Sorry for the slow update guys! To make up for it, this chapter is extra long! It's over 10,000 words long. Again, thanks to all my reviewers. :) Enjoy!
"Dysbarism*?" Zoro asked as he leant back against the wall in the old man's house. I was sitting on a box on the other side of the room; silently watching at Chopper treated Mr. Chestnut.
"Ah, you mean he's sick?" Luffy concluded.
"Yes, its various symptoms divers experience sometimes," Chopper explained as he put a wet cloth on the man's forehead. "But it's not a long term illness and should pass. It happens on a diver's descent, when excess nitrogen enters the body's blood and tissue. Then, on the ascent, the chemicals diffuse out in the form of bubbles, causing various symptoms."
"Yeah, weird sick stuff," Luffy said as he leant out of the closest window.
"He must have been diving every day and not letting the bubbles dissolve properly," Chopper continued.
"Why would he?" Nami questioned in confusion.
"I don't know why, but it's very dangerous," He responded. "In some cases it can be lethal."
BANG
"BOSS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Two loud voices screamed as the door was smashed open. I jumped up in the air like a frightened cat, spinning around and aiming for the sick man's bed. I landed on the edge of his bed, facing the two idiotic monkeys whom had just about smashed down the house.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds as everyone stared at each other, no one moving.
"AHHHH!" Usopp suddenly screamed, throwing his arms up in the air. "THEY'RE HERE TO KILL US!"
"AHHH!" Chopper joined in the screaming as he ran for it.
'Oh hell!' I growled mentally. 'I didn't realize I'd need have to have a banana ready this early…'
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Mr. Vain yelled at us.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE BOSS!" The Ape ragged, throwing his fists up.
"We are taking care of him, so leave us alone!" Luffy answered rather calmly.
"THEY WON'T LISTEN! THEY ARE BEASTS! EVERYONE, ESCAPE THROUGH THE WINDOW!" Usopp panicked.
"THEY'RE SUCH GREAT GUYS!" Both apes called out, tears running down their face.
'They listened….' I gaped, blinking owlishly at their sudden attitude change.
"Do you two live out here too?"
"Actually our boss's home is also the headquarters of the 'United Primate Armed Forces'," Mr. Ape said to Luffy who was sitting on the table outside. The two apes were sitting the chairs and talking to him like they were all long lost friends. Usopp and Zoro had stationed themselves either side of the door.
I had gone outside as well to get out of everyone's road and to calm my social phobia that come on due to being in such a small space with so many people. I almost went to go sprawl myself over Zoro's legs, but I had to hold myself back when I remembered that he knew I was not a proper dog. I was not sure if I would ever do that to any of them again…
Instead I had ambled to a random patch of grass, flopping to the ground on my side.
"This house is too small for us," Mr. Orangutan laughed. "Whohohoho!"
"You two are big, but compared to the giants you're like ear wax next to them," Luffy chuckled.
"How can they get along so well?" Usopp sweat-dropped.
"They're just simple minded," Zoro sighed and I couldn't stop the smirk that slipped onto my muzzle.
"Even so, you are so small and yet you can send this guy flying with a kick. Such an impressive feat!" Mr. Vain laughed, patting his friend on the back.
"You could do it too," Luffy informed him.
"Huh?" He muttered. "Really?"
"Yup!" Luffy smiled just as Chopper opened the door and walked out.
"Luffy! He's awake!" Chopper said, waving one of his arms.
BAM
I heard the sound of fleshing hitting flesh and my head shot up in time to see Mr. Ape flying off in the distances thanks to a kick from his friend.
"Oh! He really flew!" The Orangutan said in a surprised manner.
"He's awake?" Luffy asked Chopper, completely ignoring the two monkeys.
'Well… That's just fucked…' I muttered, staring at where I last saw the big ape. 'I don't think he is a boomerang…So how is he going to come back? Is he even going to come back?'
I watched quietly as everyone else but the other monkey made their way inside, but I didn't feel like moving from my comfortable spot in the sun. I wasn't really fussed about learning what conversation went on in there. This is Luffy we are talking about. If he wants to go to Sky Island, he'll find a way come hell or high water. So, I was better off not worrying about it and just going with the flow. That way, I didn't start panicking about anything until the last second when it started happening. Then I would freak the fuck out.
It was not long before I heard a huge splash from the water and I looked up to see someone heaving themselves back onto land.
"SHOOOUUJOUUU!" The angry ape screamed, throwing his fists up in the air. "YOU KICKED ME! THAT MUST MEAN YOU ARE PREPARED FOR WHAT I'M GOING TO DO!"
'Well hey… He may be part boomerang after all,' I sighed, rolling over onto my stomach to see what would happen.
"Oooh!" Mr. Vain cried, pumping his fist. "You are very good at finding excuses to piss me off Masira! Don't test my fury!"
Next thing I knew the two were wrestling each other, sticking fingers up each other noses and shoving their faces into the dirt. I watched, my ears flickering back and forth at their stupidity. They were worse than the people I call my friends.
After a few minutes of their stupid wrestling they finally stopped when their Boss walked out of the house. They automatically straightened themselves up, dusting their pants off as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"Oh!" Mr. Ape called out in greeting. "Boss! How are you feeling?"
"Top shape," He said simply, walking up the edge of the island. "Now, listen up. Do you like them?"
"Why are you asking this?" Mr. Vain questioned as I watched them silently from my spot on the ground. Apparently it was easy to forget a dog, not that I didn't already know that or anything. It was sort of hard not to notice.
"They seem to want to go to Sky Island," Their boss said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"But there is only one way to reach Sky Island," Mr. Vain pointed out.
'Oh?' My ears perked up at this titbit of information. 'So there is a way to get there?'
"If they do it alone, they will die for sure, Boss!" Mr. Ape protested.
'Oh…' I muttered, my mood deflating.
"Well then… Should we… Give them a hand?"
"YEAH!" Both monkeys cheered, throwing up their arms.
'Luffy will be so pleased!' I smile happily.
Speak and the devil and he shall appear; it was at the moment the door to the house opened and a few of the others walked out. Cricket told Luffy to listen to him for a second and then Nami, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all got seated around the table to listen to him.
Zoro walked out behind them, not interested in sitting with the whole group. I heard his footsteps come towards me and I frowned in confusion. Why was he walking this way? I froze and tensed up when I he sat down beside me, holding my breath as I tried to figure it out.
He knew what I was now, right? So why the hell did he purposely come and sit next to me? It doesn't make sense!
I slowly turned my head around so that I could gape at him openly. He caught my look and turned his head around to stare back at me, raising an eyebrow. I saw his face twitch when I continued to gape like the idiot I was.
"What?" He asked gruffly, frowning at me.
'N-Nothing!' I yelped, ducking my head.
So... He didn't hate me? He didn't care? What the hell is wrong with these people! In some queer and selfish way, I couldn't help how happy I felt about that. I thought things would be awkward for ages afterwards but these guys never fail to surprise me. So… These guys are what one would call true friends?
I mentally did a happy dance at Zoro's niceness before I wiggled a bit, pressing myself up against Zoro's leg with a silent smirk.
"Oi! Don't get too clingy," He grumbled, but didn't push me away. He just muttered something under breath before crossing his arms and hanging his head. Within seconds he was asleep.
"Listen carefully!" Boss man called out, putting his hands on his hips as he stood before the others. "I'll tell you all I know about Sky Island. However, not everything I know can be proven true. It's up to you to decide whether to believe me or not."
"Yes, I believe you," Luffy answered straight away.
"Don't make the decision yet!" Usopp hissed, smacking Luffy over the back of the head.
"In some parts of the sea during the day," The man began to explain, waving his arm in the direction of the sea. "It would suddenly become dark as if it is nighttime."
"Oh! I've seen it!" Luffy called out in excitement, raising his hand. "I've seen that happen!"
"Yes! It suddenly became nighttime and monsters appeared," Usopp confirmed.
"For those giants, I have a few theories about where they came from. But I won't mention that right now," He continued. "In regards to the sudden arrival of night, it is caused by shadows cast by a very dense cloud."
"Nimbostratus?" Nami questioned. "Clouds like that don't cause the sky to turn completely black."
"Mister! You're so stupid!" Luffy rudely butted in. "Days with lots of clouds are just cloudy!"
"Yeah, just cloudy," Usopp agreed.
"Yah!" Chopper echoed. "Cloudy!"
"BE QUIET AND LISTEN!" The monkey's boss screamed at them all.
I snickered quietly to myself, surprised he had waited this long to yell. These guys were hard enough to stand at the best of times.
"Millennium cumulonimbus is the name for that piece of cloud," He got back to explaining it again. "It does not ascend nor rain. But when it appears in the sky, the sun light gets blocked completely. The daytime on the ground becomes nighttime. Some say that the millennium cumulonimbus has been in existence for millions of years, it won't change form and it continued to float around in the sky as if it was a cloud fossil."
"It won't produce precipitation even at great density? It's not possible…" Nami mumbled.
"It's up to you to believe me," He reminded her. "I didn't say you have to believe."
"So it's an impossible cloud?" Luffy asked.
"More or less," He sighed, crossing his arms. "It's something that still can't be explained."
"Luffy is so smart!" Chopper gasped, sparkles appearing around his face.
'Oi!' I twitched. 'Luffy better not start corrupting Chopper… He's way too naïve…'
"Listen! If sky Island does exist, it must be inside that cloud!" Mr. Boss said.
"Alright!" Luffy cried, springing up from the chair. "I got it! Let's go to that cloud! Zoro! Wake up!"
"Huh?" Zoro muttered, rubbing his face as he woke up. "It's morning?"
'Your sense of time is as bad as your sense of direction,' I deadpanned.
"Everyone! Man your posts!" Usopp yelled, pumping his fists. "Turn the ship toward the cloud in the sky! Thanks for telling us those thing mister!"
"We don't know how to get there!" Nami screamed at them. "How many times do I need to tell you that!"
"'The current that shoots upward', if you can get on this current, you can get to the sky, understand?" He asked as everyone seated themselves again.
"You mean… The current blows the ship? Upwards?" Nami asked in disbelief.
"Really? We just need to get blown to the sky on of the cloud, huh?" Luffy laughed. "Hahaha!"
"Using a sea current?" Usopp asked, a slight bit of fear in his voice now.
'You know this is not going to end well, right?' I sighed. 'This shit never ends well when it involves you guys…'
"But then, I heard that the ship that gets blown into the sky will crash back down into the sea…" Nami question him. "I heard it in Mock Town."
"Normally this is the case," He confirmed. "The key here is timing. Firstly, you get blown into the sky, which sounds easy, but it is not as easy as one might think. Knock-Up Stream is actually a disaster. It's something people normally avoid."
Usopp visibly paled a bit at this new information.
"Why does the current blow upwards?" Nami asked. "We have never heard of that before…"
"The reason that monstrous current, this is just a just a theory because no one is dumb enough to rush in to investigate!" He lectured. "The theory is like this: In the bottom of the sea, there are some big caves. The cold water flows into the caves and then is heated up by the earth, creating a lot of water vapour that causes a very powerful pressure. The pressure creates an explosion at one point. This kind of explosion shoots sea water straight into the sky for about one minute."
"To be able to shoot water upwards for 1 minute… What kind of explosion is that!" Nami gasped.
"The location of the explosion is different each time, but the frequency appearance is about five times a month," Cricket said.
"…" Usopp was silent, horror written all over his face. "…We may crash down into pieces."
"Furthermore…Never mind," He sighed, turning his back on us. "Trying to use logic and words to describe such a grand natural event is just foolish."
"Then…In other words, the Sky Island needs to coincidentally be there…" Nami trailed off.
"Though these currents only happen 5 times a month!" Usopp reminded him, standing up and gaping.
"Yes," He confirmed bluntly. "If there is nothing on top… You will fall back down and everyone will become fish food. Even if you successfully enter the Millennium Cumulonimbus, if Sky Island does not exist, you will crash back down."
"In that case, we'll forget about Sky Island, right Luffy!" Usopp laughed nervously. "Hahah… So unfortunate, Luffy. This can't be helped! Only the luckiest among the luckiest amount the luckiest person… Can get up there!"
'That's not going to work Usopp,' I closed my eyes, the image of the ship falling and crashing to the sea, flashing behind my eyes. Sometimes I love Luffy… And other times I want to gag him and stuff him a closet.
"Don't worry! Let's just go!" Luffy chirped, smiling widely.
"Don't worry?" Usopp cried. "You mean you trust that kind of thing without proof? Just look at the Going-Merry's current condition! Like this, it's impossible to withstand such a giant disaster!"
"True! But even if that ship is new, it still can't handle the current," Mr. Boss pointed out.
"WHAT!" Usopp yelped in anger.
"Speed… Weight… Force… Judging from those points the shop will be blown to pieces by the current," He mumbled as he looked at the Going-Merry.
"But… Yeah! So it just can't be done!" Usopp sounded happy to have an excuse.
"However," He interrupted. "I can have Masira and Shoujou help you to solve this problem. But, we need to reinforce that ship's hardiness first of course!"
"OHHH!" The two monkeys yelled as they stuck their heads through the windows of the house. "YOU CAN COUNT ON US!"
"Thanks for your help!" Luffy called back, waving.
"Did you forget!" Nami started to pester Luffy. "We cannot stay any longer than one day! After that the log pose will start pointing to the next island!"
"Yeah! Yeah! There's no time!" Usopp agreed before turning back to Cricket. "Hey! Cricket! You can't predict the future, so you know when the Millennium Cumulonimbus will happen to be on top of the Knock-Up Stream, right? It'll probably be a few days, months, or even years, right?"
"It'll probably be tomorrow at noon! We need to start preparing if we want to go," He answered Usopp.
"WHAT!" Usopp yelled back, his eyes popping out. "It's not too late? DAMN!"
"If you don't really want to go, then don't," He shrugged.
"You… You're lying!" Usopp accused, pointing a finger at him.. "Come to think of it, we only met you today! Yet you are being so nice to us! Suspicious isn't it! Furthermore!"
'Oi, Usopp…' I frowned, wondering if I should get up and stop him. 'Now you're just being rude…'
"Hey, Usopp!" Luffy tried to interrupt.
"Shut up Luffy!" Usopp snapped. "You say that the best opportunity to reach an uncertain location like Sky Island just happens to be tomorrow! You even want to remodel out ship and help us sail there! These things are too perfect! What kind of sinister plan do you have hidden! You are the descendant of that 'Noland, the King of Liars'! You can't be trusted!"
'This has gone too far,' I grumbled, my eyes narrowed in Usopp's direction. 'He has the right to be suspicious, but that does not give him the right to say that sort of stuff to someone.'
It was then that the door of the house smashed open and three idiots stuck their head out.
"Boss!" Mr. Ape called out. "The meal is ready! Today's food is really special!"
"Nami~ Mamori~ The meal is served!" Sanji cooed.
"This guy is a really good cook!" Mr. Vain added. "I'm so edgy!"
"I told you, I'm a first rate cook!" Sanji said.
They all went silent when they noticed the tense atmosphere around the area with Usopp squaring up in front of Cricket.
"You wanna fight!" He asked, putting up his fist.
"In Masira's…" Cricket started to say as he walked towards Usopp. "In his territory, two days after the night-fall incident happens, the Millennium Cumulonimbus will appear in the sky to the South. Judging from the calendar, the current will also happen tomorrow. And this time it shall take place south of here, even though can't give you a 100% guarantee. Tomorrow will very likely be a perfect chance. I'm very happy to meet fearless idiots like you. Come, let's go eat! Just enjoy my hospitality in my home for today comrade."
A shocked look crossed Usopp's face as Cricket walked straight past his and towards the house. Usopp probably felt bad now.
"Hehehe!" Luffy laughed, before turning around and running towards the house. "Let's eat! Usopp! Hurry up!"
"Hey, Chopper. Go tell Robin to come too!" Nami told Chopper as the rest of them began to head towards the house.
I slowly heaved myself up and off my feet at the same time Zoro stood up. We then both turned around and headed to the house as well, leaving Nami to talk quickly to Usopp. I purposely ignored what they said, but I knew Nami must have said something encouraging when Usopp suddenly ran towards Cricket and latched onto his pants, bawling.
"CRICKET! I'M SO SORRY!" He sobbed.
"Wait!" He protested, trying to shake him off. "Don't wipe your nose on my pants!"
"Here you are my princess!" Sanji cooed as he placed a large plate of food before me. My eyes almost bugged out of my head at the sight of it. I was used to eating what was leftover, I was a dog after all. "I have unfortunately neglected your nutrition up to now! It's unforgivable! So for now on, you shall only get the best of the best!"
'Ah…' I mumbled, shocked by his over the top attitude. 'Thank you Sanji, that's very kind of you.'
"He does know he's talking to a dog, right?" Mr. Ape asked in the background. I didn't like the tone he used when he said that so I slowly turned my head around like a doll in the horror movies. My blue eyes narrowed in on him as I stared silently at him. I saw him sweat-drop at my look.
"She's not just a dog!" Luffy laughed. "She's a magic dog!"
'Wait… Since when?' I protested to myself.
"A magic dog?" Mr. Vain muttered.
"She's apparently a human in a dog's body," Nami explained to them.
"WHAT!" The two monkeys yelped, their eyes popping out as they looked at me.
'Hey! I ain't no side show fools!' I snapped, turning my head away from them in a snobbish way. 'Chopper, could you please tell them that it unnerves me whenever anyone stares at me like I'm some fucking attraction at a fair… Plus they're covered in more fur then me, so they're the animals here!'
"She says 'it unnerves me whenever anyone stares at me like I'm some fucking attraction at a fair… Plus they're covered in more fur then me, so they're the animals here!'," Chopper translated for me and I couldn't help but flinch at the way he said 'fucking'. There are some words that shouldn't come out of Chopper's mouth, and that was one of them. I needed to start watching my foul mouth around him.
"OI!" The two apes protested, diving at me at the same time. I yelped in shock at their sudden attack, jumping up from the ground as I skittered out of their way. They both smashed into the ground, splattering my food all over themselves as I backed up to a safe distance away. I should have seen that one coming.
"HEY! THAT WAS MAMORI'S FOOD!" Sanji snapped, slamming his foot down on the back of their heads.
'And this is why I probably don't have the right to talk,' I giggle mentally, trying to look innocently to the side. 'I have verbal vomit disease. Things come spewing out of my mouth before I get a chance to think about it.'
Sanji quickly got me some more food and handed out the food and drink to everyone else. The noise level in the small house was phenomenal and it had my ears ringing again. Usopp used his hot sauce trick on the two monkeys, causing them to go off on him. Zoro then got involved in a drinking contest with the two as Cricket tried to flirt with Nami. Sanji quickly took care of that problem.
They only quiet ones were Robin and myself who were sitting back against the wall and away from the others. I noticed she had a book in her hands which piqued my interest. I slipped around the others and walked up to Robin, sitting down next to her.
She sent me one of her fake smiles that meant nothing and I nodded my head in greeting. I was going to make it my mission to see if I could get a proper smile out of her one day. I wonder what it looked like…
Then I wiggled right up to her, trying to peek over her shoulder at the book she was reading. My eyes scanned over the pages and I noted that it was a log book. Robin just chuckled quietly at my behaviour and kept reading with me reading over her shoulder. Thank God she knew that I was a human or this may have been rather awkward.
"Hmm?" She paused when we both noticed some odd writing on the page.
"In the skull's right eye, gold is seen," And eerier voice said we both look up only to see Cricket's face directly in ours. I froze, blinking owlishly at his sudden appearance and his close proximity.
"Gold?" Nami asked from the background, her ears like radars for the magic word 'gold'.
"The page that has a teardrop on it is Noland's last words…" Cricket said as he stood up and took a long swig of his drink. "His sentence was carried out that day. I still don't understand what that passage means. The skulls right eye? Is that a city that was here before? Or is it hinting his death? It's all blank after that."
"That's why we need to go underwater!" Mr. Ape exclaimed.
"Day dreamed in the bottom of the sea!" Mr. Vain added.
A bit more time passed as everyone finished their meals and then Cricket decided he was going to start reading and acting out some of the logs from the log book.
"The diary entry on the 21/5/1122," He said, raising his hand to his ear. "'When we reached the Island, we heard a unique chirping sound from a mysterious bird in the forest and very, very loud ringing of bells. The sound from those gigantic beautiful bells made of gold can be heard from all corners of the sea, like a message delivering the city's glory in the old day. The change in civilizations throughout he ages in the endless oceans… Is for us who have lived but a few dozen years! A grand matter that leaves us speechless! For a while after that, we would always feel uneasy when we heard the bells!'"
"NOLAND!" Mr. Ape cheered loudly along with everyone else in the room. Only Robin and I weren't getting all into it, we just sat back and smiled upon them.
"He said there were gigantic and beautiful golden bells!" Nami gasped, her eyes turning into beli.
"Oh? So you like Noland after all Cricket?" Usopp asked.
"Take a look at this!" He said as he pulled out a three golden bells and placed it in front of himself as he sat down.
"WOW! GOLDEN BELLS!" Nami yelped, scooping one up and cuddling it.
"But how is this considered gigantic?" Usopp asked, confused by the small size of the bell.
"This is not the one mentioned in Noland's log. This is a bell shaped token. We found three in the seabed," He explained.
"So…The Golden City existed after all?" Luffy asked him.
"Not necessarily!" Mr. Vain burst Luffy's bubble. "Small amounts of gold like this is common in ruins."
"Regardless," Robin said as I turned my head to the side to watch her. She normally didn't talk much unless she had something interesting to say. "This proves that an ancient civilization lived in this area. Token were made to organize gold pieces into milligram units. Meaning they were used for trade, like coins."
"That's right," Cricket confirmed. "Also, the mysterious birds that make strange sounds... Masira!"
"Okay!" Mr. Ape replied, unwrapping a gold figure of a bird.
"Wow! There's more?" Luffy gasped.
"This one is much bigger," Zoro pointed out.
"This is the last of them," He explained. "Haha! 10 years and I only found these, really not worth it…"
"Wow… So pretty!" Nami admired the statue of the bird.
"What's this? A penguin?" Luffy muttered as he stared at it.
The gold itself held no interest to me, so I just sat back with Robin as they others all fawned over it.
"A bird holding a golden bell?" Sanji said. "Could this be the symbol of Jaya?"
"Not sure," He shrugged. "I believe that this is a part of some greater symbol… The bird is called the South Bird, they still exist on this island."
"Their chirping sounds weird, right?" Luffy asked and I had to choke down my shock. Luffy had just learnt something… The world is coming to end. They sky is going to fall! Oh, wait. We were going up to meet the sky… Is that a good sign or a bad sign?
"Yes, like they describe it in the diary," Cricket confirmed.
"Speaking of the South Bird, ever since long ago, the sailors…" Mr. Ape trailed off as a weird look passed over his and his friends faces.
"DAMN IT!" All three of them yelled at once, causing me to jump in alarm.
"This is bad!" Cricket panicked. "You should go to the forest quickly! Go to the forest south of here!"
"Huh? What are you saying? Are you stupid?" Luffy asked him.
"Catch one of these birds right away!" He order, pointing to the statue.
"What! Why!" Usopp yelped in confusion.
"Bird… For what?" Sanji questioned.
"Listen carefully, the Knock-Up Stream that exists directly south of here… How do you think you will get there?" Cricket questioned him.
"Just sail south," Luffy replied, calmly crossing his arms as if it was no big deal.
"No! This is the Grand Line!" Cricket reminded him. "Once you set sail, you lose all sense of direction!"
"OH!" Nami gasped. "That's right! Since our destination is not an Island, but part of the sea… The log pose will not work! Then, what do we do to ensure our direction?"
"That's why you need the bird," Cricket pointed out. "It is said that some animals contain some bio-compass that enhances their direction sense."
"I have heard that pigeons also have this ability," Nami said.
"So, Zoro, you are worse than some animal!" Luffy laughed at Zoro.
"And who are you to judge!" Zoro yelled back.
"Among those animals, the South Bird has the best sense of direction. No matter how far you move the bird, it'll always point to the right direction," Cricket explained. "In other words, you can't do anything without a bird like that! You won't be able to even try getting onto Sky Island!"
"AHH!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper yelped.
"HOW COME YOU MENTION IT JUST NOW!" Luffy protested.
"It's way past midnight! Yet we have to go to the forest!" Usopp yelled.
"Quit complaining," Cricket snorted. "There's no time! The three of us will enhance your crappy ship now. Come to think of it, this wasn't really time for a party…"
"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT EARLIER!"
"Waah!" Usopp cried, clinging to the back of Sanji's shirt. "It's pitch black!"
"Don't pull!" Sanji protested.
"I ate so much that it's hard to move," Chopper sighed.
"Hurry and catch one, I want to drink more," Zoro grumbled as he tromped along.
"Why did it turn out like this?" Nami complained, hugging herself.
'Exactly what I want to know,' I sighed to myself, walking along behind the others as we wandered through the forest. Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji all had nets to catch the bird if we saw one and the rest of us had to come to be spare eyes. Not that I was complaining, the dark forest just wasn't the best place to be at night. You could hardly see anything; only Chopper and I would hear or smell if something was coming.
"Damn. This kind of thing should be done during the daytime!" Usopp sobbed, letting go of Sanji.
"So… Where's the bird?" Luffy asked.
"If I know, we wouldn't have to all come," Zoro pointed out to him.
"The only clues we are it makes a strange chirping sound and looks like the golden bird statue," Sanji reminded us all.
"Is there really a weird bird like that?" Zoro asked, looking around the area.
"And 'strange chirping sounds' is too vague!" Usopp complained. "How can we tell?"
"Cricket said we'll know when we enter the forest," Sanji said.
"CHOH~"
My ears perked straight up at the strange call of a bird, my head snapping up as I tried to locate the exact source of the sound.
'It couldn't be…' I gasped. 'That's too easy!'
"AHH!" The others cried, all their heads cracking around to face the sound. "A STRANGE CHIRPING SOUND!"
"Alright!" Luffy called, lifting up his net. "Let's do it!"
"Three nets, so split up into three groups!" Sanji order.
My head turned in worry when the sound of screaming reached my ears, my eyes widening as my heart skipped a beat. The others were in trouble!
"I heard screaming…" Robin said to Zoro.
"Ignore them," Zoro ordered her as he cut down another giant centipede that was in our way.
'IGNORE THEM?' I yelped. 'But what if they are in trouble!'
"A centipede…" He observed as he put his sword back. "An annoyingly overgrown one!"
"Killing every one of them is probably bad…They are so pitiful…" Robin sighed.
"They attacked me first," Zoro shrugged. "By the way…I know you're hiding you're true intentions. I still don't trust you! Don't forget that."
I looked back and forth between both of them, my brows furrowed in worry. The last thing we need is the two of them fighting. But, although I didn't approve with Zoro's way of going about it, I still agreed with him. It was obvious that Robin's motives were not the same as ours at the moment, so she could not be fully trusted. But, at the same time I did not want to be cruel to her.
"Mamori," Zoro called as he started to walk off again.
'Coming,' I sighed, trotting loyally after him while glancing over my shoulder at Robin.
"Just so you know…" Robin began to say.
"What?" Zoro replied.
"The way you are heading is the way back," She informed us.
'Fuck,' I swore embarrassedly when I realized she was right. I needed to stop worrying about the others and pay more attention to what we were doing.
"CHOH~"
"The chirping sound," Robin mumbled.
'Where is it now!' I frowned, glancing around.
"Come, this way," She called as she started to walk off in the direction of the bird. "Be careful not to step on the slime."
"…Hey," Zoro protested. "Wait for me…"
"CHOH~"
"There is no end to this!" Zoro called out as we all squared off with odd looking bugs. "Why are you beetles fighting me! Get out of the way!"
My eyes were narrowed at the dozens of giant beetles that had surrounded us and attacked. As soon as they all jumped out into the open I had jumped straight in front of Robin while Zoro took care of a few of them. They were all as tall as Zoro and there were tons of them that had come from basically nowhere. Any attempt I had made to talk them down had fell on deaf ears as they just ignored me… Wait. Did bugs have ears?
"You actually think you can win! Huh?" Zoro called out to them, pointing at them.
Another of the bugs lunged at me, its fists raised as it tried to take a swing at me. I quickly jumped up in the air, jumping up and over the bug's swing so that it couldn't hit me. I then kicked my back feet out while in the air, nailing the bug in the jaw with a solid blow that knocked it back. It made a pathetic crying sound as it hit the ground that almost made me pity it. Almost.
"Just now, I heard the chirping sound," Robin said as I landed on the ground next to her.
'This is getting us nowhere!' I complained.
"We can hear but never see one," Zoro said as we all gathered back together after all failing to catch a South Bird. We all heard or seen the bird, but no one had actually managed to get ahold of one.
"We saw one, but the bugs were everywhere, there was no time to catch the bird!" Luffy grumbled as he sat on the tree root.
"I can't take it!" Usopp huffed. "We have eight people but can't catch one! You guys should try harder!"
"Speak for yourself," Sanji snorted at him.
"I don't have any more strength to run!" Nami complained.
'If everything in the forest was not against us, we wouldn't be having these problems,' I pointed out.
"CHOH~"
I visibly twitched as everyone looked up to see the bird sitting tauntingly in a tree above us.
I felt that niggling in the back of the mind, like when I had talked to Eyelashes or the Ducks. I slowly switched in as the bird taunted us, 'Did you catch anything? Dumb-ass!'
'Come down here and I'll tell you then!' I spat back at it. 'And I may just have a gift for you too if you come down! A good kick in the beak! Exactly what you wanted, right?'
"It said, 'Did you catch anything? Dumb-ass!'…" Chopper translated for the others.
"WHAT!" Luffy raged. "He showed up on purpose to say that! I will hit him down!"
"Choh?" The bird blink in confusion as two arms sprouted out of its side. The arms wrapped snuggly around its body as it was shoved off the tree by another of Robin's hands, thumping to the ground as everyone stood there sweat-dropping.
"As long as I can see it," Robin shrugged.
"CRICKET!"
"MASIRA!"
"SHOUJOU!"
Almost everyone cried out in shock when we got the house and saw what waited there for us. It had my blood running cold and my heart dropping in my chest. It looked like the other three were attacked while we were away and even the Going-Merry had been smashed up pretty bad. Their house had also been destroyed and all three of them were laying around in different places, blood and bruises all over them. How had I not heard this!
'WHO DID THIS! I WILL STRING THEM UP FROM A TREE BY THEIR JUGULAR!' I yelled, my eyes searching around to see if anyone was still here.
"Sorry…" Cricket gasped as Luffy and I ran up to him.
"Ahh! Mister! Hey, mister! You awake?" Luffy asked, kneeling down and lifting up his head.
"...Really…Sorry…" He panted as blood dribbled out of his mouth. "We tried to…Couldn't help…But…There is still time before dawn…We must enhance the ship…"
"Wait, mister!" Luffy protested. "Tell me what happened!"
"It's okay now…Don't worry about it!" He gritted out as he forced himself to sit up. I flittered around him, on the verge of freaking out. He looked badly injured and the fool was trying to get up! "It's alright now…More importantly…You guys…Caught a South Bird."
"LUFFY!" Nami's panicked voice called as she ran out of the house. "THE GOLD! IT'S GONE!"
Shocked looks crossed everyone's face at this new piece of information. Someone had done this all just for some gold! Fucking sons of a whoring cactus!
"…Ah... Hah," He tried to laugh it off. "Doesn't matter… Things like that should just be forgotten! You guys…"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'THINGS LIKE THAT'!" Usopp yelled at him. "YOU SPENT 10 YEARS AND EVEN LOST YOUR HEALTH TO FIND THOSE PIECES!"
"Shut up…" He sighed in reply. "It doesn't matter…It's my problem. Listen to me, with the entire United Primate Armed Forces, fixing and enhancing that ship is not a problem…We can have it done by dawn, it won't hinder your schedule. You guys…I will send you to the sky no matter what!"
'Would you just shut up and worry about yourself!' I snapped, my ears folded back in worry. He really looked like he'd kick the bucket any second.
"Cricket…" Usopp muttered.
"Hey, Luffy," Zoro called out for his attention, pointing his thumb at something painted on the wall.
"It's Bellamy's symbol!" Nami gasped when she recognized it.
'Who?' I mumbled.
"Want my help?" Zoro asked casually.
"I can do it alone," Luffy waved him off casually.
"No way, Luffy! Quit fooling around! We have less than 3 hours before dawn!" Nami protested.
Luffy turned to Robin and asked, "If I run along the beach, I can reach that city we were in, right?"
"Yes, you can," Robin confirmed without hesitation.
"Hey! Kid! Where are you going!" Cricket yelled as tried to get back up. "Don't butt into my business! You already know who…"
Cricket trailed off as I put my front two paws on his legs to hold him down and Zoro held his sword in front of Cricket so that he couldn't stop Luffy. I know Luffy well enough to know that when someone messes with his friends, they were not going to come out unscathed.
"If you want to stop him, you have to use this," Zoro said, referring to his sword he was holding out.
"I will be back before dawn," Luffy said in his scary voice as he started to walk off.
"What is he doing right now!" Nami yelled out, hands on her hips. "Ah! That idiot! It's already morning! He is already 46 minutes late! If this goes on we won't reach the Knock-Up Stream in time! It must be because he has to carry the heavy weight of the, that is why he is late. With his brain, he wouldn't know how to calculate how much time it takes to come back!"
'… Got anything else to add while you are at it?' I questioned, sweating dropping as I stared at a pissed off Nami. The ship had been fixed by now and the two monkeys and Cricket had been patched up. Now we were all just sitting outside and waiting for Luffy to get back.
"No, he probably never even had the notion of calculating time," Usopp sighed.
"Yeah, I'm 100% sure that is it," Sanji agreed.
"Could he have been beaten in the town?" Chopper mumbled in worry.
"If he lost the fight, I won't forgive him even if he came back!" Nami snapped, clenching her fist.
"What do you want him to do?" Zoro muttered.
"HEY!" Luffy's voice called out as we all turned to see him running along the shore towards us.
"It's that kid!" Mr. Ape exclaimed happily. "Great! He's finally back!"
"I DID IT!" Luffy yelled, holding up his arm.
"Luffy! Hurry! We are already behind schedule!" Nami reminded him.
"LOOK AT THIS!" He called out in excitement, waving his hand around in the air. "IT'S A HERCULES BUG!"
"WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU DOING!" Nami, Usopp, and Zoro screamed at him as their jaws dropped.
'You've got to be kidding,' I deadpanned.
"WOW! AMAZING!" Luffy yelled out as he dropped his arm and stopped in front of our pimped out ship.
"This is the Going-Merry Aero-mode!" Usopp declared, waving his arm at the ship that was now patched up. Along with that patch up job, the Going merry now also had a pair of wings, a tail and someone had dressed Merry's figure head up as a bird.
"IT LOOKS LIKE A TURKEY!" Luffy yelled, sparkles in his eyes.
"I THOUGHT SO TOO!" Usopp agreed, all hyped up now.
"I feel uneasy whenever I see that thing…" Nami sighed and I couldn't help but agree with her. Poor, poor Merry.
"It's alright," Zoro said. "It really looks more like a turkey instead of a chicken or pigeon…"
"I'm not worrying about that! Stupid idiot!" She snapped back at him.
'That thing is going to give me nightmares…' I muttered. 'It looks like some demented animal hybrid between a turkey and a goat.'
Everyone quickly got into action after a bit of chatting about the current look of the ship. Everyone but Luffy jumped up onto the ship; instead he went to have a private talk with Cricket.
As soon as my feet touched the decking of the boat, I was on the move. I first walked one lap around the railing of the ship, memorizing all the changes that were made. It would be handy to know all the changes that were made because we would be in a hurry to get out of here soon.
"LET'S GO!" Luffy yelled as he launched himself up and into the boat.
"Everyone, set sail!" Nami ordered.
"Alright!" Usopp cheered, pumping his fist.
"Yes Nami~" Sanji cooed.
Luffy quickly made his way to the back of the boat where Cricket was waiting for him on the shore. I shadowed his footsteps, perching on the new ship's tail as Luffy leaned over it.
"Kid! We will part here!" Cricket called out. "There is one thing… One thing that is absolutely certain! It is that about the Golden City and Sky Island… There has never been anyone how could prove they do not exist!"
"Mhmm!" Luffy agreed.
"Other might laugh at us, but that doesn't matter!" Cricket told us as he threw his arms up. "This is… Romantic!"
"It's romantic?" Luffy gasped.
"Yup!" He replied. "For the gold… Thanks. Don't crash you guys!"
"Hehehehe," Luffy laughed back. "Bye mister!"
I was jolted awake by a quick kick to the ribs as Nami hissed, "Mamori! Be more serious! Don't sleep at a time like this!"
I slowly lifted my head up, looking around in confusion. When had I fallen asleep? It took me a few more minutes to process things thanks to all the confusion that was going on around me; namely the dark cloud looming overhead. It seems I had fallen asleep up the front of the ship whilst waiting for us to get to our destination.
'Oh hell…' I gasped as I lifted myself back up and onto my feet. 'It's time.'
"The Millennium Cumulonimbus appeared earlier than expected!" Nami called out to the rest of the crew who were spread around the boat. "We still have not located the Knock-Up Stream yet!"
"A reflecting sound wave confirmed!" One of Mr. Vain's crew called from the water. What had I missed out on…? "A strong sea current at 12 o'clock! Also found a gigantic organism at 9 o'clock! Should be of the Sea King species! 10 o'clock direction found huge waves like a giant whirlpool!"
"That's it!" Mr. Ape cried out to us from his ship. "Turn the ship to the directions of 10 o'clock! That thing is the sign for the explosion! Follow the whirlpool closely! Don't back out!"
'Why are we going INTO a whirlpool!' I protested before I found myself flying up in the air along with everyone else as the ship was suddenly sent flying. The waves on either side of the boat were huge, the splash back soaking us all.
"WAAAH!"
"THE WAVES SUDDENLY BECAME HUGE WAVES!" Nami yelled as she clutched onto the railing. "It's the sign for the explosion!"
I grunted as I hit the lower deck and I found myself sprawled in a pile of limbs. This is not going to be a fun ride; I could just tell. Was there an emergency stop button?
"Miss Navigator!" I heard Robin call from close to me. "How is the Log Pose?"
"It keeps pointing at that cloud!" She answered.
"The wind is perfect! Millennium Cumulonimbus is heading towards the centre of the whirlpool!" One of the monkeys called out from their ship.
With a grumble I dragged myself back up yet again, hoping not to get thrown into the deck again. It was at that time I noticed that some of the others were up the front of the boat, watching what was happening. Due to the fact I didn't have hands to help me hold onto things, I was more than happy to stay on the lower deck where it was safer.
"Hey! You said whirlpool? Where is it?" Nami asked them.
"It seems like we guessed correctly this time brother!" Mr. Ape called out.
"Yeah! The size of the explosion is perfect too!" Mr. Vain called back, the sound of the roaring wind and seas muffling it a bit.
"Can we get there!" Luffy asked the most important question.
"Yah, yah!" He replied. "We can get there!"
"What!" The others up the front of the boat yelped.
"We will take you to the track of the whirlpool!" Mr. Ape yelled back at them.
"And then?" Nami asked. "What do we do after that!"
"Follow the current and head to the center!" He called out as we started to get dragged into a huge whirlpool. I glanced nervously over the side of the boat at the huge whirlpool, my eyes growing wide.
"You never said we had to get sucked in!" She screamed back at him, clutching either side of her head.
"Don't worry! I will protect Nami, Mamori and Robin!" Sanji vowed.
"This is my first time seeing such a huge whirlpool," Robin said calmly.
'How in the seven hells are you so calm!' I squeaked, not being able to take my eyes off the whirlpool, noting that a lot of the others had made their way up to the front deck. 'Why does this ship not have seat belts! Fuck you evolution! Opposable thumbs would have been great right about now!'
"NO! No, no, no! Go back! I want to go back!" Usopp sobbed in panic.
"Forget it Usopp, it's too late… Somebody is already hyper," Zoro observed semi-calmly.
"HERE I COME SKY ISLAND!" Luffy's voice screamed out over the sea and the roaring of the whirlpool.
"YAOOOOOHYAAAOHAAAHOOOH!" The screams and cries of a giant Sea King assaulted my ears and my jaw dropped. A giant Sea King was flopping and struggling as it got sucked into the whirlpool in front of my eyes.
"GYAAAAAH!" Nami, Usopp and Chopper screamed.
"Alright then! From now on, do your best with your own strength!" A voice called out from the two ships that had gotten safety off to the side.
"Yah! Thanks for escorting us here!" Luffy waved back at them.
"WAAAIIT!" Usopp panicked. "AH! LET'S GO! THIS IS TOO TERRIFYING! LET'S GO BACK ASSHOLE! WE'LL DIE FOR SURE LIKE THIS!"
'The ship doesn't have a fucking reverse mode!' I snapped in annoyance.
"AAAHHHHH!" Chopper began to scream as well.
"YOU NEVER MENTIONED THAT THE WHIRLPOOL WOULD BE THIS BIG! LIAR, LIAR!" Nami moaned. "WE'RE BEING SUCKED INTO THE WHIRLPOOL!"
"Let's go back! Luffy! It's not too late!" Usopp attempted to convince him yet again. "You understand right? This whirlpool alone is already deadly enough! That Sky Island is just a fantasy of a fantasy!"
"Fantasy of a fantasy sounds about right," Luffy agreed.
"Yes! Luffy! I think it's probably false too," Nami laughed nervously as she shrugged her shoulders.
"This Island, the fantasy of a fantasy, if we miss a chance like this for a grand adventure we will regret it for the rest of our lives for sure!" Luffy declared, flashing them a wide smile.
"Hey, while you were making their fruitless complaints," Zoro started to say.
"While? What is it?" Usopp asked in confusion.
"We are just about to be swallowed by the giant whirlpool," He finished as the ship was sent airborne again, flying in towards the centre of the whirlpool. I flattened myself to the decking on the bottom deck, digging my nails in as a squeezed my eyes closed.
'Gods above please don't let us die,' I prayed, hugging myself against the wood.
"Come on Nami!" Sanji cooed. "Lay on my chest!"
"GYAAAAHHH!" Usopp screamed loudly.
SPLASH
I blinked owlishly, holding my breath as we hit the water again. Nothing happened. No movement or splashing. Nothing.
"What happened!" Luffy called out.
"A whirlpool that big… What the heck happened?" Usopp exclaimed.
I cracked my eyes open, perking up one ear cautiously. When nothing more happened I slowly lifted myself up to my feet again, trotting over to the railing near Robin and looking over it. 'It's stopped and disappeared…What went wrong?'
"That's not it!" Nami gasped in horror. "It's started! The whirlpool has only disappeared in the seabed! Can it be…"
"WAIT!" An commanding voice yelled over the sea and I turned my head around to see a pirate ship floating towards us.
"Hey Zoro, that's…" Luffy started to say.
"TSHAHAHAHA!" A large man from the other boat laugh. It was the bastard preacher that had been blocking the road. "I FINALLY CAUGHT YOU STRAW HAT KIDDO LUFFY!"
"He's…When we were in Mock Town…" Nami stumbled over her words.
"Who's that?" Sanji asked, scrunching up his face.
"WE ARE HERE TO TAKE YOUR HEAD THAT IS WORTH 100 MILLION BELI" Mr. Preacher yelled at us. "SURRENDER TO US NOW!"
"My head? What do you mean 100 million beli?" Luffy pondered.
"So you didn't know after all!" He exclaimed before pulling out two wanted posters and holding them up. "There's a bounty worth 100 million beli on your head! Also, the Pirate Hunter Zoro! You have a 60 million beli bounty!"
'Well shove off!' I growled lowly and possessively as I quickly slipped up the stairs to join the others on the front deck. 'You can't have their heads, they still need them as of now!'
"It's true!" Usopp confirmed as he look through his binoculars at the posters. "They have new bounties! Zoro! You've become a wanted pirate!"
"Wait! Hey, wait! And me? There's a bounty for me too, right?" Sanji queried, sling his arm over Usopp's shoulder.
"No," He replied bluntly.
"Look again! Carefully!" Sanji argued with a wounded pride.
"Still no," Usopp told him.
"Really? Did the incident in Alabasta drastically increase their value?" Nami concluded in shock.
"Hear that! 100 million beli!" Luffy celebrated, dancing around with his arms in the air.
"60 million? I'm not satisfied," Zoro said, laughing slightly.
"YOU TWO!" Nami snapped at them, spinning around. "DON'T BE SO COCKY!"
'She's pissed,' I noted as I slipped past her, avoiding her rage at any cost. I then wandered over to stand by Usopp, my eyes narrowed at the ship that was threatening to take two of our idiots. So not happening today…Or any day for that matter. We needed them.
"YOU GUYS!" Mr. Vain yelled at is from his ship far away. "STAY FOCUSED! IT'S COMING! THE KNOCK-UP STREAM…"
"PREPARE TO DIE!" The preacher from the other ship said when suddenly the water under the Going-Merry started to rise.
Everyone on the ship scattered like ants within seconds, mostly running to the bottom deck.
"ALL MEMBERS! HOLD ONTO SOMETHING OR GO INSIDE!" Sanji yelled out.
'AHH! Shit!' I swore, my head darting around to try and find something that I could hold onto. Like hell I was about to go inside and leave these guys out here by themselves, but I was a dog. How the heck was I meant to hang on to anything with no hands or thumbs!
"Mamori!" Zoro hissed over Usopp's screaming when he was the predicament I was in. "Go inside!"
'Not happening in a million years!' I bit back, letting him know what I thought with a glare. 'AH! THAT'S IT!'
I dove towards Zoro, jumping up the first few steps of the staircase he was near. I then latched my teeth around a railing on the stairs, my teeth sinking into the wood, 'Sorry Merry.'
"GYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Several voices on the ship screamed as the water suddenly exploded under us, shooting the ship straight up in the air as the wind tugged at us. I found myself being pulled back as my teeth held onto the wood, my eyes squeezing closed as everything rushed around us. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"What's going on! The ship is sailing vertically on the surface of the stream!" Sanji exclaimed loudly over the wind.
"Waha!" Luffy cheered happily. "This is so fun! What is the reason behind this!"
"The wind?" Nami gasped.
"Alright! If we go like this we can get to Sky Island!" Luffy exclaimed. "Forward Going-Merry!"
"Wait a second!" Sanji protested. "It's not as easy as you think"
"What is it?" Usopp questioned. "Did you forget something?"
"The ship is beginning to leave the stream!" He replied. "If this goes on much longer, we will get bounced off!"
'I don't want to know, I don't want to know, I dun wanna know!' I cried mentally, not opening my eyes. 'This was a bad idea!'
"E…E…Even if you say so! What so we do! It's hard enough just to hold onto the ship!" Usopp stammered, holding on for dear life.
"YAAH! WHAT'S THAT!" Chopper screamed, causing my eyes to snap over as I dangled off the railing.
"IT'S A SEA KING!" Zoro yelled.
'I DON'T FUCKING WANT TO KNOW!' I screamed mentally when I saw what it was, my eyes snapping back closed. 'Fuck this go with the flow shit! Next time I want to know what I am getting into beforehand!'
"THAT GUY GOT SUCKED IN EARLIER!" Chopper pointed out.
"Look! We will end up like that sooner or later!" Sanji gritted out.
"Hey, hey, hey! No point talking like that! This ship is ascending from the power of the explosion, so now with our own strength we have to keep it there," Zoro told us, from his place standing on the cabin wall.
"So this is just a normal disaster after all!" Sanji agreed as parts of old ships bounced off the deck.
"Ah, we are done for!" Usopp sobbed pessimistically. "If we fall down at this height, everyone will be smashed to bits!"
"SET DOWN TO THE SAIL!" Nami ordered suddenly. "HURRY! This is a sea! It's no mere stream! It's a sea current that is flowing up vertically! Coming from below, there are water vapours caused by the explosion… It's an updraft! If our opponents are the wind and the sea, we will sail on it. In their faces! After all, who is this ship's navigator?"
"IT'S NAMI OF COURSE!" Sanji cooed as the some of the crew let go of their posts to try and do as Nami had said. "Bastards! Do what Nami just said!"
'Oh stuff this, I am such an idiot,' I swore at myself as I let go of the staircase railing. I dug my claws into the decking as I slid straight down the boat, smashing roughly into the wall off the cabin. My eyes snapped open as I looked around at the other who were getting the sail unfurled. How the hell did they move so easily when the boat was like this!
"Let the wind push the right to turn the ship to the left!" She ordered. "Make the body of the ship parallel to the stream!"
"AYE!" They called out as the sail was quickly unfurled.
"Wah!" Chopper cried as he looked over the side of the boat. "This is bad! The ship is starting to completely loose contact with the stream!"
'Well I hope those wings are going to allows us to fly!' I yelped, heaving myself back up to my feet as I struggled against the wind currents.
"It's falling down!" Luffy panicked. "It's going to fall! Nami, come up with a plan! Quick!"
"No need, it's already good to go!" She replied as the boat came off the surface of the water.
"EHH! IT'S FLYING!" Luffy yelled out happily as my stomach flip flopped. A boat was flying. A fucking boat. Flying.
"Really!" Usopp exclaimed.
"I did it!" Nami panted in relief.
'Please tell me you weren't just hoping that would happen!' I snapped, slowly inching my way to the side of the boat so I could see what it looked like.
"Nami! You're so cool!" Sanji cooed.
"If we stay on this wind stream, no matter where, we can ascend up there!" Nami informed us.
"Hey Nami! Are we going to get there soon!" Luffy demanded to know in his excitement.
"If it exists, it should be behind that piece of cloud!" She theorized, pointing to the large cloud above the ship.
'It better bloody exist!' I grumbled as I stuck my head out the side of the ship. My ears were pushed flat back against my skull thanks to the force of the wind and I finally sound out what'd be like to be a dog in a car. All the scents ran straight throw my nose, the taste of the fresh air flooding through my system. 'This… Is sorta fun. No wonder they like it.'
"On top of the cloud?" Luffy repeated. "I wonder what is on top of there!"
A few seconds later we entered the clouds, the air around us seeming to disappear. Everything around us was white and then it suddenly the world went black.
Dysbarism or Decompression Sickness (a.k.a.: the Bends or even caisson worker's disease) is a common illness connected to Scuba Diving. The condition occurs when a sudden decompression in the atmosphere causes nitrogen bubbles to form in the tissues of the body. Since the pressure in water is greater than the pressure at sea level, extended dives and/or dives at greater depths and then ascending to sea level without doing so gradually while making decompression stops make the chances of DCS go up because there isn't enough time for the pressure of the gas in the body to dissolve. The symptoms of DCS vary widely and range from simple muscle soreness to seizures and even death.
Beta read by praeses