Chapter 10: Library's Secret and the Merry went Go
"We have to check the library," Luna said, they went up the stairs and turned right. She placed her hand on the door, but before she turned it. "Sanji? This house doesn't feel right."
"Whatever's behind that door, I'll protect you," he said, she sighed as she opened the door. A large (emphasis of large) room filled with shelves and book in them was there, she looked around. When she was younger, she'd spend most of her time here, reading everything. There was an odd bookshelf that always had its books 'nailed' to it a certain way. 'What's so important in here?"
Luna walked over to the odd bookshelf and tried to pull a book out, it was nailed to it, she said,"I get it, this place is a puzzle."
"And we have to solve this thing," Sanji asked, he attempted to take a different book, but it was stuck too. "All right, what kind of person nails a book to the shelf?"
"A puzzle maker," Luna said, she pulled on another book, this time, it came out. "Whoever built this place must've wanted to keep something safe, so he/she made this up."
She opened the book and looked through it, some pages were torn off. She tossed it over her shoulder and threw a glance at the ceiling. Gears were there, then she saw what moved them, a bar that connected to the bookshelf. Is it just me, or did the person who made the puzzle was stupid? I mean, he/she made it look too simple, even Sanji realized it.
"Are thinking about it too?" he asked, she nodded. They tried to pull out each book until they found the one that moved the gears. "Ladies first."
"Thanks," she said, she pulled on a large, big, black book and they felt a slight rumble from the floor. The gears above them shifted, but a trap door opened under Luna's feet. He grabbed her hand as she fell, thank god he was there!
Spikes were at the bottom of the floor. Sanji pulled her out, he said,"Are you hurt?"
"Just fine," Luna said, the gears moved above their heads, the bookshelf sunk into the floor, revealing a hole in the wall. Inside it, a journal was seen, Sanji reached for it and took it. He said,"Looks like a captain's log."
"What's it doing here?" Luna asked as he opened it. "December 12, 1849. Gold Rush fever in Fannette Island, that's all they said in town. Father left us to earn more money, he said to come back richer than ever, but he never did...we have to find the others."
"Don't tell me, a monster's going to get us all?" Sanji guessed, she nodded. "What kind of house do you live in?!"
"A haunted kind, let's go and find Chopper and Usopp, they're in more danger than they could ever be in, so is Luffy, Loki, and Zolo," Luna said, for the first time, she sounded serious as they walked over to a window. She found a lantern on a desk and lit it, he looked out the window.
Poor Chopper and Usopp were seen screaming their heads off as they ran around the garden with someone at their tails. A nine tailed fox?! Yes folks, it was him in the flesh, chasing two crewmen around the garden, through the stables, then around a lake and out of sight. They came back seconds later and rushed into the mansion, leaving the fox outside.
"SANJI! LUNA! ZOLO! LOKI! LUFFY!" Usopp yelled, Sanji and Luna rushed out of the library and met him at the stairs. "A-a-a f-fox w-with nine tails came after us!"
"We saw," Luna said, Chopper collapsed beside her as she came down. "What happened?"
"I'll tell you, a peaceful garden wasn't what I thought it would be!" Chopper panted, clutching to Luna's leg. "F-full of m-monsters! The fox got a bit of Usopp!"
"Everyone, get down!" yelled Zolo's voice from up stairs, he slid down the railings and jumped over them. A ball of blue fire came hurtling at them, they ran out of the way to see a fox with nine tails at the top of the stairs.
It growled, Chopper said,"Leave this place at once or suffer, that's what he said. Wasn't he just out in the garden?!"
"It don't matter!" Luna screamed as she dodged a ball of fire that formed in the fox's jaws and fired at her. "Get to the dinning area! There might be more!"
They rushed to the hallway to the right as the fox jumped from the staircase and landed right next to them. The doors were opened earlier by Luffy, so they ran through them. Sanji and Zolo bolted the doors and they heard the massive claws scratching against them.
Luna looked around the dinning area, it was quite large, like in the real world. It only lacked the tables. Loki was seen eating a large piece of fish while Luffy was merely sleeping.
"Luna!" Loki said, she came over to him. "There was a nine tailed fox in the kitchen, it knocked Luffy out, but I was able to get some fish! Want some?"
"Can someone explain to me why there are three foxes with nine tails chasing us around the place? And why do you have a book?" Zolo asked, pointing a blade at the journal. "Don't tell me, you and Sanji were getting cozy in the library."
Sanji and Luna blushed a bit..
"Er...I'll just read this," Luna said, opening the journal. "December 12, 1849..."
(With Nami and Vivi)
Nami made it to the docks with Vivi and Carue, but...there wasn't any docks. And the Merry was missing, Nami said,"Where's the ship?!"
"What ship, miss?" said a young girl. "This town is known as Fannette Island, the big house there is Nine Tailed Manor, I saw you and your friends go inside there."
"Fannette Island?!" Nami said, didn't Luna mention something about that place?
"Yes, the house is haunted by a monster beyond compare," she said. "I'm Constance, would you want to stay in the inn for the night? My dad owns it, and the town hadn't have any visitors here since the Gold Rush days."
"Gold Rush?" Vivi asked.
"It was an event that happened. Thousands came here to mine for gold," Constance said, she led them to an inn called the Shirt Tail Inn as Nami's eyes were lit with money. "Dad, set up two beds!"
"That'd be 100 berries," said a voice from upstairs.
"You want to hear about the Silverback Manor?" Constance asked.
"Sure," Vivi said, the girl went to the counter and pulled out a book.
"This starts on December 12, 1849..."
(The Next Chapter is;
Chapter 11: Two Journals, Two Versions, One's a lie
Keep reading, mates! And remember, R&R!)