Well, I decided to be nice and put two chapters together so that we could skip over what I classified the boring stuff. I thought I'd save you all the torture. As of this point on, all my chapters will be 5,000 words before they will be published instead of them being over 3,000 like before, this one is over 7,000! So, if they take a little bit longer to come out then before, I apologise. But I hope to be publishing better quality chapters as of now. That and after almost twenty chapters I thought you guys would like longer chapters. xDD
Oh! I went shopping the other day and I saw this cutest pirate flag for sale. So, of course I had to go and buy it. It is now posted up on my wall in my bedroom. It is so epic! I also have a picture of Mamori I drew and I stuck it under that. I'll give you a link to the picture if you'd like to go have a look; It's just a scribble I cooked up in Biology class.
ooovixenooo. deviantart. com/art/Mamori-287968053
Just take the spaces out of that and you should be able to see it. Anyway, getting on with things. Enjoy this long chapter and thank you to my beta and reviewers! I love you guys! And thank you to anyone who has added this story to their favourites this story or added it story alerts too. :)
The Going-Merry was now going at insane speeds down the mountain, the water around the boat helping to guide it. Sanji and Usopp had somehow managed to get themselves on top of the sails as they clung to them; the view up there would be awesome. Zoro, Nami, and I were all standing around the front deck and I had my paws on the railing so I could watch out of the front of the boat. Luffy had climbed onto the ram figurehead and was clinging to that; he would be in lots of trouble if he fell in the water from there.
"So this is the Grand Line! The greatest sea in the world!" Luffy cried gleefully. "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"
"BUOOOOH!"
Something suddenly cried from the bottom of the mountain. The mist from the water spray was everywhere so we couldn't see that far down yet. Please don't let it be what I think it is!
"Hm? Did you hear something just now?" Zoro asked nonchalantly.
"Who cares! Woohoo!" Was Luffy's idiotic reply.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that's juts nose from the wind. The terrain here is quiet odd after all," Nami said as she tried to rationalize the sound.
"BUOOOH!" The sound came again, but closer this time.
"Nami!" Sanji called from his spot atop the sail. "There is a mountain ahead!"
"A mountain?" She said in disbelief. "That can't be! Once we pass the Twin Capes up ahead, we should sail straight into open sea!"
"BUOOOOH!" The sound came yet again and at this point I was pretty sure it was Mr. Whale. Oh my. At this speed if we crash into him we are in a heap of shit.
"Hm?" Luffy said as he scrutinized the path before us as the mist began to clear. I saw the black shape Sanji was talking about and so did the others.
"That's no mountain! That's a whale!" Nami screamed.
"BUOOOOOH!" The said whale cried and I folded my ears back against my skull. The sound wasn't exactly pleasant to my doggy ears.
"What should we do!" Usopp cried as he jumped down from the mast.
"Should we fight it!" Luffy asked.
"Are you kidding! How are you meant to fight something that big!" Nami yelled at them.
"But it's blocking the way!" Luffy defended himself.
"We are too close to see anything! It looks just like a giant wall!" Sanji hissed. "Where are it's eyes!"
"Ah! That's right! Maybe the whale hasn't noticed us yet!" Nami said hopefully.
"If we don't do anything soon we're going to crash!" Zoro snapped at us as he pointed to a gap between the whale and the wall. "There is an opening up left! Turn port side!"
"But the rudder snapped!" Usopp yelled back at Zoro.
"We'll we've got to do something!" Zoro snapped as he jumped over the railing and ran towards Usopp and where the rudder was. "I'll come help too!"
"That's it! I've got plan!" Luffy said and I moved my eyes over to him. He had an idea did he?
"What is it Luffy!" Nami cried as Luffy jumped the railing and ducked into the ship's cabin.
There was only Nami and I left up on the front deck now. I still had my front paws resting on the railing as we got closer; I was not much use anywhere else.
"It's no good! The rudder won't budge!" I heard someone crying. Oh, bugger. What was Luffy's plan then?
BANG!
The sound rang in my poor ears as a cannon ball shot out from the front of the ship, not that far from where I was standing. Idiot! But that didn't stop the ship as we suddenly smashed into the wall of a whale. I jumped down from the railing and threw myself at Nami as we connected with the whale. I knocked Nami to the ground with my body on top of her as the ship's figure head snapped off and went flying over us. I felt some of the wood brush past my fur and a shiver went down my spine. That was fucking close.
"Oh God…" I heard Nami mumble from under me as I wiggled off of her. "I almost died just then…"
"My Special Seat!" I heard Luffy cry as the figure head went bouncing onto the lower decks.
Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp all came out in time to the whale open and eye and look at us. The eye was bigger than my whole body… It was bigger than the ship too!
"N-Now is our chance!" Zoro snapped at the rest of us. "Run for it!"
"What is that thing? It didn't even feel the cannon ball just then!" Luffy cried as he came back into the deck. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp get oars and began to try and row. "Maybe it's just really slow!"
Like you're one to talk Luffy…
"Who the hell cares!" Sanji snapped. "Let's just get the hell out of here."
"BUOOOOH!" The whale cried and this time I cringed back.
The closer I got the worse the sound hurt my ears. But at the same time I couldn't help but think it was a sort of distressed and sad call as it seemed to unsettle me. Maybe it was because I was an animal too. I couldn't help it when I tipped my head back and let out a long and mournful howl just after the whale, as if I was joining with his call.
"MAMORI! Don't encourage it!" I heard Nami snapped at me from her place still kneeling on the ground and I cut off my howl as I flicked my eyes towards her sheepishly. Oops, I got a bit carried away then.
"How dare…" Luffy said in a low and dangerous voice as he stepped up onto the main deck with Nami and I. "You destroy… MY SPECIAL SEAT!"
And with that said Luffy flung his fist straight at the whale's eyes with the help of his Devil Fruit power. I watched in horror with the others as his fist connected.
"THAT IDIOT!" The others screamed as the giant eye flicked down to look at us. "It saw us!"
"Come at me you bastard!" Luffy snapped as he got in a fighting stance, his fists raised in a defensive position.
"Just shut the hell up!" Usopp and Zoro snapped as they jumped up to the main deck and kicked Luffy in the back of the head, sending him face first into the deck of the ship.
The whale suddenly opened up is mouth, sucking up the water and the boat was jolted as it stated to get sucked into the whale's mouth. My feet were knocked out from under and me as I fell to the wooden deck watching in horror as Luffy went flying over the railing. I lost sight of him quickly as the boat was thrown around roughly on the rocking waves while we got sucked in, the boat spinning like a top. My sense of direction went straight out the window because at some stages I couldn't tell up from down.
"What do I make of this…?" Zoro questioned Sanji.
"Yeah, what's your explanation for this? I could've sworn that we got swallowed up by the whale…" Sanji replied as we stood railing looking at was in front of us.
We were floating some odd looking substance that was green and smelly. Floating in the middle of the water was a house that seemed to be sitting on a floating island. That's not something you find in a whale's stomach normally...
"Are we just dreaming or something?" Usopp mumbled. "Yeah, we've got to be dreaming of something…"
"Then… What's with that house on the island?" Nami said. "It must be an illusion."
SPLASH
Suddenly a huge squid jumped up out of the water right in front of the boat and I stumbled back a few steps in shock. Nami and Usopp dived right past me and covered their head with their arms. Zoro and Sanji got ready to deal with it but there was no point when several harpoons suddenly went through its head. The creature went dead still at the same time all of us did.
"Seems like there is a person here…" Zoro said.
"Let's hope it's a person," Sanji smirked.
"By the way… Where did Luffy go?" Usopp stuttered.
"I've had enough… I wanna go home..." Sobbed Nami.
The squid fell back in the ocean as it started to get dragged towards the floating house by the harpoons that had been stabbed straight through it. I walked up the railing again, next to Zoro and popped my head up again so I could see.
"M-Maybe we should just open fire!" Usopp cried as he jumped back to his feet.
"Hang on, someone is coming out," Sanji mumbled. Before pointing and crying, "IT"S A FLOWER!"
"A flower!" Zoro exclaimed.
I narrowed my eyes so I could get a better look, but it wasn't a flower. It was just a person that looked like a flower.
"Wait! No, it's a person!" Sanji quickly corrected himself.
"What's with him…" Usopp said quietly to himself. "That old man just took out that giant squid with one blow! Was he just fishing or did he do that to save us…."
The tension in the air seem to increase as everyone wondered the same thing and I felt some of the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The old man looked up and his eyes meet our own eerily. He then walked away and settled down on a beach chair, picking up a newspaper as he did so.
"SAY SOMETHING!" Sanji snapped angrily at the man but he just looked at us blankly.
"I-I-If it's a fight you want, t-then you've got one!" Usopp cried shakily, pointing his finger at the man. "We have a cannon on our side!"
The man stayed silent for a second before warning, "Don't, or someone might end up dead." I let out a soft growl as he said that, my eyes narrowing even more. Was that a threat?
"Oh… And just who would that be…?" Sanji hissed moodily.
"Me," He said in a simple manner that it caused me to blink owlishly a few times in shock.
"YOU!" Sanji snapped back at him, once again pissed off.
"Now, now. Don't get so worked up," Zoro chided Sanji. "Hey, old man. Would you mind telling us who you are, and just where is this place exactly?"
"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself to others before asking questions, you know?" The old man said as he avoided the question. I was starting to find this whole situation rather funny, I would find it funnier if it wasn't for the fact we were in a whale's stomach.
"Oh, right…" Zoro muttered. "Sorry about that."
"My name is Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes," The old man started to say. "I'm 71 years old, a Gemini and blood type AB."
"NOBODY MINDS IF I KILL HIM, RIGHT!" Zoro suddenly snapped, going to pull his sword out. Idiot... He got mad too easily.
"Calm down!" Sanji butted in and grabbed Zoro's shoulder.
"You're wondering where this place is? First you trespass in my private resort and then start mouthing off with that attitude," Crocus said as he frowned at us. "Does this place look like the stomach of a mouse?"
"So then… We must have really been swallowed by a whale…" Usopp said as he walked towards the railing.
"What do we do…!" Nami hissed as she walked up to the railing as well. "I don't want to be digested by a whale!"
"If it's an exit you want, the exit is right over there," The old man said simply, as if it was no big deal. I turned my head around to look at where was indicating and sure enough, there was a large pair of double doors that looked very much like an exit.
"YOU CAN GET OUT OF HERE!" Nami yelped as everyone's jaws dropped. "Why is there an exit inside a whale's stomach! And how is that door floating in the sky!"
"No wait…" Usopp mumbled thoughtfully. "If you look carefully the skies and the clouds are all just a painting! The inside of the whale's stomach has been painted over!"
"That's just my way of having a good time," The old man said as we turned our attention back to him.
"What the heck are you doing in here anyways!" Usopp yelled at him.
"Just leave him be, we've found an exit so let's just get out of here," Zoro said as he put a hand on Usopp's shoulder.
The boat suddenly started shaking though; actually everything around us shook as if it was an earthquake. My body was roughly rocked back and forth along with the boat, the momentum making me dizzy.
"What's that!" Someone yelped in shock.
"Look! That's no island either! It's a ship! An iron one at that too!" Nami cried and pointed to where the old man.
"So then this ocean is actually stomach acid!" Usopp cried out. "If we stay here any longer than this our ship will be dissolved! Hey, what's going on! Give us an explanation!"
"The whale," The old man said as he crossed his arms and stood up. "Has started bashing his head against the Grand Line again!"
"What!" Sanji and Zoro said in unison before they ground their teeth together. I felt my gut twist uncomfortably, why would the whale hurt itself like that? Why didn't I remember this either? I probably thought it was a minor part and not worth paying too much attention to when I was watching One Piece ages ago.
"Now that he mentions it… I remember that the whale's forehead was covered in scars…" Nami recalled. "And he was bellowing up at the sky!"
"What does it all mean?" Usopp asked.
"It means that he is suffering," Nami stated simply and I dropped my ears back against my skull. The poor whale, what was wrong with it? "He must be trying to kill this whale from the inside!"
"Now then, what a nasty thing to say!" The old man snapped at Nami.
"Well then, if the mystery has been solved then get out of here already," Zoro said. "We'll be dissolved if we hang around here any longer."
"That's right," Sanji agreed with Zoro. "I don't have anything against whaling, and it's not like we have an obligation to save the whale either."
No way… We couldn't leave then whale suffering like this!
"Hey! If the whale keeps rampaging like this it's going to be hard to reach the exit!" Sanji yelled as the boat continued to get rocked around.
"Well, if we don't hurry up our lives and Luffy's will be in danger!" Zoro snapped. "He's not inside with us! I saw him escape through the whale's mouth!"
"AH!" Usopp yelped and my eyes widened as the old man jumped into the water or stomach acid should I say. "That old man just jumped in! What's he trying to do! He's gonna get himself dissolved!"
"He's swimming towards the exit!" Nami observed. "We should hurry up and make our way to the exit before the whale gets any more violent!"
I let out a grunt as the ship was rocked rather violently, worse than before. My feet slipped out from under me and I landed roughly on my side. Bloody hell, it was been shaken like a milkshake!
"We've got no choice but to row!" Zoro cried as I scrambled back to my paws.
BANG
My head jerked up in time to see a smaller pair of doors that were near the huge doors smash open. My eyes went wide with shock as three figures went flying out and came flying towards the ship. I would have face palmed if I had a hand when I saw my captain was one of three.
"Luffy…!" Zoro muttered.
"Guys! You're alright!" He cried out happily. I think he needed to worry about himself at the moment though, he couldn't swim after all. "Well, in any case just help me out!"
No one got a chance to do anything as Luffy and the other two figures went splashing into the whale acid. Idiots, all of them. How the hell did they end up in that situation?
"The whale seems to have calmed down…" Nami observed as the shaking died down and the boat finally sat calm. "Well? Just exactly who are you guys?"
I sat on the deck, my nose crinkled in disgust as the stinking acid clung to my fur. I had been stupid enough to jump in with Zoro and Sanji thinking I could help because there was three people to save. I had helped them. I dragged out the weird guy, Sanji got the chick, and Zoro got Luffy; but now I stunk like yesterday's trash and my skin itched. The whale acid was so gross!
The two new people were sitting at the front of the deck and Sanji was flirting with the woman. Luffy was perched on the railing behind them and the rest of us were spread out on the deck. I was sitting next to Zoro, my fur still dripping a bit from the acid.
"I won't let you lay a finger on Laboon!" The old man suddenly cried from the small set of doors that Luffy had come through. "For as long as I live!"
"Who's that old man?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Fufufu," Laughed the girl.
"Oh… But we are inside the whale now," The strange man said as they both pulled guns out from freaking nowhere and shot them towards the whale stomach lining. "It'll be only too easy to blast holes in its stomach! We won't let you interfere with our whaling business any longer!"
The old man just threw himself off of the platform and into the path of the oncoming bomb and the bombs exploded on him. I ran at the railing and threw myself over the side yet again as the old man fell into the acid. I dove head first into the liquid, swimming a few meters before popping back up the surface, gasping for air as the acid stung my nose and eyes. God that stuff was gross...
I quickly swam over the old man when he popped back up to the surface, looking fine enough. I swam up to him and he sent me a scrutinizing look which I returned. I then swam around behind him and nuzzled my nose in under his armpit. With a bit of wiggling I slipped my head and shoulder under his armpit so that him arm was over my shoulder. He made a sound of objection but I growled softly to shut him before I began to pull him back into shore.
"This whale is an island whale normally found in the West Blue. It is the largest species of whale found in the world. And these two guys are rogues from a nearby town," The old man explained.
He was now back on his little boat island and sitting in his chair with the two strangers tied up in front of him. I sat next to his chair, yet again disgusted by the yucky whale acid clinging to my fur. Everyone else was spread around in the current vicinity while listening to the old man's story.
"Their goal is to hunt Laboon because the meat from Laboon can feed their town for 2-3 years. But I won't allow that! As for why Laboon keeps bashing his head against the Red Line and bellowing while facing Reverse Mountain… There's a reason for that too," He paused for a moment; collecting his thoughts. "Long ago as I was minding my business being a lighthouse keeper, a certain group of friendly pirates came down Reverse Mountain and following their ship was a little baby whale. That whale was Laboon. It seems Laboon had accompanied them on their journey in West Blue, but fearing the Grand Line was too dangerous, they left him behind; or so they thought. Normally island whales are known to swim together in pods, but to Laboon those pirates where his pod members. Their ship was damaged when they arrived so they stayed here for several months to fix it. I became good friend with them while they stayed. And, so on the day of their departure, their captain asked me, 'Could you please take care of Laboon for 2-3 years? Once we have sailed around the world we will come back for him no matter what'. Understanding their intent, Laboon waited patiently for them here."
"So that's why he keeps bellowing even today… And bashing himself against the Red Line…" Nami muttered as she finally got it.
"That's right… It's been over 50 years since then… He still believes his friends will come back…" Then old man said with a sad sigh.
Poor Laboon… No wonder he sounded so sad…
"But to think it's been waiting here for 50 years…" Zoro said. "Does he still believe his friends will really return?"
We were all back outside of Laboon and we were all resting just outside of the lighthouse. Luffy was lying against a rock and I was sprawled lazily on the ground not far away from him. Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji were all sitting around a table and drinking a cup of tea. Crocus was sitting on a stump and facing towards Laboon with Nami was standing near him.
"Those pirates sure are taking a long time…" Luffy noted.
"You idiot, this is the Grand Line," Sanji sighed and he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth. "They promised to be back in 2-3 years, yet they are still not back after 50 years… The answer is obvious. They're long dead by now. They won't come back no matter how long that whale waits…"
I hated to admit it, but Sanji was right. Laboon's friends were most likely dead, poor Laboon. I felt bad for the whale. If I was in his situation I would have gone crazy by now, or have lost faith in them of ever coming back.
"Why do you have to go and say such cold thing!" Usopp snapped in anger. "You can't say that for sure! They might still come back! Can't you appreciate such a moving tale about a whale who still believes in his friends promise!"
"The truth is far more cruel, however," I heard the old man say and I flicked my eyes over to him. "Those fellows left already. Left from the Grand Line that is. I heard from a reliable source."
"W…What?" Usopp stuttered as he stared wide eyed at Crocus.
"So they just left the whale behind!" Nami cried out in an aghast manner. "But that would mean they left the Grand Line through the Calm Belt!"
"Yes… That is why I do not know if they survived or not," He admitted as he crossed his arm. "But even if they did survive they would never dare to return here again… A place where the seasons, currents, climates, and winds could not be more chaotic. A place where common sense fails to uphold. That place is this sea, the Grand Line, and it rules over those with fear and the faint-hearted."
I had lifted my head off of my paws whilst he had been explaining that. So they just left Laboon? How could they… And why didn't I pay more attention to this part in the anime? Maybe I would have got more of a hint as to whether it was all true or not… Maybe somehow, somewhere, someone was trying to get back to Laboon… Or maybe there was some way to help the poor thing…
"So basically… Those cowards were more concerned about saving their lives then keeping a promise to a friend," Sanji concurred darkly as he put his cigarette out. "And thus left the Grand Line never to return again…"
"So they just abandoned the whale!" Usopp yelled, spit flying from his mouth. "Even though the whale never doubt them and has been waiting for them for over 50 year! How could they be so cruel!"
"If that's the case then why haven't you told the whale?" Nami asked the Crocus. "The whale can understand human words, right!"
"I have told him the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Crocus admitted as he closed his eyes. "But he refuses to listen. Ever since then Laboon was been bellowing at Reverse Mountain, and bashing his head against the Red Line as if stubbornly trying to assert his friends are beyond that wall and they'll return someday… I've tried telling him the truth many more times, but Laboon still refuses to accept the truth."
I can't believe that something like that could happen to the poor whale. But if he believed in his friends and still does then why shouldn't we as well? Or maybe he's just a trusting fool.
"What a whale… He still keeps believing even after his friends betrayed him," Sanji said, lighting another cigarette. That was a bad habit for him to have… I might have to try and do something about it one day.
"Even though there is no point waiting anymore…" Usopp added onto Sanji's comment.
I heaved myself lazily to my paws and trotted over to Nami, my paws lightly dancing over the rocky ground. I then gently sat down by her side, my tail wrapping around my hind legs and I stared sadly out to Laboon.
"That's exactly it… It's because he will lose all reason that he refuses to listen. He's afraid to lose the meaning behind his waiting above all else. This whale's home is back in West Blue, which is located on the others side of the Red Line. It's too late for him to go back. That's why his only hope is the very friends he came along with here in the first place," Crocus informed us.
Oh God, doesn't that sound familiar? He can't get back to where he belongs either, just like me.
"But you know, as much as I feel sorry for the whale and all, you've also been betrayed by them if you think about it. So why don't you just leave the whale be already?" Sanji asked the old man.
"Look at the scars on his head… If he continues to recklessly bash his head against the wall he'll definitely die," Crocus sighed. "We've had an odd relationship but he's still my companion that I have lived with for over 50 years. I can't just stand by and watch him die…"
"BUOOOOOOHHHHHH!" A voice suddenly cried out and I saw something moving up Laboon's back.
"Huh?" Nami said, blinking. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed it was Luffy running up Laboon's back. Dear God, what in Hell's name is he doing now?
"What's that idiot up to now?" Sanji asked with a sweat drop.
"Maybe he just likes climbing things?" Usopp offered although he seemed just as confused as the rest of us.
"Take your eyes off for him for one second…" I heard Nami mutter from beside me.
My jaw dropped further and further as our dumb captain reached the top of Laboon's head. He then slammed whatever it was in his hands into a recently open wound of Laboon's. What in God's name!
"Hey, is that a mast?" I heard Zoro ask from behind me.
"Yeah…" Sanji answered him. "I think it's our ship's…"
"Yup, it's our main mast all right," Usopp said.
I was speechless; I had no idea what to think. I wasn't sure whether to scream, laugh, cry, or clap... So I just settled for shock.
"BUOOOOOOOOOHHHH!" Laboon cried out in pain and I flinched as the sound reached my ears. The whale started to thrash his head around as Luffy clung to the mast.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?" Nami, Zoro, and Sanji screamed at the same time with horrified looks on their faces.
"HE DESTROYED OUR SHIP!" Usopp screamed as tears ran out of his eyes.
Crocus and I just stayed silent thanks to the shock and watched in horror as Luffy started to scream whilst still clinging onto the mast.
Suddenly Laboon stopped thrashing and looked down at us. I froze as he began to dive down towards the ground, his head first.
"IT'S COMING THIS WAY!" Someone screamed as we all started to scatter out of his way.
"Hey! Hey kid!" I heard Crocus yell at him and I paused. "It's too dangerous!"
"Don't worry about him! He won't die!" Nami screamed at him as she began to pull him along.
We all managed to scramble out of Laboon's way as his head crashed into the rocks. The ground shook under my feet but Laboon just lifted up his head and screamed again.
"BUOOOOOOH!"
I watched with wide eyes as Luffy pushed away from Laboon and flung his fist into Laboon's eyes.
"BUOOOOOOOH!" Laboon bellowed as Luffy went flying back into the wall of the lighthouse.
"What is he trying to do…?" Usopp muttered.
Luffy peeled himself off the building and he then crashed down at the base of the lighthouse. I quickly scrambled over to him, nosing his cheek once before pulling back and hovering just above him like a mother hen.
"LUFFY! JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Zoro yelled at him.
"IT'S A TIE!" Luffy screamed as his eyes snapped open, smirking as he did so. "I'm pretty tough, eh?"
Laboon just stayed silent as he stared at Luffy in confusion along with the rest of us.
"Our fight has yet to be settled, so we must fight each other again!" Luffy declared and I finally saw where he was going with this. "Your old friends may be dead, but I'm your new rival! And once my crew sails around the Grand Line, we'll be sure to come back here and see you again! And then we'll duke it out again!"
I cast my gaze around and saw that everyone now wore smiles or smirks, thankfully. And I was one of the, my gums pulled back in a doggish smirk.
"BUOOOOH!" Laboon cried, but this time his cry held some happiness that warmed my heart.
"AHHHHHHHH!" I heard a voice scream and I bolted up and banged my head against a rock. I yelped and pulled myself out from my little nest in the rocks. I had been taking a short nap in a crack in between some rocks before someone screamed.
I bolted towards the sound and slowed to a trot when I came across Nami, Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji. I trotted hesitantly up to Nami to see what was wrong, my ear flat against my skull.
"THE COMPASS! IT'S BROKEN! IT'S POINTING ALL OVER THE PLACE!" She screamed. Jeez, did this woman only scream for minor reasons. This was the second time it had happened, and yet again it wasn't that big of a deal.
I was still sleepy from being woken up and I knew the basic gist of how the log pose worked so I crawled under the table and curled into a ball to sleep again.
Everyone was loaded up on the ship again and I noted that the two strangers were back on the ship with us again, but this time everyone was being friendly enough with them so I just shrugged it off. I think if remember correctly, they take us to an island and there was some big party? But it turned out to be a trap and Zoro took out a lot of pirate hunters. Then somehow we got a Princess or something that we had to take for a stroll through the desert to get her home. We stop at a few islands first though, before getting to the desert. Then we end up helping her save her home from Crocodile, if I'm right that is. Again, I only remember bits and pieces; and I also remember something about Ace (Luffy's brother), giants, dinosaurs, and snow. Meh, I'll worry about it when the time comes.
"Alright then, your log pose should have been recorded by now," Crocus said from his place on the shoreline. "Is it pointing to the place indicated on the map?"
"Yep!" Nami confirmed as she glanced to the log pose that was strapped to her wrist. "It's pointing towards Whiskey Peak."
"You sure about this kid? Picking Whiskey Peak just because of these ruffians… The only place you can choose what route you want to go is here," Crocus questioned Luffy.
Luffy just leaned over the railing next to Nami and myself and replied, "It's fine. If I don't like the route I can always just sail once around and choose a different route next time."
"I see…" Crocus said with a smirk.
"Bye then gramps!" Luffy called out his farewell. I echoed his farewell with several barks of my own as I flashed the old man an impish smirk.
"Thanks for the log pose!" Nami called out.
"See ya' then," Crocus farewelled us.
"WE'RE GOING NOW WHALE!" Luffy yelled out to the whale.
"BUOOOOOHH!" Laboon called out in his own farewell.
"ARRRRROOOOOOO!" I howled my own farewell to the whale, my head tilted back towards the sky as we left. One day we'll be back Laboon!
I danced around the front of the ship as more snow fell onto the deck, my head tilted up to the sky as a snow flake fell on the end of my nose. My feet slipped and slid on the slippery surface but I still pranced around like an excited child, my tail wagging like crazy. I had never seen snow before! Ever! It had always been a dream of mine, and it was finally coming true!
My feet suddenly slipped out from under me, my body spinning around to land roughly on my back in the snow. My legs were held up in the air as I stared dazedly into space for a few seconds. When my senses finally came back to me I glanced around to see if anyone noticed my spill. I only saw Luffy and Usopp playing with snowmen and then destroying them, no one was paying attention to me. Phew, I got away with that one.
I chuckled mentally for a few seconds, my chest making an amused rumbling sound. My eyes widened further as I saw a flash of lightning arch across the sky. No way, not was only was it was snow, but it was a storm too! Awesome!
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I heard Nami scream and I was almost tempted to ignore it, so I just laid in the snow and listening to what everyone said.
"W-what is it?" Usopp yelped.
"What's the matter my beloved Nami?" I heard Sanji coo.
"TURN THE SHIP AROUND 180 DEGREES! HURRY!" Nami yelled at them.
"180 DEGREES? WHY ARE WE TURNING BACK?" Usopp yelled back at her.
"Did we forget something?" Luffy asked in his childish manner.
"NO! THE SHIP TURNED ITSELF AROUND AND IS NOW HEADING DIRECTLY AWAY FROM OUT DESTINATION!" She yelled, sounding rather flustered about it. I rolled back onto my stomach as she continued to yell, "I ONLY TOOK MY EYES OFF THE LOG POSE FOR A SECOND AND THE WAVES WERE CALM TOO…!"
I heaved myself off the ground and trotted lazily over to Luffy as I heard some mumbled talking inside the cabin.
"STOP ACTING SO HIGH AND MIGHTY AND START HELPING OUT!" I heard Nami scream and I saw the two hitchhikers come flying out of the door.
"CATCH A WIND FROM THE RIGHT SIDE! WE'LL USE IT TO TURN THE SHIP AROUND 180 DEGREES TO THE LEFT!" Nami started issuing out orders and I scampered up the stairs as I tried to get out of everyone's way. "USOPP TAKE THE JIB SAIL! SANJI, YOU TAKE THE RUDDER!"
The next few hours were chaos as I watch everyone tear around like headless chooks to complete the tasks they need to. The weather changed more than Luffy's moods and there was constantly some other danger like an iceberg that we had to try and avoid. I felt bad because being a dog there was still not much I could do to help in a storm. So I just tried to stay out of everyone's way. I watched everyone like a hawk though and after seeing people slip a few times, I found out what my job could be. I slunk around the deck and helped right anyone that slipped, or attempted to prevent them from falling. It was not a major job, but it help. It also stopped anyone going overboard.
I was jolted out of my nap by a call of, "I SEE AN ISLAND!"
I sleepily lifted myself back up to my paws and trotted to the front of the boat where everyone else was currently, thank God that evil weather had stopped. I had practically fallen over from exhaustion thanks to the evil, evil weather.
"I SEE GIANT CACTI!" Luffy yelled as I braced my paws on the railing next to him to look at what he was seeing. Sure enough we were sailing towards and island that had lots of giant cacti. "So this is Whiskey Peek!"
"Thank God we've arrived alive!" I heard the male stranger say in relief. "Now then! We ask you people drop us off here!"
I blinked curiously as the two strangers jumped up onto the railing.
"Thank you for taking us here, my honeys!" The female said. "If fate wills it, let us meet again!"
"Bye, bye, babies," They both said and at the same time they went springing back into the sea. I blinked owlishly as I stared after them; I hoped they'd be okay.
"They're gone…" Sanji muttered.
"Just what's up with those two?" Zoro sighed, although it didn't really seem like he cared.
"Forget 'em!" Luffy declared. "Prepare to land!"
"There's a river right up ahead. Looks like we can dock inland," Nami noted as we sailed closer.
"T-There won't be any monsters on this island now, right…?" Usopp stuttered in fear.
"Considering that this place is the Grand Line and all, I'd say there is a good chance," Sanji replied casually.
"Well, we can always run away if that's the case!" Luffy declared as he spun around to face Usopp.
"Just wait a second," Nami interrupted them as I turned my head around to watch them. "Don't forget that we have to stay on this island for a certain amount of time."
"Why?" Luffy asked stupidly. Did he ever listen?
"This Log Pose has record this islands magnetic field before we can move on to the next island!" Nami began to explain to everyone. "And the recording time varies for each island. There are some islands that only take only a few hours to record, while some take even a few days."
"T-Then even if we come to a horrible monster island that we want to run away from, it's possible that we'll have to stay there for several days!" Usopp yelped in worry, obviously not keen about the whole idea of log poses.
"That's right," Nami confirmed blandly.
"Well, we'll worry about it when it happens," Luffy chirped. "So let's just go already! It'd be weird not to go when there is a river in front waiting for us!"
"For you maybe…" Nami said as she placed her hands on her hips.
"No, what he says is right," Zoro interrupted her. "There's no use worrying about it, so let's go."
"I'll protect you Nami!" Sanji declared as he gave her the thumbs up sign.
"H-H-H-Hey, guys… Listen… I uh… I think I've suddenly developed a can't-enter-islands-disease," Usopp stammered nervously.
"… Fine, let's go," Nami said as she gave in with a sigh.
"I'm serious guys, my can't ente…" Usopp trailed off as he noticed no one was listening.
"Ready?" Luffy asked us all. "Be prepared to fight or run at a moment's notice."