The rubber boy's face sinks into the ground under the unexpected impact. The smell of dirt and grass invades his nostrils, making him a little dizzy. But as quickly as the hand hit his head, it's already gone and Luffy can hear the sound of two blades clashing just above his head.
"Still in good shape I see!" Says Stella to her opponent with a big smile as Luffy's face finally emerges from the grass to see her facing an old man. If it wasn't for the woman's intervention, he probably would have been hit with a sword from this guy. The man who attacked is relatively old, with his wrinkled face and white beard. He is wearing casual summer clothes with a ruff of purple and yellow petals around his head, giving him the appearance of a large flower.
Crocus flashes a smile just as big as his opponent, making his eyes shine behind his round glasses with an amused glint.
"And I see you're not rusty yet." The two swordsmen/women swing their swords to knock their opponent back a step. They look at each other with a big, almost crazed smile, still pointing their blades at each other. Their gaze is intense until they start laughing as they lower their weapons.
"Ha ha ha! It's been a long time since I've seen you! What have you been up to? Laboon is starting to miss you!" Sneered the man as he stuck his sword into the ground.
"As you can see, I'm still alive! And I've been very busy these last two years! And how are you doing? Laboon isn't giving you the runaround?" Exclaims she as she puts Seima away in its sheath with a metallic snap.
The two adults shake hands manfully before their shoulders make contact in a gesture repeated a thousand times.
"You know her, she's always looking for a way to get to the other side." Crocus' smile had faded a bit as he said it. "I don't think I'll ever be able to make her see reason. But as long as I'm around, she'll at least be healed and healthy!" He exclaimed, smiling again.
Luffy is still on the ground, looking at them as he lies on his stomach with his head in his hands and his legs swaying gently.
"Are you Stella's friend?" Crocus' gaze finally comes to him and he raises a wary eyebrow at the sight of the young boy giving him a big smile as he lies quietly in the grass.
"Who are you?" He looks at Stella and points with his thumb at something behind him. "Is he with the two goofballs I fished out?" Behind him, we see the man and woman tied up and looking sadly at the ground with a disappointed and irritated face. Stella smiles at the sight and shakes her head, getting Luffy to his feet by grabbing the back of his jacket.
"No, he's not with them. Meet Luffy, a young pirate captain who wants to dethrone Roger."
"I'm going to find the One Piece and become the Pirate King!" Crocus raises an eyebrow and smiles at him.
"Nice to meet you Luffy, I'm Crocus. I wish you good luck in making your dream come true. I hope you have fun on Grand Line." Luffy's smile widens again and he laughs with happiness. The man turns to Stella and notices the icy blue eyes looking at Luffy gently. It's something he only sees when Stella looks at a child she's grown attached to.
"What about you? What are you doing with him?" Stella looks at him with a small pout as she rests Luffy on the ground.
"Shanks was successful in getting me. I end up babysitting on my vacation." Crocus bursts out laughing, holding his stomach and slapping his leg in hilarity.
"Ha ha ha! That little one will always manage to lead you around by the nose!" Stella clicks her tongue in annoyance. But she can't deny it, it's true that when Shanks asks her something not too complicated, she tends to do what he says. But that doesn't mean she's at his beck and call, because things go both ways.
"Stop making fun of me. I have enough stories about all the pranks and nonsense he and Baggy have done to you to write a book." He lets out a small laugh as he points to Stella.
"Maybe, but you seem to have forgotten that you had to go through half of it! Besides, I'm at peace now. And you're still with him! Then your book will be much bigger than mine!" Crocus scoffs as Stella crosses her arms and puffs out her cheeks as she squints.
Luffy only understands half of the conversation, all he has retained is that Shanks liked to make jokes. His gaze turns to the two prisoners who look at them trying to be discreet. The boy's dark eyes meet those of the girl, who immediately looks away, hoping not to have been caught in the act.
The pirate approaches them curiously and crouches in front of the girl with his elbows on his bent knees. A bead of sweat begins to bead on the side of the two poachers' heads from the proximity of the captain.
"What's your name? I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" Declares the pirate with a big childish smile. The two prisoners are somewhat skeptical of the boy's sanity, but they don't try to offend him because he has shown that he is strong enough to send them flying. But that doesn't mean they'll reveal their identities.
"You really think we're going to tell you? You can always run!" Said the girl in a biting tone, but not really offensive, after all their survival depends on it. Luffy pouts at this refusal.
"It sucks! " He points to the man-king. "I already know his name, I'm not going to call you lady or miss. Sanji says that's how you address a girl, but I find it annoying." Says he as he sits on the grass with his legs crossed and his arms crossed, his face disappointed. The two poachers look at each other with a raised eyebrow. They agree on one thing: this boy is missing a square.
"What are you doing, Luffy?" The boy turns his head behind him to see Stella and Crocus approaching. The woman is again blonde with green eyes, her face is curious and a little amused even if her expression changes radically when she looks at the two intruders. They hardly repress a shiver when the green eyes look at them like those of a tiger ready to cut them into pieces.
Luffy puffs up his cheeks and points at the girl in front of him.
"She won't tell me what her name is." He complains like a child who has been denied ice cream. And like a protective big sister, Stella will do anything to make sure he gets what he wants.
"Hmmmm... Really? ~" She asks as her smile grows more carnivorous and she crouches in front of the two prisoners. The blue haired girl's eyes widen in fear and her face loses several shades. She is about to turn a corner.
Stella easily notices her discomfort, which amuses her greatly, but she needs her to be conscious to answer her questions. Then she turns her glance towards the man who also trembles of fear, but visibly less traumatized.
"Be nice and answer our questions. ~ If you do, I promise to release you in one piece and without a scratch. But if you don't answer..." The sound of a blade being drawn from its scabbard immobilizes the two questioned with terror, Seima glows slightly in the sunlight right before their eyes, increasing their anxiety. Painfully, they swallow with difficulty while looking at each other.
Their staring game continues for a few seconds before Stella loses patience and lays Seima against the man's neck. She knows that if she makes the same thing on the girl, the result will be more random. Ranging from immediate fainting, to speechlessness in terror, to agitation and attempted flight.
"I would say my question only once. What is the name of your friend, Mr. 9?" The man's eyes widen as he feels the cold blade against his neck, but his face pales when he hears his name. He glances in the direction of his partner to see her biting her lip and looking at the blade with a face of terror. He quickly realizes that he is totally alone in this matter and that he has no escape from this interrogation.
He has no choice, either they die here and now, or they die at the hands of the organization if they can't make things right. Either way, they're in trouble. He opens his mouth and hesitates, before launching himself.
"I... I'm Mr. 9 and... her name is Miss Wednesday ..." He says in a hesitant, shaky voice. Satisfied with the answer, Stella pulls the blade away but leaves it in the interviewee's field of vision.
"You can see whenever you want." She encourages. "Now, tell me why you're going after Laboon?" He breathes a small sigh of relief as the blade moves away, but he knows he's not out of the woods yet. A plan begins to form in his head to try and escape without giving away too much information.
"Uh... Our city is in the grip of a famine crisis. So we thought this whale could feed us for several months." He said hesitantly, fleeing the penetrating gaze of the blonde woman. If he can get her to feel sorry for them, then she will leave them alone and they can call the organization to help get rid of her.
"Ho? Really?! " His eyes rise to look into the green eyes, Stella's tone was soft with a hint of compassion and looking into her eyes he sees pity. Bingo! He barely manages to suppress a victorious smile, now he just has to play it smart.
"Yes, really! We are really sorry to have attacked this whale, but we did it because we had no choice! It's not for fun, we promise!" Stella's face becomes sadder, the corners of her mouth turn downward.
"It's horrible what's happening to you. But...you're really not part of an organization?" She asks innocently. Mr. 9's shoulders tense, but he hopes it goes unnoticed.
"What? Of course we're not! We're just people from a small island who are suffering! Let us go, they must be worried!" He begs to be untied and allowed to leave.
Stella's face looks even sadder, showing all the pity she can feel for them.
"Hmmm... That's unfortunate." Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday watch in horror as Stella's face turns into a sneer showing slightly sharp, animal-like teeth, her green eyes darken, and she speaks in a voice that petrifies them. "Liar! ~ " A groan of terror passes their lips and they begin to struggle in their bonds to get away from this terrifying woman. A tongue runs over her lips and sharp teeth, increasing their unease. Not only are they going to be killed, they are going to be eaten!
"That's enough, Stella. They're going to end up having a heart attack, and I don't want Laboon to digest them. They'll just make her sick." Said Crocus with a hint of boredom, as if their fate was as important as talking about the weather.
Stella's smile turns into an amused chuckle and a giggle echoes in her chest as she stands up.
"You're right, I don't want to give you more work by forcing you to deal with food poisoning." Two tear tracks are visible on the prisoners cheeks. Monsters!
" Good. Anyway, I already know them. This isn't the first time they've tried. Just throw them out, it's not like they can really do anything anyway." Stella nods at Crocus' words and walks over to the two poachers who cower at her approach.
"Whatever you say. You're the one who's going to handle them anyway." She grabs the knot of rope behind their backs and easily lifts them off the ground as if they were mere suitcases. She looks at Crocus once she is sure she has a good grip on the two intruders. "Luffy's crew is currently at the lighthouse repairing their ship, do you mind if they borrow some equipment?" She asks as she looks in the direction of the exit door that is in the distance.
"No, they can take what they want. But I'm still going to get out of here, I want to meet this young pirate's crew." He declares with a big smile that Luffy returns.
"You'll see, my friends are too funny!" The two adults giggle at the child's enthusiasm and Stella turns her attention back to the door.
"If you're going to go out, do you go through the big door or the small one?"
"The big one. I'm not going to let you carry three people up there." She raises an eyebrow as she looks at Crocus.
"You mean four! I'm reminding you that you're getting old!" She teases gently. He rolls his eyes with an amused smile.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm still in great shape to swim. It's not tomorrow that you'll be able to visit me in a nursing home!" He teases as he heads to his house to start the engine of this little portable island. Stella has a small amused laugh while letting the two hostages fall heavily on the ground without any care. They groan in pain from the impact, but don't dare complain too much so as not to attract the wrath of this human-looking monster.
The island starts to move towards the huge door that seems to float on the sea. With a metallic creak, it slowly opens, letting the sea water enter the stomach and revealing a passageway through Laboon to the outside.
Within minutes, they are outside and Crocus heads for the lighthouse, which is not far away. Laboon lets out a small cry of joy as Crocus and Stella emerge.
"Hi beautiful, we're back! Have you been good?" Asks Stella with a resplendent smile as she docks on the shore, swinging Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday onto the lawn that borders the lighthouse.
"Boo! Boo!"
"Really? Tell me more!"
Crocus rolls his eyes as he docks his strange ship next to the Merry. Luffy takes the opportunity to jump ashore and run to the lighthouse where the rest of the crew is gathered around a table.
"HEY HOOO! Guys! We're back!" All heads perk up as they hear their captain's shout and all crack a smile as they see him in one piece, well almost.
"Where have you been, you idiot!" Nami yells as she smacks him on the head, causing his face to sink into the ground. "We were really worried! You disappeared flying towards a giant whale, then disappeared off its back! We really thought you had fallen into the water! Thank goodness there was Stella to watch over you, or we'd still be looking for you at the bottom of the sea!" She continues to yell, but you can also hear a hint of relief in all that anger. The captain manages to pull his face out of the grass, spitting out some dirt and grass blades.
Zoro and Usopp are sitting at the picnic table with Sanji who has prepared many dishes. Several half-full plates are visible on the wooden table, the crew took advantage of their captain's absence to eat quietly before he came back and gobbled it all up. They look at Luffy with an amused and reassured smile, but their expression quickly changes when Luffy's eyes turn to the table and begin to glow with a thread of drool at the corner of his lips.
"EAT!" Luffy literally pounces on the food and gobbles up the contents of all the dishes and plates present.
"LUFFY! Don't eat it all, you glutton!" Shouts Sanji as he kicks him away from the totally trashed table.
Stella watches Luffy fly away and become a bowling ball, except that the pins are the two prisoners who had managed to sit down despite the ropes.
"Haaaaaa!" The three fly in all directions and the girl lands heavily at Stella's feet while Luffy and Mr. 9 roll in the grass a little further. Stella laughs at the show that Luffy and Sanji have just offered her. She grabs the girl by the shoulder to put her back in a sitting position. Luffy leaps to his feet and pouts at the cook, while the false king struggles on the ground to stand up.
"But Sanjiiiiii! I'm hungry! " He yells at the blond who looks at him sternly as he lights a cigarette.
"You can just ask me, I would have cooked you something to fill the black hole that you are. There was no need to trash the table." The boy rubs his head apologetically.
"Gomen Sanji!" The cook rolls his eyes, knowing full well that nothing will change his captain's behavior at the table, but that doesn't mean he'll let him do whatever he wants. Otherwise, the rest of the crew will end up starving.
"It's okay, I'll fix you something to eat. It's already past noon anyway."
Hearing Sanji, Stella realizes that she hasn't eaten anything since this morning and the hunger is starting to set in.
"Can you make me something too, Sanji? If not, I'll make my own food, if you mind." Sanji's eyes turn to hearts and he begins to climb on the Merry.
"Of course, Stella-chan! I'll make you a real feast! You'll never go hungry while I'm around! Just wait a few minutes, and you'll be filled with my food!" He chirps before entering the kitchen. Stella smiles at him as she waves her hand. Behind her is the body of the prisoner. She has placed herself in front of it to prevent Sanji from seeing her and starting to want to free her or for her to have any influence on him.
Once Sanji is in the kitchen, she turns to the prisoner with an amused smile and drags her by the rope behind her back to her teammate who looks at her with wide eyes as she approaches. The other straw hats watch as she drags a blue-haired girl on her butt before dropping her next to a man wearing a green suit and a crown on his head. There is also an old man who looks strangely like a flower. This strange scene draws their curiosity and they approach the strange group.
"What's going on, Stella? Who are those three guys?" Asks Usopp as he takes a closer look at the bound man. But in the face of his hostile stare, the sniper takes cover behind Zoro who is looking at them warily with his arms crossed. Stella shows an amused smile in front of the escape of Usopp before pointing out the two poor souls on the ground.
"The two on the ground are poachers who tried to kill Laboon from the inside. As for that old fossil, he's my friend Crocus, the lighthouse keeper." They nodded in Crocus' direction as they introduced themselves before turning their hostile gaze to the two bound strangers. "According to them, their city is experiencing a wave of starvation. But what they don't want to say is that they are part of a probably illegal organization." Zoro's eyes crinkle even more and he crouches down in front of them with a big, toothy grin. Both agents swallow at his smile, but it will remain less terrifying than the blonde woman's.
"So you are part of an organization? What are your little names? Can we know?" The two fall into a reflex of muteness, forgetting that they have already said their names.
"The man's name is Mr. 9 and the girl is Miss Wednesday." Says Stella lightly as the pre-named flinch in disbelief and look at her with round eyes. Zoro's smile becomes even more carnivorous.
"Ho! Really? ~ That's funny, it reminds me of something." The prisoners' faces pale and they shake their heads from side to side in a vain attempt to silence him. But the swordsman doesn't care about their debacle. "So like that you are part of Baroque Works." They stand still and look at Zoro with wide eyes, their faces drastically lost several colors.
Stella frowns as she hears the name of the organization. She has heard it somewhere before, but where?
The girl continues to stare at Zoro with wide eyes before she begins to fidget in an attempt to free herself.
"How do you know that? This organization is top secret!" The swordsman continues to stare at her with a big smile before standing up and watching them like an all-powerful judge at a trial.
"I was contacted by a member of your organization several months ago." He brings his face close to her face with a crazed smile. "But he suffered my rejection when he told me that I would be under the command of a guy I would never meet." She paled even more as she understood the implication. It's over for them, they're outed! When the organization finds out, it will kill them without any scruples!
A snap of the fingers draws their attention to Stella who was thinking in her corner.
"Baroque Works! But yes, I know." She flashes an amused smile as she looks at the prisoners. "You are numbered agents of this organization." Mugiwara raises an eyebrow as she looks at her curiously.
"And what does this organization do?" Asks Nami, one hand on her hip and the other holding a fruit cocktail that Sanji made for her before Luffy and Stella returned. Stella looks at them before giving a big smile.
"Sorry, but this is confidential information. If you want to know it, you'll have to buy it." Immediately, the navigator's face frowns. While Miss Wednesday's gaze becomes momentarily curious.
"No way am I spending a single Berry on this! " Grumbles the navigator. She turns her gaze to the prisoners. "You will kindly answer all our questions, I'm sure you can give us a lot of information. ~" They start crying again at the greedy face of the navigator.
"Let it go, witch. There's not much to know about them. Except that they're an organization that does anything to make as much money as possible. Often as a bounty hunter. That's actually why they had contacted me." Said Zoro crossing his arms as Sanji finally got off the Merry with many dishes on his hands.
The smell of cooked meat immediately attracts the attention of the bottomless pit that serves as their captain.
"MEAT! Outch!" A black shoe makes contact with his face to ward him off.
"You don't touch anything until Stella-chan fills her plate, you fucking macaque!" Shouts the cook, who is balancing on one leg, but manages to keep the plates perfectly still.
"But uhhh..." Cries Luffy who still tries to grab a plate. But nothing escapes our cook who does a pirouette to throw his second leg in his head, making the captain fly a few meters away. Stella can only applaud in front of this mastery of the kick and the perfect reception on the lawn with always the plates in balance.
"You are really impressive Sanji. I'm sure you would be great as a tightrope walker." Sanji's eyes filled with heart as he whirled around towards the table to place all the dishes on it.
"Stella-chan ~ Your compliment is a breath of fresh air in my world!"
"It must not be very big then your world, Ero-Cook." Sanji practically bursts into flames as he pounces on the Marimo, who doesn't hesitate for a moment to draw his swords and launch himself into battle against his eternal rival.
Nami lets out a bored sigh, but leaves them to fight, hoping they will be tired enough to stay quiet for a few hours. She and Usopp head to the table to try to continue their meal, try is the word to use since Luffy has already wolfed down two plates in less than five seconds.
Crocus looks at this particularly amusing group, it seems that Stella has embarked on a journey with people that will keep her busy for a while.
"Looks like you've joined an energetic crew. Are you sure you have enough energy to survive?" He asks Stella with a mocking smile at the end of his sentence. She rolls her eyes at the little jab her friend just threw at her and starts heading to the picnic table before Luffy has eaten everything. Leaving the prisoners in the middle of the fight between the two rivals for their greatest misfortune.
"I think I've built up enough energy in the two weeks I've been on vacation to swim to Sabaody, so you don't have to worry, but thanks anyway." Crocus shakes his head in amusement as he follows his friend and sits down on the bench next to her, while she fills a plate with various dishes that, he has to admit, look really good.
"As a doctor, it's my duty to look out for my friends. It would be a shame if I left you in a burnout situation." She raises an amused eyebrow as she eats a first fork of her salad.
Luffy, who was stuffing his face with meat and potatoes, pokes his head out of his plate and looks at Crocus.
"Are you a doctor, Grandpa?" He manages to articulate even though he looks like a hamster. He swallows all the food in his mouth before grinning widely and putting his hands on the table to bring his face close to Crocus', who is on the other side. "You want to join my crew? We need a ship's doctor!" The old man smiled slyly as he grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the table and took a big gulp.
"Sorry kid, but I'm too old to go back to sea. Besides, Laboon needs me here, if I left she might die." Luffy's smile drops before he turns his gaze to the whale who is having fun doing tricks in the water to splash the two prisoners who are struggling with all their might not to end up drowned or cut or crushed by the attacks of Zoro and Sanji who seem too focused on each other to notice.
"Why do you say that? She seems to be doing fine that whale." He says as he bites into a large piece of meat. Crocus looks up at the sky with his bottle at the edge of his lips.
"See the scars on her nose?" Luffy nods, his cheeks full. "She inflicted them on herself when she hit Red Line. If it weren't for me, she might have died already from infection and open wounds, not to mention the poachers who are after her meat, fat and bones." A large gulp of alcohol runs down his throat as the straw hat's face becomes more pensive and he chews his meat more slowly.
"Why is she going after Red Line?" Asks the sniper as he tries to keep the rubber hands from poking into his plate.
"She is trying to reach her crew, which is somewhere on Grand Line. They promised her they would come for her when they were done, because she was still too young. But in reality, this crew left Grand Line and left her to her fate. It's been over 50 years since she's been here, and she's still waiting for them."
Everyone looks at Crocus with wide, shocked, sad eyes before turning their gaze to Laboon, who seems to be having a great time watching Zoro and Sanji wrestle with the two bound agents crawling around on the floor like worms.
"This is... horrible. How can you do that! Abandon someone like that!" Growls the navigator angrily, her fists clenched. She feels like finding this shoddy crew and giving them a good beating. Crocus looks at his bottle pensively while Stella continues to eat slowly, her mind occupied.
"Don't think Laboon doesn't already know about this." He sets the empty bottle back down on the table and spears a chicken skewer from Stella's plate, who gives only a small grunt of displeasure at the theft. "She's known for years that they're not coming back, but she's still trying to stay here and find a way to get to the other side. Nothing and no one will stop her from continuing, until she passes or dies from her injuries."
Faces darken as they look at this whale that seems so full of life. A movement catches their attention and they see Luffy get up from the bench, abandon the food still on the table and walk towards the Merry. His hat hides part of his face as his footsteps tread the grass, getting closer and closer to the ship. Everyone looks at him quizzically, wondering what happened to their captain to make him abandon his meal.
"Uh... Luffy?" Asks Usopp weakly, but Luffy ignores him completely and walks through Sanji and Zoro's attacks to climb the Merry and stop in front of the main mast.
Stella stops eating and watches the young boy, feeling his determination as he begins to wrap his arms around the mast and flex his muscles. Her green eyes widen in disbelief as the wood of the mast begins to creak in his arms.
"HO! LUFFY! What are you doing?!" She leaps to her feet and runs to the Merry to stop the foolishness that Luffy is about to do under the surprised and still questioning looks of the others.
She uses Soru to stop Luffy, but too late, the mast is cut in half and he is now balancing in Luffy's tight arms, who is pitching a little because of the weight and size of the mast.
"What are you doing?! Do you realize what you are doing to your ship?!" Luffy says nothing as his hat hides his face, he tries to take a step, but Stella gets in his way.
"Move..." He says in a flat, neutral voice. This further alerts the woman, who frowns as she crosses her arms and looks at Luffy with a stern look.
"No way, not until you tell me why you tore down the main mast." The captain's jaw tightens even more as he tries to take a step to the side to get around Stella. Of course, she won't let him and grabs his shoulder to try to force him to look at her but he stubbornly keeps his eyes hidden by his hat.
"Let me through, that's an order..." Stella squinted her eyes and put more strength in her hand to hold the captain back.
"Unfortunately for you, you're not my captain, so you can't give me orders." Luffy's head lifts slightly so that his eyes meet Stella's. They are serious with a hint of anger.
"I thought you were just going to observe us. Am I wrong?" He hisses through his teeth. The professor's face crinkles and she clicks her tongue in annoyance, releasing the shoulder she was holding and moving to step aside.
"Using that card is a low blow." An amused smile appears on the young man's lips as he begins to move forward with the mast pitching in his arms.
"And I would use it as many times as necessary." He says in a lighter tone.
Stella's gaze grows more complex as she watches this cheerful and eccentric young captain use his powers of persuasion and the cards he holds to control a situation like a great captain. Although he doesn't seem to do it often, letting his nakamas do what they want. It seems that when the situation is serious, he is able to take in hand the decisions to be taken.
On the other hand, she doesn't like the fact that Luffy is climbing on Laboon's back with the mast still in his arms. But what is he going to do?
A howl of frustration and rage almost comes out of Stella's throat when she sees Luffy stick the mast into one of Laboon's many wounds, causing the poor whale to scream in pain as she flails around trying to get the mast and the crazy boy off her nose.
"FUCK! LUFFY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Everyone screams. Even Zoro and Sanji stop fighting to watch the whale scream and manage to eject Luffy, who goes to smash against the lighthouse because of the speed of the projection. The mast flies towards the group and crashes on the lawn with a big noise while everyone moves away quickly to avoid being crushed.
The pirate captain rises from the rubble and rushes at Laboon to deliver a huge punch to her bleeding wound. Laboon lets out another cry of pain, not understanding why she is suddenly attacked. She gives a huge punch to the elastic boy who flies away again in the sky and goes to crash heavily against the cliff that borders the water. His body scrapes against the red rock and he grunts in pain.
Stella's fists are clenched, hesitating between killing the idiot and calming Laboon as she rushes at the pirate to crush him permanently and risk impaling herself on the large rocky edges.
"EQUALITY! " The shout of Luffy is so surprising that Laboon stops in her tracks and looks at her opponent who gets up as if nothing had happened with a big smile. "We are equal in terms of power! Did you see how strong I am ? Our fight ends here, but when I'm stronger, we'll keep fighting to see who the real winner is! So you better get stronger and be in top shape when we come back to see you!"
Everyone looks at Luffy with wide eyes. They really weren't expecting this!
Laboon looks at him for a long time, almost expecting a bad joke, but in front of the big frank smile of the young man in front of her, tears start to appear in her eyes. Several cries fill the silent atmosphere, cries of sadness and joy. She will be able to turn the page and yet remain there to wait for this new promise.
Stella watches him from afar, her jaw and fists clenching as her footsteps move towards that nasty kid. Luffy jumps from the small red rock crater he was almost impaled on and lands on the lawn, happy to have succeeded in changing the life of this huge whale.
He hears footsteps approaching him and watches Stella coming towards him, her face hidden by her orange hat and her blond hair flying in the wind. Her walk is a bit dry and irritated, her fists clenched, ready to use them. The pirate is still debating whether to run or not when Stella grabs his shoulders and lifts her head so that her dark green eyes meet his. Glup!
"Honestly, I don't know what's stopping me from punching you!" With a quick but not abrupt movement, she picks him up and rests her head on his lower shoulder. "You brat. I feel like you're going to give me the runaround every day, but..." She looks up and Luffy sees that she is smiling sweetly. A smile that Luffy is quick to imitate. "Thanks for Laboon." He smiles even more, showing all his teeth and giggling with happiness.
"Shishishi! No problem!" Stella lets out a small laugh and releases him, ruffling his black hair.
"Seriously, as soon as you enter on Grand Line, you find yourself doing a 1vs1 with a giant whale. It shows how little you care about the power of your opponent. I'm going to have to take pills every day for the headaches you're going to give me." The young boy chuckles like an idiot and they walk over to the others who look at them with different expressions.
Zoro has a neutral face and is as inexpressive as can be, but the fact that he is clenching his fist around one of his swords is not lost on Stella. The cook has a watery face, a white cloth handkerchief in his hands, which he pulls with his teeth in frustration. He wishes he were in Luffy's shoes to get a hug from Stella-chan. T.T
Usopp is kneeling on the grass and crying his eyes out next to the broken mast. He had done all the repairs and that idiot captain dared to rip down the mast! THE FUCKING MAST!
Crocus has his arms crossed on his chest. He can't believe it! A kid has succeeded where he failed, this pirate didn't hesitate for a second to fight Laboon to change his goal. A goal she's had for over 50 years has finally been changed. However, he's sure he wouldn't trade places with Stella for anything in the world. This pirate looks set to turn the world upside down. But also to give monstrous headaches.
Only the navigator is left with her face turned towards the ground, which never announces anything good. One can say what one wants about Luffy, but when Nami is angry with him, he tends to know it and wants to run away very far. Unfortunately, Stella sneaks up behind him and holds his shoulders tightly as Nami strides towards them.
The boy turns his head towards his teacher with big eyes, understanding that she prevents him from running away from the furious redhead. With tears in his eyes, he silently begs Stella to let him go. But an amused and carnivorous smile answers him. His face pales when he understands that if Stella cannot hurt him, nothing prevents him from letting the others do it for him.
"MONKEY D. LUFFY! I CAN TELL WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING AT!" A searing pain shoots through his head and he holds his skull in pain as he curls up on the floor. Stella has her hands up not holding him back anymore, now that he has taken a hit. Traitress! "STUPID CAPTAIN! YOU SCARED US TO DEATH!" Screams Nami as she grabs the red vest and shakes the elastic man like a common doll.
Stella takes the opportunity to slip away with an amused smile towards Crocus and the others who stay well away from the crazy redhead.
The old man chuckles as he watches the show and looks at his friend with amusement.
"There is no need to say! You've joined a very dynamic crew! It must bring back memories." Stella replies with an amused smile and a dreamy look that hasn't escaped the swordsman who is watching them intently.
"You're right, all that remains is to see if they will get to the same finish line or not." Zoro frowns at this strange sentence. The same finish line? What is she hiding? His eyes gaze assiduously at the back of the woman's head but when green eyes meet his own, he quickly turns his head away in the direction of Nami who was leading Luffy back by the ear. He hopes he hasn't been seen, but when he turns back to her, green eyes and a sneer catch his eye. Caught ~.
"You better behave yourself now! Is that clear?!" Shouts Nami as she lets go of the elastic ear that has turned red from the pain. The two people looking into each other's eyes look away to watch Luffy pout like a two year old being punished.
"I'm the captain! I do what I want!" But another blow to the top of his skull lets him know that he won't have the last word.
Stella has a small amused smile but she has the impression that someone is missing. Yet there is the whole crew and Crocus next to her. Her eyes turn to Laboon who is still crying but has a big happy smile on her face. The lawn next to her is totally soaked and many parts of the green lawn have turned brown because of Zoro and Sanji's fight but also because of the two clowns from earlier.
She snaps her fingers remembering them and tries to spot them, but obviously they took advantage of the confusion to slip away. She lets her observation haki spread around her and quickly spots them. They are hidden about a hundred yards behind the rocks and are still struggling to get out of their bond.
"Stella-chan? Is everything okay?" The call from Sanji brings her back into her body and she looks at the cook who is looking at her with a hint of concern. His question draws the attention of the others who also look at her with questioning. The woman smiles at the cook to reassure him.
"Don't worry Sanji, everything is fine. I was just wondering where our two unwanted guests went." The blond frowned slightly, trying to remember who she was talking about because he was in the kitchen when there was the presentation, then he fought Zoro.
"Who?" He asks even though he has absolutely no recollection.
"It's not very important. They won't be back anytime soon if they have any semblance of self-preservation. Otherwise, your cooking is very good, did you use ginger and soy sauce to marinate the chicken?" The question lights up Sanji's face and he starts to tell and explain how he prepared this or that dish with many questions from Stella and suggestions that fill the cook with happiness. He doesn't realize the diversion that Stella has made on purpose because he is too happy to be able to talk about cooking with someone who seems to have a real interest in his job.
Seeing that things have calmed down, everyone goes about their business. After Usopp gave Luffy a dressing down for the disaster he had caused, the sniper dutifully repaired the mast with Zoro's help to maintain the large structure. The captain managed to convince Usopp to lend him some paint and the biggest brush he has to create a real work of art on Laboon's scarred nose.
The navigator, Crocus, Stella and Sanji are around the table. The two passionate of cooking continue to discuss the different dishes that the blond man has prepared. While Crocus looks at them with an amused smile, a new beer on his lips and answering the questions that Nami asks him about Grand Line. Many sheets of paper are scattered on the table, on which she writes the new valuable information.
"If I summarize, our Log Pose will indicate one of the first islands of Grand Line, which will determine the path we take to Sabaody. The Log Pose must recharge on the new island before indicating the next island. And the weather is very unstable outside the islands' range." Crocus nods to confirm what the navigator just said, as she looks at her map and writes on her sheets.
She glances down at her wrist and a smile spreads across her face as she sees that it has finally stabilized.
"It has finally stabilized on an island. We can leave as soon as Usopp finishes repairs." Stella and Sanji's attention is drawn to the navigator's statement. The white-haired woman smiles and leans in for a closer look at the Log Pose. The small needle in the glass bubble points to the right of the huge body of water that glistens in the sunlight.
"Indeed, it is stabilized. It's still moving a bit but that's probably because it's pointing to a small island." Says Stella as she stands up and helps Sanji clear the table, even though the gentleman tries to talk her out of it. Nami looks up from her Log Pose to look at her questioningly.
"Are you able to tell the size of the island from the Log Pose? " Stella nods as she begins stacking dirty plates on the edge of the table.
"Yes, it's a knowledge that people start to notice over time. Most of the time, the larger the island, the stronger its magnetic field. This prevents the needle from being attracted to other islands nearby. On the other hand, when the island is small, the needle is more easily attracted by other islands. This reduces the accuracy. But that's not too much of a problem in Paradise, it's once you get to the new world that things get tough and you have to get your hands on a triple Log Pose." Nami's eyes begin to glow with interest and a smile forms on her face.
"And where can we find a triple Log Pose?" Asks she impassively. Stella easily notices her excitement and gives a small, amused smile.
"You'll find some in Sabaody. Or if you're lucky, on the body of a navigator who went to the Shin Sekai and returned here." The navigator's smile freezes at the thought of having to steal a corpse. She grimaces in disgust as she gathers the leaves in front of her to keep them from being stained with sauce from a wet plate or coaster.
"No, thanks. I may be a professional pirate thief, but stealing from the dead has never been something I've knowingly done." The leaves are gathered into a neat little pile, while several piles of plates and dishes are gathered on the edge of the table, just waiting to be sent back to the kitchen to be washed.
The navigator gets up and begins to walk toward the boat with her leaves under her arm, but she stops and frowns.
"Wait... " She turns to Stella. "You must have a triple Log Pose on you? After all, you're from there." Stella raises an eyebrow as she currently has four stacks of ten plates on her arms holding perfectly balanced, while Sanji looks a little panicked next to her at seeing a woman doing such a thankless task for him. He approaches Stella and tries to pick up the stacks of plates.
"I do have a triple Log Pose, but don't count on it too much." She makes a small movement away from the cook who was about to pick up one of the stacks of plates, and she begins to walk toward the Merry as she passes Nami. "It has great sentimental value, so I'm sorry but I can't lend it to you. " She walks past the navigator, who puts on a disappointed face, but understands her point.
As she walks towards the Merry, Stella notices something reflecting the sun on the ground a little further away. The object is half hidden in the grass and covered with dirt. As she approaches, she sees the round shape of a slightly earthy glass bubble that creates a bright glow through the grass. A small needle inside moves gently as it points out to the sea. The woman frowns as she sees this Log Pose abandoned on the ground. She glances at Nami and sees that the navigator still has hers on her wrist. This Log Pose must belong to someone else. Either a passing pirate who lost it, or the two poachers from earlier who dropped it when they were crawling on the ground to escape from Zoro and Sanji.
"Nami?" The navigator, who was about to board the boat, turns her head towards her with a questioning face. "You might want to come look at this, I think I found a lost Log Pose. It's always handy to have a spare if one breaks." Nami's eyes begin to glow and she approaches her carrying her leaves under her arm.
"Really? Where is it?" Stella points to it with her foot, her arms currently occupied with the piles of plates. Log Pose glows slightly at the small movement that catches the redhead's attention.
"Here. It needs a little cleaning, but it looks in good shape." Nami doesn't waste a moment to grab the leather strap of the compass. With one hand, she quickly cleans the glass bubble and looks at the needle with interest, comparing it with the Log Pose on her wrist.
"It's not pointing in the same direction." She exclaims before turning her gaze to Stella in anticipation of further explanation. The woman gives her a small amused smile.
"You now have two choices of routes. You should discuss it with the others. Because once we reach the first island, the two Log Pose will calibrate on the same island."
The redhead frowns at the lost Log Pose. Seeing that she is deep in thought, Stella walks over to the Merry to set down the plates that are still balanced on her arms.
Sanji looks at Stella walking away with half of the plates with a discomfited face, he has the impression to have not been up to it. For him, women are angels and goddesses, they should never do this kind of degrading thing but Stella seems not to care. It is the head a little lower than usual that he grabs the other piles of dishes and moves in his turn towards the ship.
Stella glances in the direction of the cook and notices that he suddenly seems a little depressed, staring at the grassy floor with his cigarette hanging limply from the corner of his mouth. She raises an eyebrow and begins to fly toward the Merry. Her foot lands on the railing and she turns to face the cook who is still on the grass below.
"Is everything okay, Sanji? Why do you look depressed?" She asks with a hint of questioning. The cook looks up in her direction and gives her a big smile. Unfortunately for him, Stella knows when someone is giving a fake smile.
"Everything is fine, my island angel! Don't worry about me!" Stella's face becomes a little more serious, she will do anything to get the worms out of his nose. But for now, she has to get rid of the plates in her arms.
"If you have something on your mind, you can tell me, I'll keep it a secret. After all, it's my job." She finishes with a small, sweet smile before turning and jumping towards the kitchen.
Sanji watches her go as he stands still on the lawn. His smile fades when he is sure Stella is in the kitchen and can't see him anymore.
"A secret... if only it were that simple..." A sigh escapes him and he climbs on top of the Merry, making sure that no plate falls and ends up in a thousand pieces on the floor.
Usopp was a little too focused on finishing his repair to see the strange interaction, but the scene was not lost on the swordsman, who is still holding the half-repaired mast. He watched as the cook walked toward his den and tried to smile again before walking through the door and having to face Stella.
Frankly, he doesn't know what to think of this woman. It's so confusing, he's constantly on guard, as if his instincts won't calm down and leave him alone. Normally he would be sleeping instead of fixing the mast, but his body refuses to relax as long as this white-haired woman is there. He already feels that he will be much more irritated if he doesn't take his usual naps.
A growl passes his lips as he looks away from Sanji who has finally entered the kitchen. Usopp flinches at the sound and looks at him fearfully.
"Is everything okay, Zoro? Is there a problem?" He tenses up as he sees the swordsman's cold, slightly angry look.
"Shut up, and finish fixing the mast. I don't have that much to do." Said the swordsman in an irritated voice. At the sound of the cold voice, the sharpshooter returns to his task trying to go faster but mutters under his breath that Zoro is scarier than usual.
On the kitchen side, things are not going as planned. Sanji flashed a smile before entering his territory, but now he is totally frozen, looking at the scene in front of him with wide eyes.
Stella is doing the dishes! One of his goddesses has her hands dipped in hot, soapy water to scrub plates and cutlery with the sponge. Wisps of smoke billow out of the water between the bubbles, indicating that the water is particularly hot, but this doesn't seem to bother Stella as she continues to meticulously and gently scrub the porcelain plates. At least the cook doesn't have to worry about finding scratches on his dishes or cooking utensils.
He blinks a few times, not daring to believe what he sees before him, but when Stella grabs a knife to clean it, he suddenly wakes up.
"Stella-chan! My princess, why are you doing the dishes? You'll ruin your hands! Let me do this stain!" He says hastily as he sets the dirty plates down beside the sink. Stella looks up from her stain and raises an eyebrow as she looks questioningly at the cook.
"Why? You're the one who prepared all this food, I think doing the dishes is a good way to thank you for your work." Said she as she grabbed one of Sanji's extremely sharp kitchen knives. Seeing the blade and the fact that Stella is looking at him instead of the knife, Sanji begins to panic. He panics as much for Stella who might get hurt, as he does for his knife, because the slightest scratch is a direct attack on his work, it's like he's slashing his hand.
"Uh... I... Yes, but it's too dangerous for you, my dove. You might cut yourself with one of the kitchen knives. Let me do it, please." He tries to convince the woman who continues to look at him with a flat gaze. Her ice blue eyes turn to the hand holding the kitchen knife and looks at it more closely, turning it slightly to the side to make the smooth, clean blade shine.
"You mean kitchen knives, like the one in my hand?" She asks with a raised eyebrow and a small smile that doesn't tell Sanji anything. The cook slowly steps forward to try to grab the precious blade, liking less and less the gleam that appears in the woman's eyes.
"Yes, exactly. They are extremely sharp, the slightest movement and you can end up with a missing finger. So please put it back on." Stella's smile widens and she holds out her free hand just above the sink, palm up. Her gaze travels over her palm as if she's trying to find something. Sanji watches, wide-eyed and increasingly concerned, as the hand holding the knife approaches the still open hand.
"Stella! What the..."
"SLASH!" In one motion, Stella slides the blade the full length of her open palm. Sanji's eyes widen in disbelief and fear at the utterly sacrilegious move Stella just made. A lump of guilt and anguish forms in his throat and he grabs the hand that has just been opened in two.
"BUT WHAT'S WRONG?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Screams he with a totally decomposed and distressed face. Stella's face didn't move a muscle as the blade came down on her hand, and now she's looking at Sanji's panicked face with an amused little smile.
"Why are you panicking?" The cook looks at the calm face in front of him with confusion. What in the world is wrong with this woman? Maybe the Marimo is right when he says she's completely crazy.
"You just cut your hand! Of course I'm freaking out! We need to cure that!" Stella's smile widens and stops Sanji from pulling her arm to take her for treatment.
" Cure what?" She asks with a hint of amusement. Sanji frowns as he forces the arm he's holding a little harder to pull Stella away from the sink. What the hell is she playing at?
" Healing your hand! That you just split open!"
"Hooo. Really? ~" Sanji's body freezes at the playful, mocking tone Stella just took as she refuses to move. She widens her smile and takes a step towards the motionless cook. "Sanji. Look at my hand." He blinks, not understanding why she is asking him this now. She makes a small downward motion with her head so that he finally looks at the hand he holds in an iron grip.
The palm is turned towards him in all its splendor. Nothing... No slash, no drop of blood is visible on this hand that he saw being cut in two. His brain cannot assimilate what has just happened. His body is motionless until the tip of a blade appears in his field of vision. He tenses up as he watches the knife approach Stella's hand again and thus his own, still holding the thin wrist.
"Look closely. " She says gently. With the greatest calm, she lets the blade slide again on her skin. But instead of the vermeil glow that Sanji expected, there is nothing that appears. It is as if the blade was sliding on porcelain, leaving no trace. He blinks several times, incredulous. Slowly, the hand that held Stella's wrist lets go and he begins to run his fingers over the unbroken palm.
Stella watches him do it without saying anything as she gently places the knife on the counter beside them. She feels the cook's fingers tremble slightly as they caress her smooth skin.
"But... But how?" He asks as he straightens his head to look at Stella's face. His cheeks flush a little as he sees how close he is to her. Stella's face is right on top of him and she continues to look at him with a strange look. Slowly, he feels a hand rest on the center of his chest and start to gently push him. He lets himself be totally hypnotized by the icy blue eyes that look at him so intensely.
His legs come into contact with the bench that surrounds the large dining table and he sits down there abruptly, making his height decrease more than that of this tall and beautiful woman with white hair. He is too immersed in his bubble to notice that the kitchen door is left open and allows to see the whole scene, which leaves room for interpretation.
Sanji watches Stella leaning towards him without looking away, which makes the poor cook blush even more. He feels the enchanting perfume that surrounds him and the warm breath that tickles the skin of his neck and ear.
"Don't move." He swallows as he hears that voice so close to his ear. His face reddens even more and his discomfort becomes unbearable. Slowly, he feels the hand that was on his chest withdraw as Stella straightens and gives him a small seductive smile. "I forbid you to move for the next ten minutes. ~" He swallows with difficulty and nods. Clearly satisfied with his answer, a teasing tongue passes over Stella's lips. "Good boy.~" Sanji can't suppress a shiver that runs down his spine at the sound of such a voluptuous and sensual yet commanding voice.
Stella displays a more playful smile and turns her back to him to return to the sink and plunge her hands into the still hot water and start washing the dishes again calmly as if she had not just teased the cook who is looking at her with big eyes sitting on the bench.
His brain cannot assimilate what has just happened. Stella has just seduced him so that she can wash the dishes in peace! A bucket of cold water totally cools his ardor. He is confused, disturbed, disappointed ? He takes his face in his hands and groans of embarrassment and frustration, understanding that he was tricked and that he succumbed to his impulses.
Stella gives him an amused look at the little scene the cook makes for him, who has found himself lying on his side, rolled up in a ball on the bench, his hands still hiding his face.
"Is everything okay Sanji?" She asks with amusement as she puts away a plate on the drainer. A groan full of embarrassment answers her as Sanji's face turns red again behind his hands.
"Why?" He says, still not daring to look at the woman as she tackles one of the pans. She giggles softly.
"Sorry Sanji, but I'm sure if I had tried any other method, you would have tried to talk me out of doing these dishes somehow. I hope you're not too mad at me?" She asks in a calmer voice, but a little worried at the end. Because after all, the cook is not aware of the teasing she can do, unlike Zoro who would probably have seen it coming. By the way, speaking of the wolf, he saw the whole scene from the bridge and enters the kitchen.
"Oi! Can I know what just happened?" The cook's body tenses up at hearing the swordsman's gruff voice and he leaps to his feet on the bench. All discomfort and blushing disappears, replaced by annoyance.
"Shut up, mosshead! It's none of your business!" Zoro's face frowns in turn and he crosses his arms, while Stella continues her task as if nothing had happened, all the while keeping an eye on the two men.
"Oh really? The door is wide open, I saw everything!" Sanji's cheeks flush with anger, unless it was out of embarrassment for letting his rival see him in a moment of weakness. He leaps to his feet and begins walking toward the irritating and intrusive Marimo.
"There's nothing to say! Now get the hell out of my kitchen!" Zoro is about to retort but Stella beats him to it.
"Sanji." The latter turns to her with his usual smile.
"Yes my Stella-chan!" But his smile fades when he sees the authoritative face and the icy blue eyes that crinkle with suspicion.
"I told you not to move for ten minutes, I believe? So may I ask what you're doing up?" The cook's body freezes in disbelief, not understanding Stella's new change in tone. Seeing that Sanji doesn't move, her tone becomes more authoritative. "Sit down. " The blond sits down without really realizing it and continues to look at Stella with wide eyes. Satisfied that Sanji is sitting on the bench again, she looks away and concentrates on the dishes again.
Sanji continues to look at her but a barely muffled chuckle gets his attention. He sees Zoro has a hand over his mouth and holds back from laughing. But he's having a hard time holding back.
"Can I know what you're laughing at?! Swordsman asshole!" The laughter is quickly replaced by annoyance when he hears the insult. But a sneer appears on his face as he walks over to the Cook and stands right in front of him.
"You're really pitiful."
"What?!" Sanji shouts as he stands up.
"Sanji!" His ass returns to the bench at the sound of Stella's authoritative voice. It is with annoyance that he sees Zoro's smile widen.
"So Cook? Don't you know how to get your ass off the bench anymore?" Begins to mock the Marimo who plans to have fun for the next 10 minutes. Finally there's a positive to having this woman on the crew.
"Shut up! I may not be able to stand up, but I can still kick your ass!" The swordsman displays an amused sneer with a chuckle that further annoys the Cook.
"I'd love to see you try. But since you can't move, I'd rather take the opportunity to do something else." He says with a toothy grin as he turns his back on Sanji to head to the cupboard that holds the bottles of alcohol. Seeing that Zoro goes towards the alcohol reserve, Sanji clutches the edge of the bench with his two hands in a white grip. His legs are itching, he wants to get up and kick the shit out of this swordsman.
"OI! Don't touch the alcohol, asshole! If you touch it, I swear you'll regret it!" Zoro opens the closet door and grabs a bottle of sake. He turns to the cook waving the bottle in his hand with a big mocking smile.
"You mean this? Come and get it then. I'm not moving from here." He says defiantly as he leans on the worktop, out of reach of the cook's legs. Sanji stares at him as Zoro pops the cork and takes a big gulp of his new booty, all the while watching the reaction of his rival who remained on the bench.
" FUCKING MARIMO! PUT THAT BOTTLE BACK IMMEDIATELY! OR I'LL JUDGE YOU I'LL KICK YOUR ASS TO THE END OF GRAND LINE!" Zoro's eyes widen at the explosive anger but he can't help but jubilate as he sees that despite his anger, Sanji isn't budging. His smile widens as he takes another sip, but smaller this time, it would be a shame to get to the end of the bottle too quickly.
Stella watches the scene with amusement, but she feels a little bad for the cook. Glancing at the clock, she realizes that she has only 6 minutes left to finish the dishes. Fortunately, she's already halfway through.
"No need to shout Cook, if you get up I'll let you take the bottle back nicely and I'll leave your kitchen, I'll even let you kick me without me fighting back. But to do that, you'll have to disobey the order of your sweet Stella-chan. So? What do you choose?" Zoro bellows as he takes a small sip of sake just to provoke the blond.
The cook's fists are so tight that his fingernails almost enter his palm. He wants so much to make a new portrait of this moron, but he can't move from here. He respects women immensely and has decided to do everything he can to make them happy. And if staying here can make Stella-chan happy, then he will stay here until the end of the time. However, as soon as he can move, he will blow the arrogant head off in front of him.
"Get ready to experience hell when the time is up Marimo shit." He says in a cold, calm tone. Zoro's face twitches as he hears the cook's tone, the only time he heard it was when he was addressing an enemy he was about to rip to shreds. Obviously he had pissed him off more than he should have, but his pride wouldn't allow him to run away or try to calm things down because that would be admitting defeat.
"I'm waiting to see that, Shitty-Cook." The two men look each other in the eye, not moving a muscle, not looking away for a moment. The half-consumed bottle is still in the swordsman's hand, but it has been forgotten. Only the sound of dishes fills the silent and heavy kitchen.
Stella finishes by placing the last plate on the drainer and takes a dish towel to wipe her hands. She looks at the two men who continue to stare angrily at each other, then glances at the clock. A small smile breaks out when she sees the time remaining. Slowly, she moves towards the kitchen door which is still open. Just before she crosses the threshold, she turns to the two rivals.
"Only 30 seconds left." The two men's bodies tense up as they look at each other, ready to start hostilities. Slowly, the bottle of sake rises to Zoro's lips, aiming to finish it completely. Sanji's face tenses even more under the effect of anger, while the green eyes of the swordsman shine of a gleam at the same time mischievous and predatory. It is with a last amused smile that Stella closes the door of the kitchen, locking the two fighters inside. She only hopes that neither of them will be seriously injured.
On the deck, the weather is still beautiful and sunny. Usopp has finished repairing the mast, which now has a steel band around the base to reinforce the structure. He is putting his tools away when Stella approaches him with a quiet step.
"Did you finish the repairs?" She asks as she approaches the mast to examine it more closely. The sniper flinches at this question, having neither seen nor heard Stella approaching. But he calms his poor heart by placing his hand on her chest.
"Don't scare me like that! I thought I was having a heart attack. But otherwise, yeah, it's over. It's good as new!" The woman gives him a small, amused smile as she crouches down next to the mast and places her hand on the metal structure to feel its strength.
"I'm sorry I scared you, but I see you did a good job. We can leave when Luffy finishes his work of art." She said as she stood up and looked at Luffy and Laboon in the distance. A sort of giant drawing begins to take shape on the whale's giant nose. The sniper nods with a proud smile and picks up the toolbox to store it in the hold.
"Thank you for the compliment. The great Captain Usopp has more-"
"BAM!" A loud explosion from the kitchen catches their attention and they see the door explode and Zoro being thrown out of the kitchen. The swordsman rolls down the stairs and leaps to his feet wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth, all three swords drawn, as he stares at Sanji who is standing in the destroyed doorway with several cuts on his suit. They look at each other with a nameless rage that consumes them from the inside.
Usopp looks at the new hole in the Merry as he just finished everything again.
"FUCK YOU GUYS, YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!" He yells angrily as he drops the toolbox on the floor in exasperation. The two rivals turn their heads towards him with angry looks.
"What?!" The sniper immediately cowers behind Stella, crying his eyes out.
"No, nothing!" He squeals.
Stella displays an amused smile as the two men throw themselves at each other again.
"I'M GOING TO BLOW YOUR FACE OFF! MARIMO SHIT!"
"I'M WAITING FOR YOU ERO-COOK!"
Sanji's leg is thrown at full speed against Zoro's three swords, in order to deliver a blow so violent that the swordsman is forced to let go. But the leg does not hit the steel, but rather a raised arm, while the blades hit the other arm of the person who interfered.
The two opponents look with wide eyes at Stella who is standing between them, her legs slightly bent on her supports as she took their combined attack full force without losing her amused smile and having her eyes sparkle with amusement that the sunshine makes glitter even more.
"Calm down both of you, if you keep this up you'll break things again. Poor Merry had just been repaired, now Usopp has to clean up your mess. Be nice and stop destroying your house." Both men look at her in surprise before lowering their weapons slightly.
Zoro frowns, a little upset that he had to stop the fight, but an amused smile quickly appears when he thinks about what happened in the kitchen.
On his side, Sanji shows a pale face when he realizes that he hit a woman. Even if it was an accident, he should have stopped or deflected his attack, but instead his leg hit Stella's forearm with all its power.
"S... Stella-chan! Why did you do that?! Are you alright?! Doesn't it hurt?! Please forgive me for this! I didn't mean to, my island goddess! I-" A hand closes over his mouth to silence him and he looks at her playful face.
"Calm down. You didn't even scratch me. Besides, I was the one who got in the way, so it's not your fault. You have nothing to blame yourself for." She said as she released the blonde's mouth while running her finger under his jaw in a mischievous and reassuring gesture.
"But..."
"Shut up, Cook. She's right, stop thinking Stella is a weak damsel. You could kick her for hours and she wouldn't feel your little mosquito paws." Cook's blue eyes widened in disbelief before his face wrinkled with anger.
"Who are you calling a mosquito?! The moss ball!" They move toward each other again to reignite hostilities, but they both take a flick to the forehead, causing them to scream and grunt in surprise and pain.
"Let's calm down. Unless you want me to knock you out. Go help Usopp fix the kitchen door instead of arguing." Sanji looks at her with slightly teary eyes, his hand still on his reddened forehead, before looking at Usopp who is looking at them with a stern look and crossed arms.
"Uh... Yes Stella-chan. Usopp, I'm sorry about the door. Can I help you fix it? It's not like the moss head is going to help you anyway." He said sending a sarcastic look to the swordsman, who growled at the blond cook's words.
"Shut up Cook. You don't know anything about repairs. You'll just make it worse with your girly hands."
"What?! What did you say, mosshead?!"
"You heard me right Shitty-Cook! "
Usopp looks at them a little startled by the rising tone but also exasperated by their behavior.
"Uh... Guys..."
"Stay out of this Usopp, this is between me and him!" Growls the swordsman as he pulls out the swords he had just put away a minute ago.
"Yes, stay away. We'll see who's better of the two of us!" Cook spits as he lifts his leg, ready to slam it down on the dry seaweed in front of him.
Stella's face falls into her hand in exasperation. Finally, she shouldn't have let them warm up like that and directly chased Zoro out of the kitchen while there was still time.
The door to the girls' room opens slowly and silently to let Nami out. Her face is a little pale and her body is shaking slightly. Despite the altercation with the swordsman, Sanji immediately notices her distress and he approaches the navigator with a worried face.
"Nami-swan? What's the matter? Why are you so pale?" He asks as Nami clings to the cook's outstretched arm to keep from falling due to her failing legs.
"This ... This ... " The redhead's gaze settles on Stella with wide, frightened eyes. Seeing her distress, the woman slowly approaches her.
"Nami? What's going on?" The navigator's face is contorted with fear, but that fear is not from Stella approaching her, but rather from what is inside the room.
"This... This is your Den Den Mochi... I..." Stella's worried face hardened as she looked at the redhead. It's better if nothing happened to them.
"What?" She said harshly, all softness and concern gone, which startled Nami slightly at the harsh tone, but at least had the merit of bringing her back to earth.
"I... Your Den Den kept ringing. I got tired of it, so I unhooked it so it would stop making the same sound all the time. But when I saw the name of the caller... I... I..." Stella gently places both hands on Nami's shoulders and forces her to look into her eyes.
"Who?" Tears of fear appear in the hazel eyes and Nami bites her lip, afraid to say the name. "Who's on the phone, Nami?"
"I... This is Sengoku... The fleet admiral." She cries in panic.
Everyone's eyes widen in disbelief before looking at Stella. The woman has let go of the navigator's shoulders and is now clutching her face in both hands to stifle a growl of frustration. FUCKING SHIT!
This day can't get any worse!
And one more chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next one.
I had a question about chapter size. Do 10,000-15,000 word chapters work for you or do you prefer shorter chapters? Or do you not care as long as they are enjoyable to read?
At the moment, there is no release date between chapters, but I think I'll put an average of one month between each chapter to keep this quality of writing and length.
Anyway it's nice to see more and more people joining the adventure! Your comments and private messages are also a great source of encouragement! So thank you very much! I have a smile on my face every time I see them!
I send you lots of kisses! And see you soon!