I caught up to the others as they were all settling down on the top of a huge crab. I skidded to a stop gaping at the huge creature. Where the hell did it come from and what the hell is up with the look on its face!
"Ah! Mamori! Come on, jump up!" Chopper called out when he spotted me.
"Come on!" Luffy waved me up.
I sighed, carefully walking up to the crab as I scrutinized it.
'Hello…' I greeted it and tuned in to get its reply.
'Hello… Pretty Dog… Jump on,' It replied in broken pieces.
I made a face and looked up to Chopper, 'I refuse to get on this thing!'
"Come on!" Chopper urged. "We need to leave quickly before Crocodile catches up."
I grumbled a bit before jumping up onto the crab's legs, using it to launch myself onto its back. I grunted when the weight of the packs slammed into my back and I stumbled a few steps, not accustomed the extra weight on my back and sides. Zoro's hand shot out, grabbing onto my bandana to stop me from slipping off the crab and he them pushed me to the ground so we could leave without me falling off. I grunted, feeling the thorns of the rose dig I through my fur.
"OKAY! HERE WE GO!" Chopper called out as he grabbed the reins on the crab. "DEPART!"
"AH!" I heard Vivi's voice cry as the crab took off sideways and my head shot up in time to see Vivi flying off the crab, a hook attached to sand around her waist.
'VIVI!' I yelped loudly, automatically trying to slip out of the saddle bags so I could move. I bit down on one of the strap, pulling it off me before quickly slipping out of the rest of them.
"STOP CHOPPER!" Zoro order as Zoro, Sanji, and I ran forward.
"VIVI!" Luffy yelled as he jumped forward, grabbing hold of Vivi. "IT'S HIM!"
"KYA!" Vivi screamed as Luffy threw her back at us, Zoro catching her around to waist.
Luffy then hooked his arm around the hook that had tried to take Vivi, purposely getting pulled along with it.
"LUFFY!" Vivi screamed after him.
"THAT IDIOT!" Sanji yelled.
'What are you doing, you fool!' I cried out mentally, half debating jumping off after him.
"YOU GUYS GO AHEAD! I'LL BE FINE BY MYSELF!" Luffy yelled back to us as he was pulled off. "MAKE SURE YOU GET VIVI TO THE PALACE!"
"LUFFY! THERE IS TWO OF THEM!" Sanji called out.
Luffy replied with a smirk.
"Idiot," Zoro gritted out before turning around and ordering Chopper. "Head straight for Alubarna Chopper!"
"Okay!" He replied. "Got it!"
"What! We're just going to leave him, Zoro!" Usopp protested loudly as I stared after Luffy. Damn it!
"LUFFY!" Vivi cried out after him as Nami held her back.
"It's okay Vivi!" Nami tried to console her as the crab got further and further away from Luffy. "I feel sorrier for them! There isn't one single person who's tried to fight Luffy and gotten away safely."
"Understand Vivi?" Zoro interpreted as I glanced down dejectedly at the back of the crab. "He will stop Crocodile. The moment the rebellion moved to attack, this country's 'limit' was defined. If the army and rebels collide, this kingdom is done for. If you are our only hope for stopping this then you must stay alive, no matter what! And it doesn't matter what happens to any of us!"
"But…" She protested as she fell to her hands and knees. I flashed over to her side in a second, leaning against her as she used her hands to grip my fur tightly.
"Vivi, you helped set up this fight," Sanji pointed out. "You left your country years ago and you began fighting an organization you knew nothing about. However, you're not fighting by yourself anymore."
"V…Vi…Vivi! Don't wo…rr…worry! I'll… I'll..." Usopp stuttered as his legs shook.
"LUFFY!" Vivi suddenly screamed out as she tightened her grip on my fur once again. "WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN ALUBARNA!"
"OKAY!" I heard Luffy call out in the distance. This wasn't the fight against Crocodile that I remembered… There was more than this… What was I missing?
After a few minutes of tense silence on the crab, Vivi gasped causing me to rocket up to all four paws, spinning around as I looked for the threat. I was a bit on edge… Okay maybe that was an understatement.
"What's wrong Vivi?"
"There's a sandstorm above Rainbase!" She exclaimed as we all looked back the way we had left Luffy. Sure enough there was a huge sandstorm in the distance. "It's him…"
"Luffy…" Nami sighed as we all watched on tensely.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The soft rhythm of my tail slapping against the top of the crab I was sitting on slowly drowned out the other sounds assaulting my ears. It wasn't a happy wagging like most dogs do, it was an annoyed swish, much like a cat that was on the hunt.
Thump.
Thump.
I clenched my teeth together, the sound of the grinding droning on in my skull.
Thump.
Thump.
The muscles in my paw tensed as I kneaded my paws into the shell of the crab. The others were either talking quietly or neurotically keeping themselves busy like me. I was just ignoring them all as much as I could, attempting to keep myself and my temper leashed. I was so nervous about Luffy's fight. It didn't feel right.
Thump.
Thump.
I gritted my teeth again, all my muscles tensing. Damn this way going to be a long wait.
'Please Luffy. Please be okay,' I quietly whispered to myself, closing my eyes and bowing my head.
"WHAT! THE CRAB CAN'T CROSS WATER!" Usopp screamed loudly.
"Moving Crabs are creatures of sand! They can't stand water!" Vivi lectured.
"But it's a crab! I mean, come on! It'll take all day to float across this huge river! And look! Once we cross the river there's still kilometers of desert left to go! If they crab can't make it to the other side… Then we have to run!" Nami said.
"There's no way we can make it in time!" Usopp argued as I silently let my eyes shift back and forth between everyone.
"Oh no! Look, you can see Sandora up ahead!" Sanji gritted out, pointing in front of us.
"Do something Scissors!" Nami begged. Who was Scissors… Surely not the crab?
"Oh yeah! Scissors loves dancers!" Chopper called out.
"Like this?" Nami asked as she stood up and posed. The crab's eyes snapped around, hearts growing in them. Sanji and the camel also got hearts in their eyes as Nami began to dance.
The crab sped up greatly, leaving a trail of dirt behind of us.
"WARP SPEED!"
"NAMI!" Sanji cried out happily.
"V… VWOOO!" The camel joined in and for once I was glad that I didn't know what he said this time. I wasn't paying attention… And for good reason too.
"ERO POWER!"
"So this is supposed to help Chopper!" Usopp called out.
I slipped over to Zoro's side as the crab reached the edge of the river, dancing on my feet from nervousness. This was not looking good. The crab couldn't swim and we were still heading into the water.
"Wait a minute…" Sanji muttered as the grab ran so fast it skimmed over the top of the water. "Holy crab! This thing's amazing!"
"I don't believe it!" Usopp said as he threw his hands his up in the air. "It's a miracle! He's running on top of the water!"
…And then he began to sink.
"No, that was just your imagination!" Zoro hissed and looked around for an escape route.
"GYAAA!"
Zoro quickly grabbed Chopper as we went under the water. I closed my eyes, diving off the side of the crab, not at all scared of the water. I loved the water. I opened my eyes under the water, seeing the others around me, the crab heading back to shore under us. I stayed under the water until I was sure that everyone had reached the surface again before I swam up myself. As my head broke the surface I heard the end of some complaints from the others.
"Quit complainin' and keep moving!" Zoro rebuked the others, swimming away with Chopper perched on his head.
"Wait a sec, we don't have a boat! How far to the other side?" Sanji called out.
With my legs paddling under me I circled back to the back of pack, watching everyone. I was going to make sure no one fell back while we swam and Zoro could take the lead.
"About 50 kms," Vivi informed us.
'Hey!' I yelped but it fell on deaf ears. 'I can swim but I can't swim that far! That's insane!'
"We can't swim that far!" Usopp cried out.
"KYAA!" The girls and Usopp screamed as a huge fished popped out of the water before us, blocking our path.
'What now!' I snarled, getting sick of this.
"A Sandora Rare Cat Fish! Named so because it's extremely rare!" Vivi found the time to tell us.
"Who cares about that?"
The fish suddenly dove towards us, it's mouth open.
"It also loves to eat humans!"
"You should have said that first!" Usopp protested.
BAKOW
The fish suddenly went flying up into the air, landing on its back in the water. The rest of us gaped at it as a lot of Ku-Fung Dugong's appeared in the water around it and on top of it.
"KUOOOOO!" The cried in unison, pumping their fists.
"They said, 'We can't let our fellow students perish'," Chopper translated for us.
The Dugongs had turned the fish back over and were now pulling it along for us as we sat on its back. My two dugongs had happily swum up to me, chatting cheerfully. If I had more time I would have tried to talk to them, but we were in a hurry now so I just scrambled on.
"But, uh, it's not like we're Luffy's student's or anything," Sanji pointed out.
"Kuoo!"
"Kuo!"
"Kuo!"
"Kuoo!" The dugongs were calling out around us.
"At least we're alive!" Usopp pointed out.
3 hours later found us on the shore on the other side of the river. I had given my two dugongs a lick on their faces as they left. I was sad to see them go yet again, they both cracked me up.
"Thanks!" Vivi called out, waving them off.
"We're doing good. Think we can make it in time?" Zoro asked Vivi.
"I don't know," She sighed. "Even with Eyelash here, it'll be tough!"
"But he can only take two people!" Usopp protested. "And from here on the Baroque Works will be trying to trap us! Isn't there anyway we can travel as an entire group?"
My ears twitched as I heard something in the distance. The stamping of feet… But it was not human feet. My head snapped around, my eye narrowing. Nami noticed this and she gasped.
"Wait! Over there!" She pointed out.
"What's that! Enemies! M… M-M-More of them!" Usopp stuttered.
"No! It's… Carue!" Vivi gasped as a whole bunch of large ducks rocked up in front of us. "And the Super Spot Billed Duck Squad! You came for us?"
"QUAAAAK!" They all called out, saluting.
So, Vivi had somehow convinced us all that we should ride the ducks to get to the city faster. Everyone got their own. And by everyone, I meant everyone. Even I got a duck to ride. It was rather awkward and uncomfortable to say the least.
After we each got assigned a duck we got a brown cloak that had a hood to cover out faces. Even I had to put a cloak on. I had to admit, it sorta looked cute on me. Well, that's what I thought anyway.
My duck was a medium size duck, with an emo looking side fringe. He also had a metal link chain around his neck with an 'X' for a pendant.
Now everyone was on their ducks now and we were charging towards the town and the enemies between us and the town.
One of the enemies pulled out a huge bazooka, firing something at us. A small baseball landed in out path on the sand.
"Stay away from it!" Zoro's voice ordered from under one of the cloaks.
'Dodge!' I urged the duck I was riding, tuning in for his reply.
'Chill, I got this,' His voice echoed in my head. The ducks jumped out the way as the ball exploded in the sand.
As we planned beforehand everyone split up, running to different gates. I went with Usopp and Eyelash to start with, but once we got through the gate and into the city I got spilt up from them because of a wrong turn.
After a few more turns I thought we'd meet up with them again but we didn't.
'Oh shit,' I heard the duck under me curse. It seemed that when I was in close contact or touching another animal, I could hear them a lot better.
'We've lost them, haven't we?' I asked him, sighing.
'Yeah...' He admitted remorsefully. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mea-'
'It's okay,' I cut him off. 'Relax. We'll just have to deal.'
Before either of us could say anything else I heard footsteps and an odd tapping sound coming down the street. The duck spun around so we both faced the incoming enemy. Under my hood I saw a tall and slim man approaching me. He was wearing what looked like a dark purple posh suit with a top hat. It looked like something people used to wear back in the times they used horses and carts. The tap sound was a walking cane that seemed to be using.
'Yo, what's an old dude doin' out here?' The duck questioned.
I hesitated in answering him as I watched the man walk closer. His grey eyes were watching us unemotionally from under the rim of his hat. He managed to keep his face straight, that was the thing that unnerved me the most. If it wasn't for his lack of facial expression I would have thought he was just a random old man.
'I don't think he is any old man,' I growled softly as the man stopped right in front us.
"Come on now. I've chased you all this way, the least you can do is show me your face," The old man suddenly said, making me tense up.
My body shook with silent laughter under the coat, my head tucking against my chest as I closed my eyes to try and control myself. I felt some of the thorns from the rose dig through my fur again; I guess I still had the rose after all. I think the drugs the old bat gave me ages ago were still fucking with me. I found it funny that they guy wanted to find Vivi and instead he was about to learn he has chased a dog the whole time. And, I was about to get in another huge fight most likely. Great.
"Oh? You're shaking now?" The man questioned. "I promise that if you give yourself up easily I will make your death painless and quick."
My silent laughter doubled, making me hunch over even more as my body shook. He had mistaken my laughter as shaking? Oh hell, he has a nice slap in the face coming.
'Thanks mate,' I said to the duck, my previously hidden Australian accent slipping out. I'd never really have much of a chance to show it before. My words previously had been heavily guarded and considered. But now, I was talking freely. 'You've been a great help. I owe you big! I'm about to jump off and when I do I want you to get out of here. Shit's about to go down and things are gunna get messy.'
'Are you sure you'll be alright…?' The duck hesitated.
'She'll be apples,' I snorted. 'Right'o, here I go.'
With that said I launched myself off the duck's back, jumping up into the air. I flipped over once while I was in the air, using my jaws to whip the cloak of me. I threw the cloak behind me as I landed smoothly on the ground, my eyes shining with mixed emotions.
Mr. Cane's jaw dropped till it about reached the ground, his eyes bugging out of his head as he stared at me. I quirked one of my doggish eyebrows, noting that in background the sound of the duck running away had faded into the distance. It was just me and him… Whoever he was.
"A… Dog?" He spluttered, gaping at me.
A let out several booming barks, throwing up my head in a display of poise.
"It's a dog," He stated again, still blinking at me.
I was getting sick of this so I flashed my teeth at him, crinkling my muzzle.
"That's right… Crocodile did mention something about a dog that travelled with them…" The man mumbled to himself as if no one was around and I knew right then for sure that he was in with the Baroque Works. "I guess this must be the one… I was hoping for a good opponent to prove my worth with and I get stuck with a dog! I guess I better take care of it anyway. This could be interesting; I wonder how it ended up with them. Something here is not right."
I swished my tail once behind me, wishing that the guy would stop talking to himself and pay attention to me.
The man reached up to rub his stubbly beard that I had only just noticed and he finally looked up and met my eyes. His stare was cold and distant so I glared back at him with fury swirling in my eyes. I had gathered so much stress and anger the last few days, this was my chance to let it out.
Without beating around the bush the man lifted his walking stick off the ground, spinning it around in a wide arc before he slammed the end back down on the ground. "Akumu Okami!*"
I tensed up as three areas on the ground seemed the ripple as if it was a mirage on a hot day. In the spots that rippled three large black masses slowly rose out of the ground while I stood there gaping in confusion. This one was new.
As the black masses kept coming out of the ground they slowly seemed to take on a form, the form of wolves. As the forms were completed they opened their eyes at the same time, three sets of blood red eyes narrowing in on me.
'Well… This is not what I had hoped for,' I sighed to myself, slipping into a defensive position.
I had a stare off with the wolves for a second as they all stayed still like statues, not moving or making any sounds. This was way too confusing. I saw movement and my eyes flicked to the guy with the cane as he lifted his cane up slightly and tapped it on the ground once more.
Suddenly all the wolves sprang to life, their blank faces turning into snarling faces. The sound that suddenly exploded into the air caused me to jump slightly but I quickly snarled back. I lowered my head as the wolves all started to lumber forward.
My ears perked forward in a dominant display, letting them know I was not scared of them as the continued to advance. I figured that if I have to fight them all at once I might as well use my knife, so I quickly swiped it out, holding it out the side of my muzzle.
The wolves spread out around me as I kept perfectly still, not willing to let them think they had the upper hand. I had to act calm, confident and assertive. One of the black wolves slipped behind me, the other two each advancing on my left and right sides. It seemed like they all wanted to attack me at once.
Suddenly they all jumped at me at the same time, all with their jaws open ready to bite. Keeping a calm mind I waited till they were almost on top of me before I reacted. I jumped directly forward, the one route they had left open. The wolves that tried to jump from the left and the right crashed into each other, tumbling to the ground. The one from behind merely leaped over them, charging for me.
I spun around and met it head on, dashing forward as it lunged at my neck, trying to bite my most vulnerable place. I neatly ducked under the bite, bringing up my knife to slash along the wolves neck. I landed a direct hit, as I felt my knife sink in into the skin of the wolf. I expect to get some splash back of blood but the whole wolf melted into a black puddle right in front of me. I quickly jumped back from the black stuff that was spread on the ground, even more confused now. Slowly the black puddle melted back into the ground as I heard two snarls from behind me.
I heard one of the wolves really close to me so I kicked my back paws out like a kicking horse. I felt my paws connect with the wolf's jaw, confirming that they had solid mass while they were alive.
The wolf stumbled back a few steps, seemingly confused from the direct blow to his head. I quickly pivoted around, jumping forward as I drove my knife forward, straight into the wolf's chest. I jumped back in time to see it melt into another black puddle, slowly seeping into the ground.
'Now… Where's the last one?' I asked myself, glancing around.
I didn't need to look long as I felt something collide into me from the back. I tumbled the ground, grunting as I impacted with it and the grunt turned into a yelp as I felt sharp teeth dig into the back of my neck, shredding my skin. I half twisted around, thrusting up my back legs to catch the wolf in its ribs. I heard it choke, letting go of my neck and stepping back as it choked. I rolled onto my stomach, jumping back up quickly before spinning around to face the other wolf. The wolf in front of me wheezed, trying to cough to regain its lost breath.
I jumped at the wolf as it tried to scramble to the side. I drove my knife in-between its ribs as it turned its side to me. With one last wheeze it melted into a puddle of black goo at my feet.
I let out a long sigh stepping out of the puddle of goo. The odd material slowly crept down my legs, seeping back into the ground.
'Too easy,' I snorted as I turned back to Mr. Cane who was frowning at me.
"Well… You're better than I thought. Looks like I may have to put some effort into beating you," He said, lifting up his cane once more.
I growled at him, flatting my ears, 'As I thought. He underestimated me and that was an easy attack he used on me. Now he's getting serious. Great. Note the sarcasm. I don't understand who he is though, or what his power is… If I knew that it wouldn't be as bad.'
He began to spin his cane around once more but he didn't do just once spin, he kept spinning it. The whooshing sound that echoed through the air had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Something not good was about to happen. Why could none of my fights be simple and easy? I'm mean, come on!
The air around his cane seemed to twist and distort as another black shape seemed to grow from the air. Slowly the black mass once again grew, into a round circle that floated in the air. It grew to about the size of the cane before stopping and just floating there as he spun his cane.
"Eien Akumu!*" His voice ran out as he drove his cane to the ground again, the sound of it hitting the ground echoing through the air.
Within less than a second the black blob expanded and consumed everything within sight, even me. I didn't have time to react before I was encased in a world of black. I tensed up, my eyes blinking as I tried to make out any shapes in the black world I was now in. All I could see was black; I couldn't even hear or smell anything around me, it was like I was unconscious.
Suddenly the black around me started to fade out, the feeling of soft grass beneath my feet coming first. I smelt and tasted the fresh air as the image around me slowly revealed itself. I blinked a few times when I saw that it was the backyard of my old house that I lived in when I was a kid. It was a big house and had a huge backyard. Each side of the house was paddocks so it was a quiet place to live.
"Braylie!" A voice I recognized called out my name.
I spun around, stumbling as I realized I only had two legs. I glanced down, seeing that I was in my human body… A mini version of my body. I was a kid again.
"Bray!" The voice called again and I looked up as my younger brother trotted up to me.
He was wearing a pair of black shorts and had a dark brown t-shirt on. He was not wearing any shoes, which wasn't uncommon for the both of us when we were kids. He had bright blue eyes, mirrors of mine. His short brown hair also matched mine but his was flat with no curls and his face had no freckles on it. He looked to be around 8 years old… That would make me 10. He beamed up at me with one of his huge, innocent smiles that I had not seen in ages.
He then held up with cupped hand to me, bouncing on the ball of his feet, "Look what I found!"
I was speechless, surely he wasn't really here? I hadn't realized how much I had missed him until I saw him. He was my best friend and dearest brother and always had been. He was about 2 years younger than me and he had always been my little tag along. He used to follow me everywhere I went and did anything I did. I loved him dearly and looked after him all the time. I used to read him stories before we went to bed every night; I used to play with his cars with him and so much more. We did everything together as kids.
He was an interesting boy to say the least. Maybe it was how I treated him as a kid or maybe it just how he was but he was very, very sensitive. My roles and his were switched around. I was the rough one that would be out digging in the dirt and collecting bugs. My mum couldn't let me wear anything but dark clothes because I would get them dirty in less than half an hour. Kayle on the other hand was the softy. He cried so easily it wasn't funny and he had such a caring heart. If someone so much as looked at him wrong he'd cry.
As we grew up and went to school my brother always got picked on because of how he was. It got worse the older he got. Because we went to the same school I used to stick up for him all the time. If I saw anyone being mean to him I'd march over and chew their ear off with my silver tongue. If that didn't work I used to end up getting in a scuffle with a bunch of boys. I got in trouble for it a lot of times but I didn't care. Kayle was mine, he was my brother, and I was not about to let anyone make him cry. That's where I got my protective nature from.
"Earth to Bray," He called out, tilting his head to the side. I woke up from my spacing out, reaching my hand forward in a dumbstruck way. I reached out one finger, poking him in the forehead. My finger was met with real flesh.
"Kayle," I gaped, my hand dropping back to my side.
"What's wrong with you?" He asked frowning before quickly changing the subject. "Anyway! Look what I found behind the garbage bin!"
I watched him open his hands, a small lizard head poking out. I remember this! As kids Kayle and I had always tried to catch the little lizards that lived around our house in little bushes. This was the first time Kayle had ever caught one! Why are things from the past playing again? It must be something to with Mr. Cane!
"This is unusual… Very unusual," Speak of the devil and he shall appear. My brother gasped, looking behind me with large eyes. I spun around, jumping in front of my brother. "I expect to see memories of a dog… But a human? You're not a normal dog at all, are you? Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"
"Fuck you!" Was the first set of words out of my mouth. I'm a charmer aren't I? "Who are you and what is this! Why am I back in my human body as a kid and why I am seeing things that have happened in my past?"
"Braylie, what's going on?" A scared little voice asked behind me. I flinched as I turned around to see my brother looking at me with teary eyes. He knew something was going on, he wasn't stupid. I held my arms out and Kayle dropped the lizard he was holding, diving into my arms. He wrapped his arms around my waist as he buried his head into my side. I wrapped my arms back around him, glaring protectively at the man in front of us. I was in a child's body, no weapons, and my brother was here. What was I meant to do?
"Oh, how cute," He sneered at us as he leaned against his cane. "I'm Mr. Six and this is my power. I have eaten the Akumu-Akumu fruit and you're in my Eternal Nightmare World now. Have you eaten a Devil's Fruit too?"
"No," I snarled bluntly. "Not as far as I know. And aren't any Baroque Work members under Mr. Five meant to mostly make money and recruit people? So what the hell are you doing here and where is your partner?"
"How odd. So you're in a dog's body but you didn't eat a Devil's Fruit? I wonder how that happened…" He mused to himself. "Think little girl. Mr. Three is gone now, he failed. We have a blank position. Someone needs to fill it. If everyone else goes up a rank I will become Mr. Five. Are you with me so far? To take up that position I need to prove my worth though, and to do that I am helping to crush you pirates and kill the Princess. My partner, Ms. Mother's Day is not needed here. She knows better than to interrupt my fights."
"Well she just may need to scrap your ass off the ground when I'm done with you!" I hissed at him, hugging my brother tighter to me. "And you said before this is your nightmare world? What does that mean… It looks just like my past, how is that a nightmare?"
"My, my, Dear," He chided. "Rushing into things are we? Whatever happens in here will be transferred to your body out there. If you're injured your other body will be hurt too. In other words, die in here and you die out there. This is your worst nightmare, it has only just started."
I screamed suddenly as a sharp stabbing pain exploded from my side where my brother was holding onto me. My legs buckled under me as I landed on my hands and knee on the ground. My brother stepped back from me as I glanced at my side, panting from the pain. In my side was a knife, buried up to its hilt. It only looked like a small knife, so it must have not gone in too deep. It still hurt like a bitch.
I looked up at my younger brother, confusion clouding my eyes. "Kay…?"
In reply a wicked smirk grew over his face and for the first time I noticed his eyes had taken on a red colour.
Akumu Okami – Nightmare Wolves
Eien Akumu – Eternal Nightmare
Akumu - Nightmare
Beta Read by praeses