The rain continues to fall on Logue Town, driven by the wind that whips the clothes of the two people facing each other on the rooftops that border the sea. The crashing of the waves on the shore and in the harbor makes the ambient noise almost deafening, but it doesn't distract the two adults as they look at each other. Dragon has a neutral face while Stella has a small smirk on her face.
"I'm surprised you're in East Blue. Would you be here to greet someone and wish them luck by any chance?" Dragon's shoulders tense slightly.
"How do you know?" He asks, putting himself on guard. He knows there's no point in beating around the bush. Stella rolls her eyes as she sees the tension beginning to show in the world's most wanted man.
"Calm down. I don't want to hurt him, quite the opposite. You should keep an eye on his progress on Grand Line. I'm sure he'll make sparks fly." She said with an amused smile. The man's eyes crinkle with distrust.
"Explain yourself." Stella gives him a long look and finally lets out a sigh.
"For his own safety, I'm not going to tell you anything right now, we're not really in the right place to talk about this. But I would ask you not to tell anyone, it could be dangerous for him if this information falls into a certain person's ears. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about, right?" He growls and turns to the sea where Luffy's ship is barely visible.
"I know a lot about you, just like you know a lot about me. But admit it, you didn't know this young boy until today."
"I knew about him through a mutual friend, but I didn't know he was related to you. If I didn't know your name, I wouldn't have made the connection. But since this is information that very few people know. I'm sure he'll be fine once he's on the Grand Line." Said Stella as she shrugged her shoulders and started walking towards the rough sea. Dragon squints but doesn't stop her from leaving.
"This conversation isn't over. Expect a phone call from me." She turns to him with an amused smile.
"I'll look forward to it. Since I'm on his ship, will you want to talk to him?"
"No." Says Dragon in a blank voice. Stella raises an eyebrow.
"Why?" He gives her a long look as the wind shakes his cloak and the rain continues to fall, wetting them more and more. He finally lets out a sigh of frustration at the intense look Stella gives him.
"Meeting me won't do him any good. Besides, I expect to see him again when he is strong enough to defend himself against the world government." The woman's gaze crinkles more and more, trying to push the man to confess more but in front of Dragon's cold and stoic look, she finally drops the matter and shrugs.
"Hmm... It's up to you after all. Well, I'm off before he goes too far. See ya!" Dragon watched as Stella ran across the slippery tiles, then jumped into the air before starting to sprint towards the Merry, about ten meters above the raging sea.
"I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that she's with him."
"Who are you talking about, Boss?" Dragon turns his head toward a young man dressed in black and blue with a matching top hat. His blond hair is slightly darkened by the rain.
"No one, Sabo. Is everything ready?"
"Yes! We can go, we managed to gather all the information we wanted." Dragon nods and looks out to sea again.
"Well, we'd better get ready for any eventuality. I have a feeling that a big change is coming soon." Sabo looks at him quizzically as Dragon starts to leave to get to their hiding place. The young man follows him and they disappear into the darkness of the city.
The sea continues to rage with increasingly large waves and strong winds that whip up rain on the Merry. But despite this apocalyptic weather, the mood is festive. The crew gathered on deck around a barrel. Everyone looks at each other with big smiles and bright eyes. In a few hours, they will have left East Blue to start their journey on Grand Line and thus realize their dream.
"I'm going to become the Pirate King!" Luffy yells as he places his foot on the barrel.
"I will become the greatest swordsman in the world!"
"I will find All Blue!"
"I will map the world!"
"I will... I will become a brave warrior of the seas!"
They all look at each other with big smiles and with one movement they lift their foot and blow the barrel underneath with a loud crash of wood.
"OFF TO GRAND LINE!"
From the sky, Stella looks at them with a sweet smile, she arrived when Sanji brought the barrel to the middle of the bridge. She has to say that this is a great idea from the cook. It will solidify their dream and promise by proclaiming them loudly in front of everyone. Slowly, she lands on the deck as they laugh with joy as they hug.
The first to notice her is of course Luffy.
"Stella! You're back! " Instantly, he throws himself into her arms. Amused and also carried away by the movement, she spins him around before putting him on the ground.
"Of course, you didn't think this little storm was going to stop me from coming back?" She said with a big smile as she released the captain. This one looks at her with a big smile jumping with joy, until he looks at the chestnut hair flying with the gusts of wind.
" Hey, did you change your hair color?" He displays a sulky pout. "It's a shame, I liked your white hair, you looked so cool with it." At the elastic man's pout, Stella snickers and removes the small metal tab that held Seima out of its sheath. Immediately, her chestnut hair turns white and her eyes turn ice blue as the blade returns to its sheath. Luffy's eyes begin to glow again.
"Is that better?" She asks with an amused smile.
"This is so cool! Is this another mysterious power you have? I want to do the same thing you do!"
The others approach and see the color change, they are all surprised except Zoro who crosses his arms and looks at Stella with a wary eye. He hasn't forgotten what happened on Stella's boat. His eyes land on Seima and his gaze becomes sharper and more attentive. As the first mate of the crew, he has to watch his comrades and make sure they don't get hurt or killed. But the knowledge that a deadly blade is only three feet away from Luffy makes him tense and uncomfortable.
"Thank you Luffy, unfortunately I can't teach you that, it's a power only I possess." Luffy pouted again and crossed his arms, puffing out his cheeks.
"That's not fair." She giggled again and ruffled his hair.
"Don't worry, you'll have other powers even cooler than this. I promise." The good mood immediately returns to Luffy's face. Obviously it doesn't take much to make him smile.
"That's all well and good, but we don't have time to waste! We need to focus on the entrance of Grand Line!" Reminds Nami while glaring at Stella who looks at her with an eyebrow raised at her irritated look. Seeing the woman's questioning, Nami turns around and heads to the kitchen with an irritated step. "Everyone in the kitchen! I need to talk to you about Reverse Mountain before we get to the front of Red Line!"
Quickly, everyone enters the room and Nami spreads the map of Grand Line on the table. Stella puts her bags against the kitchen wall, she'll put them away later, then she leans against the wall and looks at them from a distance.
"Look at this, the Reverse Mountain is a mountain that you have to cross to get to the other side, I think there is a channel to cross it. " Declares Nami while pointing to the map. Everyone looks at it with septic faces.
"A channel is a joke!" Replies Usopp, not at all convinced by what Nami just said. The others give different opinions on the accuracy of the map before turning to Stella who continues to look at them with a small smile.
"Is it true about the canal, Stella-chan?" Asks Sanji as he looks at her quizzically. She detaches herself from the wall and approaches the group.
"That channel does exist, Sanji. But it's not easy to use, you have to be very careful and watch out for the current, otherwise you'll die crashing into Red Line." Usopp's face paled at this reality coming at them.
"Wha... What? But... Isn't there a safer way?" He asks hopefully, tears in his eyes. Stella rolls her eyes at this excess of panic.
"There is another path, but it's not safer by any means. But if you don't change course right now, you're going to run right into it." They all look at her with frowns, not understanding these words. She smiles and opens the door, the weather is still raging outside filling the room with the sounds of wind and waves crashing against the ship. "All you have to do is step outside and look ahead." She says with a grand gesture towards the outside.
They step out onto the balcony squinting from the rain, they can't see much except the black waves around them. But after passing a particularly large wave, they finally see something strange in front of the boat. About 100 meters in front of the Merry, the sea is completely calm and the sky is a beautiful blue. The contrast is such that between the raging sea and the calm sea, there is barely a meter of small eddies.
"Wow! This is so cool! I've never seen that!" Shouted Luffy as he rushed to the Merry's head to get a closer look at the phenomenon. The other men also approached to get a closer look, except for the navigator who turned pale and looked at the calm sea as if it led to hell.
"Oh no, that's not true... LISTEN TO ME! We must turn back immediately! We must not go on Calm Belt under any circumstances! If we go there, we're dead! So get off your asses and turn the ship to starboard! Now!"
They all turned to the panicked navigator with questioning.
"Why, Nami? The weather seems calmer and sunnier on this side." Said Usopp, pointing to Calm Belt. The others also nod at the sniper's words. Nami rants angrily next to Stella who calmly watches the scene with a small, barely noticeable amused smile.
"You guys are idiots! You haven't learned anything from what I said about Calm Belt! There is no wind or current on this sea! If we go there, we'll be stuck! Besides, it's the breeding ground of the Sea Kings, they'll come and eat us!" Usopp paled dangerously at the words of the enraged navigator. Sanji and Zoro also turn pale and they immediately react by starting to pull on the ropes to make the ship change direction while Usopp rushes to the rudder. Only Luffy shows no fear, even puffing up his cheeks to start pouting.
"Why are you so panicked? Let's give them a good beating! Besides, we have oars to move around, what's the problem?" Nami's gaze fixes on her captain and she starts to walk towards him with an irritated step before giving him a big blow in the head.
"Are you an idiot or are you doing it on purpose? Here we only have sea monsters! The sea kings are the size of an island! You have no chance of defeating one of them!" She shouts, shaking the poor boy who finally seems to understand the gravity of the situation.
"WHAT?! But then! Hurry up guys! We have to change direction!"
"WE ALREADY DO, YOU IDIOT!"
Stella chuckles at this little scene, it reminds her of when Shanks is being an idiot and his crew yells at him. It's a shame that this kind of thing happens less and less now that Shanks has become a Yonko and his crew has recruited a lot of new people. But that doesn't mean he's lost his carefree streak from time to time, especially when she visits him or when one of his longtime friends, like Mihawk, visits him.
The Merry quickly changed direction, skirting the calm water without entering it, much to the relief of the navigator and the rest of the crew. The wind and rain continually whipped at their faces, but they were lucky that the wind was pushing them in the right direction. Soon, the only continent on this planet becomes visible, Red Line.
They sail along the huge cliff that rises to the sky paying close attention to the current that crashes against the rock face, the blood red rocks make Usopp shiver with worry.
"Says Stella... Do you know why Red Line is this color?" He asks cautiously, looking up to the sky in hopes of catching a glimpse of the summit through the clouds. Stella looks at him with amusement, slips behind his back and starts talking in an ominous voice while waving her hands like a crazy fortune teller.
"This color comes from one thing... It comes from the blood of all the unfortunate people who died trying to cross this cursed mountain. ~ The rocks have drunk their blood year after year and if you listen closely, you can hear the voices of all the dead calling to you from beyond." Usopp turns pale with terror and starts screaming at the ghosts while hiding behind Zoro who looks at him rolling his eyes at his gullibility. Stella has a small chuckle of amusement at the sniper's escape, this is going to be a lot of fun telling horror stories after dark. Maybe she'll ask Sutashi for help, she's sure he'll find it very funny.
"Don't listen to her Usopp, ghosts don't exist." Said the swordsman with a hint of annoyance at having said that to reassure the coward.
"How can you be sure? You've never met one!" He says indignantly. Luffy, who was listening to the conversation, has his eyes shining at the mention of ghosts.
"I want to have a ghost in my crew! It sounds so cool to have one! "
"Don't talk nonsense, Luffy! There's no such thing as ghosts!" Luffy pouted at Usopp's words and turned to Stella with cocker spaniel eyes.
"Is it true that ghosts don't exist?" Stella smiles at him before walking over to the sniper who frowns as she grabs his shoulders before leaning into his ear with a toothy grin.
"I'm sorry to shatter your dreams but... Ghosts exist. ~ " Usopp's eyes widen in terror as Luffy's begin to glow more intensely.
"It's true?! Really?! You think there will be one who will want to join my crew?" The woman smiles at the captain as the sniper has his soul flying around his body.
"You can always ask him/her when you meet one." Luffy shouts with joy as he jumps all over the ship, which particularly irritates the navigator.
"That's enough! We need to focus on finding the passage and getting through it safely!" She turns to the white-haired woman. "As for you! Stop talking nonsense! There's no such thing as ghosts!" Stella rolls her eyes and crosses her arms with amusement. As Usopp falls to the ground playing dead on the deck, Zoro rolls his eyes and sticks Wadô's scabbard in his stomach to force him to his feet.
"You're saying that because you've never seen a ghost, right?" Stella asks, as in the background Usopp lets out a cry of pain from Zoro's scabbard blow, which lets out a chuckle.
"Exactly!" Shouts the navigator. Stella's smile widens and she approaches Nami who looks at her warily.
"So... How can you say it doesn't exist if you've never seen one? I'm sure there are a lot of things that will seem far more far-fetched to you than the existence of ghosts." Nami squints her eyes and pokes the woman's chest with her finger in an accusatory tone.
"I don't need to see it to know they don't exist!" Stella lets out another sneer that is not lost on the redhead. "Can I know what's funny?!"
"Nothing.~ I'm just imagining your face when you're faced with something crazy and illogical, I'll have to take your picture then, right Aoi?" She asks the little blue and purple snail on her shoulder who is grinning at her despite the rain falling on him. Visibly, he's having a great time.
Zoro and Nami look at the Den Den and squint warily. The first one because of what could happen to his hair if he let himself approach this mollusk and the second one because she doesn't like the fact to be taken in picture without her agreement. The others approach the little Den Den Mochi with curiosity, especially Luffy.
"Hoooo! What's that?" He asks as he moves his finger forward to touch the small animal, which is snapping his teeth to scare the young boy, but his attempt at intimidation does not work. Stella is forced to move her shoulder to get Luffy's finger away from the snail.
"This is Aoi, a Den Den photographer. However, I ask you all not to touch it, especially you Luffy." The captain gives her a pout and frowns.
"Why? That's not fair!" Stella lets out a sigh and takes Aoi in her hand.
"Hold out your hand, it will be easier than explaining it to you. " Excited by the proposal, Luffy immediately holds his hand out flat for Stella to put the snail down. Zoro watches the exchange with suspicion, he is not at all reassured. He wishes that snail would stay away from his captain. Knowing that Stella's swords are capable of killing on contact, who's to say that her snails don't have the same properties? A cold sweat runs down his back and he grabs Luffy's wrist before Stella gives him the snail.
"Wait Luffy! I... I don't think this is a good idea. If Stella asks us not to touch it, we should listen to her." Everyone looks at him with surprise, the swordsman realizes that his cautious behavior and far from his usual behavior. But since he has been on this ship of ill fortune, he has realized that Stella's warnings are never without merit.
"What's wrong, moss face? Don't tell me you're afraid of a little snail?" Says Sanji with a mocking smile. Zoro growls at him, but doesn't let go of Luffy's wrist.
"Shut up Curly! Don't talk without knowing!" The cook and the whole crew raise their eyebrows at these words, even Stella's smile falters and she looks at Zoro carefully, ready to act if he starts saying things he might regret.
"What do you mean by that, Marimo? You who only know how to fight, you must not know much." He says in a mocking tone, which pisses off the swordsman even more as he lunges at him pulling out a sword. The cook easily stops the blade with his foot and smiles at him with an extinguished cigarette between his teeth. They exchange a few blows without looking at the rest of the group. But when Nami lets out a panicked scream, they immediately stop to look at what has frightened their navigator.
Zoro's face turns pale when he sees Luffy lying on the ground, not moving. Boom Boom. Nami looks at the inert body with big eyes as well as Usopp. Boom. Boom. He barely sees Sanji rushing towards Nami and his captain. Boom Boom. The rain falls on Luffy's body and the wind ruffles his black hair without him moving. Boom Boom. The sound of thunder and the impact of the rain on his skin and the Merry clouds the swordsman's mind as he sees the snail in his captain's hand slowly crawling towards Stella's hand, who is crouched next to Luffy with a small amused smile. Boom Boom Boom Boom.
"STELLA!" The swordsman lets out a cry of rage and lunges at the woman who raises her head, raising an eyebrow at the man's enraged charge. In one fluid motion, she retrieves the snail and pulls Seima out of its scabbard to parry the three swords that came out in a strong impact, but not causing the woman to back down despite her precarious position. The enraged swordsman doesn't hear the crew telling him to stop, his eyes and mind are solely focused on the enemy in front of him. He looks at her with anger and rage while Stella quietly puts the snail back on her shoulder with a neutral face. "What have you done? Why?! Why did you do that?!" He yells with all the anger in him. The woman's eyes crinkle and she pushes Zoro away with a large gesture, causing him to skid on the wet wood before he lunges at the woman again with a howl of rage.
The almost invisible blade produces sparks as it counters Zoro's blows, which become more and more brutal and disordered. The woman's face doesn't change for a moment, she almost looks bored. Except that a small spark of amusement shines in her eyes, which irritates the swordsman even more and he is sent flying once more, hitting the mast, which makes him grunt with pain and anger. But he gets up and lunges at Stella again, but Luffy's howl of laughter stops him dead in his tracks, sending him skidding across the wet wood. He turns his head to his captain with wide eyes to watch him laugh as he sits on the ground. A frank, bright smile lights up his face.
"Luffy?" Asks the swordsman cautiously, looking at him with round eyes as his erratic breathing stops all at once.
"Ha ha ha! That was so funny! Ha ha ha!"
"You idiot! You scared us!" Shouted Nami as she gave him a powerful blow to the head.
"Sorry, sorry! But I didn't know what was going to happen, so it's not my fault!" Says he as he sticks his tongue out, rewarding him with another punch.
The sound of a sword being put away gets the swordsman's attention. Stella looks at him with a small sneer and walks towards the others. Zoro blinks at her and looks at the swords in his hands. He feels incredibly stupid. Irritated that he was once again duped and judged too quickly, he puts his blades away and heads towards the crew. Sanji glares at him and kicks him for good measure, but he parries it by catching his foot in midair.
"You're such an idiot, Marimo. Did you really think that Stella-chan would be able to hurt any of us? You moron!" Zoro growls and drops the foot in his hand, he doesn't feel like fighting now. The cook doesn't seem to understand that Stella is not a delicate flower but a wild and dangerous tiger. If she wants to kill one of them, no one can stop her. His hand absently rests on his neck, where he can still feel the bruises under the bandage. He clenches his jaw, realizing even more that he was totally powerless against her and that if she had really wanted to kill him, she would have done it without him realizing it. Fortunately, Sanji seems to have understood the message and approaches the rest of the group. Stella is currently standing in front of a cross-legged Luffy sitting on the wooden floor.
"So, Luffy? Do you know what just happened?" The boy looks at Stella with a big smile.
"Nop!" The woman rolls her eyes in amusement, she had expected that answer. She takes Aoi in her hand, crouches down and brings it up to the captain.
"Touch it again and try to figure out what is happening to you. The sensations going through your body for example." Luffy nods and places a finger on the snail under the worried and curious looks of the other crew members. As soon as the fingertip makes contact with the small Den Den, Luffy goes limp and collapses to the deck, sticking his tongue out.
"I feel very weak..." Stella giggles and pulls her hand back so that Luffy is no longer in contact.
"Exactly! Tell me, doesn't this feeling make you think of something? " Luffy immediately straightens up and begins to think, crossing his arms and frowning in concentration.
"Hmm... " He looks around before his face lights up. "The sea! It's like I'm in the water!" He says with a big smile as he raises his fist in the air.
"Exactly!" She compliments him by ruffling his hair, causing Luffy to chuckle with contentment. The others frown, not understanding what's going on.
"Uh... Stella? Can you elaborate? I don't really understand." Says Usopp, rubbing his head as he takes a closer look at the snail. Stella winks at Aoi and hands him the snail.
"Go ahead, touch it." The sniper instantly backs away as he falls on his butt, wanting to stay away from this mollusk that can render Luffy useless. Stella laughs at his fear and Aoi takes the opportunity to take a picture of his scared face. "You have nothing to fear, as long as you didn't eat a devil fruit this snail is as normal as the others."
Zoro growls as he hears the click of the camera, he swears that this noise will become his haunting, especially as the Den Den gives him little looks with a big mocking smile. The swordsman wrinkles his nose and looks away, refusing that this mollusk of misfortune has any influence on him.
" Devil's fruits? I... I understand even less..." Stella stands up and puts Aoi on her shoulder.
"Do you know about sea granite?" Everyone shakes their heads. "I was expecting it. Simply put, sea granite is a stone that has the same properties as the sea on devil fruit eaters. The world government uses this stone to catch and imprison those with powers. It can be found in the form of weapons, handcuffs, prisons and more rarely on the hulls of ships." The crew looks at her digesting this information, it is Nami who speaks again with a puzzled face.
"So there is an effective stone against people who have the power of a devil fruit and if I understand correctly ... your Den Den has the same property as this rock? " Stella nods while crossing her arms and looking at Red Line.
"Indeed, it is very effective against people who are Logia. And it also lets you know if someone has a power or not without necessarily throwing them in the water." They all blinked as they pounded their fists into the palms of their hands.
"Ah yes, that's handy." Stella let out a small laugh at their antics and stroked Aoi with her fingertips.
"Indeed, it is convenient. But you should know that this property does not come naturally to Den Den. I alone possess the bloodline that has this effect. So please understand that these snails are my treasure, just as Luffy's hat is his. So do not harm them under any circumstances, or else..." Her gaze hardens and her smile disappears as she looks at each person in front of her. Her eyes turn a darker blue. "This will be the last thing you do in your life, is that clear? " She asks in a low, somber tone. Seeing Stella's serious face stare at them intensely, they all nod to indicate that they have understood the message while a chill runs down their spines.
Stella's face relaxes as she sees them nod and her smile returns.
"Good! I'm sure you have many more questions, but you should instead focus on the entrance of Grand Line which is just ahead!" She said, pointing to something at the front of the ship. With one movement, the crew turns to Grand Line entrance which is represented by several stone arches framing a powerful current running up the mountain.
"What?! How is this possible? The water is coming up the mountain!" Yells Usopp as he watches the torrent of water flow up the wall and disappear into the clouds. Luffy flashes a smile that could be described as crazy and sprints towards the front of the Merry.
"This is so cool! Come on guys! Let's go up!" With one movement, everyone takes their positions as they listen to Nami's instructions. If they miss the entrance, the ship will crash into Red Line and that will be the end of their journey.
"Watch out! We are drifting too far to the right! Sanji, Usopp take the helm!" Orders the navigator as the Merry speeds toward the blood red wall. The two men grab the rudder and put all their weight on it to force it to change direction despite the power of the current.
Stella's ears perceive the sound of wood beginning to crack while the ship still does not change direction. She appears in front of the two youngsters and puts her hand on the wood, ready to give way. She breathes a bit of armaments haki into the fibers of the wood, just enough to prevent the wood from cracking in the hands of the two men. Seeing the woman crouching in front of the helm that is beginning to twist dangerously, Sanji and Usopp look at her questioningly as she simply places her hand on the wood.
"Stella-chan, what the..." The icy blue eyes turn to them with a serious face.
"Don't mind me and keep pushing. I'll make sure the helm doesn't break in your hands." They blink before nodding with a determined look and pushing as hard as they can. The Merry begins to change direction, but it's not enough as the rightmost part of the ship will make contact with the first pillar of the Reverse Mountain entrance.
"Look out, we're going to crash!" Yells Zoro as he grits his teeth at the sight of the stone pillar that is about to tear through the entire right side of their ship. Luffy runs and throws his hat at Zoro who catches it by surprise while his captain throws himself at the stone pillar and blows up like a balloon. The impact is powerful and Luffy nearly deflates as the Merry slides over him to find the current that carries him to the top of the mountain. The boy's body is left behind as he deflates. Zoro jumps onto the back railing and reaches out to his friend.
"LUFFY! GRAB MY HAND!" The rubber man contorts and throws his hand into his swordsman's, who promptly pulls him onto the ship. Luffy crashes into him and they roll across the deck before stopping after a few rolls on the soaked wood. Everyone smiles as they manage to get through the current without too much damage and everyone is fine. Luffy leaps to his feet and helps Zoro up with a big smile reflected on the swordsman's face.
"We did it!" Shouts the entire crew as they see the cloud layer getting closer and closer.
Stella lets out a reassured sigh, she didn't want to have to leave in a hurry while the youngsters were dying crushed by the currents. She joins the others who shout for joy as they look at the top of the mountain which is getting closer and closer after passing the cloud belt.
The Merry leaps into the sky in a great explosion of water, the sun making the drops of water sparkle around them like little diamonds as time seems to slow down. Everyone smiles with excitement as the Merry begins to roll down the slope towards the clouds surrounding the top of Reverse Mountain. The fog hides the view for a few seconds, then eyes widen with joy at the sight of the huge expanse of sunlit water facing them.
"We are on Grand Line!" Everyone shouts with joy as they jump up and down.
Stella also smiles as she looks at the sea that is her home, but Aoi's shake on her shoulder catches her attention. The blue snail vibrates on itself as it looks at her. The woman lets out a sigh as she rubs the bridge of her nose. No sooner has she set foot on Grand Line than she is already being harassed with calls. With a sigh of boredom, she heads to the room to at least see the name of the caller. She wants to fully enjoy the first hours of discovery of this crew without being disturbed every five minutes.
She closes the door of the room, blocking the explosion of joy of the rest of the crew. Placed on the office, the red and green Den Den rings without stopping, on its transponder she can read Marco's name. She frowns when she sees this name, normally he calls her only in case of emergency. She looks at the Den Den, hesitates to pick up but finally sighs and approaches her hand to the handset to take the call. The phoenix must have something urgent to tell her.
"BUOOOOOO!" Her hand pauses over the phone as she hears the sound echoing through the air. Outside there is commotion on the deck, she hears them shouting but can't make them out because of the eardrum-twisting scream. She pushes a sigh and turns around, she will call back Marco when the crew has passed Laboon. For her, there is no doubt that this cry comes from this giant whale which blocks the passage.
When she opened the door, it was no surprise to see the whale, as big as a mountain, rise to the sky and scream again and again. On deck, everyone is on the helm so that the Merry can pass through a small passage to the left of the whale. Again, the wood of the helm starts to spit dangerously but this time Stella can't react in time as it breaks in two under the screams and shouts of the crew.
Stella's hand rests on her face and she lets out a bored sigh as the Merry rushes towards Laboon. The sound of a cannon makes her raise her head sharply to look toward the front of the ship. Her eye twitches as she sees Luffy emerge from the cannon room with a big smile, clearly proud of his idea. Indeed, the ship slowed down under the blast and didn't crash into the whale's black skin, although the figurehead cracked over a good half of its neck.
"HAAAAA! LUFFY! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Scream and cry all his crewmates. Their eyes turn to the whale who has momentarily stopped screaming. Seeing that it does not move, they take the opportunity to row as fast as possible to escape this mortal danger.
Laboon doesn't move, with a blank look, probably trying to understand what just happened. Then, without warning, she lets out an even louder scream that shakes the air and the ship. Everyone places their hands over their ears and closes their eyes in pain.
"ARG! My ears!"
"Keep rowing! We need to get away from her as fast as possible!"
The deep, plaintive cry is so loud that even Stella clamps her hands over her ears and grits her teeth in pain.
"ARGGG! KEEP IT DOWN LABOON!" She screams as loud as the whale can hear her. The screaming stops abruptly as the giant eye turns to the Merry passing by her as the crew looks on in terror. The woman breathes a sigh of relief and waves her hat in Laboon's direction. Her white hair flutters in the wind as her face lights up in the sunlight. "HI BIG GIRL! IT'S BEEN A WHILE! HOW'S CROCUS?!"
Everyone looks at her with big eyes as the whale starts to make little squeals of joy and shake her fins. This creates big waves that cause the Merry to pitch dangerously. Stella flashes a big smile as she giggles while resting her orange cowboy hat on her head.
" Slow down, big girl, or you'll capsize the boat." At these words, the whale calms down and falls flat on its face back into the ocean, creating a veritable tsunami.
"HAAAAA!" The crew screams in fear at the 30 meter high wave. They scramble over the ropes and sails in an attempt to move the Merry and survive the drowning.
Stella watched as the giant wave came towards them with a terrifying, deafening sound. A roll begins to appear at the top of the tsunami and tons of water begins to fall toward the boat, obscuring the sky. If the water falls on them, they are dead.
All faces are pale with horror, the Merry will never be fast enough or strong enough to get out of it and without a rudder they can do nothing. No sooner had they arrived on Grand Line than their adventure came to an end.
"BOOM!" Several black lines cut through the huge wave, exploding it into great spray of water. Columns of water fall on and around the Merry, nearly drowning the people inside. The boat rocked back and forth and nearly capsized, the wood cracking under the impact as if it was complaining about being so badly battered by the waters. The amount of water that falls eventually diminishes to a fine rain that falls and splashes on the deck.
The Straw Hat crew members lay starfish on the deck, their bodies soaked and shivering. They really thought they were dead. Their eyes stare up at the sunny blue sky as the last drops of water fall on them. The cold of the water gives way to the warmth of the sun's rays which, coupled with adrenaline, causes their skin to tingle.
The sound of footsteps on the deck catches their attention and they slowly straighten up on their elbows. Stella stands proudly in front of the sea, her blade pointed to the sky, while looking at Laboon who is swimming next to their boat. They feel really minuscule.
She dances Seima in her hands in the sunlight, making small patterns of light appear on the deck before she tucks it into her belt with a small metallic clunk. Her icy blue eyes turn to the children on the ground, who look at her with wide eyes as their breathing finally calms. An amused smile forms on her lips.
"You won't get anywhere by staying on the ground. Get up! You lazy bastards! The Merry needs fixing." Nami and Usopp look at her with wide eyes and pale faces. They don't trust their shaky leg to stand up. They sit up slowly and watch their hand shake with fear and adrenaline. Zoro and Sanji are out of breath at this power move. They who are the strongest of the crew with their captains, they could not do anything in front of this wave that was going to swallow them. Slowly, they get up and look at Stella with big eyes, while she looks at them with a small proud smile.
Luffy also looks at her with big eyes. His body shakes too, but it's not from fear, it's from excitement. A smile starts to appear and it gets bigger and bigger every second until he jumps to his feet.
" It's... so... COOL!" He jumps in excitement at the woman who looks at him with a sweet smile as he wraps his arms around her. His smile and eyes shine, like the sun making the sea sparkle. Stella giggles softly as Laboon lets out a small cry of joy.
"Thanks Luffy. I'm sure one day you'll do something even more spectacular than stopping a tsunami." Luffy releases her, jumping up and down, unable to stand still for a moment because he is so excited.
"I can't wait any longer! Teach me! Teach me! " The woman lets out a laugh as she rubs the excited boy's black hair.
"I'm counting on it. But for now, you need to fix the Merry. It took quite a beating while crossing Reverse Mountain. The rudder is broken and the figurehead is likely to break at some point." Luffy's smile fades and his face twists in horror.
"The figurehead?!" He rushes to the front of the ship to see the ram's head clinging desperately to the last fibers of wood. Small tears are visible in the corners of the animal's eyes. "HAAA! MERRY!" He cries out in panic at this catastrophe. He grabs Usopp by the collar and shakes him while the poor sniper still can't stand on his legs. "FIX IT MERRY! FIX MY SEAT!" Usopp looks at him with wide eyes before his face twists in anger and he hits Luffy in the head. The rubber head bounces off, but Luffy doesn't let go of Usopp as he continues to cry.
"Get off me, Luffy! I intend to fix the Merry! Then let go of me!" A snotty grin appears on the captain's face as he thanks the sniper with a watery chirp. Stella giggles as she approaches the two boys and places her hand on Luffy's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Don't worry Luffy. I'm sure Usopp will do his best. But you should let go of him so he can move and breathe." The captain blinks before turning his attention back to his sniper. He hurries to let go of his body as the poor man starts to turn blue from Luffy crushing him in his arms.
"Oops! Sorry Usopp! Shishishi!" He says as he rubs the back of his head.
Stella rolls her eyes in amusement and walks back to the edge of the Merry to look toward the two headlights that mark the exit from Reverse Mountain. The entire crew finally gets back on their feet and begins to organize to repair the ship.
"I think it will take me a few hours to fix everything. We're going to have to dock somewhere to be stable." Said Usopp as he took a closer look at the broken rudder.
"I agree with you. We also need to get the Log Pose to load on the first island. Right now, it looks like it's searching." Said the navigator, looking at her wrist critically as the needle on the little glass ball continued to change direction randomly. "This had better work. It cost me a small fortune." She grumbles while shooting an irritated look at Stella who only raises an eyebrow at the underlying accusation. The navigator is angry with me because Log Pose is expensive? Her lips twitch nervously in amusement. Clearly, their navigator likes money and doesn't like to spend it, even to buy something vital.
"There are two lighthouses with a small pier. We should go there. There might be some construction equipment there." Indicates the cook, pointing to the two buildings visible about a 100 meters away while pulling a not-so-wet cigarette from his pack. Luffy jumps on the railing right next to Stella to get a closer look at the two lighthouses.
"Woooo! They're so cool!" The woman next to him chuckles softly as she sits on the polished wood of the Merry with her back to the sea.
"That's the Twin Capes. I have a friend who lives there with Laboon, maybe he'll help you if he likes you." Luffy gave her a big smile accompanied by Usopp's words of relief. They will be able to quietly repair the ship without having to go mess with the lighthouse keeper.
The Merry glided slowly towards the small cove with the help of the oars. The way is short, but it should not be forgotten that there is a whale of more than 400 meters long which swims just beside them and which decided to make various figures and rolls in water, which shakes the Merry in all the directions. Only Stella and Luffy were amused by its antics, the others were struggling to avoid the ship crashing on Red Line or sinking because of a big wave.
It is with great relief that the crew manages to dock without further damage.
Stella jumps down and walks quietly towards the first lighthouse. She stops about ten meters from the building and puts her hands around her mouth so she can shout louder.
"HEY HOOOO! CROCUS! YOU HAVE A VISITOR!" Her voice ricochets against the mountain creating a small echo. She waits for a few seconds, but nothing happens, her face makes a small pout and she walks to the door before opening it wide. "CROCUS! ARE YOU THERE?!"
The crew watches as she enters the lighthouse and begins to walk up and down it. They see her emerge from every window screaming Crocus' name. It's not until five minutes later that she returns with a thoughtful face.
"Is everything okay, Stella-chan? Can't you find your friend?" Asks Sanji, who has managed to light his cigarette and heads to the kitchen to prepare a snack to replenish energy after crossing Reverse Mountain.
" He's not here, but I have an idea where he is." She says as she takes a long look at Laboon with a small smirk on her face. The others look at her with a questioning eyebrow raised and also look at the whale swimming quietly on the surface. Without a word, the woman begins to move towards the large creature and starts to fly in its direction.
Her feet land on Laboon's thick black skin as her eyes scan his back for the hatch that leads inside the whale.
"STELLA!" An identified object hurtles toward Stella and nearly hits her head on. The woman shifts slightly to the side to watch Luffy fly by her and crash into the rough skin. "Ouch!" He bounces a few times before coming to rest not far from the end of Laboon's back.
The white-haired woman looked at him with an amused face as she crossed her arms.
"Can I ask what you're doing here, Luffy?" The pirate jumps to his feet with a start, holding his hat. A big smile lights up his face as he walks towards Stella, taking small leaps to test the elasticity of the skin.
"I want to ride on the back of the whale too! That sounds like too much fun!" She giggles softly at the boy's excited tone. Laboon lets out a little squeal of delight as she waves her fins, she must think Luffy is trying to massage her by bouncing on her.
"I see... You can stay on her back as long as she wants. But I have to go inside, so stay on guard if she decides to dive into the water." She says as she walks over to the hatch and opens it with a metallic creak. Luffy's eyes immediately begin to glaze over as he looks down the small tunnel into the whale. A small ladder leads down the few feet to the organic, metallic tunnel.
"Wouaaa! So cool!" Without waiting he jumps into the tunnel under the surprised eyes of Stella. She rolls her eyes and enters in turn, closing the trap door above her.
"Wait for me, Luffy! I don't want you to get lost or cause a disaster!" She says as she jumps the last few meters from the ground. She lands with a metallic thud and looks around, the boy is about 20 meters ahead of her.
Luffy looks around with bright eyes while trotting inside the corridor. He touches the steel walls that are heated by Laboon's body, the feeling is weird but fun. He continues his way knowing that Stella is not far behind him. His steps lead him between the different corridors and rooms of this immense structure.
Stella follows him with a small smile, it is amusing to see the young boy raving and pointing out everything that is out of the ordinary. Well, everything that is out of the ordinary when you are in a giant whale. Their footsteps echo against the walls as they get closer and closer to the stomach, where Stella is sure to find Crocus.
Luffy opens another door as he runs, but he bumps into someone who was right behind.
"Ouch!" Shouts a guy who lands on his butt from the force of the impact, while Luffy has only taken a step back. The man on the ground is dressed all in green in a caricature of a king with his ridiculous crown leaning dangerously to the side of his head. He grunts as he rubs his buttocks and finally looks at what hit him. His eyes go wide and he points at Luffy in surprise.
"HAAA!" Stella stands behind the captain and looks at the two intruders in the hallway. Instantly, she lightly pulls Seima out of her sheath, her hair turns blonde and her eyes green. Her body comes out of Luffy's shadow with a closed face and she scans them warily. A girl with long blue hair helps the man to his feet and they begin to back away cautiously, placing their hands on their weapons at their belts while at their backs are two portable cannons. Stella's eyes crinkle in the shadow of her hat and she takes a step forward.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" She asks in a slightly intimidating tone, straightening up to her full height to startle the two people in front of her, who have come to a halt at the sound of her voice. They exchange a glance before nodding. Without warning, they pull their weapons from their belts and point them at Luffy and Stella.
"We're the ones who should be asking you that! This whale is ours, we're not going to let you steal it!" Shouts the girl with a smug smile as she twirls a small blade attached to a string around her fingers. The man has pulled out a gun and is happily pointing it at Luffy. Stella's face twitches with irritation. Laboon belongs to no one, and certainly not to those thieves.
A flash of light shines on the metal walls and Seima is instantly at the girl's throat, startled by the dangerous weapon so close to her.
"Listen to me carefully. Laboon is free and belongs to no one. Tell me nicely what you are doing here and you can get out alive. Is that clear?" Asks the blonde haired swordswoman as her eyes turn a darker shade of green.
The girl shakes with fear as she looks at the woman who is ready to end her life. By reflex, she steps back trying to put as much distance as possible between her and the blade.
The king man lets out a small squeak as he sees the blade come out so quickly but he engages his pistol while holding the rubber man at gunpoint.
"Don't... Don't do anything! Otherwise your friend will die!" He shouts with a hint of concern, but still flashes a small smile as he thinks he'll regain the upper hand. Except that Stella's toothy grin and slightly glowing eyes in the darkness of the hallway make his smile disappear.
"Do it. You can shoot him, I don't care. ~ " She said in a dangerous but playful voice. Her green eyes returned to the woman who had managed to move back about two meters. Luffy, who had been standing back and watching the interaction with a hint of curiosity, begins to pout at Stella's words.
"Hey that's not cool! I don't want to get shot!" He complains, pointing at the man threatening him, but doesn't feel worried about it. Stella's smile does not leave her as she approaches the frightened girl.
"Then make sure he can't shoot." The action was instantaneous, the man fires a first bullet that just misses Luffy and ricochets several times against the metal walls before coming back to his shooter and going through his jacket creating a small hole without touching him, which makes him scream with surprise. But his misfortune is not over because he hears the rubber man say something that does not reassure him at all.
"Gum gum nooooo..." His eyes widen as he sees the two arms reach behind the young boy, almost reaching the end of the hallway.
"HAAAA! Wait! Wait!"
"BAZOOKA!" Two powerful hands make contact with his stomach and send him into the large door on the other side of the hallway, which opens under the impact.
"MR 9!" Shouted the girl with wide, surprised, panicked eyes as she saw her teammate fly off and dive into the whale's stomach fluids.
"Stay focused on what's happening in front of you, princess. ~ " The girl's body freezes with fear and incomprehension. A shiver runs down her back and her eyes slowly turn to the woman taller than her who is standing right in front of her less than 10cm from her face and looking at her with a crazy smile. A groan of fear and terror crosses her throat, she falls to the ground and tries to crawl on her buttocks, but her arms and legs are shaking too much for her to move.
Stella looks at her with a cold, heatless stare that totally petrifies her body. Slowly, the blade lands on her neck as the blonde-haired woman crouches in front of her. She feels the cold of the steel against her neck and knows that if she moves, her blood will start to flow.
Emerald green eyes bore into her chocolate eyes.
"Now that I have your full attention, we can talk. You and your friend are going to leave and never come back here. Laboon is a friend of mine and I don't like my friends to be hurt. Do you understand?" The frightened girl doesn't move because otherwise her skin will be cut in half, so she closes her eyes to try to stop shaking so she can answer but it's a waste. Her mouth opens and closes a few times to try to answer but her throat hurts like hell from clenching with fear. "What's the matter? Are you mute?" The soft but sarcastic voice doesn't help her situation, it's even more terrifying because she knows this woman is just playing with her.
"What are you doing Stella?" The girl's eyes open wide and look at the young boy standing right behind this terrifying woman, she had totally forgotten about him.
His attitude is nonchalant with his questioning face and a raised eyebrow, as if he was a little surprised at his friend's behavior. She watches the green eyes leave her to look at the boy, her eyes widen even more as the terrifying face changes to become much softer and begins to speak in a normal voice.
"I save Laboon from those poachers and make sure they never come back." The green eyes and sombre face turn to her. "Aren't you? " The blue-haired girl doesn't know if seeing the change in this swordswoman's behavior with this boy has calmed her down, but she manages to say a few words with a shudder.
"Y... Yes... We... We won't come back again... I promise..." Stella's closed face shows a terrifying smile and the blade finally moves away from her neck.
"Good. ~ I'll let you get your friend back before he's digested, then you'll get out of here. And don't bother trying to hide, I'll know if you've left or not." She nods briskly, now that there is no immediate danger of being headless. Slowly, she stands up on shaky legs and tries to take a step forward, but falls. A hand grabs her arm so she doesn't crash to the ground and helps her up. She turns her head towards the person who grabbed her and it is with surprise that she sees that it is Stella who holds her. Her face is neutral and looks at her with a superior air, but her gestures are sweet.
"Stop shaking, you have someone to save I remind you." It's just a shame that her voice is cold and icy. With an encouraging little push on her back, the girl manages to move forward to reach the doors and look out at Laboon's lake of gastric juice. Small bubbles can be seen about 20 meters away, a sign that her teammate is drowning in it. After taking a few deep breaths to calm down and replenish her oxygen, she dives in to retrieve the drowning man.
Stella watches the girl walk away down the hallway on shaky legs, then disappear into the water to retrieve her teammate. Her back tingles slightly, a sign that someone is watching her.
"If you have something to say about my methods, you can say it." Luffy has his arms behind his head and looks at the door where the girl just disappeared.
"Hmmm... Not really, but I don't think I could have done what you just did." Stella turns to the captain with a raised eyebrow. Luffy's face shows no judgment as he looks at her.
"And what would you have done in my place?" He shrugs.
"I would have just knocked her out, it's faster." Stella lets out a small laugh as she puts Seima back in its sheath, restoring her original appearance.
"That is indeed a faster solution. But if I had done that, who would have fished out the guy you sent into the water?" Luffy's arms leave his head and he crosses them over his chest while tilting his head to the side.
"Probably not me, I can't swim." The woman rolls her eyes, shaking her head slightly in amusement.
"Effectively, you wouldn't have gone for it. And personally, I don't really want to dive into Laboon's stomach juices. It's a real horror to get the smell out, not to mention that it ruins the clothes." She said with a hint of disgust, waving her hand dismissively.
"Shishishi! You sound like Nami or Sanji when they complain about sea water ruining their skin or clothes." An eyebrow rises as Stella's icy blue eyes look at him with amusement.
"And I suppose you don't mind?" Luffy flashes a big smile.
"Nop!" She rolls her eyes again and starts to head for the door.
"Alright, young man of questionable hygiene, maybe it's time to move. Your crew must be worried and I need to make sure the two intruders are out of here." Luffy nods with a big smile and follows her toward the large open door.
The light dazzles them a bit as they enter the large, brightly lit room. They blink a few times to get used to the brightness.
Luffy's eyes widen in surprise when he sees the inside of Laboon's stomach. A slightly cloudy blue sky is visible around him. A slightly green sea stretches below while the door they just passed through seems to float in the air.
"Woooo! That's so cool!" His head spins around with bright eyes, amusing Stella as she looks off into the distance at a small island floating quietly on the sea of gastric juices. Luffy's bright eyes turn to her as he jumps up and down, leaning on the metal railing that keeps them from falling into the water. "Where are we? How did we get out of the whale?" Stella has a small, amused smile on her lips before she makes a big gesture with her arm to show the large area.
"Welcome to Laboon's stomach. The entire decoration was done by my friend. Can you see the island in the distance?" She asks, pointing to the small island in the distance where a bit of commotion can be seen. Luffy nods sharply as he tries to get closer, nearly falling off the plot. "My friend is over there. Do you think you can reach it or do you want a hand? "
Luffy's eyes crinkle in concentration as he tries to determine the distance. He turns his head toward her with an amused smile while gripping the railing tightly and starting to back up to stretch his arms.
"Last one there has to pay for the other's meal!" And without waiting, he releases all the tension in his arms and rushes towards the small piece of floating land. Stella rolls her eyes and leaps into the air in an attempt to catch up with the flying captain.
Unfortunately for Luffy, his flight doesn't go as smoothly as he had planned as his head collides with the steel hull coming out of the corrosive water.
"Ouch!" His face and body begin to slide downward due to gravity and he nearly falls into the water if Stella hadn't caught him by the back of his vest.
"Congratulations! You got there first, though you're going to have to rethink your landings." Luffy's slightly reddened face from the impact turns to her with a big smile.
"Shishishi! No problem! You owe me a free meal!" He says, making a V with his fingers while still suspended in the air. Stella rolls her eyes in amusement and sets him down. The hyperactive boy has barely put his feet on the grassy ground before he starts running towards the house that is just a few feet away.
"Hey hoooo! Stella's friend! Are you there?!" He yells as he bursts into the house opening the door wide and it's going to smash against the wall. His foot is about to hit the floor but Stella grabs him once again by the collar.
" Calm down, Luffy. You don't just walk into people's houses. Besides, he's not in the house. Follow me and avoid falling in the water." Luffy's eyes shine brighter and he runs past Stella to go around the house. But as he turns the corner of the house, Stella grabs his head and smashes it to the ground. The pirate's vision goes totally black.
Here is the fifth chapter of this great adventure! I hope you enjoyed it!
I haven't said it yet, but English is not my first language, so even though I'm careful there may be turns of phrase that are not accurate. If that's the case, don't hesitate to say so in a comment, I'll make the correction immediately.
Otherwise I thank all the people who subscribed to my story, it really warms my heart to know that you like this story!
And if not, what do you think of Stella? Friend? Spy? Enemy? Potential traitor? I'm really curious to know your opinion.
Thanks a lot!