Campfire Warning

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

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"Oh my...,"

"...w-what the?!"

Gan Fall, Aisa, and Pierre had been flying around high above Upper Yard, trying to find the remaining Priests, but at one point, Aisa lost their voices. They were either hiding in some place, or...well, even though she'd like for them to be rid of, she didn't like to think of it. However, after they lost the trail of the Priests, Aisa began to hear a weak voice in the air. After guiding both Gan Fall and Pierre to the area, and after they landed, all three of them stared at the sight that lay before them.

The monstrous python, Nola, lay still on the Vearth, dozens and dozens of fallen trees around her while a huge, black, gash ran from her middle to the upper half of her body, wisps of smoke rising from the gash. Both Gan Fall and Aisa were obviously shocked to see such a sight. The only good thing they could find was shallow breathing coming from the snake.

Gan Fall looked her over while Aisa ran around to assess the damage. The God of Skypeia shook his head as he gently ran his hand along the smoking gash, "Nola...!" he looked intently at the damage, "She's survived attacks from Eneru and Burn Bazooka's from Wiper...they all attacked her, but this is too much! What could have done this to her? It must've been something incredibly powerful to give her this wound!"

"WIPER!!!" Aisa's scream ripped through the quiet air of the forest.

The old man quickly ran towards the source of Aisa's scream to find her standing very still, eyes wide with fear. He bent down and held her shoulders, "What is it, child, what's wrong?! Are you okay?"

"W-Wi...per..," Aisa weakly pointed at something behind Gan Fall. He turned and his heart went into his throat. Laying across a log, covered in ugly gashes and what appeared to be burn marks, was Wiper. Aisa and Gan Fall ran over to him, horrified to see him like this.

Gan Fall rolled him over and pressed his ear of the left side of his chest, "His heart's beating, but it's not very strong," he looked around, "Pierre! We need you!"

Aisa backed away, "Wiper...,"

"Aisa, it's alright, we'll get him back to the city and have him treated," Gan Fall promised as his bird partner came to them, "Don't worry,"

The young Shandian girl shook her head, tears welling in her eyes, "I-I...I heard his voice vanish before, but I thought he went inside Nola for some reason! Whenever someone goes into her stomach, no one can hear them,"

Gan Fall looked at her, "Aisa, listen to me. You didn't know! I would've thought the same thing if I had Mantra," he carefully placed Wiper across Pierre's now horse-like back, "Come one, we have to get him back now, or else we'll lose him,"

"What about Nola?"

"We'll send Kamakiri, McKinley and some of the others to come back to treat her," Gan Fall offered, picking the child up onto his horse, "Then we'll try and find out what happened to him,"

As they took off into the air, Aisa looked at Wiper, scared to death for her fellow Shandian's life.

What happened to you and Nola out here, Wiper?

-----

Night had fallen, and now, Devon and the others sat around a campfire. Austin was on the verge of falling asleep while Kirsty was re-wrapping DJ's bandages. The musician winced, "Kirsty, why can't you just use your ability?"

"I'm saving them, just in case," the doctor explained for the third time, "Luckily for us, we found some garlic and aloe around here for your wounds. You sure did take a beating, didn't you?"

"Note to self, unless I get fast enough to fool Mantra," DJ winced again, "Get the hell outta there," he looked at Devon, who was poking at the fire, "I can't believe I got my ass saved by you, Demon,"

"Shut up," Devon glanced at him as he poked the fire, "Shut up, be glad that I helped at all...,"

Kirsty looked at the two of them as she wiped her hands with a nearby towel, "Don't you two start!" she scolded as she would children, "Let's just be glad that we didn't lose two nakama today, alright? Can we do that?"

The two warriors mumbled under their breaths as Dusty came into the campfire light, her hair damp.

"How you doing, kit?" Kirsty asked as the fox girl sat in front of the fire.

Dusty shook her head, sending water droplets everywhere, "Well, lessee. I get eaten by a giant dog that can fight like a human, I get thrown up by that same dog and I still have some stuff in places I didn't know I had...take a guess,"

Kirsty sweatdropped, "Well, I'm just glad you and DJ are both okay," she handed DJ his red shirt, "Patch up's done, DJ. If you have any discomfort, let me know right away, don't be all macho and bear with it,"

"DJ? Macho?" Devon laughed, "Don't worry about that,doc," he cracked.

DJ's eye twitched, "Why you...,"

Kirsty rubbed her eyes, "It's like watching three-year olds,"

"Uh...guys?"

"WHAT?!" all three of them turned to Dusty, who was very still, eyes staring ahead at the bushes nearby. Dozens of glowing eyes were looking back at them. Immediately, DJ and Devon stepped in front of the girls and Austin, swords at the ready.

The group of pirates watched as a large group of white-furred canines stalked out of the bushes, baring their fangs at them. Dusty blinked as her ears twitched, "Wolves? Are you serious?" she tilted her head to the side to get a better view since DJ was in the way, "Wow...who would've thought there'd be a wolf pack all the way up here in the sky?"

The pack leader, a wolf with a scar of his right eye moved towards them, barking and growling.

Dusty frowned, "Hey, excuse us, but we needed a place to crash!"

The others looked at her, "You can understand him?" they asked together.

She pointed to her fox ears, "I still don't understand all the Zoan communications with animals, but I can easily understand these guys. After all, foxes and wolves are of the dog family, so we're kinda like cousins," she pointed at the scarred wolf, "He said that we need to leave, this is their territory, and if we don't leave, he'll let his pack have a go at us,"

Devon scowled and pointed Water Moon at the pack leader, "Listen, furball, we just had a rough day and needed a place to crash. You try fighting against a Priest and his big ass dog,"

The pack leader growled something again.

Dusty's ears twitched, "He said that he and his pack knows what we did to Ohm and Holy, but this is still their territory, and if we want to spend the night here, we have to either earn it or beg for it,"

BONK!

Kirsty grabbed the leader and hauled him to his hind legs as a fresh bruise covered his left eye, "Now, you listen to me, puppy. Normally, I wouldn't hurt animals, and I wouldn't disobey someone out of respect, but if you think that we are gonna go out there," she shook him in the direction of the woods, "...then you are so wrong because we have one injured friend, a friend who still reeks of puke-,"

"Hey!"

"...and a child who needs sleep," Kirsty's eyes bore into the leader's scarred eye, a scary aura building around her, "WE...ARE...SLEEPING...HERE...TONIGHT! GOT IT?!"

The wolf whined and nodded. Kirsty dropped the wolf and walked back to the fire, muttering under her breath. DJ, Dusty, Devon, and Austin quickly stepped out of her path, fearful of her wrath. The kitsune turned back to the pack leader, who was growling something to the others.

"Dusty, what's he saying?" Devon asked quietly while Kirsty plopped down in front of the fire.

"He says that we're staying, but if anyone wants to try and stop us, go for the alpha female,"

"You mean Kirsty?"

Dusty nodded, "Yeah. He's also saying that just in case she's gonna go crazy, they should go and get something to appease her,"

"Go crazy?! I'll show them whose crazy!"

Devon quickly grabbed hold of Kirsty and held her back, "Down, girl, down!"

Dusty turned back to the wolves and shrugged, "Sorry, she's usually not like that. We have a friend called Niri who's usually a crazy psycho bitch,"

-At that moment-

"ACHOO!" Niri wiped her nose and curled under the blanket she was occupying near the campfire, "Damn cold...,"

"Want me to make you warm?" Azu offered as Niri felt her blanket being shifted around.

"Azu,"

"Yesh?"

"I sleep with at least one gun handy," she said slowly, "I'll give you one chance to stop before reaching the point of no return or else the crew will lose a male member and gain a eunuch,"

-----

Later that night, back at Devon's camp, the fire had nearly died away and everyone from Austin and Dusty to the entire wolf pack, who had brought a special, delicious juice for them (or rather as an offering to Kirsty). Devon leaned against a log, his head hung low as sleep began to overtake him.

We oughta get the pack's recipe for that drink... he thought, yawning and shifting around to get comfortable, Azu and Niri would love it...

"Devon," a quiet voice called.

The swordsman muttered something unintelligible.

"Wake up, it's important,"

Devon opened his eyes, lifted his head and nearly shot to his feet when he saw a stranger sitting just across from him, smoking a pipe. His first instinct was to grab his swords, but something told him that this stranger was not hostile. The stranger was wearing what looked like a hooded, traveling cloak. The hood covered the top of his head, but Devon could see a beard growing under his chin. The man looked harmless, but something was about him...something that Devon felt was familiar.

"You've done well for yourself, lad," the man commented, blowing out pipe smoke, "You've found your father's homeland, the truth behind your parents, and another family. Your skills have served you well, but now your true test has come to Skypeia,"

"How do you-,"

"Devon," the man lowered his pipe, "There are people here...traitors with incredible power. They have betrayed those who they fought with on the battlefield, and they have come here to claim this paradise as their own,"

Devon scowled deeply, now wide awake, "Who are these people?"

"Traitors, as I said," the stranger repeated, "They are here, and at this moment, they are beginning their takeover of this beautiful place. You must stop them,"

"Why me, I don't even know these people, or you for that matter!"

The man chuckled, "You know me, Devon. I know of your training and I'm proud of your progress and skill. You, my Champion, are one of the few people I can count on to punish these traitors and make things right. The only way to make this place safe for your people is to bring these people to justice and stop them before too much blood is shed,"

Devon looked intently at the man, "...who are you? Why do you care about me or this place?"

The old man chuckled as he took a puff of his wooden pipe, "As I said, you're my Champion," he blew into Devon's face (which was impressive due to the fact that it was from the other side of the camp), "Sleep now, Devon. You'll need all the rest and strength you can get before this battle is over,"

As the smoke reached his nostrils, Devon immediately began to feel drowsy. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a smile growing under the man's beard.

-----

The next morning, the sound of birds chirping woke Devon up. Groaning, he held his head and looked around to see that his friends and the wolf pack were still asleep. The memories of the night before came flooding back to him and Devon quickly looked around for the cloaked stranger he was talking to. He looked to where he was sitting just a short time before, but he could find no trace of him. There were no footprints, nothing was missing, no disturbance of any kind...hell, there wasn't even a trace of pipe smoke in the air.

Devon held his head again, "Man, what a dream...," he looked at the wooden bowls and glass bottles of juice the wolves had given to them, "Note to self: no wolf juice before bed,"

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Kilnorc: Hmm...mysterious, isn't it? Who was the hooded stranger, how did he know Devon, what is this battle he spoke of, and was he even there to begin with?! STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT!

On the next chapter of Homeland...

Devon: Shit, what the hell happened to Wiper?

Gan Fall: Both he and Nola were severely injured. Whoever did this is out there, we must be very careful!

Laki: That's it, Aisa's staying in the city...I'm not risking her life out there if there's something that could hurt Nola and Wiper like that!

McKinley: Something's coming...something big!

The New War

Axe: Oh, you're abig boy, ain't ya?