Chapter 18

"Never break a promise to an animal. They're like babies – they won't understand." - Wild Magic, Tamora Pierce

"Wait a minute here. As we got closer, it sure looked like a wall. Where are its eyes?!" Sanji yelled out. The Straw Hats were currently heading down Loose Mountain, straight into Grand Line for the first time together. Blocking the entrance to the deadly sea was giant blue whale, crying out to the sky. "Maybe it doesn't know we're here!" Nami suggested, soaking wet from the splashing sea water.

"But we're gonna hit it!" Zoro shouted back at the other man. "We will be safe if we cut through that passage on the left! Someone control the rudder!" He demanded and Usopp stomped his foot angrily. "The rudder is broke!" He shouted loudly. Zoro let out a frustrated growl and jumped over the railing before running to the rudder. "We have to do something! I will help too!"

Kya leaned forward on the railing, her fingers gripping the white wood tightly. "Yes! I've come up with some good ideas!" Luffy suddenly shouted next to her before jumping off. She watched the boy from the corner of her eye as he jumped off the railing. "What are you going to do Luffy?!" Nami yelled at him, but was answered with a slamming door. "This cannot be good." The pink haired girl muttered to the air, staring in horror as the quickly approached the larger than life whale.

Within moments after Luffy's departure, a loud boom echoed around them; the ship slowing pace and the smoke indicated a cannon from below deck was fired. "A cannon….." Everyone aside from Kya was white in the face, their jaw dropping in anger. The assassin fell to her knees and hung her head. "It's going to swallow us whole."

The ship slowly reached the giant sea mammal, and the bow ran into it slowly. The figurehead, or Luffy's special seat, snapped off and hurdled onto the deck. She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping they hadn't been noticed just yet. "This is a nightmare. We're going to die here." Nami muttered from her knees as she leaned against the railing, shaking from anger and fright.

"My special seat!"

Luffy was back on the deck now, clenching his fists in anger. His outburst had caused the whale to open its eyes. 'It sees us now.' Kya slowly moved to her butt, trying to crawl away slowly from the bow. They waited a few moments, but the creature did not move. "N-Now let's get out of here!" Zoro shouted and Sanji, Usopp and himself struggled to get the oars, screaming at each other and the whale.

She watched helplessly as it opened its large and dangerous looking mouth to let out a cry. Since the crew was currently next to it, the sound was even more horrid than before. She clasped her hands over her sensitive ears, hoping they could sneak past this giant safely and be on their merry way. When the cried died out, Luffy's heavy footsteps replaced them. She looked up to see the angry captain seething at the whale. "Luffy wai-" He cut her off loudly. "You destroyed my special seat!" His rubber fist was quickly thrusted into the large eye of the even larger whale.

"You idiot!"

She stood to her feet, smacking a palm against her forehead as a pupil the size of their ship moved and looked upon them. "He's looking at us!" She shouted fearfully. Getting swallowed by a large whale wasn't exactly on her to-do list anytime soon. "Come and get a piece of me, you stupid whale!" He got into a fighting position, only to be kicked in the head by a screaming Zoro and Usopp. "Shut up!" He fell forward, just as the whale opened its sharp toothed mouth under them. "Shit!" She held onto the railing for dear life as the captain flew off the deck. "Luffy!" She shouted as the water swirled around them, pushing them deeper and deeper into the whale's body.

Darkness surrounded them momentarily but as the waves died down they were left in an open area, possibly in the whale's stomach. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. The sky was painted on the top around them, the stomach acid sloshing like waves, and a small island with a house was floating idly in front of them. She stood on shaky legs in between Zoro and Usopp; Nami and Sanji were on the long nosed boy's other side.

"What do you think?" The chef puffed out a cloud of smoke from his lips. "What do I think?" Zoro repeated, crossing his arms as they all stared at the island. "Nevermind what you are thinking. Anyways, we were swallowed by a giant whale." Sanji noted idly. "Is this a dream?"

"Yes. Maybe a dream."

"Or maybe we're dead." Kya stated simply. "Don't say things like that so casually!" Usopp shouted at her. "So, what about that house?" Zoro changed the subject. "An illusion, maybe?" She suggested as a giant squid erupted from the stomach juice in front of them. "What about this?" He asked casually as Nami and Usopp jumped to the ground behind them. "A giant squid!"

It swam forward, its tentacles surrounding the Merry. Before it could do any damage, three spears shot through the top of its head and it fell backwards, dead. "Someone's here." Zoro noted, leaning on the railing defensively. Kya jumped up next to him as Sanji spoke. "I hope he's a good man."

"Where's Luffy?" Usopp asked, tears cascading from his eyes like a waterfall. "I want to go home." Nami whined, mimicking Usopp's emotions. The assassin scoffed at them, looking at the house with its doors flung open. The spears had rope attached to them that led all the way back inside the small hut. A silhouette of what looked to be a flower stood in the doorway, and she squinted to try and make the figure out clearly.

"Did the harpoon come from that island?!" Usopp shouted, pointing at said island. "Wait. There's someone coming out of the house." She told him quickly. "A flower?!" Sanji cried, pointing at the person walking out of the house. "A flower?" Zoro repeated, staring intently at the scene. As the 'flower' walked out into the sun, it turned out to be an old man. He was wearing shorts with tasseled hems and a shirt with tassels just above his chest where there were circles going around the fabric. He had a large scar on his left arm, weird petals on his head, and a strange looking beard.

"No. He's human." Sanji said blatantly. "Human?" Usopp scoffed. "That old man is the one who shot the squid?" Nami mumbled from behind them all. "The person who saved us is just a fisherman?" At their voices, the old man's head shot up and stared at them with an intense glaze. Zoro and Sanji made weary noises under his gaze, but Kya kept an angry frown on her lips. The man kept his gaze as he walked over to a chair under a palm tree. He slowly sat down before picking up a newspaper and casually flipping through it.

"Can't you say anything?!" Sanji nearly jumped overboard from anger. "If you want to fight us we aren't scared! We have a cannon!" Usopp shouted, albeit shaking, while pointing at the old man. "Don't even think about it, or someone will die." The old man spoke, his voice gruff and sinister. "Who is going to die old man?" Sanji smirked.

"Me."

"You're pissing me off!" The younger girl had to grab the chef's arm from going to strangle the old man. "Oh, Kya-chwan~. I didn't mean to act so rudely in your presence." He cooed, already calmed down by her touch. "Shut up." Zoro commanded, walking in front of the two. "Who are you and what is this place? Can you tell us?" He continued. "He's insulting me." Sanji murmured as Kya released his arm from her grip and Zoro put a hand in front of the blonde chef.

"Before you ask questions, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" The old man spoke, still glaring at the pirates. "You're right. Sorry." Zoro scratched his head sheepishly before the old man spoke again. "My name is Crocus. I am 71 years old, Pisces sign, AB blood type; I am the caretaker of the Futako Mizaki lighthouse."

"Should I kill him here?!" Zoro reached for his swords but Sanji placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down!" He demanded as Kya chuckled; the old man was quite hilarious with his snide remarks. "You asked me what this place is? You were swallowed by the giant whale and brought to my one man resort! Do you think this is a rat's stomach?" Crocus nearly snorted at the stupidity. "We were really eaten by that giant whale?" Usopp breathed. "What are we going to do? I don't want to be digested!" Nami bantered frantically. "You're not the only one on the ship…" Kya muttered under her breath.

"The exit is over there."

Everyone turned to see where Crocus was pointing. To their left was a giant metal door, oddly placed in the whale's stomach. "You got an exit too?! How can you have an exit in the whale's stomach?!" Usopp shouted fearfully. "There's sky over the door." Nami whispered. "And there are clouds in the sky." He continued.

"It's a picture. A picture in this whale's stomach." Kya noted, looking around. As she spoke, the acid began to slosh around, moving the boat and the small island. "This whale is very playful." Crocus old them, flipping through his paper. "What are you doing in here?" Usopp shouted loudly, and Zoro placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Don't worry about him, let's get out of here." He said, and the sloshing became more violent. She grabbed onto the railing for support. "What the hell is happening?" She nearly shouted.

"It begins?" Crocus asked no one in particular, but looked around skeptically. "Look it's not an island, but a ship made of iron!" Nami pointed at the 'island'. Sure enough, underneath the dirt was an iron body holding it up. "So if we stay here for a long time our ship will be destroyed." She continued fearfully. "Hey! What's beginning?! Tell us!" Usopp shouted over the waves.

"This whale is using its head to ram the Grand Line." Crocus explained sadly. "What?!" Zoro and Sanji clenched their jaws, looking at the man strangely. "That's awful." Kya whispered, looking up at the top of the stomach. Her heart slightly clenched for the creature. "Yes, I saw many scars on his forehead. Besides, he pulled his head up to the sky and cried!" Nami noted. "What's that mean?" Usopp asked quickly. "He must be sad!"

"So what is that old man doing here?!" The sharpshooter looked skeptically at Crocus, who sighed loudly. "He's going to kill that whale from the inside! What a cruel person!" Kya opened her mouth to say something, seeing as it didn't look like Crocus would harm the innocent creature, but Zoro cut her off. "The mystery is solved, so let's get out of here. If we don't hurry we could be digested." He warned. "We aren't whale hunters and we don't have any reason to save this whale. We should get out of here." Sanji, for once, agreed with the swordsman.

That's when the sloshing got progressively worse. Kya held onto the railing for dear life, yet again. "We can't reach the exit!" Zoro shouted over them. "Hurry up! Or else we and Luffy could be in trouble!" She yelled back, her mind wondering off to where that idiot could be. "He must be outside because I saw him go out before we got swallowed." Usopp informed them. A separate splash was heard, and they turned to see Crocus had jumped into the stomach. "Hey! That old man jumped into the water!"

"What is he thinking?" Nami scoffed. "He could be digested." Kya said bluntly. "Stop saying scary things like that!" Usopp nearly shouted in her ear. "Maybe he's heading for the exit. We'd better hurry up before the whale gets mad again." Sanji said before Crocus jumped onto the ladder by the iron exit. "We have to row to get there! Hurry up!" Zoro shouted, but Crocus only opened a latch to a smaller door. And who happened to come out of that door?

Luffy, of course, along with two other people screaming loudly before they hit the stomach acid. "Everyone's safe?" The captain held onto his hat tightly as he looked over the crew. "Luffy?" Zoro and Kya muttered in unison. "Anyways. Save me first!" Were his last words before he hit the water. "Luffy and two strange people…." She trailed off lightly, thinking of all the stupid things her captain could have done. 'He's probably the reason the whale is hitting its head right now.' She thought bitterly. "Look! That old man is escaping!" Usopp pointed to Crocus as he ran through the small latch. "Don't worry about him! We must save Luffy first!"

Zoro jumped in after Luffy while Sanji went after the other two people. "Wooh. I thought I was a goner. Thanks Zoro." Luffy chuckled as he sat on the railing. "Don't be stupid." The swordsman replied, knuckling the younger boy's head. As Sanji brought the other two people aboard, a haughtily dressed young man and woman, the splashing simmered down. "The whale has stopped." Nami said out loud before turning to the other two people. "So? Who are you?"

Kya studied them as they began to panic. One woman had vibrant blue hair in a ponytail, a swirly patterned tube top, shorts and boots. The man had blonde hair, a crown, the number 9 painted on his cheeks, and an ugly suit. Sanji currently fawned over the new woman, who was indeed pretty. 'Something about them is off….' The assassin crossed her arms and peered down at the two.

"As long as I'm still alive, I won't let anyone touch this whale!"

Everyone turned to see Crocus standing on the ledge by the exit. "Huh? What is that supposed to me?" Luffy asked, blinking at the man. The two new people began to chuckle darkly. "But we are inside the whale now." The man said before they leaned back, pulled out two large bazookas, and shot. "That means we can destroy the stomach and get out of here! You can't stop us anymore!"

Crocus growled before jumping off the ledge. "Hooligan people!" He shouted before throwing himself in front of the artillery. "He uses himself as a shield to protect the wall!" Usopp shouted. "Guess he wasn't the one hurting it like you though, huh?" Kya smirked as the old man landed in the water. "It's worthless!" The woman laughed obnoxiously. "No matter what happens, this whale must be the food for our town!" The man shouted alongside her.

"Why that old man…?"

"What's happening here?"

That's when Luffy walked up behind the two idiots, punching them both on the back of the head. "Anyway, let's take care of them first!" He breathed heavily from his nose; his anger rising. They helped Crocus onto the boat after tying the two idiots up and sailed over to his 'island'. He sat down in his chair with a thud, the two idiots laying near his feet, while the others scattered around him. Kya stood on his left, her arms folded as she watched Luffy attempt to climb the palm tree.

"This is an island whale from West Blue. It is the largest species of whale in this world. His name is Laboon." Crocus explained. "And these people are hooligans." She snickered lightly. "They come from the town close to here. They are thinking of killing Laboon for his meat; which can save them for up to 2-3 years. But I won't let them do that. There is a reason why he uses his head to hit the Red Line and cries. One day while I was taking care of the lighthouse, a group of pirates came to Loose Mountain with a little whale. It seems that those pirates always played with Laboon while they were at West Blue but they realized that it would be a very dangerous journey, so they decided to leave Laboon here. Island whales usually stay alone without a friend or anyone, but for Laboon, those pirates were his friends. Because their ship was broken, they stayed at that town, Mizaki, for 2-3 months. I was very close to them. When they decided to leave, they asked me to take care of Laboon for 2 or 3 years. They told me that they would travel around the world and come back here. Laboon has always understood this and waits for his friends return."

"That's why he's crying for them and hitting his head against Red Line, so he can get to the other side." Nami said quietly, astonished by this story. "That's right. It's been 50 years now. He still believes his friends are alive." Everyone stood silent for a moment, taking in the story. "That's so sad." Luffy muttered, before falling out of the tree and on his face. 'Only he could ruin a sad story.' Kya chuckled and shook her head. "Let's get you kids out of here."

The crew, along with the hooligans, piled onto the ship while Crocus casually floated alongside them on his island after opening the door. Kya stood in the crow's nest as they floated down a built in canal. "This water way is very cool! He has a big hole inside his body, but he's still alive. Isn't this because he's playful?" Luffy asked from his now broken seat. "It's just my funny idea, but I am a doctor. When I used to stay at Mizaki, I worked on a ship for 2 or 3 years." Crocus explained. The doctor thing caught everyone off guard. "A doctor?! Can you become our doctor then?!"

He snorted as he climbed up to open another door that led outside. "Don't be stupid. I'm not as strong as I used to be." He said as he began to turn the crank. "You are a doctor, so you are giving this whale treatments from inside his body, right?" Nami asked as she leaned over the railing. "Yes. He's getting too big for outside treatments now. Here, I'll open the door for you."

"Ha! I see the real sky!" Luffy stood and raised his fists as the clear blue sky enveloped them along with the smell of saltwater. "What are we going to do with these two?" Kya shouted, pointing at the hooligans. "Just throw them out somewhere around here." Zoro instructed. With a small heave, the two were casted into the sea, still slightly dazed. They began yelling at each other until Luffy leaned over the railing and asked, "So who are you?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Wait, Ms. Wednesday. Even though it's none of his business, we still have some relationship with pirates." The gaudy man spoke with his hands in a weird position. "That's right Mr. Nine! It really involves our company. You'd better be prepared!" The woman laughed annoyingly. "We will see you again you countryside pirates!" "Crocus! One day we will take that whale for sure!" The two swam off quickly.

"Her name is Ms. Wednesday? Wow! What a mysterious girl she is." Sanji swooned over the railing. "Ms. Wednesday? Mr. Nine?" Kya repeated, their names sounding familiar to her. She shook her head, thinking nothing of it as Luffy's voice reached her ears. "Whose is this?" He asked, holding something in his hands. 'A Log Pose? Those idiots must have left it.' She thought, letting out a strangled sigh before climbing down the mast. Crocus led them to a ladder which took them to the top of the large rock where the lighthouse was.

The old man brought them some drinks and Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, and herself sat around the table. Luffy sat on a rock a few feet away from them as Nami went to talk with Crocus. "But it's been 50 years. He still believes that his friends will return?" Usopp asked sadly as Sanji moved to sit on the table next to him. Kya shrugged and took a sip of her drink while Zoro said nothing from his seat beside her. "Those pirates made this whale wait for a very long time." Luffy said childishly. "Idiot! Do you remember that this is the Grand Line? They said that they'll come back in 2-3 years, but it's already been 50 years. He should know the answer." Sanji smoked his cigarette as he spoke. "They're already dead! No matter how long he waits for them, they will never come back."

"Why are you saying something like that?! Who knows? Maybe they are coming back." Usopp stood and slammed his fist on the table. It's a beautiful thing that this whale is still keeping his promise!" She snorted at his childish thoughts. "But the trust is more cruel than the dream." Crocus said, looking at the sky from his stump. "They are already gone, I have checked. They've already left from Grand Line." He explained to the sharpshooter. "What? What did you say?!"

"So this whale was abandoned? But if they are going to escape from here, they have to go through the Calm Belt!" Nami nearly shouted. "That's right. I do not know if they are still alive or dead. Even if they were still alive, they will never come back. No one wants to stay in this catastrophic atmosphere." He explained. Kya sighed and closed her eyes. "If you are not strong enough, you cannot survive this sea. Once you've experienced the fear of Grand Line, you will become weak." She said emotionlessly.

"This means that they weren't strong enough and feared death, so they decided to leave this place without thinking of the promise." Sanji concluded. "This whale has been abandoned even though he believed in them for 50 years! This is too cruel!" Usopp shouted angrily. "Since you already know the truth, why don't you tell him? This whale can understand the human language, right?" Nami was shaking with anger now.

"I've already told him everything, but Laboon didn't listen." Crocus closed his eyes, recalling the day he told the poor whale. "Since that day….Laboon always faces the Loose Mountain and cries. He hits his head against the Red Line to destroy as a sign that they'll come back. I've talked with Laboon many times, but he still doesn't admit the truth."

"What a whale! Even though he knows he's been betrayed, he still waits." Sanji commented. "Even though it's worthless to wait." Usopp added sadly. "Yes because he will have nothing left if he let down that promise. That's why he doesn't want to listen to me. He's afraid of losing meaning of waiting." Crocus said. "Laboon's hometown is in West Blue, on the other side of Red Line. That means he can't go back there anymore. Those people are his only hope and his everything."

Kya opened her eyes finally, frowning. Though she didn't like the fact the poor creature's promise was broken, it couldn't be helped. The Grand Line is too dangerous to promise something like that. "He is surely sad, but you were betrayed too. Why do you still get involved with him?" Sanji asked. "Look at those scars on his forehead. If he continues hitting his head, he will die. I've been with him for 50 years; he's become part of my life. I can't let him die." Crocus answered before a loud screaming sound interrupted their conversation.

Everyone looked to see Luffy climbing on top of Laboon with the Merry's mast in his hands. "What is that morn doing?" Kya muttered, placing a hand on her face. "Maybe he wants to hike the whale." Zoro suggested, sighing heavily. "We can't let him out of our sight." Sanji cursed, still smoking his cigarette. "I've arrived at your forehead! Your new scar must be over there!" Luffy shouted as he reached the top of the whale's head. "Rubber…."

Everyone watched, unable to do anything, as the boy drove the mast into the creatures head. "Flower Arrangement!" He screamed as blood spouted everywhere. "Isn't that a ship's mast?" Zoro asked, blinking. "From our ship?" Sanji concluded. "Absolutely right!" Usopp crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. It took the whale longer than usual to realize that it was in pain before it cried out its terrible cry and shook its head back and forth. Kya slammed her head on the table. "Kill me now." She groaned.

"What the hell is that moron doing?!"

"He broke our ship's mast!"

Luffy's began to yell, holding onto the mast for dear life as Laboon inched closer to them. Kya slowly lifted her head, glaring at the scene before her. She was going to kill the boy, then bring him back to life and kill him again. "He's coming this way!" Sanji yelled out. "He's going to hit the floor!"

Sure enough, the whale head butted the cliff with a loud splat. "That..That kid!" Crocus attempted to go after their captain, but Nami held him back. "It's dangerous mister! Don't worry about him, he won't die!" She shouted, but the man was probably more worried about the whale. Laboon let out a mixture of angry and painful cries, swaying back and forth until Luffy punched him clear in the eye again.

"What is he thinking?" Kya growled, finally standing to her feet. Just as she did so, Laboon through Luffy off his head, narrowly missing her. Instead he was flung into the side of the lighthouse. "Luffy! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Zoro shouted, but the younger man only chuckled. "We are even now!" He shouted, making the whale stop it's crying. "I am very good, right?"

Everyone's frown faded, replaced with a greater amount of shock. "But we still don't know the result of this fight, so we have to fight again in the future. Your friends already died, but I am still alive. We will travel around Grand Line, and we will come back to see you again. Let's fight again next time!" Tears were pouring down Laboon's large face now as he stared at Luffy in shock. Everyone else smiled to themselves, shaking their heads at the captain's ways.

Eventually everyone went back to what they were doing before, except Luffy really. He decided painting his 'symbol' on the top of Laboon's head was an even greater idea. "This is the sign of promise between you and me!" He said, staring at his ugly and lopsided drawing. Kya chuckled at the boy as he held the giant brush in his hands. She ventured off to the side of the cliff away from everyone, sitting on the edge.

"Kyyyyaaaaaaaaa."

She turned to see Luffy waddling up to her; his body covered in paint and scratches. "Yes, Luffy?" She asked lightly. He plopped down next to her and chuckled. "We're in the Grand Line." He grinned at her and jousted his arms in the air. She smiled and turned back out to sea. "Just you wait Luff; this is only the beginning." She told him and placed a hand on top of his hat. "Oh…I forgot to ask! How'd you know that Smokey guy?"

She shook her head. "When I first got to East Blue, I was traveling around with someone and we happened to run into him a few times. He's attempted to capture me a few times but never prevailed. He's not that bad of a guy, considering he is a Marine." Luffy was about to answer when a piercing scream echoed around them.

The two of them quickly ran back to the main area. Everyone was standing around a terrified Nami, aside from Zoro. "What's wrong with you? Why do you have to scream?" Luffy asked nonchalantly. "The compass is broken! It never stops spinning!" She shouted, horrified. Kya bit the inside of her cheek guiltily. They all maneuvered to the table where Sanji had placed food and Luffy dug right in.

"It seems that you don't know anything about this place! I am really tired of you. Do you want to waste your life here?" Crocus shook his head as Sanji scolded Luffy for eating too fast. "I told you that you cannot use common sense here. Your compass is not breaking." He continued. Kya munched on an apple, hoping the fiery red-head would not blame her for all of this. "Isn't it a magnetic field?" Nami asked.

"Yes, every island is the main source of many elements on the Grand Line and it is creating a huge magnetic field that covers every inch of this place. Besides the currents and the weather here are unpredictable. If you are a true navigator, you should know about the danger of this place. If you go out there without any knowledge, you will die." He casually grabbed a plate of food and began eating. Her body was rigid and an angry aura arose from her. Kya froze and closed her eyes; praying to whatever deity was out there, that they would not let her be in the wake of Nami's wrath.

"Kya."

'Shit.' The pink haired girl opened an eye to look at Nami. The navigator's mouth was twitching into an evil smile, her face darkened by shadows. "Why didn't you say anything before?!" She shouted; she almost looked like a shark in Kya's eyes. "I thought you knew." The assassin merely shrugged before taking a bite of her apple. Nami was steaming as she banged her fists on the table. "How do we solve this problem!?"

"Hey! This is bad! How do we survive?!" Usopp shouted over at the two women. "Even though you don't know, you're still beautiful Nami-swan." Sanji cooed. "What is bad?" Luffy was still as oblivious as ever. "Can you shut up?!" Nami shouted before sighing to herself. "If you want to travel around Grand Line, you must have a Log Pose." Kya explained to them. "A Log Pose? I've never heard of it."

"It's a very special kind of compass." Crocus tried explaining, but Luffy interrupted. "You mean a strange compass?" He asked. "Its shape is different from a regular compass."

"Does it look like this?" Luffy held out a spherical shaped compass on a bracelet in the palm of his hand and shoved meat in his mouth. "Yes." Crocus and Kya said at the same time. "Without a Log Pose you can't travel Grand Line. But it's very difficult to find one outside of the Grand Line." He continued suspiciously as Nami stood up. "Okay. Okay. But wait a minute here." She laughed nervously before punching the rubber boy square in the jaw. "How can you get something like this?!"

"Those mystery people left it on our ship." Luffy grumbled as he fixed his hat. "Them?" Nami tied the idiosyncratic looking object on her wrist. "Why did you punch me then?" He whined. "I just teased you." She answered. "Teased me?"

"This is a Log Pose, but there are no letters on it?" She changed the subject. "Each island in the Grand Line has a unique magnetic field. We have to save this magnetic field that attracts other island in the Log Pose. Then we use it to guide us to the next destination." Crocus explained. "In the middle of nowhere, the magnetic field that we collect in the Log Pose is the only thing we can trust." Kya continued for him. "First, we have to choose one of seven magnetic fields from this island. No matter where you begin you will end up in the single direction to the last island. That island is Raftel, which is the final destination of Grand Line. According to history, the only group to ever arrive there was Gol D. Roger and his crew. It is a legendary island."

"So One Piece must be on that island!" Usopp shouted. "Well, that's the greatest saga and no one has ever accomplished it." Crocus said, staring out to sea. "That's not a problem. If we try." Luffy chuckled as he munched on a fishbone. "Shall we go now?" He asked as he swallowed the whole thing and more. "I am full."

"You ate the whole thing?!" Sanji yelled, his cigarette almost dropping from his mouth. "He even ate the fishbone!" Usopp added, staring wide eyed. Kya watched with amusement as she set down her half eaten apple. "Log Pose. I have to carefully take care of it because it is everything for our journey." Nami mused as she stared at the new device.

"Damnit! You ate the food that I had prepared for Nami-san! And you ate the whole thing!"

Sanji's foot collided with Luffy's face, sending him flying past Nami. The sound of glass breaking made Kya's face pale. She turned her head to see Nami staring blankly at the broken Log Pose on her wrist. Slowly the navigator stood to her feet and marched over to the two boys. "Why don't you both just go and calm down in the sea!" She shouted as she kicked them both into the air. 'Hopefully Sanji grabs Luffy. He is a hammer.' Kya sighed and shook her head.

"Hey! Isn't that the most important thing to us?!" Usopp screamed. "What are we going to do Crocus-san?! The Log Pose is broken!" Nami said frantically. "Calm down. I am thinking about giving you a new one as appreciation for the things you've done for Laboon." The older man said before leaving into the lighthouse.

After Nami calmed down a little, Sanji and Luffy returned along with those two fools from earlier. "What do they want?" Kya grumbled as she stood to her feet. Luffy skipped over and sat on the table next to her and Sanji stood behind them. The two newcomers sank to their knees in front of everyone and Nami kneeled next to the haughty looking man. "Please take us to Whiskey Peak." The blue haired woman said (Ms. Wednesday?).

"Whiskey Peak? What is that?" Kya questioned, still unsure about those weird names. "It's the name of our town." The man answered. "You don't have a ship, so you want us to take you there?" Sanji scoffed as a cloud of smoke spilled from his lips. "Don't you think it's too easy, Mr. 9, you were thinking about killing that whale weren't you?" Nami asked slyly. "Tell us, who are you?" Usopp intervened.

"I am the king!" Mr. 9 proclaimed and she pulled his cheek. "Don't lie!" She scolded before the two aberrant people bowed to them. "We can't tell you about that!" Ms. Wednesday exclaimed. "But we really want to go back to our town! We will repay you if you help us!" Mr. 9 finished for her.

"Actually we don't want to do this job, but our company has to keep our secret as our lives. We can't say anything. Everything is up to your kindness now." Ms. Wednesday continued to plead. "Stop pretending! No matter what they say, they are not good people." Crocus grumbled with his arms across his chest. "But I broke your Log Pose." Nami guiltily hung the broken compass-like object in her hand. "So do you still want to go with us?"

"What?! You broke it?! But that was mine!"

"This is too much now! But you can't go anyway, either!"

"Oh! I forgot. Crocus-san gave me a new one." Nami laughed lightly to herself as the two bowed down to her again. "Please. Our lives depend on your beneficent." The both said together. "You can come with us." Luffy decided. "Oh thank you!" Mr. 9 cried out before he and Ms. Wednesday hugged. "Well, let's go." The captain declared before walking over to the later.

As they began to leave, Crocus placed a hand on Kya's shoulder before she climbed abroad the Merry. "You're from the Grand Line, am I correct?" He asked, his face emotionless. She nodded. "Yes. Though I haven't been here in years." She informed him. "Not much has changed; just more pirates and Marines. But I am going to entrust their safety for the first part of the journey with you." He removed his hand from her shoulder. "I will take care of my nakama." She said to him before climbing aboard.

The Merry had been granted a few items, a fixed mast and two new passengers. Zoro was asleep against the railing, and she couldn't believe he'd been here this whole time. "Is the Log Pose pointing in the right direction?" Crocus asked Nami, who held a map in her hand. Kya hadn't noticed it before, but Nami had a gold bracelet on her left wrist now. 'Must have been from her hometown.'

"Yes. It's pointing towards Whiskey Peak." The navigator answered before climbing onto the main deck. "Are you sure you want to choose Whiskey Peak for these people, kids? Only you can choose your destination from here." He warned them from the rocks below. "If we don't like it, we can come back." Luffy answered. Kya sighed and hung her head as Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 snickered to themselves. "Really…" Crocus held back a small chuckle.

"We are going now Mr. Flower!" Luffy said after everything was put away. "Thank you for the Log Pose." Nami smiled as she leaned over the railing. "Take care." Kya gave a small wave. "See you again." Crocus said, a grim look on his face as the Straw Hats sailed off into the Grand Line. Laboon swam up to the top of the water.

"I am going now whale! I'll be back!" Luffy shouted and Laboon answered back with a cry. Luffy waved frantically until the large whale and the coast was out of sight. "We'll be back someday, right?" He turned to Kya and asked. She smiled lightly. "I hope so."

I'm sorry about being so late. Life has not been kind to me lately and things are pretty tough. I'll update as often as I can but please be patient with me. I'm trying the best I can.