The Coming Threat

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

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The next morning, Axe rolled out of bed and grabbed the pile of clothes the others had laid out for him. Well, that solves one problem, he thought as he pulled on some shorts, ...that doesn't help my hair though. He reached up and felt the noticeably shorter hairstyle he now had thanks to Tyr's flames.

"Yo! Axe!" Azu barged into the tent, "Ah, geez! Sorry, man, leave a warning note or something," Azu covered his eyes, "I do not need to see that,"

Axe rolled his eyes and pulled out another vest, "What do you want, Azu?"

"Well, I went to go get Kirsty and Devon for breakfast, but they're gone! We looked all around the city, but we can't find 'em!"

Axe paused, "Devon and Kirsty left in the night?" he asked slowly, making sure he understood what his shipwright had just said.

The twenty-four year old martial artist nodded, "Yeah. Austin didn't even know, which is something 'cuz of his Mantra...and they didn't even leave a note," he grinned lecherously, "Hey, maybe they went to look for the wolves they told me about. Little drunken freakiness?"

"Dammit, something's wrong here...," Axe muttered, ignoring Azu, "Alright, um...just tell them not to worry. Devon and Kirsty can handle themselves," he carefully picked up his shattered stone axe, "I'm sure they're just fine. Devon may be a hot-head, but Kirsty's always there to make sure he doesn't go berserk,"

-----

"First, I get arrested for my power, now I get captured so Devon could come to this lady...," Kirsty sighed as she struggled with her bindings of surprisingly tough metal wires, "What's next, secret assassins kidnapping me? I thought Dusty was the damsel-in-distress of the crew,"

She ceased her struggling and looked around the tent she was sitting in. It was surprisingly roomy and filled with things from trunks, chests, a wardrobe, and a large, very comfy looking bed on one side.

Ya know, if this were a different situation, I'd really appreciate the decor of this room...

"I wouldn't keep trying that if I were you,"

Kirsty turned to the tent's entrance to see Frigga standing in the doorway, a somewhat amused look on her face. The doctor scowled, "When I get outta this-,"

"You won't," Frigga strode over to her bed and cast off her feather cloak, "Urd prides herself in her wire's strength. The more you try, the more the metal wire digs into your skin, and the more that happens, the more blood you lose as well as the chance of losing your hands,"

Okay, important safety tip... Kirsty looked back at her and turned away as Frigga began to undress, "Do you have to do that?"

"What's wrong?" Frigga asked as she removed her armor, "You're a woman, just like me, so why does it bother you?"

"Normally, it wouldn't, but since you're kinda the evil bitch and I'm a decent person, I'd rather not look at a naked evil bitch,"

SLAP!

Kirsty's cheek felt hot after Frigga slapped her hard across the face.

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you," Frigga hissed, "I'm the future goddess of this island, so show some damn respect!"

Kirsty grinned and turned back to her, "You don't deserve any...especially after you tried to kill Devon,"

Frigga leaned in close and grabbed her chin, "I was doing what was necessary. He would've gotten in our way since he wouldn't swear loyalty to us...to me," she grinned, "You care for him, don't you?"

"Of course, I do, he's a friend of mine and part of our family!"

"But he's a lot more than that, right?"

Kirsty felt her face turn red, "W-W-What?"

Frigga giggled and walked over to the wardrobe, flinging it open, "Why else would you cast yourself in the way of Hod's arrow? Speaking of which," she let her clothes drop and looked at Kirsty, "I'm surprised you were able to heal so quickly after we removed the arrow. How'd you do that?"

The blonde doctor smiled slyly, "Oh, I'm just naturally a fast healer," she said with a casual shrug, "My turn. What do you plan to do with this island and it's people?"

"I suppose as one of my future handservants, you have a right to know," Frigga slipped a beautiful robe on and cinched it around her smooth belly, "Where I'm from, I got tired of my damned husband being in control, so I took whoever was loyal to me and left to find a place that I could call my own sovereign...my own kingdom," she sighed and sat down on her bed, "No one respects the old legends and gods anymore. But, with this island and it's people, we will make them return to those ways!"

Kirsty rolled her eyes, "Blah blah blah...you know how many times I've heard villains make great speeches about their ambitions, only to get their asses kicked?"

Frigga glared at her and looked at her fingernails, "I'll be lenient on that...after all, I am a loving goddess,"

"You're not a goddess at all!"

"Now, you're tempting fate,"

Kirsty stared at Frigga, This bitch is really getting on my nerves. If I wasn't tied with metal wires, I'd- she stopped in mid-thought when she noticed something on Frigga's right wrist. It looked like a gem of some kind. She couldn't tell what kind it was exactly because the colors seemed to swarm all around it like a storm. Still, it looked beautiful.

Frigga noticed her stare and glanced at her wrist, "Beautiful, no? Everyone in my little group has at least one,"

"Are those...jewels?" Kirsty squinted at the crystal, "Don't look like ones I'm used to...,"

"No, I'd expect not," Frigga lay back on her bed and looked at her gem fondly, "These beauties are what's known as the Fragments of Muspelheim,"

Kirsty blinked, "Isn't that the island Odin and his men destroyed after fighting giants?"

Frigga nodded, "Yes...you see, our home island of Asgard has the source of the crystals and our power,"

"Power? What power?"

"My, inquisitive aren't you? Taken an interest in your new goddess' past?"

"Nah, just bored outta my damn skull,"

Frigga scowled and held out her arm, "Each crystal gives a person a unique ability. This crystal here," she tapped the gem gingerly, "...gives me the ability to control plants,"

Kirsty snorted, "Yeah, right, you expect me to believe that?"

"Actually...," Frigga paused as thin roots broke out of the ground and grazed Kirsty's legs, "...I do,"

Holy... Kirsty kicked the roots away, That explains what happened to Devon last night!

"Aren't you cute?" Frigga chuckled as the roots sank back into the ground, "You play with them like a kitten would a string,"

"Shut the hell up...,"

-----

Axe tugged his hair, "Kirsty and Devon are gone, DJ's running around somewhere, Austin's with the others Shandians...," he sighed and looked at his remaining crewmates: Herman, Azu, Dusty, Chizuru, and Niri with Pingu and the Sky Fox, Sora, "We shouldn't be lingering around, we gotta prepare! If those guys are anything like past enemies, they'll be striking soon and we gotta be ready,"

"Are you freakin' kiddin' me?!" Dusty gawked at him, "They're from the New World! You said so yourself, they're way stronger than the pirates on this half of the Grand Line!"

Herman nodded, "The kit's right, captain, I don't think we have much of a chance...here,"

Niri sighed, "We've been traveling with him so long, and you two think this'll deter him?" she glanced at her captain, "We're not leaving...right?"

"Damn right!" Axe flexed his hands, a loud crunching sound filling the air, "We can't leave these people to these assholes, Devon wouldn't stand for it. Besides...Tyr and I have some unfinished business! No one breaks my axe and gets away with it!"

Herman, Azu, Dusty, and Pingu sighed, all thinking the same thing.

Yeah, we're staying...

Axe looked around the city, "Man, wish Devon and Kirsty would get back soon...we could really use their help,"

"Kirsty, yeah, Devon...I'm not so sure,"

Everyone turned to Niri.

Axe frowned, "What do you mean?"

Their sharpshooter quickly told them what she had seen in Mock Town days before. When she was done, Axe and Azu had confused looks on their faces while Dusty was hiding behind a slab of stone.

"I told you he was messed up!" the fox girl shouted from her poor choice of hiding places.

"Niri," Axe propped his head on his hand, looking skeptical, "Are you sure weren't imagining it?"

BOOM!

Axe sighed as bits of his face smoked from the shrapnel of Niri's shotgun shells.

Niri glared at him, shotgun barrels still smoking while her nakama were now hiding with Dusty, "I didn't imagine it, Axe! Devon wasn't himself! He was like a maniac! I've never seen anyone fight like that!"

"Then you'll be stunned at the way some people I've met fight and...trust me...they're...," he trailed off as people started to run past them, heading for the Shandian border, "What the hell's going on?"

"I don't know," Herman waved to a passerby, "Excuse me, but what's going on?"

The Shandian he stopped pointed towards the border, "Nola's back!"

"Nola?" Niri gulped, "That big ass python?"

"Yeah, that's her," the Shandian nodded and ran for the border.

Niri looked at her crew and cleared her throat, "You guys...go on ahead, I forgot something...," she shot to her feet and dove into a tent.

Axe rubbed his head, "I forgot, she gets freaked out by giant things,"

Dusty nodded, "Remember the Bananawani of Crocodile?"

Azu looked around as more people ran by them, "I think we should go see what's going on...I'm getting a bad vibe here,"

Herman nodded in agreement, "Ditto...,"

While Niri went to 'retrieve' her forgotten thing, the remaining pirates followed the group of Sky People to the border. Everyone but Axe, Azu, and Chizuru skidded to a stop and stared at the giant python when it came into view.

"Holy...shit...!"

Axe grinned, "I know, she's a big mama, ain't she?"

"KAMAKIRI!"

"Hm?" the pirates turned just in time for Laki to run past them, nearly knocking some of them over. They watched as the female warrior of Shandora ran to a motionless form of her fellow warrior, who was covered in numerous wounds.

Laki knelt down and picked his head up from the ground, "Kamakiri, what happened!?"

The Shandian wheezed for breath, "I went...to go check on Nola...and the kids followed me...,"

"Kids?" Chizuru raised an eyebrow, "You mean Austin and Aisa?"

Kamakiri nodded.

"Was wondering where they were," Dusty mused, scratching her head.

"We were checking her wound...," Kamakiri took a sharp breath, "When they caught us by surprise!"

Laki scowled, "They?"

"The strangers and the Enforcers. They just came outta nowhere!"

"How did they take you by suprise?" Laki's frown deepened, "Both Austin and Aisa have Mantra, they would've been able to sense them!"

Kamakiri coughed, "They ambushed us, so they didn't realize it until it was too late. But, they could only sense the Enforcers' voices!"

"What are you talking about?"

Chizuru folded her arms, "He's saying that the kids weren't able to use their Mantra to see the strangers coming," she explained, "But, how is that possible?"

"I think the more important question is where the hell is Aisa and Austin?" Axe interjected, "Are they hiding in that thing?" he pointed to Nola's belly, "I heard Luffy did that...,"

Kamakiri shook his head and covered his eyes with his arm, "I'm sorry, Laki...,"

The female Shandian grabbed him by his feathered clothes and brought him close, ignoring his injuries, "Kamakiri, where are they?! Where's Aisa?!"

"I'm sorry, Laki...but he took both children!" Kamakiri shouted as his injuries worsened, "I couldn't stop him, he was too strong!"

Laki, both enraged and saddened by the news was about Aisa, was about to slug Kamakiri, but stopped when a strong hand grabbed her wrist. She snapped her head back to see Wiper, back on his feet!

"Wiper!"

Axe looked around, "Where the hell he come from?!"

"Well, when a man and a woman...," Dusty began before Herman whopped her over the head, "OW!"

"Thanks," Axe turned to the others and cracked his knuckles, "Guess we got some business to take care of, eh?"

-----

Meanwhile, deep in Upper Yard, Devon stood in an offensive stance, face drenched in sweat. He and Thrymr had been at these tiring exercises for an eternity, it seemed, but it was all going to be worth it. Soon, he would find the traitors to his God, beat them, and get Kirsty back.

'Take a break, kid...'

Panting, Devon knelt besides a river and leaned forward for a drink, only to be greeted by a Sky Shark that leapt out at him, jaws wide. As it flew towards him, Devon grabbed his sword and swung at the beast. Seconds later, a line appeared on the sharks flesh and it soon fell into the water, it's body cleaved into two pieces.

"Stupid fish,"

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Kilnorc: Ah...well, this is interesting. I know this was blah, trust me, but I made it as good as I could. Too much blah? I'll make up for it in action...trust me, it'll be lotsa action!

On the next chapter of Homeland...

Urd: Milady, the pirates are entering the forest. No doubt that they're looking for their friends.

Frigga: Enforcers, the time has come! Take this land and your reward will be great!

Wiper: Sefu's son is nowhere to be seen in the time of battle...that brings back memories.

Kirsty: RUN YOU TWO, RUN! GET OUTTA HERE, I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!

Demon of the Sky Sefu and Beautiful Pirate Celeste!

Devon: This is my father's homeland...and I will protect it with my life!