Alliances & Zunisha

Neo giggled at the slightly pale look Law come to have on his face upon hearing her say she and their child was going to tag team him with their cuteness. Her bells brought his eyes to hers. He said, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing much. It's just rare for me to see you so pale," Neo said. She shifted her position so she was blocking his body from the prying eyes of everyone else. She then slipped her hands under his shirt and started rubbing her hands over his well toned abdomen. "It's so sexy to see you so vulnerable and scared like this. But you know I'll never abuse my control over you."

"Yeah," Law started to say. He then stopped when a forgotten incident popped back into his mind. "At least not that you're aware of."

"What do you mean?" Neo asked pulling back from him a bit.

"Back on the Straw Hats ship," Law said. "When we were in the bathroom, you did something to me, remember?"

"I remember. But I still don't know what you're talking about," Neo said. Her eyebrows tilted up in worry that she might have done something that she shouldn't have. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, love, you did nothing wrong," Law said. He placed his hand on her arm and rubbed it gently. "I was just confused at being in one room one minute and then in another room the next. And you also didn't seem aware of doing whatever it was that you did. I was going to ask Topaz about that and forgot. I was more worried about your magic cutting out on you than anything else."

"I'm sorry," Neo said. "I'll try not to do it again."

"You have no reason to apologize for," Law said before pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You weren't aware you were doing it. It might just be something to do with your pregnancy since you've never done it before then."

"I hope your correct," Neo said. "I don't want to do it again if I'm going to hurt you with it."

"You weren't going to hurt me," Law said. "It was more like you were doing it just to get sex."

Neo hummed in thought for a moment over his words. "That kind of sounds like those pharaohmones that some animals and insects use to control others that I've read about before."

"Pheromones, love," Law corrected her. "But you are correct. It does kind of sound like that. And you are connected to nature so it could be possible that's what it is."

"And it's not bad?" Neo asked, still worried about doing something wrong.

"No, love, it's not bad at all," Law said. He removed his hand from her arm and tilted her chin up to him then pressed his lips to hers.

"Now, what's with that person, Kozuki Oden?" Robin then asked, bring the two Heart Pirates attention back to the conversation at hand.

"The Kozuki family of the land of Wano was, in fact, a clan of stonemasons that has quarried stones and processed them for generations. They are still highly skilled," Nekomamushi said.

"Stonemasons?" Usopp asked.

"Yes. It goes way back, eight hundred years ago," Nekomamushi said. "The Kozuki clan invented an indestructible book with their sophisticated skills. That's what the poneglyphs are."

"What?!" the Straw Hats shrieked.

"The Kozuki family? Were they the ones who made all the poneglyphs in the world?" Robin asked.

"Serious? These large stones are actually books? And humans made these things?" Neo asked. Her eyes turned back to the large red stone behind her and Law. Stepping away from her lover, she flicked her wings and lifted herself off the ground. She barely felt Law's eyes on her as she flew around the stone, carefully taking in how massive it was, and what it probably weighed, then land on top of it. She stood there for a few seconds, flicking her wings, before flying back down to Law. Flipping upside down, she looked at Law curiously. "But how? I mean, I can see how they might have carved the letters into the stones, but how did they managed to move them? They're so huge! Do you think giants helped them? That would be a bit of an attention gainer thought. You'd think they'd want to keep these a secret at least for a little while. Or what if elementals helped move them around the world? Law, do you think that's possible? Could elementals have been off Luminous for that long and helped the humans move these things around? How would humans even be able to get these stones in high places like this? They'd have to have some serious help with that."

"I'm not sure," Law said. His eyes drifted back over to the stone. What Neo was saying did make sense. elementals have been living among humans for some time and while humans can do amazing things with the technology they had, bringing a stone this large up to the top of an elephant didn't seem possible without the help of elementals.

"It's highly possible that elementals do play a role in all of this," Robin said.

Still hovering upside down, Neo turned her eyes to her female friend. "You said you can read the stone's strange writing. Have you ever read anything that mentioned elementals or anything like it?"

"I can't stay that I have," Robin said. "I would remember something so unusual if they did. But it's still a possibility. The humans who created these stones could have had a great relationship with your people and just didn't mention them while recording the history on them. We'll have to keep an eye out for hints that will possible lead an answer to our questions about this."

"Yeah!" Neo nodded. "It makes me wish I knew how to read this language. I don't suppose you'd teach me?"

"I don't know about that," Robin said. "It's very dangerous to know how to read these stones after all. And I wouldn't want anything to happen to you and your baby. How about we talk about this more later when we have time?"

"Okay," Neo said. "But could you at least tell me what all you've read from the stones before? I'd really like to know."

"I'd be glad to," Robin said.

"Yeah!" Neo cheered.

"She really likes books, doesn't she?" Usopp asked.

"She's a lot like Robin," Chopper said with Luffy nodded in agreement right behind him.

"Turn right side up please," Law said when he felt the blood rushing to Neo's head. "You're going to make yourself sick if you keep hovering like that."

"But I like hovering like this," Neo said, turning herself around to give Law an innocent puppy dog look. She giggled when he went pale again and flinched. Flipping herself back up right, she placed her feet back on the ground and hugged him. "I'm sorry! I couldn't help but tease you!"

"Someone's in a playful mood," Nami noted.

"So you made all the stones that Robin is looking for?" Luffy then asked. Everyone turned their eyes to him just as he squatted down to Momonosuke and pointed at the boy.

"Not me! It was my ancestors from way back!" Momonosuke said.

"Then, do you guys know what's written on them?" Luffy asked the samurai and ninja.

"That hasn't been passed down fully through the generations," Kanjuro said.

"You can only know what is on the stones by reading them," Kin'emon said.

"The only thing that's been passed down was how to read and write the ancient text," Raizo added.

"However," Kanjuro said.

"Unfortunately, that's before it was passed down to Master Momonosuke, it was cut off at his father, Master Kozuki Oden's generation," Kin'emon said.

"By cut off you mean that Momonosuke's father is," Brook said.

"Yes, Momonosuke's father was… Wano… Wano…" Kin'emon tried to speak. But it was clear to all of them that what the warrior was trying to say was extremely difficult, so difficult that all of men from Wano started to cry.

Neo, being so emotional herself lately, could easily feel the pain they were having. Especially when she realized that Momonosuke had lost his parents in a similar fashion that she did. She wanted to hold the boy in her arms, but didn't feel like it was the appropriate thing to do. So she turned and tucked herself back into Law's arm and did her best not to cry herself.

"Hey! It's okay if you don't want to talk about it!" Luffy said.

"Master Oden was executed!" Kin'emon said. "By the shogun of the land of Wano and the pirate Kaido!"

"What?!" Luffy asked.

"To save all of us retainers, he met his fate!" Kin'emon said. "He sacrificed himself to save us all!"

"By Kaido?!" Luffy asked.

"Kaido," Law said.

"This is an odd coincidence," Neo murmured against Law's chest. "Who would have thought we all have connections like this?"

"Fate often works in mysterious ways," Law said. "We never know what's going to happen or who we're going to meet as we go along in this world."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "Wait… does that mean the Beast Pirates are currently in the land of Wano?"

"It does indeed, Lady Neo," Kin'emon said.

"The Beast Pirates are in the land of Wano?" Usopp asked.

"If you don't want to talk about it, we'll understand but why was your master executed?" Zoro asked. "Is that the reason you three have been targeted and captured?"

"Yes, you're correct. You could say it's a cardinal sin. Kaido is trying to get information from us. The previous daimyo, Master Kozuki Oden, travel to the last island Raftel with the king of the pirates, Gol D. Roger and witnessed the secret of the world," Kin'emon said.

"What?!" everyone shrieked.

"Roger?" Nami asked.

"Momonosuke's father went to Raftel with Gold D. Roger?" Luffy asked. But all Momonosuke could do was cry. "Was your father one of the pirate king's crew?!"

"Momo's father was?!" Usopp asked.

"I'm asked you a question, Momo!" Luffy said.

"Luffy!" Nami said.

"That's correct," Momonosuke said, brushing his tears away.

"He witnessed the secret of the world? Probably, with Raleigh, too," Robin said.

"I see. In order to get the secret of the world out of you three retainers, Doflamingo and Caesar who were tied to Kaido, were trying to catch you guys," Zoro said.

"That's correct," Kin'emon said.

"So do you guys know the secret of the world?" Usopp asked.

"No, we don't know the secret," Kin'emon said. "Master Oden didn't want to burden us with the secret. We really don't know anything about it."

"Yes, but even if we knew it, we wouldn't tell anybody," Kanjuro said. "Whether we know or not, we'll keep being hunted. If so, the only option we have is to fight."

"And that's probably why we won't find anything on the elementals helping this family if they did," Neo said. "They wouldn't want anyone to know about them or finding out about Luminous."

"Yeah." Law nodded.

"We too wouldn't know anything about that. We are nothing but defeated soldiers, we accept our disgrace and survived to this day for one reason." Kin'emon slammed his fist to his chest. "Just because of Master Oden words that are etched in our minds."

"Those words are the reason we live," Raizo said.

"It's the same with us," Inuarashi said.

"Uh huh." Nekomamushi nodded.

"What words are those?" Usopp asked.

"The words he left behind were just one phrase," Kin'emon said.

"Open up the land of Wano!" The minks and Wano warriors said at the same time.

"What do they mean by open up?" Chopper asked.

"The land Of Wano is closed off to the world. Which means no one is allowed to leave the country or enter from the outside, but if they open up, that means they'll interact with other countries," Brook explained.

"That kind of sounds like my home island," Neo said. "I wonder how many would know about that island if the elementals really did live in Wano back then."

"It's a pity that, although we should have been shields from our Master Oden, we were saved by him instead and we brought shame to ourselves!" Kanjuro said. Tightly closing his eyes, he gripped his pants. "What we have to do now is to put our lives on the line and avenge our master!"

"We need to kill the shogun who stole the land of Wano and open the closed country to the world," Raizo said.

"That's our wish," Kin'emon said. "The land of Wano is almost entirely under the control of the shogun and Kaido who've joined forces. Our friends are trying to muster dissidents there now but the enemy's great army still vastly outnumbers them. There's no chance to win."

"So that's what's happening there," Brook said.

"Neo, are you all right?" Robin asked. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm just noticing some similarities between Wano and Luminous. It's making me feel a bit vulnerable," Neo said. She looked over at Nami when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. She saw her orange haired friend try to go over to comfortable the young boy, but Luffy held out his arm in front of her to stop her. "I also feel a bit lucky in a weird way. I never knew my parents so I don't really miss them much. But Momo did get to know his parents, even if it was for a short time. It must be so hard on him." She looked over at Momonosuke. "He's been putting on such a brave face all this time."

"But we have to win," Kin'emon said. "And to do that we need people that would help us fight. First, we planned to head for Zou. Because to fight against the Beast Pirates, we surely needed the help of the minks, our closest allies."

"Yes, the Kozuki clan and the minks have a special bond from way back, which means whatever happens, we'll share the same fate!" Inuarashi said.

"More than anything, the dog and I are Master Oden's direct retainers. Ever since the day Raizo arrived here, all of our warriors were prepared to fight," Nekomamushi said.

"But when we actually fought, it turned out like this against Jack's unit which was just a part of Kaido's army," Inuarashi said. "Not even the elementals could with stand the gas."

"How disappointing," Nekomamushi said.

"What a shame," Inuarashi said, sitting down on the ground beside Nekomamushi.

"Hey! But that's because they used that dirty weapon!" Franky said.

"No one could have expected they'd use the poison gas!" Usopp added.

"And the only reason the elementals couldn't help was because of the pollution stones," Neo said. "You know they would have had no problem in protecting your home and Raizo if it weren't for those stones."

"If there were a judge to call foul and we'd win, maybe that would work, but," Inuarashi said.

"No matter how dirty they play, this is our country," Nekomamushi said. "We should have won."

"But we won't let it happen again. We won't repeat the same failure," Inuarashi said. "We have an ace up our sleeve too. If we fight again, we'll show them the true power of the mink tribe."

"The true power?" Franky asked.

"Yes, we're not going to just back down," Nekomamushi said.

Chopper ran over to the large cat and climbed upon his head. "Then, take your injury more seriously! Otherwise, you won't be able to exercise that true power!"

"I know," Nekomamushi said.

"No drinking until you're fully recovered," Chopper ordered.

"That's boring," Nekomamushi said.

"No baths either!" Chopper added.

"Now, we have a favor to ask, Sir Luffy," Kin'emon said. "And you too, Sir Law and Lady Neo. I know it's presumptuous of me to ask you a favor after you saved my life but I've been impressed by how strong you guys are. Since we are fated to share the same purpose, will you help us fight to kill the shogun of the land of Wano and Emperor Kaido?!"

"Please! I'm begging you, Sir Luffy!" Kanjuro said.

"I'm begging you, too!" Raizo added.

"Oh! Yes! Who can ask for more?!" Usopp said. "Those samurai and the minks! They'll be a big help for us too! Not to mention the elementals!"

"Yes, but remember the elementals weakness," Neo said. "We could end up becoming a liability in battle instead of an asset."

"That is very true, Neo," Brook said. "But the minks will be with them. You're people can still be a valuable asset. From what we know about the pollution stones, it takes a while to work them into their tube state. If you all keep your distance they shouldn't be much of a problem. We all, without a doubt, will have the elementals backs. They won't run away from defeating their home and friends."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. "I know. I'm just worrying again. I know the elementals can't hide forever. It's only a matter of time before someone else, an enemy, finds our home island. That's why I'm glad that Jory is returning to Luminous. I know with his help they will be more prepared in dealing with whatever comes their way. I'm still going to worry about them though, but I'm not going to let it upset me. Pain and death are inevitable in this life."

"Don't you sound just so mature," Zoro joked.

"I have my moments," Neo said to the swordsman. A smile spread over her lips at the same time a mischievous sparkle appeared in her eyes. "But I still expect to play with you again."

"Sheesh. Pregnant human women are enough of a pain. You're going to be the death of me," Zoro grumbled to himself as he turned his eyes away from her. His reaction earned a bell filled giggle from Neo and her vines wrapped around him. "Hey! What the heck?! Let me go!"

"Nope," Neo said. "You're mine for the moment. I'll release you when I feel like it."

"Tra! Do something about this!" Zoro demanded.

"Sorry. I don't like being told what to do," Law said with a shrug. "You got yourself into this."

Zoro just scowled at Law's lack of doing anything. He knew he was stuck until Neo let him go.

"You're just being a softy towards Neo so you don't upset her," Usopp said. "You can easily slice yourself out of those vines."

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped. "Or I'll cut you up!"

"We're going to fight Kaido sooner or later! We got to jump at this chance!" Franky then said.

"They even have a ninja, Luffy!" Chopper said from Franky's shoulder.

"Please help us!" Kin'emon said.

"I refuse," Luffy said.

"Wh-What?" Kin'emon asked.

"Wh-What did you just say?" Usopp asked.

"I refuse!" Luffy repeated.

"Why?! We've been traveling together!" Usopp shouted.

"Sir Luffy," Kin'emon said.

"I refuse!" Luffy said again.

"Don't!" Usopp and Franky cried.

"Tell me you're kidding!" Chopper begged.

"Why can't you get it?!" Usopp grabbed Luffy's shoulders and started shaking him. "Think about it! We have to join forces! Are you out of your mind?!" He released Luffy and moved closer to the samurai. "Just a moment! Forget about what he said! We'll teach him a lesson real quick! He'll change his mind!"

"Stop!" Luffy cried before Usopp planted his face into the ground.

"Luffy, think again!" Usopp said.

"This will make you less of a man!" Chopper said.

"Wait!" Nami said, gaining the guys attention. "I think Luffy has a point here."

"Nami?" Usopp asked.

"I'm going to go negotiate!" Nami said, her eyes sparkling with berry signs.

"That's not it! No!" Chopper and Franky said as they grabbed Nami's shoulders.

"Maybe I should just tie them all up in my vines," Neo said. She leaned back against Law and waited to see what Luffy's actual meaning was here. Her entire body tensed when Law slipped his hand under the laces on her right side. Slowly, he ran his hand over her thigh, earning a mental moan from her before retracting his hand and letting it rest upon her hip. 'Tease.'

'Revenge for teasing me before. You'll get the rest later when we're back in our room on the sub.' Law squeezed her hip.

'Can't wait.'

"Are you just a figurehead, Momo?!" Luffy asked, lifting his eyes up to the boy despite Usopp's hold on him.

"Cut it out! He's only a child!" Usopp said pushing Luffy's head back down to the ground.

"You say it! I though you were an important person!" Luffy said. "You're a leader of these great mean, aren't you?!" He leaped up, pushing Usopp off of him. "Are you just going to cry?!"

Momonosuke lifted his teary eyes to Luffy and looked at him.

"How could you make him cry like that?! He's only eight years old Luffy!" Nami said as she slapped him and Usopp held him. "You shouldn't be so hard on him!"

"Luffy, generally, heirs don't necessarily stand on their feet until they're fully grown. If adults assist them properly," Brook said before Momonosuke stepped forward. "Oh, Momonosuke?"

"Come here, Momo," Nami said. She rushed away from Luffy. She knelt down on the ground and held out her hands for the young boy to come into her hold. "I'm sorry for what our stupid captain said to you."

Momonosuke walked right passed her. He stopped in front of Luffy and looked up at him. "Luffy, I… I want to bring down Kaido! He was an enemy to my parents! He killed my mother too! I wish to grow up and become strong quickly and avenge my father and mother! I want to protect all my retainers too!"

"Master Momonosuke!" Kin'emon said.

"It's enough to know that you feel that way!" Nekomamushi said, placing his hand on his face.

"You-gara got older and weepy," Inuarashi said.

"Shut up!" Nekomamushi said.

"But because my body is still small, I can't do that! That's why I want you to fight with me!" Momonosuke dropped to his hands and knees. "I'm begging you! Please…"

Luffy stepped forward just as the boy was starting to bow his head. He placed his hand on the kid's face to stop him. "I got it! Let's join hands! We're allies! Let me have Kaido's head though!"

"So that's what Luffy was doing," Neo said while she watched Luffy try and teach Momonosuke the correct way to take his hand, which she didn't understand either but found cute. "He's treating Momonosuke like an adult despite the fact that he's a child."

"That's correct," Law said. "Technically, the boy is the leader of the other three warriors here. He's pretty much just the same as you. Those men are his people and he is their leader."

"Kind of like a prince," Neo said.

"You could look at it that way," Law said. "So Straw Hat wanted to hear the question coming from the leader of these men, not from the men themselves."

"Luffy can be very mature at times," Neo said. "It's kind of hard to imagine that when he's action so goofy himself most of the time. But I like him anyway."

"Yeah, and right now he's acting like a child again," Law said.

"He is?" Neo asked. She didn't get a response as Law guided her forward towards Luffy.

"Straw Hat, don't you have to ask us first?" Law asked. "We're still in an alliance after all. We should be working together on this."

"So that's what's bugging you." Neo smiled, already knowing what both Luffy and Law's responses were going to be.

"It's cool, isn't it?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, but," Law protested.

"Don't worry about it, Law," Neo said. "It's already done."

Law sighed, pulling down his hat over his eyes.

"There, there," Neo said, patting Law's hand when he returned it to her hip.

"All right, guys! Gather around!" Luffy said. "Our objective is to kick Emperor Kaido's butt! We're now the ninja-pirate-elemental-mink-samurai alliance!"

"That's way too long!" Usopp said.

"Is the ninja part necessary?" Nami asked.

"Of course it is!" the guys said.

"Okay, okay," Nami said.

"So we're all in an agreement! Our enemy is Kaido!" Luffy said. "Nekomamushi, Inuarashi, Momo, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, the ninja, and Tra. We all join our hands to take down Kaido. That's what we allied for. Guys, don't even bow your heads. Nor get down on your knees. An alliance means friendship."

"It doesn't not!" Law said.

"Give it up, lover," Neo said. "You're not going to change his mind about that."

"We're already allies but there's one condition," Luffy said.

"Well, is that something you should've told us before we agreed to join forces?!" Raizo asked.

"What's the condition?" Kin'emon asked.

"One of our crew isn't with us right now," Luffy said.

"Oh, this is about Sanji, isn't it?" Nekomamushi asked.

"Sanji?" Inuarashi asked.

"Well, a lot has happened," Nami said before explaining everything again.

Neo sighed when Nami started talking. She had momentarily forgot about the missing cook with all that's happened since she got up this morning. Now the memory was refreshed in her brain. She wanted to fly off and get her friend back, but knew that wasn't a good idea. Instead she leaned into Law. Forcing herself to tune out the story she already heard, she fiddled with Law's shirttail and distracted herself with how much she wanted to kiss his exposed chest.

"What? Big Mom? Why haven't I heard about this?!" Inuarashi asked. "When did this happen?!"

"It happened while you were sleeping," Nekomamushi said.

"I see. That's why we didn't see Sir Sanji," Kin'emon said.

"I'll go and get him back so don't go off to fight until then," Luffy said.

"Is that the condition? If so, sure, we'll wait," Raizo said.

"Thanks! In return, Sanji will be a big help," Luffy said. "It's like getting help from a thousand people."

"I'm worth two thousand people," Zoro said.

"Okay, okay," Nami said as she patted Zoro on the head.

"Shut up! And will you let me out of this thing now?!" Zoro said.

"Sorry. I forgot," Neo said, freeing Zoro from her vines. "You still love me though."

"Yeah, sure," Zoro grumbled, straightening out his shirt.

"I see. Sounds like he's pretty dependable but will you be all right?" Inuarashi said to Luffy. "You're talking about Emperor Big Mom."

"I'm not going to fight her so I'll be fine. I'll go with Lion Viper," Luffy said.

"Lion… Viper?" Inuarashi asked.

"Lion Viper!" Nekomamushi laughed.

"So what now?" Neo asked.

"We're done here so we can leave," Robin replied.

Neo nodded just as the group headed back up the stairs they had descended down a few minutes before. She was ready to go back outside. It would be warmer out there. And it was. She smiled and breathed in the salty air as the sun's rays beat down on her cool skin and the others walked ahead of herself and Law. "This feels great!"

"Hey! Neo!" Luffy then called.

"What is it, Luffy?" Neo asked just before he grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from Law.

"Easy, Straw Hat. You shouldn't jerk her around like that," Law said. He sighed when all Luffy did was continue running away with his lover.

"Luffy? What's going on?" Neo asked. Her bare feet tapped against the rough limb they were running on. The warmth of it felt good on her skin. She wanted to stop and just bask in the sunlight.

"The dog and cat know Shanks!" Luffy said when he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"What?" Neo turned her eyes to the two large minks they were now standing with. "You two know my godfather?"

"Yeah! I want to know, too!" Luffy said. "You two really know Shanks?! He's Neo's godfather!"

"Yes, we are aware of your relationship with him. And we both know him from the time the cat and I were traveling on Roger's ship," Inuarashi said.

"What?! Were you guys the pirate king's crewmembers?!" Luffy asked.

"What's going on?" Usopp asked, walking up to them.

"Crewmembers? Well, you can put it that way too but we boarded many ships as Master Oden attendants. Even when we were traveling on Whitebeard's Moby Dick. And when Master Oden was recruited by Roger, we were always by his side," Inuarashi said.

"Whoa, wait, wait! Whitebeard?!" Usopp said.

"Yes, we were still young just like the apprentices such as Shanks and Buggy," Inuarashi said.

"Hey, wait! Stop! Stop!" Usopp said while he dug through his bag. He pulled out a book and pen. "I'm completely lost! Um…"

"But the two of us didn't go to Raftel with them," Nekomamushi said.

"I said wait a minute!" Usopp said, scribbling in his notebook. "Um, first, on Whitebeard's ship, there was Oden, the dog and the cat. And then Oden was recruited by Roger and you three switched to Roger's ship."

"Yeah, I remember! We were having so much fun at the time!" Nekomamushi said. He put his arm around Inuarashi's neck and started dancing in place as Inuarashi howl with excitement. "Oh, the species, geographical features, and climates that I'd never seen! The sea of clouds in the sky! The island that floats undersea! The sunlight! Everyday, I was very excited! Those good old adventurous days!"

"You two were trying to kill each other earlier, weren't you?" Usopp asked as he watched the two minks mini dance.

"You two sound like you had so much fun," Neo said.

"Then, Kin'emon, were you guys traveling on Whitebeard's ship too?" Luffy asked.

"No, we stayed in the land of Wano the whole time," Kin'emon said.

"Instead, we were trying desperately to stop Master Oden from getting on board a pirate ship," Kanjuro said.

"What? You were?" Luffy asked.

"Uh huh, as we mentioned earlier, the land of Wano is closed off from the world and interacting with other countries is prohibited," Kin'emon said.

"In the closed off nation, even leaving the country is a crime. On the other hand, Master Oden was a heretic who had doubts about the law of the country," Kanjuro said.

"We became acquainted with Whitebeard, Roger and the others when they landed on the land of Wano. They were loyal to others and we didn't think they were particularly bad people. But I'd never heard of a daimyo getting aboard a pirate ship so as his retainer," Kin'emon said.

"So anyway, you all know Shanks! And Rayleigh as well?!" Luffy said.

"Yes, of course," Raizo said.

"You never mentioned it before," Neo said.

"I apologize for that, Lady Neo," Kin'emon said. "As you now know, we had to keep our secrets for very good reasons."

"You don't have to apologize," Neo said. "I'm not upset about it. I completely understand. After all I too had my secrets to keep until I felt I need to tell you about them."

"Indeed." Kin'emon nodded.

"Momo," Neo said. She looked down at the boy and smiled softly before kneeling down in front of him. "I'm sorry about your parents."

"Thank you very much, Lady Neo," Momonosuke said. "I know you can easily understand how I feel."

"I do. I'm sorry I didn't sense it before," Neo said.

"It's quite all right," Momonosuke said. "Even if you had, I wouldn't have told you anything about it."

"Yeah." Neo nodded. Then, on an unexplainable whim, she reached out and picked the boy up. Hugging him to her chest, she stood back up and continued to hold him. Feeling Law's heartbeat increase, she glanced back at him and smiled. 'You're really going to enjoy seeing me hold our child, aren't you?'

'I am.' Law nodded.

'I want to see you too holding our child. It's a bit hard to imagine, but I know I'm going to love it.' Neo smiled.

"I see," Luffy said.

"Can I ask something?" Franky asked the dog and cat. "If you got on board Roger's ship, it must've been the Oro Jackson which was built by my shipwright teacher Tom."

"What?! Are you the shipwright Tom's pupil?!" Inuarashi asked.

"Yeah, I'm Tom's pupil," Franky said. "Super!"

"Um, can I go next? Then, I bet you know Crocus the ship doctor," Brook said.

"Wait, Brook," Nami said. "Sorry to interrupt you. I got to check something with them. You said the four road poneglyphs will show us the way to Raftel, correct? I'm starting to worry about the route. Look. The needles on the log pose. Normally, we choose our next destination looking at where these three needles point but we're not tracking them now. Is it okay?"

"H-Hey, Nami," Usopp said.

"We met Tra and came to Zou following the vivre card by chance and found the road poneglyph which points to the location of Raftel by accident. But according to Crocus at the Twin Capes, if you track logs, every route will come to one in the end. I'd always imagined that's Raftel," Nami said.

"Oh, Crocus. I haven't seen him for a long time," Nekomamushi said. "How's he doing?"

"He's fine. But that was two years ago," Luffy said. "You mean the old man who was with Laboon, correct?"

"Crocus the ship doctor. He-gara was looking for some pirate group back in those days," Nekomamushi said.

"Oh, that was my group, the whole crew is dead now," Brook said.

"What?!" Nekomamushi said.

"Hey! Listen! I'm talking about something important!" Nami said.

"Yes, I understand," Inuarashi said. "If you're interested where logs will lead you, go see it yourself. There is definitely a route on which all of those three needles point in the same direction towards one specific place. However, you-gara people have already left on a journey which lies beyond that point."

"What? What do you mean?" Nami asked.

"You're supposed to find out about something for the first time at the end of the route. Find out the truth about the poneglyphs and ancient script. Find out about the civilization that created those and the existence of the hidden last island Raftel. When Roger got there, he had to do everything all over again. Crocus was also part of the pirate king's crew. He is one of those who know everything. He wouldn't tell a lie unless he doesn't like you-gara guys."

"Beyond the end of the route," Nami said. "I got it. I don't need to worry. We weren't wandering off the route. I was just confused by the glimpses of the truth we hadn't yet discovered. As Crocus said, the logs are leading us to Raftel for sure. Leading us to the way to Raftel which lies beyond the end of the route. The logs weren't lying."

"Are you a navigator? You're very dependable," Inuarashi said. "Don't worry. You're on the right track. Just keep going."

"Uh huh." Nami nodded.

"Hey, hey. I don't know what you guys are talking about but don't you think our navigator's amazing?" Luffy asked while patting Nami on the back.

"Am I dependable? Yes, I'm sure I am!" Nami said blushing.

"Yeah! The navigator of the next pirate king!" Usopp said.

"How cool is that?!" Chopper said.

"Don't hit me! That hurts!" Nami said as she pounded Luffy.

"It seems you-gara guys have been having fun all this time," Nekomamushi said. "We should head back down now."

"Hey, Momo, would you like to fly?" Neo asked the child in her arms. "It'll be a lot faster than walking back down the tree."

"Yeah!" Momonosuke nodded.

"Yeah! I want to fly too!" Luffy cheered.

"How about I just fly everyone?" Neo asked.

"Are you feeling up to it?" Law asked as he walked up to her. His eyes landed on the child in his lover's arms. A small smile curled upon his lips before he forced it away.

'You're such a soft. You should show that to our friends more often.' Neo thought to him. "Yes, I'm fine to fly them all. It won't take long anyway."

"Then do as you wish," Law said. 'Except for teasing me.'

Neo wrinkled her nose at him before summoning her wind crystals. She lifted a small gale just as Usopp started protesting. He said, "Wait a second! What if your magic disappears on you again while we're in midair?!"

"Don't worry. That's not going to happen," Neo said, lifting them all off the ground.

"You don't know that!" Usopp shrieked.

"True," Neo said.

"Then why fly us?!" Usopp demanded.

"Because I want to," Neo said.

"That's not a good reason!" Usopp screamed, tears pouring down his face.

"Don't worry about it," Neo said. "Law's with us. He can easily warp us down to the ground. And there are several elementals near by. They're keeping an eye on me so they're always going to be near while I'm on Zou. They can easily lower us to the ground if my magic fails."

"Oh, yeah," Usopp said. "I forgot about all that."

"You're so silly." Neo giggled.

"Anyway, you guys are tied to so many legends and I feel dizzy like when I met Rayleigh," Usopp then said when he calmed down and enjoyed being in the air as Neo lowered them back to the elephant's back.

"I met Roger and the others too, but I don't remember clearly because I was so young," Momonosuke said.

"Oh, so you don't remember clearly. I mean, no way! Roger died more than two decades ago!" Usopp said. "Who are you talking about?!"

"So much had happened on Master Oden journey. I'll tell you all about it sometime," Nekomamushi said.

"But for now, we have so many things to do before fighting Kaido," Inuarashi said just as Neo lowered them all to the ground.

"That was so much fun!" Momonosuke exclaimed. "I hope you can fly me again someday, Lady Neo!"

"Of course," Neo said. "I promise I'll do it again some day. Maybe one day when I know for sure my magic won't leave me and then we can really go for a faster flight."

"That sounds great!" Momonosuke said.

"It's a deal then," Neo said. She hugged the boy, kissed his cheek, and then sat him down on the ground.

"We need to prepare," Kin'emon said. "Like I told you before, we're trying to recruit samurai who will fight with us in the land of Wano now."

"In the meantime, we've got someone we need to see," Nekomamushi said. "It's always good to have more reinforcements."

"Who is it?" Luffy asked.

"He's the former first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates," Nekomamushi said. "Marco the Phoenix."

"Marco?" Nami asked.

"Yeah," Nekomamushi said.

"Really?" Usopp asked.

"I didn't expect to hear that name here," Robin said.

"Marco… Marco…" Luffy said.

"Oh, so you guys are friendly with him. That's good to know," Nekomamushi said.

"If he can back us up, that's going to be a tremendous help," Brook said.

"No, but wait a minute. In the event a year ago, they," Franky said.

"Well, don't expect too much," Inuarashi said. "Even if we can find him, there's only a little hope."

"Marco… Marco… I'm sure I know him," Luffy said.

"You must have met him in the Paramount war at Marineford," Usopp said.

"Marco… who was it?" Luffy asked.

"Don't you remember?" Franky asked.

"He was Whitebeard's right hand," Brook said.

"They say he ate a very rare type of devil fruit," Chopper said.

"What? Rare?" Luffy cracked open his left eye.

"He looks like a pineapple," Robin said.

"Oh, that guy!" Luffy said. "Yeah! He was really strong! Then why is there only a little hope?"

"Because there was this war," Inuarashi said.

"A war?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, there was a major clash between the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates led by Marco and the Blackbeard Pirates," Nekomamushi said. "It's been a year since the so called grudge war, but we haven't heard about what happened to the commanders yet. If he is alive, I think I know where he would be."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did they fight against Blackbeard?!" Luffy asked.

"They did. Both sides had reinforcements. It was quite a large scale battle," Robin said. "And Marco and the others suffered a crushing defeat. Blackbeard came to be recognized as one of the four emperors after the war."

"I didn't know that. Blasted Blackbeard," Luffy said.

"That was a major incident. You really have no idea about what happened while you were under training?" Usopp asked.

"Jimbei told me. In the Paramount War, after I passed out, the Whitebeard Pirates saved my life. I want to see him again and thank him," Luffy said.

"So just like Kin'emon, we need time to prepare too," Nekomamushi said. He looked back at Inuarashi who nodded in agreement.

"Okay, got it! Then, let's split up for now!" Luffy said.

"We will round up allies and plot a strategy in the land of Wano," Kin'emon said.

"Are you going to be okay there?" Zoro asked. "I thought you guys are being targeted by the shogun."

"We're fully aware of the risk," Raizo said.

"But we're worried about our comrades there," Kin'emon said, stepping beside Momonosuke.

"The land of Wano is occupied by Kaido now, correct?" Brook said. "Your chances of encountering the Beast Pirates are high and isn't it hard to even enter the country?"

"Can't you do something with your ninjutsu?" Usopp asked.

"It'd be hard to use it against everyone," Raizo said.

"I see," Usopp said.

Neo clenched her fists and shook lightly. Her brain was going over the ninja and samurai's problems of making it safely back into their homeland. They, the Heart Pirates, had a means of doing that. But that would mean allowing strangers into her home. Her home that she hadn't been in for several months and now is returning to it pregnant. She was barely accepting her pregnancy as it was. This would only cause more stress. But it didn't look like they had any other choice here. If their allies traveled by a normal ship they would easily be spotted and killed.

'We don't have to take them, love.' Law thought to her when he read her thoughts. 'You and our baby's safety and comfort comes first. I'm sure they can find another way into their country.'

'But they can't, Law. We both know that. If they travel any other way from our sub they'll be spotted and killed. Then Momo would lose more people that he cares about. I can't allow that to happen. But I'm not sure how I can handle having three strangers on our sub. Momo will be easy to be around, but the men won't be, at least for a while. I know they aren't going to hurt me. I've spent enough time with Kin'emon and Kanjuro to know that. And Raizo is a friend of theirs. I don't sense any ill intentions from him.' Neo took a slow deep breath before looking at Law directly in the eyes. "It's going to be difficult, but we're going to do it. I want to help them."

Law nodded, understanding her intentions. She was giving permission for these strangers to come inside of her home. He then walked closer to Neo. He took her hand in his before turning to the Wano inhabitants and said, "You can sail with us on our sub. You'll be safe in there while we travel to Wano."

"Oh, are you sure, Sir Law?" Kin'emon asked. "Won't it bother Lady Neo to have strangers in her home?"

"It'll be difficult, but I believe I can handle it. I can just put up flowers with relaxing fragrances and just keep an eye on where you all are so I don't get startled by your unexpected presence," Neo said. "I already know you and Kanjuro well enough. And I can adjust to having one more on the sub as long as he doesn't corner me or touch me until I'm ready for it. Plus, I always have the option of hiding out in our room if I can't handle the stress of having so many new people in our home."

"Corner or touch you?" Raizo asked. "What do you mean but that?"

"Lady Neo has had an extremely difficult life," Kin'emon said. "And because of that she has come to fear being cornered by people and being touched by people she doesn't know."

"I see," Raizo said. "I promise that I will keep my distance from you, Lady Neo. So, please, let us board your ship."

"We'd really appreciate it," Kanjuro said.

"Do you really mean it, Lady Neo?" Momonosuke asked. He ran back up to Neo and placed his hands on her tights. "You'll let them board your home and take them to Wano?"

"Of course, Momo." Neo nodded. "It will be the safest way for them to travel. And I wouldn't want you to lose anyone else you care about. I know how that feels. You are too young to lose anyone else. To the best of my ability, I won't allow it to happen again."

"Thank you, Lady Neo!" Momonosuke jumped into her arms and hugged her. "Thank you so much!"

"It'll be all right," Neo said, hugging the boy.

"And if you know a place to hide on the island, you'll be all right when we get there," Law said.

"I might be able to help with that," Neo said. "Kailen and Healer Zinnia can help as well if my magic cuts out again. We can easily move the land and plants around. That would easily give us cover."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Lady Neo," Kanjuro said nodding. "That would indeed help a lot."

"It's like her powers are that of a ninja," Raizo said, looking Neo over. "Incredible."

"I'll go look for Marco with my subordinates," Nekomamushi said.

"Our final targets are the shogun and Kaido. If Kin'emon and the others are headed there first, we'd better meet up in the land of Wano," Inuarashi said.

"Let's make Kin'emon's vivre card," Nekomamushi said.

"Okay! It's a deal!" Luffy said.

"Understood," Kin'emon said.

"Don't get lost, guys," Zoro said.

"Look who's talking," Nami said.

"There he is! Raizo!" a bull mink said as he and several others came running up to them.

"Good to see you again!"

"What?!" Raizo asked

"I'm glad you're okay!"

"Raizo!"

"Y-You guys," Raizo said.

"Let's have a celebratory banquet," Wanda said.

"It's ready," Carrot added.

"A celebratory banquet? What are we celebrating?" Raizo asked.

"Raizo's safety and the reconciliation of the two kings and the Kozuki Clan for reuniting safely!" the minks cheered.

"Oh my," Kin'emon said.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Raizo asked. "You dumb minks!"

"Sorry for locking you up," a panda said.

"We wanted to save you-gara from Jack and the others," Roddy said.

"Raizo!" three children minks said. "We tied up your hands. Did we hurt you?"

"Don't ask me about my hands. You guys are way more wounded than I am," Raizo said. "How annoying! Ninpo! I love you technique!" He jumped into the air, creating a smoke heart.

"Raizo!" the minks cheered. "Raizo!"

"Nin! Nin! Nin! Nin!" the kids said as little hearts floated down out of the larger heart.

"All right! Let's have a banquet!" Luffy said. He led the way back to the village while chanting the same word over and over. "Banquet! Banquet! Banquet!"

"Wait, Luffy!" Nami grabbed him. "We already had a banquet! Let's get going! It's going to be too late to save Sanji!"

"What? Are you coming?" Luffy asked.

"Of course, I'm coming with you! I feel responsible!" Nami said. "Besides, do you think you can travel the sea of the New World without a navigator?"

"I'm coming too! Pekoms is heavily injured!" Chopper said. "He needs a doctor!"

"Plus, who is going to play music when you guys feel down?" Brook asked. He pulled out his guitar and started singing for everyone. "Let's go and meet Master Nekomamushi!"

"Who needs that?" Nami asked.

"Hey! Don't exclude me!" Brook said. "We both allowed them to take Sanji!"

"Kin'emon, do you mind if I take them with me?" Luffy asked.

"You don't need my permission. They're your crew," Kin'emon said. "And no one can stop someone who is trying to save his friend. I wish I could come along. I'm in debt to Sir Sanji. I'm sorry."

"With this many going it's going to be a lot harder to sneak in," Franky said. "Get out of there as soon as you screw up the wedding."

"We're going to go along with Kin'emon so you all take care of Sanji," Usopp said.

"Uh huh," Chopper said.

"You can count on us," Nami said.

"Oh, Luffy," Robin said.

"Robin, are you going with them?" Usopp asked.

"In case you find a poneglyph, can you take a rubbing for me?" Robin asked.

"Okay," Luffy said.

"So light hearted," Usopp said.

"I'll do research on the poneglyph that Kaido has in the land of Wano too," Robin said.

"Yeah! Robin's going with us!" Neo cheered. She bounced over to Robin and hugged her, squishing Momonosuke in the process between their bodies much to his delight. "I can show you my library! I can't wait!"

"Yeah." Robin nodded. "I can't wait to see your library."

"Oh! Momo! I'm so sorry!" Neo said, pulling away from Robin. She sat him back down and gave him an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to trap you like that!"

"It's quite all right," Momonosuke said with a smile. "I didn't mind at all."

"Oh? Well, that's good then," Neo said, missing the real meaning behind his smile. But others didn't miss it, especially Law who was scowling behind her.

"She's so innocent," Usopp said. "That kid's lucky Neo's so close by right now. If she wasn't Tra would totally slice him up into tiny little pieces."

"Yeah." Franky nodded.

"Great! All right then! Is that all for now?" Luffy said. Everyone nodded.

"Let's have a banquet!" Nekomamushi said.

"Huh?" Neo gasped at sensing sudden danger rising in the air. She looked up just in time to see that Law, Zoro, and Luffy felt it too.

"Hm? What's wrong, Neo?" Robin asked.

"What is it?" Nekomamushi asked. The fur on his tail stuck straight out as he looked around, sensing the same danger as the pirates did.

"What? What?!" Usopp asked.

"Everyone hold on!" Neo said just before the large elephant suddenly tilted. The unexpected movement threw everyone off balance. She stumbled forwards, readying her wings and crystals to stabilize herself, but stopped when Law put his arm around her and pulled her to his chest. "He's going to tip the other way! Hold on tight!"

The minks all screamed and stumbled around while the elephant rocked back and forth then started shaking violently. Neo looked up towards the sky when she sensed elementals close by.

"Princess!" Amara shouted just as she landed with other elementals.

"Are you all right?" Kailen asked.

"We're fine," Neo said.

"It whole island is shaking!" Wanda said.

"Well, at least for the moment," Neo said. She scanned her eyes around at the sound of the elephant's cries blaring through the air. "He's hurting."

"Zunisha is crying out!" Nekomamushi said.

"What's going on?!" Inuarashi asked.

"Who's Zunisha?" Usopp asked.

"Huh? You're standing on it," Carrot said as she pointed to the ground.

"Oh! It's the elephant's name!" Usopp said.

"It's a big quake! It's never happened before!" Inuarashi said.

"Who is it?! Whose voice is that?!" Luffy asked.

"Huh? Is he hearing Zunisha's voice?" Neo looked at Luffy before getting the feeling that some of her crew was in trouble. Her eyes whipped to Penguin, Bepo, and a couple others. The building they were standing next to was starting to collapse on top of them. The sounds of the house's support snapping made her queasy. She pushed passed the desire to hurl and summoned her crystals to stop the building and fly her family to safety, but her magic cut out on her. "Law!"

"Oh no!" Bepo said.

"Room! Shambles!" Law said, easily warping them to safety behind him.

"Captain!" the crew said. They all were in a pile on top of each other, tangled up but safe from harm.

"My babies!" Neo ran over to her piled up crew. She knelt down to check on them. She found no visible injuries. "Geez that scared me. I'm glad you're all okay."

"Thanks to the captain," Penguin said as they all started to untangle themselves from each other.

"Yeah." Neo nodded. She wiped away her unshed tears then turned to the elementals, her royal heritage taking over and giving them orders. "Elementals! Spread out and help the minks! Make sure no one gets harmed! And secure as many buildings as you can so they don't fall onto anyone again! Made make sure no one goes sailing off the island!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the elementals said before fanning out to help their mink friends.

"I'm going to stay near you," Kailen said. "Healer Zinnia decided to stay back, but she wants me to stay close to you just in case."

"That's fine." Neo nodded before the elephant's voice came to her, Luffy, and Momonosuke again.

"If you're there…"

"Wh-Who is it?!" Luffy asked.

"I hear that voice again!" Momonosuke said, holding his hands over his ears. He tucked himself into Kin'emon's hands.

"Master Momonosuke!" Kin'emon said.

"So it is the elephant's voice they're hearing," Neo said.

"The elephant?" Law asked.

"Momo heard it near the whale tree before. I did too, but wasn't sure where it was coming from," Neo explained. "I've never heard a voice this big before. And I never heard it coming from a tree as well. There must be some kind of connection between the whale tree and Zunisha."

"Zunisha," Penguin said. "But how can they be hearing an elephant's voice? They're not elementals. And they're in pain when you're not."

"I know," Neo said. "I don't understand it either."

"Luffy, what's wrong?" Nami asked.

"What's wrong?! You hear it too, don't you?!" Luffy asked, holding his head in pain.

"Huh? Hear what?!" Nami asked.

"Can't you hear it?!" Luffy asked.

"No way!" Nekomamushi said.

"Can he-gara hear it too?!" Inuarashi asked.

"Hurry up!"

"Who the heck are you?!" Luffy asked.

"It's the loudest ever!" Momonosuke said, pressing his hands to his ears to block out as much as the voice that he could.

"Hurry! Give me an order! If you are there!"

"Give you an order to do what?!" Luffy asked. "Answer me! Who are you?! Come on! Answer me! Who are you?!"

"Hey, Luffy! Who are you talking to?!" Nami asked. "We can't hear anything!"

"I can only hear his voice!" Luffy said. "He's not listening to me and I have no idea who it is!"

"What do you mean?!" Franky asked.

"What the heck is going on?!" Usopp asked.

"What's he talking about, Neo?" Law asked.

"Zunisha wants an order to attack," Neo said. "Attack who, Zunisha? What's going on? Kailen, can you sense what's happen to him?"

"Not really," Kailen said. "I can hear his voice too. But he's just so big. Even bigger than sea kings I've met in the past."

"Gol D. Roger and Oden-sama, I heard they experienced the same thing," Pedro said from the tree branch he was standing on. Everyone turned their eyes up to him. "They heard a loud voice but they couldn't get it to respond."

"What?" Robin asked.

"Gol D. Roger?" Chopper asked. He stumbled around as Zunisha started to shake again. More building supports started to snap. The elementals rushed around, doing their best to secure the buildings and help pull people to safety.

"Everyone! Gather together in one spot! Get away from the buildings until they can be secured!" Wanda said.

Neo watched for a moment as Zoro sliced up a tree that had started to fall towards a group of minks. The swordsman easily cut it up, but pieces of the tree still fell towards the minks. She watched Raizo throw out some pointed stars, easily stopping the tree pieces from hurting anyone, before closing her eyes. Blocking out all of the screaming and shaking, she tried to connect to the large elephant. Please, tell me what's going on. We can help you if you just talk to me. "What?!"

"What's going on?" Law asked. "Neo?"

"Zunisha's being attacked," Neo said. "That's why he's shaking like this. He wants to attack them but he can't without permission."

"He's being attacked?" Nekomamushi said.

"Master Momonosuke, we have to get away from here," Kin'emon said. "Master Momonosuke! What's wrong?"

"It's Jack!" Momonosuke said.

"Jack?!" Wanda asked.

"Did he say Jack?!" Pedro asked.

"Lady Neo is correct. Jack is attacking the elephant," Momonosuke said. "There are five powerful looking ships at nine o'clock."

"Zunisha is under attack?!" Carrot asked.

"As I thought, Jack wasn't dead," Wanda said.

"Momo! How do you know that?" Luffy asked.

"I don't know. I just saw it," Momonosuke said.

"You saw it?" Luffy asked.

"It… it came to my mind," Momonosuke said. "I'm scared."

"Momo," Luffy said.

"Zunisha's cry and this quake," Inuarashi said. "Yes, it makes sense. Dang it, Jack! How dare he attack Zunisha?!"

"Don't worry about it! We'll handle them easily enough!" Amara said. She turned back to the elementals, ready to order them to attack. "Let's go!"

"Absolutely not!" Neo shouted, gaining their attention before the wind elementals could lift them all into the air. "I forbid you all from going down there!"

"But, Princess, if we don't then this country will fall," Amara said

"If you go down there, you'll fall!" Neo said. "Jack has the pollution stones, remember?! Surely by now he's read the newspaper on how to use their tube form! I will not allow you all to go down there! There's no way the rest of us will be able to back you up! You all could fall into the sea and drown! I won't lose you, any of you! As your princess I'm forbidding you from leaving this elephant's back!"

"But, Princess…" Amara started.

"Neo's correct," Law said. "It would be suicide for you all to get anywhere near Jack right now."

"But if he's alive, that's good for us. Let's fight back," Nekomamushi said. "Guardians!"

"Musketeers!" Inuarashi said.

"Yes, sir!" they all said.

"Send out the ships! Return fire against Jack on the water!" Inuarashi ordered.

"Okay!" They ran off. Zunisha shook again causing them to fall before they carried out their orders.

"Momonosuke!" Kin'emon grabbed the boy when he fell forward.

"This is painful! If I collapse, it would put all of you in danger!"

"Master Momonosuke, what's going on?" Kin'emon asked.

"Momo," Nami said.

"He's speaking again!" Luffy said when Zunisha spoke.

"A long time ago, the elephant committed a crime. And now all he is allowed to do is walk. He has been… obeying that order," Momonosuke said.

"What's happening to Momo?" Nami asked.

"Zunisha's speaking through Momo," Neo said.

"Thus, give me permission for once! Order me! To fight! For once! Give me permission!"

"The elephant is… asking for permission! He needs someone to… order him to fight just as Lady Neo said before!" Momonosuke said.

"Zunisha does?" Nekomamushi asked.

"Neo! You can talk to animals! Tell the elephant to attack!" Usopp shrieked.

"I can't," Neo said.

"Why not?!" Usopp demanded.

"I don't know exactly why," Neo said. "All I know is the only one who can give Zunisha the order to attack is Momo."

"Me?!" Momonosuke gasped.

"That's correct." Neo nodded. "Zunisha told me that himself. For whatever reason, you're the only one who can tell him to attack Jack."

"Kin'emon! Kanjuro! What am I suppose to do?!" Momonosuke asked.

"Momo! You tell him! I have a feeling that your voice will reach him!" Luffy said.

"But…" Momonosuke protested.

"If they bring the elephant down, we'll all end up in the sea!" Luffy said.

"But I…" Momonosuke turned his eyes down to the ground.

Neo walked over to the boy and cupped his face in her hand, bringing his eyes to hers. She said, "Momo, it's all right. All you have to do is tell him that it's okay to attack Jack. I don't know why it has to be you or why his voice hurts you and Luffy so much, but I do know we can trust Zunisha. And I know you can give him the order easily. Just tell him to attack Jack. Trust me."

"All right, Lady Neo. But how loud should I be?" Momonosuke said. "I'm just a boy. My voice isn't very loud."

"Just shout it out! Or the elephant's going to die!" Luffy said. "Hurry up, Momo! Do it now!"

"Go ahead, Momo," Neo said with a nod. "Shout it out like Luffy said."

"Elephant! Don't give up! You can't fall down! Make Jack… make Jack go away!" Momonosuke shouted.

"Understood!"

"What's going on?!" Nami asked when Zunisha tilted again. Then suddenly, all the shaking and noise Zunisha was making stopped.

"The island's no longer shaking," Kailen said. "It's quiet now."

"I don't know. I don't see anything or hear the voice now," Momonosuke said.

"You too, Luffy?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, come to think of it, I don't hear anything now," Luffy said.

"Momo," Neo said when the boy passed out. She easily caught him but passed him over to Kin'emon.

"Master Momonosuke, are you okay?!" Kin'emon asked.

Kailen rushed over. Summoning his crystals, he engulfed Momonosuke in his glow, giving the boy a quick check over. His glow faded and he said, "He'll be fine. He's just a little worn out from all of the excitement. He could benefit from your solar crystal though."

"Sure." Neo nodded. She summoned her solar crystal and engulfed the tired boy in its healing glow as Robin took him in her arms and moved him. The older woman sat down on the broken piece of stone and laid the boy's head on her lap while everyone gathered around.

"I'm not surprised he's worn out. It's been so intense all this time," Robin said.

"This is serious-saru! This is serious-saru! I have… I have a report-saru!" Everyone turned their eyes to the little monkey, Bariette, as he came running up to them. Once he was able to catch his breath, he told them all what he saw Zunisha do to Jack and his fleet.

"Oh, really? So Zunisha used his own trunk to defeat Jack?" Inuarashi asked.

"That's correct-saru! With a single blow!" Bariette said.

"This elephant is really strong," Franky said.

"I can't believe it. I'd never thought Zunisha has a mind of his own," Inuarashi said. "Furthermore, we can even communicate with him."

"All animals have minds of their own," Neo said.

"Did you elementals know he could speak?" Inuarashi said, looking at the elementals.

"Yes, we knew he could," Amara said. "But he's never spoke to us before. I guess he's just not the talkative type. Either that or he just really likes our princess."

"You never mentioned it before," Inuarashi said.

"I guess it just never came up," Amara said. "We really didn't think much about it. You all already know we can talk to animals and all."

"I guess that makes sense," Inuarashi said.

"Did Master Oden know about Master Momonosuke's ability?" Kin'emon asked.

"Hey, Jack is a devil fruit eater, correct? If he fell into the water, he must be," Usopp said.

"Yeah, that means he's dead!" Nekomamushi said.

"Hey! What's wrong? You guys still look serious," Luffy said holding a big bag over his shoulder.

"We're stunned at this sudden occurrence," Inuarashi said.

"First, we got to find out how Jack was able to get here," Nekomamushi said. "Otherwise, this place will no longer be safe."

"I see. Well, good luck with that. It'd be cool if this elephant becomes our ally," Luffy said.

"That's easy for you to say," Nekomamushi said.

"Now, we're going to go so can we have lots of food?" Luffy asked, holding up the bag he had with him.

"Yeah, yeah! You can take as much food as you like!" Nekomamushi said. "Carrot, show him the way to the food storage."

"Okay," Carrot said.

"Thanks!" Luffy said.

"We have a problem!" Everyone looked up to see Masutobi, a flying squirrel, in the air before he flew into Luffy.

"What's wrong, Masutobi?! Don't tell me Jack is back again!" Inuarashi said.

"N-No! It's not about Jack! One of Zunisha's forelegs is… it looks really terrible. The wound is so large and deep it's miraculous that he's still on his feet," Masutobi said. Zunisha then started shaking again. He tilted, throwing everyone off balance again and crying out in pain. Everyone automatically grabbed onto something or dropped to the ground. The elementals stood ready to jump in wherever they were needed, but relaxed when the shaking stopped once more.

"I'm so sorry!" Carrot said from Inuarashi's leg once Zunisha had stabilized himself on his feet.

"No, that's okay. So this is what Jack left us with," Inuarashi said.

"We must do something as soon as possible," Nekomamushi said.

"Say, Luffy, can we delay our departure a bit?" Chopper asked.

"Do you want to treat the elephant?" Luffy asked.

"Uh huh." Chopper nodded.

"All right. Treat him quickly," Luffy said.

"Yeah!" Chopper said.

"No, that's so nice of you but," Inuarashi said.

"Stop it!" Luffy stood up. "We're the ninja-pirate-elemental-mink-samurai alliance!"

"Alliance?" Carrot asked.

"But," Inuarashi said.

"With this many people, it won't take as long," Zoro said.

"Yup! Count on us!" Franky said.

"That's correct!" Usopp said.

"Yes, yes," Brook said.

"I knew this is what we'd do," Nami said with a nod.

"Okay, let's do it before we all leave!" Luffy said, throwing his fist into the air. "Let's help the elephant!"

Author's Notes: I can't believe I've typed over a million words for this story.

Apple Bloom: I'm finally working on them a little here and there, but I think I'm gonna take a break before starting them up again. After the next chapter, this story will be going on semi-hiatus since we're caught up to the manga now. I'll still work on my revisions, additional chapters to smooth things out, and if I can think of small adventures to send Neo and crew on I can do those too. But for that canon stuff we'll have to wait until Oda gives us more on Wano.

Loveanimation4life: I hope our little issue with the site is over. If not, I'll be emailing them about it.

Starrat: Thanks. Gald you like it.