Zou
Neo groaned as she rolled over onto her back. She placed her left arm over her eyes and laid there as the waves from the incoming storm started to increase and rock the boat more. Her body was heavy with fever. She took in and released a couple of slow breaths to try and ward away the dizziness that was trying to over take her brain. She barely felt Law's warm fingers reaching under her blanket and pressing against her right wrist. Moving her arm off her eyes, she looked at him and said, "I don't feel very good."
"I know," Law said with a nod. "You're blood pressure is up to one forty one over ninety one."
"Is that bad?" Usopp asked. He leaned over the back of the chairs and looked at Neo's pale face. "She does look a bit pale."
"That level of blood pressure is high for pregnant humans," Law said. "And concerning how she's feeling right now, I believe it's a safe bet to say it's too high for pregnant elementals too."
"Is there something you can do for her?" Luffy asked from his spot behind the chairs. Instead of standing like Usopp, he had his arms crossed over the back of it and was resting his chin on his arms. His worried eyes were locked onto Neo as were the rest of his crew and a few Barto Club members who were scattered around the deck.
"A relaxing bath might help," Law said. He knelt down beside Neo so he could get a better look at her face. "Think you can handle that? You haven't really had a nice bath in a while."
"Yeah," Neo said. She then held up her hands. She was grateful for the assistance when Law and Luffy took her hands and helped her sit up. "Thanks."
"Come on," Law said. He brushed the blanket off her lap before helping her to her feet. He then placed his sword down where she was once laying and put one arm around her waist to guide her towards the door leading inside. Both felt the looks of the worried pirates as he slowly led her through the door and down the stairs that led to a hallway that would take them to the back of the ship where the bathhouse was located on the lower deck. When they finally reached their destination, the door was partly open so he kicked it open with his foot and led her inside.
"It's a lot cleaner than I expected," Neo said when she ran her eyes over the room. Unlike the loud designs on the outside of the ship, the inside was rather plain, especially the bathroom. There was only one small window in the back of the room, three shower heads lined up on the left side of the room, a full length mirror near a small table, and a two person tub sat tucked in the corner of the right side of the room.
"Sit here," Law instructed as he guided her to the tub.
Neo sighed when she sat down. Her dizziness had disappeared a bit, leaving her feeling better already.
"Are you up to taking a bath yourself?" Law then asked. His eyes locked onto her face while his fingers found their way back to her wrist.
"Yeah," Neo said. "My dizziness if fading. I'll be fine to take it myself."
"All right," Law said reluctantly.
Neo sighed again. When he retracted his hand from her wrist she grabbed a hold of it and placed his palm on her cheek. She then locked eyes with him. "Really, Law. I'll be fine. But since you're so worried, why don't you take a shower? You could use one. It'll help you relax. We should be about to Zou anyway. I'm sure you'd like to feel clean and refreshed before we arrive there."
"Can you sense it?" Law asked.
"Sort of," Neo said. "It's more of a feeling than anything. I do feel like we're getting closer to something. Since Zou is a large elephant with an island on its back, I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. It just feels like a large mass of something that's alive and moving. Or it could just be because I'm not my normal self right now."
"It is possible that your magic is causing some confusion. You're still losing control of it. Plus your blood pressure is high right now and you're still slightly dizzy," Law said.
"I know," Neo said. She allowed Law's hand to fall from her face before glancing over her shoulder at the tub. She summoned a couple water crystals and started to fill the tub. "I'll be better after a bath. I should have taken one a long time ago." She turned back to Law when she felt him just staring at her. Even without their connection she could easily tell he wasn't too happy with leaving her to take a bath herself with how she was feeling. "Law, it's fine. I'm no longer dizzy. I just feel like I need some time alone right now. I'll keep our bond open so you can monitor me through that. If my magic cuts off again, you'll know and can come check on me. Deal?"
"Deal." Law nodded in acceptance.
Neo returned the nod then stood up to undress. The only thing she left on was her birth medallion. And she had no intention of separating from it, at least until she could safely tuck it away in her Luminous shelf back on the sub where she knew she would never lose it again. While she did that, Law watched her for another minute before he started to disrobe himself. He then watched her crawl into the water, his eyes locking onto her baby bump as it disappeared beneath the surface before stepping over to one of the shower heads. Turning on the water, he allowed it to wash the dirt and worry away for a couple minutes before finally grabbing the shampoo that was nearby. It was at the point he slipped back into his normal routine of taking a fast shower since he wasn't taking it with Neo. She always managed to get him to linger in the water when they bathed together. And he still hasn't figured out if it was because she just wanted to be with him or if it was because she loved nature so much. But he figured it didn't really matter. It was probably a combination of both. He was just glad to spend time with her when they could, especially when they got too busy with their pirate lives and didn't spend much time just being together.
Then he was finally done with his shower. He turned the water off and stepped away from it. Before he could think about a towel, Neo had summoned a couple wind and fire crystals around him, easily drying him off in seconds. Unless he showered alone when she was still sleeping, he hardly ever used a towel anymore. Why bother with dirtying up a towel when your love could easily dry you off with her crystals? But then he knew she also used her crystals so she could see him naked more often. And despite the distance that had came between them since he told her she was pregnant, she was still looking at him like she always did. The only different now was she was blocking her thoughts from him and would only take quick glances before turning her eyes down to the water. He had no idea what she was thinking. He could only assume that she was thinking about them and what their future now held for them. He pushed it from his mind. He didn't want to really think about it right now. If he did he would want to talk to her about it and she clearly wasn't ready to talk about it. So he turned his attention to getting dressed. After pulling on his typical spotted jeans he tossed his black button up shirt with a yellow heart on its left side that matched his shoulder tattoos over his shoulder and he walked back over to the tub.
"I'll go ahead and take these with me," Law said referring to Neo's clothes as he picked them up off the floor.
Neo turned her eyes to his body. Since he hadn't put on his shirt yet she was able to eye his injuries easily. The sight of the scars from the bullets and Doflamingo's string saw caused a heavy sigh to pass over her lips.
"Try not to think about them," Law said. He then sat the clothes back down on the floor and stepped closer to her. Bending down he crossed his arms over the side of the tub. "My wounds are healing nicely thanks to you. And I'll use some of the healing cream the healer woman made for you once we get back to the sub. That'll decrease the size of the scars. It'll still take some time for them to fade as you already know." He then leaned closer to her and placed a gently kiss on her temple. "Take your time in here."
Neo nodded in response before asking, "What about your dressing for your arm? Would you like me to help you with that?"
"No, you just stay where you are," Law said. "I'll have one of the Straw Hats help if I need it."
"All right." She then watched as Law gathered their torn, blood stained clothes up and leave the room. She sunk back into the water once he had closed the door. She just closed her eyes and let the relaxing heat from her controlled water soothe her muscles, her worry, and everything else that was piling up on her as much as she could. Opening her eyes, she cupped water in her hands and splashed it over her face. Letting the water run down her skin, she glided her hands over her shoulders and her neck, reaching down to her back. She paused. Ever since her wings had become crystals in Dressrosa she hadn't used or really thought about her wings. Now she wondered if they were back to normal or if they were still crystals and angel like. The only way she would know for sure would be to summon them. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Part of her didn't really want to know if they were back to normal or not. She wasn't sure why though. She wasn't afraid of them at all. She just didn't know why she didn't want to summon them.
Forcing the wings from her mind, there would be plenty of time to think about them later, she leaned back against the tub. Her hands slid from her shoulders, coming to a rest on her thighs where one brushed against her extending stomach. A startled gasped left her lips and she quickly moved her hands away from her abdomen. "Geez. What's wrong with me? I feel so…"
She sighed, unable to actually put words to the way she was feeling while her heart raced in her chest from the still unfamiliarity of being pregnant. She forced herself to relax again before giving Law a reason to come check on her. She closed her eyes and connected to the nature around her. The storm that had been threatening to erupt outside was still holding steady. Beyond it she could feel the large mass she had been sensing for a while coming closer to them. Or maybe they were getting closer to it. After all they were the ones heading for Zou, not the other way around. Then she felt it. A large space in her chest filled up with warmth and love for her crew and the large mass become much clearer to her. It was a very large elephant, larger than anything other animals she's ever felt before. It was Zou. She knew it was. They were going to arrive at Zou in less than thirty minutes. She was going to finally be reunited with her family after several month of being away from them. That was all the motivation she needed to actually preform her typical bathing rituals. She rushed through washing her hair and body before climbing out of the tub. Instantly, she summoned a wind and fire crystal and had herself completely dry in less than five seconds. She grabbing her clothes with the intention of putting them on immediately but paused when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her normally flat stomach was no longer how she remembered it. Feeling her anxiety rise from seeing her use to be flat stomach now graced with a small bulge, she quickly turned away from it. She was now relaxed from her bath and she wasn't going to allow herself to disrupt that. She refocused on her clothes, how close they were to arriving at Zou, and how she was finally going to see her family again. She paused momentarily to notice how her clothes matched with Law's once again. The only differences were her jeans didn't have spots on them and her black shirt was a sleeveless pull over. Shaking it from her head, she finished dressing and made her way back out to the deck of the ship while running her fingers through her hair to get rid of tangles. As she made her way down the hall, she could hear Bartolomeo's muffled voice becoming louder and louder. Apparently he was praising the Straw Hats again. She stepped out the door just in time to see the green haired man standing on a barrel and addressing his crew.
"But this is no time for us to get sentimental! We need to get Mr. Luffy and the others safely to Zou!" Bartolomeo said.
"Yeah!" the Barto club cheered in agreement.
Neo pinched the bridge of her nose at the loud cheering penetrating her ears. After that nice relaxing bath she really didn't want to deal with them and their bizarre attraction to the Straw Hats. Both her instincts and a pregnancy mood swing took over when the storm clouds above her released a lightning bolt right over them. It came down on the Barto Club members while she easily guided it away from hitting Law, the Straw Hats, and the two samurai. She ignored the smell of burnt clothes, hair, and skin filled mixed with the salty sea air while the club members sizzled and twitched erratically as she stepped around them. She looked up towards the figurehead when she heard Luffy shouting. Like always her straw hat friend was sitting on top of the large structure of himself. She always found it odd that Luffy was sitting on Luffy when she saw him up there.
"That was fun! Keep heading straight for Zou!" Luffy said, clearly unfazed at the lightning flashing around them. Then he and Neo were the only ones who the lightning would never hurt. So of course it wasn't going to bother him.
"That was a little harsh," Zoro said to Neo when she walked over to them. "You could have easily protected them too."
"They were annoying me with all their shouting," Neo muttered as she glared at the still fried, smoky men lying on the deck of the ship. She then turned her eyes away from them and over the deck. The cushioned seats she had been laying on were no longer insight and everyone was standing around the deck of the ship so she figured someone had moved them back inside so they wouldn't get wet if it started to rain. She was a bit disappointed that the blanket she had been using was also missing, but quickly pushed it aside when she sensed they were getting closer to the large mass she knew was Zou. She wouldn't be needed that blanket any more.
"Mood swing?" Zoro asked quietly as he leaned closer to Law.
"Mood swing." Law nodded just as Neo stepped over to him. He glanced down at her, eyeing her grey eyes, just as she started to fiddle with the bandage around his arm.
Neo fiddled with the bandage for a good two minutes before decided it was good enough. She then turned her eyes to the thick fog in front of the ship. Connecting herself with nature again, she kept a look out for hidden rocks and others obstacles that might cause them trouble.
"Oh, it's way too foggy out here. I can't see a thing at all," Bartolomeo said. He staggered as he walked across the deck of the ship before dropping to his hands and knees. His face was almost as green as his hair.
"You guys get seasick far too often," Zoro said, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. "How can you call yourselves pirates when you get like this? You people should have just stayed on land. Neo, can't you do something about this?"
"I could," Neo said, turning her eyes to the swordsman. "But I don't like messing with nature unless there's a good reason for it. This storm isn't threatening our lives so I have no intention on pushing it away. Besides, I'm connected to nature right now and it's not really the storm that's causing these waves."
"So you're keeping an eye out for obstacles?" Franky asked.
"What do you mean this storm isn't causing the wave?" Usopp asked, he looked around the sea. "What else could it be?"
"I am." Neo nodded. "I won't let us sink after coming this far. And you'll see in a minute what I'm talking about, Usopp."
"Hey! Neo!" Luffy then called out. Flinging out his fist, he grabbed a hold of the mast and swung himself down to his blue haired friend. He landed with a bright smile for her. "How are you feeling? You don't look so pale anymore."
"I'm fine, Luffy," Neo said. "I'm sorry I worried you."
"It's fine. I'm just glad you're feeling better," Luffy said. "You are feeling better, correct? Are you still dizzy?"
"No, Luffy. I'm no longer dizzy," Neo said.
"What about your blood pressure?" Luffy then asked just as Law took Neo's wrist.
"It's come down quiet a bit," Law reported. "The bath did the trick. But I'm still going to check it occasionally until we get back to the crew, at least. Surely Topaz will be able to give us some information on this."
"Yeah." Neo nodded before looking up at the dark clouds above them. We're almost there. I'll be able to see them again. Just a little bit longer and everything will be fine then. It has to be. Her attention was pulled from her thoughts when Bartolomeo's weak voice reached her ears. She looked at him just in time to see him putting a stick of gum in his mouth.
"Chewing gum… chewing gum," Bartolomeo said weakly, his face more green than it was before.
"Chewing gum?" Franky asked. "What's that for?"
"It'll make the sea sickness a little better, Grandma said," Bartolomeo said.
"I guess that's why there is gum stuck everywhere on this ship," Usopp said. His eyes roaming over the walls, the floor, and just about every wooden space of the ship where gum was decorating it.
Luffy laughed. "That's funny! I did wonder why there was so much gum all over the place!"
"I find it sickening," Neo said. She eyed a few pieces of gum on the side of the mast. Her stomach turned at the sight of it forcing her to look away. "It's making me nauseous. I think I'm going to-" She covered her mouth with her hand, stiflingly her gags. For a moment she wondered if she was going to lose her breakfast and turned towards the side of the ship, but it vanished when she felt they were coming extremely close to Zou. Lowering her hand back to her side, she turned to face the bow of the ship with an intense look on her face.
"What is it, Neo?" Law asked.
"We're here," Neo said. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "We're really here. We've finally reach Zou."
"Hm? What are you talking about?" Gambia said. "I don't see anything."
"Boss! I see something at two o'clock!" the look out said from the crow's nest.
"Seriously?!" Gambia said.
"What is it?!" Bartolomeo asked.
"We're finally here," Neo said again. More tears leaked from her eyes when she fruitlessly tried to brush them away. "We're really here."
Law took a step closer to her. Hesitantly, he placed his hand on her back. When she didn't pull away or flinch, he pressed more firmly onto her.
"We're finally almost home, Law," Neo said, earning a silent nod from him.
"In the dense fog, there's a mountain or a monster," the look out said.
"I hope there's no monster that can be mistaken for a mountain," Bartolomeo said.
"But it looks like it's moving slowly," the look out said.
"You're just drunk, you-" Bartolomeo covered his mouth to stop himself from emptying him stomach contents all over the deck.
"If it's really a mountain that moves, let's go check it out!" Luffy said.
Usopp leaped forward. He grabbed Luffy's cheeks from behind and said, "No, you idiot! We're not going to do that at all! What we are going to do is get out of this foggy maze as soon as possible! Otherwise, we're going to hit a reef and capsize!"
"Wait, god," Law said.
"Did you just call me a god? I'm flattered!" Usopp said. He released Luffy's face. Putting one hand behind his back and the other behind his head, he smiled as his cheeks turned pink. "I'm a humble man of two hundred million and I'm flattered!"
Law dug into his pocket and pulled out Bepo's vivre card. He said, "I'm sure even the navy admirals are aware of you now."
Usopp released a gasp of realization and his face turned blue.
"Remember what Neo said a minute ago. She's looking out for reefs and such to keep us from capsizing. Besides, she already said she sensed Zou. And if you need more proof, look at the vivre card. It's pointing towards the large mass in front of us," Law said.
"Hey, you're right! That means we've really reached Zou! And your friends are there waiting for you two!" Luffy said, leaning in towards Law's hand.
Neo also leaned in closer to the vivre card. She wanted to make sure that this was really happening. It was. A small smile pulled over her lips when the vivre card moved across Law's hand towards the mass. Her attention was pulled from it when Robin spoke up.
"Huh? Usopp, you look sick. Do you want some chewing gum?" Robin asked.
"I've been refusing to face the reality of have such a high bounty," Usopp mumbled. "They know my face now, too."
"I heard Zou blocks out invaders with a dense fog and an adverse current," Law said.
"My magic is fading again," Neo announced. "I won't be able to help pull us closer to Zou."
"There are headwinds too. But don't worry about it, Neo. You've done more than enough for us," Franky said. "Just leave the rest to us! Take in the sails now! We'll row it forward from here!"
"I'll do what I can to help if my magic comes back," Neo said. "But it might not be much or for every long."
"Don't worry about it," Franky said with a wink. "We can easily handle getting closer to that island. You just relax and leave the work up to us."
Neo nodded.
"Let's go, guys!" Franky said to the Barto Club.
"Roger that," the Barto Club said before groaning again over their seasickness.
"Hey! That's not how you're suppose to respond!" Franky said.
Neo stood anxiously by Law said as the men then scrambled around then deck in preparation for the final sprint to the island. Some took in the sails while others pulled out several large oars and put them into place before starting to row the ship towards the dark mass in the fog. It didn't take much longer before they were finally rowing through the thick fog. The large mass that had been spotted started to become clearer the closer they got to it.
"Is this the island, Zou?!" Luffy asked. He placed his hand on his hat to keep it from falling off as his eyes floated up the large mass before them.
"No, it can't be! That's too strange!" Bartolomeo exclaimed.
"This is no good! Let's run! Turn the ship around!" Usopp demanded.
"No, this is it," Law said.
"We're finally here," Neo said. "We've reached Zou."
"Tra! But this is an elephant!" Luffy said when the mass took on a more distinct shape of an elephant.
"That's correct. Zou is the name of a place that flourishes on the back of a massive elephant," Law said.
"What?! Does that mean it's alive?!" Usopp asked.
"It is. It keeps moving so it'll never be at the same location," Law said. "It's basically a phantom island. Technically, it's not actually an island so log poses won't be able to get you here. We've never been here before either. Right now its back is towards us. That means Blackleg and the others could have gotten here much earlier than we did."
"Then that means we were chasing an elephant that was walking away from us this entire time," Robin said. "No wonder it took us so long to reach it."
"Yeah. Get ready to make landfall," Law said. He stepped back towards Bartolomeo. "Can you give us some food?"
"For you?!" Bartolomeo asked while pointing at Law.
"Can you give Straw Hat some food?" Law asked.
"Sure think! Take everything that we have in the food storage!" Bartolomeo said happily.
"So this is Zou," Kin'emon said. "There are such unusual things outside of our country. I wonder if Momonosuke is okay."
"Hey, I heard that there is a tribe that hates humans," Kanjuro said.
"Yes, that's the mink tribe. They hold off humans and people say the history of their country goes back nearly a thousand years," Law said.
"And we're going into that place?!" Usopp shrieked.
"Yes," Law said.
"Hey, Neo," Usopp said as he slid up next to her. "Mind if I stick close to you? You're not human so the minks shouldn't bother you, correct? They'll like you because of your connection to nature. And if I'm with you then they won't eat me. They'll know I'm a friendly human with no intent to fight."
"They're not going to eat you," Neo said. "But if you want to stick with me, then it's fine."
"Thank you," Usopp said with a relieved sigh.
"A thousand years?! On the elephant's back?!" Luffy asked. "Does that mean that elephant has been alive for a thousand years?!"
"Continue rowing us towards Zou!" Neo called out.
"Yes, ma'am!" the Barto Club replied. They increased their rowing upon her command.
"Hey, that's…" Luffy started when he noticed a very familiar outline in the fog.
"What?! D-d-don't tell me that's," Bartolomeo said when he too saw the exact same outline that Luffy did.
"What is it?" Neo asked. She stared off into the fog at the outline, but her eyes kept traveling upward to where she knew her family was. "We're so close, just a little bit longer. I only I had my magic. I'd just fly us up there."
"Just be patient a little bit longer, love," Law said softly to her. "You'll see them soon."
"Yeah." Neo nodded.
"Hey! It's the Sunny!" Luffy then cried out. "I can see the Sunny!"
Neo looked over to the ship they had rode on to Dressrosa. A small amount of relief washed over her. With it anchored to the elephant's back leg, it was clear that Sanji and the others had made it here safe enough. But the feeling quickly left her when she remembered her nightmare. She clenched her fists tightly at the thought that Sanji wasn't going to be there with the rest of them. At least now than can figure out why and where he went. And hopefully they would be able to get him back.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Bartolomeo started screaming and bouncing around the ship like a child. "Ah! Ah! Ah!"
"Just shut up already!" Zoro snapped.
"I'm going to fry him again," Neo said with an annoyed sigh.
"Don't waste your energy," Law said just as annoyed as she was. "We're leaving this ship so we don't have to deal with them anymore. Besides your magic is still out."
"Yeah," Neo said.
"So that's… that's… the grand ship of that carries the sacred bodies of the Straw Hats! The Thousand Sunny! I feel blessed! I feel blessed! I feel blessed!" Bartolomeo said as he and six other from his crew lined up at the railing of their ship and started bowing down to the Sunny.
"Don't worship it!" Usopp snapped.
"They feel blessed and I feel sick again," Neo said. She stepped closer to Law and tiredly laid her head on his shoulder. "But at least we're here. We can go home now."
Law nodded.
"That's good. So they made it to Zou after all," Robin said.
"I guess they got away from Big Mom easily enough," Franky said while he eyed their ship for damage. "It doesn't look like there's any major damage to the ship at all."
"Hey! Sanji! Nami! Chopper! Brook! Momo!" Luffy called out. "And… what's the gas guy's name again?"
"There's no response," Usopp said when no one called back to them.
"They're probably on the island then," Neo said. She glanced over at Luffy when he wounded up his fist. Before she or anyone else could ask what he was doing, he grabbed the railing of the Sunny with one hand before throwing out his other fist and wrapping his arm around her waist. "Huh? What are you doing, Luffy?"
"Come on, Neo! Let's go check it out!" Luffy said.
"Straw Hat! Don't you dare-" Before Law could finish, Luffy pulled Neo away from his side and flung them both over to the deck of the Sunny. "That idiot!"
"Relax. You know she's safe with him," Robin said, walking up beside Law. "He's not going to do anything that will hurt her."
"I know. But he still doesn't need to be jerking her around like that while she's pregnant," Law mumbled. He watched tensely for Neo and Luffy to land safely on the ship before he turned away from the Sunny. His eyes immediately landed on Neo's boots that had been forgotten on the deck of the ship when she had taken them off several days ago. Someone had moved them closer to the mast at some point in time so no one would trip on them. He wasn't sure who did that. Possibly it was Robin. Besides himself, she seemed like the only one who would do something like that. Everyone else would either ignore them or not care they were there. Knowing she wasn't going to put them back on since they didn't have plans to engage in a fight, he walked over and picked them up. He then grabbed the bag of files that were with the boots and walked back over to group.
…
Neo remained calm as she felt her body flying towards Luffy's. When her body met his, he wrapped his hold on her more securely before flinging them over to the Sunny. She said, "You don't have to be so reckless."
"I just wanted you to see them first," Luffy said with laugh. "You've been so worried about them, especially Sanji."
"Yeah." Neo nodded. Her nightmare of Sanji leaving was still fresh in her mind despite having it two days ago. She still believed that Sanji wasn't on Zou. She knew he wasn't. And it was only a matter of time before the rest of the pirates realized that. She exhaled while Luffy picked her up bridal style before they landed on one of the upper decks of the ship. She didn't protest as he continued to hold her while he glanced around for his friend then bounced down to the main deck of the ship. She then placed her bare feet on the grass and he released her fully. She looked up at Zou's hind legs. "Huh?"
"What is it?" Luffy asked.
"Zou is about to move his back leg," Neo said. "The one the ship is anchored to. This is going to get a little rough."
"Okay!" Luffy cheered just before the ship started moving along with the elephant's leg. The sea waves created by the movement of the giant elephant caused the ships to rock erratically.
Neo parted her feet a little to help herself get more balance on the unstable ship. But with the combination of her nausea and magic loss, she lost her balance and stumbled into Luffy. "Sorry."
"No problem. I've got you both," Luffy said, wrapping his arm back around her waist. His arm brushed over her baby bump and caused her to flinch.
Yeah. Both. Neo thought to herself when he didn't realize she flinched at his touch. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see Bartolomeo's stairs connecting with the deck of the Sunny. Then she was able to see the rest of their friends coming over the stairs.
"Luffy! Have you seen the others?!" Usopp asked upon reaching the deck.
"Nope. It appears like they're not here," Luffy said as he and Neo turned to the group.
"What?!" Usopp asked.
"That must mean that they had made landfall," Law said.
"Yeah! Let's catch up to them quickly!" Luffy said.
"All right! Take care, you guys!" Usopp said.
"You're coming with us!" Zoro said just as a few Barto Club members walked down the stairs with three backpacks. They laid them down on the deck then rushed back over to their own ship.
"Hey, everyone! We moved all our food to your ship so I think you're going to be okay for a while!" Bartolomeo said. "Is there anything else you all need?!"
"No, we're fine," Franky said as he, Zoro, and Law looked through the backpacks. "Why don't you give some of those files to Zoro and me? That way the load won't be so heavy for you."
Law nodded. He then spread out the files and books they had compiled into the food backpacks and tied Neo's boots to the one he was going to carry. He slipped the one he was going to carry onto his back, knowing Neo wouldn't be very happy with him carrying the load with his arm still healing, but they need to divide up the food equally in case they got separated. And like he thought, she was frowning at him when he stood up and looked at her. In an annoyed huff, and a possible mood swing, she turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. He sighed internally but followed her up the stairs to the helm where everyone was gathering to watch Kanjuro paint something on the floor around the helm. Both he and Neo eyed the strange, snake like creature that was being created by the samurai with no idea what it actually was.
Neo quietly studied the strange creature being painted on the deck. Since it had legs she knew it wasn't a worm or a snake. But with the bumpy scales lining up along its back and the horns on it's head, she couldn't quiet decide if it was really meant to be a dragon or not. The looks of it did fit the descriptions of a few dragons she's read about in her books, but those dragons were always extremely large and had wings to fly with. There was no way one of them could fit on the Sunny.
"Luffy, we're ready," Franky said once he too was with the rest of them. He looked down at the drawing and tilted his head to the side. "What?"
"All right, let's go!" Luffy said.
"Is that an earthworm?" Robin asked while she took in the odd drawing.
"It's a snake, isn't it?" Usopp asked. "It looks like one."
"It has legs so it's a lizard," Franky said, pointing at the small legs sticking out of its body.
"Okay, it's finished!" Kanjuro announced when he connected the final line of the drawing.
"What is it?" Luffy asked.
"I still think it's a snake," Usopp said.
"I-Is that a snake?" Kin'emon asked while Kanjuro made a few hand and arm movements to bring the drawing the life.
"Appear, Rising Dragon!" Kanjuro said.
"Dragon?!" Kin'emon shrieked.
"Who really cares? As long as it gets us to the top," Neo said, depression clear in her tone and a frown on her lips. "If my magic wasn't failing me, I'd just fly us all the way to the top. I could have us there in a few seconds."
"Don't look so depressed, Neo," Usopp said. "We'll be at the top before you know it."
Neo nodded, but her frown didn't leave her lips.
"What is this?!" Luffy asked as the drawing started taking on a peachy color and lifted off the deck. "It's so cool!"
Then the odd drawing was fully off the floor. Its body was now completely colored in peach with yellow scales along it's back. It stretched out towards the sky, shaking unsteadily before a strange sound came out of its mouth.
"Oh, it's going to say something," Franky said.
"Dra…dragon," it said. "D-Dragon…"
"Some kind of pathetic creature appeared!" Usopp said.
"Why did you…?" Kin'emon started as he looked at his samurai friend.
"Like they say, an eye for an eye," Kanjuro said.
"What does that saying even have to do with this situation?" Neo asked.
"I don't know," Law said with a sigh.
"It looks like it's sick," Neo said. "At least it's not real. I don't think I'd be able to handle it if it was. Anyway, can we just go now?"
"Let's go now, Dragon!" Kanjuro said. But the draw didn't move. "Dragon!"
"Well, if we can fly on the dragon, we can get there quickly," Usopp said. "See, Neo? There's no need for you look so depressed anymore."
"What?" Neo asked.
The dragon then walked over closer to the elephant. It stretched out, placing its from feet on the elephant while keeping it's back feet on the deck.
"All right, everyone, cling to its back! It's going to climb up!" Kanjuro said.
"You mean it's not going to fly?!" Usopp asked.
"Didn't you notice it doesn't have wings?" Neo asked.
"I guess not," Usopp said, his shoulders slumping low.
"Okay! Let's go!" Luffy then laughed. He ran over to the dragon and climbed on before anyone else could. He, like always, took the closest spot near the head of the dragon as if it were the figurehead of a ship. "Onward to the top of Zou!"
"Come on, Neo," Law said slightly reluctantly to climb on the clearly unstable dragon.
Neo nodded and obediently followed him over to the dragon drawing. She waited patiently for Zoro, Usopp, and Robin to get on first before climbing on the drawing herself. Placing her hands on the drawing, she found it felt like paper. She wasn't sure why it surprised her, but it did. It also bugged her that she was relaying on this thing to carry them all the way to the top of this giant elephant. Still, without a word or a single complaint, she stepped up on its back. She sat between two of its scales, before Law climbed on behind her. She studied the placement of the scales. It seemed the samurai got the sizes of them just right. They all were easily able to use them as seats without much concern of falling off. Still she wished they were a little more space between them so she could sit directly in front of Law. Despite the strange wall that had been put up between them since her pregnancy revelation, she was still glad to have him there so close. No matter what her mood was she also knew he'd be there for her.
"You good?" Law asked, settling in his spot behind her.
"Yeah. This is just one more step closer to the crew." Neo nodded just as Franky and the two samurai climbed on behind them. Then the drawing started making it's way slowly up the elephant with its shaky footsteps and strange noises coming from its mouth. When her eyes locked onto its small feet, she started to wonder how this strange creature drawing was actually holding onto the elephant's skin. It didn't look like it had a hold on it at all. But there they were, slowly climbing up the elephant's leg on the back of this pathetic looking dragon.
"Keep going, Dragon!" Luffy cheered despite still being able to see the ships below them.
"How many kilometers to go?" Usopp asked. He put his hand over his eyes like the shield would help him see the top of the elephant. "I see no end up there! Are you sure there is a country up there?!"
"Don't worry. The vivre card is still pointing upwards," Law said. "Our crew is up there."
"Okay, Dragon! You can do it!" Usopp said.
Small distance voices then flowed up on the air to them. Franky looked over his shoulder. When he realized the voices belonged to Bartolomeo and the others, he turned forward again and said, "Hey, Luffy! Bartolomeo and the others are saying something!"
"Oh, Lome-o, huh? I forgot to thank him!" Luffy said, turning to look back down to the ships that were slowly becoming smaller to their eyes.
"It's not Lome-o, it's Lomeo!" Usopp said.
"Hey! Lome-o! Bye, Lome-o and everybody! Thank you for bringing us here!" Luffy said.
"Y-You too! Thank you very much! Please take care on your journey!" Bartolomeo called back.
"You too! See ya!" Luffy said.
…
"It's so high! I'm scared! My arms are exhausted! It's too much!" Usopp complained a couple hours later.
"Don't say that, Usopp. He's giving it all he's got," Luffy said, looking over his shoulder.
Then suddenly, without any forewarning, the dragon slipped. Its small feet lost their grip and it causing them to slide back down several feet at an alarming rate.
"What?! Whoa, whoa!" Usopp said, grabbing onto Zoro's waist.
"Stop that! Don't grab onto me!" Zoro said.
"If we fall into the sea, that'll be it for us!" Kin'emon said.
"Law!" Neo called out. She grabbed onto the drawing as best she could.
"Just hold on!" Law ordered. He tightened his own hold on the drawing but pressed his sword to Neo's leg in an attempt to give her comfort in this fall. He knew she was feeling vulnerable without her magic. She'd never climbed up any thing this high without her crystals or her wings to help her.
"Dragon, you can do it!" Luffy cried out.
Unable to stop herself, Neo looked back towards the rapidly approaching sea. While desperately trying to summon her crystals, she said, "If he doesn't catch himself soon we're going to fall in! I won't be able to do anything to save you devil fruit users!"
Surprisingly, the dragon then caught itself before they could plummet into the water. Neo sighed with relief.
"Okay! Good job!" Luffy said.
"You showed some guts!" Franky said.
"A-Atta boy, Dragon," Usopp added, unaware that he was still clinging onto the swordsman in front of him. "No, your name is Ryunosuke from now on! Our friend, Ryunosuke!"
"All right, just let go of me!" Zoro said, punching Usopp on the head.
Ryunosuke cried happily at the praise, his little legs trembling violently.
"He scared the crap out of me," Law said. He brushed his hand on Neo's thigh. "How are you doing?"
"Scared, but fine," Neo said. She glanced over her shoulder. "Though I think my blood pressure just went up again."
"I think all of our blood pressures jumped for that one," Law said. He was internally glad Neo had cracked a joke here, but it didn't last long since her eyes were still grey.
"I wish he could fly," Franky said.
"I wish I could fly," Neo said. "I don't like it when I can't control situations like this. This thing is far too unsteady."
"Is this dragon okay?" Kin'emon asked.
"What are you talking about? You just saw how he held on, didn't you?" Kanjuro said.
"Can we just get going already?" Neo asked.
"All right, Ryunosuke! You heard Neo! Let's get going again! Go! Go! Go!" Luffy cheered.
"We're back where we started though," Law said.
"We have to make up that ground again," Neo said.
Ryunosuke whined at their words but started to climb back up the elephant's leg anyway.
...
Neo covered her tired yawn before rubbing her fist into her eye. "Law, I'm getting sleepy. This is too boring."
"I know it is, but try not to fall asleep," Law said.
"I'll try not to," Neo said. "Hey, Luffy? Can you see the top yet?"
Luffy shielded his eyes and stared ahead of them. He said, "No, I can't see to the top yet. I wonder how Sanji and the others got up there."
"Are they even really up there?" Zoro asked.
"They have to be. They weren't on the ship. Where else would they be?" Neo said. She cringed when her nightmare flashed through her mind. They're all up there but Sanji that is.
"Kin'emon, Kanjuro. Come to think of it, why do you want to go to Zou?" Luffy said, looking over his shoulder.
"Oh, yeah. We owe you people a lot so we must tell you everything eventually," Kin'emon said. "But first, we need to reach the top. I'd rather have this discussion when we're on safe ground."
"Mm-hm. Zou was always our destination since we left the Land of Wano," Kanjuro said. "We want to see if Momonosuke is okay and if another friend we were separated from at sea, Raizo, a ninja, has arrived here safely."
"A ninja?!" all the guys said.
"Is he a ninja?!" Luffy asked.
"What the…" Robin leaned over to her right.
"Ninja," Neo said to herself. "A person skilled in ninjustu. I remember reading about some in a few of my books. They're basically very skilled spies. Though I never really expected them to be real."
"Geez. You sure do read a lot. Is there anything you haven't read?" Usopp asked.
"Yeah, there are some things I haven't read about," Neo replied. "Is that a problem?"
"No," Usopp drawled. "It's just… I've never meet someone who reads as much as you do. You're always mentioning your books. You seem to read more than Robin does."
"Hm?" Neo hummed to herself. Her eyes drifted to Robin's at the mention of her name. The older woman smiled at her but didn't say anything. Her attention was redirected when Luffy started screaming again.
"A ninja! I want to meet him!" Luffy said, his eyes sparkling like stars.
"I want to see a shuriken," Zoro said.
"That's right! The ninja! Will he sit under a waterfall?" Usopp asked.
"Can he really use supernatural ninja powers?" Law asked.
"Can he disappear in an instant like they say?" Franky asked.
"What are you guys…?" Robin started.
"Yes, indeed!" Kin'emon said with a nod.
"Tell us! What kind of powers does he use?!" Luffy said.
"Um, for an example, being able to see far away. Nino-Telescopic Technique!" Kanjuro said. He closed his eyes and held his hand up to his face. Then using his fingers, he held circles over Kin'emon's eyes.
"Cool!" the men said.
"Hey! Stop talking gibberish!" Kin'emon said, shaking his friend's hands off his face.
"Oh, so it wasn't true," Luffy said, disappointed.
"I don't understand," Neo then said. She turned to look at Law. "What's exactly going on here?"
"Basically it's just like you fawning over books," Law said.
"Oh," Neo said. "So you guys are fawning over this ninja because he's a ninja?"
Law nodded. Before he could speak again something else cried out.
"Etetetetetete!"
"What? Luffy! Look up! Something falling from the sky!" Robin said.
"What is that?!" Luffy asked as they all watched a small, shadowy figure falling towards them.
"Etetetetetete!" the figure cried.
"Ete?" Luffy asked.
"That's right! Raizo runs with that kind of rhythm," Kanjuro said behind the distracted pirates who were no longer listening to him or watching him make his strange hand signs. Nor did they see him put his hands over Kin'emon's eyes. "I think he has this kind of power. Ninpo-Blindfold Technique! Guess Who!"
"I-Is it Kanjuro? I mean I know you're the only person there," Kin'emon said.
"Look out! Duck!" Luffy ordered before ducking away from the falling object. And one by one, the pirates behind him followed his lead and ducked away from the falling shadow.
"Huh?" Neo glanced at the falling object as it passed her. "Was that a…" Her eyes followed the falling object as it smashed into Kin'emon, cutting the man's words off before sending him and Kanjuro plummeting back towards the sea.
"Oh no! Those two fell off!" Luffy said.
"Dang it! What was that thing that fell on us out of the blue?!" Usopp said.
"I don't know. I think it was a bloody person with knives stuck all over his body," Robin said.
"What?!" Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp gasped.
"Or just a small monkey," Robin said.
"You're scaring me! What makes you think it was a bloody person with knifes stuck into his body?!" Usopp demanded.
"Hey! Are you all right?!" Luffy called down to the samurai.
"Kin'emon! Kanjuro!" Usopp shouted.
"Did they fall into the water?" Franky asked.
"Let's go save them!" Luffy said.
"What?!" Neo said. "We can't go back down! Not now! Not when we're this close to the top!"
"But they could be in trouble," Luffy said.
"I know that!" Neo said, her eyes filled with tears, causing Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro to cringe at the on coming mood swing. "But I don't want to wait any longer! I want to see my family! I know that's selfish of me! It's just been so long since I've seen them! And I'm so sorry! I am being selfish! We can go back down! It's not like we haven't climbed up this stupid thing twice already!"
"Neo?" Law brushed his fingers over her back.
"I'm sorry." Neo brushed away her tears. "I didn't mean to be so harsh towards them. It's fine that we go back and get them. I'm just being emotional again."
"All right then," Luffy said. "Let's go back down."
"Sir Luffy! We're both okay!" Kin'emon's voice echoed up to them.
"That's Kin'emon!" Luffy said.
"Good! They're alive!" Usopp said. "They must have landed on the Sunny!"
"Go ahead! We'll catch up soon!" Kin'emon said to them.
"What's he talking about? No way! Let's go back down!" Luffy said.
"Hey, Dragon! Head back down!" Zoro said.
Ryunosuke ignored the swordsman and moved forward instead of going back down.
"Ryunosuke, head back-" Usopp stopped when he noticed how much the drawing was really struggling with his task of getting them to the top.
"Hey, Ryunosuke!" Luffy said. He paused when they all noticed how tired the dragon was. They couldn't ask him to do it all over again.
"Seems like he wants to finish his job as soon as possible," Zoro said.
"He's suffering. Let's let him keep going," Usopp said.
"I'm sorry but we're going to go ahead! See you guys later!" Luffy shouted down to the samurai.
"Understood!" Kin'emon said.
"Hey! I won't allow you to enter the country!" an unfamiliar voice said.
"Go ahead!" Kin'emon said.
"Huh? I think I just heard an unfamiliar voice," Franky said.
The same group then turned their attention to the task of getting to the top of the elephant. Hours passed by, causing the once grey clouds to fade off into a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows from the setting sun. The voices of the Straw Hats rang out as they continued to cheer on the dragon as he inched his way to the top.
"How are you doing?" Law asked, brushing his fingers on Neo's back again.
"I'm still sleepy." Neo looked over her shoulder at him. "But I think I can make it to the top. It's just this slow pace and my… other thing… that's making me sleepy."
Law silently noted she was still unable to say she was pregnant. He debated checking her pulse again but was stopped when Zoro's voice broke the silence.
"Luffy!" Zoro protested.
Law and Neo looked forward to see that Luffy had fallen asleep and was leaning back against Zoro's hands. Neo said, "That can't be safe. Luffy, you better wake up before you fall off."
"Hey, Luffy! How can you sleep when Ryunosuke is trying to hard to get us to the top?!" Usopp asked.
"Hey, look! Isn't that the top?!" Franky then said.
"What? Hey! It is!" Usopp said. "A little more to go, Ryunosuke!"
"The top?!" Luffy asked, snapping awake. "All right! Way to go! Ryunosuke!" The sudden movements he made caused him to lose his balance and fall.
"Watch out! That was close!" Usopp said as he grabbed Luffy's backpack. He closed his eyes until Luffy's scream caused them to reopen. "What? No! He fell off!"
"What are you guys doing?!" Zoro demanded.
"Oh my," Robin said.
"Luffy! Do something!" Usopp shouted. "Neo! Save Luffy!"
"I can't! I don't have my magic still!" Neo said. "Luffy, you'll have to save yourself!"
"Got it!" Luffy said before flinging his hands towards his friends.
"He's got it!" Usopp said when Luffy grabbed a hold of the dragon's horns.
"Here I come!" Luffy said. But when he pulled on the horns, Ryunosuke's front feet came off the elephant's leg.
"Hey, Luffy, you idiot! Don't do that!" Usopp cried just as the dragon's head bent completely over his back. It caused him and Zoro to hang upside down. Both tightened their legs against the dragon's body in a desperate attempt not to fall off. "Don't fall! Hang on, Ryunosuke! I mean I'm going to fall! Help, Robin!"
"Good luck," Robin said.
"What?!" Usopp asked, completely hanging upside down now. "I'm so scared! Help me! Neo! Do something!"
"I can't. My magic is still out," Neo said despite still trying to summon her crystals.
"We're all going to die!" Usopp screamed.
Luffy flung himself to Ryunosuke's nose and grabbed on. He said, "Okay, I'm back!"
"Shut up! What are you going to do about this mess?!" Usopp demanded. "You caused it! Now you fix it!"
"Ryunosuke! Hang tough!" Luffy said.
"Don't tell him to hang tough! It's your fault we're like this!" Usopp said.
"Dragon, you can do it," Zoro said.
"Ryunosuke! Please!" Usopp shrieked. "Give it all you've got! As soon as you can!"
"Ryunosuke! Show your manliness!" Franky said.
With a determined grunt, Ryunosuke tried to pull himself back to the elephant's leg. His tiny feet kicked furiously as his body still hung in the same position, threatening the fall off completely. The Straw Hats continued to cheer him on, Usopp whining a bit at how he couldn't hold on much longer. Then with one last grunt Ryunosuke front feet made it back to the elephant.
"You did it!" Luffy said.
"All right, Ryunosuke! Atta boy!" Usopp cheered.
"A little more to go!" Franky said.
"We're almost there! Go!" Luffy said from Ryunosuke's nose, the cheering giving the dragon enough motivation to climb faster. "The top is so close! Oh! So fast!"
"Ryunosuke! Make that final sprint!" Usopp said.
"Keep going! Ryunosuke!" Luffy, Franky, and Usopp cheered. "Just a little more to go! Run! You're almost there! You're almost there! You're almost there! You're almost there!"
"Yes! I can see something now!" Luffy announced when he sat the top of the elephant. "Ryunosuke! Come on! It's right there!"
"Ryunosuke! Ryunosuke! Ryunosuke! Ryunosuke!" Luffy, Franky, and Usopp cheered.
"You can do it, Ryunosuke," Robin said from behind her hand.
"Law," Neo said. She reached for his hand and squeezed it when she had it.
"Yeah," Law said just before the dragon rounded over the hip of the elephant. Luffy, Franky, and Usopp were the first to jump off the dragon's back. They danced around, cried, and cheered at finally being at the top while the others dismounted more calmly.
"We're here," Neo whispered. She barely registered Law's hand on her hips until he pulled her off the dragon's back. Once her feet touched the ground, she leaned tiredly into Law's strong chest as her eyes ran over the flora and the stone gate before them. "We're finally here, Law."
"We are." Law nodded. With his arm around her waist, he guided her away from the edge of the elephant.
Neo glanced back over her shoulder when she heard Usopp crying out about not thanking Ryunosuke yet. She noticed at that point that the drawing was disappearing. She felt gratitude towards the drawing and gave it a silent thank you while Usopp, Luffy, and Franky were more dramatic in saying their goodbyes to it. They're voices were filled with pain, their faces were drenched in tears, as they kept crying out Ryunosuke's name over and over again into the setting sun. The emotion they were giving off for the dragon was making Neo become emotional all over again. Tears leaked down her face despite her not wanting them to. "Stupid tears."
"Ryunosuke! Ryunos-" Usopp said.
"This is absurd," Law said.
"It's just a bad drawing," Zoro added.
"And yet, I'm crying for it!" Neo said. She brushed her tears away and turned to face the gate in an attempt to get away from all the sad emotions.
"Hey, hold it right there, you jerks!" Usopp shrieked. "Is that really how you thank him for bring us all the way up here?!"
"We're in unknown territory. We shouldn't risk looking back," Zoro said before walking forward.
"You're right but…" Usopp said.
"Usopp! Ryunosuke was a good guy, wasn't he?!" Luffy flung his arm around Usopp's shoulders.
"Always pay attention to what lies ahead. Look," Zoro said. His eyes, plus Neo and Law's, lifted to the stone gate that was in front of them. "This must be a gate into the country. There's certainly a civilization on the elephant's back."
"Oh! Cool!" Luffy said.
"There's a watchtower but no guards. It's not security befitting a country," Law said, eyeing tower of the stone structure.
"Mokomo Dukedom," Neo said, reading off the words above the gate. Her eyes then wondered over the flora. "This place looks just like any other island, despite it being on the back of an elephant. All these trees and flowers are just the same as any other."
"Tsk. They're so cool," Franky grumbled at Law and Zoro.
"Honestly! You guys have no heart what so ever!" Usopp said.
"What did you expect?" Neo asked. She tossed a look over her shoulder at her fellow sniper. "They're not as emotional as you guys are."
"They could still have some heart," Usopp grumbled.
"I found a good spot!" Luffy said, bringing Usopp and Neo's eyes to him. The rubber man was running towards the ladder that was built onto the stonewall.
"Wait a second, Luffy!" Usopp said. But it was too late. Luffy had already flung himself into air and was sailing towards the top of the tower that Law had pointed out.
"Hey, Usopp! Come up here! It's amazing!" Luffy called back down to them. "Neo! You should come up here too!"
"You climbed the watchtower so quickly! Wait! I want to see it too!" Usopp said. He started to run for the ladder but stopped and turned back to Neo. "Are you coming?"
"No, you go ahead," Neo said with a small wave of her hand. "Without my magic I don't really feel like going too high right now."
"All right then," Usopp said with a nod before running for the wooden ladder.
"Neo?" Law said.
"I'm fine. I'm just feeling a bit unstable with what happened on the climb up here," Neo said, walking closer to Law. "I want to keep my feet on the ground for a wh-"
"Hey! He jumped down!" Usopp said, cutting Neo off.
"I knew he'd do that. Do you see old Eyebrows?" Zoro said.
"No. This place is too high to see anybody," Usopp replied.
"Zoro, shouldn't we wait for Kin'emon and Kanjuro?" Robin asked as she finally joined the others after saying her goodbyes to Ryunosuke.
"It's not as vast as a continent. Let's just go," Zoro said.
"Wait, wait! I'm coming with you guys!" Usopp shouted from above them as they moved closer to the entrance.
Neo stopped walking. Her magic came back to her at that moment and she could feel the destruction that had happened to the nature here. Her mind swirled with her nightmares of what happened to Bepo and Sanji causing her to become slightly dizzy again. She placed her hand on her head and took a deep breath. Just relax. They're fine. You'd know if they were seriously hurt. There's no reason to get upset now. Just go find them. She started walking forward. Her vision blurred and swayed with each step she took.
"He didn't have to jump. The gate's open," Zoro said.
"No, I think this is…" Franky said as he inspected the damaged gates lying on the ground.
"Yeah, it's not actually open. Someone forced it open," Law said, looking at the broke hinges on the stonewall where the gates once hung. His eyes then shot to Neo just before her legs gave out on her and she collapsed to the ground. He rushed over to her, kneeling down beside her just as she retched. He placed his hand on her back. "Neo?"
"I'm okay," Neo said after she stopped retched. "Just a little dizzy. It made me sick."
"You're remembering your nightmares, aren't you?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, but it's fine," Neo said. She pushed herself to her feet, swaying unsteadily once she stood up. "I know they're fine. I'd be able to sense it if they weren't. Let's get going."
"Let me carry you," Law said, stabilizing her against his body. "You're not stable on your feet."
"No, Law," Neo said stiffly. "You're carrying enough. I won't have you damage your arm again because I'm a little dizzy."
"Neo, you're not just a little dizzy. I can feel it since your magic is back," Law said in his doctor tone. "You're head is spinning like a top. You need to rest. That reckless climb didn't do you any favors. I'm carrying you."
"No, Law!" Neo said more forcefully. Her eyebrows narrowed as she glared at Law and pushed away from him. "You are not carrying me!"
"Neo," Law said, taking on his captain tone and getting ready to order her to let him carry her.
"Hold on, young man," Franky then said. "You're carrying enough with that backpack. I'll carry her."
"But," Law started to protest, but he quickly changed his mind. Arguing over this wouldn't do anything but raise Neo's blood pressure. So he agreed. "Fine. Carry her then."
Franky nodded before picking Neo up in his arms. "There. All settled?"
"Yeah, it's fine," Neo said, reluctantly giving in to being carried.
"Let's go then," Robin said. The group pushed forward.
Zoro was in the lead so he was the first to get a good look at the broken trail before him and said, "You're right. This trail looks strange too. It's too wide to call it an animal trail in a forest."
"Hey, this is some pretty serious destruction," Franky said. He eyed the broken trees that were lying on the ground and the smashed grass and flowers. "And it's still fresh. Are Sanji and the others going to be okay?!"
"What a mess!" Usopp said when he finally caught up to them. "I couldn't see it from up there but what's going on here?!"
"Let's proceed with caution," Zoro said, grabbing his sword.
"What?! We don't really know the residents here and we have other enemies?!" Usopp said as Law and Zoro dropped down farther into the forest. "Whoa, whoa, hey! W-w-w-wait a minute, guys! Please! You don't need to rush like that!"
"It'll be fine, Usopp," Neo said.
"Can you sense something?" Usopp asked. He rushed to catch up to Franky and looked up at the blue haired girl.
"A little bit," Neo said. "I can sense that everything is very calm right now. I don't believe there's an enemy here."
"Except for the minks," Usopp said. He looked around cautiously at the forest. "There are so many places they could be hiding."
"And I'm feeling better to I'll sense them," Neo said, her dizziness fading slowly away from her. "There are no minks near us at the moment."
"If you say so," Usopp said but he still kept looking all over the place for hidden dangers.
"It's hard to walk here," Zoro said a little while later.
"Yeah, it's elephant's skin," Law said.
"I'm not having a hard time walking," Neo said with a giddy giggle.
"That's right!" Franky laughed. "You're having a super ride instead!"
"I sure am!" Neo said with a smile.
"Geez! You and your bizarre mood swings! Anyway, bring it on if you want, you villains! But actually, don't!" Usopp said, as he started walking backwards with his slingshot out and ready to fire.
"He's so silly," Neo said pulling herself over Franky's shoulder so she could watch the sniper walking backwards.
"There are flowers growing in such strange places," Robin said as she stopped to look at some orange flowers growing out of a tree trunk.
"They adapted to the way the ground is here," Neo said. "They can't grown in elephant skin so they found another way."
"What happened here? I can smell the faint odor of gunpowder and gas, do you?" Franky said.
"Gas and gunpowder. Both of those were from my nightmares. The gas was from the one with Bepo in it and the gunpowder with Sanji," Neo said, sliding back down into Franky's arms.
"They'll be fine," Law said. "Don't worry."
"What's this all about? Neo had a nightmare about Sanji leaving," Usopp said. "It must have been true. Can't we just lie back in a peaceful country sometimes?! I'm scared! Scared!"
"Hey, Law, Zoro," Neo said as she felt the presence of a rabbit just before Law and Zoro grabbed the hilts of their swords.
"What?! What is it?! Do you see something?!" Usopp asked. "Neo, what is it?!"
"A rabbit," Neo said.
"I got this," Zoro said, readying his sword to attack just before the rabbit came charging out of the bushes. The rabbit ran right at him, and then somehow curled up in midair to avoid his sword swipe before swiping her sparking claw at him.
"Wait! Stop, Carrot!" a female voice said. It was followed by large thundering footsteps before a large alligator like creature came bushing through some trees with a dog riding on top of it. "Forget about them-teia! More importantly, we have an invader in the Whale Forest!"
"Talking animals?!" Usopp asked.
"They're the mink tribe," Law said.
"Huh?! I-isn't that outfit… Nami's?!" Usopp asked, eyeing the familiar green and white bikini top the dog like creature was wearing. "Hold on a second! You said there wasn't any enemies here besides the mink tribe!"
"There's not," Neo said. "And they're not enemies."
"Then who's are they talking about?! Who's invading?!" Usopp demanded.
"Luffy," Neo said calmly.
"I should have known," Usopp said before crashing to the ground in despair. "He always gets us into trouble."
...
Author's Notes: Boring episode to watch, boring episode to write for. I didn't expect this one to come out so long. Next one will be better. We should finally have a reunion. I can wait! I'm so ready for them to get back to the crew and normal. I just hope I can pull off what I have planned with Neo so it comes off natural and not turn her into an annoying brat.
Starrat: Thanks.
Apple Bloom: Yeah. I wish I knew what Oda was planning. I'd like to show some of the Navy at least going after the elementals, because you know some are bad enough to do just that. At least Jory still has a few navy friends and they'll help as much as they can.
