.: This chapter was a little bit of a beast to write. There was a lot to get through and it felt very all over the place. Luckily, hillbilly life can get like that. I really hope readers enjoy more drama and can feel the plot thickening. What's funny is that I did not want to spend a lot of time in this part of the arc, but it just feels right to stick around! Maybe two more chapters of this, and finally the Straw Hats will begin to follow their trail? At this point, it feels like the story writes itself (not complaining about it one bit, though.) Also, I should mention that my Word doc for this story has reach 200 pages. Surely that's a cause for celebration? :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 24:

They Call Him Sasquatch

Behind the cabin was an acre of land that had been slightly cleared of its trees. There was a shed that had tools and animal feed inside. Another small building had a lot of noises coming from it, and chickens would enter and exit from a small opening at the top of a ramp. They, along with a family of goats, were allowed to be free range. Since Robin doubted Twitchy's ability to not wander off and get lost, he was placed in the penned area where a mother goat was kept. He was sniffed and quickly accepted. By the time Maggie led Robin away, he was helping himself to a drink.

The little girl had done what Belle requested of her – just take the nice pirate lady to the goat pen and bring her back. But the lady was nice. She let Maggie hold her hand just like Mama did, and she listened to what she had to say even if she had nothing to really carry a conversation. Instead of bringing Robin back, she led her into the wooded area to a place she called her own. A tree with planks of wood nailed up the trunk came into view. When they looked up, they saw the treehouse. It was built a few years ago for Beau. The blooming moss on the darkening wood made its age apparent. Luckily, as the kids grew older, and more of them were born, all four of the siblings had their fair share of its use. Maggie would probably use it until she reached double digits in age. After that, who knew how long it would remain suspended above the ground.

Without much thought behind it, Maggie began to climb up. "Come on!" she excitedly urged.

"Oh, you want me to come with you?" Robin asked, wondering how a child so young was allowed to climb such a tall tree.

"Please? You can meet my friends."

She smiled and waited for her to get most of the way up before following her. Belle may have been expecting them both to return to the kitchen to help cook, but she did not want to just leave Maggie by herself. So, a little adventure was in the works. "I would love to meet your friends."

Once she pushed open the trap door, she crawled inside and prepared her collection for a presentation. Robin's head popped in, and she gazed around to see the inside was a little bit dusty but otherwise a very neat place. The windows were covered by a little net to keep bugs and critters out. A small table with handcrafted chairs was pressed to the wall. There was even a thin blanket nailed to the ceiling to create a little tent above a napping cove. Other than that, toys were scattered about and overflowing a painted box. Whoever built this treehouse had a lot of dedication and time on their hands.

"What a cute little hideout," Robin commented as she rose enough to rest her elbows on the floor. Completely entering was not on her to-do list; she was so tall that she would have to bend over if she stood up inside.

Quickly adjusting her stuffed animals, she faced Robin and started introducing them all. There were five in total: A tan teddy bear wearing a pink shirt (Amelia), a big green frog with a yellow chin (Froggy), a pink pig with long arms and legs (Piggy), an older brown teddy bear with glass yellow eyes (Travis), and a weird, round blue penguin with black hair on top of its head and long ears (Poo). The treehouse was their home, and Maggie would come play with them whenever she had free time. She rambled for a few minutes about each of their personalities while Robin smiled and listened.

Oh, the wonderful and endless imagination of children was quite fascinating and endearing to the archaeologist. She found herself climbing inside and sitting on the floor across from her. Despite their worlds being very different, Robin allowed Maggie to believe her childish perspective was in fact reality. They were just enjoying themselves, after all. Besides, there was a big chance that none of her siblings played with her like this. Most of her free time may have very likely been spent alone and talking to herself up here. If that was true, then Robin might have been the only person to know Maggie's stuffed animals. The pleasure was all hers.

The biggest reason why Robin was invested in Maggie's interests was because she was living a childhood she did not get to experience herself. It seemed her nose was buried in books from the moment she learned how to read. Constantly studying, constantly working toward becoming an archaeologist just like her parents. There was no room for play. That was probably the reason why her demeanor was calm most of the time, but a macabre quality of her personality sprouted. It did not help either that she was on the run starting at eight years old. Her life went down a dark path for a long time. Being in Maggie's presence just showed how there was still good in the world. Not all little girls had to suffer like she did.

She was handed Travis and Piggy. Unsure what to do with them, she held them in her lap. Travis was an old bear; the white fabric that made up the ends of his limbs was visibly dirty, and his stitching was not as precise as Amelia's. Piggy was almost as tall as Maggie was, with the surface of the pink fabric having short ringlets to mimic fur and the hooves reminding Robin of Chopper's. She gazed at Maggie as she waited for instructions on what to do with them, but she just did the same thing to her. Curious, she adjusted the stuffed animals to hold them in each hand. They sat on the bend of her knees. Her thumb and pinky hooked around their necks to keep them steady, and her three remaining fingers pressed against the backs of their heads to move them and bring them to life. "Hi, Maggie," Robin spoke as she made Piggy nod.

The pigtails in her hair practically lifted along with her shock. Her little friend was talking to her! Innocent elation filled her psyche. "Hi!" she replied, not even using one of the other stuffed animals to communicate. "Hi, Travis. How are you today?"

"Good," Robin answered as she made the bear nod.

Maggie tilted her head in confusion. "I thought your voice would be deeper since you're a boy."

Amused by the alertness, Robin cleared her throat to try giving her the impression she was expecting. "Sorry. Is this better?"

"Much better!"

"Hmm," Robin hummed as she settled down the stuffed animals. If this was what they were going to pass the time doing, then she might as well put on a good show for Maggie. She placed the other little friends around her lap. Then, she crossed her arms against her chest to summon more pairs of hands. Before her eyes, all of them sat up and were ready to properly come to life. Now Robin just had to keep up with five different voices and personalities that were explained to her.

Maggie was so immersed in the performance that she completely missed the fact that Robin had devil fruit powers. The toys she spent years mindlessly talking to without getting any verbal responses from had suddenly come to life. It overwhelmed her, but she was also so happy that she eagerly engaged in a group conversation with them.

Providing the experience fulfilled something inside Robin. She was close to entering her thirties. Due to the circumstances of her life, she was childless. And it was not even that she deeply desired to have a family. Her dream of uncovering the void century through the poneglyphs still reigned within her. But sometimes a little loneliness just reminded her of that domestic life she lacked. Mothers poured themselves and their unconditional love into their children. This was the first time she had done something similar, and it felt nice. She had a gift that brought magic to a little girl's imagination.

Since the trap door to the treehouse had been left open, the person who stood below it could hear their talking and laughing. "Maggie!" a male voice called out.

Hearing it made her gasp and immediately fall out of the illusion. She dropped to the floor and peered through the opening to confirm who it was. "Hi, Daddy," she said casually.

The man who stood at the foot of the tree was a brawny man who wore a red plaided shirt, blue jeans, and leather boots. His beard was thick, matching the quality of brown hair that stuck out from under a hat with a curved bill. He held a big ax against his shoulder, and a brown lab trotted by him with its tongue lolling. "You got a friend up there or somethin'?"

"Her name's Robin!"

Figuring that was her cue, Robin joined Maggie on the floor to look down at her father. Surprisingly, he was not worried about his youngest daughter being around a stranger. Maybe it was because Robin was a female and he heard how much fun they were having.

"…Does your mother know about this?" he simply asked.

"Yep. There's a pirate crew that anchored at the river. We're having a fish fry tonight!"

"Whoa. Slow down there. Pirates?"

Wanting to clear things up without causing suspicion, Robin decided to climb down to meet the man herself. Maggie watched as Robin nonchalantly greeted her dad. "My name's Nico Robin. I'm a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Our log pose led us to this island, and your wife allowed us to stay until it resets."

He pressed the end of his ax into the ground next to his feet. Robin certainly did not appear how he thought a pirate would look like. Her hair was nicely groomed, and her lilac button-up shirt looked fresh from a drawer. Even if she did not pass as a hillbilly, he would not have guessed she was a pirate at all.

"Ellis recommended they throw a fish fry to properly welcome us, so the rest of my crew is helping with that," Robin continued.

"So you've met more than just my Belle," he inferred.

She smiled. "Yes. Everyone here has been very nice and hospitable. Especially Maggie."

He returned his gaze up to the little girl to see her wondering if she would get in trouble for inviting Robin to her hideout. Instead, he trusted his gut and offered a hand. "That's the island of Appalachia for ya," he said. "Name's Hank. It's nice to meet you, Nico Robin."

She exchanged the handshake. "The pleasure's all mine. Would you like help setting up the fish fry?"

"First I gotta see what Belle needs. I figure she's cooking right now."

"Our crew's cook is helping her. A couple others are noodling with Keith and Ellis. The rest are with Virginia and Owen to spread the word."

He scratched the back of his head after taking off his hat by gripping the bill. "Guess I'm late to the party. Hey, Maggie, let's go see what Mama needs help with."

Realizing her dad was not unhappy in the slightest, Maggie quickly scooped up her stuffed animals to put them back in their favorite spot. They no longer spoke or moved on their own, which disappointed her, but she still bid them farewell and descended the ladder to follow the adults back to the cabin.

Judging by the ax and the large muscular physique Hank possessed, Robin guessed that he was a lumberjack. They were still surrounded by wooded areas, but it was obvious that a lot had been cleared out. She would not be surprised if Hank built everything made of wood with the very trees he chopped down. He had the strength and endurance to do it. Whoever dedicated all the time and effort to make a sustaining home for the family of six did a beautiful job.

The dog that joined Hank for the day barked and ran past them all. As Robin's eyes followed it, she caught sight of someone standing outside the front door. Aurilee had a wicker basket against her hip as she kept her back pressed against the house. Her head was turned the other way. She heard the group approaching, and when she looked at them, Robin noticed the moisture on her cheekbones. "Aurilee?"

She wiped her eyes and was reluctant to respond. So, instead, she passed them up. "Belle needs eggs," she informed them without pausing.

"Wait, Aurilee," Robin tried barring.

But she was not interested in being confronted about her emotions. She disappeared behind the cabin to find the coup.

Hank did not think much of it. He entered the house with Maggie to see what he needed to do. Meanwhile, Robin peered around the corner to see Sanji was in the garden. He stood on one side of the fence while a pretty red head stood on the other side. The way his cigarette released heart-shaped plumes of smoke showed how happy he was to be talking to a pretty lady.

"Hey, Cook," Robin said.

He instantly turned to see the archaeologist had returned. "Robin!" he cheered. "We already have our first guest!"

Jolene smiled and waved at her.

Something felt odd about the situation. Aurilee left in a hurry, and she had been hovering out of sight right where Robin was standing. And Sanji acted as if he was oblivious to what had just happened. She knew Sanji would never allow himself to upset a lady knowingly, so all she could think was that Aurilee was listening to them talk. Whatever it was they were talking about, she would have to find out another way.

"Belle is actually my cousin," Jolene clarified as she rounded the fence. "I came to help set up and cook."

Hearing that caused Sanji to wiggle his way over to follow where she went. His heart eye was huge and bulging. "You can cook?! What a coincidence! I'm the ship's cook!"

She giggled, reaching to underneath his chin to scratch it like a dog. "Then you better grab whatever Belle wanted you to pick and come help in the kitchen."

"Of course, my lovely Jolene!" he agreed as he quickly returned to harvesting vegetables and placing them in a crate.

Robin watched as Jolene passed her to enter the cabin and close the door behind her. She was so…normal…A little too normal. And she indulged Sanji with some minor attention. That might be opening a can of worms.

Before Hank could come back outside, Robin quickly made her way to the chicken coup. The door was open. Inside, it was dim but very noisy with clucking. Aurilee was just gently placing laid eggs in her basket and trying to not crack any. She was no longer crying, but she was still dejected.

"Are you okay?" Robin questioned as she stood in the doorway.

Startled by the unexpected accompaniment, she flinched. But she quickly relaxed when she realized it was Robin. "I'm fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

She had a feeling the conversation would go this way. Aurilee had nearly only confided in Chopper for things like this. He held therapy sessions for her that allowed her to get things off her mind and process bad memories. "Well, if you do want to talk, just let me know and I'll listen."

Aurilee did not look back at her. She did not know how to comprehend what she was feeling. What was most apparent was a pain in her chest and anxiety in her gut that twisted into nauseousness. Because of that, there was no point in talking about it. Before she could say that to Robin, she was gone. Seeing that only made the pain in her chest tighten. She did not wish to be uncooperative. But…she also needed some time to herself.

It turned out Hank was more than just a lumberjack. He was a very talented carpenter who could do anything with his hands. When Belle advised him to put up a dozen tables, he had them standing and sturdy within an hour. When Belle asked him to get a big outside grill together, he had one set up and warming up in just under thirty minutes. When Belle showed him where to put the bonfire, he had a firepit outlined and logs ready to be used as benches. What aided in his impressive time frames was Robin's ability to fetch him tools and supplies. Logs were measured, chopped up, and sanded down before being carved and nailed together to form the various structures needed to pull off a successful fish fry. Now her hands were sprouted into a long row as they passed up chopped wood to him so he could meticulously stack them for a big bonfire.

By the time the food prep had been moved outside, neighbors started showing up, and the group who ventured out to spread invitations had returned. They came in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Some were family units. Some were couples. Some were friend groups. Some came by themselves. Girls and boys. Men and Women. Babies. Toddlers. Children, Teenagers. Adults. The elderly. The Straw Hats were a little surprised by the sheer number and big spectrum. And they all had something to share! Not all of it was food. A group of hunters with the shaggiest beards imaginable and wearing camouflage clothes brought their still warm duck carcasses. Some people were like Jolene and brought an instrument. Others brought something that they thought the pirates could use on their adventures in the open seas. It ranged from simple things like an umbrella to the more retrospective like handmade soap. Everything was accepted with gratitude, but it was clear that these people were a little too nice for their own good.

A long line of tables was used to set up a buffet style dinner. That way, everyone could pick out what they wanted to eat and come back for more later. Belle helped direct where things should go such as side dishes and desserts. Some people were nice enough to bring their personal plates, bowls, and silverware to share. The people who only brought ingredients were assisted by Sanji, Belle, and Jolene to have it all put together according to the recipes. It was a good way for Sanji to learn about the local food. Around here, it was called "comfort food"; it filled you up and tired you out like a baby. Some of it was very strange. Corn in bread? Sugar in tea? Pumpkin made into a pie? Heck, they put chicken and vegetables in a crust and baked it into a pie, too. Some of it was stuff that seemed to only exist because people decided to experiment. To Sanji, that kind of innovative thinking was the best kind of cooking.

And the food only became more and more abundant as the day went on. There was suddenly a lot of commotion that had heads turning. Upon investigation, Zoro, Usopp, Ellis, Keith, and Beau were all scrambling down the river after a bunch of whiskerfish that had escaped from their holes all at once. Something had spooked them. It was a group effort, but they beached a whole lot of them and got all the present neighbors to cheer and clap for them since they had never seen anything like it before. It was quite the show, and it fully supplied all the fish needed for the gathering.

Overall, the hillbillies were pleased to meet the Straw Hat Pirates. Some of them had even seen Luffy, Zoro, and Robin's wanted posters when they visited a town on the other side of the mountains. Many of them had never met pirates before, but that did not deter them from being hospitable and friendly. Together they all feasted, enjoying the way Sanji grilled and fried the whiskerfish filets.

The heaps of food dwindled eventually. As bellies filled, more activities began. The Straw Hats were introduced to the game of cornhole, which was essentially just tossing beanbags onto adjoining ramps. Land a beanbag on the ramp, you got a point. Toss a beanbag into the hole in the center of the ramp, you got three points. First pair to twenty-one points won. Jolene easily convinced Sanji to delay cleaning up for a round. Although Nami was uninterested in teaming up with Ellis, who changed into his nicest yellow t-shirt and blue jeans to try impressing her a little, she still ended up standing next to him at one point and talking to him.

"Nami, Nami, Nami. Man, I just love saying it," Ellis said when he and Keith lost to her and Robin.

Hank maintained the bonfire with his seemingly endless supply of logs. As the sun began setting and dusk took over, the fireflies made their grand entrance. The children who were attending the fish fry were given glass jars to catch them. Even Luffy and Chopper were giggling as they ran around together trying to get a jar full of them. At the same time, Sanji was introduced to another hillbilly delicacy: a roasted marshmallow squished between graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. He evaluated the treat between his fingers, now sticky from the cooling marshmallow. "It's good. I promise," Jolene said.

His visible eye watched as the orange flames danced against her skin and hair, making her look as vulnerable and lovely as a flame on a wick. She was looking at him so dotingly. After not leaving his side since she arrived, she never hinted at wanting to go separate ways from him. He was not the first to show romantic interest in her, but he was the most consistent in his outward affection toward her out of everyone she ever encountered. Even though she knew how to cook, Sanji was open to guiding her and teaching her some of his techniques. She had to admit, some things she would take to heart and probably continue until she was too frail to cook for herself. But there was more than that. Something was drawing her toward him. Maybe it was the way his first bite of a s'more left a little dribble of marshmallow on his bottom lip. Or maybe it was how he enjoyed her presence so much that he just smiled at her without needing to speak. The bachelorette was keen on exploring her available options right now.

What was sad was Aurilee could tell. She steered clear of the traffic by staying close to the abandoned buffet to start cleaning up for the night. As she stacked empty dishes, she watched the others enjoying themselves.

Luffy and Chopper were in the middle of a swarm of kids as they unscrewed the lid of their bright jar and let out the accumulated fireflies. The constant flickering as they dispersed back into the wild was awesome to the audience. They even tried to recapture the insects with their little hands with gleeful squeals.

Zoro had found a group to drink locally distilled liquor with. They called it moonshine, and apparently if they went for an innocent walk in the woods tonight, they could find someone bootlegging it with plans on selling it. It was cheap stuff, but it had such a kick that Zoro was starting to get drunk after downing the first bottle.

Nami was still dealing with Ellis's attempts in getting to know her better, all while Keith tried supporting his friend from a distance. The navigator was still uninterested in his stumbling flirting (he got so nervous talking to her!), but she still tried to be nice since they were leaving soon anyway.

Robin found herself in the older crowd so she could listen to their stories. She was the only person with all her teeth intact and almost the only one without facial hair, too. It turned out that Appalachia had different groups of people living on it. This neck of the woods belonged to the hillbillies, but they also spoke of rednecks and gullahs. It was also the biggest island in the vicinity. The surrounding islands were smaller but just as unique in their cultures.

Usopp was part of the loudest group. Ellis was not the only person who had bizarre stories to tell. Himself and Keith actually had a bigger friend group who were similar in that regard. Usopp found himself engaging in the storytelling almost like a competition. He took his time claiming to be the captain of their crew and proudly proclaiming his lies in the form of stories.

Out of all of them, Aurilee was keeping her attention on Sanji and Jolene the most. He finished the treat and licked his fingers clean. Jolene giggled at him and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Seeing him throw his head back with a squirt of blood expelling from his nostrils made Aurilee finally find restrain. She forced herself to look away. If that was how the cook wanted to spend his evening, that was none of her business. Why should she care?

A hand softly rested on top of hers. She paused after making porcelain audibly clang against each other. "You should go enjoy yourself," Belle advised. "Let me handle the cleanup."

"I'd rather do this," she droned. At least from this distance, she could minimize her heartache. Sanji did not appear to have room on his bench for her. If she had to sit somewhere close and be forced to watch their interactions, it would push her too far beyond what she could emotionally handle.

"I know." She had seen how her cousin wrapped Sanji around her finger in a short amount of time. Jolene was good at that. Men talked about her in their sleep after a single exchange of hellos. It did not surprise her one bit to see one of the pirates fall under the same spell. What disappointed her, however, was seeing Sanji disregard Aurilee's feelings about it. Ever since Jolene came around, it had been as if he forgot about Aurilee entirely. Granted, Aurilee had closed herself off and avoided him, but Belle understood why. She was threatened by Jolene. Her doubtfulness in her own ability to communicate clearly and unravel her own feelings left her feeling lost and hopeless. If she spoke up, she could come across as out of line, but if she remained quiet and distant, Sanji would fall deeper until he sunk to the very bottom.

To give Aurilee a nudge in the right direction, she lifted her hands off the dirty dishes and held them. "But you need to relax and stop worryin' your pretty little head," Belle finished.

Aurilee's voice cracked. "How?"

"Attraction is a double-edged sword, Shug. It leads you to your destiny, but it also consumes you. You need to put that aside for tonight. I still believe that Sanji holds a special place in his heart for you; you helped me see that. But…he's a man, and men ain't always the smartest creatures when it comes to love. So, start fresh tomorrow. You'll have him back when y'all leave. For tonight, go have some fun. There's a lot of people who wanna meet you and hear your story."

Fresh tears fell to her cheeks. She felt so stuck. Not wanting to develop feelings at all because it was a pointless feat was just not working. She had been devoid of it for years now, but she wanted someone to want her. That loneliness lifted when Sanji was around because he did just that – wanted her. He wanted her presence, her acknowledgment, her time…If only she had the courage to accept his compliments in spite of her personal opinions. Maybe then he would be more hesitant to flirt with Jolene. It was impossible for him to stop, but he could always tone it down a notch, right?

Belle held the sides of her face, using her thumbs to wipe those cheeks dry. "Everything is goin' be fine, Shug. Just let tonight go."

Sniffing up some snot wanting to leak out her nose, she nodded and lowered her gaze. With that, Belle let her go and collected the dirty dishes she had stacked. She turned back toward the bonfire, seeing all the darkened silhouettes moving and talking. A couple of the instruments that had been brought were starting to be played casually. There was a guitar getting its strings tuned. Another guitar (or at least, it was similar to a guitar) had three of its strings plucked by an old man with a beard long enough to touch his knees. It was like they were warming up for something.

The easiest place to find available seating was next to Usopp. He did not know she had joined him as he passionately told the tale of how he took down a member of Baroque Works with his own genius plan. There was him getting his face smashed in by a bat, and how Chopper helped him trick Mr. 4 into doing the same thing to his partner in crime. The events of the Straw Hat Pirates liberating the desert kingdom of Alabasta happened right before Aurilee came along. It was true that they all fought Baroque Works, but she would have to ask Chopper for his side of Usopp's story.

But as she began to zone out all the noise going around her, she stared into the bonfire. It was moving so sinuously yet unpredictably. The stacked wood at its center was charred and gradually deteriorating. If one piece gave way, the border of the pit caught it to keep everything close and prevent accidents. It would only forever die when new wood stopped being added. It could not sustain itself alone.

Her dissociation from her surroundings left her gaze unblinking but relaxed. The fire continued waxing and waning rapidly. Sanji and Jolene came in and out of sight. It did not break her self-induced trance at first. They were simply talking. Whatever sweet nothings they were exchanging were unbeknown to her. But the sight of Jolene pressing a little kiss to his cheek was what etched a new crack in her heart. Sanji was so enamored by the gesture that his own heart burst out from every escape hole available, from his mouth to his eyes. He had never been kissed before in his entire life, yet there was a really pretty and nice girl spoiling him willingly. Now that was something he was not used to.

Being more in proximity to the core of her current troubles was proof that joining the bonfire festivities was a bad idea. Against her will, her eyes filled back up with tears and her bottom lip curled. Someone was bound to notice and question if she was okay. But the truth was she was not okay. Aurilee could feel the cook slipping through her fingers. At this rate, why would he stick around with the crew when he had someone like Jolene to give him everything he wanted? One of his dreams was to get married, after all. This was his ticket to that. They were destined to say goodbye anyway, but she did not want it to be done this way. Having his back turned to her, and him not looking back as he walked away forever…

Someone elbowed Jolene after she tittered at Sanji's reaction to her little surprise gift to him. Afterwards, she reached down to her feet and pulled up the old fiddle she had brought with her. The hillbillies had to end the evening with a bit of fun. They also wanted to instill a parting gift. Jolene tested the tuning of her fiddle before a song broke out among all the instruments. The first three notes caught everyone's attention since it was a classic throughout Appalachia.

The funny-looking guitar was the loudest. It had five strings with a circular resonator – a banjo. The old man playing it suffered from Alzheimer's, but that did not stop his calloused fingers from dancing over the strings without faltering. Nearby someone plucked a mandolin when it was appropriate, and another provided the deeper undertone of the melody with an actual guitar that would keep the banjo in the spotlight. Jolene meticulously swirled the song when the chorus played. And the one thing that tied it all together was all the voices singing. It was fast, upbeat, and brought a smile to everyone's face.

It caused everyone to gather closely to join in. Some grabbed a partner and started jigging out. Others stomped their feet and clapped in rhythm. Zoro's new drinking buddies hooked their arms around each other's necks to sway and sing to their hearts' content about their home sweet home. Luffy's eyes sparkled as he watched the improvised band. He wanted a musician in his crew! Maybe this was the perfect opportunity to snag one? Sanji sure was liking the way Jolene carried a part of the chorus with a solo that had her rapidly sliding her bow back and forth at differing angles to create varied notes.

The ending of the song was met with cheering, but it was quickly followed by another song. Although majority of the spectators sang along with it, too, others took the time to continue what they were doing or talking about. Aurilee looked at the ground, feeling out of place. The ambience was joyful, the complete opposite of what she currently was.

"You may have seen a mole-woman, but you ain't seen nothing till you seen what lurks in these woods," one of the hillbillies hinted at Usopp, pulling his attention back. "Could be a devil fruit. Could just be some poor sap who woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But whatever the thing is, it ain't human."

"Oh yeah?" Usopp teased, interested in where this was headed.

Aurilee started to zone out again. The noise around her drowned out as she got lost in her own head. She did not notice Chopper sneak up behind her and Usopp. He wanted to know where all the music was coming from.

"The thing stands at least ten feet tall. Long dark hair all over his body. Walks like a man but acts like a beast. Sometimes, people find these huge footprints that're just as big as yer head. Maybe even bigger than that!"

Something about that made Aurilee blink out of her trance.

Usopp grinned as he listened. What kind of made-up story was this? Definitely not how a devil fruit user was like, that was for sure! "This thing got a name?" he endorsed.

"They call him Sasquatch. He's a pretty elusive fella. Now, where he lives, he don't come around too often, but when he does, you best believe he's gonna be real sneaky 'bout it. Some folks reckon he's dangerous. I mean, wouldn't you think so, too, if some big monster came knocking on your front door?"

Just when Chopper went to squeeze between his two crewmates to pass, he paused and realized that this Sasquatch thing being talked about sounded familiar. The funny idea in his head did not have much pushback behind it as he transformed into Heavy Point to grow into a super tall, hairy beast with big feet. The hillbilly yelped in surprise, alerting others. Usopp looked to see what had happened and started laughing. "Oh right, we got our own Sasquatch named Chopper," he clarified. Since he had seen Chopper in that form often, it did not bother him one bit, and he actually failed to make the connection in similar description since he did not view Chopper as a monster.

But Usopp was pushed aside by Aurilee so she could face this hillbilly herself. "Is the Sasquatch nearby?" she questioned with a serious tone.

With a frightened expression, he looked between her and Chopper, almost missing the question. "U-Uh, I think so?"

"You think so? What kind of answer is that?"

"W-Well, nobody's actually seen Sasquatch with their own eyes," he explained. "It's just a story. Heard it from the rednecks, actually."

"Okay. Where are they?"

"Same side of the mountains. Just a few miles up from here. Why? You goin' Sasquatch huntin'?"

"Looks like I am," she confidently decided, getting up to go get Luffy.

"Whoa, wait, what?" Usopp interjected, getting up as well. "Are you serious?"

"Usopp," she said as she paused in her step. When she turned to face him, she clasped both of his shoulders. "Do you seriously not realize what Sasquatch sounds like?"

Chopper sized back down and hopped up on the log.

"Uh…" the sniper trailed.

"It sounds like my father. Don't you get it?"

Suddenly, Usopp recalled the story of how her father was a shapeshifter. He had a few forms to choose from, but his most menacing one was a tall, hairy beast that possessed some human qualities like walking on two legs and the ability to talk. Overall, though, he was anything but a human. If a stranger saw him, they would have crapped their pants on the spot. He was far worse than a devil fruit user. He was something out of nightmares. And something that close of physical matchup could not merely be a coincidence.

"We found a lead," Usopp breathed with disbelief.

Aurilee nodded with a big sense of optimism. That was exactly right. There was a chance they were close to her home island already. She could feel it.