Miss Wednesday recoils as much as she can from the nightmare that is this blonde woman with a big crazy smile, but she bumps into the bed behind her and falls backwards, bouncing on it.
Stella watches her fall before bursting out laughing.
"Ha ha ha ha! I can't believe you believed it! Me?! Working for him?! Ha ha ha ha! While it's true that I may rub shoulders with him sometimes, I don't work for anyone. I don't have a boss. I'm totally free as a bird." She says with an amused, superior smile before heading for the bed, where the princess looks at her with incomprehension and fear at her approach.
The woman stopped at the edge of the bed and held out her hand to help her up, for now the girl was half-spread out on the sky-blue blanket.
"You seem to be as afraid of me as you are of this man. But you have nothing to fear from me, I won't reveal your true identity to anyone, nor will I harm you." She says with a soft, reassuring tone as her eyes shine with a calm gleam.
Slightly surprised and a little reassured, Miss Wednesday grasps the outstretched hand and springs to her feet, totally carried away by Stella's strength. But she begins to panic when she realizes that, as she rises, she collides with the chest of the tall blonde who has wrapped her arms around her waist to hold her in place.
Her cheeks begin to flush red and she tries to pull away, but Stella doesn't let go - in fact, it's even worse as she pulls her a little closer. Her eyes shine with a strange gleam, giving a shimmering effect.
"Uh... I..." Begins the poor girl, trapped in those arms and hypnotic eyes. Stella leans over to speak directly into her ear.
"'Shhh, Princess. ~ Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you, I promise." She said in a bewitching voice. Strangely, the princess feels her body relax without her consent, her head becomes a little heavier and she finally rests her head against that shoulder that seems so comforting. How long had it been since she'd been able to relax so much? Months? Years? A hand reaches up to her head and begins to slowly pull back the elastic that was holding her hair in a ponytail, causing it to cascade down her shoulders and back. The hand then begins to run its fingers through her hair, relaxing her even more. Her eyelids start to blink, becoming heavier and heavier. What's happening to me?
"You can relax, nothing will happen to you. I'm watching over you." She closes her eyes without realizing it, struggling hard against sleep. The room falls silent.
Just as the princess is about to sink into darkness, she hears a sweet voice in the distance, to which she responds without suspicion or second thoughts.
"What's your name, princess?"
"Nefertari Vivi." Whispers she. The movement in her hair almost slows before resuming its slow, pleasant rhythm.
"The daughter of Cobra? King of Alabasta?" Asks the voice calmly. Vivi lets out a groan of approval, her mouth beginning to struggle more and more to open.
"Why are you far from home?" The princess's calm face crinkles under the effect of the bad memories that are starting to invade her head and make her heart beat faster. But the movement in her hair and down her back calms her until she's relaxed again.
"To save my country from Crocodile... To avoid a war and the death of my subjects." She says with difficulty. The hand in her hair moves down to her neck to begin massaging it and loosening the last remaining knots there. A sigh of satisfaction escapes her lips as she snuggles further into this warm, comfortable embrace. The movements become slower and slower, plunging Vivi into the limbo of sleep.
"You can sleep, you're safe." These comforting, reassuring words are the last she hears before falling unconscious into the arms around her.
Stella stands still for a good minute, making sure that the little princess in her arms is asleep, before placing her gently on the bed, on top of the blanket. She sees Vivi's face crinkle as she withdraws her arms, probably feeling the warmth slipping away from her. With a gentle gesture, Stella runs her hand over her forehead to reassure her.
"Don't worry, I'm not far away." The slightly tense face relaxes completely even as Stella takes a few steps away to think calmly.
Was this really necessary?! Stella's gaze lands on Seima at her belt. She feels her blade judging her slightly for using her powers of illusion and hypnosis to put this girl to sleep and lower her mental barriers.
"Yes, it's better to know her true intentions. She was far too afraid of me to confide in me. So that was the best solution. But what she said isn't very reassuring, because it means that Crocodile has set his sights on Alabasta to create his country." She mumbles, holding her chin in her hand, deep in thought.
It may be the fastest, but I don't like you using it that way. You might abuse it, which would be bad. Stella smiled, lowering her eyes on it.
"That's why I'm counting on you to keep me from becoming a manipulative megalomaniac."
Pfff. You're already a manipulator and sadist in power. I think it's a bit late now. Stella rolls her eyes in amusement at her blade's comment.
"What's not to hear."
I agree with her! You're a great sadist. Have you forgotten what you did to the young man with the green hair? Or the blond? Or even that girl in the bed? Sneers Hisui, emerging from the collar of the denim jacket to wander over Stella's neck and torso. Stella's green eyes crinkle as she flicks the tattooed dragon's forehead. Ouch!
"I wonder who I got that from? Huh?" If a tattoo could blush, Hisui would have.
Ha ha ha ha! How'd she get you!
Shut up, nag! Snarls the dragon, rubbing his forehead.
What did you just call me, lizard?!
I knew you were a donkey, but not that you were deaf. Laughs Hisui, angering Seima. Her annoyance is reflected in the change in color of Stella's hair, which becomes multicolored.
You, I'm going to-
"Enough, both of you! Seima calm down, I don't want to look like a road sign. As for you, Hisui, stop bothering your sister."
Sister?! A pest, yes!
"Hisui!" The dragon clicks his tongue in annoyance as he crosses his arms and starts sulking in the middle of his owner's chest. Seconds pass until Stella makes a little throaty noise to remind Hisui to apologize. The dragon lets out a defeated sigh.
I'm sorry Seima, I shouldn't have called you that. He finally says, turning his head to the side so as not to look at his sister. The blue blade mumbles, reluctant to accept the apology, but finally gives in. It's not like they're going to stay mad for long anyway.
I accept your apology. But be careful next time, I won't be so forgiving. Hisui smiles with amusement while rolling his eyes.
I'll make a note of it. Otherwise, what are you going to do with this princess, Stella? The woman runs a hand over her neck to caress Hisui while looking at the sleeping princess on the bed.
"I don't know yet. For now, I'm not going to do anything. Because if Crocodile organizes a coup in Alabasta, then there's nothing I can do. This is a war between a Shichibukai and a royal family. It's totally out of my jurisdiction. Besides, I don't know what this girl has planned, and if I do anything, I'm afraid I'll ruin her plans. So for now I'm content to observe." The two blades buzzed, each thinking for themselves.
Hmmm... I think that's the best solution. It's sad, but it doesn't concern us. We're not heroes. Stella nods and hums as she heads for the door.
"You're right. Let's go join the others and let her sleep some more. Looks like she hasn't been able to sleep peacefully for a long time." She says before unlocking the door and opening it. Hisui goes to hide in the clothes again and Seima restores the blonde color to Stella's hair, which had turned blue and green.
Outside, an interesting sight is unfolding. The snow has started to fall, and a small white layer is beginning to cover the entire ship. A few meters away, Luffy and Usopp have started collecting snow to make snowmen. Zoro is still leaning against the mast and seems to be asleep at last, as the snow gradually begins to cover him, turning his green hair bright white. Sanji is at the bow of the boat, shovel in hand, clearing away the snow by throwing it overboard. Only Nami and Mr. 9 are absent.
Feeling the cold wind blowing through her thin clothes, and seeing Aoi on her shoulder starting to shiver with cold, Stella returns to the bedroom to grab a large white fur coat that almost falls to the floor. Aoi is also wrapped in a small, fluffy garment that makes him look like a snowball. Only his eyes protrude from the white ball. She also puts warm clothes on her other Den Den, because let's face it, the ship's thermal insulation sucks. She takes an extra blanket, throws it over the sleeping princess to keep her warm, and takes a coat from one of Nami's wardrobes to give it to her.
Once this is done, she leaves the room, closing it behind her, and scans the ship for the navigator. She senses her presence in the kitchen with Mr. 9.
At a leisurely pace, she heads for the stairs to join the redhead and hand her the coat under her arm.
Her presence is quickly detected by the captain, who has started to make a giant ball by pushing it to make it bigger.
"Stella! Come and play with us! " He shouts, waving his arm behind his snowball to attract her attention. The woman flashes an amused smile at the pirate's childish behavior, especially when a snowflake falls on his nose and he squints to look at it.
"I'm going to give Nami her coat and I'll be right back. Are you having a contest?" She asks, as she continues up the now slippery stairs. The question makes the captain's eyes sparkle, as well as those of the sharpshooter, who has started to make a big pile of snow for his sculpture.
"A contest?! Is there food to be won?!" Asks the boy with a trickle of drool at the corner of his lips. He's already picturing himself winning with a huge piece of steaming meat in his hand. Stella giggles at his unsurprising request as she arrives at the kitchen door closed to keep out the cold air.
"If you win, you can ask for anything you want. But to do that, you'll have to be better than me." She says with a playful smile before opening the door and stepping into the slightly warmer room. Luffy pushes his snowball faster and tries to steal snow from Usopp, who yells at him when he notices the theft.
In the kitchen, the navigator is sitting at the table, hot chocolate in her hands, trying to keep warm as she currently only has a small blanket around her shoulders. At the other end of the table, Mr. 9 looks longingly at the mug, shivering in his corner, his nose slightly reddened by the cold.
Hearing the door open, the navigator looks up from her mug to see Stella watching her with an amused expression. Her face wrinkles with anger as she glares at the blonde woman.
"You're finally coming out of the bedroom! I'm freezing to death because of you! If I get sick, it'll be your fault!" She says irritably as she gets up to fetch a coat, but Stella hands her something with a little smirk.
"I know, that's why I brought you one of your coats." The navigator blinks several times in surprise. She hadn't expected Stella to think of her. A slightly grateful smile spreads across her lips as she grabs the coat and slips it on, letting a satisfied sigh pass her lips.
"Thanks, I feel better." She thanks lightly as she sits down again at the table to quietly finish her chocolate, now that she's no longer shivering from the cold.
"You're welcome. You don't have to be so suspicious. I know my case is special, but outside of combat, I'll try to help you. Without spoiling your journey and your discovery of this world." Says Stella with a big, benevolent smile, turning towards the door to join the boys outside.
Nami's gaze grew more complex, but she eventually shrugged and took a sip of her still-steaming drink. After all, as long as this woman doesn't get in their way, she can do as she pleases. But the navigator had to admit that it would take her a little longer to trust her.
Stella was about to leave the kitchen when she was called out by an irritated voice from the back of the room.
"Wait a minute! Where's Miss Wednesday? What have you done with her?!" Exclaimed Mr. 9, rising from his seat to glare at the blonde woman. But when he sees her neutral face and she raises an eyebrow, he cowers. Stella moves away from the door and starts to approach him with a face that doesn't bode well.
Seeing that Stella continues to approach, he hurriedly gets up to move away from her. But his foot catches on the foot of the bench and he falls heavily to the floor. His new position makes the blonde's gaze even more frightening and he backs away hastily until he bumps into the far wall of the room.
"Uh... I..." Stella stops a meter away from him and crouches down to his full height with a big smile that's anything but reassuring.
"Tell me. Are you by any chance worried about her?" She questions with a hint of sarcasm. He blinks several times at this out-of-the-blue question. His face frowns and, no doubt overcome by worry, he holds his head up to the terrifying woman facing him.
"Of course I'm worried about her! She's my partner! Where the hell is she? What have you done to her?!" Stella giggles in amusement as she stands up and places her hand on her hip.
"Calm down, she's fine. She's asleep now, she's probably tired after what I did to her. So don't bother her." The man blinks in incomprehension. Why is his partner asleep? What has she done to her to make her sleep? His mind races, producing different scenarios, each more horrifying than the last.
Watching Mr. 9's face grow paler by the second. Stella guesses he's imagining the worst tortures and traumas that could have led Miss Wednesday to lose consciousness. A more carnivorous smile graces her face as she turns her back on him, leaving him to macerate in his worry.
"No matter how much you imagine what happened, you'll never get close to the truth. So if you don't want to go through the same thing, you'd better stay in this kitchen and never go near the bedroom." She says playfully, running her tongue over her lips in an undertone that slams Mr. 9 against the wall and he doesn't dare move a muscle. His wide eyes follow the blonde until she emerges from the kitchen, but not without one last predatory glance.
Nami observes the interaction, raising an eyebrow, her cup to her lips. She has to admit that Stella is good at making her opponents believe the worst. She herself could let her imagination run wild, but she's beginning to realize that it's just an image. And while this tall woman pretends to dismember and kill others for the fun of it, it's really just a technique to ensure that no one attacks her at the slightest opportunity.
To be cold and terrifying in order to protect herself and others. Strangely, it reminds her of herself when she had to make her village believe she had joined Arlong to better protect them in the shadows. Playing the cold, cruel woman is what she's been doing for a long time, and it's brought her nothing but trouble. It's a good thing she crossed paths with Luffy, otherwise she'd be locked up in this room full of maps, drawing them over and over until she died.
A bored sigh passes her lips as she recalls all the things she's done that have earned her looks of hatred or even fear. She wonders what's going on in Stella's head, whether it's the same as hers or pure sadism. She shakes her head to clear her dark thoughts. If Stella is like her, then Luffy will easily open her heart to find out who she really is. With this last thought, she takes a sip of her hot chocolate, while in the corner of the room, Mr. 9 cowers, not daring to move an inch.
Stella came out of the kitchen, still smiling with amusement, and looked at the deck, now white under a thick layer of snow, despite Sanji's efforts to clear as much as possible and the two big piles on either side of the deck that Luffy and Usopp had made for their snowman.
Her black studded boots clacked as she descended the stairs to join the two men who were to be her opponents.
"Well? Are you ready for this contest?" She said with a big, playful smile, both hands on her hips and leaning forward a little in a provocative gesture. The two boys raise their heads from their pile of snow and give her a big smile.
"Of course we're ready! I'll crush you and you'll owe me a second free meal!" Shouts Luffy as he works faster on his snowman, which so far looks like nothing.
"You're not ready to take on the great Captain Usopp! I warn you that I'm very good at sculpting! If I win, I want you to become my test subject for my new experiments!" Exclaims Usopp, packing even more snow onto the mound in front of him. Sanji raises his head when he hears the sniper's request and throws his shovel like a javelin that goes crashing into Usopp's snow pile, vibrating in front of his nose, causing the poor coward to squeal in surprise.
"What did you just say?! How dare you ask Stella-chan to serve as a common test subject!" He growls, stepping up to the coward and grabbing him by the collar before the sniper has time to flee.
Usopp paled and gibbered as he tried to get away, while the cook brought his face closer and closer to that of his prey, gnashing his teeth. Usopp could probably have ended up buried under a mountain of snow, if a snowball hadn't hit the back of Sanji's head.
Surprised, the Cook turns to the person who just did that to him and is about to berate him, but the sight of an amused Stella smiling as she swings a snowball up and down in her hand, makes him swallow his words. Especially when Stella throws the snowball at him and he dodges at the last moment, letting the ammunition crash into Usopp's face behind him.
"Ste... Stella-chan! Why are you throwing a snowball at me?" Moans the cook, who doesn't understand why one of his goddesses is attacking him when he's defending her. In response, he dodges another snowball, then another and another, ending up dodging a dozen.
The woman continues to smile, amusing herself by throwing her ammunition at impossible angles to hit Sanji. She has to admit that he has very good reflexes and a particularly supple body.
Seeing that Stella has launched a snowball fight, Luffy quickly joins her to shoot Usopp, who immediately fires back now that Sanji is busy with something other than trying to kill him.
Dozens of snowballs fly through the sky in all directions. Stella is having the time of her life, especially when Luffy joins her team and Usopp tries to defend himself by building a snow castle. Not just a wall, but a real castle with towers, drawbridge and moat!
"WOOO! So cool Usopp!" Exclaims Luffy with a big smile and bright eyes at the sniper's speed and dexterity.
Stella's smile widens even more, and she puts her arm around the captain's shoulders to tell him directly about the idea she's just had.
"How about testing the solidification of this fortress? " She asks in a mischievous, excited voice. It's been a while since she's relaxed and played like a child. Luffy's smile becomes more amused and calculating as he stares intently at the construction in front of him.
Usopp is at the top of his game with a proud smile, now sheltered behind his latest invention: the Ice Fort of the great Captain Usopp!
But seeing Stella approach Luffy and say something directly in his ear, he's not reassured, especially as Luffy's smile has become more carnivorous as she looks in his direction. He smells trouble.
And he's right to be wary, because he's being shot at by the two enemies below his construction.
"HA!" He ducks to dodge a snowball that explodes further away with a resounding noise. His face paled at the sound. How fast do they throw snowballs?!
Beneath his feet, he could feel the ground trembling under the increasingly violent blows against the walls. And he really doesn't want to get hit by one of those snowballs - it could kill him!
Having no choice, he places a snowball in his slingshot, arms it, stands up in a single movement and shoots at Luffy before immediately ducking. Only an "Arf!" confirms that he's hit the elastic man, but his laughter indicates that he hasn't hurt him. He arms a new ball and tries to hit Stella this time, but the woman seems already aware of this as a snowball is already coming at him, forcing him to shoot his ball into the one coming at him. A detonation and a cloud of snow momentarily block his view, and he immediately hides to avoid being hit by a sneak attack.
"Well done Usopp! You're too strong!" Shouts Luffy, bursting into laughter, without stopping firing at the snow walls.
Sanji was a little left out when Stella turned her attention back to the castle. His breathing was a little breathless, he hadn't expected Stella to be so precise when she threw something with her hands. Several times he was almost hit, but he could only thank his reflexes and that his snow goddess had stopped aiming at him. He's now at the front of the ship, leaning against the balcony rail, watching the war unfold before him. Given the carnage on deck, it can hardly be called a battle.
The snow forms heaps and packs everywhere in a nameless mess. Usopp took the snow that was to be used for his sculpture, but also Luffy's to build his castle. The deck is littered with leftover snowballs, half of which are reused to throw them again.
A cloud of smoke rises from the cook's lips as he withdraws his freshly lit cigarette. His eyes roam over this strange war, but he stops at the swordsman who is still asleep against the mast despite the cries next to him. It's almost astonishing that he hasn't woken up, or that a snowball has hit him, but on closer inspection, the snow around him is still intact.
His spiraling eyebrow raised in astonishment, he noticed that on several occasions a ball thrown by Luffy or Usopp was aimed at him, but each time it exploded a few meters away from Marimo, dusting him with a new layer of fine snow. Either he's lucky, or something's making them explode... Unfortunately, his eyes don't see it, but he thinks that Stella is not innocent in this situation. She has to make sure the moss-head's sleep isn't disturbed, but why?
His face wrinkles when he remembers that the shitty swordsman has already been alone with sweet Stella-chan. He hopes nothing happened between those two, or he'll never get over it. Seriously! What's so great about this unmannerly green algae who treats women as if they weren't divine creatures? It would be an illusion to pretend that women don't turn around when they spot the swordsman in the streets, but it's certain that if they tried to talk to him, they'd run away from his lack of consideration.
He lets out an irritated sigh and looks away from the moss-head, concentrating instead on the beautiful Stella-chan, who looks like a snow queen with her big white coat and dazzling smile.
Stella and Luffy continue to hammer away at the castle walls, which are beginning to warp as snow is added and holes appear.
"Give up, Usopp! You've got nowhere to go! " Exclaims Luffy, sending another snowball that shakes the snow wall.
"NEVER!" Replies the sniper from the other side of his construction. A huge snowball goes over the wall and crashes into Luffy, who finds himself half-buried. Stella raises an eyebrow at the size of the ball, wondering how Usopp managed to send it over the wall and hit the captain.
The elastic man struggles in the snow to free himself.
"Don't move! Or I'll shoot! " Luffy and Stella turn their gaze to Usopp, who now stands on his wall, fully exposed, with an armed snowball in his slingshot.
The situation could have been serious with the sniper's concentrated face, if only it hadn't been a simple snowball that was about to fall on them.
The captain looked at his nakama with surprised eyes, before sticking out his tongue and struggling through the snow.
"Out of the question! I'd rather die!"
"PAF! ARG!" A snowball crashes into his face in a noisy explosion.
"HA HA HA! ARG!" Stella points at the captain, bursting into laughter, before also taking a snowball to the head. She falls backwards theatrically, sinking into the snow right next to Luffy. The two people on the ground burst out laughing as they roll around in the snow.
A good snowball fight is always fun, even if you end up on the ground.
The sniper watches them laugh on the ground, rubbing his nose with a proud smile. He considers himself the big winner of this deadly, hard-fought battle!
" Me, the great Captain Usopp! Declare myself victorious in this great battle, which will go down in history as one of the toughest and bloodiest this world has ever known!" He declares proudly, assuming a position as if he were standing on a statue of a famous hero.
Stella and Luffy stop laughing and give each other a knowing look. That's all it takes for Usopp to be hit with another round of snowballs. Clearly, the resistance hasn't said its last word!
"ARG! STOP! STOP!" Shouts the sniper, who receives a dozen snowballs before he can hide behind his wall again. "CHEATS!" He shouts from the other side of his snow protection.
The two assailants burst out laughing, but they don't stop attacking the poor structure, which is starting to collapse in on itself because of the dents and holes in it.
Another giant snowball flies over the wall, but this time Luffy manages to catch it with his elastic arms without breaking it, spinning several times to gain speed before catapulting it onto the wall.
"EXPRESS DELIVERY!"
"BOOM!"
The snowball explodes the wall in a great cloud of snow and ice.
"ARG!" Usopp's scream at least confirms that he didn't die in the operation. The elastic man looks proudly at the huge hole in the snow wall. The snowball went all the way to the wall behind, rattling the kitchen above.
That's all it took for an angry Nami to emerge.
"IT'S NOT OVER YET?! "She shouted, her face red with anger. She was quietly finishing her hot chocolate, before the sound of thunder startled her, spilling part of her cup on her coat. It was a good thing she'd almost finished it, otherwise her clothes would have been even more stained.
She strides furiously down the stairs, half-buried by the snow from Luffy's many missed shots and the shards of wall that have flown in all directions. Her footsteps hit the deck with every step, until she stands in the middle of the deck, hands on hips and a stern look on her face.
"What the hell! We're on Grand Line! We must remain serious and vigilant at all times! I don't want to die because of your stupidity!" Growls the navigator menacingly. Usopp hides a little further behind the piece of wall still standing, hoping to escape the redhead's wrath. Stella looks at her with an amused smile, as if witnessing a child's tantrum. And Luffy starts laughing.
"Shishishi! We're already outside, so if anything happens, we'll be the first to know." His comment immediately attracts Nami's attention, who makes him eat the snow on the ground with a well-placed punch.
"There's nothing funny about this! I've been feeling turbulence in the air for a while now, but I don't know when or what's going to hit us. So stop laughing and stay focused!" She growls, baring her teeth. Luffy pulls his head out of the snow and shakes it to remove the larger chunks before sitting cross-legged on the snowy ground.
"There's no need to panic. I'm sure you'll find a solution if a storm comes our way. I believe in you!" Said the captain with a big, childlike, confident smile. The navigator's anger subsides a little at this admission of blind trust.
Stella smiles softly, obviously Luffy has every confidence in his friends' skills. But he mustn't think them invincible either. Right now, they're just kids who've just arrived on Grand Line. There are still far too many things that can easily sweep them away on this sea.
She approaches the redhead and puts her hand on her shoulder to attract her attention.
"It's good to be alert, and your ability to sense the weather is essential to surviving here." Nami smiled softly at the compliment. "But we still have another 30 minutes of calm before we reach the weather belt." The navigator's eyes widened in amazement.
"The weather belt? What's that?" She asked curiously. Any information she could glean from this woman was good to go.
"It's a meteorological disturbance that surrounds the entrance to Grand Line. As you know, the weather is stable around the islands, but outside this zone it becomes unpredictable. However, Grand Line's entrance has the particularity of bringing together several weather disturbances at the same time. This means you can run into a sand and ice storm, have a tornado with icebergs flying through the sky, or anything else that's as amusing as it is dangerous. This is a very delicate passage. It determines who can survive on Grand Line and who can't." Nami and Usopp turn pale as they hear what lies ahead.
"Are you serious? Then tell us exactly what's going to happen. Then we can prepare accordingly" Demands the redhead. The blonde rolls her eyes in amusement and shakes her head slightly.
"That's not how it works. Even I don't know what's going to happen. It could be a catastrophe or a quiet crossing. I've been in the middle of a storm of flowers. I can't tell you how many new species I discovered that day, enough to make a dozen herbariums. But this has only happened once in my life. So if you stumble across it, you're very lucky." Nami stares at her in disbelief, trying to figure out if Stella is serious about these flowers or if it's a huge joke.
"Flowers?"
"Yes, flowers, but if you'd rather see frogs or flying fish, that's no problem." She says with amusement as Nami gasps at the thought of hundreds of frogs falling on her. The navigator wrinkles her nose in disgust and heads for the kitchen to return to the warmth.
"No thanks. I'll trust you for the remaining quiet time and to keep an eye on the surroundings. I'm going back inside, a new hot chocolate awaits me." She said as she climbed the stairs, still clogged with snow. "And get rid of that snow!" She finishes, slamming the kitchen door.
"Your wish is my command, my sweet Nami-swan!" Declares Sanji in a storm of hearts, he retrieves the shovel from what's left of Usopp's castle and starts happily clearing the snow. The other boys aren't too keen on the idea of having to throw all that snow overboard. They've been having fun up to now.
Seeing the disappointed faces of the two pirates, Stella approached them and tucked their heads under her arms with a mischievous smile.
"Don't make that face. Did you forget we've got a contest to run?" At her words, both men's faces light up. True, originally they were just going to have a snowman contest.
Without waiting a second. Luffy disengages himself from Stella's arm and starts trying to make a snowball. Seeing him off to a running start, Usopp scrambles over what's left of his wall and starts carving a shape in the packed snow.
Stella leans on the Merry's railing to watch the two children create their work, while Sanji struggles with snow on the stairs and snow that could block a door opening.
It takes a good ten minutes for someone to realize that she's not doing anything to build anything.
"What are you doing, Stella? Why aren't you making a snowman?" Asks Usopp, who begins to smooth the snow from the statue in front of him. A mysterious smile appears on the blonde's lips.
"Don't worry about me. I'll do my sculpting when you're done. It'll be much more fun." She says with a machiavellian smile. The sharpshooter swallowed when he saw her smile, sincerely hoping it wouldn't be used as material to make her truer-than-life snowman. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought.
Not wanting to know any more, he concentrates on his magnificent Snow Queen on her throne of ice.
Luffy has started to stack three snowballs on top of each other, but he seems to have forgotten that the biggest ball is supposed to be at the bottom, not the top. The snowman ends up with a big head on a tiny body. With two sticks for arms, a bucket on his head, and a big cape flapping in the wind.
"Finished!" Shouts the rubber man with a big, proud smile. Usopp looks up from his work before hurrying to make the final touches.
"Me too!" He says, stepping away from his magnificent snow statue. It's undeniable that the sniper possesses excellent dexterity and a great artistic sense, which is not at all the case with our captain, who stands beside his gravity-defying snowman.
"Wow! Usopp! That's so cool!" Exclaims Luffy, his eyes shining. Usopp rubs his nose with pride, very pleased with his sculpture. He looks at his captain's work and adopts a more complex face.
"You too, Luffy... Your snowman is... original." He finally says after searching for a term that wouldn't disappoint the straw-hatted boy too much.
"Shishishi! Thank you!" The two men turned to Stella, who still hadn't moved from her position and was content to look at them.
"What about you, Stella? Where's your snowman?" Question the two men, noting that there's nothing around the woman that could be considered sculpture.
Stella's smile widens and her gaze turns to Zoro, still asleep against the mast. He's sitting cross-legged, arms crossed over his chest. His breathing is calm and regular, a sign that he's fast asleep.
Her green eyes turn to the two children, and she gently puts her finger to her lips to signal them to be quiet. They look at her questioningly and curiously as she silently approaches the swordsman.
Stella gradually erases her presence so as not to alarm the sleeping man, and approaches him with calm, silent steps. Gently, she crouches in front of him, letting her gaze wander over the untouched snow like a blank canvas.
She raises her hand and begins to draw lines and strokes on the snow covering Zoro, without waking him. Her gestures are quick and precise, without excess or hesitation. She adds snow in some places and removes it in others. She quickly admires the result with a big, mocking smile.
Aoi, standing on her shoulder, can hardly contain laughter and takes a photo to immortalize the scene with tears in eyes, hoping the photo won't be blurry.
Stella stands up and turns to face her small audience, still hiding Zoro behind her. The two young men look at her curiously, wondering what this woman has done to East Blue's demon. Probably something impressive, perhaps a warrior's armor? Or a battle scene? Whatever it was, they couldn't wait for her to let them look at her work.
Without a word, she shifts to show everyone her work. Eyes widen and jaws drop, before Luffy starts to burst out laughing. But Usopp has better survival instincts, putting his hand over the captain's mouth and his own to keep from bursting out laughing and waking the swordsman.
Sensing the commotion beside him. Sanji looks up from his work to see Luffy and Usopp holding back laughter as they look in the direction of Stella and Zoro. He can't see the Marimo from his position, but he's curious as to why the two kids are trying so hard not to laugh, when they usually don't care.
He steps forward to get a clear view of Zoro. His mouth opens, dropping his cigarette to the ground, and his eyes widen in disbelief. But he can't help laughing out loud, unable to believe what he's seeing.
Indeed, the great Roronoa Zoro, East Blue's demon, the man who was to become the world's greatest swordsman, is currently wearing a magnificent wedding dress. Snow forms a dazzling white fabric that hugs the man's form, and lace flowers are visible on several parts of the dress. There's even a little tiara on his head, which stands out even more with his green hair.
"HA HA HA HA HA!" The cook bursts into uncontrolled laughter, pointing at his rival, who no longer looks frightening in this get-up.
Hearing Sanji's laughter, the other two can't hold back any longer and burst out laughing in turn, falling to the ground and openly mocking the sleeping man. Who doesn't have it anymore when he hears the cook's irritating laugh.
"Shut up, Ero-Cook! What's so funny?" He growls, opening one eye. Not seeing Stella's work on him, at least not yet.
Sanji bursts out laughing even more now that the Marimo is awake, making his beautiful dress sparkle.
"YOU... YOU... YOU LOOK GORGEOUS IN THAT DRESS! HA HA HA!" He's finally fallen to the ground and is now pounding his fist on the Merry's deck as his eyes fill with tears of laughter.
Zoro's face wrinkles with anger and confusion. What's the cook talking about? He looks around slowly. He sees Luffy and Usopp rolling around laughing on the floor. Every time they seem to calm down, just by looking at him, they start laughing uncontrollably again.
Irritated, he looks down at him, expecting to find pen marks or even flowers. It wouldn't be the first time.
His eyes widen when he sees lace and white frills covering him. He even smells something in his hair. Cautiously, he grabs it and stares in horror at the little ice tiara it used to be on his head. His fist tightens on the poor tiara, easily shattering it into a pile of snow.
"Who?! WHO DARED TO DO THIS TO ME?!" He glares at the two jokers. Both put their hands over their mouths to force themselves to be quiet, and shake their heads from left to right, making it clear to the swordsman that they are not responsible for the joke. His gaze then turns to the Cook, who continues to laugh despite the glare he receives.
"SHITTY-COOK?!" The cook is curled up on the floor, trying as hard as he can to calm down. But every time he looks up, he sees Marimo in his beautiful wedding dress.
"HA HA HA HA! Even... Even though it's great... It's... It's not me! HA HA HA HA!" A growl passes Zoro's lips and he struggles to remove the snow covering him and forming this ridiculous outfit. He hopes no one has taken a photo.
His head jerks up at the thought of the scary blue Den Den and he turns his head in all directions in search of Stella, but she's not in his field of vision.
"Are you searching for me? ~" He gasps in surprise and turns violently as he hears that annoying voice in his ear. Stella looks at him with a big, amused smile, Aoi on her shoulder looking at him the same way he did when he took a picture of him on the boat.
"FUCK! You did this to me, right?!" Stella's fingers land on her smiling lips in a failed attempt to hide them.
"Noooo. ~ I have no idea what you're talking about. ~ " The mocking, playful tone clearly confirms that she was the one who dared to turn him into a bride. Zoro springs to his feet, seizing Kitetsu and delivering a great circular blow in an attempt to slice this vicious woman in half.
Expecting the move. Stella quickly crouches to let the sharp blade pass over her head. Her smile doesn't leave her for a moment as she continues to stare at the angry swordsman.
"Why are you getting so upset? I think that dress looks wonderful on you. Do you want the picture to frame next to your bed?" She asks mischievously, batting her eyelashes innocently. For only answer, she dodges another sharp attack by jumping to the side.
"SHUT UP! You better delete that picture right now!" He shouts, as Stella continues to jump to avoid his attacks. Stella's feminine cackle further irritates the swordsman, who starts chasing her all over the ship, jumping up and down stairs and over balcony railings.
The other three men on deck watch in disbelief as their swordsman pursues Stella like a child playing wolf. Well, it's more like Stella is playing wolf, Zoro's just trying to kill her.
"COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Stella sticks her tongue out at him before running to the mast to climb it vertically. Everyone looks at her with surprised eyes at her ability to defy gravity. With a leap, she lands on the edge of the crow's nest and looks up at Zoro, who is at the bottom and still angry.
"Well, then? Do you give up? If you manage to touch me, I promise to erase this photo, as well as the first one." She says with a confident smile, patting her chest where the photo is hidden. Zoro's eyes widen slightly at these words. His face becomes much more serious as he pulls Yubachiri from its scabbard. Now with two swords in his hands, he runs towards the ropes leading to the top of the mast. He jumps up and starts using all the agility he can muster to leap and climb to the top with both hands busy.
"Get ready to destroy those pictures! " With a powerful leap, he launches himself into the air right in front of Stella, who continues to watch him with an amused smile, not at all surprised to see him pop up in front of her.
The two katanas split the air in her direction, aiming to hit her. She easily dodges the attack by jumping to the other side of the crow's nest, while Zoro somehow manages to land and remain balanced on the edge of this small arena suspended several meters from the ground.
The woman's smile widens and she spreads her arms, while behind her there's nothing but emptiness.
"Good luck catching me, fingerling~" She says before dropping into the void, her back to the ground. Her fall makes the others gasp, while she doesn't seem to slow her fall.
"STELLA-CHAN!" Shouts Sanji, rushing at the woman before she hits the ground. The woman's head turns toward him in surprise as he runs to catch her, arms outstretched toward her. In one fluid motion, she rolls over so that her feet are pointing at the ground. With a jerk, she stopped a meter above the ground, as Sanji sprawled out across the snow-covered deck. He had jumped at the last moment to try and break Stella's fall, but he seemed to have forgotten that she could fly.
Gently, she landed beside him and held out her hand to help him up as he found himself half-buried under the snow.
"Thanks for your concern Sanji, you're sweet." She says with a smile amused by the failed rescue attempt. The cook pulls his head out of the snow, shaking it to remove the flakes that have clung to it. He raises his head to look at the woman's outstretched hand, amused and grinning broadly. Hearts appear in his eyes and he leaps to his feet in a storm of hearts.
"Stella-chan! Thank you for your concern! You're a goddess full of goodness!"
Zoro, still in the crow's nest, rolls his eyes in annoyance at this stupid Cook's words. He puts away his swords and starts heading for the ropes to climb back down and grab that filthy woman.
But the wind starts to blow violently, rattling the sail and moving the ropes to which he's not firmly attached. He loses his balance and finds himself suspended in mid-air, the deck below him, 5 meters above the ground. He can jump, but not without injury if he lands badly.
The Merry's sudden pitching puts everyone on alert, and Nami quickly emerges from the galley, wide-eyed as she sees the dark clouds fill the sky and the waves begin to rise.
"Everyone to their posts! We've entered the weather belt! We have to be ready for any situation!" She shouts as a huge wave violently rocks the ship on its side, sending them sliding across the deck.
Zoro clings desperately to the rope to avoid being thrown into the sea, which is now directly below him. The others are too focused on their own survival to notice the dangerous situation in which their swordsman finds himself.
"Shit!" A second wave breaks over the Merry, completely submerging the deck and almost drowning the crew. The ship abruptly resumes its position and heads off in the other direction. The ropes saw through Zoro's hands, and he almost lets go under the excruciating pain. He grits his teeth and tries to pull himself up. But the sea doesn't seem to want to leave him alone.
A new wave sets the boat drifting to the left, towards an iceberg.
" WATCH OUT!" Shouts Usopp, watching in horror as the block of ice comes dangerously close to them. Sanji jumps to the front of the ship and gives a huge kick to the iceberg, which explodes under the impact. Shards of ice fly through the air.
The ice spikes crash down on the Merry, and Zoro is far too focused on not falling to notice one of the splinters heading towards him and nicking his cheek, just below the eye. The swordsman recoils in surprise. But at the same moment, the Merry swerves to the right as the rest of the iceberg submerges beneath the water.
The East Blue demon watches in horror as his fingers slip from the rope and let go. His back is to the sea and he's falling towards it. If he ever falls into this raging sea, he'll never be able to get back on the boat.
With an instinctive gesture, he reaches out his hands in front of him, in a vain attempt to grab something invisible that would keep him from falling into the water.
"BOOM!" An explosion noise draws his attention to the side and he sees Luffy and Sanji blowing up more Icebergs that could damage the Merry. They turn their backs on him at this point, but he sees Sanji looking around for another danger.
The cook's blue eyes perceive movement at the edge of his field of vision. Instinctively, he turns his head to watch in horror as Zoro falls toward the sea, with no chance of escape.
"MARIMO!" His cry attracts the attention of the others, who also see the swordsman falling towards the sea.
"ZORO!" Screams Luffy as he rushes towards him and stretches out his arm to grab his nakama's hand. Zoro sees Luffy's hand appear in front of him. "GRAB MY HAND!" You don't have to say it twice for him to reach out as far as he can to grab his captain's hand.
But the water is close, too close. Jets of water hit Luffy's arm, diminishing its elastic capacity, and the boy winces at the feel of the salt water on him.
The two hands are stretched out towards each other, never touching. Zoro is now only a few centimeters from the sea, and a huge, threatening wave begins to form on their right, causing the sea to swell. The crew must react quickly, or the Merry will be submerged and sunk by this deadly wave.
"ZORO!" The chill of the icy water begins to creep up his body.
And here's the eighth chapter of this adventure.
I hope you've laughed a lot during this chapter, and raised some questions and concerns.
Now that the summer vacations are here, the chapters will appear a little faster, but I can't promise anything.
See you soon!