"I'm confused," Happy spoke, his voice breaking the weird silence that spread through the room, "how are we supposed to find Natsu if we can't find the island he's in without that branch?"
"Log pose, not branch!" Bepo shouted at the exceed, who hid behind Lucy.
"We cannot even try to guess where he is with the little information she gave us," Law spoke, approaching them, "we aren't far from Water 7 according to our navigator, and we own an Eternal Pose, so until you can dream about the place again, or find clues some other way, we are heading there."
"Water 7? Are we going backwards?" Sanji asked surprised.
"Water 7 isn't so far from Sabaody," Bepo spoke, and something in the way he looked at his captain made Lucy think there was more to the place. She, however, simply thanked them, since she had no other way of getting information but to rely on them. At least until they met with another one of Sanji's crewmembers.
They sailed underwater for most of the way, with Bepo's navigational skills impressing Lucy. She got used to the idea of a talking and intelligent bear quickly, given how she was friends with other talking creatures - namely Happy, Charle and Lily. That, plus the fact that her world had dragons.
But to think that said bear knew how to navigate smoothly around those crazy seas... When even Crux and Pyxis couldn't help at all... she had to be impressed.
She made herself work wherever and however she could all the time. Whenever she stopped for too long, she found herself thinking of Natsu and she felt desperate and powerless. Staying active helped diminish the agony to some extent.
For the following days, she had no dreams and no nightmares - which frustrated her given that she actually needed to see Natsu again. It was their only hope of finding where he was.
They were approaching a foggy area of the seas – though Lucy only caught a glimpse of the atmosphere when the submarine emerged so they could get some fish - when Sanji received a troubling newspaper. Lucy and Happy joined him to read it - she wanted to read anything she could about that world - and he stopped on an article about 'Strawhat Luffy'.
Said person broke into the government base and rang a bell sixteen times. While Lucy read the news, Sanji's eyes seemed to have locked on the picture.
"This is troublesome," he spoke, lighting up a cigarette.
"What is?"
"Luffy, my captain, lost his brother in the war that just happened," he started explaining, just as Law entered the room, "oi, Law, you were there right?"
The pirate nodded.
"Seems that your captain is sending you a message," Law spoke, "I helped treat his wounds, and I don't remember seeing that tattoo," he added and Lucy and Happy focused on the image.
On Luffy's arm there was a 3D2Y tattoo, with the 3D part crossed.
"He wants us to meet in two years rather than two days," Sanji spoke, "which changes the plan here. We can't depend on the crew anymore," he looked at Lucy, who struggled to understand.
"It's his captain's orders," Law explained, "they can do whatever in the two year gap, but they are not supposed to meet him."
"But his brother's not dead," Lucy commented, remembering the guy near Wendy. The news stated that Luffy's brother was Firefist Ace, which was also how they called the guy Wendy had saved.
Sanji nodded, looking troubled.
"Can the two of you please explain again how the heck the guy survived? The entire world thinks he's dead."
"I don't know how they fooled the world," Lucy started, "but Wendy was in that war, probably fell there when we were brought to this world. She saved him."
"Wendy?" Law repeated.
"Blue haired girl, she's fourteen... looks naive and sweet and cute... She healed you," Happy described, and Law nodded.
"Who's Wendy?" Sanji inquired.
"Our friend, like Happy said, she's young, so maybe if she showed up in the middle of a war, people would overlook her. Maybe the Marines would even try to protect her, seeing that their job is to protect innocent people," Lucy explained, "but she's strong, and she can heal people. As long as someone's even slightly alive, she can save them. My guess is that she healed Ace's wounds without people seeing it, and thus saved his life."
"Heal people?" Sanji repeated and stared at Law. "Aren't you the best at doing that? With that power of yours?"
"I cannot reverse someone's burned body," Law spoke, "his organs were burned completely, or so I've heard. I arrived after they assumed he'd died already."
"Wendy can," Happy spoke, "she's strong and she can. We can guarantee that, Wendy is why he's alive right now."
Lucy nodded and waited for her words to sink in. Law didn't look surprised- he looked intrigued, and she remembered how interested he seemed after Wendy healed him. Sanji, on the other hand, looked torn. He stared at the paper again in wonder, and crushed it in his hands.
"I don't want to disobey his orders," he spoke finally, "we can't be sure if they would be different had he seen that Ace survived. He's with Rayleigh, they must have a plan. I don't even know where he is. I can, however, help you," his eyes fell on Lucy, and he looked determined, "if your friend saved Ace, our crew is in your debt, even if they don't know it."
"Nami and Zoro know," Lucy spoke helpfully, "they're with Ace and Wendy now."
Sanji nodded.
"So we should meet them," he decided, "and find your friend."
Lucy nodded. Before, splitting up meant covering more ground - well, water - to find everyone, but now that they knew one of them was truly in danger, they needed the strength in numbers.
"Besides, I'm worried about Wendy-chan," Sanji added and he and Law exchanged a knowing look.
Lucy waited.
"There is no power that can heal people in this world, not like this, not that we know of," Law explained, "if the WG or the stronger pirates find out about her..."
"She'll be the most wanted person in this world," Sanji finished his explanation.
Lucy sighed and looked out, seeing nothing but darkness. She frowned, trying to understand just what she was looking at, since she was pretty sure they weren't deep enough that light wouldn't reach them.
Bepo called out for Law, and she saw the rest of the crew moving along, following his orders and changing their direction, but the water remained dark as a starless night.
Sanji watched with her, seemingly intrigued, but at the same time not interested enough to help.
"What is with this darkness? It's not supposed to be night yet!" One of the pirates complained.
"It's probably a thick fog blocking the light," Sanji told them and Law stared at him, "I noticed a bit of fog when your submarine went above water earlier, I should have realized. We are probably in the middle of the Florian Triangle."
Realization shone in Law's eyes, whereas Bepo and the others looked all the more confused.
He was about to say something when the submarine crashed with a loud sound. They turned, alarmed, just as water started flooding in.
Wendy and Nami returned to Ace and the others. Zoro and Chopper had been keeping both Ace and Gray apart, but they seemed ready to go at each other's throats at any minute - and even Zoro seemed tempted to attack Gray.
"We're setting sail," Nami announced, while Charle flew around them surveilling the area.
"What?!" the three men protested and Wendy giggled, "we can't!"
"We need provisions," Ace spoke.
"We need weapons and a better ship," that came from Zoro.
"We need medicine," Chopper raised his voice.
"We need to stop the pirates!"
They all turned to Gray.
"That," Nami spoke coolly, "is exactly what we do not need to do," she told him in such a cold and angry voice that he silenced, "we can get stuff on another island. Sabaody is close, we can meet..."
"You cannot meet there," Ace interrupted her, and threw her the newspapers, "my brother sent you a message."
Nami frowned and read the news. Wendy recognized Luffy in the picture, and saw Nami tense.
"2 years...? But that's... he thinks you're dead!" She turned to Ace, "he wouldn't do this otherwise."
"Well, regardless, he's our captain and he decided right?" Zoro spoke, now serious, "we can't go against his orders."
"So are we supposed to let him think Ace's dead?" Nami demanded angrily.
"He's not our captain," Charle commented and they all turned to her, "we can meet him," she added and looked at Wendy and Ace, who both nodded.
"Although this might be what he needs to get stronger," Ace commented, reading the news, "the Dark King's with him, he's definitely planning to train or something."
"Can we decide what to do about Luffy after we set sail?" Nami asked nervously as an explosion sounded near them. Unfortunately, just then, they heard a loud - and, to Wendy, familiar - voice.
Ace and Wendy both tensed and Nami's eyes widened. Zoro frowned, looking puzzled. Chopper started shivering.
"I know this voice," Zoro spoke and looked at Nami, "from Mock Town..."
"Blackbeard!" Ace growled and his hands lit up on fire. They all jumped away from him.
"Ace-san," Wendy called, "please don't do anything..."
Too late. Now in his fire body, he jumped into town, burning a few pirates who jumped to block him. Nami called out, but he didn't seem to hear or care.
"What is he-" Gray started, shocked.
"That idiot!" Zoro cursed, grabbing his swords, "Nami! Chopper! We have to go, too."
Nami and Chopper both whined and covered their face in exasperation, but eventually the girl nodded.
"I wouldn't forgive myself if we let him do something stupid now," she agreed finally, grabbing her clima tact. Wendy found that weapon fascinating, but had no time yet to learn more about it.
"Charle," she called and the exceed spread her wings, "Gray-san, we can explain later, but I want to help them. Even if they are pirates."
Gray looked at Wendy in silence, and after sometime, nodded and jumped off the ship as well. While Nami tagged along Zoro, the ice mage waited for Chopper who seemed scared out of his mind.
"Wendy!" Chopper called and she and Charle slowed down, and landed near them, while Gray fended off pirates, "don't let them know what you did," he told her, "it would put you in great danger."
Nodding, she and Charle flew away, following Ace's scent. It felt to her like a smaller version of the war, with people screaming and killing and bleeding and dying - and that creepy laughter.
Some pirates shouted as Ace burned them, saving citizens along the way. Wendy managed to drop in front of Firefist just before he came into Blackbeard's view.
Ace, who'd been about to destroy a building, stopped shortly of hitting her.
"Out of my way!" He yelled at her.
"Ace-san! We can't! You need to find Luffy-san first, and we're only five people! We can't fight him like this!"
"Go back to the ship," Ace spoke firmly, "get the Strawhats and set sail..."
Suddenly thunder hit their surroundings, taking down a number of pirates, and Nami arrived with Chopper.
"That's not an option," she told him, "what kind of people would we be if we just abandoned our captain's brother?"
"Where's Zoro?" Charle inquired as Gray arrived.
"Lost," Chopper and Nami answered together, "that idiot!"
"I'll find him," Charle spoke, while Ace and Gray fought off incoming enemies, "go back to the ship!"
She flew away.
"GET DOWN!" Wendy shouted, moving her arms so the air forced them all down just as a whip-looking dark thing flashed around the place they had just been, cutting down buildings and trees instead.
They all moved apart and to their feet.
"No way!" A male voice coming from above reached their ears. It was a thin man wearing goggles, looking shocked, "That's impossible!"
"Hey, Lafitte, what are you relaxing for? Fight!" A fat man jumped next to Lafitte and looked down, "whoa! How is that possible?"
Both of them stared at Ace, who flamed up, whereas Nami and Chopper hid behind Gray.
"What are you two playing at?" A third man joined them and looked down. "Oi! Boss! It's Ace!"
The battlefield froze.
Not literally - though Gray seemed ready to do something - but every single person there stopped.
Suddenly, Wendy let out a loud scream.