DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT RAGNAR AND ALL VIKINGS IN THIS STORY! ONE PIECE BELONGS TO EICHIRO ODA, VIZ MANGA, TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT/CRUNCHYROLL LLC
Chapter 18: You're the Weird Creature! Gaimon and His Strange Friends!
Only a few days passed since the victory at Syrup Village, and the Going Merry's maiden voyage was still in full swing. So far, no sea monsters or enemy pirate ships were ever encountered, so that was fortunate. With smooth sailing ahead, the Straw Hats were finally able to relax. Zoro took this time to take in the sun – an odd pastime for a swordsman of his caliber, but the Merry didn't have enough room below deck to allow warriors to train. Ragnar governed the helm, keeping an ear open for whatever directions on his astrolabe Nami gave every so often so that they would remain on course, while she herself was going over the nautical charts of the East Blue Merry and Kaya provided them.
Usopp was at the bow, with one of Ragnar's wooden swords fastened to his hip. His expression seemed grim and stony, much like Zoro or Ragnar during the thick of battle.
"You pathetic little maggots," he muttered, before turning round and drawing the wooden sword, "You would knowingly attack the invincible fleet of pirates led by Captain Usopp of the Going Merry?!" Then he ran from the deck of the forecastle and jumped to the main deck, pretending to fend off a boarding party, "Attack them! Show no mercy!" He playfully shouted, only to realize no one was playing with him.
"Careful, Usopp!" Ragnar called out from the helm, "I spent three years hewing those wooden swords, you could actually hurt someone with those."
"Jeez, what a drag," Usopp muttered, "I really expected you guys to be a lot livelier than this."
"I'm finished!" Luffy exclaimed behind him, holding up a black flag, startling the poor archer. Upon the flag, however, was the poorest interpretation of a jolly roger. It looked so hideous that it looked like a child drew it! "Look! Our jolly roger! Now that Usopp's joined us, we got five people; that's almost our whole crew! I think it's about time we flew our own flag."
"Uh…Luffy? Is that really gonna be our mark?" Zoro asked, unsure of what to think of this poorly drawn skull and crossed bones with a straw hat atop it.
"Yep! Whaddya think? Nice, huh?" Luffy asked with a toothy grin.
"Our mark should be scary," Zoro responded, "It should strike terror into our enemies' hearts."
"Zoro's got a point," said Nami, "If our enemies were terrified babies, then this would be perfect."
"We have our raven banner on the rear mast, which definitely intimidates," Ragnar told his captain, as he made his way down from the aft castle, "But we definitely need a better jolly roger than this, no offense."
"None taken," Luffy replied.
"You guys really should've told me about this," Usopp told them, giving them a smug grin, "Maybe you didn't know this about me, but I am an artist!"
"You mean you can draw?" Luffy asked, just as surprised as everyone else.
"Heh! When it comes to painting, I'm in a league of my own!" Usopp declared, "I've been drawing graffiti for 50 years straight!"
"That would make you an old man, by now, wouldn't it?" Zoro sarcastically asked the archer.
"Which would give you five or six grandchildren, and I don't see 'em," replied Nami. This miffed off Usopp to no end, but still he drew an example of what he was capable of.
"Behold! A priceless work of pirate art!" He declared, holding up a jolly roger of his own design with a skull in the image of his face, combined with two crossed arrows behind it.
"Looks a lot like you on that flag!" Luffy grumbled.
"Still, Usopp is right in that he has a talent for painting," Ragnar remarked, then looked at the archer, "How about trying to paint a version of the mark Luffy came up with?"
True to Ragnar's request, Usopp drew a near flawless jolly roger befitting of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"So, how do ya like this one?" Usopp asked.
"Wow! That's actually pretty good, Usopp!" Nami praised.
"Yeah! Keep it; that's the one!" Luffy complimented, amazed by his newest friend's handiwork.
"So, it's decided? Is this gonna be our official mark?" Zoro asked.
"Sure is," Luffy replied, then an idea struck him, "Hey, Usopp! Put one on the mainsail too!" Usopp immediately got to work, and after a couple of hours, the mainsail of the Going Merry was bedecked with the new Jolly Roger. "Okay! It's all set! Now, the Going Merry has everything she could possibly need!"
"Man…I'm pooped!" Usopp sighed, laying on his back. Climbing up the rigging really took a lot out of him. He was used to climbing trees, but this was a totally different scenario altogether.
"Captain! Storm ahead!" Ragnar shouted, at which point everyone saw a wall of black storm clouds getting closer on the horizon.
"Are we going the right way, Nami?" Luffy asked his navigator, "Ragnar's right, it looks pretty dangerous ahead."
"Hold on! I think I know where we're heading," she replied, doubling over her nautical charts. Taking out a pair of binoculars, she looked out to see that the storm clouds hid a formation. Instantly she knew what it was, "That's the place! Yep, there's no doubt about it!"
"Hey, Whaddya see out there?" Luffy asked, "Is it something cool?"
"Oh, it's cool alright," Nami replied with a grin, "We're heading to the legendary Treasure Island!"
"You mean the Treasure Island?!" Usopp asked in disbelief, "Even I heard of that place."
"Yeah, I'm not surprised," Nami told him, "This island is famous the world over, and so are the crazy stories about it."
"What crazy stories?" Luffy asked as thunder rumbled overhead.
"Legend has it that whoever sets foot on Treasure Island incurs the wrath of the gods." As Nami revealed that legend, they sailed right into the storm, right as Usopp screamed in terror.
"Now we know that all those stories were true, guys!" He shouted above the wind, "This is the wrath of the Gods!"
"I think that sounds pretty cool!" Luffy replied, not caring about the danger ahead.
"What!? We're not gonna actually land there, are we!?" Usopp asked.
"You bet we are!" Nami replied, enthusiastic about their destination. And so, the Straw Hat Pirates continued to sail closer towards the island said to be the domain of Gods. As they drew nearer, the storm's ferocity only increased. Lightning bolts tore the sky asunder before plunging into the sea, each unleashing a deafening crack of thunder. Then came the rain, continuous and incessant. In a torrential downpour, it lashed the ship with unimaginable fury. A sharp gust of wind bent the mast and tensed the mainsail, causing the hull to list sideways with a groan.
"The next gale will break the mast and sink us!" Shouted Ragnar. Usopp and Zoro got to work securing the rigging, so that the sail would not snap loose. Another gust filled the sail, directing them starboard. The Going Merry picked up speed and listed sharply. Usopp feared she would be smashed to pieces, but Nami and Ragnar both knew what they were doing. Before long, something miraculous happened: they found themselves in a stretch of calm water, barely rippled by short close waves.
"Let's go! To Treasure Island!" Luffy exclaimed.
The Going Merry slid into a natural cove, and dropped anchor. Ragnar, Zoro and Usopp immediately got to work furling the mainsail as the wind finally died down. They took a small boat and made landfall with no incident. Nami, Ragnar, Luffy and Usopp took shields with them in case of attack, while Zoro was fine with his three swords.
By the time they ventured inland, the rain finally subsided, but the danger was far from past, it seemed. Every plant that wasn't a tree seemed like it was a camouflaged animal ready to ambush its prey, much to Usopp's terror. Yet what was even more foreboding was that the island was uninhabited. Not a wisp of smoke rose from the treetops, nor could a single voice be heard. Not the bleating of a sheep, nor the lowing of a cow.
"This…This place is creepy!" Usopp stuttered, hiding behind Zoro and Ragnar.
"Yeah, so?" the swordsman asked.
"It looks as if this island is devoid of life," noted Ragnar, "Nami? What's the story behind this place?"
"It's said that somewhere on this island, there's an unimaginable fortune just waiting to be discovered," she explained, "According to legend, many pirates have landed here in the past, but they all fled in absolute terror before they even got a chance to look for it."
"Absolute terror?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah. To be honest, I'd be terrified myself," she admitted, "They say that one pirate's head suddenly turned into a boar's during the night, and another pirate's mustache stretched out like a pair of snakes and strangled him."
"B-But that's not true, is it?" Usopp asked, further scared by all these legends.
"Well, we don't know for sure," Nami told him, "I'm sure that some of those stories are overly exaggerated."
"D-Don't talk anymore!" Usopp replied, "You're scaring me!"
"Still, she has a point," said Ragnar, clutching his sword, "Be on your guard, and stay together, all of you. We don't know what kind of dangers lurk on this island – be they animal or human…"
"Well, I'm tired…" said Zoro with a yawn as he laid down for a quick nap.
"How can he possibly sleep in such a creepy place?" Usopp asked Nami.
"He's either dumb, or he's got nerves of steel," she replied, "Maybe both." The four remaining Straw Hats looked around, their eyes and ears alert for any sign of danger. Ragnar had his shield and a bearded axe ready for a possible encounter with any predators roaming about, while Luffy noticed something in the underbrush of the forest. It looked like a snake, but instead of scales it had the fur and ears of a rabbit. Nami and Usopp continued to also look around, when the archer felt a drop of water hit his exposed back, startling him as he screamed.
"What's happening!?" Nami asked, equally startled, "Are we in danger!?"
"Uh…what? No! I was just practicing a little dance to liven things up," replied Usopp, dancing in the most atrocious form possible. All at once he felt a tongue lick his fingers, catching him off guard, "H-Hey. C'mon, stop that, Ragnar," he said, thinking it was the quartermaster in his lion form.
"Uh, Usopp? I'm over here," said Ragnar, who was in his human form and right in front of the long-nosed archer. Usopp only turned, slowly, and widened his eyes in shock. He was being licked by a wolf with the comb and tail feathers of a rooster! A sudden screech came nearby, and Nami saw a tiny panda bear with the wings and fangs of a bat hanging from a vine right next to her face. The two both screamed in terror at the sight, scurrying away from these peculiar beasts, only to bump into each other, with Nami ending up sitting on Usopp.
"What's going on!?" Nami asked as she and Usopp got up. All at once, the four of them saw glaring red eyes peering out at them in the darkness of the forest.
"LEAVE NOW!" boomed a thunderous voice, forcing Ragnar to begin his partial transformation into his hybrid form.
"Who's there!?" Luffy yelled in defiance.
"Guys, where's that voice coming from?" Nami asked in a whisper.
"Good question," muttered Ragnar, still on edge, "Everyone, be ready for a fight." Taking his advice, they all got their shields ready, with Nami brandishing her spear and Usopp with his bow held in his shield-hand.
"I AM THE VENGEFUL ISLAND GOD!" The voice boomed again, "LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES!"
"Great one, we mean you no offense," Ragnar called out, "All we ask is for your divine favor and blessing that we may explore this island in peace."
"WAIT, YOU GUYS ARE PIRATES…AND HAVE A VIKING IN YOUR MIDST, RIGHT?" The voice suddenly asked.
"Well, yeah, what else would we be?" Luffy asked, suddenly starting to get suspicious.
"Why would a God need to ask something like that!?" Nami asked out.
"I-I DUNNO…ER, I MEAN! DO NOT TAKE ONE MORE STEP INTO THIS FOREST!" The voice demanded, trying to obviously cover up something, "IF YOU DO NOT HEED MY WARNING, YOU WILL INSTANTLY SUFFER MY WRATH AND MEET YOUR DOOM, WHICH IS MY PUNISHMENT!"
"Okay, that made no sense at all," Luffy muttered, raising an eyebrow as he sensed his Haki kicking in, "Guys, something's definitely fishy around here."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? STRAW-HAT BOY!?" The voice boomed, singling Luffy out, and from the forest emerged even more monstrous creatures! A maned pig, an ostrich with the head of a zebra, a gorilla with the head of a hippo and a duck-billed sheep among others.
"W-W-W-What are these things!?" Usopp asked, trembling in pure fear.
"THEY USED TO BE HUMANS," explained the voice, "THEY CAME LOOKING FOR TREASURE, BUT ALL THEY FOUND INSTEAD WAS MY WRATH!"
"You transformed them!? Then you are a God!" Usopp muttered, kneeling in prayer.
"Oh, come now, Usopp! You've seen me transform plenty," said Ragnar, already turning into his full lion form, "If that were the case, then I wouldn't be able to talk, would I?"
"WHA!? HOW DID YOU JUST TRANSFORM INTO A LION!? WHAT ARE YOU!?" the voice asked Ragnar. That was when the Viking got the feeling it was all a sham.
"Even a god as wise as Odin himself would know that answer," he yelled back, "It's all thanks to my Devil Fruit powers!"
"He's right!" Luffy added, stretching his cheek, "One time, I ate a Devil Fruit too, and now I'm a rubber-person."
"YEAH, RIGHT! A DEVIL FRUIT?" The voice asked, "I HEARD THOSE SAME STUPID STORIES BACK WHEN I WAS A PIRATE!"
"Back when you were a pirate!?" Nami asked in sheer disbelief.
"I MEAN – NO! I WASN'T REMINISCING ABOUT THE OLD DAYS!" The voice yelled out, "ENOUGH OF THAT KIND OF TALK! I DON'T WANNA HEAR ABOUT THE OLD DAYS, DAMMIT!"
"Look who's talking!" Luffy called out, "You're the one who brought it up!"
"You faker!" Nami added, "You sound too dumb to be a god!"
"SILENCE!" The voice snapped, "IF YOU WON'T LEAVE, THEN PREPARE FOR MY DIVINE JUDGMENT!" Just then, the sound of a makeshift trap could be heard. Ragnar turned, and saw a volley of sharpened stakes coming straight at them.
"Everybody! Hit the deck!" He yelled as he, Usopp and Nami all laid flat on the ground as the stakes flew safely over their heads. Luffy, however, was using his Observation Haki to dodge every single projectile, while most of them landed near Zoro, who was miraculously untouched, suffering not even a scratch. Then, the sound of falling rocks caught the quartermaster's attention, as he saw the very sight aimed right for his captain. "Luffy! Look out!" He shouted, as one of the rocks came down hard right onto Luffy's head, but the Straw Hats' captain was unharmed.
"You're really pushing your luck, you so-called god!" He muttered.
"How are you not dead!?" A voice asked, and the Straw Hats saw what looked like a bush trembling. "Uh…I mean, don't move!" The bush declared, but Luffy got ready for a fight anyway, as a flintlock pistol made its way from the underbrush. "I said, don't move!" The pistol then went off, hitting Luffy right in the heart…or so it would have, but thankfully, his Devil Fruit powers kicked in, allowing him to catch the lead ball before it could pierce his skin and flesh. Nami and Usopp were frightened at the sight of Luffy's body catching the bullet, but Ragnar only smiled.
"Three, two, one," he muttered, watching as he knew what was bound to happen. In an instant, Luffy sent the lead ball shooting straight back out of his body, causing it to land in a tree trunk. It was just like when they two of them rescued Zoro at Shells Town. The force of the blast cause Luffy's hat to fall off his head.
"NO! That's impossible!" the bush cried in shock, "How is this happening!?"
"Hey, you little island god!" Nami called, smiling ever so smugly, "Even immortals know that bullets can't hurt a rubber-man."
"Maybe not, but I still hate them," Luffy muttered, picking his hat up and placing it back on his head.
"You and that Viking are some kinda monsters!" The bush screamed, throwing the pistol away as it ran off deeper into the jungle.
"There it goes! Over there!" Usopp told his captain, pointing out the direction where the bush ran.
"Ragnar, with me!" Luffy ordered, and the two Devil Fruit users ran off after the bush. Their chase led them to a cliff overlooking the sea. Yet the bush was nowhere in sight. "Did you see which way he ran?" Luffy asked his leonine friend.
"No, but I can still smell him," said Ragnar, sniffing the air, "He's here, somewhere. His scent is all over this island." Just then, they both heard the sound of a twig crunching underfoot. Instantly they knew what that meant as they turned behind them. "Oh, found him," said Ragnar as they approached. Nami and Usopp caught up, having inspected the flintlock pistol. At first glance, it looked like a bush one would find in the garden of an aristocrat planted in a wooden box.
"What is that?" Nami asked, getting a better look at what she saw.
"Whoever you are, I know you're not really a god, are you?" Luffy asked. As if on cue, the bush started running on two human-like feet.
"It has legs!?" Ragnar asked in shock, only for him and his friends to watch the 'bush' run straight into a tree, falling onto its back. The four Straw Hats moved closer to inspect it, at which point, the sun finally emerged from that dark wall of clouds, illuminating the face of a man with dark skin, a unibrow and a thick dark beard, with the so-called bush they saw earlier being his hair.
"Stand me up! Stand me up, already!" He shouted, shaking his legs as if he was running.
"It's a person!" Nami remarked.
"You mean that's a man!?" Ragnar asked, bewildered.
"That's it!?" Usopp asked, "You're not even a minor deity! You're more like a box."
"C'mon! Stand me up, now! Please!" The man cried desperately.
"Relax," Usopp muttered as he, Luffy and Ragnar all helped the poor man onto his feet.
"Uh…I'll let you off with a warning this time!" He told the four of them before trying to run again.
"No, wait! Hold on!" Luffy called out, stretching his arm to grab the box he was shoved into. The box-man found that he was unable to run any further, only for Luffy to snap back right towards him, sending them both hurdling towards the cliff and down to the sea below. Thankfully, Luffy noticed a tree branch growing out of the rock face and grabbed onto it with his free hand. His arm stretched so far that the man in the box was just inches away from the surface of the water. All at once, Luffy pulled him back up, only for the two to hit each other, and ascend upwards back onto solid ground.
After that little incident, it was evident that the stranger who was trapped in the box wasn't able to escape the four of them. Nami thankfully patched the bump on his head he sustained in the crash landing.
"There, you're all set now," she told him, watching as the strange beasts licked his wounds, "Y'know, you're a pretty popular guy, Mr. Island God."
"So, let me get this straight," said Usopp, "These crazy animals helped you scare off the pirates who came to this place looking for treasure?"
"I've never seen anything like you before," said Luffy, in pure awe, "You're like a human jack-in-the-box!"
"Yes. Ironically, I am, in fact, in a box, and my name is…" he began before realizing what was going on, "You idiot! I'm a person, not a toy! I've been stranded all by myself on this island and stuck inside this contemptable treasure chest for twenty long years!"
"That long!?" Nami asked in utter astonishment. Usopp, meanwhile, opened his satchel and took out a thermos, from which he had a stash of tea, which he knew he was going to need.
"So, you've been marooned on this island all alone for two decades?" Usopp asked, "That's incredible!"
"Yeah, just take a good look at me," said the man, "I've got a beard like a barbarian, and in all that time, you're the first people I've had a real conversation with. Can you understand how painful that is?"
"That's ridiculous," muttered Luffy, still somewhat skeptical about the man's claims.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" He barked back.
At that moment, Zoro approached the four of them, having woken up from his nap through all that just happened.
"Oh! There you are," he told them with a yawn, "I've been looking all over for you guys."
"How could you have slept through everything that just happened?!" Nami asked. Zoro didn't respond, but just took the thermos cap Usopp was holding, sat down on a flat rock and took a sip of tea. It was then that he finally noticed the man in the box. Startled, he jumped back, off the rock.
"What the heck is that!?" He asked.
"Now you noticed…" Nami muttered beneath her breath.
"Apparently, he's been stuck in a treasure chest this whole time," Luffy explained.
"Like a jack-in-the-box, but real!" Zoro muttered.
"Yes, Ironically I am, in fact, in a box, and my name is…" the stranger began again, only to realize what he was saying, "You idiot! We've already been through this routine!" All at once, Luffy then grabbed the man by his teeth.
"Zoro, give me a hand!" Luffy told his first mate, and before long, the two were pulling so hard that the poor man was in agony.
"STOP IT!" He yelled, "Don't even try to free me! I've been stuck inside this damned treasure chest for so long, that it's slowly becoming part of my body! If you try to break it, you'll break my body too!"
"Haven't you tried anything to slip out of the box?" Ragnar asked, "Like using fish oil or animal fat?" The Viking only got silence from the green-afro sporting man for what seemed a minute.
"Wait, why didn't I think of that before?" He then asked himself, coming to that realization.
"YOU JUST REALIZED THAT WAS AN OPTION!?" The Straw Hats all yelled in unison.
"You're a strange little man," Zoro muttered, recovering from his initial shock.
"Alright, guys, enough about me," the box-man began, "Who are all you? You're not like those other pirates that came around here before. That's for sure."
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy," replied the Straw Hat's captain, "And I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates."
"You're what!?" The man asked in shock.
"Yeah, we're about to start our journey to find the One Piece."
"The One Piece!? Don't tell me you idiots are actually planning to sail the Grand Line, are you!?"
"Yep! We even got a chart to help us."
"Don't be such a fool! The Grand Line's a graveyard! I once saw a crew of pirates who managed to escape from that horrible place, and I'll never forget it! It was an awful sight! They were all just hollow shells of the men they used to be; there's no telling what horrors they witnessed in that ghastly sea. Not one of them even tried to speak about it."
"…You may have seen broken men come from that place, but I'm still going anyway."
"Luffy! Didn't you just hear what he said!?" Nami asked, "The Grand Line is known as the Pirate Graveyard because…"
"I know why it's called that, Nami!" Luffy interrupted in a serious tone that made her fall silent. "I heard those stories countless times before. Just because other pirates escaped from the Grand Line broken doesn't mean that's gonna happen to us. All that means is that those guys who escaped weren't prepared to sail it. Besides, if the Grand Line were so easy to conquer, then finding the One Piece wouldn't be worth it."
"Luffy…" Nami muttered, stunned by her captain's conviction.
"I am gonna find the One Piece, and I will be King of the Pirates! All I ask is that my crew believe in that too, understand? Just because other pirates ran away from the Grand Line doesn't mean that we will too! You guys are the crew and court of the future King of the Pirates…and we are gonna succeed together! This, I swear."
All four remaining Straw Hats were just stunned at Luffy's conviction. Not in their wildest dreams did they anticipate their captain make such a rousing and impassioned speech with such confidence, they couldn't help but respect and admire him even further.
The shrub-man couldn't help but also admire Luffy. In his eyes, it recalled to him a long-lost fire he once assumed had long since been doused.
"You're me…You're exactly like me!" he muttered towards Luffy, "Young man! I understand the pursuit of your dreams. When I was a younger man, I used to feel the same way: I was willing to put my life on the line in search of treasure. It was that single-minded zeal that changed the course of my life for eternity. It was about twenty years ago. I was a much younger man, then. My name is Gaimon, you see, and back then, my crew of pirates and I landed on this island with a sole purpose: to find the treasure that was said to rest here. All two-hundred of us were here for an entire month, and still we found nothing! The only treasure chest the captain found was empty. With nothing to show for our gains, we decided to pack up and leave. As we packed up, I noticed a large plateau. No one bothered to look way up there, so I decided to climb it and double check. I couldn't believe my own eyes! There were six chests laden with treasure at the top! I tried to tell my crew about what I found, but I lost my grip…that's when I got stuck in this chest. When I came to, my crew was already far out to sea. Then I came to the realization that the entire treasure on this island belongs to me now. I tried climbing the plateau again, but, as you can see, I couldn't get out of the chest. And after all this time, the fortune I found but only saw for an instant has never strayed far from my mind. Pirates have come here countless times in search of my treasure, but luckily, my animal friends helped me scare them away. That's how I've been able to protect my treasure for the past twenty years."
"No question about it," Luffy replied, after hearing such an incredible tale, "That treasure belongs to you, and you alone."
"Y'know, I think we can help you out," said Nami, "Gaimon, why don't we get the treasure down for you?"
"Wait! Do you mean it?" Gaimon asked, unable to believe what he heard to be real.
"On our honor, Gaimon," said Ragnar, standing up.
"Nami…" Usopp muttered, giving her a dirty look as if he didn't trust her.
"I thought you said you were a thief who stole from pirates," said Zoro.
"How rude!" she told the swordsman, "I am a thief, but I have a conscience."
And so, the five Straw Hats rode the back of what was a gigantic tortoise with the horns, nose and tail of an ox, and Gaimon rode with them, the other exotic animals leading the way towards the plateau. Finally, at the heart of the island, they reached their destination and dismounted.
"So, this is that plateau you were talking about?" Luffy asked.
"Yes, this is the place. The treasure is all up at the top," Gaimon replied, smiling at his saviors, "The time has finally come! It's truly a great day!" Then he turned again to Luffy, "Now, get going, Straw Hat!"
"Here I go!" Luffy answered as he stretched his arm out to reach the ledge of the plateau, "Gum-Gum Rocket!" With a burst of speed, he snapped his arm back to its normal position, flying in midair before descending to the top of the plateau. All below, Zoro, Ragnar, Nami, Usopp and Gaimon watched with faint breaths.
"Hey! Do you see the chests?" Gaimon asked finally. However, all he got was a brief silence.
"Luffy? You alright up there?" Ragnar asked, wondering what he was up to. Just then, the captain walked to the ledge of the cliff with one of the chests in his hands.
"I found 'em!" He called down, "It was just like you said, Gaimon! There are six treasure chests!"
"Yes! Good work!" Gaimon cheered, "Finally! After twenty long years, it's all mine! I finally got my treasure! C'mon! Toss it down, I wanna see! Go ahead and toss it down, boy! Let's have a look at what's inside!"
"No way," Luffy declared with a solemn expression, shocking everyone below.
"Luffy, what do you think you're doing!?" Nami asked, utterly bewildered by what he just said.
"You ass!" Usopp yelled, "That treasure belongs to Gaimon, and you know it! Toss it all down, now!" However, Luffy only remained silent, that same solemn expression on his face.
'Luffy wouldn't refuse to bring the chests down…unless…' Nami thought as her eyes widened, looking at both Zoro and Ragnar, who both came to the same realization as she just did.
"It doesn't matter," Gaimon told Usopp, "It's all right."
"Gaimon! It's not all right!" Usopp protested, "You've been guarding that treasure with your heart and soul for the past twenty years now!"
"Straw Hat…You're a great kid!" Gaimon told Luffy as his eyes brimmed with tears as he began to weep, "I always had a hunch that this might be the case…I tried not to think about it too much, but…they're empty…aren't they!?"
"Yep…every last one," Luffy replied, "I'm sorry, Gaimon, but there's no treasure on this island worth claiming."
"How sad," Nami remarked, looking on as Gaimon wept, "The treasure you've been guarding for twenty years was nothing but empty boxes."
"It happens all the time with treasures that have maps leading to them!" Gaimon lamented, "You set out on a quest to find it, but someone else reached it first! That's the kind of risk you take when you're a treasure hunting pirate! You can waste a whole lifetime searching, and never once touch treasure! Plenty have pirates have lived like that, believe me!"
"Try not to let it get you down, old man," Luffy reassured him, laughing happily, "It's a good thing we came along and found you after 20 years. Thirty years later, and you might've died. Since this treasure hunt's a bust, you're gonna need something else to fill up your time. Why not come with us, and search for the One Piece?"
"What? Really? You're asking me?" Gaimon asked. It was truly heartwarming for him. He'd been marooned as a castaway for two whole decades with nobody but these animals to keep him company, and now here this boy was, offering him a chance to explore the Grand Line with his crew and find the One Piece. He couldn't help but cry tears of joy, "Oh, I know how I must look to you! Other people wouldn't even speak to me, but you were so kind! It's been so many years since I've had a friend…! THANK YOU!"
As the sun set to the west in a rosy tinged sky, the Straw Hats packed their things, ready to push onwards, but what they heard from Gaimon was not what they were expecting.
"Are you sure you wanna stay on the island, Gaimon?" Luffy asked, unsure what to make of the man's decision.
"Yes, I'm sure," he explained, "There's something far more valuable than treasure that I feel I must protect."
"What could be worth more than gold?" Usopp asked, confused. Then all the strange creatures came out of the jungle, including new beasts such as a bipedal elephant tiger.
"For the past two decades, these animals have been with me through thick and thin, I can't just up and leave 'em." As he spoke, the maned pig and the rooster-like wolf began licking his face as he chuckled. "Now that I know that there's no treasure here, I somehow finally feel liberated! Without that heavy burden, I can concentrate on what really matters to me. And besides, after all these years, I've grown fond of this box!"
"Too bad, you're a neat guy," said Luffy with a smile, "Pretty neat for a scrub brush."
"The weird creatures here are your true companions," added Zoro.
"Yep, and he's the weirdest of them all." Luffy only chuckled as he said those words.
"EXCUSE ME!?" Gaimon asked impatiently, as they all just laughed in amusement. The Straw Hats only boarded their dinghy, back to the Going Merry before they weighed anchor and sailed off into the sunset. Yet they all made their way to the aft castle and waved goodbye to their new friend.
"See ya, Gaimon!" Luffy called out, "Take care, okay?"
"Bye Gaimon!" Nami shouted.
"Until we meet again!" added Ragnar. Once they were unable to see Gaimon, Ragnar turned to his companions, smiling. "Y'know, in a way, he made the right choice to stay and protect his animal friends. Pirates may not find treasure, but if a band of Vikings comes across noticed those animals, they will definitely try to hunt them. But they won't expect coming across Gaimon. He is the island's guardian; its protector."
A/N: So, now we have encountered Gaimon! A nice little detour from all the battles and strife. Now, I meant to type these up in previous posts, but I have definitely mentioned some Old Norse terms throughout the story that you may never have heard before.
So, it's time for "Cool Viking Lore!"
First thing's first, one of the terms I mentioned in Chapter 2 was when Ragnar took a jab at Helmeppo's manhood, he mentioned the term Ginnungagap. What does that mean? Well, we must go back to the creation tale of Norse Mythology. In the beginning, there was Ginnungagap - the great void. There were no realms yet, but primordial elements such as fire and ice. According to the Voluspa, these two met in Ginnungagap and created not just water, but the entire life-force of something new. From these waters, Ymir first emerged from the ice as the first of the Jotnar - the Giants. He was a being of pure chaos, father to all giants that followed.
Sigrun also mentioned the term Midgard. What does that mean? Midgard, which means "Middle Earth" refers to the Earth itself, where humans reside. How it came about also is told in the Prose Edda. Back when Ymir first emerged from Ginnungagap, among those who followed was Buri - first of the Æsir - one of the two tribes of Gods. His line eventually spawned three grandsons. Their names were Ve, Vili and foremost among them, Odin. According to the Prose Edda, it was Odin and his brothers who took action against the first giant, and killed Ymir with his spear, Gungnir. From Ymir's corpse, Odin and his brothers then created the realm of Midgard.
In chapter 4, Sigurd mentioned the term, Ragnarok. For anyone who knows about Norse Mythology, they will know that Ragnarok is the doomsday of the Norse Gods, specifically of the Æsir.
Now, as to what Ragnar stated at the end of this chapter about any Vikings hunting those weird animals, this is plausible. The Vikings loved hunting, as it not only provided one with food, but also was a great pastime for royalty and the nobility. We even hear about hunting being mentioned in the sagas.
