Twin Capes! A Promise between Man and Whale!
"...Beg your pardon?"
"Just like I said," Nami slammed the map down on the table, "Looks like the only entrance to the Grand Line is by going up the mountain."
Everyone was inside the cabin, the Navigator was explaining to all of them that the entrance to the Grand Line is through a canal that reaches the mountain.
"...Gin?" Everyone turns to the Demon.
"Is true, we all went through a canal." He confirmed.
"But that is impossible, a boat going up a canal to a mountain?!" Usopp exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yet, it is true!" Sanji spoke up, "Nami-swan is always right about her charts!"
"But Gin was the one who confirmed it, you know?" Zoro said with a sweatdrop.
"We're going up a mountain?!" Luffy's eyes were glowing in excitement.
"Looks like it," Nojiko said as she looked out the window, "...Hey, wasn't it raining a few minutes ago?"
Everyone looks at the window, sure enough, there was a sunny day, "What? Impossible," Alvida said as she was the first to exit the cabin.
Everyone looks at the sky, "...Huh, that's weird." Seth spoke up when he noticed something missing, "I can't feel the wind."
At his words, Nami eyes widened and shouted, "QUICK! EVERYONE GET THE OARS OUT! WE'RE IN THE CALM BELTS!"
"Why? Is calm here." Luffy said in confusion.
"You don't understand! This place is-" she didn't finish as the boat began to shake like mad and then…Sea Kings came out of the ocean, one of them taking the Going Merry with them on their nose.
"...A Neptunian nest." Nami finishes while holding on to the mast and sobbing.
All of the aboard jaws dropped, except Usopp, he passed out, and the men were about to run to get giant oars before the Sea King they were on sneezed, sending flying and screaming back to the storm.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Merry landed with a big splash.
"What the fuck!?" Seth shouted as he stood up from the floor, "Let's all agree to never go there again!" Several hands rose in the air.
After that incident, everyone stood alert at anything. And then, Gin saw it, "There it is!" He shouts making everyone look at the giant long wall that was taller than the clouds. "That's the Red Line!"
"Is huge! I can't see the top!" Usopp shouted as he tried to look at the top.
"No way." Zoro was looking through some binoculars. "The water's flowing up the mountain!"
"Quick! Let's head to the gate!" Luffy shouted.
"You all heard the man! Sanji, Usopp! To the steering wheel!" Seth shouted as both boys went inside, "Alvida, Nojiko! Grab the seals!" Both girls went to each rope and pulled.
"Head on through and let the current do the rest!" Nami said as they all began to sail towards the current.
"Turn to the right!" Luffy shouted.
"RIGHT!" Sanji and Usopp yelled as they tried to turn it…and then break the steering mechanism.
"...Are you serious?" Seth asked in disbelief.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" The rest shouted as the Merry was on a collision course to one of the gates.
"We haven't even entered and we are going to die?!" Gin screams in terror.
"I got this!" Luffy threw his straw-hat in the air, being caught by Zoro, he jumped and said, "Gum-Gum Balloon!" His body inflates and blocks the collision, and with all his strength move it to the middle of the current.
"We're saved!" Everyone cheered out loud.
"Luffy! Grab on!" Seth yelled as he extended his arm, as the rubber man's arm grabbed him and he pulled back hard, bringing the idiot back aboard.
"WE'RE GOING TO THE GRAND LINE!" Everyone yelled as the ship went up the current, where it reached the top.
"Everything that goes up," Seth said as they float in the air for a bit before falling, "Must come down!"
They all began to fall to the place where their dreams, fate, and destinies were. The place where everything...will be possible!
BWOOOOOOOOOO!
"...Did anyone hear that?" Zoro asked.
"Hear what, Pirate Hunter?" Alvida asked in confusion.
BWOOOOOOOOOO!
"You mean that?!" Nojiko asked.
"Sound like a foghorn!" Sanji said as he held next to the rail.
"No…That's not a foghorn," Seth mumbled out, feeling that he heard that sound before.
"Huh? That's weird," Usopp with his binoculars looking far, said. "There's a wall in the way!"
"A wall?!" Nami yelled at him, "There's no wall in the front of the entrance!"
"Well, there's one right there!" Zoro affirms the snipers ascertain as he looks through the binoculars.
"Give me that," Seth took the binoculars and looked far away, after a few moments, his eyes widened, "Sweet loving God of everything! That's not a wall, it's a Giant Whale!" His words shock everyone.
"What?!" Gin yelled out, "That wasn't there before!"
"Well, it is now!" The auburn-haired said before saying, "Also, I have good news and bad news!" Everyone pays attention to him, "Good news is, he is too big, he hasn't noticed us." Everyone sighs in relief, "Bad news is…WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" he pointed forward.
They all look at the direction and their jaws drop, they are going full speed and they will crash against them if they don't do something. Suddenly, Luffy jumps down from his seat. "I have an idea!" He went inside the cabin as the ship was getting closer to the whale, mere moments before impacting when a cannon shot out, hitting the whale, but stopping the momentum of the Merry, whose head didn't make it as it crashed against the body and broke apart. "Few! It worked!" Luffy said from inside before hearing a loud crash behind him, he looked outside to see his seat down, "AAAAAH! MY SPECIAL SEAT!"
Meanwhile, everyone stares at the whale before Seth, "Why the fuck are we staring at it?! Let's move people!" He orders as everyone begins to use the paddles to move away.
"That thing is bigger up close!" Zoro yelled.
"How'd it not notice us?!" Nojiko asked.
"Who cares?!" Gin shouted as they all were near the whale's eye before it started wailing again.
"My ears!" Alvida and Seth yelled while holding their ears.
"KEEP ROWING!" Usopp shouted as they began to move faster. Nami finally woke up from her close call with death when she saw Luffy glaring at the whale.
"YOU BASTARD! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY SPECIAL SEAT!" Luffy pulled his fist back and socked the whale's eye. "PAYBACK ASSHOLE!"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" Seth screams out as he punches the rubber idiot's head hard on the floor.
The whale looks down at them and glares at them hard before it opens its giant mouth and begins to swallow the water and them.
"WE'RE BEING SWALLOWED!" they all yelled, they were helpless as the whale began to absorb the water with them, the shock of the waves caused both Luffy and Seth to be thrown overboard, leaving the rest to go down the throat.
"Shit!" was the scream the lion man shouted as he held himself against the teeth of the whale, "I did not come here to be eaten!" He yelled and saw Luffy going outside.
"You stupid whale! Give my crew back!" He began to stomp hard on the skin but he was not available.
Seth sweats at his childish act before feeling the whale going down underwater. ('Shit! This isn't good!') he thought before seeing…A hatch? ('Why...is that there?...') he shook himself, he didn't have time to think, he quickly grabbed his moron of a captain and went inside it.
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.
"Umm…We were eating, right?" Usopp asked the others, who were calm about their situation.
"No question about it," Sanji responded while taking a whiff of his smoke.
"Then…why are we outside again?" Gin asked.
Sure enough, they were in the middle of a blue sky with clouds, the ocean was wide, and there was no whale in sight.
"...You guys think we went in and out?" Zoro asked, earning a fist of the three females of the crew.
"As if!" They all yelled out before Nami pointed out the floating house, "Besides, there's an island with a house right there." She stated out.
And then, a giant squid appeared. "And a giant squid appeared…"
Seriously asshole? Seriously?
"GAAAAAAAAAH!" They all shouted in complete fear, but before they could do anything, three long-ass spears shot out of the house and killed it.
"What the heck?!"
"Hey, look! Someone's coming out of the house," Sanji pointed out as, indeed, some sort of shadow was coming out of the house. It was an old man with a….flower head, and casual clothes, he was pulling the three ropes of the squid.
"He got the Neptunian like nothing," Nojiko said, quite amazed, "Did he save us, or was he just fishing?" He questions brought several nods.
The old had pulled the squid to the island before he stared at the Straw Hat, and they stared back.
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And then, the old man took a seat and began reading the paper.
"OY! SAY SOMETHING!" Sanji screams at the old man, who stares at them again.
"You wanna fight?! Huh?! We have a cannon ready to blow you away!" Usopp threatens the old man.
After a while, the man spoke up, "...Don't. Somebody's going to die." He said with a cold gaze.
"!...And who would that be?" Gin asked as they all stood there glaring at him.
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"...Me."
Everyone went upside down in disbelief. "OY! OY! OY!"
"Look, how about we all calm down first," Zoro said before asking the man, "Listen, old man, who are you? And where are we?"
The old man still stares at them, "...Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce yourself before asking people questions?"
"Ah, right. Sor-"
"My name is Crocus. I'm the keeper of the Twin Capes Lighthouse. I'm 71, A Gemini, and my blood type is AB-"
"CAN I FUCKING KILLED HIM!?" Zoro screams out with shark teeth.
"You want to know where this is? How dare you invade my resort and order me around like a bunch of big shots." Crocus said before going back to read, "Where do you think you are, in the belly of a mouse?"
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…
"Well, that was rude." Alvida commented before looking at the sky, "So we are really in the whale's stomach...But why does this place look like the sky?"
"Hold on," Usopp uses his new goggles to work, "...Now that I see it up closer…It looks like a painting!"
"Painting?!"
"Is a hobby of mine."
"HOBBY?!"
"Forget that!" Nami holds her templates, "What do we do?! I don't want to become whale food!" ('I haven't gotten a single date with Seth yet! Don't be cruel to me God!')
"The exit is right there." Crocus points at the giant metal door on the side.
"YOU MEAN WE CAN LEAVE?!"
KA-BOOM! THOOM!
Suddenly, the entire place commenced shaking violently, causing a ruckus. "Now what?!" Zoro asked.
"...There he goes again," Crocus mumbles down, ('How many times have I told you Laboon…You'll kill yourself before you break that Red Line.')
Meanwhile, on the other side of the metal door, there were two strangers holding weapons in hand, the first one been a man with orange-haired and a crown on head, two nines on both cheeks, and dress in green formal clothes, it's partner, was a woman with blue hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a yellow shirt under a white blouse and a white skirt.
"Well, Miss Wednesday, we made it this far without any problem, behind this door is the whale's stomach," the man said as he and Miss Wednesday were next to a door, "The old man is in there if he stands in the way of our mission…"
"Then will eliminate him, we need this whale meat for our village, Mr. 9." The blue-haired woman said as they got ready.
"At 3-2-1 Baby, I'll open this door, do not lose focus." Mr. 9 said as he holds on the handle.
"Yes." Before they could open, however-
"INCOMING!"
They heard a shout from behind them, and when they turned around, they only saw a spinning object in red and yellow. They couldn't even scream once they got the bowling ball out of the door, screaming in fear.
The crew, which were now close to the door, turn to the sound to see two people flying in the air, screaming in absolute fear, followed by a spinning red and yellow, and then, the red part was shoot right at the Merry, while the yellow part landed on the acid pool, alongside the two other.
"What the?!" Zoro and Gin shout before they both get hit by the red object, sending them flying against the mast. Everyone looks at them in shock, but more at what collides with them.
"Luffy?!"
The captain of the ship stood up with a bit of daze, "Aaaaaa…Why did Seth throw me?" Was what he said before seeing that he was on top of the Swordsman and the Demon, "Zoro? Gin!" He looks up to see everyone alive, "You guys! You're okay!"
"Of course we are!" Usopp said with a puffed chest, "We might great intellectual plan, we all-"
"Shut it Usopp!" One glare from Nami sent the poor boy to hide in the mast. The navigator turns to Luffy, "Where's Seth?!"
And right on cue, the lion of the crew climbed aboard, dropping the two other victims on the floor, "I don't want to remember this experience ever again." He said as he began to shake the juice off him.
The other two rest against the rail, as the crew stares at them, "So, who are these two?" Zoro asked.
"Mr.9," Miss Wednesday whispered. "These heathens are pirates."
"I can see that Miss Wednesday."
Mr. 9 whispered back. "But if we speak to their humanity and compassion, they should understand our problem. Maybe."
"You insects are still here?!"
Everyone turns to the top of the iron platform, where Crocus was. "I'm getting tired of this and for the last time. So long as I draw breath, you will NOT harm Laboon!" He shouts, earning a laugh from both mysterious people.
"Hahahaha! "You won't stop our mission." The blue-haired girl said in a conceited tone as she grabbed her bazooka.
"We were sent to kill this whale, and that's what we're gonna do!" The crown man said as they both raised them into the air.
"TIME TO GIVE THIS WHALE A NEW BLOWHOLE!" they said in unison. "FIRE BABY!" They shoot…only for their weapons to not shoot anything. "Huh?!" And then, Luffy slammed both of his fists hard on the back of their heads, knocking them out.
"Don't know what's going on, but they're knocked out now!" The Straw Hat captain said, while behind him was Seth throwing the ammunition in the acid ocean.
After that, they roped the two assaulters together and were now on the island which the old man was living.
"So who are these two anyway?" Nami asked, looking at the two unconscious people.
"Just some thugs who want to kill Laboon for food," Crocus said as he went back to his paper while sitting in a lawn chair. "Laboon could feed their greedy bellies for 2-3 years."
"Laboon?" Nami asked.
"The Whale." Crocus said. "A rare species of whale called an Island Whale that comes from the West Blue. I won't let them kill him for food."
"How'd he get here then?" Nojiko asked.
Crocus looked at them before explaining, "...It was one day, he came down Reverse Mountain with a group of pirates, despite them trying to leave him behind for his safety. They played and fought for three months while repairing their ship, but had to part ways since the Grand Line would be too dangerous. They left Laboon with me, promising to come back when their journey was over." He then looks at the painted sky, "But...That was 50 years ago."
"50 years?!" Everyone shouted in shock.
"He's been waiting that long?!" Usopp asked with his jaw wide open.
"And he still thinks they will come back," Crocus said.
Meanwhile, Seth stares at the painting belly, he couldn't help but feel that there was something…wrong with what the old man said…Like, this whale hasn't lost hope that they will return to him, and they are alive.
(After a long trip to the door leading outside)
"Woohoo! We're outside!" Luffy yelled as they went out of the whale.
"What shall we do with these two?" Alvida asked, pointing at the unconscious agents.
"Throw them overboard," Zoro stated.
Both Gin and Alvida threw them into the ocean, making Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday wake immediately, they ramble about something of their work with pirates and that they will take the whale's meat one day before swimming away.
"Ms. Wednesday, eh?" Sanji said with smoking and making cloud hearts, "A woman of mystery…"
"Huh? What's this?" Seth said as he picks a strange mechanical object from the floor.
"Should we let them go?" Nami asked Crocus.
"Let them, no matter what, more crooks will come for him." The flower head man said.
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After they disembark on the chore, Crocus began to explain that the pirates that came with Laboon will never return…they left the Grand Line, possibly dying in the Calm Belts. He tried to explain to him that they lied to him, but Laboon refuses to accept the truth, saying that he believes that the Red Line is keeping him from his friends, so he keeps ramming it in hopes of destroying it.
"If he believes his friends are gone, then it's over for him. He can't go back to West Blue, so we have a problem. Laboon's a lost soul who wishes to be with his friends, but is now killing himself to do so." Crocus finished his explanation.
"Sad," Sanji said as he puffed on his cigarette. "So you got saddled with their burden huh? What will you do now?"
"I'm all that Laboon has." Crocus said, looking at the new scar of Laboon. "Those scars on his head are deep…His heart, deeper…If not me to tend to him, then who? It's a strange system of friendship, but it works."
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Everyone turned to see Luffy running up the side of the whale, holding the entire mast of the ship.
"What's that idiot doing?" Nami asked with a sweatdrop.
"...Nobody is going to ask why he has the mast of our ship?" Seth motion at the missing mast.
Luffy reached the top of the whale's nose and went to it's wound, with a battle cry, he stretched his arms in the air holding the mast, "Gum-Gum…Bouquet!" And slam it hard in the wound.
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"...YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Everyone screams in anger/fear at Luffy.
Laboon's eyes widened before he shakes in pain and anger. "BWOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Wooooah?!" Luffy hangs on to the mast as Laboon slam his nose down to the ground, shaking it viciously, crushing Luffy down on it…and deepening more the mast inside the wound.
"Laboon! What are you doing?!" Crocus yelled as he was about to stop him until a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Hold on." Seth said as he moves the old away with the others, "Luffy might be an idiot, but he doesn't attack without a reason."
Luffy and Laboon began to fight each other, with the rubber captain throwing punches hard on its wounds and the whale ramming him.
They continued this match until Luffy yelled, "IT'S A TIDE!"
Laboon blinks in confusion at the sudden stop, Luffy sat up and smiled at him. "I'm strong, but I bet you knew that," he said. "I can tell when someone wants to fight. Well, I'll fight you if you want. You sparred with your shipmates I bet and you miss it huh? Well, I'll top what they could do. How about this? After my friends and I sail around the Grand Line, we'll find you." he said. Laboon started to tear up before Luffy finished, "Then we'll have a rematch!"
"BWOOOOOOOOOOH!" howled with tears in his eyes, making everyone smile at the rubber idiot.
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After a while, Labbon had a deformed paint of the crew's Jolly Roger over its wounds.
"There!" Luffy said, covered in paint. "This is a symbol of my promise to have a rematch with you. It's rushed, so you'll rub it off if you hit your head, okay?" Laboon gave a low howl in understanding.
As he does that, the others were doing their things, Sanji was making dinner with Nojiko's help, Nami was checking the coordinates with Gin, Usopp was repairing the mast, Zoro was sleeping, and Seth was been pet by Alvida, how is he not slipping off her lap is beyond logic here. Everything was normal until-
"Whaaaaaaaaaat?!" Nami shouts so loud, everyone, except Zoro, quickly went up.
"Nami?! What's wrong?!" Nojiko and Seth asked her quickly.
"The compass is busted!" she said. "It just keeps spinning." Everyone looked to see that the needle kept on spinning.
"We had the same problem." Gin said. "We could never understand why."
"...You all came here without fully preparing?" Crocus asked. "Are you all here just to die? I said that this place isn't normal; your compass is not broken."
"Then…Is it the magnetic field?" Nami asked.
"Correct." Crocus said before explaining, "All the islands have rich minerals, which makes abnormal magnetic fields; also, this waters and wind follow no pattern, to navigate safely through the Grand Line, one needs a special compass called the Log Pose."
"A...Log Pose…" Seth asked as he suddenly took out the weird device, "Something like this?"
"Yes," Crocus nods, "You'll need to pass through the Grand Line, without that, navigation is impossible."
"I see...So we need…" Everyone slowly turns to Seth who was still holding the Log Pose. "...Seth, where do you get that?" Nami asked him.
"Oh, I think those two shooters left it when we threw them into the ocean." He explained to them, and five seconds later, the thief had thrown herself into him.
"Oh, Seth! You're the best!" Nami exclaimed as she kissed his cheek, earning a blush from him.
"Whyyyyyyyyyyyy!?" Sanji was crying again in jealousy.
"So, this is a log pose…" Nami stares at the mechanism, "Huh...it has no markings."
Crocus explained to her. "You start at one of seven starting Islands at the beginning of the Grand Line. Once chosen, you have to follow the log pose to the next island. Soon though, all of the routes merge to one, which is the final island in the Grand Line, Raftel."
Raftel...the island of legend. The only place that nobody had reached up to this day.
"Its existence has only been proven by one crew…The Pirate King's crew." Crocus said.
"So that's it? That's where One Piece is?!" Usopp asked with a smile.
"That's a promising theory." Crocus said, "But that's not all…There is also a rumor of a beast guardian of the island, one that brings terror to even the Marines Headquarters, they don't want to be around it…A King Beast of All the Sea." He said.
Seth's eyes widened, "...The King Beast of All the Sea…" he said low with a smile. "So the rumors aren't lies."
"All right! We are getting there now!" Luffy stated as he finished off the food. "I'm full! Let's go!"
"YOU ATE ALL THE FOOD?!" Sanji yelled.
"Even the bones!" Usopp said in surprise as a few of the crew members just looked on in disbelief.
"You bastard!" Sanji growled in pure anger. "I made that food," he said before kicking Luffy away "SPECIAL FOR THE LADIES!" he shouted as Luffy flew past Nami.
Which resulted in breaking the log pose.
The thieving cat just stared at the broken Log Pose before looking at Sanji. "Oh Sanji~," she said in a forced calm voice.
"Yes, Nami-swan~?" he asked with hearts in his eyes.
"May you turn around and grab Luffy?" She said very sweetly, the blond cook happily turned around with the rubber idiot on his arms.
Nami then turns to Seth, who blinks three times before letting out a sigh of defeat. He walks up behind Sanji. "Don't let go of him." He said to the cook raised an eyebrow before his eyes widened at what was going to happen, "Wild Hammer!" But couldn't do anything as a hard kick sent him and Luffy flying into the air before landing on the water.
"Good job." Nami patted his head before turning to Crocus worried, "What are we going to do now?!"
"Do not worry, I can give you my Log Pose." Crocus simply said, which was a relief for everyone.
After a while, Sanji came back from the ocean, but instead of bringing Luffy, he was bringing the blue-haired woman from before, and behind was the man with the crown. "Excuse us...We would like some help." Mr. 9 began to explain to them that they would like for the crew to take them to an island called Whiskey Peak.
"Weird name, what's that?" Gin asked them.
"Is the name of our town," Mr. 9 said as he looks down in shame, "We would go there but…"
"Our ship got destroyed on the way." Ms. Wednesday finished saying.
"...You're kinda pushing it, aren't you Mr. 9." Nami said as she went down to his level. "Especially since you tried to kill that whale." They then began to try to question them but got nothing since they said that 'Secrecy' was their organization's motto before begging them to take them. "Well, the Log Pose here is broken," Nami said, causing their jaw to drop.
"WHAT?! THAT WAS MINE!" Mr. 9 yelled in anger.
"YOU TRICKED US!" Mrs. Wednesday shouted with shark teeth.
"Oh yeah...Crocus gave us a new one." Nami said with a haughty smirk, and just like that, the two of them were back on the floor in forgiveness.
"They can come," Luffy said, shocking most of them.
"Why?!" Usopp asked. "They're nothing but shady people!"
"I wouldn't trust these two." Gin said.
"Don't sweat it," Luffy said with a smile, "And as for our route if we don't like it, we'll pick another one next time!"
"Good plan," Sanji said as he puffed on his cigarette. "Once we get to the end, we'll have to find something else to do."
Everyone began to pack everything, as Crocus spoke up to Nami, "It should be pointing to Whiskey Peak by now, be careful." Crocus said as he pointed at the Log Pose on Nami's wrist.
"Right, we will," Nami said as Seth helped her up the boat.
"Off we go!" Luffy yelled, "Goodbye Flower Man! Goodbye Whale!"
"BWOOOOOOOOOO!" Laboon said goodbye as the Going Merry slowly began to move away.
"...Heh…They may be the pirates we've been waiting for." Crocus suddenly said as he looked up into the sky. "That man had a mysterious air about him…Don't you think so too? Roger?"
Suddenly, Crocus felt a presence behind him, he turned around and saw a glowing figure. His eyes turn soft for a moment, "...What a surprise to see you here…But I'm sad that you're no longer in this world." The figure smiled at him before staring at the ship. Crocus follows it's gaze, "...So you have finally chosen your host…Looks like these are the pirates we've been waiting for…"
The figure smiles softly before looking at the old man, who looks at it back, "I guess this is goodbye for real this time…May your soul walk free…Sora." the ghost chuckle before breaking into particles that began to float away heading into the Going Merry.
Nobody of the crew notices it, but the particulars enter inside Seth's body, who was looking on the nest. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt prepared for anything that comes his way.