Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece
Once again, I would like to thank SpiritWarrior. I'll let you know when that author hasn't helped in future chapters. Finding free time to write this was hard even with a coauthor but I'm glad I have several pages to show.
XXX
"Ah, I see. Good for her. Good...for...her."
Nautilus took a deep breath in inhaling air while his mind raced through his memories before he exhaled.
Before he could say anything else, the Fenrir heard something and ran into the forest. And already at a great distance from Nautilus, when passing through some bushes, a girl appeared instead of the Fenrir.
"Wind."
The wind lifted it up to a branch and it stayed there hidden and watching the hunters. They set all kinds of traps, everywhere no matter what might fall.
Nautilus watched this all happened controlling a ball of water to move around his arm.
"Is the Fenrir...Human? Something's going on here."
All his questions were answered when the Fenrir morphed from a male looking giant wolf into a young, scarred girl.
Observing how all the hunters set all kinds of traps, some even thought of using human bait in order to achieve their objective. Faced with the lack of any life, he decides to go forward. He grabs a ball of smoke and throws it to the ground as he jumps. The smoke hides it until when it dissipates it is a wolf again. It roars at the hunters who run out of the forest out of surprise and some fall into the traps of others. They look desperate at the being that terrifies them.
"No Please."
The Fenrir uses its jaws to separate traps from the ground, wood, or wherever it is anchored. The wounded watch him, but fear runs through their bodies and they flee as best they can in the same direction as the others. Just walk away from the place.
The hunters did something better...they ran away from the Fenrir like scared little girls. All the locals saw how they came out of the forest scared, reassured them and attended to the wounded. Fletcher and the others saw it too and were surprised.
What was more surprising was how Fletcher appeared before the Fenrir like a cat moving around a spacious room. He floated in the air and rubbed his hands all over his flat cheeks.
Given this, Fernir became defensive, he had no intention of attacking him, but if he wanted to hunt him, he would not give him a truce. Fletcher didn't at in a way a hunter would-all he did was ride on Fenrir like a horse and talk to it also like a horse.
"Calm down friend, calm down."
"Get off, I'm not a mount animal, stay away or you'll end up hurt."
Fletcher blanked out and yelled.
"SPEAK!?"
"Get out."
The Fenrir did not do like an animal, but threw himself to the ground, against the rocks and even threw himself backwards into the trees, until he got rid of it. When he did, he placed a paw on his chest and heard it in his head.
"Seeing that you didn't seem to hunt me, I forgive you. I speak because you touched me. Don't do it again or else."
He growled fiercely and a great wind was formed.
To match that wind, Fletcher summoned a strong gale of wind that pushed away the gust of wind trying to intimidate him.
Fenrir raised her head and said with her paw still on Fletcher's chest.
"Impressive, no one has ever achieved that. Go away is my only warning."
She raised his paw and left before his companions arrived.
However, he didn't leave before turning his head around with a broad smile on his face and waving goodbye.
"Thank you for giving me a chance to leave. Your actually a really nice Fenrir."
She bowed her head and left without a trace.
"Fletcher!" A loud female voice roared out to him.
It was of course Sherry calling out to him joined by the rest of her nakama.
Sherry got there first and before Fletcher could say anything she was slapped hard across the face. Sherry was not only angry but also scared.
"You stupid numbskull...how could you just go off like that and leave us alone? You could have been killed, then what?"
"I didn't think so, just act. There's something weird though."
Dorobu said angrily.
"Aside from the golden opportunity to make money slipping away? Tell me now."
"He doesn't seem as 'wild' as he seems. I mean if they want him dead it would be because he attacked people or other animals. But he didn't seem interested in killing me, although he warned me not to hunt him. I heard his voice in my head. Hahaha."
"I agree it doesn't feel right to hunt such a magnificent creature," Yokai said. "but let's not forget we don't have much beli left so if we can't hunt it how are we going to pay for our supplies?"
"If you want money, two trees ahead you will find a chest. Keep what's inside."
A voice echoed through the forest, it was impossible to know where it came from but it didn't end here.
"If you don't want to associate with this place anymore, take the chest and leave. Nine years of lies is too much."
Sherry looked around at the stunned faces of her nakama.
"Are we really going to listen to this?"
"If the chest has gold...you bet your sweet tail we are."
Dorobou was ecstatic with greed.
They found the medium chest and it was full of money.
"AThere must be about seven or eight thousand. Enough and to spare." Dorobu said.
"Hey, no one wonders who spoke? It looked like a girl."
"What does it matter, we should go since we have the money."
When they came out of the forest and reached the town, Mayor Mira told everyone who came.
"I'm very sorry, but I have requisitioned the ships until they give me my silver fur. I've been waiting 9 years and it's decided. If you want to leave the island, talk to Captain Rouge of the Marines, but you'll leave without your ships."
This woman showed a face between madness and hate and left with even more anger.
"A Marine?" Fletcher trailed off as he started pondering to himself, his whole crew looked at him a little worried since not much would make Fletcher so nervous he would need to ponder. "We can't talk to a Marine."
Some villagers decided to help the hunters and one of them told Fletcher and his crew.
"Don't pay attention to what Mira says, since her parents moved away from her she acts like a fool even though the disappearance of her twin sister... Forget it, it doesn't matter what kind of person you are, if you don't want to see her on the base of the Marines will be in the forest in the ruins. Years ago a group of pirates came and the same thing happened Rouge helped them in exchange for them warning everyone not to come."
Yokai showed the map and asked.
"Where could it be?"
"Here near the northern area, in the ruins. He usually talks to the Fenrir Emissary. Good luck."
Christopher didn't feel they needed luck, but this would be a tough pill to swallow.
There was no other choice they went in that direction. It didn't take long since a path showed on the way, they reached a place full of ancient ruins, before even being able to ask what to do they heard a conversation.
"It is time to be free."
"For what? If I leave without doing justice she will win and she won't stop until she has what she wants."
"You should ask for help, if you do..."
"I won't give my problems to other Rouge, besides Mira I already requisitioned everyone's ships. You better help them."
"Don't be afraid of your past. That brat..."
Shortly after, Fletcher and the others arrived, in front of them is a red-haired woman dressed as a Marine and said when she saw him.
"Don't be scared because I'm a Marine, I'll help you however I can."
Fletcher's eyes studied his own attire to make sure he wasn't wearing anything that would tip her off they were pirates.
"I don't care what kind of people you are, you are all victims of a spoiled girl's ambition."
"Really? We are pirates and so far...eh, I don't think we have any bounties on our heads."
"Speak for yourself, Fletcher." Christopher chimed in. "My name is Christopher Darts and I've killed many people when I was an assassin."
"Even if you say that, I won't do anything. This island doesn't have jurisdiction, but it does have protection. And I keep secrets well, come closer without fear, I'll make a fire and I'll answer all your questions if you have them. Besides what look will they prevent you from going up to the ships. These ruins are a safe place, feel safe."
Yokai was the first to do so walking up to the Marine and holding her hands.
"Your eyes are so...so...clandestine. Are you an angel?"
She released her grip and said amused.
"I've been called everything but 'angel', which is no way to start a serious conversation."
Yokai backtracked to Dorobou who couldn't help but chuckle at Yokai's misfortune. Sherry had to be the one to start the conversation more seriously.
"Why is the mayoress requisitioning our boat? We were leaving."
"She did it because she's tired of waiting and it will soon be her 18th birthday. Wait a minute, won't you hunt the wolf anymore?"
"The only reason we went after it is because Dorobou is persistent we needed the beli to help our ship; and he swore it wasn't so he could count money so he could act like a rich bastard."
Dorobou almost gave Christopher the finger for the way he described his ambitions.
"And now, what will you do? Hunt him or find out the truth?
"How about neither," Dorobou suggested. "We just came here to get some beli and now that we have some we are under no obligations to do anything."
"Dorobou! For shame!"
It wasn't anyone on his crew that shouted at him, it was the drifter Nautilus.
"Why do you say that bum? It has nothing to do with you."
"Yes it does. That Fenrir has been nothing but nice to everyone from little kids to hunters always trying to kill it. I didn't come to this island in search of hurting or protecting it, but I will not allow anymore unruly behavior to befall this majestic creature!"
Rouge sighed and said already tired from so many laps.
"None of you will leave this island unless that brat has her goal. If you want to know the truth, look for the Fenrir in the Ancient Tree, he lives there. It is better to wait later, now he will be removing all the traps and making sure that the woodcutters return to the case at sunset. Grab some food, it was for Aedoni but it will be yours."
Most of the crew all the directions from the marine except for Christopher who stayed behind. He bowed his head.
"Thank you for this information and your help."
"I just hope this all ends. Good luck."
XXX
The mayor was up to some unruly tactics; even more than when she planned to kill the Fenrir by hiring pirates.
Mayor Mira watches from the window and recalls an incident a few months ago.
(Flashback)
Mira was standing behind her elegant desk, in front of her the leaders of her fifty men of hers, they were full of scratches, branches and leaves. One of them came up and commented.
"Mayor, we have fulfilled his orders, we flooded the entire forest with traps."
"Good, good. Soon I will have my silver skin."
The men looked at each other before another spoke.
"I'm afraid that won't be the case."
"Explain yourself."
"We did everything, we divided into two teams, one to set the traps and the other to entertain the Fenrir."
"Don't call him that, he's not the Fenrir. He's just a stupid creature using our story and an Akuma no mi."
At this last word, the men looked at each other even more surprised, even began to murmur why he knew. Mira noticed the word and asked her to continue with the story.
(Retrospective scene)
The men divided in two as they had planned, the team that was going for the Fenrir already found her about to go to the city with a bag. He dropped the bag full of medicinal herbs and runs inside after throwing a smoke bomb on the ground. She runs in the form of a giant wolf and goes into the forest. The men chase her while shooting and firing arrows.
As she runs, she hears everything in the forest and knows that there are traps set, she leads them to a clearing and there she loses sight of them. The men form a circle to cover each other's backs, but to no avail. A great wind was formed and millions of leaves fell on them, immobilizing them until someone helped them.
In another part of the forest, the other team had already placed and hidden all the traps, they collected the things and left only to hear the voice of their companions, they left while she was watching everything from the trees on a branch in her human body.
She slides down the trunk until she reaches the base, walking until she reaches the middle of the mounds of leaves. She looks in all directions to see if she was alone, if so she raises her arms and a wind moves all the leaves exposing all the traps. She dismantles them and collects them all. Once they're all there, she comes up with an idea to make it clear what she thinks of Mira.
The men had already managed to free their comrades from the "trap", they returned to the village, but between the entrance to the village and the forest, all the traps are set there and activated. It was difficult for them to return and they were received by the inhabitants when they discovered the mayor's plan.
(End of flashback scene)
When they finished her story, Mira turned to the window and saw the forest, she yelled at her men and told them.
"Get out of my sight, resend the ad, and I hope for better hunters."
(End of Flashback)
When she finishes remembering, she decides to do one thing. Attack a ship and blame the animal.
XXX
"I'm telling you, that animal is the DEVIL! It nearly killed me. I want it dead. Dead, dead, DEAD!"
"Dorobou, you are such a ninny," Sherry told him the cold-hearted truth.
Dorobou was complaining about a badger he wanted to pet who bit his arm.
Many animals watching them with curiosity and even allowed themselves to be petted. Night wolves and star birds, the wolves are similar to the normal ones with the difference that their fur is black or dark blue with white eyes and the birds are the size of a dove but have multicolored feathers and the tail feathers are twice as long . Until one of the wolves heard something and some ran in the direction, the pirates also went and kept hidden. The wolves went to the girl, they behaved like puppies, they allowed themselves to be hugged and they licked her face.
"Yes, yes, I was glad to see you too. Now it's your turn to live. Come on, come on, you must live now. It's time to rest, I didn't sleep at all yesterday."
She went walking in one direction, Yokai noticed and said.
"Hey, she's in the incomplete zone. Shall we follow her?"
"Of course we do," said Fletcher. "How are we suppose to help the Fenrir if we stay away from the wolf girl?"
"What?" Christopher asked not understanding Fletcher even more than usual.