.: So the plan to have this story wrapped up by August has been a total bust. School got back in, and we've been so short-staffed at work as a result. I'm working at least 40 hours a week, if not more, so I've been a little too tired to write. It also did not help that this chapter was a beast to write, but I do have hopes that things can get moving again. Also, I've watched the live action, and yes I loved it. I think they executed it almost perfectly. I was very impressed more than I ever was disappointed. :.
The Girl with A Half-Soul
Chapter 29:
He Goes By Many Names
It was odd for her to ignore the log pose, but it was also weirder for her to think back on when she did not use a log pose at all. Sailing the old-fashioned way required attentiveness and a good sense of perception. While the log pose did the leading for ships in the Grand Line, Nami had to actively navigate with just the map Belle had given her. She stood at Merry's bow, keeping watch as they sailed parallel to the island. Every once in a while, they would find a small boat with a fisherman or two sitting in it with poles in hand. They would turn when they passed by and lifted a hand to wave, to which Nami would wave back. Whiskerfish must have been freshwater fish only, so that was why they were fishing the regular way.
The topography for Appalachia showed flat areas near the coast with rolling hills mixed in. Some small towns were marked, but they were few and far between. The rednecks lived in a small town called Mudville. From what Nami could tell, it resided in a mostly flat area. A little sketch of a boat out in the water had her wonder what exactly she was looking for. So far, there were no signs of a town with boats anchored. Some were out in the distance, but they were going away from them. All she could think about was Lollybroch's bay full of Marine ships with a clue like that. It made her gulp, but she felt it would betray Belle's character for her to send them straight into a trap. Maybe the boat represented affluence? Hillbillies were dirt poor by the looks of it, but rednecks could be a different story.
Something else Nami noticed as she kept watch was the other two islands appearing over the horizon. One was more perceptible than the other, but it looked to be a gray mass to the naked eye. That one must have been Bayou. Lone Star Island was barely a ribbon hovering over the water at the moment. Out of curiosity, Nami checked the log pose to see it pointing straight ahead in the same direction they were currently going. Considering how huge Appalachia was, she knew that getting out of this trio of islands would take a little while. They could possibly emerge by the end of the day if the wind kept pushing with the undersea current.
A slow set of footsteps climbed up the to where she was. After living on the Merry for over a month, Nami was able to interpret who it was. "Naaaaamiiiii," Luffy held out, sounding annoyed. "Have you seen Jolene? I can't find her anywhere!"
"Jolene?" she replied, lowering the map.
"Yeah. You know, our new musician."
She raised an eyebrow. They left the neighborhood over three hours ago, and he was just now noticing Jolene had not joined them? "She didn't come with us."
"What?! Why not?"
She shrugged. "She did say she liked her lifestyle."
He grimaced with more annoyance. But she had so much fun with them last night! He managed to get her to play her fiddle to Bink's Sake, and the hillbillies got a taste of the sea shanty for the first time. Sure, she had mentioned uncertainty toward joining the crew, but what the heck! "Darn. I really wanted her to be our musician."
"Is a musician really that important to have?"
"True pirate crews have music playing at all times. Since I'm gonna be King of the Pirates, I gotta have all the right crewmates!"
She giggled. "Alright, alright. Then you can blame Sanji for Jolene not coming with us."
"Why?"
"I don't know why exactly, but they got real friendly last night only for them to be nowhere near each other this morning."
Without time to waste, Luffy dashed up to the kitchen – not for food for once. "Saaaanjiiii!" he yelled out.
The cook's ear practically twitched upon the sound of his name being called. He kept his attention focused on what was on his counter, not bothered by the door flying open.
"Did Jolene really not come with us?" the captain questioned as he marched up to him.
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"She didn't want to." He finished filling a bowl and took it over to the table. There was a card game going on with Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper. Robin was reading a new book. Aurilee was finishing up a drawing. It was nice providing a snack without having to hunt everyone down.
"Go fish," Chopper said.
Confused, Zoro looked up from his hand. "Uh, we're playing poker, Chopper."
"Poker? I thought we were playing blackjack," Usopp chimed in.
Zoro exhaled as if his patience was being tested.
"Uno," Robin played.
All three of them glanced at her, but she just smiled to suppress a snicker.
The only one not paying attention just pushed her finished product aside to start a fresh drawing. Sanji thought for a second that she was showing it to him. It showed a man with a remarkably muscular physique and shoulder-length hair wearing only a loincloth and a bow going diagonal across his torso. Falling into step next to him was a massive white wolf. For only having a pencil in hand, she managed to give it great detail and captured how menacing her father was in just his human form.
Not wanting to break her concentration, he moved on. "But why?" Luffy persisted, dipping his hand into the bowl to grab a big portion of the snack.
"I don't know why, Luffy," Sanji deflected. "She just didn't want to." He poked his head out of the doorway to call out as merrily as possible. "I have a snack, Nami!"
He stuffed the food in his mouth and got to munching. That's when he too noticed Aurilee's drawing. While she was getting another paper set up, he took a seat between her and Zoro. "Is that your dad?" he asked as he picked it up to get a closer look.
Surprised by the interest in her little doodle, she paused to look at him. He pulled it close to his face and scrunched his nose. "That's how I remember him, yeah," she answered, a little entertained.
"He looks strong."
The comment made her smile. When she was a child, yes, Paititi was strong. He was in peak physical condition. Climbing trees and sheer walls was never a challenge for him. Even lifting her up to place her on his shoulders, he never strained. She could not help but wonder if grief over her disappearance hindered any of that. Another thing to take into consideration was his age. His timeline was quite interesting when she thought about it. The first time he ever transformed with Skah, he was more than a dozen moons younger than she currently was. By the time he came out of it, all the children in the tribe had grown up and the elderly had passed. Nobody knew who he was. Out of fear, they labeled him a demon and shunned him. He was a grown adult by then. There was a chance he would be considered an old man by the time she reunited with him.
"He is," she agreed with memories of those fourteen moons spent with him coming back to her. Wanting to talk about him more, she turned her head, but Luffy had abandoned the drawing to join in the card game. An embarrassed sweat droplet fell down her temple when she realized he moved on. She swore he had the attention span of a goldfish sometimes.
Luckily, Sanji had sat down at the end of the table on her other side. Both of his elbows were pressed against the table, and he rested his chin against his knuckles. He was quite ready to hear what she had to say as he waited with a cute smile. Knowing that relieved her of the embarrassment.
She discreetly slipped the paper to her other side. "Should I do my mom next?" she questioned the cook.
"If you want to," he replied, closing his eyes for a moment. "What's she like?"
"Hmm," she hummed, pressing her pencil back against the blank paper to start transcribing the image she had in mind. "Well, she raised me by herself for most of my life. I used to think she was hard on me back then, but now I realize she was just stressed out a lot."
"Did she want to raise you by herself?"
"I think she thought she could do a good enough job, but when Papa came back around, she realized she didn't want to do it alone anymore. She was definitely in better moods after that."
"She must be a special lady for taking on such a challenge. And I think she did a good job."
She looked at him with lips pursed, trying her best to accept the compliment without being awkward. "I'd hate for her hard work to go to waste."
He laughed and dropped his arms. "It won't now that you got your own kids to raise."
As if in agreement with him, one of her triplets brushed a limb across the surface of her womb to disrupt the smooth roundness. She instinctively rested a hand on the area to feel the limb be retracted. One of these days, she would get to hold the little feet and hands that kicked her and pushed against her. It made her wonder if Tayen had the same kind of thoughts when she was carrying her without knowing what the future held.
Her mother may have made mistakes when parenting and failed to keep her emotions in check at times, but she still expressed her love for Aurilee when it counted. There were protective hugs and affectionate kisses. In fact, she was the first person who ever called her pretty. Despite her unique attributes, Tayen probably saw both herself and Paititi in their child. They made a cute baby. Now that Aurilee was fully grown, she wondered if she would take after her mother in the face.
What ended up being drawn contrasted that, though. Almost effortlessly, a kneeling woman with sharper facial features than what Aurilee possessed came to fruition. Okay, so she took after her father more. Tayen's jaw was more triangular, and her nose was a little wider. When satisfied with the image, she quickly added Rikea the wolf next to her. It was amusing how fast she did it with the same level of details as the other drawing. All those hours spent doodling with Millie came in handy after all.
She was about to declare completion when she realized she forgot something important. She erased a little bit to give Tayen a feminine version of peak physique. Strong muscles in the arms, legs, and core were lined. She was so used to her mother from memories alone that she had to remind herself that she shapeshifted the very first time the day she was kidnapped. There was no going back once the souls became one. "I know I keep talking about my cool shapeshifting Papa, but my Mama gave those pirates hell when they took me."
Sanji saw what she meant when the paper was slid to him. Talk about a muscle mommy. Involuntarily, his heart eye extended toward the drawing.
Realizing he was getting the hots for her mother, Aurilee quickly swiped it away from him. For some reason, she thought that because it was a depiction of the person who birthed her into this world, he would find restraint. Nope. He was still a horny bastard. "Seriously?! That's my mom!" she blurted out a little too loud.
Everyone at the table looked their way for a second.
"Booo! Go back to horny jail, Sanji!" Usopp shamed as he selected a card from his hand and laid it on the table.
"Kinky cook," Zoro mumbled just to get under his skin.
"Aurilee's mom? That's pretty bad, Sanji," Luffy teased.
Chopper giggled at how everyone was giving him crap for it.
"Oh, shut up!" Sanji argued, his cheeks turning light pink out of embarrassment.
Aurilee laughed at how everyone seemingly had her back on this. She could not help but add to it. "Being into cougars is one thing, but a werewolf? You might not get too far with that."
He was not inherently into older women, so the jab was not meant to be personal. It was merely a reminder that her mother – and her father, at that – could tear him apart if he impeded her parents' relationship. Seeing him ponder her banter tickled her, making him nervously laugh.
Robin's gaze lifted from her book to watch the two of them. They were experiencing tension just a few hours ago, but now they were completely fine. It was a sign that Sanji patched things up with her. Better late than never. She let the corners of her mouth curve upwards until the sound of fast footsteps came rushing up the stairs and to the door.
"We got company," Nami told them with a little bit of urgency.
Without skipping a beat, everyone dropped what they were doing and came outside to see what was going on. Merry was still sailing, and the sea lapped her hull rhythmically. When everyone hurried to the bow, they were afraid that the Marines had caught up to them. That was not the case at all. Instead of a massive turquoise ship intercepting them, there were lots of smaller boats anchored around with others zipping around. They were fast, did not have sails, and made audible revving sounds.
Around the anchored boats were people lounging in floats and jumping into the water, and most of the moving ones were dragging behind them objects with riders on them. Skiers looked like they were standing on water. Some riders were sitting on their knees on a board, taking advantage of hard turns and jumping the wake. Others were laying on their stomachs on flat inflatables, doing their best to not get thrown off by rough artificial waves.
Now Nami understood why the map had a boat symbol next to the redneck territory. This place was full of people taking advantage of the warm weather. They just had to find out if they were as friendly as the hillbillies.
It was quite hard to miss the pirate ship coming their way. One boat let their curiosity get the best of them. It slowed as it came up to the side of the Merry. The Straw Hats encountered three people: two men and one woman. From appearances alone, they were already very different from the hillbillies. The men were tall and wide, wearing blue jeans and t-shirts with the sleeves cut off. The woman was more on the shorter side, and her big breasts and fat rolls were barely contained in her tank top. Suddenly, the pirates understood why they were called rednecks. It was obvious that being outside without proper sunblock was the norm; their shoulders, chests, and necks were all bright pink. At least they were smart enough to wear sunglasses.
The male redneck with his dirty blonde hair lifted his polarized sunglasses to his forehead. "I ain't seen a boat that big since my momma tied hers to a barge and tried to claim it as her own," he said quickly and in one breath.
Usopp gulped back a snicker. The accent was the exact same as the hillbillies, and the one comment reminded him of Ellis, but this was bound to be a whole other experience.
"Hey!" Luffy greeted with a big smile. "We're looking for Sasquatch. You guys know him?"
"Oh lawd," the woman replied with amusement. She lifted her brown bottle of alcohol into the air. "You're talkin' 'bout Bigfoot. He be madder than two midgets fightin' in an outhouse."
Zoro cocked an eyebrow at the random comparison while Luffy smiled with the desire to giggle.
"Bigfoot?" Nami repeated.
"Yeah. Big guy. Lots of hair. Leaves bigger footprints than a fat clown on his twelfth pair of shoes."
Luffy giggled. Chopper just tilted his head.
"So you've seen him?" Usopp questioned to try getting to the point.
"Nah. Nobody has," the first redneck confirmed. "He be slicker than the devil wearin' velvet pants dipped in a pool of baby oil."
Usopp immediately deflated until his arms supported his body on the railing. The hillbilly who originally told the story of Sasquatch last night did say that nobody had laid eyes on one, but it was not like this was a story made up by some little kid's imagination. Legends like these were always linked to some version of the truth.
Robin spoke up since solving puzzles was a hobby of hers. "Is there anyone you know who can give us more information about this 'Bigfoot'? Someone who thinks they've seen him?"
"People have looked, but they always come out empty-handed," the other male redneck disclosed. "Doesn't stop 'em from comin', though. The wheel's turnin', but the hamster's still dead. Feel free to go huntin' yourself. You'll probably end up like the rest."
"Hunting where exactly?" Sanji asked.
All three of them pointed to Appalachia.
The Straw Hats gazed at Aurilee, who shook her head. There was no point in sticking around this gigantic island because this was not where she came from. Hunting for her shapeshifting parents anywhere else was a waste of precious time.
"Well, if you're truly that interested in Bigfoot, I'd go check out what the cajuns gotta say over at Bayou," the blonde redneck offered. "I'm pretty sure they can help you out better than we can. Even a blind hog can find a corn cob eventually if he rolls down in the mud long enough."
When the others seemed confused by the suggestion, Nami pulled her map out again to show them. They all glanced over her shoulders before turning around to where the other land mass was. The only problem was that they could not see it at all; a giant gray cloud had shrouded the sky, and the film of rain was so dense that the strait was opaque. It came out of nowhere. Not even Nami detected any indication of bad weather moving in.
The motorized boats that were out started moving toward the land to wait it out. It was almost like this was simply another typical day for them. "Ya'll'll get there quicker than a fart in a whirlwind," he continued as he reclaimed his seat behind the steering wheel. They saw the same thing and decided to book it until they could come back out for the rest of the day. "Good luck!" Their boat accelerated and took a sharp turn back toward Mudville.
"See ya!" Luffy called out with a wave of his arm. He turned back to his crew. "Bayou it is then."
"Get ready to get wet," Nami advised, rolling her map back up. There was no indication of it being a thunderstorm, just a really heavy rainstorm.
"No, thanks," Aurilee replied. "That's how I got in this situation."
Everyone simultaneously looked at her. When their eyes shifted toward her belly, she started cracking up.
"Oh my god," Zoro exhaled as he stepped away to help change direction.
Usopp's jaw dropped when he realized the play on words and what she was referencing. "Seriously?! That's so messed up!" he shamed, which only made her laugh more.
"Huh? I don't get it," Luffy said.
Chopper stood far below everyone else with a downcast gaze. He could not help but recall what he had read in his medical books about sexual reproduction and make the connection in the joke. "I do."
"Oh no. Not Chopper," Nami commented as she debated squatting to offer him emotional support.
Despite the genuine laughter coming from Aurilee, Sanji still found himself concerned about her wellbeing. He brushed his hand against her shoulder to try offering comfort. "Aurilee, Baby, are you okay?"
"I'm laughing!" she insisted. "Come on. It was funny."
Robin just smiled and walked away as if everything was perfectly fine. Things were about to get a little hairy. A little bit of dark humor could not hurt at this point.
The storm brought with it unforgiving winds and tantruming waves. Merry was taking a beating as she pushed through it. After a support rope snapped, Luffy had himself completely stretched as a substitute. Without him, the mast was destined to come down. It was already bolted down with metal plates around its circumference after Luffy ripped it from the deck to impale Laboon the whale with it. Usopp would be scrambling to fix it again if it came tumbling back down.
Luckily, the captain was determined to keep their vessel intact and afloat. Merry was part of their crew, after all. She deserved to be protected at all costs. Both of his arms were wrapped around the mast just underneath the crow's nest while Zoro and Sanji pulled with all their strength down below. The deck swayed intensely as it attempted to tangle their footing while the constant rain made the wood slippery.
Up in the kitchen, Chopper, Usopp, and Nami were all desperately pulling the lever that acted as the helm. The strong currents being powered by the blasting winds were wanting to shove them off course to Bayou. The whole time, water was entering the room. Dishes and kitchen appliances/tools were nervously rattling with the constant shifting around.
"Hold it!" Nami persisted through gritted teeth as veins in her forehead bulged with the effort.
In the corner of the room, Aurilee spectated while a bunch of hands kept her fastened safely. The severe rocking of the Merry was not hers to fight against. There were babies that needed protection. Any bump or fall she endured could spell disaster. Robin decided for her to sit this one out.
The archaeologist sat casually at the table with her arms crossed. Not only was she protecting Aurilee, but she was also pulling the helm to help the other three.
"This is nothing like a fart in a whirlwind!" Usopp criticized. They were going to get to Bayou fast, huh? This was the longest straight shot he ever experienced!
"Could be worse," Chopper reasoned with strain in his voice. "We could be attacked by sea kings right now."
"Don't jinx us!"
Outside, against the howling wind, they heard Zoro and Sanji yelp.
"Chopper!" Usopp yelled in disbelief.
Robin got up to stand in the open doorway, getting blasted by the rain just to see what was happening outside. The combination of crashing waves, spraying of water, and thrashing winds were starting to loosen their grips and footings. They already hated working together. This was not helping at all. She quickly summoned hands from the deck to secure their ankles, and even added arms to hold onto Luffy. The assistance relieved Sanji. "Thank you, Robin, my queen~!" he called out in hopes she would hear him.
"The map room is still open!" Zoro griped.
Robin stepped more into the storm to push the door beneath her closed. For a moment, she alone was keeping everything from utter collapse. But there were too many things to concentrate on. The feeling of the ship on the verge of tipping over as it harshly swayed side to side tested her sturdy stance. She had to constantly blink against the rain and wind. Aurilee felt her constricting hug release with pink flower petals floating away. She carefully followed Robin, grabbing the banister and seeing just what they were dealing with. The storm prevented her from being able to open her eyes fully. No wonder Robin released her. She could not do all this by herself. "Let me help," she requested.
Robin hesitated. Now that Aurilee was back in her vicinity, she could secure her once more, but they were facing the elements. The rain was so thick that it had already completely soaked through her clothes. Her skin resembled a freshly defeathered chicken carcass. She needed to be in a dry place more than anything right now. "The map room," she answered. "Keep it closed and stay inside."
She nodded and firmly held the railing all the way down the slick stairs. There would be a day when she was teaching her children about safety, so she found herself following the same advice. It would be ironic to fall down the stairs and kickstart her labor while emphasizing the correct way to do it when they were toddlers.
She had to double check her steps before committing to them. Zigzagging down the stairs happened to flow with the swaying. Once she touched the deck, she nearly lost it, but she caught herself and decided to lower herself onto her hands and knees. Robin's single arm dissipated, showing how the door was unable to hold itself closed. Zoro and Sanji watched her crawl for it.
About halfway there, the Merry lurched again. A towering wave splashed against her hull hard enough to create foam. All of it washed over them all. Luffy suddenly snapped back into his original shape. Luckily, he kept his hug on the mast intact, so he did not go flying away. But he did watch three members of his crew crash into the starboard wall. Zoro flattened Sanji, and both of them hit the deck a little dazed. Aurilee squealed as she attempted to not break her fall with her face. Scrambling to lessen the blow, she prepared for it to hurt. "Zoro! Catch her!" Luffy called out with concern. Zoro already anticipated her arrival, though, so he grabbed her in time.
"Thanks," she said as she turned to face the open door again.
"Don't mention it," he replied. "Shouldn't you be used to being on your hands and knees?"
At first, she did not understand what he meant, but then she realized he was making light of their predicament like she had a few minutes ago. Ah, gotta love dark humor. "Guess I need more practice," she sarcastically played with an involuntary smile.
He glanced at the love cook. "You heard her."
Before Sanji could retort, they all went sliding in the opposite direction. Zoro quickly found the correct aim and secured her by the buttock just to push her right toward the door. She rode it just right and caught it. The method was unorthodox, but hey, it worked. As she lay on her side, her hands gripped the trim that surrounded the door. Being level for a brief moment was all she needed to pull herself inside the room.
Luffy tied his ankles together and stretched himself back toward the physically strongest. They were still struggling to get back to their feet, but they locked hands with their captain and used leverage to their advantage. By the time Aurilee shut the door, they were about to have things somewhat under control again.
She panted in the dark room. Every inch of her body was soaked. Her hair was plastered against her skin. She sat with her back against the door, still trying to stay steady with the deep swaying. "That's one way to rock a boat," she muttered to herself. Looking down, she could not help but include those who were stuck with her until adulthood. "You guys good? Kick once for no, twice for yes."
Her sentence was not even finished before one of them boxed her ribs. It hurt now. She did not want to know what one with full strength felt like at full term gestation.
"Okay," she said with a little groan. "I'll take that as a yes. What about the rest of you, huh?" She pressed her fingers gently to stimulate them, and they responded with a game of footsie. It made her smile. "You guys are so cute, and I don't even know what you look like yet."
When her hands settled on the wooden floor, she noticed how wet it was. Although it was to be expected after what just happened, it still got Aurilee thinking. This room was Nami's workspace, and all of her projects were stored here…Projects that were made of paper.
Aurilee grabbed the lantern that was on her desk and twisted a knob until it illuminated. She saw how the wind disheveled some of the maps onto the floor, which had a layer of water on it. Her heart suddenly broke for Nami. This was bad. A chair was propped up against the door to keep it shut as she fought with the swaying to get the room cleaned up. The lantern showed how ink was smeared until it was indistinguishable and unreadable. She tried to find a way to let the paper dry, but she was clueless on how to fix things.
It was such a hefty task that she did not notice how the ship entered calmer waters. The door tried to open from the outside, but the chair prevented it. She hurried over to meet Luffy, but the bright sunshine initially made him appear to be a hazy silhouette. "Good, you're okay," he said with undoubted relief.
"Nami's maps aren't," she disclosed. "I don't know what to do."
"My maps?!" she suddenly blurted out. The orange-haired navigator practically jumped over the banister instead of using the stairs just to get there faster. She forced herself past Aurilee to see the mess. Even though she had tried to move things around and find places to keep the papers, it was still a good amount of damage. She knelt to start figuring out what was lost and what could be recovered.
She felt pity pull at her heart. "I'm sorry, Nami–" Aurilee tried soothing.
"Don't," she interrupted, not in the mood for her sympathy. She worked so hard to get her supply to this volume. If she wanted to save damaged maps, she had to get them dry and try to replicate them on fresh paper. That was if she could read them at all.
When Aurilee stepped out of the room, she saw why Nami's nerves were raw. Her tangerine trees were hurt during the storm. Many branches and loose tangerines littered the ship. Usopp and Sanji were up in the mini orchard trying to lift a fallen tree and stabilize it back into the soil. Those were her home away from home. If any of them were to die, it would hurt.
Without much thought behind it, Aurilee got back on her hands and knees to start cleaning up. They could add the fallen tangerines to Sanji's pantry, and she might be able to make arrows with the branches. Luffy noticed her haste and joined her. "I think you did good," he told her. "If Nami does lose maps, she lost a lot less because of you."
She sat up on her haunches for a moment. Luffy was showing optimism more than worry about the aftermath. It appeared that nobody was hurt, and that was all that mattered to him. Merry's sails had little to no stress tears in them, and her mast was still standing. The dark clouds were at their tail. Bayou was probably close by. Everything was fine. "Thanks, Luffy," she answered with gratitude.
Zoro peered down from above. "That's one way to get more practice," he jabbed with a straight face.
She gazed up at him and smirked. If this was the game he wanted to play, she was all in. "You know who doesn't need more practice? You," she replied with a giggle.
The implication that he was already good at being on his hands and knees got him to relinquish an amused smirk. He was starting to understand one of her coping mechanisms for her trauma. Instead of always being upset about it (which would not change anything), she decided to make jokes and laugh about it. It still would not change what happened to her, but it still made her feel better. Well, who was he to stop her? They might as well roll with it and keep her entertained.
According to the map, Bayou had a single place that was marked like Mudville was for the rednecks. For the cajuns, there was a sketch of a gator in the water. Usopp immediately got riled up as memories of Banana Gators back in Alabasta resurfaced. "Do we really have to go to Bayou?" he whined. "I think I'm developing the 'big reptile disease.' Luffy! If we go there, I'll succumb to my disease and die! Do you really want that to happen?"
"You think they're those weird looking bananas?" Luffy asked while looking over Nami's shoulder.
She saw no indication of the odd growth in the sketch, so she answered honestly. "Probably not, but we'll see when we get there."
Aurilee heard the gloom in her tone. Her maps were hanging from many clips around her map room and a few in the girls' quarters. Until they dried out, she could not start redoing them. She looked to Luffy and Usopp with a questionable expression. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Oh, back in Alabasta, Crocodile trapped us in the bottom of his casino, and we were almost eaten by these giant bananas," Luffy explained.
The contemplation of what the event must have looked like baffled her. In her head, there was just a gigantic banana chasing the crew in circles as they screamed in fear.
"For the last time, they weren't bananas!" Nami corrected with irritation. "They were Banana Gators!"
Sanji grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on his counter and placed it on top of his head with a point of his finger. He was trying to nonverbally tell Aurilee why they had the name. Luckily, she understood, and her confusion transformed into amusement. Gigantic alligators with bananas on their heads now chased the crew in circles, according to her head.
"Then why did they have bananas growing out of their heads?" Luffy contended.
"They just looked like bananas! They weren't actual bananas," Usopp answered.
"Anyway," Nami redirected, "yes, we still have to go to Bayou if we want to find Sasquatch or Bigfoot or whatever he's called. There's no way around it."
"Ugh," Usopp groaned. "You're lucky I like you, Aurilee. I really don't want to get eaten alive today."
"Me neither," Aurilee replied. Her lips squiggled as she tried holding in the next sentence, but it came out still. "I'd rather get eaten out."
Zoro suppressed a laugh and immediately exited the room. At the same time, Sanji's head jerked in her direction with an alarmed reaction. But she had her hands over her mouth and was leaning over the table in a silent laugh. Saying it aloud made it sound much worse than she intended. It was embarrassing but hilarious.
Nami was both horrified and grossed out, and seeing Aurilee laugh at her own joke increased those feelings. Usopp was the same way. "Again," he emphasized with a hand motioning toward how pregnant she was. "That is so messed up!"
"It just came out!" Aurilee defended sloppily. "Just like–"
"Zip it! Not another word from that dirty mouth of yours!" he interrupted before she could blindside them all with yet another joke.
Luffy's laughter highlighted the chaos in the small room. He had no idea what the joke meant, but he did not care. Aurilee was cackling at how freaked out everyone was, and it was entertaining enough for him as a spectator.
"Land ho!" Chopper announced from outside.
When they all went out to join the rest, Merry was approaching Bayou fast. They quickly understood why there was a gator sketch on the map. The water began shifting to a gross green color. Unlike Appalachia, the island was not noticeably lifted from the water. In fact, it was pretty level with the ocean to allow for swamps to appear. Bald cypress trees lined the soil and sprouted from the shallows. Their leaves hung low as if the swamp itself was depressed. Lilypads were scattered about. And they thought there were many fallen logs littering the area, but then they saw how mobile they were. They were not Banana Gators, but there were a lot of them.
Zoro dropped the anchor, scaring off a group of gators in the process. There was a rickety old dock they could hop over to, but nobody was volunteering quite yet. Something just seemed really gross about the island. The swamp smelled bad, and the vegetation looked like it was crawling with insects like mosquitoes and ticks. There was a walkway of planks nailed together loosely, but still…
"So…do we all have to go?" Nami questioned with her nose scrunching.
A gator hissed audibly, making Usopp gulp. "We c-could draw sticks."
"I'll go!" Luffy volunteered. "Who's with me?"
Without verbalizing it, Zoro and Robin went ahead and hopped over onto the dock. Sanji lifted Aurilee's hand. "Aurilee, my lovely flower in the wind, would you feel more comfortable staying here?"
The softness of his touch and words riveted her for a couple of seconds. "I kind of want to go for information's sake, but…" she trailed.
Chopper's nose visibly sniffed the air. "Someone's coming," he warned, climbing up the wall to sit on it. Zoro and Robin turned toward the inside of the island to see for themselves. Sure enough, a head wearing a tattered straw hat appeared on the walkway. An older, dark-skinned man with a thick gray beard and an old pair of overalls almost did not realize they were there until he made the dock creak. Zoro and Robin startled him despite them not being the ones moving. "Excuse me," Robin greeted.
The man visibly jumped in response. He wore no shoes, so his bare feet sunk into the mud.
"We're looking for the cajuns. Does this walkway take us to them?"
He stepped back out of the swamp with a little bit of annoyance. "No, it takes ya to where us creoles live."
"Alright," Zoro started. Cajun. Creole. It did not matter to him. They came here for a reason. "Do you know anything about Sasquatch or Bigfoot?"
No recollection was read in his face.
"You know, a big hairy monster that walks on two legs?"
"I don't know about any Sasquatch or Bigfoot, but that kind of sounds like Loup-garou," the man replied. He walked up the dock more so he could sit on the edge and dunk his dirty feet in the water. Usopp and Nami watched with apprehension as gators reacted to the water's surface being disturbed. He legitimately did not care about their presence and how vulnerable to attack he was making himself. "Gotta say, he's a cursed man. One minute he's a man, the next he's a wolf."
Aurilee heard and literally shoved Sanji aside to go peer over at him. "Say that one more time, please, Sir."
"What? He's a wolf-man. 'Course, he's just a legend–"
"Where has this thing been seen? Maybe an island close by?"
"Beats me. They used to think he walked these swamps. Keeps young'un's out of trouble, y'know."
The hairs on the back of her neck were practically bristling. She had to agree, her father was a wolf-man, and he could transform just as fast as he could disappear. There was no way this stranger was perfectly describing her parents and it not be real.
"So…" Luffy spoke up, "can we look around for him?"
"You can, but you won't get far, I'm afraid."
"Tell us where to go to get far then," Aurilee impatiently and eagerly insisted. "Please. It's really important."
A gator brushed against his foot, but instead of pulling away, he just decided to use it as a footrest. The oversized reptile lifted its head out of the water and opened its mouth to hiss with exasperation. "I'd go to Lone Star Island if I were you. They're so weird over there you might catch a break."
Usopp fell back with his legs in the air. This whole thing was just becoming a wild goose chase. Going island to island looking for different monsters. Would it ever end?
"Who's over there that we can talk to?" Aurilee asked.
"Cowboys live in those parts. I'm sure one can help you out."
She patted Merry. "Alrighty. Sounds like we keep sailing then."
Nami sighed but tried perking up for Aurilee's sake. "Hey, a wolf-man is a much better lead than just a big hairy guy. I say we're getting closer."
Zoro helped Robin board back onto the ship. "Sasquatch, Bigfoot, and now Loup-garou. Your father is pretty famous, Aurilee," Robin observed.
"Famous, except nobody's seen him," Chopper added. "That's kind of weird."
"I know," she replied. "I'm ready for someone to actually know something instead of it being legends."
"Don't get your hopes down," Sanji comforted.
"They're not. My hopes are up," she assured him with an exaggerated smile.
Zoro pulled the anchor back up, and the man helped push their ship away into deeper waters. "Good luck," he wished as they all departed. A gator tried jumping up toward him, but he slapped it away nonchalantly.