MERRY CHRISTMAS, have some pent up emotional reactions and regret for desert.
Finally by that afternoon they made it to the shadow of the mountain's curl, which Zoro mildly mentioned it looked like a certain cook's brow. They fought over that for a brief moment before Luffy started greeting the inhabitants that slowly popped up when their captain called out to them. They weren't hairy cave dwellers, animals, or strange mythical beings; not at first glance anyway. They looked normal enough and several greeted Luffy and his crew with enthusiasm.
There wasn't really a set town like Piety where houses were set in neat rows. In the inclining curve of the mountain was a large alcove cave where they were shielded from the wind, snow, and sheerness of the rocks. There were maybe two or three actual wooden buildings in the place and the rest were tents that were more for privacy than shelter. With the large cavernous walls protecting them from the weather, they didn't seem to need heavy duty houses. Though the people also seemed more communal than the ones of Piety. Not that Piety wasn't at peace with friendly neighbors, but the mountain people seemed more tribal in the way that they emerged from their places and curiosity was followed by excitement at the news of new people.
Chopper was surprised that he and Zoro didn't startle the people there. Though he quickly learned that at least half the people there were cambion. Some were even in their strange demon form. There was a purple and tan fox-deer trotting around, as well as a red and white dog-rabbit that mostly followed everyone about. Most looked like normal human beings though.
The community of people were collecting items for a bonfire. It was apparently a nightly affair that gathered almost everyone for social exchanges and to chase away the cold. Luffy was eager to help and several of the others started helping; to chop wood that was brought from the forest, prepare food for cooking, as well as other menial tasks. Chopper found himself drawn to one of the old women who was grinding familiar herbs and he ended up watching her work the native ingredients. He recognized half of them went into making the vitamins he'd given Sanji. Robin lingered by Chopper and her sharp eye also recognized the ingredients.
"A curse, huh?" The old woman had a cackly laugh as Robin mentioned it. "Well here we just call them seasonings. It helps feed everyone, and not just the belly."
"Like Piety uses the chastity bell in their foods," Robin thought aloud.
"Much the same," the woman agreed. "None of the cambion can go there because of it."
"Then it's a species related allergy," Chopper mused.
"I suppose you could call it that. Being demons, there are of course things that people use to ward them off. It's worse the more demon they are." The old woman paused, looking at chopper. "Were you not affected, little one?"
"Oh, I'm not a cambion," Chopper said earnestly. "I ate the Human-Human Fruit."
"Ho-Ho, I see," the woman said and patted his hat. "Then did that cat-man eat some devil fruit as well." She gestured to Zoro, who had been volunteered by Sanji to help lift and move crates. Sanji himself had volunteered to help with the food preparations.
"Zoro is actually a cambion," Robin assured her. "Also this is the first time we've seen cambion besides him."
"Ho-ho, like-wise we don't get many foreign cambion here," the old woman said. "Everyone here has been born from the incubus of the mountain."
"So there IS a demon on the mountain," Chopper said with awe.
"There are many demons here," the woman took a moment to cackle and smiled widely. "But I suppose yes, there's a demon here that still makes more little half demons."
"Enough demons that they're inhabiting the forests as well?" Robin asked. Sanji and Zoro recounted the events of the previous day and had informed them that there were indeed monsters in the woods.
"Eh? Ah, did you run into a few hungry beasts?" she asked. "Seems as though you're strong enough to live through facing a feral cambion."
"Well we had chastity bell so we didn't personally meet them, but our nakama did," Chopper explained. "Is... is it normal for cambion to be like that."
The old woman's tone sobered slightly to a sad one, "Ah, well, there is often one stage or another when a cambion falls to natural greed and bloodlust. Usually when they're young. They start taking too much energy for themselves or they find the idea of actually eating someone far too appealing."
"Zoro went hungry because we didn't know there was anyone here on the island besides Piety," Chopper said and felt a little guilty.
"We did what we could with the provided information," Robin said simply and patted Chopper's shoulder. "Everything turned out alright."
"Doesn't seem feral," the old woman assessed Zoro from afar. "Rarely does anyone go feral just by going hungry. As long as he has a good grasp on his humanity then there's nothing to worry about. When one of the cambion become a problem here, several of the others herd them off the mountain until they're ready to cooperate with the way things work around here. Normally, in time, they'll come back to themselves and submit to the rules so they can feed on energy again."
"Cambion have their own rules here then?" Robin asked curiously.
"Very much so, yes." The old woman nodded. "Cambion are quick to organize among themselves who belongs to who when it comes to energy. There's always some sort of hierarchy going on. Several cambion choose one human as a companion and sole food source." The old woman chuckled. "Younger ones are more fickle, but if you cross a bonded pair there's bound to be trouble. There usually aren't many squabbles, but when there are, they tend to be... well, animal-like in nature. It's all about territory and dominance."
"Sounds dangerous," Chopper said.
The old woman cackled. "Ho-ho, well I suppose when I keep talking about when they get themselves into trouble, of course. But normally they're very laid back, social creatures, and very friendly. They're also outright hedonists. Not only for the obvious, but good food, good music, and good times. Jokers, pranksters, and charmers, as I say."
"So, would you say a stoic personality is normal for cambion," Robin asked and the old woman snorted at the idea.
"As stoic as a clown," she replied. "It's quite difficult to make a cambion angry usually."
"Zoro's an oddity then," Robin mused and Chopper agreed fully with one firm nod.
Zoro huffed as he was given moving duty, but so was Luffy so it wasn't completely like Sanji had singled him out. Luffy also didn't seem bummed out because he seemed to be anticipating a fun time in the near future. The cave certainly was a bustle of people as night approached. They weren't too different from Piety in looks, but there was certainly more energy. There were actually children running around and a ruckus was going on with the local trouble making teenagers. Where Piety had nothing, the cave had an abundance of lust that he'd felt as soon as he'd entered. It was like stepping into a busy market full of perverts and deviant idealists. He never considered that a bad thing then he had to feed; he did, in fact, find himself less anxious about when Sanji was going to allow him to feed. He knew innately that even if Sanji refused him again, he could be satisfied with a short nap in the area.
Zoro and Luffy helped several of the men move several heavy things closer to the fire, such as ale, firewood, and other supplies that were going to be distributed during the gathering. Zoro was looking forward to the ale, which one man informed him was imported from another island.
"Then you run into the cambion in the woods," Zoro asked when most of the work was done.
"Eh, they don't bother us much as long as we go in packs," an old man said. The old man wasn't just overseeing the operation but also moving items from storage to the far wall with a fair amount of strength. He'd complimented Zoro heartily when he moved 3 barrels of ale at the same time; not to show off, but the faster they were moved, the sooner he could drink it. "I did it more in my youth, back when transforming was easy."
Zoro blinked curiously at the old man. "You're a cambion too?"
The old man laughed. "Haw-haw, yes-sir, youngin. I might not be so spry anymore but I used to court all the ladies in this cave."
Zoro was quiet a moment. He'd seen other obvious cambion in the cave area, such as the fox-deer and dog-rabbit. They were tame looking and Zoro wondered if it were possible to change his form without losing his mind or if those particular ones were naturally tame. "Can you change forms at will?" He knew Chopper could, but he was a devil fruit user.
"Eh? Of course." The old man pointed to Zoro's current half way form. "Aren't you in the middle of it yourself?"
"This wasn't voluntary," Zoro said. "Never learned much about it except how to feed it."
The old man scratched his head. "S'not so difficult. We usually teach the youngin's about the time they start feeding on energy. The old man scoffed. "I thought ones that didn't know better would be permanently feral."
"Obviously I'm not," Zoro said.
"Well you are a bit serious faced, so who can tell?" The old man laughed again and slapped Zoro's shoulder. "Well, this old codger will teach you the ropes while you're here." Zoro blinked but he nodded. Learning to control the tiger-bat form would be a big help. They still had several days until the log post was ready.
Luffy moving several boxes at once seemed to distract the old man and again, he laughed. "Haw-haw! For a guy with no lust he sure is strong like you. Maybe he's just a different kind of demon." Zoro smiled a little.
"No, he's all human," Zoro confirmed. Speaking of humans, his eyes drifted to where the firewood was being stacked in a large pit, where Sanji seemed distracted from his job of helping with food by several young women. Actually, Zoro had noticed how much more popular Sanji was than the rest of the crew as they entered the cave. Most likely because Sanji still had a substantial wealth of lust. Zoro's eyes narrowed as he saw Sanji being his heart-eyed 'charming' self as several of the lovely women flocked to him. He tried not to be annoyed by it. It wasn't really his business who Sanji slept with. He could usually shrug it off well in any other town but it was extra grating right then. Unlike the polite women of Piety, these women, -and several men- were eying Sanji with a very hungry look.
"He's a vibrant one," the old man said casually and Zoro mildly realized he was no longer the only one that could sense Sanji's lust anymore. Zoro frowned at the scene and his tail twitched in annoyance. "He yours then?"
"What?" Zoro asked, startled enough to look away from Sanji and to the old man.
The old man gestured to Sanji. "He's from your crew. I supposed I sort of assumed he's yours by the way you're growling." Zoro held his breath, realizing how much this form gave him away with all the subtle movements and sounds. "Better let them youngin's know he's yours or they'll swipe him up."
Zoro didn't have a reply. First because of the assumption that Sanji was 'his' and then the fact that every cambion's head, including his, turned towards Sanji after one of the women whispered something in his ear. That unmistakable spike of lust seemed strong enough to fill the whole cave and it tore something in Zoro. He didn't really care how obvious it was that he walked over to the crowd, gripped Sanji's forearm, and literally growled at all the gathered strangers. Most scattered immediately and the ones who stayed didn't look like they were going to argue with him very hard. Sanji was a different matter.
Zoro felt a strong kick to the back of his head and Sanji's anger came through his clenched teeth. "What are you doing, stupid marimo-cat? Scaring innocent women now that you look like some sort of beast." Zoro glared at him, especially when Sanji tried to shove at Zoro's arm with his foot to get him to release his arm. "And get your dirty paws off me." Instead he pulled Sanji away from the watching eyes, Sanji protesting the whole few yards to a darker area with less people. "What is wrong with you." Sanji finally broke the grip. "Did you manage to turn back into a demon while I wasn't watching you for 15 whole minutes?"
"They aren't just women," Zoro said sharply. "They're cambion."
Sanji glared at him and he placed his hands on his waist. "And?"
"And what do you think they were trying to do." Zoro returned the glare.
"They're stillwomen, very beautiful ones at that," Sanji said firmly. "I can talk to who ever I want."
"Yes, good for you." Zoro gritted his sharp teeth a moment. "They're after your energy, not your damn love-cook routine."
Sanji set his jaw tight and after a long moment he said, "So what?"
Zoro felt his hackles stand on end. "What do you mean 'so what'?"
"I mean so what, as in, it's my damn energy and I can give it to who everyI want," Sanji said firmly and gestured around the place. "I'm not stupid. This place isn't Piety. I'm not the only one you can feed from here and if they are other cambion, then I'm sure there are others for you to take energy from. My energy is not yours and you don't get a say in who I give my energy to. Don't you dare tell me what to do, damn marimo." Sanji stood stubbornly and Zoro's fists clenched because it was Sanji's damn attitude that pissed him off so much.
But ultimately, Sanji was right and Zoro's anger petered out into bitterness. Yes, when they were on the ship, Sanji was his main food source, but Sanji wasn't someone he could put claim on his energy because Sanji wasn't his. It stung deeper than he wanted to admit right then that Sanji wasn't his mate. Zoro folded his arms. "Fine. Forget it." He turned and walked off, preferably to see if he could sample the ale yet. "Do what you want."
"I will!" Sanji yelled after him and stormed off in the other direction. Probably to go and console the women Zoro had growled at. That thought made him grit his teeth but he knew he had no say in who Sanji decided to kiss or have sex with. And he shouldn't have been bothered by it; but he was, and he hated that he was.