Chapter Twelve
Onward to the Grand Line; Onward to Adventure
Luffy, Sanji, and Aries continued to sprint down the slick roads, the sound of Zoro's sword fight lost to the gusting winds. The heavy rain pelted them, stinging their exposed skin.
"Someone's up ahead!" Luffy shouted, his head turned slightly to look over his shoulder at his two companions.
"Another marine?" Sanji asked.
"Hope not," Aries answered, shivering as the cold gusts of wind chilled her through her drenched clothes.
The closer they got to the person standing in their way, the clearer Aries could see him. He was a tall man with untamed white hair. He had sharp eyes and two large cigars trapped between his teeth. A heavy white coat lined with teal fur covered his muscular torso.
"So you've come, Straw Hat Luffy," the Marine said in a rough voice.
"Who're you?!" the young captain called back, an annoyed edge to his voice as the winds continued to pick up speed and force.
"The name's Smoker. I'm a Captain of the Marine Headquarters," he replied, seemingly at ease even though the trio of pirates was getting closer. He turned his body to face them fully and pulled his arms back, elbows pointed behind him, and the back of his hands almost touching his chest.
"And I won't allow you to set sail from here!" he yelled. As he thrust his arms forward, Aries watched in horror as his skin appeared to burst into plumes of smoke. Two thick white columns of smoke rushed towards Luffy, trapping him within their confines.
The rubber boy cried out in surprise as he struggled against the very resilient smoke.
"Dammit! He's got Devil Fruit powers too!" Aries shouted to Sanji as the cook ran at their new opponent with reckless abandon.
The blond leapt into the air and wound up a strong kick.
"Let go of my captain!" he roared as his kicked his leg out with a well placed strike to the Marine's face. He gasped as his leg phased through Smoker's body. "Wha!?"
"I don't have time for runts," he growled out around his cigars. One of the columns of smoke moved from around Luffy in order to knock the cook into a nearby building. "White Blow!"
"Sanji!" both Aries and Luffy exclaimed as the blond tumbled to the ground in a crumpled heap.
"Why you!" Aries heard Luffy hiss. He pulled one of his arms back, winding up to unleash his pistol attack.
Thinking quickly about avoiding a drawn-out battle with the Marines when they were running out of time, the sheep girl decided to step in before her captain could cause any more problems. She grabbed one of her wool bundles, gripped it in both hands, and flapped it out causing it to expand and billow outwards.
She dashed forward, gripping the material so tightly that she could feel her nails cut into her palm. She stopped in front of the Marine Captain, who loomed over her short stature. Suppressing a shudder, she threw one end of the wool sheet into the air.
"Wool net!" she yelled as the solid piece of fabric grew wide holes until it resembled a large fishing net.
The young girl jerked down on the net, hoping to trap Smoker long enough for them to escape to the Merry. A sudden blow to her gut, only inches from her still healing wound, not only stole her breath, but also caused her to let go of her wool weapon. The material immediately shrunk back down to its block size as soon as her hand fell away.
She looked down and saw the tip of a long jitte still pressed into the exposed skin of her abdomen. She fell to her knees, feeling drained, and lungs burning for air.
This feeling… Must be a seastone weapon. Damn it. Interesting weapon choice for another Devil Fruit user.
"Aries!" She could hear Luffy yell, but couldn't answer through her rapid wheezing.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
The breeze created by the rubber man's swift punch ruffled her hair as it passed above her prone body. She could hear Smoker taunt him somewhere behind her, meaning he had moved away from her, but his actual words were lost to the wind.
"Are you alright?" a strong, deep voice enveloped her. A calloused, warm hand touched her shoulder, gently rolling her onto her back.
Aries opened her eyes to see a man with a red tattoo down the left side of his face kneeling over her. His black hooded cloaked whipped wildly in the harsh winds, but he seemed unaffected.
The man gripped her upper arms, pulling her to her feet. He steadied her as she fought to stay upright against the gale-force winds, her breaths still coming in wheezes. He took hold of both her wrists, placing one hand on her chest and the other on his.
"Breathe." he commanded, taking deep slow breaths, encouraging her to do the same.
She mimicked his breathing pattern until her lungs no longer burned and her intakes of air were not so desperate.
"Thank you," she croaked, her throat sore and raw from her deep gasps of the chilly air. She met his dark eyes with her own navy blue ones, finding something eerily familiar and borderline dangerous about him.
"Hmph, looks like your luck's come to an end!" Smoker's gravelly voice drifted along the wind's current, until it almost filled their space.
The sheep girl gasped and tried to push the tall man out of her way. "Luffy!" she fretted, her hands lost amongst the wildly flapping material of the intimidating man's cloak.
The man gently removed her hands from the cloth and, with quick even strides, marched over to her struggling friend, who was pinned to the ground underneath Smoker's physical body. The dark-clothed man grabbed the Marine's hand that had reached for the seastone jitte, stopping it mid-motion.
"Or perhaps not?"
There was a pause before Smoker's voice sounded over the wind, "You're…!"
Aries could only stand and stare as the Marine's next words echoed off the stone walls and were carried by the gales.
"The entire World Government is after your head, ya know!"
The cloaked man chuckled before responding, "The world awaits our answer!"
A strong gust of wind blew through the street, blowing marines and civilians alike off their feet and carrying them away.
"It's a gust!" one of the Marine's shouted.
The blonde crossed her arms in front of her face, wincing as her hair struck her skin in sharp lashes. She could feel the strength of the wind pushing her backwards, her feet sliding along the wet pavement. The cloaked man wrapped his arms around her form, protecting her from the harsh weather.
She stared up at his face, confused by his actions. "Who are you?"
He offered her a smirk, his eyes quickly flicking to the left as Zoro's voice called to them over the rushing winds. He ducked his head down, speaking softly into her ear. His words sent a shiver through her body, and as soon as he had finished speaking, he returned to standing straight.
"Hey! Let go of her!" Sanji shouted, running at them as Zoro dragged Luffy behind him.
The mystery man released her, allowing Sanji to literally sweep her off her feet as he ran past. The girl watched the man gesture to them, but his words were lost in a crack of thunder.
"I said move it!" shouted Zoro frantically, pushing himself to run faster.
"Is this the storm Nami-swan was talking about?" Sanji wondered aloud, keeping pace with the swordsman.
The group ran until the sounds of the choppy waves began to drown out the whistling winds.
"Luffy!" Usopp's nasally voice called out from aboard the Going Merry.
Zoro and Sanji leapt down off of the stone wall that separated the shore from the cityscape. As soon as he touched the slick soil, the cook set Aries back on her feet.
"Who was that guy?" he asked.
"No clue…" she muttered, the man's words repeating in her head.
'Your captain is destined for big things.' I wonder what he meant by that.
"Hurry up!" the sniper shouted at them, his arms straining as he tugged on the rope that was keeping the Merry docked, "This rope won't hold for much longer!"
"Look at all this rain!" Luffy said, holding a hand out to catch the rapidly falling drops as he moved towards the caravel ship.
"Nami-swan, I'm baaaack!" Sanji cooed, wiggling as he danced after Luffy.
Zoro and Aries shared an exasperated glance, swiftly following their lead after a particularly strong gust of wind rocked the Merry.
"What took you guys so long! Hurry up and get on board! We're setting sail immediately!" Nami shouted frantically.
The crew scrambled onto and around the deck, preparing the Going Merry to set sail for the Grand Line. Zoro hoisted the anchor, Usopp and Aries unfurled the sails, Sanji steered the rudder under Nami's careful instruction, all while Luffy watched the choppy waves from his special seat on the ram figure-head.
Once the Merry was on its course, the crew gathered at the stern and watched the mountains of the Red Line grow larger in the distance.
"You see that light over there?" Nami asked Aries, pointing at the flickering light.
"You mean that lighthouse?" Aries responded, squinting to try and make out more detail of the building.
The navigator nodded, "It's known as the 'Light of Guidance.' The entrance to the Grand Line is just past that light."
Everyone silently watched the light go and come for a moment, before Nami continued, "So what shall we do?"
"D-Don't you guys think that entering the Grand Line in the middle of this storm is a bit…" Usopp said through chattering teeth as he clung desperately to the main mast, but was interrupted by Sanji.
"So we've reached the Grand Line, have we? Well, this calls for a celebration!" he said, setting a barrel of mead on the deck.
Everyone turned their attention to him as he lifted his left leg in the air and placed his heel on the lid.
"To find All Blue." he said with confidence.
Luffy followed suit, raising his left leg and placing it just to the right of Sanji, "To become the Pirate King!"
Aries looked on with a confused face as Zoro did the same, "To be the Greatest Swordsman."
"To draw a map of the world!" Nami joined in cheerfully, following suit.
Usopp flailed for a second before nervously placing his foot on the barrel as well, "T-To become a brave warrior of the seas!"
Five pairs of eyes locked on the sheep girl's form, giving her expectant stares.
"Wha?" she asked, the confused expression still painted on her face.
"Oh right! You probably don't know about this tradition!" Usopp said, waving his arms. "It's really simple. You just put your foot on the barrel, state your dream, and then we all smash it together!"
"My… dream?" she repeated softly.
The long nosed boy nodded excitedly, "Yeah, your dream!" He paused when he noticed that Aries still hadn't moved from her spot. "You do have a dream, don't you?"
Her navy eyes glanced at her crewmates, and chewed on her bottom lip.
My dream…
She took small, nervous steps forward, and placed her heel tentatively on top of the wooden container.
"I guess, my dream is to have an unforgettable adventure," she said, her voice taking on a cheerful tone.
The group cheered together, all raising their legs up, and bringing them down, smashing the barrel beneath their feet. The rush of mead covered their shoes and splashed up Aries' bare legs.
"OFF TO THE GRAND LINE WE GO!" Luffy shouted, pumping both fists into the air.
Aries watched him quietly, lost in thought.
I meant what I said. I do want to have an unforgettable adventure with this crew and enjoy my freedom… but that isn't my ultimate goal.
She turned her head, navy eyes locked on the familiar lighthouse that beckoned them to the most dangerous sea.
I will find and end the man responsible for my captivity. Just you wait, Doflamingo. Because I am coming to stop you from doing this to any more innocent people.
Well, what do you guys think? Are you ready for the Grand Line? :) Don't forget to check out Friendships at Sea if you haven't already, and send me some prompts if you would like to. Also, at the time this chapter goes live, I will have posted a brand new story for My Hero Academia. If you like the show/manga then please check it out. I am very proud of it. Until next time! Happy Easter!