A/N: Sorry about the long wait.

Chapter 9: Devil Fruit

The hours ticked by as Skit directed the group down the cave through tunnel after tunnel. As the ceiling began to duck down and the walls began to open up or close in for random stretches of the chosen pathway, the pirates chose to consume their packed rations and tied Harry's jars of burning blue flames around their necks to allow for easier maneuverability.

Strangely enough, whenever the group squeezed through the thin passages, Shanks and Harry were always separated by at least one man.

Harry wasn't sure how to interpret that. He was quite sure Shanks was doing it on purpose, since the wizard had taken to fiddling with his robe's camouflage enchantments by changing its color in dizzying cycles. The pirate captain took to the distraction like a cat to a laser pointer – so much that he never left Harry's side when walking through the wider caverns. Clearly, Shanks was consciously avoiding physical contact. Perhaps Harry shouldn't have pinched the pirate's arse after the first hour in a fit of boredom?

"Hold up," one of the pirates called out. He held up a hand to grab everyone's attention while the other hand rested at his mouth gesturing for silence. The group waited a beat in silence, and slowly the sound of trickling water became clear. "Nearly there, then," the pirate concluded needlessly.

The traveling crew picked up speed through the widening tunnel, the shadows flickering around them as the jars of blue flame bounced on the pirates' chests. The pathway came to an abrupt stop in the form of a solid stone wall. For a moment, Harry wondered if they took a wrong turn somewhere when, one by one, the pirates turned to the right and slipped through a crack hidden in the shadows. Harry followed them and didn't bother to hold back a whistle at the sight that opened up before him.

A large lake occupied an even larger cavern, filled by a small waterfall that splashed from an unidentifiable location as the sound echoed around the walls. What was shocking, however, was the fluorescence of the lake itself. It pulsed and glowed with the trademark green of bioluminescence, occasionally bright enough to reflect off the walls, revealing the cavern to be formed of mostly an unknown crystalline structure that made Harry feel like he was inside a geode.

"Just as beautiful as last time," Shanks grinned. "Shall we dive down now and take a look, men?"

The pirate captain's words were barely spoken when shirts, weapons, and flame jars were tossed aside. One pirate, who was taking the time to find a dry ledge for the matches originally brought for lighting the way, was attacked by a wave from a cannonball jump. Whoops and cheers bounced through the area as the pirate jumped at each other, splashing and chasing each other with jeers and taunts between dives.

Harry cast a Bubble-Head charm and dived down. There was little point in joining the pirate crew in their teasing – he wasn't close enough to them for that just yet since most of the people on the treasure hunting crew were still only acquaintances to him. Instead, the wizard bobbed gently in the glowing pool of water, scanning the dips and rough edges of the lake bed, wishing he could sink down and walk along it. Something to increase his weight maybe?

He summoned a few rocks and spelled them with cushion charms and sticking charms to cling onto his robes and trousers. Slowly, he was dragged down and Harry took slow steps as he explored. Other than the glowing algae, there were white, blind cavefish swimming around, fleeing from Harry's larger presence. Stepping onwards, the wizard arrived at a sharp cliff edge. Kneeling down, Harry peered over into the murky depths where the algae did not glow.

Casting a wandless lumos, Harry let his shining hand light the way as he stepped off the cliff edge, allowing his stone weights to slowly drag him down deeper. His view was still very much obscured but the wizard was wary of increasing the magic channeled into his hand since such a bright light source so close to his eyes could blind him. He looked around at what he had to work with. Making items glow remotely was tricky. He could use lumos to light his wand and hand, and with some time he could light other objects as long as he held them, but lighting them up and leaving them somewhere? Fire would work better.

Harry summoned the jars of blue flames and used sticking charms to light the lake floor. Amidst the bobbing shadows of water plants flowing softly in the mild underwater currents was a strange plant. It looked like a tree, however it was clear the trunk was actually created through the braiding of vines, the ends of which were separated like branches. The vines weren't quite vines either, though, as they were ribbon-shaped, like seaweed, yet colorless and with a velvety texture instead of the smooth, rubbery feel normally associated with living seaweed.

Pulsing in the middle of the transparent mass was a blue fruit, its skin imprinted with what looked like snakes curled in 'S' shapes. Red sparks shot upwards from Harry's wand as he tried to bring the attention of the pirates. Unfortunately it seemed Harry was too deep for them to reach with lung capacity alone. Eventually, Harry shed his weights to float up instead.

"So," Harry started, treading water and popping his bubble as it muffled his voice, "I'm pretty sure I found it. Is there some specific way to harvest a devil fruit? I mean, how do we even know that thing is ripe? Do devil fruits have a stage of ripeness or whatever?"

"If the marines are already searching for it," one pirate – Nokah, Harry was pretty sure –offered, "it's probably, uh, as ripe as it's gonna get with a special power."

"Yeah," agreed another – Ike? "I didn't get close enough for a look at it, but I don't suppose it's simply hanging on a branch for the picking?"

Harry shook his head, splashing a few drops around from his wet hair. "If anything, there's a cage of branches protecting it. Are all devil fruits like that? I can't imagine many people being able to get a hold of one if so. Unless there are professional devil fruit pickers out there with specialized skills for their trade," Harry pondered aloud.

"The marines do have a small branch of soldiers who keep track of the fruits, and they might go on some retrieval missions too, but I think there are other easier ways of doing this. They're rare because they're powerful and coveted and there's a limited number, not because they're difficult to harvest," Skit explained. "Of course, most knowledge on devil fruits is either highly classified or just baseless rumor."

"Actually," Shanks finally interjected, "I've heard some pretty interesting stories about devil fruit picking. They're a bit like apples. Apples stay on the branch even after ripening, but eventually fall off, right? I'll bet that fruit will be released eventually, which is likely how most Fruits are collected, but we don't have the time to just wait around. What do you think Harry? Can you try and get at it yourself, or maybe give the rest of us some bubbles too?"

Harry frowned a little. He had only just discovered the strange relationship between haki and magic so he was a little wary about casting Bubble-Head charms left and right. What if the Haki ate away at his spell and the bubble burst while the wearer was not in a position to quickly return to the surface?

"How many of you can't use haki yet?" About half the group raised they hands. A bubble quickly appeared around their heads to their shock, many of whom immediately began playing with it by poking the thin film. "I can try on the rest of you, but I don't know how well it will hold," Harry explained to the remainder of the group. "Perhaps try your best to rein your haki in beneath your skin? And definitely always keep a clear path between you and the surface. Shall we try it?"

Some tries later, the whole group had magical air tanks and was diving down to the area still lit by Harry's blue flames. Weighing themselves down with rocks in their trouser pockets, most managed to stay relatively deep as they circled the plant. One pirate threw a punch, but it merely bounced off.

"It's like rubber," he commented, voice muffled but still decipherable as it traveled through the water. Harry pulled at one of the 'branches'. It stretched to impossible lengths and snapped sharply back into place when released, smashing a boulder with the recoil. For a non-magical plant, it could be pretty dangerous.

"Well damn," Shanks sighed, "a plant that doesn't take damage from hits and can't be torn to bits either."

Harry considered the plant for a bit, then pulled a knife from his robes and sliced straight through to the fruit, pulling the blue sphere from the incision. As soon as the fruit lost contact with the plant, the clear vines blackened and shriveled. "Simple enough," the wizard grinned upon surfacing, dropping all the Bubble-head charms. "Shall we go before we end up boxed in here by the marines?"

"Too late for that, I'm afraid."

Shanks' haki flared when the unfamiliar voice was heard, drawing a hiss from Harry when his medallion burned in response. "There are a dozen of them on the other side," the pirate captain quickly informed his crew, already swimming quickly to shore. The others followed suit, glancing at the thin gap that served as both the exit and the entrance as they shook themselves relatively dry and replaced their clothes.

Harry did the same, though he had never removed any clothing in the first place and instead used a hot-air charm to dry off. There was no need to hurry, though, as far as Harry was concerned. The object of the marines' desires was in the wizard's hands so they weren't likely to leave. With such a narrow doorway, either side attempting to cross was suicidal. Currently, the two groups were locked in a stalemate, neither able to advance, with the marines at a significant advantage. The pirates had the treasure while the marines had a retreat path and a supply source. In the worst case scenario, the enemy would blockade the exit and starve or even attempt to suffocate the pirates.

He could use magic to stun the marines through the gap, but without a proper view of the enemy formation or knowledge of their numbers, he couldn't attack them all, and provoking just a few could speed up their willingness to resort to the aforementioned worst-case scenario.

"A bit of a tricky spot, hmm?" Shanks grinned. "Back away, boys." Immediately, the pirates ran away, cursing and yelling that their captain better wait just a little more. Harry barely had time to be confused by the reactions when a blast of haki, suffocating in its demand for submission, pressed harshly upon him, his consciousness going dizzy briefly before the wizard forced himself to take a deep breath and pushed it off with his magic. What was that?

A series of thumps from outside the cavern was proof of its effectiveness, nonetheless.

"Shall we?" Shanks gestured.

"Hold on," Harry frowned, drawing his wand. "Serponsortia." A black rattlesnake slithered from the wood and hissed menacingly at Shanks who was closest. "Sstop that," Harry scolded. The snake reared back in shock and turned it head, awaiting orders. "Go out that gap over there and inform me if there are sstill any conssciouss humans awaiting uss."

The snake acquiesced and its disappearance behind the wall was followed by a shriek and frantic footsteps that faded quickly into the distance. "Only a pair of men who ran off when they ssaw me. One wasss sscreaming into hiss hand while the other wass holding a long rope."

"I ssee. My thankss for your help." Harry dismissed the snake with a frown. "The coast is clear for now. The screaming was a pair of marines who survived your attack, Shanks, and they ran away. They marked their path with rope and are likely calling for back-up as we speak. How do you want to proceed?"

Shanks scratched his head. "Aww, hell, I don't plan for stuff like this. That's more Beckman's thing. Let's just move, and if anyone comes at us, we'll beat them up, yeah?"

"And the men sleeping out there?"

Shanks waved a hand as if they were inconsequential. "Just leave their lead rope. It's not like they'll be waking up any time soon."

Harry shrugged. Personally, he'd take the rope since having such a large group as a potential wildcard in future battles was risky. Then again, he didn't fully understand Shanks' strength just yet. Perhaps the pirate captain was merely confident they would be down and out until the conclusion of this adventure. And so the group left, stepping over the bodies to walk briskly back to the entrance.

"He's not among them."

Shanks grinned. "No, our dear Lieutenant is not. But then, neither is the man who yelled out at us. It's possible that person has a bit of resistance to my haki."

"But not the other man who ran?" Harry questioned, stuffing the Devil Fruit into a pocket as the group approached a thin tunnel.

"The other was simply out of range at the time," Shanks shrugged. "I couldn't see him very clearly afterwards, so he must've been pretty far back in the first place."

"To see with haki. And that blast was of the Conquering King, then?"

"Haha, it seems I'm getting soft with it though, if three people stayed standing without warning."

Harry smiled at the intended compliment but inwardly seethed. Soft? If the two had been opponents, Shanks could have easily killed Harry thrice over in the time it took the wizard to recover from the authoritative haki. If the worst happened between them, or if he met another with the same ability, Harry would have to take the first attack or hurry and find a way to counter it faster. He grasped his medallion and picked up speed, subtly urging the group to break into a light run to distract them from his wandering mind. For some reason, he was sure the green fire in the metal talisman was the key to overcoming this weakness.

It didn't take long before the traveling pirates nearly collided with a small group of marines who were returning from another pathway, likely called by Den Den Mushi for backup.

"Toki, Taki!"

"On it Captain!" The duo withdrew a katana each, one right-handed and the other left. With steps moving in time, the two swept through the smaller enemy group in a typhoon of synchronized movements, leaving behind a slow rain of unconscious bodies felled by the dull edges of their swords.

"Let's keep moving, men!" Shanks encouraged. "That's not the last of them, I'll bet."

"They better not be," Ike yelled out in mock anger. "You can't keep all the rest of us from having some fun too you know!"

Harry snorted. The marines likely split off into smaller groups at each major fork in the tunnel system to cover more ground in their search for the devil fruit and Shanks. Considering how many different possible paths the pirates passed by to reach the lake, the number of marine soldiers filling the underground must be astronomical. Plenty of 'fun' to go around.

Moments later another small group of marines were found, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of pirates. Ike and Skit incapacitated the lot of them with some well-placed bullets before either group stopped moving, and the pirates smoothly continued their run, following the marines' ropes back to the exit.

The way was clear for an hour when Skit suddenly called for a halt. "Wait! Something's wrong."

The group skidded slightly on the damp ground to turn in question.

"What's up, Skit?" Shanks asked.

Skit was muttering under his breath, making frantic gestures in the air as his eyes flickered back and forth down the tunnel they were running through. Some tense seconds later, the pirate took a deep breath. "I'm quite certain we made a wrong turn somewhere."

"How?" asked another pirate, er, Locks, as he reached down to pick up the rope that continued forward. "Did the marines come in through a different entrance?"

Shanks shook his head. "How could there be another entrance? We all know how crazy Addagator is when detailing his island maps. He may not have been interested in the tunnel system, but he wouldn't make mistakes in finding openings in the island itself."

The pirates muttered anxiously to each other at the situation. Harry frowned when he realized the folly of using enemy resources before first flushing out the enemy themselves. "Shanks," he whispered, "how far can you haki see?"

"A few meters out. It's not exactly my strength."

Harry flexed his wand arm and felt for his magical reserves. Normally, even after all the casually thrown around magic he had just cast, he wouldn't feel a difference. Now there was a change, but it wasn't too significant. The wizard planned to have fun today so he decided that he wasn't going to regret it even if he near drained himself.

With that thought in mind, Harry withdrew his wand and swept it in a wide circle.

"Homenum Revelio!"

Magic swept out in a circle, flying meter after meter in search of human life, flashing with each success until dissipating. Harry cursed, his free hand flying out to grab Shanks by the collar of his shirt as he quickly ran back the way they came.

"Move, move, move!" he yelled out, the authority in his tone unquestionable. The pirates backtracked immediately, chased by a single marine officer's voice that came from around the corner behind them.

"Attack!"

The roar of agreement from dozens of marine soldiers thundered down the cavern walls.

A/N: Whoo-hoo! Lots of fun to come :)

Thanks bunches to my beta, Indifferent Nobody, as usual.

10/11/2011 with 152 reviews!