Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece
I would like to thank SpiritWarriot for helping me write this chapter and giving me an arc to work on. Thank you all for the resurgence of views.
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Dorobou took a deep breath holding back his defensive side before speaking "Yeah, I think we should go before any Marines notice us or Fletcher does something stupid."
"What is that suppose to mean?" Fletcher asked.
He did not answer those words, there was something more important to do, a storm was approaching and they had to leave immediately. Something in the air told them that it was not a regular one, and when they were a good distance away the sea lashed the ship and they distinguished the light of the lighthouse in the distance, a light that marks the way to Grand Line.
Sherry felt sick to her stomach thinking about going through the Grand Line. She didn't know where her antagonistic father could be, but a part of her could feel he was somewhere in the Grand Line. A part in the back of her mind just wanted to grab the helm and stir them away from the Grand Line-a selfish desire to ruin everyone's dreams so she didn't have to go home and face him.
And then-she saw Fletcher sitting atop the mast looking to be in deep thought as his eyes studied the stars. It was willful of someone who had the attention span of a cat.
"What's the matter? You're so nervous, it's not like you were attacked? " said Fletcher laughing from the top of the mast.
Sherry just ducked her head and tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach. Fletcher noticed the discomfort and came down.
"You were attacked!? Are you hurt!?" Her screams almost got the attention of the others, but she clamped her hands over her mouth.
If Fletcher couldn't control the insipid, asinine things he said from his mouth that never seemed to stop coming up with dumb things, he of course wouldn't just leave Sherry alone. Her coarse hairs on her back stood up alerting her to his presence standing right beside her. She was tempted to iron-claw her hand on his face and keep it there until he got the point, however, that feeling dissipated like soda in water when she saw that sad look on his face again.
"I know you all think I'm careless and don't really think about my actions, but I know that gut wrenching feeling in someone when I see it. I don't think I ever told you but I was raised by a giant bird known as a roc when I was a kid and spent a whole year alone on a mountain just waiting for him to come back. He never did."
At first each one had a face of disbelief, but when they looked into his eyes he made something very clear. It was true, the discomfort was palpable and none of them had any idea how to break that heavy atmosphere.
Fletcher did something he didn't normally do around people and showed her his right arm while it was transformed into a ruffled green wing. Sherry transformed her hand into a grey with black spot claw before clutching her paw tightly on Fletcher's wing.
And then-Fletcher moved his wing up and down while Sherry kept her grasp still on his wing. Slowly their faces turned from nervousness to happy to smiling.
This moment was interrupted by Christopher falling out of the crows' nest and landing between them where their faces burned red and they nearly jumped up.
"Last chance to turn back. The Grand Line is right over there."
The entrance to the Grand Line, imposing but conveying a sense of adventure and terror. The waters roar with force, hitting the hull of the ship, the wild wind blows the sails and the rain begins. And like he said... Last chance to refuse to enter or move on. Each one has their opinion in mind but they refused to say it out loud, for fear of being the cause of not following the adventure.
They looked at each other for a prolong amount of them before looking at Christopher as if they discovered something important.
"We are going to go through the Grand Line and see what this cruel world has in store for us there."
Christopher smiled. "Good. I think I have a plan. If we use my tongue we can manage not to scrap away our blessed ship."
It will not be enough, at most we also need to make sure that we do not collide with anything and a constant push from the wind and the tide. This will be difficult. - Dorobou raised his hands to his head and nervously shook his hair.
"There is one way I can help. I can use my chain with my rock to use as a makeshift anchor when it looks like we are going to collide into the rocks."
"And I can help by destroying rocks with my staff if there's no way to go around them." said Yokai.
Sherry was quiet all that time and said.
"I... I can use my vision to make sure we're on the road and to support obstacles."
"So there we have it; we all can contribute a little to this path and help get us through the Grand Line. And they say life is unpredictable."
Everyone laughed nervously when they heard Christopher's statement.
The ship was frosted on the hull from the cold and altitude, everyone held on tight, but the sight before them was wonderful. A vast, great, and beautiful ocean stretched out beyond what they could see. It gave the impression that time stopped, to contemplate that beautiful landscape. The boat touched the sea again and they went down at high speed, cutting through the water until they stopped at a safe distance, they were exhausted from the effort and soaked but it was worth it when they reached the Grand Line.
Sherry did that thing cats do when they get wet and shook her body all over just so the water that drizzled her would come out. Fletcher could just fly in the air and spin around unleashing tendrils of water shooting in every direction. Christopher could use his tongue to spring up and use the gravity to make the water on him just fall out.
...
Dorobou and Yokai were the unfortunate ones who had to scamper around looking for towels.
Once everything calmed down, they had to think about the next step, the route to follow or so they thought, since the deep sound coming from the sea and a great tidal wave shook them strongly.
The inclement of the sea was enough to make Yokai and Dorobou too useless to do anything, but Christopher had fingers so sticky he could climb down the side of the boat and see the waves upclose.
A great shadow under the ship, so great that he could not tell the real size of the being to which it belonged. He went on deck and tries to scream while holding on. - Hold on, whatever it is is not after us. - The sound from before returned but this time it is more distant. Everyone stayed until everything happened, despite what happened nothing was broken and no one was hurt.
Christopher free-climbed back up to the ship where Fletcher and Sherry came too close to his face.
"What did you see, Christopher? Did you see any Sea Beasts, Sea Kings, Fishmen...danger of any kind?" Sherry asked.
He held on tight, almost fell when he appeared. I yell angry. - I don't know, I didn't see anything. It was a gigantic shadow. Plus we have problems. Where we are? - They looked everywhere and there is only water everywhere.
While Christopher and Sherry were panicking, Fletcher moxy up to Yokai and tapped him on his shoulder.
"Hey Yokai, can you use that spiritual sense your always bragging about to find the nearest island?"
Yokai was paralyzed but upon hearing it he said. - Oh, or yes. It could work. No, it will work unless something interferes or you feel a stronger presence. Let's go there. -
Yokai closed his eyes and began his ritualistic chanting to himself. He mentioned something about "ghosts" and "wolves" in the middle of his chant, but no one really gave it any second thought. Eventually his chanting stopped and he thrust his right hand out to the East.
"Let's go that way. There's an island there with food and inhabitants."
"How do you know there's inhabitants on the island?" Dorobou asked.
"Really? I tell you there's an island and that's your question?"
"Okay, let's trust Yokai. I hope." Sherry wasn't entirely convinced by the "ritual" but she decided to do it. "We'll see if there's any luck." Yokai already had tears running down his face due to his partner's lack of confidence.
Since Sherry had the best sense of smell amongst her nakama she took up the helm and stirred their ship in the direction Yokai was pointing to. Fletcher, trying to be just a little helpful to his crew, used his wind powers to unleash a strong gust of wind that blew them through roiling waves and past rocky shores where the Sea King's liked to feast on smaller mammals and weary travelers.
For some reason there weren't any, but during the ride a strange feeling and remnants of another kind of wind was in the air.
Fletcher, Sherry, Christopher, and Dorobou all sensed that wind and looked up while Yokai had his eyes shuddered as his eyes dilated behind his eyelids. From above they saw a maelstrom of water gushing in a spiral. In that maelstrom they could see the shadow of a male behind it. This bizarre occurrence ended when the water settled down a young boy plummeted towards their vessel.
Everyone got pretty scared, they moved all over the deck. Some out of fear and others to try to help.
Fletcher was the first one to approach this boy. He had shaggy blue hair, healthy looking skin, green and gold eyes, a light blue with cloud shirt on, blue jeans with a shark insignia over his right knee, and on his back was a golden cannister connected to a string.
Dorobu screamed hysterically. "It's over. We're dead if people fall from the sky." He fell to the ground trying to hide inside a barrel.
The boy stared into Fletcher's eyes intensely, swiveled to the barrel Dorobou was hiding under, looked back into the captain's eyes and smiled.
"Hello. My name is Nautilus. Are you the captain of this ship?" Fletcher nodded. "Okay. I don't have much but I can offer what's inside my container if you can take me to the nearest island."
"Since that request comes from. Where did you come from? You must explain a lot before asking that." Christopher wasn't going to get carried away so quickly.
"I'm not from the Grand Line, I just got here. I'm also a Devil Fruit user but if at all possible what my powers are I want to remain hidden. As for what I plan to do once I get to the island...I guess just relax and flirt with the islanders. I'm bisexual so that will be a lot of people I can work my charm on."
Someone said down lowered it. "That wasn't what we asked" I raise my voice saying. "Do not tell lies."
Nautilus face flushed red as his hair flared up.
"I'm not lying! I just got here and I don't know how to get back! Won't any of you please just take me somewhere where I can rest?"
The anger was evident in all of them, and they yelled at the same time. "We just arrived too."
Christopher's face changed from cold to warm as a smile slivered across his face.
"Good to have you aboard, Nautilus. Yokai, how much further are we to the island?"
They all looked at him in surprise, Yokai said. "If we don't have more surprises... Tomorrow at the latest. I don't know why but this scares me."
Fletcher was a little nervous; put his attention on greeting Nautilus properly instead of the cold greeting Christopher gave him. He smiled and reached out his arm.
"Hi, my name is Fletcher G. Perkman and I'm the captain of this crew."
"Nice to meet you. And the others are…?" Nautilus leaned in slightly looking at the others as he shook hands with Fletcher.
"Sherry, Yokai, Christopher, and Dorobou."
Christopher furrowed his eyebrows while glaring at Fletcher.
'Why was I the third person he introduced? I've been with him the longest.'
Sherry told her. "My first, did he do it out of politeness? Don't worry, he'll still show up suddenly and ask to take him with nothing in return.""You just gave me an idea. He'll only go to one place unless he tells us everything."
Nautilus took a deep breath, closed his eyes feeling the serenity of stillness, and then he opened them with a wry smile towards Fletcher.
"So, captain, can you show me around the ship-away from your nakama?"
"Sure." Fletcher replied.
They all yelled "Fletcher". They grabbed him and each said. "You can not do that." "And if it is an enemy or a spy." "Or someone else dangerous." "Don't make a hasty decision." The faces of each one indicates that it was bad. Christopher grabbed Nautilus with his tongue and tried to say something, but Sherry repeated it. "Tell the truth. Why are you here? And user of which class?"
Suddenly, a geyser erupted from the ocean beside the three. Christopher and Sherry flitted their attention to the water for a second before they were hit by a stream of water directed towards them. Nautilus quickly pinched his own wrists with his free hands while Sherry and Christopher were knocked to the ground.
"What's that!?" Dorobu went back to the barrel from which he came out earlier. Everyone was attentive to act quickly.
He pulled out three cards and tossed them towards Nautilus's right shoulder. With great instinct and speed he materialized a trident entirely made of water and twirled it around like a windmill. After his trident shredded the cards into confetti, he shot a beam of water directly towards Dorobou.
"Who are you really? Tell us the real reason, not that nonsense from earlier."
"I told you EVERYTHING!" He shouted. "My name is Nautilus, I'm a Devil Fruit user, I'm bisexual, and I want to get to another island to eat and rest because I was banished from my home! Call me a liar one more time and I will destroy this beautiful boat and even drown your nice captain who has given me nothing but
"You hadn't said the last thing. You should have started there, man." Fletcher said it as calm as ever. Sherry asked. "Were you banished by your power?"
Nautilus looked forlorn and upset, keeping his head down as to not look at them directly when he spoke.
"No. Where I come from having the power of water is natural. I was banished because I killed someone in the most cowardly way possible."
Christopher said to finish everything. "Let's just drop it, even if Fletcher wants you on the crew. We're going to show you around the ship and if you want to talk, you can. I'm sorry about everything but you came out of nowhere and you ask for so much... That was suspicious."
Nautilus gave him a smile where he puffed out his lips and nodded. It looked both cute and scary at the same time.
The rest of the day was pretty much the crew showing Nautilus around the ship, then Christopher started cooking, Dorobou started shuffling cards trying to be good at Blackjack, Yokai was using his active mind to think about girls with hourglass figures leaning over in bikini's, Sherry was reading and Fletcher...
"So Nautilus, what are your goals in life?"
"Ah, well... I guess running away for now. I don't know what to do or how to contribute. Besides what I heard about an incident in a bar on the island before I caught up with them." He only pointed or tried to point out where they had come from.
Fletcher stopped stirring the helm for a moment to look back and see where Nautilus was pointing to.
"I didn't know about a bar fight. Who got into the fight?"
"Some blonde haired guy and a black haired guy wearing robes."
"That would be Christopher and Yokai. Good for them; I haven't had someone to fight."
"Do you like to fight? Oh, this may interest you to earn money." I take out a piece of newspaper with a request. "They are looking for people for a hunt." gives it to him
Fletcher looked at it, studied it with more attention than he gave anything else with his birdlike attention span...
He found it all to be amusing.
"Fight and get paid. Do you know what that means Sherry?"
"I don't know. I'm the newest member and you never told me how much beli you have stored."
Dorobu said having heard them. "Not much, but enough to supply us on the next island, but not after. What kind of announcement is this?"
Fletcher cleared his throat so he could be heard more clearly.
"I'm taking a break from trying to be the next pirate king and I'm going to fight people for money."
Sherry picks up the article and reads. "Hunting in Yensid. Target, fur of the giant silver wolf. Reward one million."
Dorobou went from minding his own business to almost running up and begging Fletcher to take that challenge. He managed to only come off as interested a little.
"Sure, I mean, it's not like we have better options being pirates and all."
Christopher and Yokai remembered something, but let it slide. There was no way they could be related.
Christopher then remembered he was preparing dinner for everyone and there wasn't that much longer until it was going to be finished.
"Hey, come over before it gets cold." When everyone was eating they talked about how to get to Yensid.
"Obviously we have to get the boat on the beach since half of us are Devil Fruit users, but maybe the ones that aren't can find a rock and use Yokai's senses to find this silver wolf." Sherry suggested.
"The first thing would be to talk to the mayor. She's the one who made the announcement, we should know more before looking for him."
Christopher and Dorobou agreed with Yokai. As for Fletcher, he was eating with two forks in his hand instead of a knife. Nautilus was humoring him looking at him eat while tittering.