(A/N: A new arc begins! Enjoy!)

Chapter 1: A Town That Welcomes Pirates? Setting Foot on Whisky Peak

After leaving Reverse Mountain with Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday in tow, the crew encountered a snowfall.

Nami watched grumpily from inside the cabin, bundled up in a green coat, red earmuffs, and a yellow plaid scarf. "What in the world is with this snow? It was warm just a little while ago."

Outside, the boys were playing with the cold, white fluff. "All right! Done!" Luffy finished a goofy-looking snowman with wooden beams for the nose and arms, a green cape, and a barrel on the head. "This is the man that fell from the sky, Mr. Snow Barrel!"

Usopp chuckled with a smirk. "That's such a crude snowman."

"What?!"

"Look at my soulful artwork, the Snow Queen!" He proudly presented his sculpture; a tall, elegant woman sitting on a round throne.

Luffy's eyes widened. "Whoa! That's incredible!"

Venus grinned brightly, as she buttoned up her bat-hem cloak. "That's amazing!"

"Thank you! My good friend Kaya, who gave us the Going Merry, was my muse!"

"Your friend Kaya? Ooh, interesting~," She teased, and giggled.

"Oh, no no no! We're best friends, and nothing else!" He insisted frantically.

"Ah. Well, that's great! And you did amazingly there!"

Through their conversation, Luffy felt challenged. "Okay then! Snow Barrel Punch!"

"How about next, I make one of-" Usopp was cut off by a beam totaling the head of his creation.

"Luffy!" Venus glared, as the sniper slowly became unhinged.

"What the hell are you doing?!" He kicked through the snowman's head, making the barrel cave in to the body.

"Ahh! Mr. Snow Barrel! How dare you!" He tackled the sniper angrily.

Usopp chucked snowballs at an incredibly rapid pace. "Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!"

Luffy retaliated with rolling a large snowball in his direction, chasing him. "How is this?!"

Usopp pursued him with the snow boulder, now with an imprint shaped like his own body, over his head. "You bastard! Hold it, Luffy!"

As Venus pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, Nami watched them with irritation. "How come they're so energetic when it's this cold?"

Meanwhile, Sanji was at work in shoveling the snow off the ship, and into the ocean. "Nami-san! How much snow shoveling of love would you like me to do?!" He gushed.

"Please continue until it stops snowing, Sanji-kun!"

"Yaay! Nami-san!"

"Hey, you," Mr. 9 sneered to the navigator, as he and Ms. Wednesday sat at the table, each wrapped in a blanket, "Doesn't this ship have a heater?"

"I'm cold," She complained.

"Shut up! You guys aren't guests!" Nami yelled. "Go help shovel snow, or something!"

Venus grabbed Usopp's elbow when he was still angry with Luffy. "Come on, let's drop it. Usopp, want to make snow angels?"

"Sure thing!" He beamed, quickly forgotten by the captain, and they laid down in a more clear area. As he moved his arms and legs accordingly, his mind wandered. What was Venus doing to him? Why was he so nervous around her? His heart fluttered when he saw her brightly smiling face, snowflakes dotting her ivory skin, and long green hair; what was wrong with him?

Later on, the weather changed yet again. "Lightning?! What on Earth is going on with the weather around here?!" She watched, as strong gusts of wind blew the flag like crazy. "It was sunny up until recently. The next moment, it started snowing, and now lightning. The seasons, as well as the weather, go around randomly. It's just like what Crocus-san said."

"That's how it is in the Grand Line," Ms. Wednesday informed.

"It seems that you guys're clueless about the Grand Line," Mr. 9 added.

"You haven't been steering for a while now," Ms. Wednesday pointed out with a devious grin, "Is that really okay?"

Nami perked up at that. "I just checked the direction." She left the cabin to look again. "Ahhhh!" She screamed in terror.

Usopp sat up with Venus. "Wh-what?"

"What's the matter?" Luffy looked in her direction.

"What's wrong, Nami-san?!"

She gaped at her Log Pose in horror. "Ahhh... no way! Turn the ship around 180 degrees! Hurry!"

"180 degrees?!" Usopp exclaimed. "Why're we going back?!"

"Did you forget something?" Luffy asked.

"The ship has turned around, and is going in the opposite direction! When I looked away from the Log Pose for a second...! The waves were calm earlier."

"Are you really a navigator?" Nami glared at Ms. Wednesday's sassy remark. "In this sea, you can't trust the winds, sky, waves, clouds... anything. The only thing that doesn't change is the direction that the Log Pose points. Do you understand that?"

Nami kicked both prisoners off the table. "Stop bossing me around in those cozy blankets, and go help already!" She then ran outside. "Brace the yard! Receive the wind from starboard! Turn the ship 180 degrees to the left! Usopp, Venus! Take care of the lateen sail!"

"Okay!"

"Got it!" He rushed to do so with the witch.

"Sanji-kun! Take the helm!"

"Leave it to me, Nami-san!"

"You guys! I'm counting on you!"

"She's such a slave driver," Mr. 9 griped, as he and Ms. Wednesday worked.

"Hey, wait!" Usopp noticed. "The wind has changed."

"No way!"

Sure enough, a warm gust came in, blowing the clouds away from the sun. "It's the first spring gale!" Mr. 9 cheered.

Nami looked on in awe. "Why?!"

To Usopp's annoyance, Zoro was asleep through everything going on. "Don't just sleep while the snow accumulates on you!"

The girls took off their winter outerwear for the warmer weather, as Luffy watched the horizon. "Hey! I saw a dolphin jump over there! Let's go there."

"You keep quiet!" Nami ordered.

Usopp stood on the rope ladder for a better look. "The waves are getting high! I see an iceberg in the 10 o'clock direction!"

"Nami-san! It's getting foggy!" Sanji reported.

"What the hell's with this sea?!"

"W-w-we're gonna crash!" Usopp screamed. Sanji strained to pull the helm, Nami soon helping, while Venus hugged Usopp's closest leg in fear, and Zoro was still fast asleep. The ship ended up grazing the iceberg at one side.

Nami ran outside when Luffy returned from the lower deck. "Hey! Water's leaking at the bottom of the ship!" He reported.

"We have to patch it right away!"

"Got it!" Usopp ran down with tools and wood, as Venus followed close behind.

"The clouds are moving fast!" Nami remarked, as dark clouds came rolling in over them. "W-wind's coming!"

Luffy held the brim of his hat. "It's strong!"

Ms. Wednesday watched with horror. "It's coming!"

"Unfurl the sails!" Nami ordered. "That wind is too strong! If we take it directly, we'll overturn!"

Sanji emerged from the kitchen, carrying a platter with onigiri rice balls. "Everyone! Eat this! Let's gather our strength!" He set the platter on a pair of barrels, and everyone crowded over to dig in, before returning to their positions. Mr. 9 callously pushed Venus away, rendering her unable to grab any, so Usopp swiped extras to give her while they worked. Sanji glared at Luffy when he was greedily stuffing his face. "You're eating too much!" He scolded with a punch to his head.

As Nami struggled to unfurl the bigger sail through the wind, a ripping sound caught Usopp's attention. He turned to Venus, who was finishing her last rice ball while hammering nails in the wood planks. "Stay here!" She nodded, and continued hammering, as he ran up to see what happened. "Oh crap! The sail is torn!"

"Forget about things up here," Nami ordered. "Go help Venus fix the bottom of the ship!"

"There's another part of the bottom of the ship damaged!" Ms. Wednesday reported, holding the door open.

"Dammit!" Usopp leaped back down to find the poor witch struggling to patch up both damaged areas on her own. He frantically took one of the hammers out of her mouth. "Focus on one spot! I got the other!"

"Okay!"

Before long, the chaos came to an end, and everything was peaceful again. Zoro stretched his arms with a long grunt, and sat up from the railing. "Ahhh, that felt good." He walked around the mast to find the rest of the crew laid out on the deck, exhausted. Usopp rested against the railing, Sanji was completely sprawled out face-up, and Venus was in the former's lap. "Hey, no matter how nice the weather is, you guys shouldn't be so lazy," He chastised, and turned to find Nami with her arm draped from the upper deck. "We'd better be on the right track."

"You..." Usopp, Venus, Sanji, and Nami started seething in fury.

"Hm?" He found Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday laid out by the mast. "Why're you guys on this ship?"

"You're slow!" Mr. 9 exclaimed.

"We're heading to their town right now," Luffy said, "It's called Whisky Peak."

"You mean we're taking them back? We don't owe them anything."

"Right, we don't," Luffy crossed his arms.

"Well, not like it matters to me." Zoro knelt down, after they sat up. "Yeah, your faces say that you're thinking bad thoughts," He taunted, "What were your names again?"

They flinched back in fear. "I-I'm Mr. 9."

"I'm Ms. Wednesday."

"Right," He grinned, "Something has been bothering me ever since I first heard your names." They stood on their feet with nervousness. "I feel like I've heard them somewhere before, or maybe not." They flinched again. "Well, either way-" He was interrupted by a hard punch in his head.

Nami. "How dare you sleep comfortably all this time," She growled, "You kept sleeping no matter how many times we tried to wake you up."

"What?!" He looked back.

She gave him three big bumps on his head. "Don't let your guard down, everyone! We don't know what else might happen." Usopp and Venus listened, as Sanji had a smoke, still laying down, and Luffy sat on the railing with a fishing pole. "I was finally able to realize the danger of this sea just now. I was able to understand why it's called the Grand Line. There's no doubt about it since my navigation skills don't work at all."

"How blunt," Usopp remarked, as Venus sat up, "Are we gonna be okay?"

"We'll be fine!" She assured. "Things will still work out for sure. In fact... look!" She pointed to an island that appeared to be consisted of green, multi-sized cacti. "Our first journey is over." Everyone looked on in awe, as they descended closer.

Luffy returned to his seat on the prow. "It's an island!"

"Alright!" Venus cheered.

"So this is Whisky Peak," Sanji remarked, "But it's a really funny looking island."

"Those cacti are huge!" Luffy exclaimed.

"It's like a desert," Venus pointed out, "Only no sand."

"Hm?" Everyone turned around when their prisoners jumped on the railing.

"Well then, we'll be leaving now," Mr. 9 announced.

"Thanks or taking us home, honeys," Ms. Wednesday added.

"If we're linked by fate, we'll meet again!"

"Bye bye, baby!" With that, they leaped into the ocean.

"Huh?" Usopp, Venus, and Nami watched in confusion, as they swam to the island.

"They're gone," Nami remarked.

"Who on Earth were they?" Usopp wondered aloud.

"I hope they're not power holders," Venus commented.

"Who cares!" Luffy beamed. "We're landing!"

"There's a river at the front," Nami pointed out, "Looks like we can go inland by ship."

Usopp started feeling nervous. "I-isn't it possible that there're monsters, or things like that?"

"It's definitely possible," Sanji remarked, "This is the Grand Line."

"If we come across islands, we can just leave the island," Luffy proposed.

"Hold on a sec," Nami realized, "Don't forget that we have to stay on this island for a certain period of time."

"Oh, that's right," Venus nodded.

"Why?" Luffy asked.

Nami held up her wrist with the Log Pose. "Unless we store the magnetism of this island in the Log Pose, we can't go to the next island. Since each island requires a different amount of time to store the log, some islands require only several hours, while others require days."

Usopp was scared of those odds. "Th-then even when this is a monster island that we want to escape from right away, it's possible that we have to stay her for days, until the log is stored?"

"That's right."

Luffy beamed. "Well, we can think about that when it happens. Let's go already!"

"Luffy's right," Zoro chimed in, "Let's go. It's not worth thinking about."

"No matter what happens, I'll protect Nami-san and Venus-chan," Sanji vowed.

Usopp started holding his throat. "H-hey, wait. Listen, everyone; my chronic illness is suddenly..."

"You're sick?" Venus innocently turned to him in concern.

"Yes! My "do not go to the island" disease is-"

"Then we're going in," Nami declared.

"No..."

"Listen. Make sure you're prepared to run, as well as fight."

"Ah, well, like I said, my chronic illness is- well, I guess you're not listening."

"I wonder what'll appear," Sanji remarked.

"P-please."

"Guys, Usopp says he's sick!"

"Venus, I'll explain later," Zoro said.

In the fog, some local men were watching the ship with binoculars. "Hey, it's a pirate ship."

"Pirates are here!"

As they floated through the river, Luffy spotted something ahead. "Huh? Something's moving."

"Humans?" Sanji watched the silhouettes watching them. "Humans are there!"

"Everyone, be careful," Nami ordered.

"Gotcha," Venus nodded, and prepared her hands.

Usopp's legs shook, as he drew back his slingshot. "Ahhh, dammit! Since it's come to this, I've prepared myself. Monsters, or whatever you are, come on out!"

To their surprise, instead of trying to attack... everyone cheered! "Welcome to the Grand Line! To the welcoming town, Whisky Peak!"

"Hey, they're cheering for us!" Venus pointed out.

Usopp looked through his goggles in surprise. "Yeah! F-far from monsters, we're being welcomed!"

"What's going on?" Sanji asked in confusion.

"Pirates! Welcome to our town!"

"Hurray for the heroes on the sea!"

Sanji brightened up when he noticed some beauties in the crowd. "Whoa! There're lots of cute girls!"

"Ahh! Look this way! They're handsome!"

"Hello, cutie!" Venus blushed at the guys gawking in her direction. She didn't know why they would say it about her, but she liked it.

"Maybe pirates are people's heroes after all," Nami remarked, as Usopp blew kisses at the crowd.

"Heeeey!" Luffy cheered.

"Welco-" A man with giant white curls, and a saxophone started his greeting, but started to clear his throat. "Ma-ma-ma~," He sang to test his voice, then continued, "Welcome. My name is Igarappoi. I'm the mayor of Whisky Peak."

"Okay. I'm Luffy; nice to meet you. Pops, you went overboard on curling your hair."

"Whisky Peak is a town that thrives on making liquor and music. Hospitality is the pride of our town. As for our proud liquor, it's as bountiful as the seawater. Would you allow us to throw a party for you, so that we may hear your tales of-" He cleared his throat again. "Ma-ma-ma~. Your tales of adventure?"

"We'll be glad to!" Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp exclaimed with ecstasy, and started to hop away. "All right!"

"Yeah!" Venus cheered, as she followed with jumps, leaving Nami and Zoro behind.

"Four idiots," Nami remarked. "Say, by the way," She held up her Log Pose for Igarappoi to see, "How long will it take for the log of this island to be stored?"

"Log? Forget such boring stuff," He dismissed, "Please just rest after a long journey." He stood behind her, and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Now, everyone! Prepare for the party! Sing to entertain the adventurers!"

"Party time!" Everyone cheered.

Little did the Straw Hats know... they were being watched.

Later that night, as the moon was in its last quarter, the partying still commenced. People drank themselves silly, and played loud music with various instruments. A drunk Usopp was telling one of his tall tales to some of the partiers. "Then I said with utter coolness, "Sea Kings, don't you touch my friends.""

"Wow..."

"Captain Usopp!"

"You're so amazing!"

"Well, regarding the Calm Belt, even though I trembled a bit, though. A tremble of excitement, that is."

"Whoa!"

"Amazing!"

"Cheers to Usopp-san!"

From the bar, Venus listened on with a smile. "The story amusing you?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah, it does. Though I remember some slight differences."

"Ah. Can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, I don't drink," She turned the offer down gently, "I never have. Ironically, I lived in a bar for a few years."

"Come on, cutie," He insisted, "You were never tempted before?"

"Cutie?" She raised an eyebrow in genuine confusion. "Why're you calling me that?"

"Just stating facts." That didn't answer her question. "Let me treat you; it's on me."

She pondered the idea for a moment. What did she have to lose? And she couldn't let such kindness go in vain. "Well... there's a first for everything!" She decided cheerfully. "Gimme one, please!"

"Great!" He poured her a drink in a barrel-like mug. "Here you go."

"Thanks!" She had a little sip, and blinked in surprise. "Not bad!" She started downing it, while leaning back.

Nami sat on an L-shaped couch, Zoro on the other side, as a full mug set in front of her. "Now, please don't hold back, drink up," Igarappoi offered.

"No, thank you," She kindly refused, "I'd rather not drink alcohol."

"Don't worr-" He cleared his throat, "Ma-ma-ma~. Don't worry. It's a special drink made of prime grapes that are used to make prime wine. Its flavor is wine itself, but it doesn't contain alcohol."

"I see," Nami had a sip, and grinned brightly, "You're right! This is delicious!"

"We had a good grape harvest again this year. Now, to celebrate the harvest, we'll have our usual toast competition!" The patrons cheered at that. "That is, you continue to toast, and the last one standing is the winner. Please join in on our competition."

"No, thanks. I can't drink that much."

"The prize money for the winner is 100,000 berries!" Igarappoi took a bag bearing the currency symbol out of his jacket.

Nami was on her feet, now determined. "Another cup, please!" She then turned to the swordsman. "Zoro! You participate too! You don't have money, do you?"

"What?!"

"Cheers!" Everyone toasted.

As Luffy vigorously stuffed his face, Zoro was in the competition. "Whoa! Amazing! He finished his 10th cup!" He slammed the mug on the table.

"This is it," His rival collapsed on the table. "I can't drink anymore."

"This girl's downing her 12th cup!"

Nami wiped her mouth with satisfaction, as two competitors fell behind her. "Take that!"

"More food!" A round-bellied Luffy held out his platter.

"Whoa! The captain finished a meal for 20 people!"

The chef collapsed with a grin, still holding his knife. "The cook is down!"

"Please, I can't go on..."

"Hey, the spellcaster is getting down!" Sure enough, a drunk Venus was dancing all along the bar quite enthusiastically, her plaits swinging about. "How many drinks did she have?!"

"J-just one!" The bartender sputtered, feeling shocked himself. "That prime grape kind!"

"One?! That's crazy!"

"She was so meek before; now she's quite bold!"

Usopp paused his tale, and didn't notice the listeners demanding he continue, as his eyes were on Venus, blushing. He watched her hair fly all around; the way her short bangs bounced below her brow... she was so cute.

And pretty.

What the hell was wrong with him?!

Sanji meanwhile, was in his personal heaven; surrounded by pretty girls. "Whoa! This young man is trying to hit on 20 girls at the same time!"

"What's with this gang?!"

Igarappoi laughed. "It's really a fu-" He cleared his throat. "Ma-ma-ma~. A fun night! I'm glad that you all seem to be having fun." His smile turned more devious. "Yes, indeed, I'm very glad."

"For that reason, we failed our mission of securing food," Mr. 9 was writing his and Ms. Wednesday's report, "However, we'd like to report that we succeeded in leading the gang to Cactus Island, baby. All right!" He finished writing, and rolled the paper up. "If we submit this, we somehow should be able to clear our names."

"Right," Ms. Wednesday grabbed the roll, "I'll drop it in the Unluckies Box immediately." She walked outside, and dropped the roll in a mailbox bearing an eagle and otter... and a Jolly Roger emblem with "Baroque" above it. "They'll deliver it for us... to the boss."

In the bar, Zoro finally set his mug down. "This is it. I quit. I'm gonna sleep." He flopped face-down on the table.

"Whoa! The young man is finally down after his 13th cup."

"What?!" A blushing Nami glared. "You're hopeless, Zoro!"

"There's only two left."

"They're at the 15th cup. She's competing against the sister."

The nun lifted her mug to her lips. "You should quit too, for your own sake."

"Don't be silly! I definitely won't quit, until I get the prize money." She laughed pridefully.

Luffy flopped down on the floor in exhaustion. "Ahhh! Thanks for the food. I can't eat any more."

Next to him, two more cooks flopped down by the first. "Three cooks are also down!"

"Glad you enjoyed it," One muttered.

As Nami downed her mug, the nun laid on the table. "I can't drink anymore."

She wiped her mouth, and held out her empty mug. "I won!" She laughed victoriously, and flopped down on the table deliriously. "Ahh, what fun."

"She's finally down."

Usopp leaned back in relaxation. "What a nice town." He turned to see Venus still dancing, but now on the floor. She certainly was attractive.

Why was he having these thoughts?

She was coming his way.

"Woo!" She flopped down next to him. "That was fun."

He chuckled, as she giggled. "You're a good dancer."

"Thanks! Maybe next time... you can dance with me."

His cheeks turned red. "Really?"

She nodded. "It can go with your stories."

"Y-yeah, maybe," He stammered.

What was she doing to him?

Meanwhile, Sanji's head was happily rested on a girl's lap. "This is a paradise."

Deeper into the night, all the Straw Hats were out like lights. Zoro was still at the table, Usopp was leaned back on the couch, Venus' head was face-up in his lap, Nami was at her table, Luffy was on the floor, and Sanji was laid out face-down on the bench. "So, they wore themselves out partying, and fell asleep," Igarappoi remarked outside, "Sweet dreams, adventurers. Again, tonight the Cactus Rocks look beautiful, dancing under the moonlight."

Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday sat on the roof of the building across from where the partying was going on. "You're such a poet, Igarappoi, no, Mr. 8," He corrected himself.

"Oh, it's you guys."

They jumped down on the ground. "What happened to them?" Ms. Wednesday asked.

"They've fallen." Mr. 8 started to walk away, and turned back to them. "To hell."

The disgruntled nun stepped outside to join. "Geez... since they're a little stubborn, I added a little alcohol in their drinks. Otherwise, they might still be up, and having a good time." She took off her disguise, revealing her short, pink pigtails, muscular build, white boots, and a pink and white checkerboard mini dress with green daisies. "But was it really necessary to put on an elaborate act, for just six weak-looking brats? We should've just beat them at the harbor. This town is already short of food. Also, we didn't have our hopes up for the whale meat anyway."

"You didn't have to say it like that!" Mr. 9 glared defensively. "We did try our best!"

"Calm down," Mr. 8 ordered, "Look at this. I've checked them out beforehand." He took Luffy's wanted poster out of his jacket.

"Th-thirty million berries?!" The three exclaimed in shock.

"Them?!" Mr. 9 sputtered.

"It's foolish to judge a pirate's ability based on their looks, Ms. Mon-" He cleared his throat. "Ma-ma-ma~. Ms. Monday."

She rubbed her head sheepishly. "S-sorry."

"But we've already settled. Looks like we can send a good report to the boss. Confiscate all the money, and other valuables on the ship immediately."

"So what about them?" Ms. Monday asked.

"What do we do?" Mr. 9 added.

"If we kill them, the bounty drops by 30%. The Government wants to hold public executions. Go! Capture them alive!"

"Hey. Sorry, but..." Zoro sat cross-legged on a roof behind them, to their shock, sword drawn, "Do you mind letting them sleep? They're all exhausted from the journey this afternoon."

A couple of men rushed outside. "Mr. 8! Ms. Monday! The guy with the bellyband escaped from the room when we weren't looking!"

Ms. Wednesday glared at their late report. "He's over there."

"You bastard...!" Mr. 8 glared. "I thought you were completely asleep!"

Zoro grinned with pride. "Swordsmen never make the mistake of letting their guard down that much." He stood on his feet, as he observed their tough exteriors. "So, let's see if I've got this right. This is a nest of bounty hunters. You dupe pirates who are in high spirits after having just entered the Grand Line. Looks like there're about 100 bounty hunters here. I'll fight you all... Baroque Works!"

The agents flinched in shock. "You bastard!" Mr. 8 exclaimed. "How is it you know our company's name?!"

"When I used to be in a similar line of work, I was recruited by your company once. Naturally, I rejected it. Employees don't know each other's identities, and are called by code names. Of course, the boss' whereabouts, and his identity are also a mystery, even to them. Baroque Works is a criminal group that just faithfully carries out their orders. Humph!" He grinned. "Was it a secret?"

"This is surprising," Mr. 8 remarked, "If you know our secrets, then we have no other choice, but to kill you." Zoro stared silently, undeterred. "Another gravestone will be added to the Cactus Rocks." It was then, when the swordsman noticed: said rocks were cemeteries! The "thorns" were cross-shaped gravestones, scattered all over each rock. "Kill him!"

But Zoro was gone, to everyone's shock. "H-he disappeared!" Ms. Wednesday exclaimed, wide-eyed.

(A/N: That concludes the first part of Whisky Peak! One Piece as a whole belongs to Eiichiro Oda, and Venus belongs to me.)