Zoro began, "no person here was smart enough to try and help us out unless they had some ulterior motive."
"It wasn't a person," Franky spoke up, causing everyone to look back at him. "It was the Klabautermann."
"The...crab-bottle-man?" asked Aika in confusion.
"What a tongue-twister," Chopper said.
"The Klabautermann," Robin corrected. "It's said to be a sea spirit that dwells on ships...in fact, some might says it's the ship's soul." She glanced over at Franky. "Right, Franky?"
"That's right," Franky nodded. "The Klabautermann is said to only appear when a ship is well-loved."
"Yeah...and we loved the Merry so much," Usopp added...and even though there was a smile on his face, the others could tell that he felt quite sad just by the sound of his voice.
"So...it was actually this Klabautermann that fixed the Merry for us?" Sanji asked.
"Don't tell me you buy this story, cook," Zoro said, being skeptical as usual.
"Yeah, it more than likely was," said Franky. "However...some people say that the Klabautermann is actually an omen."
"Why?" asked Aika, worriedly. "Isn't this...clap-potter-man supposed to be a good spirit or something?"
"The Klabautermann appears to warn the ones who sail on the ship it dwells on of impending doom," Franky replied.
"Wait a minute," Chopper spoke up. "Are you saying that...?"
"...Merry was doomed since this moment," Usopp added, sadly.
"But why?!" Aika asked.
"Yeah, why?!" Kumi questioned.
"When Bellamy attacked," Nami began, "his crew busted the keel halfway down the middle."
"The keel is like the spine of the ship," Franky pointed out. "If the keel is broken...it's only a matter of time before the ship falls apart, completely. You might say that Bellamy and his punk friends crippled poor old Merry, here."
"Good heavens..." Brook whispered, grimly.
"Poor Merry," Aika said.
"Jeez...must have been tough, going through all that, huh?" Blizzard asked, sadly. "And to think, Bellamy used to be such a jerk back then."
"I suggest we change the subject," Brook added. "Wasn't your ship stuck on some sort of altar?"
"Oh, yeah!" Aika exclaimed. "How'd you guys get Merry off the altar, anyway?"
"Oh!" Usopp realized before he chuckled sheepishly. "Umm...okay, Blizzard? I know how much you care about Chopper, so don't get mad."
"Why shouldn't I?" Blizzard growled.
"I said don't get mad, okay?!" Usopp asked as the memory shifted...revealing Past Chopper, who was screaming his head off as he was dangling off the back of The Crow with Past Usopp steering the little boat...and behind them was a humungous Sky Shark!
"AAAAAAAAAHH!" Past Chopper screamed. "HELP ME!"
"YOU USED CHOPPER AS LIVE BAIT?!" Blizzard, Aika, and Kumi yelled.
"I said don't get mad!" Usopp argued.
"I'm still mad at you for that, Usopp!" Chopper added. "You almost got me eaten!"
"Oh, come on, Chopper!" Usopp complained. "I said sorry like a billion times! How long are you gonna hold that over my head?! Besides, you know that I'd never let them eat you!"
"Hmph!" Chopper scoffed as he turned away, crossing his arms.
Meanwhile, Past Usopp had managed to secure a rope onto the Sky Shark's fin and then hooked it onto the ship, utilizing its strength to tow the Merry off the altar, down the stone steps, and finally into the water, causing everyone to cheer.
"All right, guys! You did it!" Past Luffy exclaimed.
"Ugh...that was so scary...!" Past Chopper sobbed. "I thought you guys were my friends!"
"Oh, Chopper, you know we'd never let you get eaten!" Past Nami assured as she hugged him.
After everything had settled down, Past Nami soon pulled out the map to form a plan.
"Okay, you guys," she said as she scrawled some arrows on the map. "Let's draw us a route, okay? The exploration team will be moving south." She gestured to Past Luffy, Past Zoro, Past Chopper, and Past Robin. "That'll be Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, and Robin..." She trailed off as she noticed Past Luffy staring at her...and he seemed a bit nervous. "Luffy, what are you looking at me like that for?"
"Huh?" Past Luffy muttered. "Oh! Uh...no reason."
"...Right," Past Nami said in slight annoyance as she looked at the map again. "Going south will take you directly to the skull's right eye. There should be some ruins on your way there, so keep an eye out for any enemies and bring back as much gold as you can carry, got that?"
"Got it!" Past Luffy and Past Chopper exclaimed.
"You make it sound like it's easy," said Past Zoro.
"Yeah...except it wasn't," Zoro muttered, remembering when he got carried off by the giant South Bird, almost got eaten by a giant python, then ended up landing in the middle of a battle...what a hell of a day that was.
"I'm really looking forward to exploring those ruins," Past Robin mused.
"Hey, wait a second!" Past Luffy said. "Aren't you going with us, Nami?"
"Hell no," Past Nami answered. "It's way too scary!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Past Zoro questioned. "Once again, we're stuck doing all the dirty work while you sit pretty on the ship?!"
"Hey, can it, Moss-head!" Past Sanji barked. "Nami has every right to be afraid!"
"Why do I get the feeling we just got conned?" Past Chopper asked, only to squeak in fear when he saw the navigator glowering down at him.
"Did you say something, Chopper?" she asked.
"N-n-no, ma'am...!" Past Chopper answered.
"Big Sis, you sure were scary," Aika said, nervously.
"More like she acted like a spoiled brat..." Zoro muttered.
"Don't you start, Mister," Nami said as she pointed a finger at him.
"It's not like we're not gonna be in any danger, either," said Past Nami as she pointed at a river on the map. "We're taking the ship downriver through the island and then we'll head to the beach as fast as possible." She then pointed to the "right eye of the skull" on the map. "After that, we'll all meet up here in the skull's right eye, and then we'll finally get off this godforsaken island." She then sighed dreamily. "Finally, we'll actually be rich pirates for a change! We'll be able to buy anything we want from now on!"
"Yeah," Nami mused, "that is until Luffy blew it all."
"Oh, yeah...didn't he spend all that money on the party we had at Water 7?" Franky asked.
"Don't remind me!" Nami shouted.
Thus, the two teams were made: Past Luffy, Past Zoro, Past Chopper, and Past Robin would head to the ruins and Past Nami, Past Usopp, and Past Sanji would stay on the ship with Gan Fall and Pierre and hopefully meet with Past Luffy's team at the ruins. Soon after, the memory faded to black, once more.
"Finally!" Brook exclaimed. "The treasure hunt finally begins! How thrilling! Yohohohoho!"
"So all you guys had to do was go south," Franky said. "Sounds like a breeze!"
"Unfortunately, it was anything but," Nami muttered. "I don't even know what I was thinking."
"What do you mean?" Brook asked, but he got his answer when the memories reappeared again, showing the Exploration Team in the jungle.
"Hey, Zoro!" Past Luffy shouted. "Where are you going, dummy?! You're headed the wrong way! West is this way! Jeez, your sense of direction sucks!"
"What are you talking about?!" Past Zoro questioned. "Nami said 'the skull's right eye'! So we're supposed to be going right! It's this way, moron!"
"We're actually supposed to be going south," Past Robin pointed, but it didn't seem like either of them heard her.
"...Of course..." Blizzard muttered in aggravation.
"Why does this not surprise me?" asked Sanji.
"I thought you told them to go south, Big Sis Nami," Aika said.
"I did," Nami answered. "I just forgot that your brother and Zoro have little to no sense of direction whatsoever."
"I am standing RIGHT here," Zoro groused.
Soon, Past Chopper told Past Luffy and Past Zoro the real direction in which they were supposed to go and the group started heading down the direction they were supposed to be headed. As they walked, Past Chopper admired the stick that his captain was holding in his hand for some reason, so he started looking around the forest floor to get a stick of his own.
"What is it with you boys and sticks?" asked Nami.
"Perhaps we'll never know," Robin mused.
"That is a pretty cool stick, though," Kumi said with a wagging tail.
"Wasn't it?!" Chopper asked in amazement.
"Yeah, it was pretty cool!" Aika added.
"...Never mind," Nami said with a slightly amused smile as the Straw Hats continued to watch the memory.
"...Hey," Past Luffy spoke up all of a sudden. "The City of Gold has got a really big bell, don't you think?"
"Well, Noland did mention in his logbook that the City of Gold had a huge bell in the center," said Past Robin.
"What's this all about all of a sudden, Luffy?" asked Past Zoro as his captain grew a big, impish grin.
"I just got a really cool idea," he said.
"Ooh!" Past Chopper chirped. "What is it, Luffy?!"
"Yeah, what was his idea?!" Aika asked with sparkling eyes.
"What if we rang that big bell?" asked Past Luffy. "If we did, I bet Diamond Head Pops and those monkey guys would hear it all the way down below in the Blue Sea would hear it, right? Right?"
Past Chopper gaped at Past Luffy in awe while Past Zoro and Past Robin both smiled as if they knew exactly what he was saying.
"Yeah..." Past Luffy mused. "I bet they would!"
"Oh, I think I get it!" Aika exclaimed. "Big Brother wanted Mr. Cricket to know that the City of Gold was up in the sky all along, right?"
"That's right, honey," Nami smiled. "Sometimes, it seems like your brother doesn't know what he's talking about...but we've seen he can a bit wiser than he lets on."
"What a great guy, that Luffy...!" Franky wept. "That would mean that all that searching that Old Man Cricket did wasn't for nothing!"
"So since this is in the past," Blizzard said, "does that mean that Luffy actually did succeed in ringing the bell?"
"That's right," Sanji said. "It was so loud, it woke up everybody on the island, including us."
"What do you mean, 'including you', Sanji?" asked Aika.
"You'll see," Sanji answered as he gently pet her head.
Soon, the group continued their trek through the enormous jungle.
"You know something?" asked Past Chopper as he swung his stick around. "I thought this forest would be a lot scarier...but so far, it's actually pretty peaceful!"
"You actually felt pretty brave, didn't you, little buddy?" asked Blizzard.
"Yeah...at least until what happened next," Chopper admitted.
"What happened next?" Kumi asked.
"Shishishishi!" Past Luffy laughed. "You're actually feeling pretty brave, aren't you, Chopper?"
"Yeah! I guess so!" Past Chopper boasted.
"Although I gotta agree with you," said Past Zoro. "So far, this place has been a bit of a letdown. When we were in the forest, yesterday, we didn't see one of Eneru's priests. I know how you feel, Chopper."
"Yeah, you...wait, what?" Past Chopper asked.
"You boys are so funny," said Past Robin. "Are you really that eager for something dangerous to happen?"
"Well...not me," Past Chopper said, suddenly feeling a little less brave...and it was at that moment that the present-day Straw Hats noticed that one of the roots seemed to be moving in the background, which Past Chopper seemed to notice before he turned and hurried after the others.
"Uh...did that root just move?" Aika asked, nervously.
"That wasn't a root, sweetie," Robin replied.
"...Oh, dear," Brook said. "I have a bad feeling in my bones...!"
"Chopper, if you knew that was there," Zoro began, "why didn't you speak up sooner?"
"Because...I didn't want you to think I was being silly," Chopper said as he twiddled his hooves. "I thought you'd say that I was being paranoid or something."
"It's different if you actually sense that we're in real danger, Chopper," Robin said. "We wouldn't blame you if you said something."
"Hmm...I guess so," Chopper muttered.
"I guess back then, you weren't very confident in yourself, eh, Chopper?" asked Blizzard.
"No," Chopper answered, embarrassed. "Whenever we got in a fight, back then, I usually had to rely on the others for help. I mean...I rarely fought an enemy on my own...so whenever danger showed up, I usually ran away. I guess it was part of my natural instincts...I am a reindeer, after all, even if I change my looks."
"You've certainly proven to be more capable, nowadays," Sanji said.
"He's right!" Usopp added. "Even if you're not a natural-born fight like Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, or Blizzard, you've still managed to hold your own every now and then!"
"Not to mention if it weren't for your medical expertise," Nami began, "there were some fights that would end up costing us our lives if you weren't around, right?"
"Sh...shut up~!" Chopper exclaimed as he tugged at his hat, laughing giddily. "Saying that won't make me happy, jerks!"
As the memory continued, Past Zoro finally noticed that Past Chopper kept pausing to look back, and needless to say, the swordsman seemed rather annoyed about it.
"Chopper, what gives?!" Past Zoro called. "Why do you keep looking over your shoulder?!"
"Huh?!" Past Chopper muttered. "Oh! Uh...n-no reason!"
Past Zoro sighed and rolled his eyes, but then he heard Past Luffy cry out in surprise.
"Whoa, guys, look!" the Straw Hat Captain shouted as he pointed at a shadow slithering through the trees. "Did you see that root move?!"
"Oh, no...!" Past Chopper squeaked. "I knew I wasn't imaging things!"
Soon, the ground started to shake a bit, only for a brief moment...and that's when the Exploration Team heard a low growl.
"Ooh," Past Luffy said as he put his hand on his stomach. "Did you hear that? I guess I'm gettin' hungry."
"Uh, Luffy?" Past Zoro asked as he looked up. "I don't think that was your stomach."
Past Luffy soon followed Past Zoro's gaze...and that's when he saw an enormous python with blue scales and bluish-black stripes along its back, as well as a mane of hair going down its belly. It opened its massive jaws, revealing a set of sharp fangs that was about the length of Zoro's height. It was so huge that if it caught the four pirates, it could easily swallow them in a single gulp!
"A SNAAAAAAAAAAAKE!" Franky, Blizzard, and Brook all shrieked.
"IT'S ENORMOUS!" Aika cried while Kumi fainted, foaming at the mouth...and in the memory, Past Luffy stared at the serpent with twinkling eyes.
"SO COOL~!" he exclaimed.
"What is going on?!" Usopp questioned. "Isn't that the same snake that was celebrating with us when all the fighting was over?!"
"Again, you weren't there!" Zoro shouted as the memory continued...with the snake running rampant throughout the jungle, chasing the Exploration Team with the intention of devouring them whole. Unfortunately for the snake, they weren't exactly making it easy for it...and, as usual, Past Luffy was laughing his head off.
"Of course, Luffy thinks this is fun," Nami deadpanned.
"It's Luffy," Sanji reminded. "He thinks anything dangerous is fun."
As the snake lunged for the group, it ended up biting one of the trees, but in doing so, it soon revealed that it had a venomous bite, for as it pulled away, the trunk was halfway melted.
"Now that's what I call a nasty bite!" Franky exclaimed in shock.
"Forget eating you!" Brook added. "If that venom touched any of you, there wouldn't be anything for the snake to eat! You all would have melted into nothing!"
"Don't remind me," Zoro groaned.
By now, so much was happening with the snake thrashing around and Past Luffy running in all these directions in order to lose the beast, that no one even realized where he was going. After a few more minutes of watching, their captain had finally lost the serpent...but now, it looked like he was in the middle of nowhere, and all alone, no less.
"Huh?" Past Luffy muttered as he looked around. "Hey, where'd they go?"
"Oh, boy..." Blizzard bemoaned. "Why am I not surprised that he got lost, too?"
"Ugh..." Kumi groaned as she finally woke up. "What happened? I thought I saw a giant snake."
"Kumi!" Aika exclaimed as she went and held her. "You're awake! You fainted after you saw that giant snake!"
"Oh...so it wasn't a dream," Kumi said, worriedly before she gulped.
"I don't believe this mess," Nami groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"If it's any consolation," Robin said, "I actually managed to get to the ruins. However, I didn't find Zoro and Chopper until the upper ruins were destroyed."
"Yeah," Zoro said, "but I did find Chopper a little while before I found you, Robin."
"I don't really remember much," Chopper said, sadly. "I got taken out by one of the priests and I didn't wake up until later."
"Wait a moment," Brook said. "What upper ruins?"
"Well...it's a bit hard to explain," Robin answered, "and seeing how these are Luffy's memories, I doubt we'll see them."
"Hmm..." Past Luffy hummed as he looked around with his hands on his hips. "Well...I can't really find them if I just stand here, so I'll just head to the ruins. I'm sure I'll meet up with them, there!"
"Yeah, that makes sense!" Aika agreed.
"Yes, Aika," Usopp began, "but you're forgetting that this is your brother we're talking about."
"Robin said we had to go south," said Past Luffy, "so...I'll just head where it's warmer! Easy!" He then grabbed a stick from the ground and walked off in some random direction.
"...That's southwest..." Nami groaned.
"Well...he was kinda right," Blizzard shrugged.
As Past Luffy walked through the forest, he began to sing a familiar song.
"Oh~! The islands in the south are warm~!
And their heads get really hot~!
They grow a-pineapples, they grow a-coconuts,
And they're morons~!"
The Straw Hats almost wanted to laugh when they heard their captain sing that silly song of his...but then they remembered that Star used to sing that song for him when he was a child and instead of making them laugh, it made them feel a bit disheartened. He probably felt like singing that song because it was a reminder of his mother.
Suddenly, their train of thought was interrupted by what sounded like a bleating goat coming from nearby.
"A goat?" Past Luffy asked as he looked around. "Do they have goats in this forest?"
"Must have been a Sky Goat or something," Brook said.
"Actually, it wasn't," Zoro corrected, just as he spotted a guy dressed in white robes, had rather long ear lobes...and had what looked like goat horns sprouting out of his head.
"...Oooookay," Kumi said, bewildered. "That's a new one."
"Who's that guy?" asked Aika.
"One of Eneru's soldiers," Robin replied. "The Divine Squad."
"His soldiers?" Brook repeated.
"Well, you see," Zoro began, "the Shandorians found out about Satori's defeat, so they took this time to try and take advantage of all the confusion and take out the other priests."
"I'm guessing it didn't go as well as they thought it would, huh?" asked Franky.
"Well...I'm not totally sure," said Zoro. "I didn't really get the whole story."
As Past Luffy looked around for the "goat", the Divine Squad member jumped down from one of the Milky Roads above him, attempting to get the drop on him...only to wind up getting punched in the face, which ended up sending him flying.
"Ooh...!" Kumi winced. "That had to hurt."
"Luffy might not have had Observation Haki, back then," said Sanji, "but that doesn't mean his senses weren't as sharp as they are, now."
"I guess that's what happens when you grow up in a hostile jungle," said Usopp.
"Who's this jerk?" asked Past Luffy as he put his hat back on his head. "Man, he got me all excited. I thought I was gonna get to see a goat!"
"Seriously?" Blizzard asked. "He's upset over that?"
"That's Luffy for you," Chopper shrugged.
Soon, Past Luffy continued to walk on through the forest, singing his little song...but as he was continuing with the second verse, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up with an alert expression, and as the Straw Hats followed his gaze, they soon saw why: it was Wiper, only...he looked like he had been through quite the battle. It looked like it his entire left arm was bandaged up...and not just, but his left shoulder and his left wing looked badly burned.
"What happened to him?" Aika asked, worriedly.
"Obviously, all that fighting with Eneru's forces is taking its toll on him," Nami said.
"Oh, it's you, again," said Past Luffy.
"That's right," Wiper said with a snarl. "And what are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave this island."
"Well, obviously, he doesn't know Luffy," said Blizzard. "He never takes no for an answer."
"I tried to tell everybody that we should leave," Usopp said, "but no~! No one ever listens to me!"
"What did you say, Usopp?" Zoro asked with a smirk. "I wasn't listening."
"Not funny!" Usopp barked.
"Shut up!" Past Luffy snapped at Wiper. "I can do whatever I want!"
"No, you can't," Wiper countered. "Not here...this land belongs to us Shandorians."
"Wait, really?" Past Luffy asked. "I thought it was God's land! Well, in that case," he bowed his head, "I beg your pardon."
"Well, at least he has SOME manners," Nami mused as Past Luffy continued to walk along.
"Hold it!" Wiper shouted, causing him to stop and glare at him.
"What now?!" Past Luffy questioned.
"...No...forget it," said Wiper. "I'm done wasting my words on you." He then turned to Past Luffy, aiming his large bazooka at him. "And I'm sick of listening to your idiotic babbling...so I'm going to kill you, right here and now."
"...I see," said Past Luffy as he tossed his stick aside, then cracked his knuckles as he smirked at him. "If you wanted a fight, you just had to say so."
"Oh, boy, here we go..." Usopp groaned.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
*Past Luffy and Wiper are fighting through the jungle*
Past Luffy: Take THIS! *slams into Wiper with a Gum-Gum Bazooka*
Wiper: *coughs up blood*
Chopper: That's not good!
Aika: Why do people fight all the time?!
Nami: That's a very good question, Aika...
*A while later*
Past Luffy: *sitting in a dark place* Wait! Where the hell am I?!
Next time: The Belly of the Beast
Review, please!