Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece
I would like to thank SpiritWarrior for helping me write this chapter. I'm also sorry for the long wait for uploading chapters but life got in my way.
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Sherry said as she reread the petition. "But when you do... ask him how long has he been with the ad?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know, I think I read this before."
Once dinner was finished, Christopher pushed everyone's bowls towards Fletcher and Nautilus indicating he wanted them to clean them. Before Fletcher could protest, Christopher held out a chart with writing that provided proof it was his turn to wash the dishes.
"I don't know about you, but I'm tired. The day was full of excitement, even your arrival Nautilus, I'm sorry I doubted you before... I'm so sorry. If you don't mind, I'm going to rest." Sherry said goodbye and went to bed.
"I'll just be heading off to sleep...not in the same place Sherry is going because that would be lewd." Yokai mentioned.
"And I'm not tired but I can't dream about making so much money with you three around. Goodnight."
After Dorobou left it was only Fletcher, Nautilus and Christopher left in the kitchen. Christopher with his jaded personality didn't leave the room until he saw his captain and the stowaway clean the plates.
"Fletcher, are you sure you want that hunt? At best it's a scam."
"All I want is to find a reason to punch someone; either this wolf or the asshole who played with my love of fighting."
"Then you will go looking for the "wolf" without even asking what it is like exactly?"
"As much as I like your erudite demeanor when it comes to asking Fletcher questions, I make you breakfast and dinner so the least you can do is CLEAN UP THE DISHES!" Christopher shouted.
"Sorry". Nautilus smiled and continued washing the dishes. At the end, calm reigned on the ship.
Nautilus heard a bit about the canid mythology when he arrived here but he couldn't believe Devil Fruit's really took away a persons' ability to swim.
He was lying in the futon he was allowed to lie in burbling what he was going to say to this crew of pirates he just met. He was thinking in the present tense when he should be thinking about past tense. He solemnly believed they were good people, but what if they acted the same way in the future that they did when they didn't believe him.
He needed fresh air. He took a walk to the deck and gazed out into the sea.
The fresh sea breeze wraps him like a blanket on his shoulders, the dark night only being interrupted by the stars and the moon from the celestial vault. The calm sea and hardly rocking but if the progress on it. In the distance, only a small dark spot can be seen, probably the island to which they are heading. Silence is the only thing on the ship, until you subtly hear something at a great distance, it was barely audible but little by little it became easier to hear. It was the howl of a wolf, it was impossible for it to be heard at such a distance unless it was big.
'What do you know, there really is a big wolf out there. The smart thing to do would be go back to sleep or wake up Fletcher or one of his nakama to attack the wolf by surprise...good thing I'm from a place where bad decisions reward you more.'
He leaped off the deck falling to the ocean. Before he hit the surface he materialized a big lump of water to cushion his fall.
Meanwhile on the island, everyone sleeps in the village, even despite that howl, it was like a lullaby to everyone, except some nocturnal animals that start. In the dark forests where barely the moonlight crosses the treetops. The howl sounded louder, a large pack of wolves watching the one who makes them, all he does is launch another howl before stopping and leaving without a trace.
So many creatures shared an enmity towards this giant canid. But it wasn't hostility that would be its greatest adversary-that would be greed and pride involving the humans and it.
They were not the only beings awake, in the town in the main building a candle is seen in a window, a shadow is behind but feeling a distant look of hatred, the window opened and the candle went out. Putting an end to non-existent surveillance.
Meanwhile, Nautilus arrived on a beach where he saw big tracks in the sand as if an elephant was grazing through it with its chunky legs.
They are big, and these are smaller footprints. Children? How strange, they don't actually run, they seem to accompany. Why would children approach such a great being?
He only got to take three steps before he heard a guttural sound. It started off as a singular sound from one being but changed into a unison of voracious, feral beasts and they were lurking towards him.
And then-six silhouettes of ravenous wolves leaped out of the woods swarming Nautilus.
He saw their sharp fangs and their bloodthirsty fangs...and he just scoffed at them.
"You know, there is a saying that once wolves and horses lived in peace but eventually the wolves started attacking the horses, so the horses grazed their hooves through the wolves to make up for how they killed them. But don't take my word for it." He twirled his cannister around like a ladle through a pot of soup, as he did a white froth boiled in the sea before a big horse made of water appeared. "Ask one of them. Horse Calvary!"
A loud howl flew into the air and the wolves withdrew to the nearby forest, on the branch of one of them a silhouette tells him. "You are wrong to enter this part without the guardian's permission. As it was your first mistake, you are forgiven. Follow the beach in the opposite direction to the tracks you saw and you will find the town. Don't listen to the mayoress." The silhouette disappeared at the same time that the wolves do, Nautilus looked at the tracks but the wind erased them.
'Trusting a stranger to go somewhere I wasn't going to go and not giving me much detail other than not to trust someone I've never met, a stranger? I see no problem in doing that.'
Since Nautilus already conjured up a horse, he used his powers to make it solid and climbed it up. He would give it a name in case he summoned it again, but since he didn't know if his creations had a will of their own or were even the same being he just let it trot to the town in silence.
The place was big, bright in this pitch dark island.
Calm was the only thing there, few places are open, including a bar. Their lights on like a beacon in the fog.
Nautilus wasn't one to give in to having a drink, but he did know it would have an abundance of residents inside who could answer any questions he wants to ask.
Before entering everything was lively and at the same time calm, a small statue behind the bar watches over them. When I entered, everyone was silent and looked, but going back to their chores as if nothing had happened, a sign that he was not the person they did not want to see.
Nautilus first instinct was to talk to the bar owner, but he was already gathered around by three other hunched over drunkards and he was glaring at the boy with his onyx eyes. He decided to approach a girl with silver hair.
"Everything is very happy, what is the cause?" "A safe voyage, they trusted their keeper. Have you just arrived? No ship to be seen.
"I was dropped off here by some nice strangers." That was half the truth of how he got there, it still gave Nautilus a migraine telling something that wasn't completely truthful. "So I hear there's a big wolf around here worth a million beli."
Saying that, everything went silent. And the drunkards regained their reason. The girl raised a hand and everyone calmed down, she said calmly.
"Is that why you're here? I wouldn't pay attention to that announcement, it's been a long time, 9 years if I remember correctly. It's just the greed and hatred of one person."
"Don't I know something about greed-until I was eleven I thought materialism was the only thing that could make me happy. I wouldn't want any of those things back now that I am one with the ocean. I do however want to see this wolf and all its canid mythology."
The girl smiled and pointed at the statue.
"This island is under the protection of Fenrir, the giant wolf. He has always protected all humans and animals, preventing them from falling into decay and agony. The wind is your ally, having it as an enemy is a death sentence, it is said what fur is a beautiful silver."
He leaves a few coins on the counter as he leaves. "When it is daylight, look everywhere. You will know the reason for so much admiration."
Nautilus would but until then he needed to go to sleep. He decided to find a bench to sleep on.
Dawn came calmly, at the same time that a ship arrived at the island. It doesn't take long for people to wake up and start their day. Fletcher and the others made it to port, but they were a little worried. Nautilus disappeared and he didn't know where he was.
"Just forget about him," Christopher said brusquely. "Our deal was he could sail with us until we reached an island, and if my lazy eyes are correct I can see his footprints in the sand so he obviously made it here. Let's just forget about him and find that wolf so we can buy some supplies."
They saw more ships and many well-armed people got out of them. They all seem to be heading somewhere. Dorobou said. "It is possible that they are also after the money. Let's follow them and we will know more."
They almost went ahead if it wasn't for Sherry, they all went to the Town Hall where a person is waiting for them. Long brown hair and black eyes, she wears extravagant and luxurious clothes. Seeing everyone scream caught their attention.
"Welcome everyone to Yensid, I am Mayor Relius Mira. Thank you for being here to do the job I announced. What I ask for is quite simple, I want the silver fur of the giant wolf, don't listen to what the locals say, it's not true I want their fur, you can keep the rest, head, legs, everything. I just want the fur and I'll give you a million, I want it perfect without damage. Go to the forest, there it is, do what you have to do, cut down trees, burn the forest, traps. Nothing is more important than my order. Go and good luck."
Dorobou obsessed with his greed almost hotfooted into the forest but he was stuck by Sherry.
"First we need to find a map of this forest, then we can go inside."
They walked through some stores and looking at the buildings and places they realized something. Every building, fountain or even decoration bears the image of a wolf. They reached a person who was selling them maps they reached. "Yendis maps, if you don't want to get lost buy them. Allowed by Mayor Mira."
"How much?" Dorobou asked.
"Two hundred beli."
"Two hundred beli?! What do you take us for...fools?!"
"I don't know you-so yes."
"Fools or not we don't need a map to get us through a forest. Half of us have Devil Fruit powers."
"So did dozens of other guys and girls...never saw them ever come out. But hey, the customer is always right so why not-"
Fletcher put down two big beli bills on the vendor's counter.
When he opened the map, everything was detailed except for a blank spot. Right on the opposite side of where the city is. Those who also bought the map head into the forest just like a group of woodcutters.
"Yokai, is this map making any sense to you?" Christopher asked.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Your the navigator; do something with navigating us to this wolf with this incomplete map!"
"What do you think I am!? A magician!?"
The group of woodcutters approached when they saw them upset. "Is something wrong?"
"Well yes, it turns out that the map is incomplete."
One of them looked at the map and said. "It's not incomplete, the map is fine, that area is Fenrir's territory. People don't usually go there. Are they going to hunt it down? They haven't done it for 9 years, we follow their laws and we're more than safe.""Yes, even It helps us when we fall into the hunters' traps."
"Maybe for the inexperienced," Christopher smirked. "But for someone like me...there's no byway I can't go that will take me away from those traps."
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Nautilus explored the woods with his hands full of water and a leaf twirling in the water. The water was once in a puddle that fell over the forest and Nautilus was just giving it some sentience.
"My name is Nautilus O Shawn, I come to take one of your nails and ask you to leave this island, otherwise I'll be forced to kill you."
Silence plus the singing of the trees were his only answer, a soft wind hit him, while the leaves on the ground moved. In front of him is a giant wolf with silver fur. But he doesn't show hospitality towards him, he just looked at him and he left without doing anything, but when he was at a good distance he looked at him, just that.
'I wonder, should I go back and at least attempt to get a fingernail from that canid or should I just try to find Fletcher and his crew and stop them from doing anything to hurt that peaceful creature? I'm going to have to go with...option three; watch it and see if I can earn its trust.'
Nautilus followed him to the edge of the forest, somewhere on the island. A flower meadow limits the area, in it there are many children playing. The giant wolf calmly walked towards them, the children see him and run in his direction. The wolf lies down on the ground and lets them play with it, even using its tail as a blanket for some. Even though he was possibly being hurt, he didn't growl. Until he heard one of the children cry. He got up and found a boy with a knee injury. The wolf lies down and I grab his knee. The boy tells him. "Really? You're right, I'm strong. Don't worry Fenrir, we'll take care of the forest."
The Fenrir dashed away faster than any animal Nautilus has ever known and came back quickly with some kind of shell in its mouth. That shell had a liquid in it that could help heal the cut on the child's leg.
The wound healed quickly and without scarring. One of the girls said. "Fenrir, hunters have come again. You have to hide." The wolf placed his forehead on the girl and said to the wolf. "But...Okay. We have to go back. The forest will be dangerous now. Are you coming with us sir?"
Nautilus swiveled around in a 180 degree turn thinking they might be talking to someone else, but as he soon found out it was just him they were talking to. He looked at them and smiled.
"No thank you, my business is with the Fenrir here. I want to make sure its safe from the hunters coming after it."
"Don't worry, she's capable of fighting alone. She's always looking out for everyone, even when the animals go crazy because of so many hunters. Don't worry about her."