Chapter 13

Using all his survival experience, Luffy found two pieces of wood, which he rubbed together. Bustling for a few minutes, Luffy ends up creating an ember that he covers with dead leaves. Then, moments later, flames appeared.

" YEAH ! If he saw me, grandfather would be proud of me. "

Then he grabbed a branch, shaped like a club, and wrapped its end with his T-shirt. Then, he plunged everything into the fire he had just created, and succeeded in obtaining a flaming torch.

It wasn't the best weapon, but it was definitely all Luffy could create. Finally, putting out the rest of the fire by stomping on it, Luffy headed for the plane. Then stopping to gaze at the huge sloths, he stared at them, before giving them a determined look.

Finally, gathering his courage and, with his improvised torch, which surely wouldn't last more than two minutes without further fuel, he rushed towards the titans, letting out a huge battle cry. Even Rambo couldn't have made a nicer entrance.

Attracted by his voice and the flame of his torch, the giant sloths immediately stared at him. Surely having never seen a flame in their entire life, they were surprised at first. Then, little by little, they showed a little curiosity for this strange source of heat held by a small unidentified creature.

"Come come!" Luffy shouted waving his torch in front of him.

Continuing to stare at him, one of the monsters ends up trying to scratch with one of its huge paws. The attack was, of course, much more powerful than the diatryma blow, but it was nonetheless slower. Luffy was able to dodge it by flattening himself on the ground. If he hadn't made this gesture, he was sure he would have flown very far in the heavens. And unfortunately, even someone like Luffy couldn't have survived it.

" Shit ! What a huge paw. " He thought, as the monster's gesture managed to raise a cloud of dust, passing right over Luffy.

Seeing him still alive, another sloth tried to skewer him alive with its gigantic sharp claws. Luffy only owed his life to a reflex that propelled him forward, out of reach of the animal's claws. The weapons planted themselves in the ground with disconcerting ease. Getting up immediately, Luffy continued to shake his torch, which drew more and more attention from the monsters.

Anyone would be scared. at any time, the slightest attack from these giant sloths could kill Luffy. However, if a human had watched the scene, they would have seen Luffy smiling. High school, his survival lessons with his grandfather, his afternoons spent with his friends… nothing had amused him as much as now.

Adventure. The truth. The one Luffy had always dreamed of. It's happening now.

Suddenly, backwards, Luffy did a backward pirouette before landing in front of the giant sloths, which had gathered in front of him.

" Let's go. "

Then, Luffy started running towards the forest before one of them decided to kick again. He just seemed to be having fun friends, he had nevertheless managed to achieve his goal: to attract the attention of the monsters. Most of them were already on his trail and he hoped the others would follow suit. He sees that everyone will be in the forest, Luffy would just have to extinguish his torch and find a hiding place, while his friends will take advantage of the diversion to leave the plane.

"Come on, follow the guide!" »

Strangely, Luffy's plan might have worked. Unfortunately, one of those stupid pachyderms suddenly got in my way, just as he was about to enter the forest. As imposing as its congeners, it stood on its front legs, in order to dominate Luffy from all his height. To believe that he identified him as a threat.

"Go away!" Luffy ordered it, waving the torch in front of its eyes.

He should never have made that gesture. Certain that Luffy was hostile, the animal immediately raised one of its paws and attempted to flatten him against the ground. The schoolboy jumped back, to get away from the place where the leg crashed. However, the force of the impact manages to knock him backwards. Frightened by this force, he stood up and hurried away from it. However, this time he wasn't trying to get its attention anymore. In truth, he couldn't even run away.

Seeing that the other creatures were surrounding him, and preventing him from being able to take refuge in the forest, Luffy ended up rushing towards what was left of the plane and took refuge under one of its wings.

Hidden under the device, the boy immediately took stock of his situation. The creatures, still drawn to his torch, moved towards him, and left him no escape. Soon, the situation was so critical, that Luffy was afraid that one of these monsters would decide to have the bad idea to get on the wing and crush everything that was below.

" I am screwed ! I'm surrounded and my torch might go out any minute! I have to find another idea, otherwise the plane will quickly become a pile of metal and I risk getting crushed too. »

At that moment, a huge drop fell above his head.

" It is raining ? " He wondered, raising his eyes to the sky. "However, where I am, I must be protected from the rain. »

Suddenly, he noticed that the drop didn't come directly from the sky but from a crack in the wing of the plane, which the pachyderms had created by slaughtering it from all sides. Another drop fell on Luffy's face and a smell was felt, as Luffy realized that the liquid wasn't water at all. Immediately, he understood where the liquid that fell on him came from.

"The fuel tank! It's gasoline. ""

Suddenly, a new idea sprouted in his mind. It was as risky as any other idea he'd had today. However, like during the other situations, he unfortunately had no other choice. And then, as Garp had often told him, you should always go for it rather than run away like a coward.

"I hope god and luck are with me, because I will need their help. »

Suddenly, Luffy rushed out of his hiding place and found himself within reach of his attackers. The monsters had him well and truly surrounded around this part of the plane and were about to crush him under their paws. However, Luffy moved faster than them. When he was far enough from the wing, he did a splendid about-face and threw his torch in the direction of the crack from which new drops of fuel were flowing.

"Prepare the sunscreen." He advised, flattening himself face down.

His projectile flew far ahead of him, like a javelin and encountered no obstacle that deflected its path. Soon, it touched the crack giving access to the fuel tank and ignited the liquid around it. An explosion then occurred, and set fire to the tank. Quickly, a fire spread over the entire wing of the plane. The creatures, blinded and frightened by the rapidly growing flames, let out howls of fear. while fleeing into the forest.

Soon, Luffy found himself alone next to the plane which was starting to catch fire.

"The first part of the plan: carried out successfully. " He rejoiced, seeing them leave. "Now, we have to get the others out of the plane. »

The problem was that one of these pachyderms had found nothing better to do than to trample the evacuation slide, which was the only way to leave the plane. So no one seemed to be able to get in or out of the plane anymore.

" Maybe I did something stupid! How will the others come out? »

The door of the device opened at that moment, and Luffy could see Nami appear in the frame. The young girl was surprised not to find the evacuation slide in front of her and even more to notice that the wing of the plane was covered with flames.

" But what the... ? " Nami wondered, seeing the last monsters fleeing in the forest. "Did those monsters set the plane on fire?"

" No, it's me. " Luffy affirmed, raising his hand.

"BAKA!" She roared, while showing shark teeth.

Then, Nami realized that Luffy was actually in front of the plane.

"Luffy? Where have you been?"

"We don't have time! The plane will surely explode in no time! Go get the others and find a way out of here! Quick!"

"Find a way? Wait, you set the plane on fire without thinking of a way to get us down?"

"I admit I didn't think of that! But at least, thanks to me, there are no more monsters."

"Asshole ! Because of you, we're going to die charred instead of being crushed! It's worse."

However, realizing that she had to act quickly, Nami disappeared from Luffy's field of vision. However, a few seconds later, Luffy saw her again in the same place, with a few bags in her arms.

"Catch! Law has this ready, in case we have to get off the plane quickly! These are the things we're going to take with us." She explained to him, throwing the bags at him.

Stretching his arms, Luffy retrieved Law's bag and computer, the medicine bag, another including some of their stuff - which was in their suitcases - and finally, Luffy's backpack, containing some groceries inside. inside.

"I'll be right back." Nami assured him, returning to the plane to wake up the other two.

Now Luffy could only wait, in anguish, for his three companions to find a way out of the device before it exploded.

"Law! Shirahoshi! Quick, wake up." Nami begged them, shaking them. "We have a big problem! These monsters are gone but the plane is on fire! We must leave as soon as possible before it explodes."

Law was the first to come to his senses. The grimace he displayed showed that he was the victim of a huge headache that made him think that a train had run into him. Putting his fingers to his skull, he asked.

"What the...? My cap? What do you mean 'the plane is on fire'?"

Nami bent down in front of him and picked up his cap, which had been blown off the impact. Seeing her tender, Law grabbed it before putting it on his head.

" Thanks. "

"We can't leave here." Nami explained to him. "There's no more evacuation slide! Those monsters trampled it and made it unusable! And to top it off, the plane caught fire."

"What?" The boy panicked.

Starting to think, the boy tried to come up with a plan. However, no matter what idea popped into his head, a cross appeared as Law understood that his idea had no chance of succeeding.

"Impossible! If the two evacuation slides were destroyed and knowing that the fire would only take a few minutes to destroy the plane… It is impossible to get out."

"I have…I have…an…idea." Shirahoshi stammered, managing to come to her senses.

"Shirahoshi!" Nami exclaimed, helping her to her feet.

"What idea?" Law asked her. "There's no way out of here."

"Let's go to the cockpit! There's an emergency escape rope." She explained to them. "Nevertheless, we are level with the tail of the plane. We must therefore cover a distance close to fifty meters to reach our goal! Moreover, we are obliged to pass at the level of the wing on fire. "

Suddenly, the only porthole on the left side of the plane, which had managed to survive the onslaught of the creatures, shattered under the action of too much heat. Flames then entered the device through the opening they had just created.

"Damn it !" Law swore. "These flames will block our path."

Meanwhile, alone outside, Luffy began to feel the adrenaline leaving his body, as he watched the flames begin to devour the plane's body. He was afraid that his friends would perish in the fire, of which he was the author.

" Come on guys ! I've been waiting for you for more than a minute! You absolutely have to get out of here. »

At that moment, he heard a shudder coming from the vegetation just behind him. He didn't even have to turn around to find out who was spying on him between two bushes.

"What else do you want, Where Are You?"

"Where Are You?" A man's voice roared. "My name is Who's Who, asshole."

Then, watching the plane catch fire, the man laughed.

"To be honest, I had expected everything when I came here! Nevertheless, I never would have thought to see you set your plane on fire! Hahahaha! Mugiwara, you really are not lacking in resources."

"What do you want?" Luffy questioned him. "You came to kill me for revenge?"

"With bare hands?" The killer asked me. "I remind you that I lost my striking weapon and my penknife, at the same time! Even if I could defeat you in an instant, I hate getting my hands dirty! No, I'm just doing like everyone else! I enjoy the show!

"How's that " Like everyone else " ?"

"Are you stupid? Didn't you see the size of the flames? I'd be very surprised if the other survivors on this island didn't notice them! If you ask me, all of the survivors saw them."

Luffy didn't answer him. In truth, knowing that the others already knew about the fire was not one of his concerns. He had something else in mind. Suddenly, turning towards the adult, he affirmed.

"Mask-guy...no matter what you try to do, I promise you'll never be able to kill me or hurt my friends! I'll stop you no matter what, and I won't would never hesitate to destroy your face."

"Oh, I'm scared! Don't make me laugh, Mugiwara! You don't know who I am let alone who I work for! Expect the worst, because what happened tonight is nothing compared to what I plan to do the next time we meet."

"Do what you want, you won't kill me."

"Tsss! If you want to stop me, the only thing you can do is kill me! And wouldn't that be the worst, for someone like you? Becoming a murderer must be your worst nightmare, right? I'm sure after seeing your reaction when I told you that your brother was a murderer."

Losing his temper, Luffy ran to a bush and crushed its branches. Thought he saw Who's Who there, he saw that the man was not hidden in the bush.

"Who's he got, Mugiwara?" Questioned the mocking voice of Who's Who, who took advantage of the darkness of the night to be out of Luffy's sight. "Can't you really put up with your brother being a murderer! Poor thing...but you know what they say: often the truth is very hard to believe."

Hearing this, Luffy stood still with a clenched fist. being certain of having enraged him, Who's Who suddenly saw him walking away, to return to the plane.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I don't see why I would get upset because of a guy like you." Luffy affirmed.

" What ? "

Sitting cross-legged, Luffy simply looked at the flames in front of him, before affirming.

"I trust Ace, and that's enough for me to know he's not a murderer! And it's certainly not someone like you who can make me believe otherwise."

Seeming to be angry to see him act like this, Who's Who roared.

"You really are a jerk, Mugiwara! What do you think? That people can continue to live normally on an island like this? It's impossible! Help will never come here! Whatever it will happen, you will be alone to face the dangers that are here! Know that to discover all my knowledge of this place, you risk losing all your precious friends, to discovering things that are totally beyond comprehension. "

"Tsss! Shut up." He ordered. "Finding out the secrets of this island while my friends will die traveling by my side? It's impossible."

" What ? "

" I can't survive without my friends. " Luffy affirmed, without the slightest shame. "So, if what you say is true, there will only be two options: either I die with my friends, because I could never manage on my own! Or, my friends survive with me and it is thanks to them that I would uncover the secrets of this island! There will never be any other options."

Just looking at Luffy, Who's Who finally turned around, before affirming.

"There's no point trying to talk to someone like you."

Then, he left Luffy alone.

"We'll follow the plan as planned." Law stated, splashing himself with water, with a plastic bottle. "Compared to facing those giant monsters, it will be a piece of cake to get through those flames."

Next to him, Shirahoshi imitated him without batting an eyelid, unlike Nami, who seemed quite frightened by the turn of events.

"Are you sure of your plan, Law?" She questioned, watching the flames begin to char the interior of the plane. "Because to cross a wall of flame with a film of water, on the skin, for only protection, it is all the same very risky. "

"Do you think I don't know?" Law countered, throwing a bottle at her. "Unfortunately, I have no other idea so that we can get to the cockpit! Hurry up and cover yourself with water! We have nothing more to lose anyway. "

Having no other idea in mind, Nami had no choice but to obey and unscrewed what would allow her to protect herself against the flames. When she was completely soaked, Shirahoshi, her collar in front of her respiratory tract, advanced first towards the flames which had gained in size and intensity. The heat that emanated from it could easily rival that of an oven.

"Let's go!" She declared. "And stay low to the ground, so you won't breathe in smoke."

The three survivors immediately crouched down and, almost on all fours, crossed the death zone. It didn't take long for Law to feel burns on different parts of his body, while some of Nami's hair started to burn. Several times the boy thought he was going to be charred alive as he noticed the flames starting to lick him here and there. On top of that, the smoke filling the hallway stung his eyes and made him cough. Impossible for him to see anything other than Shirahoshi's legs, which was right in front of him.

" Strawhat-ya, if I die, be sure my spirit will come back to haunt you. »

There was also scorched hair, badly soaked pieces of clothing that went up in smoke, and steam that surrounded the bodies of the three people.

But after about twenty seconds, Shirahoshi finally saw the end of the obstacle and left the wall of flame.

" We succeeded. "She rejoices, getting back on her feet, imitated by the two high school students.

But this rejoicing was short-lived when they opened the cockpit door. Upon entering the room, they saw nothing in front of them. There was really nothing at all.

To explain everything, the creature that had destroyed the nose of the plane and all its windows, with claws, to be able to recover the fruit stored there, had completely devastated the room. Whether it was the command post, the two seats, the walls… it was no longer there. It was even a miracle that part of the floor was still attached to the rest of the device.

"But what happened?" Nami wondered, dropping to her knees. "Is it also because of these monsters that there is nothing left here?"

"What are we going to do now?" Law asked, turning to see the flames coming towards them. "We can't turn back anymore."

" It's not possible! What do I have to do ? " Shirahoshi wondered.

She felt helpless and useless. She, who thought she had found a good idea, had not only just failed but, in addition, had ruined the hopes of the two high school students.

" At this rate, the fuselage will explode. " She remarked. " And we'll…!" Why can't I come up with an idea? »

Wondering then if jumping was a possibility, she looked at the front of the room. Because of a creature that had sat on the tail of the plane, the nose of the plane, well what was left of it, had risen a few meters. If they jumped, it would be to land ten meters lower and condemn themselves to certain death.

" Find an idea! Find an idea! »

The young woman turned around and saw the flames which had almost joined them. They were trapped. The void in front of them and the flames behind. The chances of them making it out alive were next to nil.

" Damn! There is no way out! »

It was then that a detail caught his eye: a trapdoor in the floor leading to the level below theirs.

" But of course! The baggage hold! »

"Come on! There's another way out here." She told the two high schoolers, rushing to the trap door.

Immediately, the stewardess opened it and saw a series of steps which allowed to descend into the compartment.

"Come on! Get down, quick."

The two high school students obeyed immediately and immediately descended the ladder each in turn. When it was her turn, Shirahoshi pulled the trapdoor over her head, looking one last time at the wall of flames that gnawed at the floor in front of her before joining the other two.

"Where are we?" Nami wanted to know.

"It's the baggage compartment." Shirahoshi replied, stomping on a suitcase when she touch the ground.

The room was dark and with a rather low ceiling. To top it off, the luggage that was on the floor made it difficult to walk.

"I already know that." Law affirmed. "Strawhat-ya and I have already been there to retrieve our suitcases! But how are you going to get us out of here? If I'm not mistaken, the other cargo door has an automatic lock! We can't open it without electricity, am I wrong?

"Follow me!" Shirahoshi advised. "There is another way out."

"Huh? Where?"

"To the large delivery compartment." She answered him. "There is a door with manual opening."

"What?" Wondered the other two.

Wanting to follow her, Law suddenly skidded on a suitcase and put his hand on a sheet of the plane to keep his balance. He immediately let out a cry of pain while withdrawing his hand from his support.

"What's up with you?" Nami questioned him.

"The sheet metal is as hot as embers." The boy explained, shaking his hand.

"There's the fire just above us." Shirahoshi explained to him. "It's like putting your hand on a lit oven."

"Quick!" Nami exclaimed, finally seeing the door. "The way out of this hell is here."

She immediately wanted to grab the door handle but the other two stopped her on the spot.

"Don't touch it."

"Why?" Nami questioned them, pinning her fingers inches from the handle.

In response, Shirahoshi took off her jacket and wrapped it around the handle. Immediately, the three people heard crackling noises that were produced by the contact of the fabric on the metal.

"The handle is hot." Nami realized.

"Yes! No one can open it without wearing gloves." Law affirmed.

Gathering her courage in both hands, the stewardess put her hands on her jacket which covered the handle. Despite the layer of fabric that acted as a shield against the heat that emanated from the metal, the young woman wanted only one thing: to immerse them in ice water. It took little for her to remove them.

" No! I must resist! " She thought, gritting her teeth. " They're both counting on me!" I will not disappoint them again. »

She pulled the handle and pushed open the door, but still, she didn't move an eyelid.

" But that … ? "

"What's wrong?" Nami questioned her.

"She…She doesn't want to open up." Shirahoshi told her, redoubled her efforts.

" Impossible! All the same, we are not going to die so close to the goal. »

Suddenly, two other pairs of hands landed next to her to lend her a hand.

« Huh ? »

Seeing that the young woman could not open this damn door, the two high school students had finally decided to help her.

"Are you ready?" Law asked, wincing at the heat.

"Anytime." Nami replied, doing her best not to scream.

"So... PUSH!"

But, despite the fact that they pulled the handle at the same time, the door still resisted and refused to open.

" It's not possible. " Law thought, grimacing. " Normally, it should open as easily as an ordinary door! One of those damn titans must have kicked her and pinned her down. »

"Come on, open up."

" PUSH ! "

Finally, a miracle happened again: the door opened. Before they knew it, the three friends had time to stop their efforts, fell forward and landed in front of Luffy's feet.

"What are you doing?" The boy asked them.

"Luffy?" Nami wondered, noticing that he was standing in front of them. " But how … ? "

"Later for explanations." Luffy taught her, helping her and the other two to their feet. "We better get out before the plane blows up."

Immediately, his friends got up and began to run towards the forest, at the same time as the fuselage was in flames.

With Luffy : Law / Shirahoshi / Nami

Other passengers: Sanji / Usopp / Nami / Ace / Coby / Kaya / Vivi / Katakuri / Perospero / Zoro / Chopper / Johnny / Yosaku / Kid / Wapol / Musshru / Tashigi (teacher) / Smoker (teacher)

Died: Dalton (pilot) / Kaya / AO / Mero / Curiel / T-Bone (teacher)

? : Who is who