Disclaimer: I Do Not Own One Piece.

Chapter 20: Greetings on the way to Iryoku

"And here, we take a right…" Kise muttered.

"This is our fourth right hand turn…. We've gone in a circle…" Ezerial pointed out, sounding greatly annoyed.

"Not true! A circle is a side-less shape, so you can't make turns! So, HA! We haven't—oh look, we're back at the cart…" Aro slapped her forehead and let out an annoyed sigh. Kise turned around to face her, lantern balanced on his head; "It's no biggie! I promise I'll get you to… uh…"

"Iryoku." Guzen finished for him.

"Yeah, that thing!" Kise said, pointed at Guzen.

"Place…" Guzen corrected.

"Right…" He laughed a little and turned, and started off in some direction. Guzen followed him with a roll of his eyes. Aro and Ezerial followed shoulder to shoulder.

"Aro," Ezerial whispered, "We're wasting time with this idiot, can't we just find the path on our own?"

"At least he gets us back to a place where we can back-track easily… and it's not like we're wasting day-light, so I see no problem with following him…" She whispered back with a sigh. She closed her eyes, letting her natural instincts lead her through the woods and follow the two. "Until he gets us in danger, we'll be fine…"

"A-HA! I FOUND IT!" Kise said happily. Aro opened her eyes and saw Kise standing on a hill and ran up to be standing next to him. Ezerial and Guzen followed. Once on top of the hill, she fell over. Ezerial nearly did the same. Guzen blinked. Kise turned with a wide grin, holding his hand out to a pig-run. Aro picked herself up, eye twitching.

"That's not Iryoku… that's nature's version of a path made by mindless creatures of habit…"

"No, nee , niet, ei, non , visszautasítás , tidak , non uno, iie, quinymo quinimmo, ikke , não , нет , la , nej…"

" What?"

" No in fifteen languages… POINT BEING, that this!" He dramatically pointed to the pig-run, "Is your path to Iryoku!"

" Iryoku isn't a herd of pigs…" Guzen muttered.

" I know… it leads to that place your heading… Piroku—"

" IRYOKU!" The three said at once, Ezerial and Aro basically screaming and Guzen sighing.

---

"Ah!" Kit and Kat jumped and hugged each other, faces visible from the light of the fire, showing their fear. LeStine blinked and gave a confused look. The three were sitting on logs across from the fire, waiting for a small pig to cook over the crackling fire. LeStine had his elbows on his knees and hands clasped together, hanging down between his legs, as much natural law would allow. The three were in front of Iryoku's gates: A tall iron door with two large stone towers on either side.

"What was that?" LeStine said, sitting up slightly, looking around.

"Rumors have it," Kit started.

"That these forests," Kat continued.

"Are haunted by victims of a island wide fire…" They finished together, voice a whisper.

"Then why did they shout 'Iryoku?'" he said, trying not to laugh. The twins looked at each other for a moment in silence, then looked at LeStine and shrugged. He sighed, and tested the pig to see if it was ready.

---

"Just wait and see! We'll be there in no time!" Kise lead the way down the pig run, grinning. Guzen sighed and stumbled in the dim light of the lantern. Ezerial took his time, carefully stepping here and there. Aro slowly followed in the back, thinking.

"I'd do anything for something to eat…" She muttered to herself. Ezerial paused, and looked back at her. She sighed, hanging her head, "But until we get there, we can't get anything to eat…"

He started walking again once she had reached him. He walked at her pace. "We're all hungry, I'm sure—"

"I'm not!" Kise called from the front, grinning back at them, lantern still on his head.

"No one asked you!" Ezerial shouted back. Kise stuck out his lower lip and turned back around. "Look, Aro, can't you use that nose of yours to smell out something?" She paused in her walking, and sniffed the air, "Well?"

"I smell meat…" She closed her eyes, sniffing more, ears slowly standing up more. Guzen and Kise turned back to them. "Freshly cooked glorious meat!" She took down the path, passing Guzen and Kise. Ezerial took off after. Guzen looked at Kise.

"… Ok, I can run." He took off the lantern and blew it out. Both turned and followed Aro.

---

"Do you hear that?" Kit looked up from her portion of meat. Kat looked away from the gates of town, towards Kit.

"Hear what?"

"That sound."

"Hmm?" LeStine came out of one of the small wooden doors at the base of the towers, heading over. He was wiping his hands on a small rag. "What's what sound?"

"Shh, and listen." Kit said in a hushed voice. Kat and LeStine did as she said. The only sound they could pick up was the crackle of the fire. Soon, both raised an eyebrow as the shuffling of leaves started to get louder, and soon grew in number.

Out of the bushes, something jumped out and landed next to the fire, crouching down. Kit and Kat jumped up and behind the log. LeStine raised his eyebrow higher. Aro looked up from where she landed, and blinked. "Oh…"

"KITTY!" Kit and Kat shouted together, clearly angry.

LeStine smiled, looking her up and down as Aro stood up right. "So your Aro…"

"That's right." She said with a slight nod. Ezerial came out after her. He looked at LeStine.

"Ezerial! Glad to see you're still in one piece."

"Yeah, thanks for the bandages, Dr. LeStine." Guzen and Kise followed. LeStine raised an eyebrow.

"Guzen? I was told you were dead." LeStine tilted his head to one side.

"This world is full of odd things happening…" Guzen stood tall, though out of breath.

"Where's that Luffy friend of yours, Ezerial?"

"Gone." He stood up right, and he swatted at something in front of his face.

"Oh?" He smiled, "I guess that's too bad… Are you feeling all right, Ezerial? What are you swatting at?"

"These bugs—they're not real, are they?" He asked, face becoming pale. LeStine shook his head, smiling. Aro looked at Ezerial.

"Are you ok?" She asked in a whisper.

"No… a hallucinogen…" He glared at LeStine, and suddenly screamed, holding his neck. "WHAT THE HELL?! THEY'RE NOT REAL! WHY DID IT HURT!"

"A poison is a poison. It's made to induce physical harm…" LeStine stepped back as Ezerial pulled his sword off his back, using his other hand to swat at some unseen bugs. "But! Enough friendly talk! We have an assignment, and we must complete it, right girls?"

Kit and Kat drew the thin wire from leather sacks on their sides, "Right!" They said together.

"Oh hell…" Aro muttered. "Scatter!" Guzen took to the woods again, pulling Kise with him. Ezerial readied himself. Aro drew her scythe as Kit and Kat attacked. Both Aro and Ezerial knocked the ends away. "How long are you going to be able to keep this up?" Kit and Kat attacked again. The two blocked once more. "Well?"

"Not long… shouldn't Guzen be giving us some—" another attack came from the twins. Aro spun her scythe, hitting the button to get the staff part of it. It tangled up the wires, "—cover from behind?"

---

Guzen opened the door, watching the fight. Kise slipped inside and Guzen closed the door silently. Darkness filled the room. "Light your lantern."

"Right right right…" The sound of rusty metal hinges, some clicks and sparks, and soon the room filled with light from the lantern. The room was filled with boxes and barrels. The two looked around. A lonely pale of crystal clear water sat in the middle of the room with a ladle in it. "Drinking water?" He asked, going over to it. Guzen began to wonder around the room.

"I wouldn't drink it if I were you… it might be poisoned by that doctor… you was what happened to Ezerial."

"True to that…" Kise began looking around as well. He poked his head over a tall stack of crates. His face lit up and he shouted, "JANE!" He hoped the crates as Guzen turned around.

"Shh!" He paused, looking around. "Kise?"

The door suddenly opened and LeStine stood there. "Guzen… I don't want to have to fight you…"

"Then don't and let me go…" Guzen reached for his card cases slowly.

"Sadly, I wish I could, buddy… but I can't…" He came in and closed the door, reaching inside his coat.