I noticed a lot comments on Mamori's down turn in her behaviour. Don't worry too much, she won't be like that forever. :) Enjoy~
"Why did you make me wait so long?" Bon Clay called out as we stopped in front of our boat. "Long time no see! Were you all thinking about me?"
We all ignored him, dismounting from our ducks and wishing them farewell. I jumped down, my paws landing in the sand as I slipped out of my coat again. I then turned around to my new friend to farewell him.
'Thank you for all your help my friend,' I thanked him, bowing my head. 'If you ever need anything, let me know.'
'It's no problem dude, just come back and visit sometime!' He replied.
'I'll see what I can do,' I smirked, reaching forward to lick the end of his beak.
"QUACK!" They all called out as they ran off, ready to head back home.
"TAKE CARE!" Everyone yelled back at them.
We all turned around only to see Bon Clay crying and waving to the ducks as well.
"Good bye!" He sobbed. "If we're destined to, we'll meet again!"
"No, that's not right!" Bon said suddenly, slamming his for down. "Wait a second!"
"What the hell?" Sanji asked.
"What's this! Old friends meeting and you don't say hi!" Mr. Two called out.
"Who's friends with you? You're and enemy," Luffy pointed out.
"WAAAH!" Mr. Two called out. "THAT TIME WAS MY MISTAKE!"
"Hmph! Forget it…That's in the past. Let's forget about it!" He said.
"Move," Zoro order as he walked up the steps on the ship to board it. I was right at his heels, glaring at the okama.
"Ah, sorry," He said. "Baroque Works disbanded, we are not enemies anymore!"
Once on board I waddled over to the mast, sitting down next to it as I glared at the Okama's back.
"Even if you're not our enemy, I don't have to let you on board," Luffy pointed out as everyone else slowly boarded the ship one by one.
"Hn!" Bon huffed. "And this is what I get for doing you a favor. Think about it. If I didn't move this ship away, what would have happened to it?"
"It would probably have got confiscated by the Marines," Nami said as she boarded the ship.
"Not probably! Certainly! It nearly got taken away! You know what it's like around here. It's totally covered by the Marines. Understand me? Covered! Even a goose will have trouble escaping," Mr. Two exclaimed.
"Then you took the Going-Merry so the Marines wouldn't get it?" Luffy gasped and by now everyone was on the main deck of the ship.
"Really?" Usopp cried.
"Why?" Chopper joined in.
"Because we are…" Bon started to say, tears leaking out of his eyes. "Friends aren't we?"
Next thing I knew the four of them had linked arms and were dancing around the deck again. Major deja vu.
"You're really a good guy after all!" Luffy called out, kicking his legs.
"Is there anymore luggage?" Nami asked Sanji as he walked past me.
"No, that was the last one," Sanji replied, ignoring the idiots.
"So in short, it's because of the Marines that you aren't able to get away?" Zoro asked him suddenly. "That's why you came for help, right?"
"That's right!" Bon sobbed. "This is the time when enemies should get together to bust out of this situation!"
"WOOOO!" Chopper, Usopp and Luffy cheered.
"We thank you for the offer!" A lot of voices called out and for the first time I noticed that Bon's ship was behind us.
"WHO CARES ABOUT YOU ALL!" Zoro yelled.
"DAMN IT! JUST FIRE THE CANNON!" Luffy ordered.
We had gotten out of the river only to come face to face with a bunch of marine ships. They had been shooting some weird sort of harpoons at us that were now all imbedded in the ship. so much for a smooth get away.
"I WILL BOUNCE THEM BACK!" Luffy yelled. "DON'T JOKE AROUND ANYMORE!"
"IF ALL THESE METAL SPEARS BREAK THE HULL, THE SHIP WILL SINK IN NO TIME!" Zoro pointed out.
I hovered around Nami, walking circles around her. I couldn't do any long distance fighting, so the least I could do was protect the navigator while she directed our course.
"IT'S COMING!" She yelled.
"Bastards!" Luffy yelled.
"Guh!" Zoro grunted as he pulled out a sword.
"Eat this!" Bon howled.
"I must think of something!" Sanji gritted out.
At the same time all four of them deflected a harpoon that was aimed at the ship, sending them flying into the water.
"You all must think of something!" Nami yelled down at them from the front deck.
"Hey! I can't cover any more holes!" Chopper yelled.
"Protecting each side isn't very effective!" Bon pointed out.
"They have eight boats against us. It's unfair!" Luffy yelled. "If it's a hand to hand fight we could do it!"
"This is the Black Jail Troops' famous Black Spear," A voice from one of the Marine ships called out.
"You won't be able to break this formation, stupid!" Another voice joined in.
I blinked as I realized it was Jango and that pink haired ass that got Luffy in trouble at the Baratie. My nose crinkled in distaste as I flicked my tail, still watching over Nami.
"Hey! Hypnotizer! Aren't you a pirate too?" Luffy yelled at him.
"Who is the one on the left..?" Sanji muttered.
"We meet again… That bloody violent chef… And those guys! I will sink you all today!" Pinky called out. "I'm much stronger now!"
"Today I will show you all, I am not a monster," Jango said. "Come, look at this circle… Okay?"
BANG
I jumped as Usopp shot the cannon, successfully blowing up one ship. It then started to tilt over, taking out another marine ship with it.
'Two down!' I cheered.
"Usopp! You're great!" Luffy hailed him.
"Holy God…" Usopp mumbled as he stared at what he done. "Ah! That's right! It's all according to my calculations! Didn't expect that, did you!"
"Well done long nose!" Bon added. "Well done! Now sink those on the South! And let's rush towards that direction!"
"Mr. Bon Clay, bad news!" Two of Bon's men said.
"What is it?" He yelled.
"It's Black Cage!" They said.
"What does the mean?" Luffy asked.
"Black Cage Hina! She is the commander of the marines around here!" Bon panicked. "We better run! She's a tough one! What are you doing! Let's go! If we head south we still have a chance at getting away. If we go forwards we will sink!"
"You all just go which way you want!" Luffy replied. "We go this way!"
"BUT WHY!" He exclaimed.
"We have a meeting at 12 on the coast," Nami sighed next to me. "We have no time left. We must go."
"Hey! Really troublesome…" Bon huffed. "Is there any treasure there worth waiting for? Just go and die for all I care!"
"We are going there to pick up our friend!" Luffy replied confidently.
"Mr. Bon Clay?" His crew cried when he posed instead of running away.
"If we run away now, we're not worthy of being Okama!" He called out to his crew, crying yet again. "If we're not able to sacrifice ourselves to help our friends…We can't rest in peace! Straw Hat Luffy and the rascals. Listen to me carefully."
"Three minutes!" Nami said as she we split off from Bon's ship, sailing off. "Go! Full speed ahead!"
We watched back at Bon's ship as they engaged Hina. They fought with all they had but their ship soon caught alight with flames and began to sink as everyone watched. My ears had dropped to the said as I stared silently back their way.
'Why would he do that for us… It wasn't his problem…' I mumbled to myself. 'Maybe he wasn't that bad after all…'
"BON BON!" Usopp, Luffy, Chopper, and Sanji called out. "WE… WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!"
I ran up to the back up the boat, placing my front feet on the railing. I then tilted my head back, letting out a sorrowful howl echo over the sea.
'Thank you Bon… You just may be a decent guy after all…' I thought to myself.
I threw my head into one of the marine's stomach, shoving them off the side of our boat. Without stopping I kicked back with my feet, nailing another on the groin.
It hadn't been long before marine ships had caught up to us and had tried to board us. We didn't stop sailing though; we just kept shoving them off as we sailed on.
I jumped up fully on the railing, running along it as I headed for another marine. I grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him over the side as well.
When I looked around I noticed that the ship next to us had begun sinking and Luffy called out, "GET LOST ALL OF YOU!"
'We need to hurry up!' I growled.
"Did you hear that?" Zoro said. "The speech right now, it's definitely Vivi's voice."
We had finally got away from the marine's and made it to our meeting point but there was no sign of Vivi. We did hear the end of a speech in Vivi's voice come over the speakers though.
"Vivi…" Chopper sighed, hanging off the rail.
'I wonder if she really is going to come…?' I sighed next to Chopper as I sat on the railing.
"It's the ceremony at Alubarna," Sanji point out. "Seems like she decided not to come…"
"It just sounds like Vivi, that's all," Luffy denied.
"Let's go…" Nami sighed finally. "It's almost 12 already."
"She will come! I know it!" Luffy argued causing me to frown. "She is definitely over there! Let's dock and look for her!"
"Hey! Bad news! The Marines caught up with us!" Usopp yelled from the back of the boat.
"How many are there?" Zoro asked.
"Let's sail now! Full speed ahead!" Nami cried out.
"Forget it Luffy," Sanji said. "She is different from the Vivi that was with us."
Luffy didn't reply, he only kept staring on the horizon. Everyone quickly snapped into action and got the ship ready to sail off again. I just sat quietly next to Luffy as he continued to stare out the front of the boat as it was turned around. Just as we were sailing off a voice called suddenly for our attention.
"EVERYONE!"
"VIVI!" Luffy called out as we all ran to the back of the boat. I took a short cut and just ran along the railing, balancing like a cat would. I was not scared of falling, the water had never hurt me. My claws clicked on the railing as they meet with the wood, my tail held about behind me to act as a stabilizer.
"CARUE?" Usopp yelped as well.
I quickly reached the back of the ship, still standing on the railing as I looked back to land. There was two figures on the edge of the shore now. They both waved cheerily from the shore, big smiles on their faces. It was Vivi and Carue. I let out several loud barks to greet them, my tail wagging as I threw my head up in the air.
"Look! She came!" Luffy yelled happily. "Let's turn back!"
"Vivi!" Sanji cooed.
"The Marines are closing in!" Zoro informed us.
"I CAME TO SAY GOODBYE!" Vivi yelled from the shore.
"What… Did you say..?" Luffy muttered.
Vivi quickly grabbed something and when she spoke this time it came out of the speakers.
"I… I CAN'T GO WITH YOU ALL! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! EVEN THOUGH I STILL WANT TO GO WITH YOU, RIGHT NOW, I REALLY LOVE THIS COUNTRY! SO, I CAN'T COME!" She called out to us.
"Really?" Luffy asked, actually smiling at her.
"I-" She started to say as she began to cry. "EVEN THOUGH I WANT TO STAY HERE… IF THERE IS ONE DAY WE MEET EACH OTHER AGAIN, WILL YOU TAKE ME AS YOUR FRIEND?"
"NO MATTER WHAT WE-" Luffy started to say but was cut off as Nami grabbed him and pulled him back. He turned to her in confusion, frowning.
"We shouldn't answer her!" Nami scolded him. "The Marine's already saw her. If they found out we're friends they will mark Vivi as a criminal."
All at once everyone turned away from Vivi, even I turned my head away from her but I stayed on the railing.
'Fucking marines…' I snarled quietly.
Then, at the same time everyone pulled down the bandages on their arms and flashed the X's we had drawn on ourselves. I just slipped my bandage down and left my paw resting on the railing, my eyes closed. Slowly I began to tilt my head back, letting out a long howl to farewell Vivi as well.
"AROOOOOOOOOOO…"
We had now lost another friend. Why did everyone have to leave in the end…?
I slowly stopped the howl, dropping my head back down to a normal level as I finally got a chance to think. I knew nothing of the future past this point in time… Would that matter? What if someone was going to die and I did not know about it? I felt more blind than a mole.
I sighed to myself, shaking my head again as I tried to calm myself down. Being back on the boat seemed to settle me down a bit. I finally felt somewhat safe and guarded. And it was about that time I noticed how tired I was. I hadn't slept for a few days so I lot of catching up to do.
I jumped off the railing, landing on the deck before trotting down the lower level of the ship. I then ambled up the mast, dropping myself to the ground next to it and curling up in a ball.
In less than three seconds my mind slipped off into a tired dreamless sleep that my body so badly needed.
"ENEMY ON BOARD! ENEMY ON BOARD!" Usopp's loud called had me springing straight up to my feet, my mind switching back on.
"AHHH!" Chopper yelled. "Who is she?"
My head shot around for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on. Then, my eyes landed on Miss All Sunday.
'How the hell did she get on the boat?' I yelped, slipping into an attack position. I was not the only one, Zoro and Nami had also pulled out their weapons and aimed them towards the stowaway.
"What…?" Luffy asked calmly. "It's you! You're not dead?"
"Don't point these dangerous things at me," She said calmly as hands appeared on Zoro, Nami, and I. They slapped the weapons out of their grip and a hand wrapped it's around my muzzle. I snarled in protest, throwing my head up to try and get it off. "Didn't I tell you that before?"
"When did you board the ship?" Nami yelled at her.
When I stopped struggling the hand around my muzzle disappeared, allowing me to breathe properly again as I glared at her. Bitch had just tried to strangle me!
"I was here the whole time in the cabin reading a book and taking a bath," She said. "These clothes, are they yours? Lend them to me."
"What are you doing!" Nami raged.
"Monkey D. Luffy," Robin addressed our captain. "You didn't forget what you said did you?"
"Ahhh! Hey Luffy! What did you say to this beautiful lady!" Sanji yelled as he grabbed Luffy and shook him. While all this drama was going on I quickly slipped over to Zoro's side. He seemed to be the calmest about this; he'd know what to do.
"Hey! Don't lie!" Luffy objected as Ms. Sunday walked across the deck and pulled something out of a cupboard. "I didn't say anything to you!"
"No… I remember it Clearly," Miss All Sunday said as she set up a beach chair she had pulled out before laying down on it. "You better take responsibility."
"She… Who…?" Chopper mumbled on confusion, having never seen her before now.
"Leave quickly! I'm calling the Marines!" Usopp called out from behind the mast which he had hidden himself behind.
"You're really weird," Luffy said. "What do you want?"
"Let me join your crew," She replied.
"EH!" Everyone other than Zoro, Chopper, and myself yelled.
"It's you who made me go on when I wanted to die," She said. "That's all your fault. I have nowhere else to go. So, let me stay on this ship."
"Oh," Luffy said. "If it's like that, then there is nothing I can do. It's okay."
"LUFFY!" Nami, Zoro, and Usopp yelled while Sanji danced around happily in the background. I huffed, trying to figure out if Luffy was thinking this through or not. We don't even know this woman. Urgh, why did I not keep up with this anime? I should not have only watched the start.
"Don't worry," Luffy laughed. "She's not as bad as you all think!"
"I began as an archaeologist at the age of 8," Robin said. "Then I had a bounty put on my head."
"Archeologist?" Usopp questioned her. Usopp had taken it upon himself to pull out a table and question Robin. He seemed to be trying to act like an interrogator but he was not doing a good job. If anything, he was amusing Ms. All Sunday.
"It's my family's tradition," Robin replied "So for the next 20 years I was chased by the government. Being just a child I couldn't survive out on the sea alone… That's why I've been with various villains to protect myself. That's why I am good at stealthy things."
I was curled back up next to the mast again, my eyes closed as I listened with Zoro sitting next to me. I did not want to get involved with this woman, but I was staying close at hand in case she turned on us.
"Hmm, you are pretty confident." Usopp noted. "What sort of stealthy things?"
"Assassinations," She answered simply.
"Luffy! According to my investigation I came to the conclusion that this woman is too dangerous!" Usopp cried out, tears streaming out of his eyes. An annoyed sighed made it's way out of my chest before I realized it and when I did, I frowned.
'Why am I such a grumpy bitch these days…?' I grumbled, my brows furrowing.
I heard Luffy and Chopper laugh in the background causing me to smirk slightly from the sound. It was good to hear them happy again. Alabasta took a toll on ALL of us, not just me. This boat truly was our home and safe haven, the members of the crew were the family… A demented and strange family, but a family nonetheless.
"Are you even listening!" Usopp yelled at the captain.
"Really, they are useless," I heard Nami sigh. "I still remember you used to be the vice president of an evil organization. You were Crocodile's partner. You can fool Luffy, but you won't fool me. If I see anything suspicious, I'll get rid of you!"
"Hehe… Okay, I remember that," Robin laughed. "In that case I'll keep these jewels for myself."
I heard a rush of footsteps as Nami ran up to Robin, "Waa! I really like you miss!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Usopp and Zoro said at the same time as Zoro stood up, walking away from me. I crackled open one eye, watching him and Usopp closely.
"Nami got bribed by her!" Usopp muttered.
"So underhanded," Zoro agreed.
"Ah! It's love!" A heard Sanji call out as he danced across the deck. "Flowing love, I am nothing but a blackened log drifting on the current of the river! Struck by lightning commanded by you which sent me into a river, ever flowing down a waterfall. Here is a snack."
"Ah, Thank you," Robin said.
"Did he really just do that?" Zoro sweat dropped.
"Yeah, but he's that kind of guy," Usopp sighed.
I lazily opened up my other eye, lifting up my head in a jaded manner. It was only us three left against Robin.
"It seems we are the castle," Zoro stated as he crossed his arms.
"Those guys really need someone to take care of them," Usopp agreed.
"Usopp!" Luffy called out.
"Huh?" He said, turning around.
"Chopper!" Luffy called as two of Robin's hands stuck out of his head to make his seem like he had antlers.
Next thing I knew Usopp was rolling on the ground laughing with Chopper and Luffy.
'Blah, why are they so noisy?...Oh right, I'm meant to cut down on the bitchiness,' I sighed as I stood up and followed Zoro across the deck with silent movements. He walked up to the front of the ship where Robin retreated to. He leant against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest as he sent her a look. I jumped onto the railing next him, finally taking a good look at Robin. She looked rather emotionless, to put it in one word: puppet. That's what she was. A puppet controlled by the strings of fate until she decided to break free.
"This is not bad," Robin commented. "Are they always this cheerful?"
Zoro and I shared a look before he replied, "Yeah, they're always like that."
"Really?" She laughed, flashing a smile.
I saw Zoro send her another look before he stood up again and wandered off, leaving me alone with her. I sat where I was because I was not done evaluating her, so I didn't take my eyes off her. There was just something about her attitude that I couldn't understand but I wanted so badly to. It was a mystery. All her emotions she was showing were fake. They were as fake and as plastic tits on a man. What I couldn't figure out was what was behind that mask. Was it dangerous?
"Aren't you a cute dog," Robin commented, smiling at me.
I tilted my head to the side, scrunching up my muzzle.
'Bleh… Cute? Of all the words… DAMN IT! More damn bitchy comments out of my mouth!' I mixture of emotions flittered across my face before I snapped myself out of it.
I smoothly jumped off the railing, trotting towards Robin as she watched me. I circled around her once, scrutinizing every inch of her for anything that shouldn't be there, like weapons. Robin stayed still, permitting my actions. When I was satisfied she'd passed my test I dipped my head in farewell before ambling off.
If Luffy said she was a member of the crew, then she was. If she was in trouble then I would defend her, but that didn't mean I couldn't be suspicious of her motives. A puppet never dances by itself…
"Miss Navigator… Is the log pose okay?" Robin called out.
"Straight forward to the northwest, don't worry Robin," Nami replied sweetly.
"You must have kept those jewels…" Usopp snorted at Nami.
"Sanji! Where is my snack!" Luffy cried out.
"Wait a second!" Sanji yelled back.
I was laying on the railing next to Zoro and he lifted his weights and up down, my eyes following the motion. Now that I had a good nap my stupid mind was restless again. Could it not learn to shut up for a few minutes?
"Nami, will the next island we're going to have snow?" Luffy asked from the other side of the ship.
"You want snow again?" Nami asked.
"The records in Alubarna said it was an autumn island," Robin decided to add.
"I like autumn too!" Luffy chirped.
"Hmm?" Zoro muttered as something fell from the sky and hit the deck. "Is it raining?"
I glanced around the deck as more flakes of something fell to the deck. Brown snow?
"It's not rain…" Sanji commented.
"Is it hail?" Usopp mumbled.
I glanced up at the sky and everything around me seemed to stop. My eyes just about bulged out of my head as I laid there gaping.
"No, something is falling from… The sky," Luffy finished as he gaped as well.
"A huge galleon?" Nami gasped.
"AAHHH!" Usopp and Chopper yelled.
"Why…" Sanji started to say but he was cut short at the huge falling ship hit the water, sending the Going-Merry spinning.
"WAAAH!" Everyone screamed as they went flying into the air. I yelped as I was thrown off the railing and up into the air, flipping over onto my back. Everything else seem to fly around me as I squeezed my eyes close. Maybe perching on railings like a bird was not my smartest idea. Before I got too far something grabbed my bandana, choking me as I was stopped. I gagged while I was pulled back in towards Zoro who had got a hold of the railing. I collided with his chest and he used his spare arm to hold me there.
"Everyone grab hold of the ship!" Zoro yelled.
"What's going on?" Nami screamed as she grabbed the mast.
"It's a dream! It must be a nightmare!" Usopp said and without meaning to my whole body shuddered against Zoro and the mention of nightmares. He didn't seem to notice though because of how much the boat was rocking.
'This is a nightmare!' I gasped breathlessly, my heart beat fluttering in my chest. 'No, it's not. It can't be. No...'
"Nightmare?" Chopper gaped causing me to flinch again. "What a relief!"
"There's still more falling! Be on guard everyone!" Sanji called out.
"Turn around! Turn around!" Nami shrieked.
"How can we do that with these waves!" Zoro yelled back.
"Luffy! Protect the ship! It can't take anymore!" Sanji ordered.
"Okay!" He replied. "Huh? Usopp?"
"Don't worry! Just pray like me, close your eyes and then slowly raise your head and open them," Usopp said as he knelt on the deck on clasped his hands together. "See, it's just a peaceful morning… AHH! IT'S A SKELETON!"
"IDIOT! DON'T THROW IT OVER HERE!" Nami yelled as he threw the skeleton at her.
"There's more coming!" Zoro yelled.
I pressed myself against him, tucking my head in against his chest as the rest of the items falling from the sky rained upon the deck. I felt bits of wood smack into my back and I heard a few hit Zoro as well. I hoped he and the others would be okay.
Suddenly things slowly seem to calm down and the ship stopped rocking. Zoro slowly straightened up, letting go of me as I slipped back down onto the deck. I pulled my head back, blinking owlishly as I looked up at him. I felt at bit stupid that he had to protect me that time. Usually I was protecting others.
"You okay?" He asked me as he looked around to see if anything else was coming.
'Mhmm,' I mumbled in embarrassment, nodding my head so that he got the point. He said nothing else as he stood back up, making his way back to the lower deck. I followed along behind him, my eyes flicking over the deck to see if the ship falling from the sky had cause any damage.
"Why did a ship fall from the sky?" Luffy asked as everyone gathered on the deck and looked up.
"Too weird…" Sanji commented as he frowned.
"There's nothing up there…" Zoro added.
"Wha?" Nami yelped suddenly.
"What's wrong Nami?" Sanji asked automatically
"What do we do now! The log post… It's broken! It's pointing up and not moving around." Nami explained.
'Up?' I asked in confusion.
"That's not right," Robin interrupted. "There's another magnetic field. It's changing the direction of the post. If it's pointing up it means it must have locked onto a sky island!"
"What is that?" Usopp asked in worry.
"Can an island really float?" Luffy questioned, seemingly excited.
"Did the ship and skeleton really fall from there?" Usopp gawked.
"There's nothing that looks like an island," Zoro pointed out.
"No… It's more like… A floating sea," Robin tried to explain.
"Sea?" Nami exclaimed.
"That's even more confusing," Zoro sighed.
"WAAAH!" Usopp and Luffy yelped.
"Is there really and island floating on top of a floating see?" Luffy asked. "Alright, let's go!"
'Wait, wait, wait!' I protested even though he couldn't hear me. 'Think about this! Did you see the state of the ship that just came from there!'
"Everyone! Upwards we go!" Usopp joined in. "Full speed ahead!"
"GAH!" Luffy choked as arms sprouted out of his chest and gagged him by slapping themselves over his mouth. I sent Robin an approving look. She learns fast.
"It's impossible for a ship to go up, captain," Sanji pointed out, trying to bring Luffy back down to Earth.
"To tell you the truth, I've never seen a Sky Island," Robin admitted. "I don't know much about them."
"That's right!" Nami agreed with Sanji. "It's impossible for there to be floating islands and seas! The log pose is just broken, that's it."
"No, Miss Navigator," Robin disagreed. "What you should worry about right now is not the log pose. But how to get up there."
I noticed that Luffy and Usopp had slipped off at some stage, making me suspicious of what they were doing. I wandered up to the back of the boat again, watching as Usopp and Luffy jumped around on the half sunken boat.
'How and when…' I sighed.
"What are those two doing now…?" Zoro asked.
"Searching they said…" Chopper replied as I jumped up onto the railing next to them. Not long after they moved back to the lower deck to open a coffin that Luffy brought back quickly before going back to the other ship. I laid down on the railing, content to watch over Luffy and Usopp rather then get involved in more conversations where only one person could hear me.
After a few minutes the ship seemed to suddenly start sinking under the water, leaving Usopp and Luffy to flail around in the water. I bolted up, my eyes going wide.
'For Gods sake!' I swore and without thinking I closed my eyes and dove off the side of the boat.
I plunged under the cold water, air bubbles bursting all around me as I was swallowed by the water. I ignored the weightless feeling that came over me, pumping my legs to swim a few stroke under water. I then headed for the surface, popping my head up out of the water. I looked around, zeroing in on Luffy and Usopp before I paddling quickly over to them.
"Luffy! Hang on!" Usopp cried out.
I swam up to them quickly grabbing Luffy's shirt and dragging towards my back. Usopp seemed to quickly get the idea and helped me put Luffy on my back. I notice Luffy's hat slip off of his head, half sinking into the sea.
"Ahh… My… Hat," Luffy mumbled, all his energy being sapped from him while he was in the sea.
'Got it,' I sighed, reaching out and snagging the hat between my teeth, being careful to put any holes through it. 'Happy now Captain?'
Once I was sure he was on properly with Usopp's help, I began to paddle back towards the boat. Having dead weight on your back was not an easy thing to manage to swim with, but I was doing okay. Usopp swam next to me to help in case Luffy slipped off, but we both made it back to the boat easily. With some help from Zoro and Sanji we were all pulled back aboard the boat, Luffy first.
I was the last one to be pulled aboard, Zoro just leant over the side of the boat, snagging onto my scruff to heave me out of the water. I felt like a bag of luggage as I hung above the deck, legs curled against my chest as Zoro held me up. It was trained into a dog's body, that when picked up we go limp. It's how the mothers managed to carry puppies without dropping them. Zoro then put me back down, my wet fur clinging to my sides. I shivered, feeling like a wet rat.
I walked over to Luffy who was sitting up now and dumped his hat in his lap. He quickly picked it up, stuffing it back on his head.
"Thanks Mamori!" He said, smiling at me.
'Mhmm, no problem,' I replied, knowing he couldn't hear me. Wasn't the first sign of madness talking to yourself? Oh hell, I've gone way past that point. And isn't the second one arguing with yourself… Oh, I'm buggered.
"Hey everyone!" Luffy said when he finally managed to stand up, holding out a map in front of him. "Look what I got! I found something really cool! Look at this!
"A map of Sky Island!" Nami exclaimed as she took it off Luffy to have a look. "Skypiea…"
"Does this mean there really is an island up there?" Luffy asked. "Alright Usopp! Chopper! There is a Sky Island! Let's go for it!"
"Don't get so worked up, it's just a possibility," Nami interrupted. "There are too many fake maps out there!"
I had to snicker mentally at the looks of disappointment Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy sent Nami.
"Ah… Sorry!" Nami yelped, waving her hands.
"There is. There is. There must be one…" They all moaned.
"All I wanted to say is I don't know how to get there!" Nami yelled frustration as she swung around and punched the mast.
"Ah! Nami! Easy on the ship!" Usopp yelped.
"You're a navigator right? Think of something!" Luffy yelled at Nami.
"There is something called impossible!" She spat back.
"I don't care!" Luffy pouted. "I wanna go up there!"
"Nami is so cute when she is angry," Sanji cooed.
I shook my head at the crews antics, my muzzle pulled back in a smirk. Some things never change.
"We just can't…We can't go anymore," Nami sighed, Luffy twitching on the floor next to her from when she hit him. "The log post stays pointing up. What we need now is information like Robin said. If it's possible for such a big ship to get up there, it must be possible for us too. We must get our hands on that ship router!"
"But it's totally sunk now…" Usopp pointed out.
"If it's sunk, then we will just have to salvage it!" Nami declared.
"ALRIGHT!" Luffy and Usopp cheered.
"Is that even possible!" Zoro yelled.
"What is salvage?" Chopper asked Robin.
"It means to pull up a sunken ship, but one that too big for us…" She explained.
"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed from inside his barrel suit. "Not bad at all, just one thing… Are you sure this is going to work?"
Usopp had come up with the idea to make suits out of barrels so that they could go underwater and get things off the boat that was under water. Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy had gotten picked for the job. There was no way I was doing it; I'd probably get really claustrophobic.
"It's up to you now," Nami said with a smile.
"Don't worry! My work is as good as perfection!" Usopp boasted.
"Good luck," Nami wished them as they jumped over the side of the boat. I jumped up onto the railing yet again, watching over the side where they disappeared into the water. A few bubbles rose from the sea and then it went still. My brows furrowed as I continued staring at it. I couldn't help them while they were down there, it unnerved me.
"This is Chopper, please reply!" Chopper spoke into the speakers that Usopp made for us to communicate with them.
"This is Luffy. There are so many monsters down here! Your turn!" Luffy's voice came out.
"Is this a giant sea snake's den!" Zoro asked.
"Sanji here. Whaa! I see it coming this way!" Sanji's voice said.
'Oh shit!' I swore, my eyes widening as the scanned the water neurotically. I had to bite down the urge to jump off the side of the boat to try and get to them. I'd be no use to them now.
"Okay," Nami said nonchalantly.
"What do you mean okay!" Usopp exclaimed.
"They'll be fine, so stop whining," She replied.
"Wheh! Thank God I didn't go," Usopp sighed.
"Sal~vage! Sal~vage! Sal~vage! Sal~vage!" A voice fluttered over the air, coming towards us. I tilted my head to the side, my eyes looking up from the sea.
'The hell….?' I questioned.
"What is that?" Usopp muttered, glancing around.
CLASH
CLASH
The sound of instruments smacking together also drifted towards us. A sound of a whistle came next, the high pitch sound causing me to press my ears flat back against my skull. The hair on the back of my neck stood up when I noticed that a huge ship was floating towards us.
"All crew! Stop the ship!" A voice called out from a huge Monkey ship.
"Aye-Aye sir!" The crew called out.
"Is this the location of the sunken ship?" The leader asked.
"Aye-Aye Sir! Boss!" The crew answered again.
"Boss?" The leader asked again as he came into view. He was a huge ape in clothing from what I could see. "In other words, that's me! Prepare to salvage! The ship is mine!"
"Oke! Ook! Oke!" The crew chanted back.
"Of all times, why must it be now that these weirdos come out…" Nami sweat-dropped.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" The captain asked when he finally noticed us. "This is my territory."
"Territory?" Nami asked.
"That's right. Every sunken ship around here is mine," He replied seriously. "You didn't mess with my stuff right? So…?"
I frowned, standing up and walking along the railing. I was the first line of defense while the others were under the water. If the ship decided to attack it would hard to defend against all of them, but that would not stop me. I flashed my teeth at the monkey's ship, pacing back and forth along the railing so that I was walking protectively in front of the others. Every few seconds I swished my tail, glaring at the monkey man.
"Looks like he wants to salvage it too," Robin pointed out.
"Hmm, that's what he said," Usopp agreed, ducking down behind the railing to hide.
"So what?" Nami asked, not at all fazed. "This is our chance."
"Stop blabbering!" Mr. Ape yelled. "Answer my question now! Oke oook okeee!"
"Mamori, would you stop it?" Nami hissed as I stalked in front of her, before she turned back to the monkey and raising her hand. "Sorry, can I ask you a question?"
With a frown I dropped to my butt on the railing next to Chopper, sighing unhappily. It wouldn't be my fault if they attacked suddenly and she got hurt.
"You have something to ask me?" The monkey yelped. "Alright, go ahead."
"Where did you come from and are you going to scrape a ship up here?" Nami questioned.
"Scrape!" He called out. "Hey, so I look like a complete monkey?"
"Like a monkey?" Nami queried.
"Like a real man? Do you really think so?" He said, smiling vainly.
"Huh?" Nami muttered. "But I didn't…"
"Haha! Thanks for noticing!" He interrupted.
"So? Are you guys here to salvage?" Usopp asked.
"Of course I'm here to salvage it!" He yelled back. "I'm a man who will salvage every single ship that sinks! I don't care how wide or long the ship is. There isn't a single ship we can't salvage."
"So… Can we watch you do it?" She asked.
"Huh?" He said. "Ah! I see! You guys have never seen it done before! Alright, just watch how we do it!"
"Boss!" One of his crew called out suddenly. "Big trouble! Our crew that went under with the hook…"
"Was it a sea monster?" The monkey guessed.
"No! It seems he was punched by someone!" His crew mate informed him.
"What!" Mr. Ape roared and I jumped up to my feet, getting ready for anything to happen. "Someone else is down there! Sooo… HEY YOU!"
"Ack!" Usopp yelped as he jumped.
"Er, this is…" Nami stuttered, holding up her hands.
"It looks like there is someone down there," He told us. "Be careful!"
I blinked owlishly, my temper going straight down as my fur settled back down.
'Idiot…' I gaped.
"SECURE THE HOOK!" He ordered his crew. "BEGIN SALVAGING!"
"AYE AYE SIR!" They replied dutifully.
Mr. Monkey then turned back to us, waving like a retard. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper waved back nervously. I frowned, sitting back down. I hated playing games like this, anything could go wrong at any time and I wasn't exactly a master actor.
"Hey crew, listen up," I heard him say quietly to his crew while keeping a straight face. It was hard to hear him so I narrowed my in suspicion as my dog hearing came in handy. "Just pretend that those people are pumpkins. Just because there is someone, don't… DON'T BE SO NERVOUS!"
"YEE… YEEEAH!" His crew called out.
I had to blink yet again, my confusion about them doubling. Were they really that stupid or was this an act?
"It seems they have a little pride," Usopp pointed out.
"They probably want to show off to us," Nami shrugged.
"Be careful of the mystery enemy," Mr. Ape told his crew member as more of them jumped over the side, diving under that water.
"What is that mon… Monkey for?" Usopp asked nervously as he tried to keep them distracted. The monkey he was talking about was the figure at the front of the ship. It was a monkey that had to music symbols in its hands.
"Oh? This?" Mr. Ape hummed. "Oke, oke. You've got sharp eyes! This monkey isn't just an ordinary decorative statue. BARCO HUNTER! FORWARD!"
"YES CAPTAIN!" His crew chanted as the monkey suddenly began to extend forward on strings. When it got far enough away from the boat it dropped off the front of the ship, diving into the water.
"WHA!" Usopp yelped.
'I hope that isn't dangerous…' I muttered, thinking about our guys that were still under the water.
"WOW! THAT'S GREAT!" Chopper called out.
"REALLY GREAT!" Usopp agreed.
"What are you talking about…?" Nami sighed.
"ALRIGHT! START BLOWING!" The ape called out after a few seconds.
"YES SIR!" Was the chorus he received.
"No way…" Nami gasped. "They're trying to blow air into it and lift the ship that way? That's impossible."
The ape grabbed a long tube that connected to the monkey before taking a deep breath. He then blew into the ship, a huge lump forming in the hose as it travelled down into the ship. Several members of the crew also did the same as we watched.
"NOW! START PUSHING!" He ordered as the men ran over to a machine that when pushed, pulled up the ropes.
"YES SIR!"
"ADD MORE AIR!" Mr. Ape directed. "HURRY UP!"
"GYAHHH!" A scream came out of the speaker connected to the men under water.
"Sir! The crew underwater!" One of his men began.
"What!" He yelled. "What happened to my crew!"
"There is someone inside the ship!" The speaker said again. "WAAAH!"
"HOW DARE THEY ATTACK MY CREW!" The ape screamed. "WHO ARE THEY!"
"CAPTAIN! HELP… GYAAH!" Then men under water screamed.
"AHH! I'M COMING DOWN!" He cried. "Continue to work on pulling the ship!"
With that said he jumped over the side of the boat without a suit or anything. I watched anxiously, my tail swishing behind me. I couldn't exactly go help the others… I hope they were okay.
"AHHH!" Nami suddenly yelped and I watched them curiously as all three of the others went deathly pale. "THERE IS SOMETHING UNDER THE BOAT!"
"Y…Ye…YES!" Usopp agreed as I leaned over the side of the ship to see what they talking about. "It's right under the boat!"
My eyes doubled in size when I noticed that there was a huge shadow under the boat.
'What the shit..!' I gasped.
Beta read by praeses