A/N: Righteous rewrites, Batman! This chapter…so much reading, research, writing, rewriting…but it's worth it. It's all for you readers, it's all for you!
Thank you dear readers, for everything! I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Also, this one is going to be a bit dialogue heavy. I'll try and answer any questions you may have either in PMs, A/Ns, or within the story itself.
Chapter 20: The Siren's Sinister Song Goes Unheard
**Countdown: Two Months, 17 days left**
After their run-in with Defying Gravity, Sokka was determined to get stronger, and Zuko agreed with him. Zuko also had made sure to wear his swords at all times, and only removed them when he was going to use the restroom or when he was sleeping. But he made sure that they were close and he could easily grab them if and when the situation called for it. The pair had expressed their resolute desire to get stronger to Zoro, and asked him to help train them. They both got a sinking feeling in their stomachs as Zoro complied with a hint of a sadistic twinkle in his eye.
"Why are we surrounded by the crazy guys?" Sokka lamented, as he realized that Zoro had set very high expectations for his two young protégés. They were in the crow's nest for what seemed like hours, lifting weights and doing sword drills that left them aching all over and wishing that Zoro would at least show the slightest bit of mercy in terms of their training, but that was a wish which would never come to be. He had set the same terrifying standards for them as he had set for himself. In fact, when they sparred with Zoro, they had to come at him with the full intent of landing a hit, with their own swords. Zoro also forced them to stay on their toes because they were literally under the threat of death when he was involved in improving their swordsmanship.
Katara was also working on her healing skills, along with her waterbending in general. She was rapidly improving her healing skills thanks to her natural talents, but Law was also forcing her to learn much quicker than any other teacher had expected of her. She had gotten to a point where she had saved a seagull from certain death, and afterwards she believed that Law would be satisfied. But that was not the case, as he now attempted to attack her as she was trying to treat a dying patient. It was frightening and exhausting, and even Toph was lending him a hand in Katara's training. She seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much at Katara's expense.
Franky had gotten an idea for Toph to have a weapon at all times in case she did not have any earth available, so he made a contraption for her which was a cylindrical spool of light but incredibly strong and flexible wires which she wore on her back, and the cables were then connected to metal cuffs that she wore on her forearms. It took some practice, but Toph was a fast learner and adapted quite easily in just about any given situation, and soon she was using the wires like whips and was able to tie her opponents up. Usopp was the first unfortunate soul to suffer the fate of being tied up by Toph, who laughed at her victory. Of course, this left Luffy and Chopper quite excited and they continued to beg Toph to show them more, with Luffy now wanting to challenge her to a match.
"Wait until we reach the next island!" Franky insisted in irritation. The combination of two crazy swordsmen, their students, and a blind girl training and practicing their abilities, the ship had suffered some minor damage, but thankfully nothing that was beyond repair.
Aang of course, was not to be left out, and he trained in all forms of bending with urgency. He admittedly was a little shaken up by his encounter with the Fishman, and he did not like how close he had come to death. He had been lucky that he was able to access Avatar State, but at the same time, it had been risky because it had left him more worn out than he had ever been after using the ability. Admittedly, he wasn't sure if the weariness had been a combination of him being injured and exerting himself to such an extent. He was determined with a renewed vigor that he would not hold his friends and allies back, and he would get stronger, so that situations where he was laying on an operating table would be a thing of the past.
He did a few sets of airbending, and then moved on to waterbending, then it was practicing a few earthbending forms, and then it firebending. Afterwards, he started the whole process again until he just about collapsed out of exhaustion. If Katara knew what he was doing at the moment, she would have voiced her concern and then some. But he wouldn't have listened anyway. He needed to get stronger for the sake of his friends, and for their pirate allies. Aang lay on the deck of the ship for a short while, staring at the sky. It was so big and blue, and the clouds looked so full and fluffy, much like the sheep back home. Home…
Somehow it occurred to Aang once again on how big everything was here. It was strange and difficult to describe. He had been in the middle of the ocean before, he had flown so high in the sky to a point that he sincerely felt that he would crash into a hard, blue surface. His World seemed so small compared to the ocean and the sky. It was a strange feeling, and he missed the smallness of his World.
How long had it been again? He thought about all of the people back home, and wondered if they were okay. They must be in a panic, with the Fire Lord and the Avatar gone. Plus, there were Toph's parents, Gran-gran, Master Pakku, Iroh, Suki…and so many more. We're coming back, don't worry…
He closed his eyes, and listened to the ship's crew by using seismic sense. Wood was certainly more difficult to detect vibrations in, and Aang thought about how frustrating it was for Toph to not have her natural element underneath her feet. Nearly everyone was moving in one way or another, and Aang had to smile. He had gotten accustomed to the Straw Hats' energy, and had grown to like it. There was a strange comfort in it.
After taking a break that had lasted for almost half an hour, Aang rose to take an airbending stance when he noticed an outcropping of rocks about a mile or two out from the ship. They sailed past the rocks, but there was a strange sound coming from them. Aang wondered if the sound was in his head at first, but when he heard Nami ask, "What's that noise?" He knew he wasn't the only one to hear it.
The ship slowly came to a slow halt, while Usopp was panicking. "Why are we stopping?! What if it's ghosts or Spirits or something?"
"G-ghosts?" a worried Brook questioned. "Let's hope there aren't any, ghosts make my skin crawl, even though I don't have skin…"
"Oi, you're creepier than any ghost," Zoro said to the musician in slight annoyance.
"That sounds like the song of a beautiful maiden…" Sanji sighed. "Perhaps she was shipwrecked and is lost at sea? Perhaps I am to be her knight in shining armor?"
"You're a knight alright; a knight of shining idiocy." Zoro mumbled.
Sanji overheard Zoro's remark, so of course that meant challenging him and calling him childish names.
"Shut it you two!" Nami shouted, to which Zoro responded with a glare and Sanji clasped his hands with hearts in his eyes. "Yes, Nami-swan!"
Aang tried to ignore the commotion, and tried to focus on the rocks. His eyes widened when he realized he could sense Spiritual energy. He was about to shout a warning to the others, when a girl climbed out from behind one of the rocks and stood gracefully on its edge. Aang balked and blinked his eyes. Was…was she naked?
The girl smiled a strange smile that seemed to be too big for her face, and she gracefully waved her hand and disappeared.
The pirates all stood and stared at the spot where the Spirit had previously stood, each trying to comprehend in their own way the fact that she had been there…naked. At least most of them anyway.
"Did you see that girl?" Luffy was asking. "She just turned into water! That is awesome!"
Aang ran to join the others, and mentally face-palmed that Luffy was reacting more to the girl turning into water and not to the fact that they were under attack from a Spirit. "That was a Spirit!" Aang called out, wanting to make sure the others prepared for the inevitable.
"Well, perhaps we should…ah!" Nami was cut off as water rose from the ocean, and the girl stepped out from the water and onto their ship. She was singing a strange song, which made Aang want to go to her. He blinked at her a few times, her beauty was amazing…it was beyond compare of anything he had ever seen. He wanted to hold her and touch her, kiss her, and taste her, even if it was the last thing he ever did.
The girl turned to Luffy, because he was the closest to her. He stared at her with wide, curious eyes. She smiled again, and in a lilting voice, she asked, "So, who might, might you be?"
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
"Oh, my…Would you like to come with me to my palace and become my servant? You can live with me forever."
Luffy looked as if he was seriously concentrating, and with a sort of drawn-out "Hmmm" he finally responded, "No thanks, that sounds really boring! Being trapped in a palace means you have a lot of rules and can't have adventures and freedom, and lots of meat! It doesn't really sound like you have meat. Besides, I don't wanna live forever! Shishishishi!"
It was the Spirit's turn to balk. "What?" Her voice was as plain as any other person's. "O-of course I have meat…lots and lots of it…more than you could ever eat in a lifetime! In fact, if you lived forever, you could have all the meat you could ever want!"
"Guys, you hear that?! She has meat, let's go to the palace!"
"Don't base your decisions on things like that, you idiot!"
"That's how you're going to determine whether or not to go with her?!"
"Don't make rash decisions using your stomach!"
Luffy ended up getting pelted by select members of his crew, which caused Aang to stop the feelings that he had been having towards the Spirit. He chuckled to himself, and nearly burst out into laughter when a swollen-faced, black-and-blue Luffy apologized, "I'm sowwy…"
While Usopp, Zoro and Nami had berated Luffy for basing a dangerous and very likely deadly decision in the off chance of filling his stomach, it was here that a curious thing happened. The Spirit glared daggers specifically at Nami, and to say that poison seeped from her words would be an understatement. "If he desires to come to my palace woman, then that is his decision and his alone."
Both Zuko and Sokka stared at each other, feeling somewhat conflicted about what they should do. The Spirit was so attractive, and they had been ready and willing to do her every beck-and-call, but then Luffy's statement about meat and the Spirit suddenly stopping her song interrupted whatever emotions they should be feeling. Plus the fact that three of the Straw Hats were beating up their Captain because of his decision-making was a rather funny thing. As the events slowly unfolded before them, they began to feel less and less in the mood, and started to find their situation to be a curious, albeit comical one.
The Spirit approached Usopp, with her features and voice suddenly friendly again, and the poor sniper was now sporting a garlic necklace, numerous charms and seals, along with a cross that was golden and another that was silver. He really didn't like the fact that he had a creepy half-naked Spirit's attention on him.
"I am Kapri," the Spirit's lilted her voice once again. "I'm the most, most beautiful Spirit there is, wouldn't you agree? I'm more beautiful than my two sisters combined ten-times over."
Usopp was wide-eyed and fearful, his legs shaking and he took a few steps back. "Stay back, foul demon!" he shouted and threw a handful of something at her. "Blessed Salt!" and he retreated behind Franky, who glanced at Usopp in mild amusement, and then back at Kapri in curiosity.
"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME FOUL!" Kapri sputtered out furiously.
She was fuming, but that only lasted for a few brief seconds. Her attention was now on Zoro, and he casually looked down at her, with a thoughtful frown. She traced her fingers along the scar on his chest. Her voice continued to sing, "Would you like, like to come with me? We can have fun…so much fun."
"Not interested." Zoro said flatly. "And don't touch me."
He grabbed her hand and tossed it away from himself, and it was evident that there was a deep burning anger beginning to fester within the Spirit. She turned when a voice called out to her, and her eyes widened at the skeleton.
"Excuse me miss," the skeleton said, ever so politely before Kapri even had a chance to speak. Kapri was not aware that there was a Spirit on board the pirates' ship. "Would you lend me some money?"
Kapri stared at the skeleton Spirit, and shadows passed over her face. Fangs showed themselves and her eyes glowed, but these things only lasted for a second or two. If one had blinked, they most certainly would have missed them. "Do you know who I am?! Why are you asking me such things?"
"How harsh!" Brook lamented, but he came under the impression that asking the Spirit for money was a lost cause, and he went and settled at the base of the crow's nest, humming a tune and strumming his guitar. Kapri glared at the singing skeleton, obviously very angry and very frustrated.
She decided to ignore the skeleton, and turned her attention towards a blond man. He stared wide-eyed at her, and she smiled. This Human would be the perfect target, as she could see the lust in his eyes. She started to sing again and smiled at him. Her song was cut short when the man's nose started to bleed at an incredibly ridiculous and deadly amount, and he was rocketed backwards while he yelled joyously, "She looked at me!"
He landed on the deck, having turned to stone. "How…he has the ability to turn to stone?" Kapri was both awed and confused, as turning people to stone was an ability of Medusa, and was not a skill that she possessed. She saw it as a sort of enchantment that allowed the man to resist her charms.
"I had no idea he could do that!" Sokka stood with an expression of amazement, while Zuko only nodded with a look of disgust. "…yeah…"
She had to get this situation under control, and had to at least get one of the men on her side. She wanted them, and would allow no one else to have them. She approached a tall man wearing a spotted fluffy hat, and pressed herself against him. Even the men who had the strongest of wills could not hold off for long with this tried and true technique.
"Do you want to come with me?" she asked in a sultry whisper. The man looked at her with cold gray eyes. Kapri liked those eyes. There was a moment of silence between them, as he seemed to be studying her very carefully, and Kapri thought for sure that she had trapped him. This was the precious moment between them; the one where he would turn on his allies, and serve her for the rest of eternity. He would be hers.
"You smell like raw fish. It's disgusting."
He pulled away from her, and was inspecting his shirt by smelling it. He was now complaining about the fishy smell that had permeated his shirt. He also glanced at her with an annoyed expression that seemed to say, "Women are so troublesome."
Kapri stared at him, a dangerous tone in her voice, "You think I smell like raw fish?"
But the man only watched her suspiciously, and slowly backed away from her, widening the distance between them, all while keeping a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw if need be. She turned away with an angry pout and this time turned her attention to a large man with blue hair. Before she could even mouth a word, he held up a hand. "You're super perverted," he said, almost as if he was complimenting her. "Just so you don't waste your breath, I'm going to let you know you aren't my type."
"D-don't you love me?"
"Sorry, but I'm sure if you try super-try hard, you'll find someone who will!"
He gave her an encouraging thumbs-up.
She tried to talk to an incredibly tall man wearing twin swords at his side, but he only blushed and grinned like a fool. Lecherous thoughts were abundant in his mind, as he kept casting glances at the Spirit, looking her up and down and then disappearing into his mind with whatever thoughts that came to him. The most frustrating thing about this man was that he was more than happy to think about all the fantastical things that he and the Spirit could or couldn't do to each other in his mind, and not actually carry out said fantasies.
"Are you really a Spirit?" a young voice asked, and Kapri turned to face a little boy.
"Why, yes, yes!" Kapri said as she knelt down to his level. Perhaps this child would be the first addition to her collection from the ships' crew. Plus, he would be the youngest to ever be added, and it was something that she could brag to her sisters about. After all, they did not have children in their collection.
"I've never hugged a Spirit before…" the child was so innocent and foolish. Kapri held out her arms as a welcome, and the child came into her arms. She felt him lean up against her chest, and she felt the life running through him, she felt…him rubbing his face in her chest, that insolent and conniving child! She shoved the boy away from her, and the look on his face showed how pleased with himself he truly was. "You vile boy!" the boy quickly squirmed from her grasp and retreated behind one those vile women that dared to have more beauty than she did. Kapri wanted to rip the boy's throat out.
It was then she finally glared at the men, taking them in…there was the Avatar, but he did not look like a man in love; only one who was curious and cautious. The Fire Lord stood in a stiff stance as if he was ready to slash her with the swords he currently held in his hands if she so much as tried to approach him. The Watertribe boy stood quite stiff as well, but he looked more ready to run than anything else. He also wielded a sword, and Kapri got the impression from him that his running away would only be a feint before he actually attacked.
Frustration was building up in Kapri, as none of the men seemed the least bit interested in her, and she couldn't figure out why. All men loved her. They were supposed to. Since this plan of attack was clearly not working for reasons not understood to her, Kapri then decided to call on a few of the men in her life which served her in unquestionable devotion.
"Ah, she's been shot down," a girl's voice mocked. Kapri turned to see a young girl; a smirk was on her face, evidently enjoying the events that had transpired. Kapri wanted to rip away her face, just to rid it of that condescending smirk. A Watertribe girl stood next to her, and was at the moment scolding the young girl with a fierce whisper. She tensed as Kapri had her attention on them, and readied a stance for her waterbending. Kapri ignored her and glared at the young girl (she was called Toph and was an Earthbender, if she remembered correctly) and Toph apparently wasn't done with the insults.
"And if a guy like Needle-Nose there rejects you, how ugly, or perhaps how desperate, are you?"
"Hey!" Usopp objected, although he was focusing more on being called "Needle-Nose" than anything else.
Kapri let out a strange sound, sort of like a snarl, "Oh? You think I'm desperate?" Kapri seemed to talk at Toph rather than to her, and she would not look directly at her; more like through her. "Your beauty is non-existent, little girl and is not worth stealing for my own. I'll be kind, so kind, and kill you slowly, so that you may appreciate your short, short life all the more."
"Well actually," Toph countered, "not stealing my looks is a mistake on your part. With a face like that, you need all the help you can get."
Kapri's eye twitched. "What did you say?" Her whisper was barely heard by the others.
"You heard me. I'd call you a cow-fish, but that would be an insult to an actual cow-fish."
Usopp passed out in near tears and even Sanji had to make an expression of slight disgust as Kapri's features became the complete opposite of appealing (if you could her original look that). Her face sort of stretched out so that her face and mouth resembled that of a barracuda, and needle-like fangs showed themselves. Her eyes became a bright blue, and she shouted in an inhumane shriek, "You dare to call me ugly!"
"I certainly ain't calling you pretty, and that's an overstatement."
"Toph! Stop insulting her!" Katara now desperately urged.
"I wish I could see the look on her face right now," Toph said with a laugh. "I bet the angrier she gets, the –"
"Toph!" Katara grabbed the Earthbender and pulled her to the side.
"Die, and beg, beg me for, for your life!" Kapri snarled and rushed at Toph, baring fangs and claws. She was intercepted by Franky who shot a stream of fire at her, along with Zoro who drew one of his swords and cut the Siren on the cheek with Haki from where he stood a distance away.
Kapri stumbled ungracefully across the deck, and had just missed being seriously burned by Franky. Her fins were slightly singed, and she inspected them before moving a hand to her cheek and pulling it away to see blood on her fingers.
"You cut me." Her voice was icy, and she glared between the two who dared to do such a thing as attack her. "I was trying to be nice!"
The last word came that out sounded even more inhumane than the last. Kapri stood slowly, her face became darker and darker as shadows covered it, and her face gave the impression that her skin was very nearly melting off. Along with the fact that her face was partially bloody, she looked even more unnatural and otherworldly. The iciness of her glare and the tone of her words sent shivers up the spines of a select few of the people listening.
"Since you've refused my invitation, which is so, so mean how about you meet my darlings?" Kapri clenched her fists and then opened them, and she made a motion as if she was pushing something quite heavy above her head. A few pillars of water arose from the ocean besides the ship, and humanoid figures stepped out. Well, more like slopped themselves onto the deck as they had no real form. At first, they looked like misshapen globs of water, but as they slowly came into proper focus, the men were dripping with water, and looked washed out and gray, sort of like they had been pulled from a faded photograph. When they finally finished pulling themselves together after a considerable amount of effort, there was a visible gasp from a few members of Sunny's crew.
"Is that…" Zuko stared at the man he was sure was Anmut, although he no longer wore the mask. What made him recognizable was the gem on his scarf that still bore the symbol of the Defying Gravity bounty hunters.
Both Usopp and Chopper immediately recognized Jack, and Usopp hid behind Franky once more, while Chopper screamed in fright and retreated behind Law as he was closest to him. "ZOMBIES!" they wailed in unison. Chopper's attempt to hide was unsuccessful because he left his body out in the open, while a corner of his face was hidden. Law briefly glanced at Chopper in annoyance, and then looked back to Kapri, who was grating on his nerves at this point.
Aang stiffened as he saw Abol, although the man did not look like he did when Aang had encountered him. He was slumped over, and looked more like an old rag doll that a dog-pig or some other toothy animal had been chewing on. There were a few other men as well, but they did not look familiar, and in fact were dressed strangely, because no one had ever seen the strange military-like red or blue uniforms that the men were wearing.
Kapri looked at her small army, and she was obviously horrified by what she saw. "What's wrong with you!?" she demanded of them, and she looked confused. "Why do you look like that? You're supposed to be handsome and put together!"
"Uh…" one of the men started, but his face showed he was trying to think of what to say.
She then turned her attention to the pirates, and demanded angrily, "What did you do? How are you doing this?"
One of the red uniformed soldiers spoke in a long, drawn-out slur, "We'rree...heere…to shherve you, miishertresshheh."
Kapri was now even more irate, not at the pirates, but at the soldier who was speaking.
"Why are you speaking like that?! You are undignified and not, I say, say not handsome when you are supposed to be!"
The crew all glanced at each other in slowly growing confusion, wondering what the Siren was talking about. Kapri's attention was now off of them and she was berating the men who only slowly turned and looked at her as they were trying to process her words. The confusion amongst the crew and Kapri's army did not last long because they heard, "Gomu-gomu no…"
Luffy charged at Kapri, and he was stretching his arms out far behind him. He then struck the unsuspecting Spirit with a "Pistol!" which sent her flying, and her man servants just watched, all with dumb looks on their faces.
As Kapri disappeared somewhere out of out of sight, and the men only stood and stared at the pirates, and an awkward silence enveloped them.
"What are they doing?" Chopper whispered, from his spot behind Law.
Luffy laughed. "They must be idiots."
One of the men suddenly jumped, and shouted, "Misshteresshh!"
"Why are they realizing that now?" Nami deadpanned.
The others slowly came to the same realization that their Master was no longer there. They then stumbled over each other like a group of drunken sailors and threw themselves overboard, disappearing in the ocean.
What Luffy, Franky and Zoro had done finally had a chance to be addressed.
"Y-you just hit a Spirit!" Aang said to Luffy after he managed to find his voice. "And sent her flying!"
He was reacting more to the power behind Luffy's punch than anything else.
"Well," Luffy replied simply as he adjusted his precious hat, "I thought she was funny at first, but when she threatened my nakama, I knew I had to send her flying!"
"How did you cut her from all the way over there?" Zuko was awed. He had never witnessed such a technique before.
"Busoshoku Haki," Zoro answered. "I'm disappointed; I thought she'd be stronger…"
"You shouldn't have egged her on, Toph." Katara sighed while the men talked. But Toph only laughed.
"Did you guys see that?" Sokka asked, interrupting everyone's conversations. His hand was on his chin and he looked very thoughtful at the moment.
"We all were here, so yes." Zoro replied.
"Well, I didn't see anything." Toph said.
"No, no," Sokka clarified. "What I mean is, Zuko and I saw that Anmut guy. I recognized that weird gem thing he had on his neck. And I'm pretty sure another one of those guys was Jack."
"I saw the guy who broke my ribs," Aang added, and Sokka nodded.
"Guys, do you know what this means? She ran into the bounty hunters," Sokka said, and at first no one understood what he was getting at. Obviously, she had been following the pirates if she had found them in the middle of the ocean. "You saw how she acted, like she fully expected us guys to be attracted to her, and well…we weren't."
"So we didn't fall for her wiles, thankfully." Usopp commented. "So…what does that mean?"
"It means that when she ran into the bounty hunters, she didn't call on her water army, because she didn't need to." Sokka explained. "Which is why she was shocked at how they looked, they obviously didn't look right. So…what if the Spirits are affected just like Aang is? Aang was told that he couldn't contact the Spirit World because he was putting himself in danger, so his Spiritual abilities are affected…but your bending isn't."
Sokka said that last part to himself, and now looked as if the wheels were turning in his head once again.
"What are you saying?" Zuko asked, thinking he understood what Sokka was getting at, but he wanted it abbreviated just in case.
"Do you remember when Law cut Pukje's head off, but Pukje was able to put himself together? It was already one of his abilities (that's why it didn't work) just like Kapri naturally expected us to fall in love with her. Maybe it had something to do with seeing and hearing her? Those things are a part of them. And when Pukje used that seal, it wasn't his own ability; it was simply an object with spiritual powers, just like those Log Poses and the Hour Glass."
"So...why wouldn't our bending be affected?" Toph wondered out loud.
"Perhaps…" Aang started, but he stopped hesitantly, as he was trying to think of the right words. "Well, I guess going by what you're saying Sokka, what if in a sense our bending is considered a physical part of us, and it isn't necessarily about being spiritual?"
"That would make sense." Zuko nodded. He then added for a select few of those present to understand, "Uh, the ability to bend an element can be a family trait, and spirituality is involved as well."
He was answered with a round of "Ooohh"'s.
Katara agreed, "I've noticed that many of the Humans here have power, yet there is little to no Spiritual energy here whatsoever. Back home, there is Spiritual energy in abundance, and is fairly easy to find." She then explained for the sake of the pirates and the samurai, "Let's just say that there is a theoretical thin line between our home World and the Spirit world, thus Spiritual energy is everywhere, and is stronger at some points than others. But here, let's say that the gap dividing the Spirit World and this one is a huge chasm, where you can barely see the other side. Although Spiritual Energy may be present, it's weak in comparison. This is probably why it has to be specific islands at certain times of the month, such as the Solstice in order to make travel between the Worlds possible."
Law then surprised the Benders when he spoke up. "It could be that you're using your own Spirits to bend, but have a physical plane, or presence with which to apply it. You said that were putting your life at risk by traveling to this Spirit World, correct, Arrow-ya?"
Aang nodded.
"Going by what Healer-ya and Burn-ya have stated, you are able to bend the elements because of your own spirits. Here, we have a technique called "Haki". It has three different forms; it has to do with a person's own "presence", "fighting spirit" and "intimidation". Your bending could be considered a form of Haki, but with different elements. And perhaps the reason for the Siren being so weak is that she did not seem to have a physical form. She had a presence, and was solid, but it didn't feel right; in fact, she felt as if she were far away."
Law's theorization left Aang, Katara, and Zuko staring at him open-mouthed, while Sokka only nodded and was agreeing with Law and was saying how much of what he had said made sense. Toph laughed. "Doc Morbid here is a pretty smart guy; he caught on to the Spirits and bending stuff a lot easier than some of those know-it-all guys back home."
"Fufufufufu," Robin was amused. "That is a very interesting theory, it does make sense, and I believe that I understand. I feel that I must add to it, in part. We have islands here that literally go by their own unique timelines and seasons. The Spirits could very well be using those islands to get around, unless they have the ability to travel without the aid of some sort of porthole that relies on those timelines and seasons."
"Yeah, I know of a few Spirits who can do travel between both Worlds without the use of the Solstice." Aang added.
Sokka grinned rather deviously. "I do believe we have an advantage over the Spirits."
"Well that's disappointing," huffed Zoro, and he lay back against the crow's nest next to Brook. "I would at least like to fight a Spirit at full power."
"Don't be wishing for those kinds of things! Let's be thankful that the Spirits are weaker than they are back in Aang's World!" Usopp obviously did not share Zoro's disappointment.
Luffy looked confused, and he was trying to concentrate. It was obvious that he mentally missed out on their conversation. Nami sighed, and spoke slowly. "Basically, the Spirits do not have access to their full power. The Spiritual Energy that normally helps power them does not exist in our World. So, we have an advantage."
"Ah, so it's mystery Spirit power!" Luffy replied, but it was clear that he did not fully comprehend what had been said. Although Zuko had something of an idea that Luffy did understand, but only in his own weird way. They then pushed the encounter with the Siren to the back of their minds, and they went back about their business as if they had never been interrupted.
More A/N:
I hope I had everyone at least in character, especially with Sokka explaining his theory, and I hope everything is clear on what is going on with the Spirits and their respective powers in the One Piece World.
So, here is Kapri! As mentioned earlier, I would have left the fate of Defying Gravity open to interpretation, but then I realized that there needed to be an understanding of how people are supposed to respond to Kapri, otherwise the reactions she received would not have made sense (even though this is the Straw Hats and Law).
When Law met Boa Hancock, he didn't react to her like other men did, so he at least has some form of self-control or perhaps Hancock is not his type. I thought about how all of the Straw Hats would act meeting a Siren, and I hope that I captured their likely reactions.
Next Time: Kapri returns once again, but this time with completely different motives, and Usopp shows just how masterful a storyteller that he is.
