I do not own One Piece
It is owned by Oda
I just own the OC's
Enjoy!
Little Garden opening: Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari(Naruto Shippuden OP 3
Jou POV
Things seemed pretty serious for the crew as of now. Nami, Zoro, and Vivi were on top of a huge cake made of wax. Each of them seemingly stuck in place as wax cascaded down on them. Jou showed up in time to help in this fight and smirked toward the ones on the cake.
"Didn't think I'd miss this, would ya?" Jou asked.
"Jou!" Nami called a smile coming to her face again.
"Look who finally decided to show up," Zoro commented.
"He's alive?!" Vivi exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Tch, tough bastard," Mr. 5 grunted. "Could've sworn my Nose Fancy Cannon blew him up on impact."
"Not really..." Jou shook his head. "Though it was enough to knock me out for a while. Didn't wake up until I heard a shout..."
Jou lay buried underneath the destroyed trees from the explosion. He was completely unconscious from the blast that came from Mr. 5 when he was tailing him to see where they were headed. If only he didn't blow his cover. He wasn't moving an inch until...
"AAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The sudden scream he heard from somewhere across the island caused him to stir awake. He slowly pushed out from the demolished trees and let out a breath. The last thing he remembered before passing out, he was following where they were taking Vivi. He adjusted his hat and turned to where the scream had to have come from. Maybe the others were in trouble as well. He couldn't find Nami and Usopp after he finished that dinosaur. There's something going and Jou knew that's where he needed to be.
"I gotta save the others..."
"You guys aren't looking too good," Jou commented to Nami, Zoro, and Vivi on the weird-looking cake. "You sure you're okay?"
"We'll be fine!" Nami answered. "Just hurry up and help Luffy destroy his cake!"
"With Jou here, we'll be out of this in no time," Zoro figured.
"Are you sure about that?" Vivi wondered seeming doubtful. Jou stepped beside Luffy, his chain over his shoulder.
"Captain, what's going on?" Jou questioned.
"Take a look," Luffy said. "The others are on that big weird cake with that spinning pumpkin thing on top."
"Wax, huh?" Jou wondered taking a look at the cake and figuring out what it was.
"Yeah, it's from that guy!" Luffy pointed at a man with a haircut styled into a three. Jou realized immediately that this was Mr. 3, the agent Mr. 5 mentioned earlier when he was following them.
"Hahahaha!" Mr. 3 laughed and smirked at Jou. "Well, if it isn't the man with the second-highest bounty in the East Blue. The Marines will give anyone a bounty these days."
"Uh huh..." Jou replied and leaned over to Luffy. "So, does this guy not realize his hair is on fire?"
"I know, right..." Luffy agreed. "It's so weird."
"Would you morons forget about his hair!" Nami shouted and then realized Zoro. "Zoro, why are you standing like that?"
"If I'm gonna be a statue I prefer this pose," Zoro said as he held his sword in the air.
"This is no time to be playing around!?" Vivi shouted.
"Who said anything about playing?" Zoro questioned.
"Do you think you could at least do something about all this blood?" Nami pointed out. "I'm getting nauseous just looking at it."
"Then just ignore it," Zoro told her.
"It's kind of hard to ignore," Nami commented. "You're the one who thought it was a bright idea to cut his own legs off so we could escape from here?"
"That wasn't the point," Zoro stated. "I was gonna cut them off so that we could fight."
"Oh, was that the plan?" Nami remarked. "Cause that's an even worse idea!"
"Whatever," Zoro grunted.
"Seriously?" Nami added. "Sometimes I think you were born without any common sense at all!"
Jou noticed Brogy beside the cake. Hands and feet encased in wax along with large spikes stuck in them. Jou figured that loud scream had to have come from Brogy. If it wasn't for that, Jou would still be under all those trees.
"Brogy..." Jou called to the giant. "What's a great warrior like yourself doing trapped in there? Don't worry, leave it to us. We'll take care of them."
"Heh, thanks," Brogy grinned.
"Yeah, looks like I'm gonna have to let them take over from here," Zoro smirked.
"Alright," Brogy nodded.
Jou took note of who he, Luffy, and the others had to go against. The pair from Whiskey Peak was here. Mr. 3 was new. He had the ability to use wax but it was unclear how dangerous he was and there was a young girl. Jou assumed she was Mr. 3's partner. She ate rice crackers and drank while all this was going on and wasn't all that concerned. Jou wasn't sure what kind of abilities she had but felt he should worry about that later and keep his focus Mr. 3.
No POV
"They don't seem terribly worried about what's going to happen to them, Mr. 3?" Miss Goldenweek commented pointing toward Vivi and the others.
"And you don't seem terribly worried about making sure it happens, Miss Goldenweek!?" Mr.3 retorted.
"Solidify already..." Mr.3 thought fearfully as he looked at others on the wax cake.
"If you wanna die in a cool pose, Nami, you better hurry up," Zoro said, sword raised in the air.
"I got other things to worry about!" Nami snapped.
"They're acting so careless like this with no other reason than to mock us!" Mr. 3 exclaimed. "They've been acting this way ever since those two showed up. Of course!"
"Let's do this," Jou stated red chain over his shoulder.
"All right!" Luffy said slamming his fists together.
"Luffy, listen to this..." Jou seemed to have started discussing an idea of some kind to the captain.
"Mr.3..." Mr.5 called. "We'll be happy to take care of these two."
"Take care of him?" Mr. 3 questioned. "Please, don't be ridiculous. I sent you to take care of straw hat and look!? You weren't even able to finish Dual-Chain either! Each of them standing in front of us alive and well, interfering with my artistic process! I think it's clear that you can't handle them. They're obviously too much for you. Wouldn't you agree?" Mr. 3 fell into a stance. "You two can deal with the others if you think you're up to it, that is? I can take care of them. They'll both make an excellent addition to my collection. Hahahaha!"
"I think I've had way more than enough of you!" Usopp claimed while wearing his goggles and seated on Carue, aiming his slingshot. "And if you cretins know what's going for ya?! You'll give up now!" Carue gave a quack in agreement.
"Hmm? Is that right?" Mr.3 grinned letting wax droop from his hand.
"Let's go!" Usopp ordered Carue who quacked and then took cover behind the trees. "Kay! We're safely in position now! We got you guys from here, Luffy and Jou!" Jou was still telling Luffy about his idea.
"Hmm?" Luffy hummed turning to Usopp. "Did you say something?"
Jou POV
"Now I've got you!" Mr. exclaimed. "Candle Lock!" Mr. 3 launched a spray of wax toward Jou and Luffy.
"Luffy, now!" Jou unfurled his steel chain and ran toward Mr. 3. "Fade-Step!" he avoided the wax thrown his way and closed the gap between him and Mr. 3. "Dual-Chain Revolver!"
"Candle Wall!" Mr. 3 formed a wall of wax to completely deflect Jou's attack. "Candle Lock!" He peeked out from behind the wall and let loose another stream of wax. Jou evaded the wax and sprinted to reach Mr. 3. Jou saw him start to form a weapon of some sort with his wax. Jou reached into his holster for one of his throwing knives. He flung it while the wax man finished making his weapon.
"Wax-Wax Harpoon!" Mr. 3 launched his wax harpoon at Jou. Jou bounded over it and started twirling his chains and gathered wind.
"Dual-Chain Cyclone!" Jou sent a gust of wind that knocked Mr. 3 backward. The man screamed as his back hit a tree. He looked up and gave another shout of alarm as Jou dashed at him and swung both of his chains. Mr. 3 ducked and rolled to avoid the attack causing Jou to knock down the tree instead.
"Candle Lock!" Mr. 3 sent more wax to Jou. Jou avoided it by jumping back with a few cartwheels. "Candle Lock!" Mr. 3 shot another stream of wax. Jou got himself ready to avoid it but didn't need to since his captain decided to jump in the way to let the wax hit him and completely encase his legs.
"What the...?!" Usopp shouted. "Luffy, what're you doing?"
"Moron!" Nami commented.
"Luffy!" Vivi called.
"He let himself get caught?!" Zoro questioned.
"Luffy, mind explaining what you're doing?" Jou wondered. "This wasn't part of the plan!"
"I know, it's mine!" Luffy grinned and looked at the wax on his legs. "Now, let's see..." He tapped on the hardened wax. "Yep, it's nice and heavy."
"What do you mean?" Jou asked. Jou was confused by what his captain had in mind right now but figured it out once he turned to the wax cake. "That thing must be pretty tough, isn't it?"
"Yeah, and with this, I destroy that thing," Luffy grinned.
"Go for it," Jou smirked. "I'll keep wax boy busy until then."
"Here I go!" Luffy stretched an arm toward one of Brogy's horns.
"Oh, no you don't!" Mr. 3 readied to hurl more wax to stop him. Jou used Fade-Step to get close to Mr. 3 and delivered a kick into his stomach. Jou assumed Mr. 3 had to have become weak due to the seastone which sent him flying and hitting the ground and rolling on his back.
"Hey, giant guy!" Luffy shouted twisting his arm around the helmet. "Excuse me!" Luffy spun around Brogy's horn and used the momentum to swing into the pillar. "Gum-Gum Mallet!" With enough force to break through the wax pillar causing it to fall off the cake.
"Alright!" Vivi and Nami cheered as Zoro smirked.
"Woohoo!" Luffy exclaimed happily. The top decoration of the wax cake was plummeting toward Nami, Zoro, and Vivi. Both girls screamed while Zoro gritted his teeth in worry. The decoration never reached them and landed on the next layer of the wax cake.
"Hey! The wax on my legs broke at the same time!" Luffy grinned. He looked and saw the top of the cake continued spinning. "Um, but wait? Why are they still there?"
"So, this was your idea?" Mr. 3 asked Jou.
"Hmm?" Jou rose a brow and couldn't help but let a smirk tug at his lips. "What are you talking about?
"Please don't try to be coy..." Mr. 3 commented. "Your obvious plan to keep me busy while straw hat frees your friends from my Candle Service Set."
"Pretty much," Jou shrugged. He turned to find that Luffy wasn't able to knock that top piece of the cake off which happened to still be spinning with wax raining on the others.
"We're okay now..." Nami breathed in relief.
"We didn't die," Vivi added.
"We're still alive but that really didn't help at all," Zoro commented.
That was a close one!" Luffy exclaimed. "But why didn't you guys run away?"
"Because we're stuck here!" Nami and Vivi shouted. "Isn't that obvious!?"
"Oh, really?" Luffy said nonchalantly. "So that's what's going on? The only thing you guys kept saying was that I needed to break the pillar. So that's what I did."
"Mr. Bushido...!" Vivi shouted at Zoro. "Do you really think it's a good idea to put our lives in that guy's hands!?"
"Well, we don't exactly have much of a choice, do we?" Zoro stated. "I don't know about you but I'm having a little bit of trouble moving right now."
"And you don't seem to be bothered by it somehow!?" Vivi yelled.
"I can't move..." Nami spoke trying to move her limbs. "What's happening? My body?! I don't know?! I can't move! It won't move, at all!"
"What?!" Jou's eyes widened.
"Hahaha! You fools!" Mr. 3 laughed. "All you did was move the candles closer! And by doing so, you have only sped up the solidifying process! You'll become wax figures sooner now! Well done!"
"My initial target was straw hat but I've decided you will be my main focus, dual-chain!" Mr. 3 stated as wax started to form on his hands. "You will make an excellent addition to my wax art collection!"
"Yeah, no thanks, jackass," Jou narrowed his eyes. "Luffy, hurry up and destroy that thing!"
"Right!" Luffy replied. "Yeah, I'm on it!"
"I don't think so, straw hat, Wax-Wax Harpoon!" Mr. 3 formed his weapon and tossed it. Jou dove out of the way to evade it. The harpoon was thrown at Luffy who was on Brogy's horn and jumped off to get away from it himself.
"Exploding Star!" Usopp launched a shot at Mr. 3. The wax man screamed when he noticed the ammunition flying in his direction. It never reached him as Mr. 5 got in the way with his mouth open and swallowed Usopp's Exploding Star in one gulp. The projectile seemed to have exploded in Mr. 5's gullet, smoke billowing out his mouth and giving out a smoky burp.
"That's not very flavorful," Mr. 5 commented. "Your gunpowder must not be too good."
"There's no way?!" Usopp blinked. "He ate it?!"
"This isn't really looking good for us, guys..." Zoro said to the two girls. "This damn thing is speeding up. Good thing I got my pose ready."
"Moron!" Nami shouted at Zoro.
"C'mon, Luffy!" Vivi yelled. "You have to hurry!" Luffy threw his arms back stretching them. Jou kept his focus on Mr. 3. The candle man grinning as if he had already won.
"Vivi's right!" Jou called back. "Destroy it, Luffy!"
"Right! So the pumpkin thing has to go!" Luffy exclaimed. "I'm on it now!"
"Good, I'll finish this wax freak!" Jou declared.
"I wouldn't get too confident now!" Mr. 3 grinned. "I would greatly appreciate it if you two would quit interfering with my creative activities! Candle Lock!" Mr. 3 extended both hands which encased both of Jou's hands and solidified around his chains.
"Jou!" Nami and Vivi both shouted.
"What the hell...?!" Zoro questioned. "Why didn't he try and avoid it?" Jou felt the hard wax envelop his hands and felt it almost start to weigh him down. Jou let a grin come to his lips. The more weight he had the more force he had. Jou ran toward Mr. 3 with the idea of attacking him with the use of his wax-covered chains.
"Here, how about you eat this!" Jou exclaimed. "You like attacking people with your wax let's see how you like it!"
"Nice try, you fool!" Mr. 3 guffawed. "Candle Wall!" He set his hands on the ground and placed a pillar of wax between him and Jou.
"Dual Chain Wax Cyclone!" Jou used his new improvised technique on the candle wall. He leaped toward it spun around in mid-air and struck the candle wall with his chains cased in wax. The attack was fortunately strong enough to break the wall and shatter the wax off his chains and hands. Once Jou's chains were free a heavy gust of wind sent Mr. 3 backward into the jungle screaming and knocking into a cluster of trees.
"And done...!" Jou breathed in relief, hanging his red chain over his shoulder. "Okay, Luffy, you destroy that wax cake and free the others?" Jou turned his head and found Luffy only standing still and not even trying to break the wax cake. "Uh, captain?"
"Yeah, what are you waiting for!?" Nami questioned. "Get us off this thing!"
"Nah, ah!" Luffy shook his head.
"Luffy!" Vivi pleaded. "Please just do it!"
"Not now," Luffy replied. "I... just don't feel like saving you."
"Luffy, come on!" Jou said stepping forward. "What's your problem?!" As Jou stepped closer, he noticed some kind of strange black symbol underneath Luffy's feet. "What the hell is that?" Jou heard someone eating not too far from where he was standing. He looked and found the same girl that was with Mr. 3, staring at them and munching on a rice cracker.
"My Color's Trap," said the girl.
"So... this is your doing, huh?" Jou asked as the girl just nodded. "Vivi, what's the deal with this kid?"
"That's Miss Goldenweek," Vivi mentioned. "A painter and Mr. 3's partner. She uses her paint to change someone's emotions. It's what she's doing to Luffy right now."
"Really?" Jou said staring at Miss Goldenweek.
"Jou, do something about the kid!" Zoro mentioned. "If you do she won't be able to stop you guys from destroying this thing!"
"I'm not going to attack her," Jou shook his head.
"This ain't no time to get soft!" Zoro stated. "She's the enemy!"
"Yeah, but she's also a kid," Jou said. "What do you want me to do? Beat her up?" Jou turned to Miss Goldenweek while she continued eating her rice cracker. "So, what's the deal with the symbol my captain's standing on."
"It's my color trap," Miss Goldenweek replied. "I call that one Betrayal Black. If you touch the paint you'll want to betray your friends no matter what they say. Even if they beg and plead for help."
"As I said earlier, her paints can change different emotions!" Vivi exclaimed. "Each color is a feeling!"
"Huh?" Nami wondered
"Her sense of color is so complete she can manipulate your mind," Vivi explained. "Just a splash of one of her colors and you'll be under her control."
"Under her control?" Zoro repeated. "Well, that's not good. That simple-minded oaf is already too easy to control. The last thing we need is someone messing with his mind."
"Does that mean that all he needs to do is get away from the paint and he'll be okay?" Nami wondered. "Jou, push Luffy away from the circle!"
"Fade Step!" Jou appeared beside the black circle and gently shoved his captain out of the circle. "Hey, captain. You back with us now?"
"Oh, hey, Jou," Luffy said looking around. "What just happened? I was acting really strange."
"You were basically under mind control," Jou mentioned.
"Really? Weird," Luffy blinked.
"Doesn't really matter," Jou said. "Look, now you can destroy that cake!"
"Hurry and help us now!" Vivi shouted.
"OK! I'm on my way right now!" Luffy started to rotate his arm until he quit moving altogether and suddenly began to laugh rather uncontrollably. "Hahahaha! Never mind! I just wanna laugh right now!"
"Now what's wrong with you?" Jou wondered. He looked under his captain's feet, not finding anything there, and noticed a yellow symbol this time on his red vest. "What is that?"
"Color trap again," Miss Goldenweek mentioned holding her paintbrush out. "Laughter Yellow." Luffy pounded on the ground while he continued to howl in laughter. "You should not have stepped out of the circle."
"Now she put it on his clothes..." Nami said.
"Jou!" Vivi called. "Help Luffy get his shirt off!"
"Okay!" Jou nodded. "If it'll get him to stop!" Jou rushed over to Luffy and reached toward him. "Alright, Captain time to st-" Suddenly Jou paused. He immediately dropped his chains and fell to his knees.
"Jou...?" he heard Nami say his name. Jou held his stomach and belted into a laughter that almost hurt his sides.
"Hahahahaha!" Jou cackled. "I don't know why I feel like this but it feels kinda fun!"
"Jou!" Nami shouted angrily.
"For crying out loud!" Zoro exclaimed. "Not him, too!" Jou could still hear the others talking even in the mood he was in. It was strange, he was still conscious but the state he was in wasn't what mood he was currently feeling. He had to save the others, he and Luffy, but there was no way they could even if they were cracking up like this.
"H-Hey, Captain...?" Jou managed through fits of laughter.
"W-What?" Luffy chortled.
"You know what's funny right now...?" Jou wondered.
"What that!?" Luffy questioned barely able to contain himself.
"Why are you asking me?!" Jou guffawed. "I don't even know!"
"Hahahahahaha!" Each of Jou and Luffy laughed with their arms around their shoulders. Their laughter continued until they were each hit by something running by. Jou and Luffy were knocked onto the ground. Jou looked around in confusion. He had no control over his own emotions thanks to that girl's paint. Jou touched his head and found that his hat had fallen on his head. He found a yellow symbol smeared on his hat. No wonder he didn't see it coming. He saw Usopp riding on Carue's back who was being chased by Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. Jou was thankful they came by when they did or else he would have been stuck laughing. He saw Luffy getting up, the yellow paint smudged on his shirt, too.
"Okay..." Jou breathed out. "Back to actually saving the others..." he turned to the wax cake and his body froze. He found each of Nami, Vivi, and Zoro standing completely still, their forms encased in wax.
"Are they...?" Luffy also looked up to find the three in their current state.
"I don't think so..." Jou shook his head. "Not yet. We still have time. They just turned solid, they have to still be alive. We just can't do anything now thanks to her." Jou brought his attention back to Miss Goldenweek.
"Hey, painter girl!" Luffy shouted. "Stop messing with us already!"
"But you were having such a good time?" Miss Goldenweek questioned. "Wasn't it funny?"
"Well, yeah?!" Luffy exclaimed. "It was kinda funny! But stop! I've gotta see about breaking that pumpkin now! Gum-Gum...!" Jou put his arm out to stop Luffy. "Jou, what are you doing?" Jou just pointed his finger at the red symbol on the ground. "What is that?!"
"Oh, you ruined it," Miss Goldenweek pouted. "I was about to show you guys Bullfight Red."
"Quit the games already, kid," Jou glared. Out from the trees comes a flying charred Usopp and Carue. Jou made his way over to check on them to ensure they were okay. "Usopp, Carue. You guys okay?" He found Mr. 5 and Valentine coming out from the woods, the exploding man holding a pistol in his hand.
"Y-Yeah..." Usopp stammered lying on the ground. "I can't believe this guy! He didn't have any bullets to begin with! Hey, Carue? Are you alright?" Carue managed out a weak quack. "What about you guys? You still haven't managed to save the others?"
"No," Jou shook his head. "And they've already turned solid. "But we can save them. Right, Captain?"
"Right!" Luffy agreed. "That painter girl is in our way!" Luffy glared at Miss Goldenweek as she took a bite out of a rice cracker. "I'm tired of your stupid paints, you're through! I'm not gonna let you hurt any more of my friends! Now I'm really mad!"
"Hahaha!" Mr. 5 laughed. "Oh, you're mad, are ya? Look at your friends! Being mad won't do them any good!"
"Oh yes, it will!" Luffy shouted. "They're still alive!"
"Are they now?!" Mr. 5 questioned. "Look again! All they need now is Miss Goldenweek's paint and they'll be perfect wax statues! Face it... you're too late to save them."
"Mr. 5 is right about that... " claimed a returning Mr. 3. "Your friends are finished because you tried to help them! And now it's your turn to die!" He seemingly started to grow in size and stomped through the jungle knocking over trees while he approached. "It's time for... Candle Champion!" Mr. 3 was wearing some kind of large battle suit made of wax and complete with a pair of boxing gloves. The wax man banged on his chest plate laughing victoriously like he had already won. Usopp and Carue screamed in horror while hiding behind Jou.
"Okay, that's new..." Jou said blinking his eyes.
"What the heck is that...?" Luffy wondered staring at Mr. 3's new form.
"That thing...?" Mr. 5 replied. "That is what he used one time to take down someone with a 42 million Berri bounty."
"That's Mr. 3's most dangerous work of art," Miss Valentine added.
"Time to use your talents, Miss Goldenweek!" Mr. 3 exclaimed. "I need an extra special paint job for my armor. And don't forget to be artistic."
"After that, can I take a break?" she questioned.
"Why yes, you can go get some tea," Mr. 3 stated. "I'd prefer it if you stayed out of this actually." Miss Goldenweek agreed with a smile and nod. "When I am in this armor, I'm utterly impervious to harm. This suit is as hard as iron. It may be made of wax and it fits like a glove but it's impossible for anyone to pierce! And you don't stand a chance against it." Mr. 3 said to Jou and Luffy. "THIS ARTWORK IS FLAWLESS!"
"This might be a lot tougher than we initially thought, right Luffy?" Jou asked but didn't get a response from his captain. He turned his head and noticed Luffy had a smile on his face.
"Wow, that's so cool..." Luffy murmured in amazement.
"Luffy, seriously...?" Jou frowned.
"Why're you admiring him?!" Usopp shouted. "Fight!" Carue quacked in agreement.
"Just a little more Laughter Yellow!" Miss Goldenweek claimed while painting the wax armor.
"Gum-Gum...!" Luffy reeled his fist back.
"Paint job complete!" Miss Goldenweek exclaimed.
"And now...!" Mr. 3 voiced as he was ready to fight.
"Pistol!" Luffy hurled a punch at Mr. 3 who easily deflected it. Jou joined in the fight, gathering wind with his chains.
"Dual-Chain Typhoon!" Jou threw four wind slashes at Mr. 3. It turned out Mr. 3 wasn't kidding when he claimed the armor was impervious. The slashes did not affect him at all. Mr. 3's blocked the final slash that was directed at his face with his gloves.
"Champion Fight: Harvest Field Maneuver!" Mr. 3 charged at Jou and Luffy while rotating his arm along the ground. Both Jou and Luffy leap into the air to avoid Mr. 3's attack.
"Gum-Gum Stamp!" Luffy stretched his leg at the wax man who stopped it with his gloves.
"Nice try!" Mr.3 grinned.
Now with Mr. 3's new armor, it made Jou and Luffy's attacks impossible to even land any sort of damage. It was difficult to even get close thanks to the extended reach the armor gave him. Jou knew they needed to find some way to destroy it so they could finally save the others.
No POV
"Not good!" Usopp exclaimed watching the other two battle Mr. 3. "Luffy or Jou's attacks don't work against that guy's armor!" The wax that rained from the cake caused Usopp and Carue to nearly gag. "The wax is choking!" Usopp let out a cough and stared at his hand. He felt the wax that'd fallen between his fingers, feeling it was still wet. "Wax..." he brought his attention to the spinning pumpkin where the falling wax was coming from. "Of course! Why didn't I realize it before now!" It's all wax! Which means it must be able to melt!"
Both the straw hat and lookout fell beside the sniper, both covered in a few bruises. Jou stood up wiped his chin flourished his chains and gave a look to the sniper.
"What do you got, Usopp?" Jou questioned. "You look like you figured something out."
"I sure did!" Usopp nodded and went to explain. "We need to use fire! No matter how hard it is! Wax is still wax! The other's only hardened a few minutes ago! We should still be able to save them!"
"Quack!" Carue agreed.
"No way!? Seriously!?" Luffy grinned.
"Yeah, that's correct." Miss Goldenweek.
"Aaaagh!" Mr.3 screamed. "You idiot! Don't tell them that!"
"Hahahaha!" Jou gave out a laugh. "Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's burn this damn thing!" Mr. 3 started to stomp toward Jou and Luffy.
"But it doesn't really matter if you realized that!" Mr. 3 added. "You have no hope of saving them! You have no hope of saving them! They have 30 seconds left at most! After that, their hearts will slow to a stop! As we speak they're writhing in silent pain barely conscious! They're hanging on to their lives by a thread! Terrified of their impending doom and unable to move or even scream for help! And they know that you are too late to save them! Hahahaha!"
"I'll save them right now!" Usopp claimed while aiming with his slingshot. "I don't need 30 seconds!"
"Breeze Breath Bomb!" Mr. 5 pointed his gun at the sniper and fired a shot at him knocking him on the ground.
"Usopp, no!" Luffy shouted.
"When we say you don't stand a chance..." Mr. 5 stated. "It's best to believe us."
"Hahahaha!" Miss Valentine laughed in agreement.
"Dammit!" Luffy cursed. "We're running out of time!" Mr. 3 towered over Luffy and Jou in his Candle Champion armor.
"Luffy, watch out!" Jou warned.
"Just give up!" Mr. 3 exclaimed. He sent a punch toward the two of them. Jou managed to back-flip away from the strike but his warning came too late as Luffy was pounded into the ground by Mr. 3.
"Luffy!" Jou called out. Mr. 3 went to put his focus on Jou. Throwing several punches and not relenting his barrage. Mr. 3 threw a straight, allowing Jou to somersault over it. Instead of going for an attack with his chains, he went to throw a kick at Mr. 3's face. But Jou wasn't ready for the punch that came in from the side. The strike caused Jou to hack spit and skidding across the ground. Jou tossed a throwing knife but Mr. 3 blocked it with his glove and continued his attacks at Jou. Usopp reached into his bag pulled out a rope and handed it over to Carue.
"Listen, I need you to grab hold of this rope, Carue," Usopp told the duck who gave a nod.
"Well, this looks like a party," Miss Valentine commented floating down beside the two. "Now, what are you two planning?" she questioned while smiling. "Do you think I can join in on the fun?"
"Carue... run now... get going!" Usopp exclaimed. Carue started to run in circles around the cake while holding the rope in his bill. "Just run around all the candle sticks! And move as quick as you can!"
"C'mon..." Mr. 5 pointed his gun at Carue. "I don't know why you bother?"
"'Scuse me..." Miss Valentine said seating herself on Usopp's back.
"Ah, geez..." Usopp whimpered.
"Can you handle my Crescendo Stone?" she questioned. "I wonder just how many kilograms you'll be able to endure?" Mr. 5 continued firing shots at Carue who continued sprinting all over the cake. "10 kilograms... 100 kilograms... 200 kilograms... 300 kilograms..." The heavier she got caused the sniper to groan in despair.
"Dammit!" Mr. 5 kept shooting. "Hold still, you quacker!"
Jou POV
Jou knew they were in deep trouble right now. Mr. 3's new armor made it impossible to land a hit on him. Hell, to even get close to him. Things weren't getting any easier. Amidst trying to avoid Mr. 3's attacks, Jou noticed Usopp hand Carue a rope and began to run in circles, wrapping it around the cake. Knowing Usopp there had to be a reason Carue was doing that. Jou narrowly dodges a punch from this candle bastard he was fighting.
"Hahaha! Give it up!" Mr. 3 chuckled. "It's no use! Your friends are a permanent part of my collection now! Accept it! Hahaha!"
"Oh, yeah?" Jou growled. "Well, I don't think so, jackass!" Jou leaped to avoid a punch wrapped his steel chain around his wrist and reached a hand toward Mr. 3's hair. He dragged the candle man to the ground on his back. "Now, let's go for a stroll, shall we?"
"Hey, quit pulling! Stop it!" Mr. 3 pleaded while being dragged across the ground by Jou. He didn't listen to Mr. 3 and kept running and he was headed toward the rope.
"Usopp, what's up with the rope?" Jou wondered.
"The whole thing is covered in oil!" Usopp mentioned.
"Hell yeah!" Jou grinned. He felt another hand grab Mr.3's hair, he turned and saw Luffy running beside him. Each of them headed toward the rope.
"Luffy, you know what we have to do?" Jou asked.
"I sure do!" Luffy nodded. "We gotta burn it so we can free our friends!"
"Then let's do it!" Jou gave a grin. "With a little help from this jackass!" he gestured his head toward Mr. 3.
"Huh?!" Mr. 3 uttered in shock.
"Okay, everyone!" Luffy shouted. "It's time to wake up!"
"You'll be hot... but it's the only way..." Usopp mentioned. "They should be alright."
"STOP IT! LET GO!" Mr. 3 begged but the two pulling him didn't listen. Luffy and Jou touched the flame to the rope. The flame traveled up the rope causing it to completely ignite rope and reach the cake causing the wax to erupt and go up into flames along with an explosion.
No POV
Mr. 3 screamed while the flames climbed up his Candle Champion armor, melting it away, along with the wax cake that was currently set ablaze. Jou and Luffy watched the cake that was set blazing before them.
"That fire sure is intense..." Jou blinked. "Think the others are okay?"
"Think so," Luffy replied. "Hope they didn't get all burned up."
"Curse you, you stupid straw hat pirates!" Mr 3. shouted. "You destroyed my precious candle set! How do you show such disregard for artistic integrity?!" He ran out of his melting armor and ran toward the jungle with Miss Goldenweek following him. "You'll pay for this!"
"Luffy, that jackass is getting away!" Jou exclaimed.
"Yeah, let's get him!" Luffy agreed. "You're not getting away with this!" Jou, Luffy, and Carue gave chase after Mr. 3 into the jungle.
"Dammit!" Mr. 5 cursed. "How dare you mock Baroque Works agents!" Miss Valentine had Usopp on his back, punching him in the face.
"I'm sick and tired of you and your friends, got that?!" she shouted. "Okay! Playtime is really over now!" she floated into the air. "I'm going to break that scrawny little neck of yours into a million pieces!"
"10,000 Kilogram...!" She raised her leg and started her descent down onto the sniper. "Guillotine!"
"Not good...!" Usopp whimpered in fear believing he was about to die. Miss Valentine turned her head and saw two figures leap out of the flames where the wax cake once stood. The figures are Nami and Vivi. Each of them holds their respective weapons, respectively. Each of them managed to knock Miss Valentine away from Usopp with a swing of their weapons, defeating her. Vivi along with her clothes looks a bit charred but she seemed okay. Nami however leaped out of the flames with her shirt burned off leaving her in only a black bra.
"That was really hot!" Nami commented with her and Vivi standing back to back with smirks. "Could you have thought of another plan?"
"You're being a little picky here, don't ya think?" Usopp said standing himself up. "Are you at least a little bit grateful?"
"You have a point there..." Nami replied. "Thanks."
"It's amazing!" Vivi exclaimed. "I can't believe we're actually alive!"
"Got out of the wax, did you?!" Mr. 5 growled. "Well, I've had enough!" He aimed his pistol at them. "We simply can not afford for you to screw up our mission anymore!"
"Hey, Mr. 5!" Usopp aimed his slingshot. "Special Attack: Exploding Star!" The explosion man took the Star into his mouth and swallowed it. He seemed rather confident it was just Usopp's Exploding Star when it was instead his Tabasco Star.
"SPICY!" Mr. 5 screamed painfully while flames spewed out of his mouth.
"Hahahaha!" Usopp chuckled. "I had to learn how effective that thing was the hard way!"
"Damn you, stupid pirate!" Mr. 5 growled and gave out a few coughs. "I refuse to let you make a mockery of me!" He ran over to the sniper and grabbed him in a hold. "Time for my full-body explosion! There will be nothing left of you!"
"Let go of me! I'm sorry!" Usopp pleaded trying to escape the hold. "Please let go!"
"Let him go!" Nami shouted as she and Vivi stood ready to fight and save Usopp.
"Flaming Oni-Giri!" Out from the fire, Zoro leaped out of them wielding three of his swords coated in flames. Mr. 5 never had a chance to retaliate as Zoro sped through him and slashed across the chest causing him to ignite in flames and fall on the ground defeated.
"AAAAAAGH!" Mr. 5 screamed with blood spurting from his wound.
"Ya know, these flaming swords aren't too bad," Zoro commented.
"Zoro!" Nami called. Brogy was covered in flames and now free of his restraints. The giant collapsed on his knees causing the ground to shake.
"Hey, there," Zoro smirked at him. "Glad to see you made it out alive."
"Heh, yeah..." Brogy smiled. It faded when he looked at his fellow giant lying still on the ground. He turned his head out toward where Jou and Luffy chased after Mr. 3. "So now it seems... two foes are left."
Jou POV
Jou, Luffy, and Carue sprinted through the forest after Mr. 3. After ruining the giant's duel and trying to turn their friends into wax statues, Jou knew they needed to take out Mr. 3 right here and now. They couldn't just let him escape after the trouble they had put them through.
"Where did that jerk get off, too?" Luffy wondered.
"I'm certain he went this way!" Jou said. "Right, Carue? You with us?" Jou said to the duck running beside them who let out a quack in response. "Good!" Jou grinned. "The jackass crossed the line."
"That's right!" Luffy agreed. "Real men don't interfere in someone else's fight!" The three continued their sprint through the forest until eventually finding Mr. 3. The wax fruit user stood still in the middle of the forest only chuckling at them. Jou and the others stopped running when several more Mr. 3's came out of the forest surrounding them, echoing in laughter and mocking them.
"So good of you to come!"
"I've been expecting you to come!"
"Welcome to my Wax-Wax Manor!"
"Well, this is new..." Jou remarked
"What's going on?" Luffy wondered.
"Why just a little game of hide-and-seek!" Mr. 3 proclaimed. "Can you figure out which one is me? I'd say you picked the wrong people to go up against! You're no match form my intellectual prowess and artistic abilities! You're just a pair of incompetent brutes who act on blind instinct to solve their problems! You can't hope to catch an intellectual like me! I am a Baroque Works agent. Every assignment given to me I see through to its end! So if you think you're ready then just step forward!"
"Fade Step," Jou did just that. He took a step forward and appeared in front of Mr. 3. The wax man's eyes widened as Jou swung out with his leg and sent a kick square in Mr. 3's chest. Mr. 3 rolled across the ground until he fell on one knee staring at Jou with blinking eyes.
"How did you-" Mr. 3 wondered in confusion.
"Got you, jackass," Jou said. "Now, Luffy!"
"Gum-Gum Stamp!" Luffy stretched his leg toward Mr. 3 as his foot collided with the wax man's face.
"AAAAAGH!" Mr. 3 screamed with his back hitting the tree behind him after Luffy pulled back on his leg.
"H-How did you know...?" Mr. 3 asked Jou.
"You told me to take a step..." Jou shrugged. "So I did." Luffy and Carue stepped beside Jou. "Hey, Luffy? Why don't you go and head back to the others? I'm gonna stay here and check something out."
"Oh, okay," Luffy shrugged but complied and started heading in the other direction. Jou looked out toward the jungle. There was a reason he stayed behind. They may have dealt with Mr. 3 but there is someone else they haven't taken care of yet. Jou stared at Carue, the duck having stayed with him. Jou leaped into the trees and leaped across a few more when he found just who he was looking for. He found Miss Goldenweek hiding behind a tree, believing he or Carue didn't know where she was.
Miss Goldenweek POV
They did it. They beat Mr. 3. For the first time, her partner had been defeated by a couple of rookie pirates. Sure, she managed to keep them distracted with her paints but there was no way they would fall for that again. Miss Goldenweek had to get out of there before they found her. She peeked out and saw the princess's duck wandering about. It couldn't have been looking for her, could it? Straw hat and Dual-Chain weren't anywhere to be seen so she might be able to make a run for it and find her way to Mr. 3's boat.
However, she had the strangest feeling something was behind her. Miss Goldenweek turned her head and covered by the shadows of the trees was 'Dual-Chain' Jou, staring right at her. The pirate's face was shadowed and gave her a dark look, his eyes having no emotion.
"Boo," he muttered darkly.
"AHHHHHHHH!" Miss Goldenweek screamed as her eyes popped out in terror. Instinct took over and she immediately bolted in the other direction. Until she found the duck charging at her with an angry quack. Miss Goldenweek screamed again and ran back the other way and bumped into something causing her to fall on the ground. She looked up and gasped and saw Dual-Chain walking up to her and was now caught between him and the duck growling at her.
"Relax..." Jou said. "There's no need to fight anymore and I don't want to hurt you. How about we chat instead?"
"Chat...?" Miss Goldenweek questioned. "You just want to talk?"
"That's what I said, didn't I?" Jou raised an eyebrow. "I'm being pretty generous to you, however, my duck friend here is not so forgiving considering your partner tried to turn his friend into a statue." She turned to the angry duck snarling at her like an animal ready to pounce. "Now, listen here, we just took out your partner and I believe my friends have already taken care of the other two and you are the only one left. I'd rather not hurt you because you're just a kid so I'd want to help you instead."
"Help!?" Miss Goldenweek exclaimed. "Why would you help me? You're a pirate!"
"Sure, but I'm not a monster," Jou shrugged. "A monster would just leave you here to die and I'd rather not do that. And besides aren't you working for an organization that uses assassination? Yeah, and I'm the bad one."
"I didn't assassinate anybody," Miss Goldenweek mentioned. "Besides it was Mr. 3 who did all that." It was true. Mr. 3 handled the assassination part of their job since his Devil Fruit made it easier for that. She was mostly there for assistance and to stop their mark from escaping with the use of her color paints. "What are you going to do with me?"
"Well, seeing as this island is dangerous and filled with blood-thirsty creatures..." Jou stated. "And seeing as we have a ship to get off the island, I think you should come with us."
"Huh?" Miss Goldenweek mouthed. "I can't! There's no way! Even after I helped Mr. 3 turn your friends into statues, they won't let me come aboard you guys' ship!"
"I can convince them," Jou assured. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Miss Goldenweek thought about her options. Little Garden was dangerous even with all the dangerous beasts on it. She could likely survive with the use of her paints but it won't last forever unless she thought of a way to get off the island herself. Honestly, she was pretty surprised Dual-Chain was trying to help her. Why was he trying to help her? He didn't seem like he was trying to kidnap her and didn't seem like the type considering he was a pirate. But she'll be better going if she has people she can trust herself.
"I'll go with you," Miss Goldenweek nodded. "But on one condition..." Jou only raised his eyebrows but seemed willing to listen to her terms.
Nami POV
Things were looking pretty bad for them earlier when they were trapped on the wax cake. Luckily, Jou, Luffy, and the others managed to destroy it before they were permanently turned into statues. Luffy came back even saying he and Jou beat Mr. 3, but she didn't see Jou with him. Nami asked Luffy where Jou was and mentioned he stayed to check on something. It was good to know he was okay, at least. Beside her foot, she found his hat. It fell off him when Usopp ran into him after he was hit by Miss Goldenweek's paint.
It still had a bit of yellow paint smeared across it and used her thumb to wipe it off. She'll make sure he gets it, he wears it so much I don't think he noticed it's even on his head. Other than that, everyone was okay. Even Brogy, although the giant warrior was crying for his fellow giant, Dorry.
"Woah! Look at that!" Luffy pointed. "His tears are making a rainbow!" Everyone except for Zoro was plugging their ears from Brogy's wailing.
"With all this crying, we'll drown here!" Nami commented.
"He's practically a waterfall," Zoro said.
"So sad..." Usopp cried. "Master Brogy..."
Throughout Brogy's tears, the giant he was bawling for opened his eyes. Dorry used his sword to pick himself up. Brogy paused his crying and noticed Dorry was alive. The bearded giant's eyes popped out of his head, it was honestly a shock and also a relief to see he was still breathing.
"Dorry?" Brogy exclaimed. "You're alive?!"
"I must've lost consciousness..." Dorry muttered.
"But how are you still alive?" Nami questioned.
"The weapons..." Dorry mentioned. "They saved me."
"Oh, yeah!" Usopp noticed. "That makes sense! Not even weapons that were made in Elbaf could hold up after 100 years of giants dueling to the death with 'em! They must be dull by now." Usopp smiled and let out a sigh. "Now that's a relief. It's a miracle really."
"YABABABABA!" Brogy cried while he kept his hold on Dorry.
"Brogy, would you let go!" Dorry exclaimed. "I'm a little sore here!"
"I'm so glad you're still alive, Dorry!" Brogy chuckled. "It's amazing! Yababababa!"
"Yugugugug!" Dorry laughed and cried with his fellow giant.
"C'mon, this wasn't a miracle!" Zoro commented. "The fact that those weapons are even intact after a century of fighting is the miraculous part. They should be scrape by now. I'm surprised they lasted this long."
"Hey, guys!"
Nami turned around to see Jou walking up with a wave. As he got close, Nami approached him. She wondered what he stayed back to do after he and Luffy beat Mr. 3.
"Hey, looks like you guys made it out alright," Jou said.
"Yeah, a bit singed but no worse for wear," Nami shrugged. "Even the other giant is okay."
"Yeah, that's great," Jou agreed. "Glad we're all okay." Jou put a hand through his hair and seemed to have noticed his hat was missing.
"Looking for this," Nami showed him his hat.
"Oh, thanks," Jou smiled taking his hat and putting it back on. He blinked at her causing Nami to raise her brows at him, wondering why he was looking at her so oddly.
"What?" Nami wondered.
"Is that a new look?" Jou asked.
"Huh?" Nami looked down at herself. She almost forgot her t-shirt burned off when she and Vivi leaped out of the fire to defeat Miss Valentine. Now, she was starting to realize why it was so breezy for some reason, despite jumping out of the scorching flames. Nami took to covering herself, feeling a little exposed. Jou started taking off his cardigan and moved behind her to put it on her shoulders.
"Here, I'll take this," Jou commented. "Can't have you walking around like that."
"Thanks," Nami said letting him put his shirt on her. Brogy continued to cry for Dorry still being alive.
"What a day this was!" Brogy grinned. "Thank you, God of Elbaf, for his wonderful day!"
"Oh, is that true, Brogy?" Dorry asked. "You're saying that fighting while I was injured, cutting me down, and knocking me out was all wonderful?"
"Don't be an idiot, Dorry!" Brogy replied slapping his friend's shoulder. "That's not what I'm saying and you know it!"
"Would you keep your hands off my wounds!" Dorry shouted. "Yugugugug!" he laughed punching Brogy in his chest. The giants laughed while taking turns punching each other.
"You try doing that again and see how far you get?!" Dorry growled.
"I can take you down in a heartbeat!" Brogy said clashing his helmet with Dorry's.
"Well, they're both still alive then the 100-year duel is still going," Jou commented.
"Yeah!" Luffy cheered in agreement.
"YOU TWO ARE FIGHTING AGAIN ALREADY!?" Nami shouted at the giants. Her shout went ignored when the giants went back to continue their long rivalry. There was one thing Nami wanted to know from Jou.
"Jou...?" Nami got his attention. "Luffy said you stayed to check something after you beat Mr. 3?"
"Oh, yeah," Jou nodded. "You all might not like this." Nami wasn't sure what to think when he said that. Jou put his fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle. From the jungle, came Mr. 3's partner, Miss Goldenweek being pushed by Carue from behind.
"Carue!" Vivi saw her duck and noticed who he had with him. "And Miss Goldenweek!?"
"Jou, what's going on?" Nami questioned putting her hands on her hips.
"Well, we took care of Mr. 3, I found her wandering off, probably trying to escape..." Jou figured. "I didn't know what to do with her and it didn't seem right to leave her on this island which is dangerous all on its own."
"So, what you are saying is you want her to come with us?" Nami wondered.
"Absolutely not!" Vivi argued. "Bringing her aboard your ship would be a terrible idea! She's Mr. 3's partner so that makes her dangerous! Why would you want to bring her along after what she and her associates did!"
"Speaking of her associates..." Jou rubbed the back of his neck. "She asked if we can bring these two with us?" he pointed at the unconscious forms of Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.
"What?!" Nami questioned. Of all the things that kept Jou away, this was probably the last thing Nami expected.
"No, I won't allow it!" Vivi exclaimed. "Bringing them aboard would be a terrible idea! They tried to kill us! Yet you would trust to bring them aboard?! That's the most idiotic thing you could do!"
"That's just your opinion, Vivi," Jou said. "Remember, you're just a guest on our ship, too. The one who gets to say who comes aboard and who doesn't is the captain. I get it, you want to stay safe and your safety is important for you to get home. Besides, we can just ditch them if they prove more trouble than we thought."
"Jou..." Nami said staring at him. She turned to look at Miss Goldenweek. The young girl made eye contact with her but stared toward the ground. She probably was just an accomplice for Mr. 3's plans and she did assist him in turning them into statues and it's fair Vivi wasn't in favour of this. Nami wasn't going to argue, if Jou had this all figured then it was fine and she trusted Jou. Luffy trusts Jou, too, but it is ultimately his decision who gets to come aboard.
"Luffy...?" Nami turned to their captain.
"Okay, sure," Luffy gave a quick response to the decision. Being his usual self. "If they cause trouble we'll just kick their asses again."
"You're serious, aren't you?" Nami asked Jou.
"As a heart attack," Jou stated nonchalantly. "And if they cause trouble and if we're forced to kick them off..." Jou averted his eyes to the side, causing Nami to wonder what he was gonna say. "I'll do everyone's chores for a week." This caused Nami to smirk mischievously.
"Three weeks," Nami added.
"A month!" Usopp chimed.
"Great idea, Usopp!" Nami chirped. "A month." Jou was about to speak but sighed.
"A month," Jou agreed to the terms. "Well, it's settled then. You hear that, kid?" Jou looked at Miss Goldenweek. "Told you I can convince them." Miss Goldenweek only responded with a nod.
No POV
"Yugugugug!" Dorry laughed. "We've been fighting so long we've completely forgotten about the bounties that were put on our heads! It has been a long time!"
"But I'm the whole reason Baroque Works agents came here in the first place," Vivi declared with downcast eyes. "It's my fault." Nami pulled on Vivi's cheek to get her to stop her sulking.
"That's enough moping," Jou stated. "What's done is done."
"Yeah, and none of that anymore," Nami scolded. "Okay?"
"Yeah, c'mon, Vivi!" Luffy muffled through the rice crackers he was eating with Usopp and Carue. "Why are you so sad? Here, have a rice cracker."
"Uh, guys?" Nami questioned. "Where did you get those?"
"Can I have one?" Jou asked taking the cracker that Luffy handed out and started eating it.
"Those were mine..." Everyone turned to the pouting Miss Goldenweek.
"Oh, that's right," Jou realized. "You were eating these almost the whole time we were fighting Mr. 3. Well, sorry about eating them all. But think of it as compensation for what your partner put us through." Miss Goldenweek still seemed upset about them eating her snacks with a frown.
"I know!" Luffy exclaimed. "Let's have a rice cracker party!"
"Rice crackers aren't that exciting though..." Usopp mentioned.
"Sure they are!" Luffy said. "You can even toast with them!"
"You see?" Nami turned to Vivi. "Nobody's blaming you."
"Yeah, Vivi," Jou said snacking on the cracker. "So just relax.
"Cheers!" Luffy shouted breaking his cracker.
"Hey, Luffy! Don't do that!" Usopp exclaimed and gathered the broken fragments of the rice cracker. "You can't just go wasting food like that." he started cleaning the dirt from the broken cracker. "Seriously, you should know better." Usopp stuffed the cracker in his mouth.
"Hey!" What're you doing?" Luffy lunged at Usopp. "Who said you can eat my cracker!" The two started a small scuffle for the snack. Vivi's frown quickly turned into a smile while she watched them. Jou smirked at the captain and sniper during their scrap.
"Ow..." Jou turned his head to Nami, his cardigan draped over her shoulders. There appeared to be a small pink spot on her stomach, the navigator lightly scratched to try and soothe it.
"Hey, you alright?" Jou wondered, his expression showing a bit of concern.
"Yeah, it's nothing," Nami assured. "It's just a bug bite."
"Hmm," Jou hummed deciding to take her word for it.
"I still can't believe we have to wait here a year just for the Log Pose to reset," Zoro voiced.
"I know," Nami said. "It's definitely something we should be worried about!" She exclaimed loud enough over the fighting between Usopp and Luffy.
"All of you helped save us from those other guys!" Brogy grinned. "If we can, we would really like to return the favor!"
"Well maybe you can do something about our Log Pose, so we won't be stuck here," Luffy suggested.
"I'm afraid the Log Pose is the one that we can't help you with," Dorry commented.
"Nami dear~! Vivi, my love~!" a certain cook had finally shown himself. "And all the rest of you."
"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy waved. Usopp and Carue just gave Sanji angry looks.
"You're all still okay!" Sanji said as he made his way up to everyone. "I'm so happy! So happy!" Nami and Vivi only groaned at the cook.
"Where's he been this whole time?" Jou wondered. He knelt beside Miss Goldenweek, figuring she didn't know who he was. "If you didn't know that's our crew's cook."
"Oh," Miss Goldenweek nodded.
"Of course he's happy?!" Usopp growled displeased. "The big useless jerk! He shows up after we've taken care of everything!" Sanji strolled toward the group until he spotted Dorry and Brogy.
"What the hell is going on?!" shouted the cook. "Is one of you guys Mr. 3?!"
"Not them," Jou answered. "We dealt with him."
"And who's the kid?" Sanji gestured to Miss Goldenweek.
"Mr. 3's partner," Jou replied. "She and her friends will be joining us if and when we leave this place."
"Wait, and just how do you know about Mr. 3 anyway?" Nami questioned.
"Oooh~! Nami~!" Sanji noticed the navigator's current look, eyeing her chest. "You look absolutely amazing in that outfit~!"
"Say that again!" Nami glared clenching a fist and covered her chest with Jou's cardigan.
"Wait, what're you wearing!?" Sanji asked her.
"Uh, Jou's shirt," Nami answered plainly.
"Sanji, where the hell have you been?" Jou asked the question on everyone's mind. "While we were fighting for our lives you decided to nice stroll around Little Garden?"
"Well, for your information, I just finished talking to that Mr. 0 guy over a Transponder Snail," Sanji stated.
"Mr.0?!" Vivi repeated.
"Yeah, that guy," Sanji shrugged. "I was talking to him in this weird hideout place I had found in the jungle. He thought I was some guy called "Mr. 3" and I thought it'd be a good idea to let him believe it. And since I had him on the line, I went ahead and told him we were all dead."
"So, he thinks he doesn't have to send people after us anymore?" Vivi realized.
"So you're saying that we're free of the people chasing us now that we can't go anywhere anyway?" Usopp cried. "Oh, that is just perfect!"
"Can't go?" Sanji wondered. "Why is there still something we need to take care of here?" He reached into his back pocket. "That's a real shame after I managed to get hold of this thing." What he pulled out was an Eternal Pose that led straight to Alabasta. The sight of that caused each of the pirates, princess, and ducks' mouths to drop in unison when seeing the device in the cook's hand.
"Uh, what?" Sanji smirked.
"An Eternal Pose to Alabasta!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise. "Alright! Now we can set sail!" The crew had begun celebrating, Vivi ran toward Sanji and embraced him in a hug.
"Oh, thank you, Sanji!" Vivi said tears of joy in her eyes. "I was getting really worried! Thank you!"
"No, no, it was all my pleasure~!" Sanji's eye had taken the shape of a heart. "I'm just glad I could make you happy, Vivi!" While the pirate crew was busy celebrating, Miss Goldenweek stood to the side watching them be carefree ever after what Mr. 3 put them through.
"Alright, everyone!" Luffy announced. "Now we're having a rice cracker party!"
"No way, Luffy," Usopp shook his head. "We don't have time for a party. There's only three."
"What?" Luffy frowned.
"We don't have time for a party," Jou chimed. "Not when we have a way off this island."
"Right!" Nami agreed. "C'mon now, Captain! We don't have time to be sitting here!" She shoved a rice cracker in Luffy's face.
"Hey Zoro..." Sanji said to the swordsman walking past him. "So uh, you forget about our hunting contest?"
"Nope," Zoro replied. "Hate to tell you this, but you lost. I caught a rhino that was this big." He used his arms to exaggerate the length of his catch.
"That doesn't sound very tasty, but I guess you can eat it," Sanji stated.
"It sounds just fine to me," Zoro said.
"Hunting contest?" Brogy and Dorry thought in unison.
"Something about that sounds familiar somehow?" Brogy wondered.
"Kay!" Luffy said. "Giant old guys, it's really been a lot of fun! But we gotta go."
"Of course," Brogy nodded. "Right. We can tell you need to get going."
"It's too bad that you have to leave so soon," Dorry said and turned to Vivi. "I hope you get to your homeland in time."
"Me too," Vivi smiled. "Thank you."
"Time to go then," Jou nodded and looked at Miss Goldenweek. "C'mon, let's go. Let's not forget about your friends. Zoro, give me a hand, will ya?"
"Fine," Zoro shrugged. "You're really sure about this? Bringing these guys along?"
"Got the go-ahead from Luffy, so it's fine," Jou claimed. He tossed Miss Valentine over his shoulder and Zoro did the same with Mr. 5 and started making their way back to the ship everyone. "It was nice to meet you guys!" Jou waved at the giants. "Take care!"
"See ya!" Luffy also waved bye to them. "Try not to die anymore, okay." Carue quacked in goodbye.
"Master!" Usopp called. "I'm going to go visit Elbaf someday!"
"You just wait and see," Sanji stated walking next to Zoro. "My catch is much bigger than yours."
"You wish," Zoro said. All the pirates left for their ship through the jungle all having their conversations as they went on their way. This now left Brogy and Dorry by themselves.
"Our friends are setting sail," Brogy declared.
"That's right," Dorry said. "And we can't just sit here, not when there's a monster waiting for them in the sea."
"So, Dorry?" Brogy turned to his fellow giant and friend. "How are your wounds doing?"
"These?" Dorry wondered. "I think I can live with them." They both picked up their weapons.
"It's safe to say that our weapons are about worn through," Brogy noticed.
"Any regret?" Dorry questioned
"It's difficult to give up," Brogy said. "I fought with this ax for more than 100 years. But if it's a sacrifice for our friends then it's worth it."
"Yeah, I agree." Dorry held up his sword. They were ready to use their weapons one last time to help the ragtag band of pirates they called their friends.
Jou POV
Everyone made it back to the Going Merry. Even taking the time to clean up/change clothes. Jou and Zoro set Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 tied up in the storage room, each of them still unconscious. Miss Goldenweek, however, was still wary of Jou and the others since they were enemies earlier. They still were enemies, but that depends on them. Jou could see she felt comfortable around her associates so he left her be for now.
Jou's thoughts were interrupted by Zoro and Sanji's constant bickering over who had the better catch for their hunting contest.
"See?! I told you mine was bigger than yours!" Zoro argued. "I win!"
"You should look closer!" Sanji replied. "My lizard is much bigger!"
"What?! Are you blind or something?!" Zoro retorted. "My rhino is obviously so much larger than your stupid lizard is!"
"It doesn't really matter," Luffy grinned. "They both look yummy."
"Just shut up, Luffy!" shouted the cook and swordsman.
"Yours doesn't even have horns!" Zoro claimed
"What does that have to do with anything!?" Sanji questioned.
"Size! Yours is puny!" Zoro added. Jou sighed leaning against the railing. He turned to Nami beside him, her arms folded while she frowned at the swordsman and cook.
"Nami, the kids are fighting again," Jou commented.
"Yep..." Nami sighed. "Children!" she got their attention. "How long are you going to fight?"
"What?!" Zoro wondered
"We don't need all of it anyway!" Nami insisted. "Just cut up what we do need so we can get out of here already!"
"Right!" Sanji agreed. "Of course, Nami~!"
"Hey, Usopp!" Zoro said. "Would you tell him that I'm clearly the winner?"
"Nah, I really don't care," Usopp shook his head. Zoro turned to look at Jou.
"Jou, you can obviously see who won, don't you?" Zoro asked.
"Honestly, I'm with Usopp on this one," Jou shrugged his shoulders, also not interested in who won in the petty squabble between the swordsman and cook.
"Can't you just agree it's a tie?" Vivi interjected.
"I don't believe in ties," Zoro claimed. "I fight to win."
"JUST HURRY UP, YOU TWO!" Nami shouted done with their behavior. The cook and swordsman shivered in fear and did as the navigator said and started gathering what meat they could grab. Jou hoisted the anchor from the ocean, the others unfurling the sails.
"SET SAIL!" Luffy announced.
"The giants said that going straight would take us to the western end of the island," Nami mentioned.
"Sounds good," Jou stated. "Let's get out of here then."
"Hey, couldn't you guys have gotten more meat on board?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah, right," Zoro said.
"We can't preserve any more than this," Sanji said. "And it would just spoil before we could eat it."
"Are you actively trying to sink the ship?" Nami asked. As the ship was sailing out, Jou saw Brogy and Dorry standing on the edge of the island, each holding their battle-weary weapons.
"Check it out!" Jou called. "The giants are here!"
"Yeah, they must be here to say goodbye," Luffy grinned.
"A great danger still lies ahead of you," Brogy declared.
"It is an obstacle that has always been here," Dorry added. "Trying to prevent people from leaving to the next island." Jou and everyone didn't know what danger was waiting for them. It must be dangerous since the giants are warning them about it now. "Everyone of you fought like warriors in order to protect the pride of our duel."
"And because you were willing to do that no matter what enemy you may face..." Brogy said.
"We will never let them destroy our pride friends!" Dorry declared. Jou smiled believing this to be a giant's custom. This was likely their way of showing respect and their way of telling them that they considered them friends.
"You must have faith in what we say!" Brogy mentioned. "Go straight! No matter what happens, keep going straight! Understand?!"
"Keep going straight!" Jou nodded in confirmation
"Yeah, got it!" Luffy agreed.
"What was that about...?" Zoro wondered.
"I don't get it..." Usopp said. "What he say?"
"No matter what happens, just go straight!" Luffy repeated. The Merry sailed out into the open ocean, finally sailing from the island of Little Garden.
"This is goodbye," Brogy said pulling out his ax.
"Let's meet again someday!" Dorry nodded holding his sword.
"Absolutely!" Brogy agreed.
"Look!" Nami pointed. "Over there!" Jou and everyone looked where the navigator pointed. Appearing from underwater the obstacle mentioned by Brogy and Dorry emerged before the Going Merry. It made their vessel look tiny in comparison much like when they first encountered Laboon.
"Hello, Island Eater," Dorry spoke.
"You will open the path..." Brogy voiced. "In the name of Elbaf, you will open it!"
"AAAAAAAAGH!"The two of them gave loud battle cries, readying to unleash an attack on the monster that was trying to stop them from leaving. Jou took in the sight of the sea beast in front of them. The creature appeared to be a giant goldfish. Its red and white scales gleamed in the bright sunlight, giving it an almost beautiful sheen despite the creature wanting to make them its lunch.
"It's a monster!" Usopp screamed.
"What the heck is that guy...!?" Luffy wondered.
"It-It's a goldfish!" Jou exclaimed and looked at the sniper. "Hey, Usopp!"
"What is it?!" he answered.
"Remember that story you used to tell Kaya?" Jou asked. "The one about the giant goldfish?"
"Y-Yeah!" Usopp gulped. "Are you telling me the story I made up came true!"
"Yeah, I guess so!" Jou smiled. "Now we just need to know if it's craps are as big an island! We're about to be just that once it swallows us whole!"
"I made that story up!" Usopp cried. "Don't joke about something that I lied about!"
"Usopp, hey!" Nami shouted at the sniper. "Start working the rudder or we're gonna be eaten! Hurry it up!"
"Yeah, I know but..." Usopp said. "We have to go straight ahead! Isn't that right, Luffy?"
"Mmhm!" Luffy hummed. "We sure do." The Going Merry sailed into the giant Goldfish's mouth since the giants wanted them to keep sailing straight.
"Don't be a moron, Luffy!" Nami exclaimed. "This isn't gonna be anything like what happened with Laboon?!"
"Yeah, I know," Luffy replied while on his special seat. "Now, calm down. Here, I'll let you have the last rice cracker."
"I don't wanna cracker!" Nami shouted catching the cracker. "If we don't turn the ship around right now that thing is gonna eat us!" Carue quacked in alarm and ran into the cabin which Zoro opened for the duck.
"Nami, just give it up!" Zoro stated. Nami was not in agreement of going into the maw of the giant sea creature. Jou didn't say anything, he only put a hand on her shoulder giving her a comforting smile. Nami seemed to accept their fate and started nibbling on the rice cracker. It was now too late for regrets since the Merry was already drifting into the goldfish's maw.
"Luffy!" Sanji called. "You really sure we can trust those little pals of yours?!"
"Yep," Luffy declared.
"Are we actually going to willingly head straight into that beast's belly!?" Vivi wondered.
"Too late for doubts now," Jou remarked. It was too late for doubts, once the ship was in the goldfish's mouth, it closed causing everything to become dark.
No POV
"You've sure gotten a lot bigger, Island Eater..." Dorry commented. "Filthy Goldfish."
"And his size isn't the only surprising thing about him either..." Brogy added. "There's also the dung he produces after he devours an island. The size of that stuff is quite impressive! I recall one special that's called 'nothing at all island'."
"Yugugugugug!" Dorry laughed. "Yes, we landed on it a long time ago and thought it was real land we were standing on."
"I'm beginning to feel nostalgic watching them sail in!" Brogy stated. "I remember my old adventurous days!" the last thing heard from the Straw hat crew were their screams until the Goldfish's mouth closed. Dorry raised his sword above his head.
"The only thing that we can pierce with this weapon is the Great Bloodstain Snake!" Dorry declared.
"Together our weapons form the most powerful weapon Elbaf can offer...!" Brogy raised his ax. "The Giant's spear!"
The Giants slammed their weapons into the sea. The impact created two thin streams that shot straight to the Goldfish. The two streams, one being red and the other blue struck the Goldfish in its colossal form.
"HAOKOKU!"
Jou POV
The Going Merry was sailing inside the Island Eater. When the beast's mouth closed it was pitch black inside. Nothing can be seen when they are inside the large fish. They just had the main goal to keep sailing straight which was what the Giants told them to do.
"JUST GO STRAIGHT!" Usopp screamed. "GO STRAIGHT!"
"WHAT DOES IT MATTER!?" Nami shouted. "WE'VE ALREADY BEEN EATEN HERE!"
"Straight, okay!?" Luffy said. "Just keep going!"
The Straw hat crew wondered what that impact behind their ship was. Everyone but Luffy had shocked and worried expressions. However, the Straw hat was smiling. The sudden burst seemed to have gone through the giant fish right past the crew and hit the back of the Island Eater.
"HAOKOKU!" A blast seemingly cut through the Island Eater and sent the Going Merry soaring over the ocean.
"Hahaha!" Laughed Luffy. "We're flying! Don't bother looking back! Cause we're going straight ahead! Look at us! This is so incredible!"
"They cut...!" Usopp was crying tears. "The sea, itself! The strength of the Elbaf Warriors is amazing!" The ship finally landed on the ocean.
"Okay..." Jou said smirking holding his beanie from the wind. "I suppose I don't speak for myself because that was really cool what the Giants just did." The Going Merry glided over the ocean. Brogy and Dorry raised their weapons to the air. The weapons broke apart finally, but the Giants held on to what was left.
"GO!" Roared Brogy and Dorry. "Good luck!"
"YUGUGUGUGUG!" Dorry laughed.
"YABABABABABA!" Brogy laughed too. Both Giants were now sitting cross-legged looking out at the ocean.
"I suppose I should mention Brogy..." Dorry said. "I recall something about a hunting contest. But I can't exactly remember."
"Don't worry, Dorry." Said Brogy. "The same thing goes for me." The volcano on the island erupted. This caused the Giants to stand and look at it. "It's Middle Mountain."
"So? What do you say you and I go ahead and finish this?" Dorry asked grinning.
"Sure!" Brogy grinned. "We could always think things through after that!" The Giants continued their century-long duel.
[Someone's POV][An Island on the Grand Line]
Several pirates lay on the ground. Some of them are unmoving, likely dead, others were still alive but groaning out in pain but they'll pass from their wounds eventually. There was one lone pirate, the captain, dragging himself across the ground. In an attempt to escape but it was all futile. These pirates attempted to attack him once he stepped into the town and the fight was over before it even started. The man who took out these pirates approached the captain trying the crawl away.
The pirate had to be frightened by the visage of the individual approaching him. The man was quite tall standing at 6'10", he wore a dark red trench coat over his muscled frame, a matching pair of pants tucked into a pair of black leather boots, and on his hands wears a pair of black gloves. The last thing was his face was hidden by a metallic black and red mask, the only thing visible were the man's eyes which were a dull grey color.
"Wait!" the captain shouted fearfully. "Just stop right there, man! Okay?! I'm sorry! We didn't know who you were!"
"And that was the mistake you made when you tried to ambush me," the masked man said. "You thought I was just an easy target until you realized who I was. Correct?"
"Y-Yes...!" the captain stammered. "Please, let me go! You've already killed all of my crew! You don't gotta kill me!"
"Oh, you stupid, stupid man," the man shook his head. "Pleading will get you nowhere." The pirate captain managed to pick himself up onto his feet and started to run in the opposite direction.
"Somebody! Anybody, help me, please!" he screamed until a metal cord wrapped around his throat. The cord came from the masked man, his right arm extended with the metal cord that seemed to come out from under his sleeve. The cord was tight around the captain's neck as the captain clawed at it to remove it but it was no use, especially when he could feel himself being suffocated.
The masked man jerked the captain to him and extended another metal cord from his left. He swung out with it and sliced through the pirate captain's body. The top half of the corpse flew toward the masked man and caught the man's face in his right hand. He stared at the pirate, his face contorted in a mixture of agony and fear. The man closed his eyes and released the captain, dropping his half-corpse on the ground.
This pirate crew wasn't very infamous in the Grand Line. The captain only had a 34 million bounty but at the end of the day, he was only a lowly pirate. But it was still disappointing. Not even a challenge at all. None of these pirates or the captain had the strength to give him a challenge when it came to this fight.
"It seems I'm still looking," the man said with a low sigh. "Oh well, either way, my work is done here." He took off his pair of gloves that were covered in the blood of the pirates. Before he could leave, his Transponder Snail resounded in his pocket. He picked it up and answered it. "Yes?"
"I need you to take care of a couple of failures."
"Names?" he asked.
"Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine."
"I see," he answered. "Consider it done." he hung up the Transponder Snail stowing it in his pocket. He started making his way off the island. A wind blew through the town causing his coat to flow in the breeze and emblazoned on the back was "00".
[No POV]
Miss Valentine opened her eyes, blinking the drowsiness from her eyes. She found herself tied up beside Mr. 5 who was still unconscious. Her hands and feet were bound so she had to nudge him with her shoulder.
"Mr. 5, wake up!" after a few nudges her partner woke up.
"W-What is it?" he questioned. The two of them looked up to find Jou, Vivi, and Nami staring down at them. The last thing they noticed was Miss Goldenweek, peeking out from behind Jou.
"Miss Goldenweek?!" Miss Valentine wondered.
"What the hell is going on!?" Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 exclaimed as neither of them knew what was happening.
As you can tell, I'm doing new things here. It's mainly to avoid copy and paste of the original manga/anime.
Jou: We're trying to be somewhat different here this time around.
Right. I want the story to feel unique. Hopefully I can pull off the new ideas I want to try. Well, let's get to the reviews. Technically, this isn't the end of the arc but I suppose it's fine...
Reviews for chapter 29:
Guest: Thank you.
Guest: Thanks.
Flame Wolfe: Thanks a lot.
pokemonking0924: That's funny you say that. Makes me a little excited to write interactions for Jou and Robin when she joins the crew.
LockieBoy1819: Thanks. Appreciate it.
clank2662: I'm gonna try.
Jou: Oh, he will try. He could make this new years resolution to post more frequently rather than a year later.
johannvanguard: I might become a bit annoying if Nami becomes jealous over any interaction he has with Vivi. Although, it might be unintentional on Jou's part.
jaffa3: Oh, boy. We're almost there.
ShadowUzumaki55: Jou mainly staying on the ship was so Nami and Usopp weren't so scared of Brogy.
ethan0bastian: Oh no, I hope to keep this going for a while.
Jou: My story never ends! Well, unless author decides otherwise...
Dude, seriously...
Guest: I'll try to keep them consistent, so people aren't waiting like a year or two for the next chapter. I guess it's up to other people's interpretation if Jou is considered the left-hand or not... I mean, I don't even know.
searge: Man, I'm gonna be honest, I never played Odyssey but I'll get around to it someday.
Jou: Surprising considering you like to play JRPG's.
Amras: Thanks for reading. I never planned for an OC to be paired with Robin.
austinhodge379: Yeah, I can say the fairy tail story is still going but I kinda lost interest in Fairy Tail.
Guest: Thanks.
Guest: Well, here it is. The wait is (hopefully) over.
SCotton99: Oh, that's nice of you to say. Thanks.
Guest: Happy New Year!
Guest: Here this next chapter.
Guest: Here ya go. I hope I delivered.
Guest: With hope, here's hoping we can reach sky island and water seven because those arcs might be fun, yet challenging to do. But thanks so much for reading. I will to try to write and post more often.
Reviews for chapter 30:
LockieBoy1819: Here's the next one. Hope you liked it.
pokemonking0924:
Jou: You damn right! I tough as hell!
Or you just have serious plot armor... just perks of being a main character, I guess.
Deadpool: Dude, all those games you listed are one's I've played or been playing(like Persona 3 Reload). Baldurs Gate 3 being my favorite.
Jou: Game of the Year!
I'm also looking forward to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth since I really enjoyed Remake.
Dodogomo: We back!
Guest: Thank you.
ethan0bastian: I really enjoy the Monk with Open-Hand technique and my favorite companions are Shadowheart, Karlach, and Astarion.
Jou: I'm just putting this out there... Shadowheart is best girl.
You're not wrong there.
Okay, that'll be it for this one. Looks like I'll be figuring how the next chapter is going to go. But hey, we're close and basically at the Drum Island arc which should be fun and I'm excited to get into it.
I'll see you guys next time!
Later!