The Sea Alchemist (One Piece SI/OC)
By: Shadestyle
When Jerry Jackson is thrust into the Grand Line and dumped on Drum Island long before the events of One Piece, He comes to the realization that he has the opportunity to save lives, using the power of Alchemy.
Status: ongoing
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-11-15
Words: 260783
Chapters: 105
Original source: https/forums./threads/56803/reader
Exported with the assistance of
The Sea Alchemist (One Piece SI/OC)
Introduction
Chapter 1: Cross Contamination
Chapter 2: Second Opinion
Chapter 3: Disease
Chapter 4: Herd Immunity
Chapter 5: Excize
Chapter 6: Remission
Chapter 7: Vaccination
Chapter 8: Adhesion
Chapter 9: Symbiosis
Chapter 10: Culture
Chapter 11: Prognosis
Chapter 12: Allergic Reaction
Chapter 13: Growth
Chapter 14: Mutation
Chapter 15: Clinical Trial
Chapter 16: Adaptive Radiation
Chapter 17: Terminal
Chapter 18: Mesocarp
Chapter 19: Booster Shot
Chapter 20: Nutrition
Chapter 21: Retrograde
Chapter 22: Chronic
Chapter 23: Nervous System
Chapter 24: Hybridization
Chapter 25: Vertigo
Interlude 1: Visiting Hours
Chapter 26: Barotrauma
Chapter 27: Kaolin
Chapter 28: Acrochordon
Chapter 29: Diathermy
Chapter 30: Epinephrine
Chapter 31: Paralysis
Chapter 32: Pilus
Chapter 33: Laceration
Chapter 34: Shock
Interlude 2: Deathbed
Chapter 35: Hypertension
Chapter 36: Bioluminescence
Chapter 37: Faith Healing
Chapter 38: Airsick
Chapter 39: Critical Care
Chapter 40: Growing Pains
Chapter 41: Evolution
Chapter 42: Fitness Evaluation
Interlude 3: Invalid
Chapter 43: Relaxant
Chapter 44: Hyperfocus
Chapter 45: Foreign Object
Chapter 46: Delusional State
Chapter 47: Food Chain
Chapter 48: Persecutory Delusion
Chapter 49: Test Results
Chapter 50: Memory Retention
Interlude 4: Checkup
Chapter 51: Unsanitary
Chapter 52: Osmosis
Chapter 53: Separation Anxiety
Chapter 54: Emotional Response
Chapter 55: Punctuated Equilibrium
Interlude 5: Ambulance
Chapter 56: Fight or Flight Response
Chapter 57: Hippocampus
Chapter 58: Narcolepsy
Chapter 59: Confusional Arousals
Chapter 60: Water Toximia
Chapter 61: Hallucination
Chapter 62: Flashback
Chapter 63: Sympathetic Response
Interlude 6: Doctor's Office
Chapter 64: Divergent Strabismus
Chapter 65: D.O.S.E
Chapter 66: Acclimatization
Chapter 67: Prosthetic
Chapter 68: Agonistic Behaviour
Chapter 69: Central Cord Syndrome
Chapter 70: Muscle Strength Grading
Chapter 71: Acute Grief Reaction
Chapter 72: Gelotology
Chapter 73: Tendon
Chapter 74: Tension Headache
Chapter 75: Flare-Up
Chapter 76: Silicosis
Chapter 77: Appen-Dice-ctomy
Chapter 78: Bird Flu
Chapter 79: Puncture
Chapter 80: Fracture
Chapter 81: Psychosis
Interlude 7: The Medical Board Will Be Notified
Chapter 83: Recovery
Chapter 84: Ancestry
Chapter 85: Facial Reconstruction
Chapter 86: Vocalization
Chapter 87: Carcinogen
Chapter 88: Inhereted Traits
Chapter 89: Pre-Op
Chapter 90: Operation
Chapter 91: Cognitive Dissonance
Chapter 92: Optical Illusion
Chapter 93: Mimicry
Chapter 94: Autoimmune Illness
Chapter 95: Feral
Interlude 8: Heartburn Relief
Chapter 96: Photopsia
Chapter 97: Reflex
Chapter 98: Bradykinetic
Chapter 1: Cross Contamination
There are only three things that Jerry Jackson remembers before his world turned into biting snow and a fruit with worldview-shattering implications. His manga, illegally downloaded onto his computer and opened to the Sabaody Arc of One Piece, the pile of Strawberries he had been planning on blending into a smoothie later, and the gigantic pink paw pad that filled his vision before everything went dark.
When he first jerked awake in the snow, the contents of his room scattered around him haphazardly, he had no clue what was going on, what could possibly have happened?
He drags himself to his feet, shivering as he looks around the wooded area. "I-" he starts, a fear of the elements outweighing his fear of the unknown long enough to do something about this situation.
He runs his hand through his hair nervously, eyes darting side to side as he yanks the blanket out from under his overturned bed, clutching it to himself with a shiver before collapsing to his rump next to the bed.
He looks at the strawberries scattered around the snowy ground, and the overturned plastic blue bowl that once contained them, reaching over to it and picking it up.
'Oh fuck no,' he thinks to himself when he spots one singular strawberry that was under the bowl. A bright yellow strawberry, covered in purple swirls.
"This can't be real…" he says, shakily picking up the tiny fruit, rubbing at it as he ignores the cold.
'It's not painted,' he thinks, swallowing heavily, before scratching off a little bit of the skin, revealing equally oddly colored fruit-flesh inside.
Taking one last look around him cinches it, as he spots the five gigantic flat-topped mountains that are instantly recognizable as belonging to a certain, fictional island. Drum Island.
He takes a deep breath. As insane as it might seem, he's got no choice but to accept that everything he's seeing and hearing implies that this situation is real.
"If I die in the snow before I can find civilization, I might as well do it with a cool power," Jerry thinks aloud, before pointedly not thinking too hard as he pops the little yellow fruit in his mouth and tries to swallow it whole.
The unique flavor of wet cigarette ashes and melted rubber flood his tastebuds as he desperately avoids chewing the nasty fruit and forces it down his throat.
When he finishes swallowing it, he tries to see if anything has changed that he can feel.
With disappointment striking across his face, it doesn't seem like whatever he got is immediately apparent. Disappointment transforms instantly into shocked excitement when he notices a yellow glow under his fingers, coming from the bowl he had been gripping like a vice while trying to overcome the horrific flavor of the fruit.
Turning it around, Jerry's eyebrow raises when he realizes he's left a glowing handprint pressed into the bowl.
"Huh…"
"I don't get it! What the hell is this stupid power supposed to do!" Jerry shouts, throwing the bowl at the ground in a fit of frustration.
The trees immediately around him and his "camp" are all covered in similar handprints, failed experiments to do something useful with his seemingly useless power to leave impressions of his hand in things.
"I press my hand into something, it leaves a print, I feel kind of tired for a bit… and then what?"
Groaning with annoyance, Jerry picks the bowl back up, reaching in to brush the snow out of it before he pauses.
The snow in the bowl has melted.
Curiosity burns in Jerry's heart as he idly swirls around the white liquid in the bowl. It's not water, or if it is, it's the most yogurt-white water he's ever seen.
"Is that it? Some kind of melting power?" Jerry mumbles to himself, before his stomach growls.
He walks around, picking the strawberries up off the ground and eating them one by one to stave off hunger temporarily, before plopping down onto the couch that he had flipped back over for future use. "That would explain why nothing else worked, if my power just turns things into…" he gestures idly to the bowl in his hand.
He empties the bowl out onto the ground, where the liquid inside turns back into snow as it hits the ground.
He turns to his desk contemplatively, before shaking his head. No point in tearing it apart just to test this. He's in a goddamn forest, there's plenty of wood to be had.
He heaves and pants heavily, dumping the pile of branches in the middle of his "room".
"Not much of a room, without walls." he points out, already falling backward onto his couch, idly plucking leaves off of the branch in his hands, before breaking it up into pieces and dumping it into the little plastic bowl of his.
As the wood melts into a thick brown fluid, he swirls it around a few times before slowly, slowly pouring it into a triangular depression in the snow that he had made earlier.
With bated breath, he waits as the brown liquid solidifies, transforming from its liquid form back into hard, bark-covered wood. It's as though the wood had simply grown into a triangle for no discernible reason, rather than turning into something like plywood or particleboard.
"Well, if it works, it works," Jerry says with a touch of confusion, before continuing this process with the other branches, pulling the leaves off, breaking them apart, and melting them into triangles of natural wood.
Before long, he's got a pile of the stuff, and with some complicated trickery, he holds two of the triangles together, before pouring liquid wood between the gaps.
'Come on…' he thinks to himself, before whooping with joy when the wood solidifies, gluing the two panels together.
The sun starts to set, but by now, he's already produced the new and improved bowl, by gluing the triangles together seamlessly, he creates a large pot, coming almost up to his waist in height, plopped right in the middle of the room and looking as though a strange tree had simply grown up in that shape.
He presses his hand into the side of the pot, as a bright glow marks its transformation into a melting pot.
His eyes droop as the act of transforming it takes its toll on Jerry, but he feels little need to complain as he wraps his blanket tightly around himself and hides in his tiny shelter, made from all the furniture that used to be in his room, his useless computer shoved into a corner of it onto a plank where the snow wouldn't get in it.
A power like this? He could do incredible things with it.
A small pair of antlers poke out from behind a tree as the sun sets, a far vaster curiosity burning in its owner's eyes as they spy on this strange person, as they had been doing all day.
Jerry's old plastic bowl has been relegated to ladle-duty in the face of his brand new melting pot, the smaller bowl serving admirably with a stick welded onto it as a means to spoon out measures of the liquid inside.
"I think I'm really getting the hang of this!" Jerry shouts to himself, flinging splatters of liquid wood at the walls, where they harden on impact, slowly building up a respectable shelter around him, like an igloo made of bark covered wood.
His stomach reminds him that screwing around with his new powers isn't a state of affairs that can last forever.
Carving out a vaguely sword-shaped trench in the snow, Jerry pulls the side of his computer case off with a grimace, hoping that the electronics inside won't be too vastly harmed by his replacement of a wooden panel.
Dumping the thin sheet of metal in his pot, it melts down into a painted silvery mixture, which forms the basis of an extremely crude machete, painted with the same flame-decals as the rest of his computer case had been. The blade is even hollow as if it were made from sheets of metal welded together.
Jerry ponders why so many traits of what he melts down are retained even after being melted and recast, but shakes the thoughts out of his head. He needs to find food, and as cool as his power might be, it can't make food out of nothing, right?
His idea of scavenging for berries or something is cut short by the instantly-recognizable reindeer hiding behind the wrong side of a tree.
'Oh god oh no he can't see me right? I'm hiding, he can't see me oh god he sees me he's going to melt me into reindeer goo,' Chopper thinks, paralyzed.
The odd-looking human waves disarmingly, before collapsing to their knees and wailing dramatically.
"Oh thank goodness, someone can help me! I need a doctor, desperately, can you help me little one? I've gone so blind I can't recognize anything but vague shapes, if there were a monster nearby, I wouldn't know until it's too late!" the weird human laments, letting out huge clearly fake sobs that Chopper 100% believes.
Leaping out from behind the tree, Chopper points at the human. "I know where there's a doctor, quick, come with me! I'll take you to him!"
He fails to recognize the human's sly smirk as he leaps to his feet, walking over with confidence.
'Ok, wow, a lot to unpack there,' Jerry thinks, sliding his flame-decal machete into his belt, where it comes across as far less threatening than in his hands.
"Yup, Dr. Hiriluk can fix anything, he'll help you no problem at all! He's the most amazing doctor I've ever met!" Chopper rambles, waddling through the snow as Jerry follows behind at a sedate pace.
'So Hiriluk's alive, Chopper is as naive as expected, and I'm possibly years before canon even starts…'
"It sure is a good thing you can't see very well, uhh, I mean, it's a good thing I found you when I did, mister," the little reindeer continues, rapidly covering up their slip-of-the-tongue.
Jerry nods. "Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't found me, little guy."
This makes the so-called 'little guy' wheel around, jabbing a hoof at Jerry. "My name's Tony Tony Chopper, I'm not a 'little guy'."
I crouch down, squinting my eyes as they jerk back in fear at my outstretched hand. "Only if you call me Jerry. Mister fits me about as well as a shoe fits a fish."
After a few moments, Chopper hesitantly nods, shaking my hand too quickly for me to "recognize" him from the touch. "Ok, Jerry."
Jerry gives the little guy a thumbs up. "Glad we're on the same wavelength, Tony Tony Chopper."
The rest of the walk passes quickly in relative silence, only broken up by Chopper singing the praises of Hiriluk.
Sadly, as entertaining as the reindeer's pantomiming and ranting is, it has to come to an end when they arrive at the quack's dwelling.
In spite of having seen it on paper, a home carved into the side of a giant mountain is a sight to see, and Chopper seems especially proud-looking at the sight of the abode.
As soon as Jerry and Hiriluk are alone after Chopper rambles the full story to the quack, he turns, gun in hand, shocked to see that the stranger's hands are already up.
"Before you say anything, I'm freely admitting to being here on false pretenses. I'm not blind as a bat, and I lied to the kid so he wouldn't run," Jerry admits, making Hiriluk lower his gun.
"And why is it that you'd come looking for a guy like me?" the quack demands, plopping down into a wooden chair nearby.
Jerry keeps his hands up, continuing, "I'm a time-traveler," he lies easily.
Hiriluk gestures with his gun. "Prove it. You're suspicious, you come here, lie to the kid, your clothing is weird, and I didn't last this long by ignoring stuff like that."
With a sigh, Jerry starts saying things that slowly turn the doctor from suspicion to shock.
"Chopper is a reindeer who ate the human-human fruit, being ostracized from both his own kind and driven off by humankind until meeting you.
"You'll die within the next couple of years when Chopper, believing a skull-and-crossbones to represent miracles and achieving the impossible, obtains a highly toxic mushroom he saw in your book, in the hopes that it would cure your incurable illness.
"After that, he becomes the apprentice of Dr. Kureha learning medicine, until joining with a group that hasn't formed yet, known as the Strawhat Pirates."
After a few moments of shocked silence, Hiriluk shakes his head. "That's not proof on its own, and it still doesn't tell me what you want."
Jerry lowers his hands, injecting as much sincerity and will into his next words as he can. "I want to save lives. And with what I know, I might be able to do that."
"You've met Dr. Kureha. I need to get in contact with her, see where I can go from there. If I have to fight and kick and scream, I'm going to change the future," Jerry explains, his plan coming together as he considers what his fruit might be capable of, if he just had the right tools, and the right knowledge.
It comes to him, almost like a daydream, or an idle thought. The Devil Fruit he had eaten. Its name comes to the forefront of his mind as he confronts the quack with his willful goal.
The Slosh-Slosh Fruit.
Hiriluk lowers the gun completely. "Well then, it's not easy to lie with conviction like that, is it?" He laughs loudly, slapping his knee as his bizarre cross-shaped hair bobs.
"You've got the eyes of a pirate, future-punk, but Kureha comes and goes as she pleases. It won't be easy to get ahold of her."
Jerry shrugs, standing up from his own seat. "I've got time. I guess if you see her, try and send her my way. I'll head back to my hut, see if I can scrounge up some food."
Hiriluk blocks the door. "You crazy, kid? I know I'd have to be if I let you bum it out in the snow for months with a goal like yours."
"Get Chopper to help, and drag all your crap over here. A time-traveler probably doesn't have too much junk, right?"
Jerry is shocked at how quickly the doctor went from "waving a gun around" to "let's be neighbors", but ultimately, supposes that it would make things a lot simpler.
'I guess making friends in pirate world is easy, once you get past being held at gunpoint…' Jerry deadpans internally, working out how he's going to drag everything through the forest over here.
Eventually, he decides to simply discard the wooden igloo itself, assembling a sled with all of his furnishings on it and emptying the structure out. With a bit of elbow grease and help from the quiet reindeer, Jerry eventually brings everything to Hiriluk's tree and uses his giant Slosh-Slosh Melting Pot to construct a new house from molten wood.
As he admires the shitty structure, he slowly questions whether or not he should simply fill in the windows. considering how cold it is.
'Eh, I can just carve out new holes later if I need to put in glass windows,' Jerry thinks, before pouring wood into the window frame.
His eyes widen in shock when, instead of normal wood, the wood he pours into the window-frame becomes some kind of transparent, amber-colored substance.
He checks the pot to see if he accidentally did something to the liquid, but no, it's still just molten wood. Something about him pouring the wood into a window frame made it become a window.
'Downright bizarre…' he thinks to himself, as Chopper slowly approaches from behind, looking like whatever he's feeling is extraordinarily complicated.
"Oh, howdy Chopper. What's up?" Jerry says, turning to face the reindeer.
"I was listening in, when you talked to the doctor," he says quietly.
Jerry's stomach drops at Chopper's eavesdropping admission.
"Can you really help him, if you meet that Kureha lady?" he asks, vulnerability shining through in his tone.
Jerry pauses for several long moments. "I don't know. But with her help, I may be able to find out. With my power at her disposal, there are things we can try."
Chopper sniffs several times, not liking my answer. "I don't want him to die, though."
Jerry, not exactly in a position to comfort a child he barely knows, tries anyway. "Then I'll fight harder. So keep your chin up. You can fight too, as long as you're willing to learn."
It's a bit disingenuous, Jerry feels, but he did read the manga, Tony Tony Chopper has the potential to be a fantastic doctor. Maybe pushing that into motion earlier can do something.
Chopper's eyes widen as wide as they'll go at Jerry's words, before he turns, running away into the quack's house and slamming the door shut.
Jerry cringes at this, assuming that he went too far, but after a few minutes of silent contemplation, the reindeer rushes back out of the door, carrying stacks and stacks of books, waddling over to him with glints of diamond-hard determination in his eyes.
"Doctor said these books can help! I want to fight too! I want to learn!"
'Well… it's something to do until Doctor Kureha comes.' Jerry thinks to himself, helping Chopper steady the tower of books as he drives them both into the hut.
A few hours of digging through the most basic tomes of herbs and remedies marks the divide between Chopper and Jerry with a very clear line.
While Jerry is struggling to stay awake with just how dry all of this is, Chopper is absorbing it with a… A literal fire in his eyes. Complete with small amounts of smoke.
He might have assumed Chopper was simply skimming over them, but that argument falls apart if one were to look at the notes that Chopper has been scribbling down, writing his heart out despite being a complete novice.
Jerry slowly passes out to the sound of scribbling and turning pages, slumping over his own half of the table.
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 2: Second Opinion
When Jerry wakes up, Chopper is asleep, snoozing adorably with a little bubble and everything.
'Jeeze kid, I hope that doesn't get to be a habit.' he thinks, grabbing the blanket off of his bed and draping it over the reindeer before walking over to his Melting Pot.
The good doctor had seen fit to gift Jerry a load of broken glass, damaged vials, and melted chunks of unidentifiable metal, from his various experiments blowing up on him over the years.
Something that Jerry is especially thankful for, considering the new insights that he's gained about how his power functions recently.
'When I poured the wood into a window frame, it became a window. When I poured metal into a sword-shaped trench in the snow, it became a sword.'
Carefully ladling out a measure of liquid wood, he pours it into a cracked beaker, the brown sludge failing to solidify, even though it's not being poured into another melting pot.
Instead, the wood turns almost clear, an amber-like color that bubbles faintly.
'It's just like I thought. The liquid becomes what it's supposed to be when it leaves a melting pot. What belongs in a quack's beaker?'
The amber fluid pops violently, spitting out a leaf.
"Quack chemicals," Jerry mumbles to himself, before jerking in surprise when Chopper leaps awake.
"He's not a quack you take that back or-!" Chopper shouts deliriously, before slowly blinking awake.
Jerry, meanwhile, is fumbling the beaker, trying and failing to grab it before it falls into the giant melting pot in front of him, melting away into a clear, glassy liquid with swirls of amber and wood in it.
"Oh… I'm sorry Jerry, I didn't mean to make you drop your experiment!" Chopper shouts, waking up properly and walking over to nervously peer into the pot before Jerry yanks him off gently and sets him down.
"Don't lean over my melting pots. I don't know what they'll do to a person falling in," he states firmly, making the little reindeer nod.
"What is that in there, Jerry? It looks pretty…" Chopper states, staring at the pot from below with mystification.
Jerry scratches their head, tapping the ladle in their other hand to their leg nervously. "I… Don't actually know. I think it's just wood and glass, but I'm not sure."
He scoops out a measure of the unmixed fluid, observing it closely, before walking outside and dumping it on the ground.
The liquid shakes and shudders in a spherical blob, before reshaping itself into a new, smaller beaker, one with a large wooden branch plugging its mouth like a cork.
"The beaker aspect and branch aspect were retained when I poured it directly onto the ground like that…" Jerry says, while Chopper silently observes.
He picks up the stick, swinging it around slowly. The beaker on the end of it doesn't budge, but the fluids inside of it burble ominously.
Chopper waddles up to him, looking at the quack rod critically. "The aspects are all clearly separate like the fluids were. What if you, you know. Mixed them up?"
He immediately gives that goddamn reindeer angel several pats on the head, walking quickly inside to test that theory while Chopper preens at the implicit praise and does a little dance as he tries to act humble.
While Chopper assimilates the various books and plays with Hiriluk in his free time, Jerry continues to tinker and experiment with his power, day after day, this schedule of theirs continues, culminating in Jerry's first major breakthrough.
"Are you sure that will work, Jerry?" Chopper asks from the small balcony Jerry attached to his wooden hut, such that the little reindeer could safely supervise his experiments from above and afar.
"Not in the slightest, but the theory is sound. After all, what belongs in a power socket, if not a power cable?" Jerry offers, scooping out a bright emerald colored fluid. The result of harvesting the most lively, highest quality, and most viable living plants from the forest.
With no small amount of nervousness, Jerry pours the liquid into his computer's power socket, the green fluid filling it up completely as it begins shifting, and morphing.
Chopper's eyes widen, while Jerry's narrow as he feels a strong pull on his energy, weakening him. Finally, the fluid solidifies, snaking out into a long vine with a bulb covered in large bay-leaves at the other end.
Grabbing the long vine-cable, Jerry climbs up the ladder in his house and jams it through a hole in the ceiling and exposing it to the sun, before scrambling back down and frantically pressing the power button on his personal desktop.
His smile threatens to split his face in two when the monitor and power-lights both come on at the same time, and he begins to laugh.
"Yes! We're in business now!" Jerry shouts, wiggling the mouse around and logging in as Chopper hops down, curious.
"So what does a computer do? You were very excited to make it work again…" Chopper asks, staring at the glowing screen in awe.
Jerry chuckles. "Well, the better question is, what can't a computer do? This puppy can do math, record files for you, tell the time, and even talk to other computers, if any existed right now."
Pondering the best way to demonstrate the device's use to the young reindeer- 'As if he's not already enthralled with it!' -Jerry decides to dig up his old drawing program, scribbling on the surface a little bit to show it's basic purpose. "You see? Practically unlimited paper, stored digitally!"
"So cool~!" the reindeer shouts, wiggling in place.
Chopper's eyes turn into literal stars as he immediately begins planning the fastest route towards gaining access to this machine himself.
His dreams are crushed when Jerry, instead of bowing before Chopper and allowing him unlimited access, presses the power button and turns the computer off.
"Aww! What!? Can't you let me look at it a little bit before you turn it off?" Chopper whines, while Jerry shakes their head with a knowing smile.
"Tell me, Chopper… What belongs inside a computer case?"
Chopper looks ready to faint at the implications.
"Worthless piece of shit!" Jerry shouts, flinging the cloned clone wood computer out of his window in a fit of frustration.
As he's learned, not even his power can make up for low-quality materials, and thus far, none of the raw herbs or other materials on Drum Island have been of sufficient quality to make a computer with much more power than an NES.
Furthermore, as he's discovered, lower quality containers confer even worse results. He suspects if he were to somehow make a computer case from solid gold and seastone, it might make for better parts. Right now, though, all of the computer cases he's produced have been made of melted down twigs and rocks, creating flintstones-worthy constructs to house flintstones-worthy tech.
It also doesn't help that Jerry Jackson is a name not commonly put in the same phrase as "Computer Technician". Without the knowledge needed to actually assemble the parts that he creates using his power, he's been forced to go through blackbox after blackbox, melting parts he doesn't understand, and pouring them into shoddily constructed casings that he only vaguely understands from imitating his own computer case with the materials he has on hand.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Jerry sighs. At least Chopper seems to enjoy his new laptop. Made from wood, metal and stone tiles taken stealthily from town, the suitcase-sized machine serves admirably as a repository for Choppers endless and intensive studies, even though the only thing it can do is access and edit text files. Its plant-powered battery means that electricity isn't a concern, although it doesn't last very long without direct sunlight, especially on Drum, where the sun is even weaker.
Chopper saves whatever it is he had been working on, before looking at Jerry. "Do you think she'll be here soon?" he asks innocently, trying to distract his angry human friend from their failures.
Jerry shrugs, plopping back onto his old couch. "I've got no clue. Could be today, could be a few months from now. We just have to keep waiting and studying, try to give Kureha a good showing."
Chopper nods. "Don't worry, we've been working so hard, we've got to impress her!"
Jerry nods. "I just wish I had better materials. Working with this junk is exhausting," he claims, gesturing to the shelves they had been working together to fill up this past week. Most of them filled with wooden and planty computer parts and wooden vials of mostly unknown chemicals.
Chopper shudders. "I know you want to go into town, Jerry, but…" the reindeer doesn't answer, but his hurt expression clearly demonstrates what his words don't elaborate.
Jerry just nods obviously. "Yeah. I've been working on something really special, Chopper. If it works, I think you'll be able to sneak into town with me. Want to see what I've got for you?"
The reindeer moans nervously but nods hopefully. "Sure thing, what's your plan?"
"You'll need to transform into your human form, it's a surprise," Jerry smiles, walking over to his melting pot, dumping some spools of rope and rock plates into the liquid depths below.
Chopper's excitement at the idea of a surprise outweighs his nerves by a wide margin, as he explodes with a snapping noise into his hulking "Human" form.
Jerry's eyes narrow as his smirk widens, before he turns towards Chopper, flinging splatters of the liquid mixture at the reindeer, who yelps as they splat onto him.
"Slosh Slosh Knighting Ceremony!" Jerry shouts as the liquid reshapes itself, transforming into thick stone tiles, bound together with long strands of twine.
By the end of his technique, Chopper is clad in a suit of stone armor that covers him from head to toe, utterly concealing him in the ceramic suit.
One final splatter of stone and rope flies into Chopper's open palm, shifting into a crude ball and chain made of stone and rope.
Chopper's initial fear reaction transforms into awe, as he actually hops from foot to foot, squealing. "So cooool~!" Chopper yells, looking at his gauntlets and bracers.
Jerry, however, simply wraps his face with a long scarf, covering his face entirely as he pulls Chopper's suitcase computer up in one hand.
"I am Mister Mann, and you, my friend, are Smasher, my bodyguard. We go into town, do a bit of bartering, and come out with snacks and materials!"
"Everyone will think I'm just an ordinary bodyguard with this helmet and stuff! They'll be none-the-wiser!" Chopper shouts, giggling loudly as he reels up the rock and hefts it over his shoulder.
"Mister Jackson" nods. "I knew you'd like it, kid. Now, let's see if we can't get something really nice. Can you grab those salves from the high shelf? We'll trade some of those for what we need. Oh, be sure to get something nice for Dr. Hiriluk while we're in town, I'm sure you know what he likes."
With child-like giddiness and wonder, the hulking Chopper nods frantically, thumping around the hut and carefully pulling down the large bundles and bottles before returning to the foyer, ready to head out after telling the doctor they'll be gone for a while.
Chopper is overwhelmed by it all, following behind "Mister Mann" at a respectful distance. Cocoa Weed is no joke of a town, bustling with activity and full of extravagant sights, owing to its surplus of all things chocolate.
Indeed, the name is no misnomer, due to the Cocoa Bonsai Trees farmed here that give it its name, the entire town is flush with the rare delicacy, pulling in massive hauls of trade every time a ship comes by the island in exchange for their famous chocolate.
Mister Mann's main goal here, however, isn't with the chocolate, but with the wood itself. Living wood, if possible, was their primary concern with this trip. The hope is that such a high quality and rare substance would serve Jackson's Slosh Slosh Fruit extremely well.
Of course, considering that a mere tenth of their barter was going to go to that, with the other nine-tenths of their salves being traded for chocolate treats and a bottle of chocolate liquor for Dr. Hiriluk, Chopper feels almost spoiled in comparison.
"How durable is that fruitcake?" Jerry asks, pointing at one of the stall vendors, who smirks before whacking the chocolate fruitcake into his wooden table. The table splinters, while the cake remains whole.
"I'll trade you ten bottles of herbal salve for ten cakes," he offers firmly, making the shopkeeper sweat a bit as he nervously considers why a stranger would have medicine on an island like this.
"Uhh… Sure thing, sir. I'll wrap them up for you," the baker states, rapidly coating the fruitcakes in paper and passing them into Chopper's possession, as the reindeer loads them all up under his arm.
The sole oddity of the day out of the way, Chopper and Jackson's trades go smoothly after that, shopkeepers looking at the pair nervously before accepting their salves at above-asking-price, allowing them to make out like bandits with Jerry carrying as much as he's able, which is almost nothing compared to what Chopper hefts up with ease.
Something about the way those people were looking at Jackson skeeves Chopper right the heck out, though.
"So if I fuse together a clay tablet with a stylus, and the pile of cocoa computer parts, and pour it all into a sheet-metal casing…" Chopper hears Jerry mumbling from inside, his melting pot audibly bubbling in time with his emotions.
Chopper, meanwhile, is sitting outside mumbling to himself as he pokes through his files, before Jackson bursts through the door, startling the poor reindeer.
"Behold, the Cocoa Brace!" he shouts, holding up a thin wooden slab covered in leaves.
"By combining those bees we caught with Cocoa Tree technology, I've managed to create my tiniest functional computer yet with pheromone wireless functionality! If you want, I can let you have this one to replace your old suitcase with."
Chopper blushes. "Would it be ok if I… kept what I have? I like the weight, and it would feel weird keeping all of my papers in something so tiny…"
Jerry shrugs. "Not a problem, Chopper, you do you." the reindeer nods gratefully, before a harsh voice cuts through their peaceful discussion.
"Hey, brats. Are you two the ones that old idiot sent me to find?" she says, arms crossed as she taps her feet in the snow outside.
Chopper looks incensed, but Jerry calms him with a perfectly calculated sequence of head-pats. "That's right, hip chick. I'm Jerry Jackson. This is Tony Tony Chopper. We want to become your apprentices."
She laughs, before raising a bottle of plum wine and guzzling at it. "What reason would I have to waste my time leading you brats along by the nose, I wonder?"
Jerry's eyes narrow. "Not a damn one, because we need your mastery, not the basics that any old person could figure out. Chopper here has already written nearly a book's worth of just herbal remedies and salves that can be made from local plant-life. He's going to become a doctor if he has to move heaven and earth."
"I've got a different problem. I've got an ability that would have been better in your hands, Doctorine, but the world doesn't always care about what's better."
Jerry walks inside, rummaging around for a bit before returning with a bottle of liquid, tossing it to Kureha, who catches it easily, looking at it with a scrutinizing glare.
"It's liquid ice. Literally. I'm as far below your mastery of medicine as an ant is below a giant, but even I know that you apply cold to bruises and fevers. My power allows me to create things that might very well be impossible to produce otherwise.
"If you accept Chopper as your true apprentice, I don't care if you teach me a single thing. My power would be at your service, as though you had it yourself."
She scoffs, tucking the bottle into her pocket. "I'm not in the business of Devil Fruits."
Jerry shakes his head. "No, you're in the business of saving lives. I am too. And so is Chopper. Chopper will be the best damn student you could hope for on this island, and my power is what it is. You help us, and more lives are inherently saved and improved for it."
She scowls. "You've sure thought this out, brat. What makes you think I can afford to teach him, with Wapol hunting down every doctor on Drum Island? I've got to look out for myself, if I want to keep doing my job."
"We can do correspondence, with rare personal visits to advise him directly. I've been working on a way we can communicate without a Transponder Snail," Jerry finishes.
"Now, are we going to stand out in the snow until we catch a cold, or would you like to discuss this more inside?"
Kureha looks violent, before her snarl morphs into a smirk. "Fine. You've got nerve. That'll make this interesting," she claims, strutting past them and into their home.
Chopper, who had been watching this exchange silently, practically glows with inner joy. The way Jerry talked, future-person or no, he really seems to believe in Chopper.
It feels nice.
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 3: Disease
The next few weeks passed Chopper and Jerry by quickly, with Dr. Kureha communicating with them using Jerry's Cocoaputers. Chopper's education proceeded rapidly, as did, strangely enough, Kureha's own. With Jerry's Devil Fruit at the helm of their experiments, the Doctorine had been able to combine herbs and powders in a way that would have otherwise been impossible, culminating in their latest and greatest project.
"Are you sure about this, hip chick? You know melting down this much stuff is going to put me down for a week, right?" Jerry asks as Chopper carries in the twentieth bundle of preserved herbs.
"Hey, who's the doctor here? It sure as shit isn't you, punk. The Royal Hearty Herb is a great gimmick for anyone who doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. It's got a compound in it that can cause cardiovascular regeneration. Problem is, you'd have to eat two-hundred pounds of it raw every day for it to do jack shit." Kureha says, her grin widening.
"So we'll just cheat. Melt as much of it down as we can, and pour it into a tiny hole in the ground. Try to concentrate it into a new plant. I'm no botanist, but your fruit doesn't seem to care about petty little things like science and rationality," she says smugly, making Jerry flush at the critique.
"Hey, my fruit is perfectly rational from a metaphorical standpoint, dig?" he claims, twiddling his thumbs nervously.
Kureha lets out a full-bodied laugh at that. "You should have just had that old fool Hiriluk teach you. He'd be right on board with your dumb 'Philosopher's Alchemy'!"
"Let's just get this over with. Chopper, you can start dumping them in now," Jerry says, prompting the hulking little reindeer to start dumping bundles of herbs into his new and improved melting pot, this one being made from sterile steel that Kureha had gotten ahold of somehow.
Despite Kureha's clear medical experience, Jerry can't help but feel like this is a misuse of his powers. It's so mundane, just concentrating herbs into better herbs? The thought, for some unknown reason, disgusts him somewhat.
Each time Chopper dumps in a bundle, Jerry feels weaker and weaker as his energy is pumped into the pot to melt down the herbs.
After the fifth bundle, the man blacks out as his power goes to work while he's unconscious, slowly turning the herbs into a gently sloshing green liquid.
Chopper's shocked yell follows him rushing to catch the alchemist before his head can thump on the ground or worse.
Jerry jerks awake, snatching the glass of water next to him and chugging it down. Despite how crappy he feels, he realizes he can't let them just turn that stew into a plant.
He walks over to his "Lab", the room in his wooden house that had slowly become dominated with various objects that he had marked with his power.
"Doctor Kureha!" Jerry shouts, panting heavily as the doctor scowls at him.
"You should be resting, punk," she responds, setting down the book she had been using to teach Chopper human anatomy. The reindeer in question looks concerned and curious as to what would have driven Jerry out of bed like that.
"I… Had a premonition. A gut feeling. We can't just pour that stuff in the ground, it's not done yet, dig?" Jerry says, running a hand through their hair as they pant heavily and catch their breath.
"If it's going to cure hearts, it needs-" Jerry coughs, small flecks of blood spattering into his hand that make his eyes widen as Kureha stands up from the chair, grabbing him by the shirt and forcing him out of the room and onto his bed.
"That ridiculous power of yours got overworked, now lay the hell down and rest. We won't finish those herbs until you're good and ready, if it'll shut you up and keep you in bed."
Jerry nods, before trying to get out his demands before blacking out again. "Hip chick… You need to get cherry pits, a lot of them. Ok?"
Dr. Kureha looks confused, but Jerry can keep his eyes open no longer.
The next time Jerry wakes up, it's to loud clattering. This time, however, he feels well enough to get up properly, and a quickly forced cough doesn't bring up any more nasty surprises.
'I'll have to be more careful not to overdo-' he starts, before his thought is interrupted by another loud clatter.
"There's nothing here for you, scum, so why don't you just get the hell out of here," Kureha shouts from the other room.
Jerry's eyes widen, and he paces towards the nearby shelf, mechanically and deliberately grabbing several beakers off of it, just in case.
He peaks into the other room, where Kureha is squared off against a smug-looking soldier who seems to be well-armed with a pistol, rifle, and even a saber.
Chopper is cowering in the corner, inflaming Jerry's anger.
"Come on. You're awful stupid for a doctor if you think we'll take that for an answer." the soldier claims, adjusting their fur-lined cap causally, as they pull their pistol out and level it at Kureha.
"We aren't after you today, you're too squirrelly. Rumor has it that you've been gathering up a lot of oddball stuff, bringing it all here for some kind of miracle medicine."
Chopper's eyes bead up with tears. "You can't have it, it's not for you!" he shouts, prompting the soldier to simply change to aiming at the little reindeer. Kureha's scowl deepens.
Jerry, however, is furious. Palming an empty beaker, the glass vessel glows with his handprint as it turns into a vessel for alchemy, and he begins pouring a mixture of liquid wood, glue, and steel into the beaker, shaking it up rapidly as he takes aim at the soldier.
"How about I just shoot the venison, and then you can take us to that medicine," the soldier sneers, pulling back the hammer on his gun.
"Slosh Slosh Arrest Warrant!" Jerry shouts, flinging the beaker at the shocked guard, who moves their hand too late to stop the glass from shattering on him and covering it with the alchemical fluid.
As if by magic, the grey liquid rapidly shifts and changes, before transforming into a thick steel cast that totally envelops the screaming guard's gun and arm.
"What the hell?!" he shouts, before Kureha kicks him in the head, sending him crashing through the wall and out into the snow, revealing a squadron of soldiers.
"Hey Punk, you got any ideas?" she demands, diving behind a desk and grabbing Chopper in the process, huddling behind the overturned furniture as a hail of bullets rain overhead.
Jerry himself hides behind an overturned melting pot, his old wooden one absorbing most of the bullets as they fly inside and turn into a small puddle of liquid.
Grimacing as his eyes dart from side to side, Jerry has an idea. "Hip Chick! I'm going to dive, when I say go, get ready to kick this fucker at them!" he shouts, patting the pot with a palm as it slowly fills up with a dribble of liquified bullets.
Realizing his plan, Kureha nods, hugging Chopper tight to her side as he shakes and cries.
"Ready… Go!" Jerry yells, diving into the other room and kicking the pot to roll over to the Doctorine as hard as he can in the process. A bullet plows right through his shoulder when he does, making him hiss and curse blindly as blood spurts out of the wound before trickling off into a dribble.
His plan, however, works flawlessly, the doctor sliding over and sending a violent kick into the wooden pot, launching it outside where it shatters, the liquid inside reforming into the rapidly flying bullets they used to be.
The makeshift grenade's shrapnel flies everywhere, striking the squadron of soldiers one after another as the redirected fire crashes into them.
Too injured to continue fighting on both sides, Doctorine charges into the other room, jerking Jerry to his feet. "We gotta go, kid, the quack's already long gone after I warned him with your little computer thing."
Jerry shakes his head with a wince, stumbling over to the lab and stomping on his computer over and over, shattering it beyond repair before grabbing the hard drive. Chopper balks, shocked at why he would do this.
"Jerry, what are you doing!" Chopper shouts as Jerry begins smashing all of his tools, aside from the large melting pot containing the liquefied herbs.
"Can't let them get any of this shit." Jerry grits out, holding his shoulder as Doctorine helps him stand.
"Chopper, grab the herbal pot, that's the only thing we can't replace." Jerry groans, limping to the sled out behind his hut.
Doctorine, who had palmed some of the tools and medical supplies, rapidly yanks the bullet out with a pair of tweezers before Jerry can do so much as wince, before dressing the wound in a mad scramble.
"Don't move, punk, you've got an artery that's an inch away from going, Chopper, hurry it up!" she shouts, as Chopper lumbers out in his Heavy Point, dropping the sealed vessel of herbal liquid in the back of the sled before shifting into his Walk Point and grabbing the sled's lines, dragging the trio off into the forest, hopefully never to be found.
'I just got shot.' Jerry thinks numbly, leaning back in the sled as Chopper drags them away to safety.
Jerry's only other thought for the next hour is oddly casual, for how serious the situation is. 'God, I hope I don't have some kind of trauma after the shock wears off…'
Chopper wails, loudly, his voice echoing off of the cave they repurposed into a shelter. "I'm so sorry, I'm so dumb! Me and my big mouth, I shouldn't have said anythihihing!" he sobs, explaining that his constant cheerful rambling in town must have tipped them off while Kureha had been obtaining the cherry pits Jerry demanded.
She hands him the small jar of cherries that she had managed to get. "This is all I could find. Cherries on an island like this are kind of rare, Punk."
Jerry nods weakly. "Don't worry, Chopper. Have you learned a lesson from all of this?" he asks softly, trying to coax Chopper to approach him and the doctorine.
Chopper's tears slowly dry up as he nods.
"Then today was a good day. You learned something important, and we didn't lose anything for it," Jerry nods, trying to open the jar before wincing as his shoulder flares up in agony.
He pushes through the pain, popping the jar open and waving it around, as if to waft the scent of cherries into the air. "Now, I can't do anything with these until we get the pits out of em… So let's eat up, ok?"
Chopper shyly nods as Jerry dumps the fluid into a wooden container, before picking out cherries to hand to Kureha and Chopper.
Chopper smiles, his puffy eyes having returned to normal as he hums and giggles at the taste of real cherries, before grimacing at the pit.
Kureha, who had plopped down on the ground to sit, simply smirks, before pulling up a plate and spitting hers onto it, gesturing for Chopper to do the same.
The little reindeer giggles, spitting out his own pit where it bounces on the plate once before settling.
Jerry pauses, turning to the Doctorine. "You're probably wondering why I-"
She interrupts him, shaking her head with a small smile. "No, I'm not. You were asleep for a whole week, Punk. I had time to work it out. You got suckered in by Hiriluk's dream, didn't you?"
Jerry nods silently, spitting a cherry pit onto the plate.
"I figured as much, when you said that an herb used for heart medication needed cherry pits in it. Only Hiriluk could have come up with something that wacky. Well, him and you, I guess," she says, spitting out a pit on the plate.
"What you're doing, it isn't medical science. Or any other kind of science. I could tell right away when you looked at me like I just kicked your dog that what I know wasn't going to help you with your power.
"What I do, it's all science. It's reason. Dreams don't come true just because you wished hard enough, and if you want something, you've got to do the smart thing to get it."
Jerry is completely silent, the only sound in the room being Chopper spitting pits onto the plate.
"Let's be real, punk, your power? It comes right out of a fairytale. Wooden windows and magic mirrors. I won't pretend to understand how a Devil Fruit functions, but it's not any science I can recognize."
"You and the quack are probably the only two people on the planet who can figure out something as wacky as what you've got going on. I'm too young for that philosophical crap. I'll keep teaching Chopper, but you're going to have to look for someone else to teach you what you want to learn."
Taking a deep breath, Jerry nods. "Then I'll teach myself. I'd have to be an idiot to think I could do otherwise."
Kureha cackles. "There's that nerve. Anyone else, punk, anyone else would think twice before saying something that dumb, and yet here we are."
She waves to the melting pot, now that Chopper has swallowed the last cherry with a pleased expression. "Well, go on then, Teacher. Here's your exam."
With a determined nod, Jerry picks up the plate of cherry pits with his good arm, walking up to the pot and dumping the seeds in, stirring it with a branch before thinking, hard.
He walks over to Chopper, wiping his eye clean of any remaining tears as he walks back to the pot and lets some of the salty liquid drip in, before adding a drop of his own sweat and blood from his bullet wound.
'Dr. Hiriluk's Cure. It needs several key ingredients. Blood, sweat and tears, Medical Herbs, and it needs the cherry element for it to touch his heart.' Jerry thinks, his brow creasing as the liquid turns from green, to red, to a bright pink as he stirs it.
'There!' Jerry shouts, yanking the branch out instinctively as the brew completes, glowing with… something.
Jerry's shoulder twitches with pain, and he turns to face Chopper. "Kid, help me, I need to pour this stuff into a bottle."
Chopper nods, morphing into his Heavy Point and carefully lifting up the sloshing tank of fluid as Jerry pulls out a small phial from his belt, pulling out the wooden stopper with a distinct "Pop!".
"Slowly, very slowly…" Jerry says, his eyes wide as he feels his energy begin to drain, the liquid distilling down until the pink glow is almost blinding.
He's breathing heavily as the last drizzle drops into the bottle, capping it shut before falling back onto his rear.
Kureha looks a bit annoyed at Jerry harming himself again, but focuses on the bottle. "So what's that going to do, then?"
Jerry sighs, as Chopper sets the pot back upright, and shrinks back down into his Brain Point, trying to help Jerry sit upright.
"It'll heal his heart. I think," Jerry claims, holding up the bottle of Cherry-Blossom Brew.
It takes a few days for them to get back into contact with Dr. Hiriluk, and a few more days for Dr. Kureha to examine him after he had drunk the medicine, flooding the room with cherry blossoms when he belched immediately afterward.
Kureha looks ready to kick the shit out of Hiriluk, when his smug expression rivals her own sardonic one. "I knew cherry blossoms would be the secret to curing my illness, now we just need to cure the illness that has befallen the rest of Drum Island!" he exclaims, when Doctorine gives him a clean bill of health.
She places a hand on his shoulder, and forces him to sit down. "It wasn't the cherry blossoms, you damn quack, that punk just has some crazy Devil Fruit that cured you."
Hiriluk shakes his head. "If it's possible for him to do it, then it's downright possible, you old hag! And I'll prove it as soon as I get my new and improved lab built!"
Kureha sighs with annoyance. "See what you've done Punk? I'm never going to live this down."
Chopper tries his hardest to not giggle at Doctorine, but it's just too much, the relief at knowing Doctor is going to be okay bubbles out of him, until he's laughing loudly, running over and hugging the doctor as tightly as his little arms can manage.
Jerry looks down with a bit of embarrassment as he runs a hand through his hair when Hiriluk gazes directly at him, with a firm, grateful look as he holds his giggling reindeer close.
"Ow ow ow, what's the big deal!" Jerry shouts, when Kureha grabs him by the hair and pulls him out of the room to give them some time on their own.
Tossing him sufficiently away from the door, she smirks and looks at the young alchemist. "So, what's your plan? I could practically smell the smoke when you were thinking about our next step."
Jerry shrugs helplessly. "There's a bunch of stuff we could try, but, uhh. Mostly I think my plans are just to watch and wait until the Strawhats arrive."
"Right, future-punk," Kureha says.
"So what comes next, then?"
He fishes around in his pocket, before pulling out the hard drive he snatched from his computer before they ran away, the one containing his illegally downloaded copy of the manga. "I've done what I wanted to do on this island, and Wapol's about to get his ass kicked right off the island by a bunch of pirates sooner or later. Then it's just a long wait until the others arrive, and I go with them to try and save a few more lives."
Kureha scratches her chin, before a downright malicious look crosses her face. "Well, if you're that aimless… I could use a lackey. So much of my time has been taken up recently, teaching a certain unnamed brat which end of a scalpel is which, and a certain unnamed punk could use the exercise, with how little stamina he has."
Jerry swallows heavily, dreading what this old hag has in store for him.
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 4: Herd Immunity
A year and a half passed by on Drum Island, each day filled with learning, teaching, and the pursuits of science and alchemy, until the day a rubber pirate named Luffy dragged himself and his friends to the summit of the Drum Rockies' tallest mountain, collapsing to the snowy ground in a heap, his very hands bleeding and frozen from the bitter cold and brutal climb.
"Doctor," Luffy mumbles. The snow beneath him gives way, sliding back off the edge of the mountain's flat top only for a large and extremely odd creature to grab his hand, pulling him up and over the edge. The beast's equally odd companion gazes silently at Luffy and his friends behind what must be hundreds of layers of scarves of various colors and patterns.
The scarved individual mumbles quietly, almost too quiet for Luffy to hear. "Bring them inside. Doctorine will want to see this."
Luffy smiles faintly as unconsciousness takes him for a little while. Sounds like he found the doctor he was looking for.
Nami blearily opens her eyes, spotting an odd little creature that jerks back at the sight of her being awake, before visibly calming itself by running a hoof over its head as if slicking back the fur under its large hat.
She starts to speak, blinking at the curious sight, but the fuzzy animal interrupts her.
"How is your fever? Do you need a cold towel?" he asks softly, giving Nami the opportunity to react with shock of her own.
"You… Can talk!" Nami proclaims obviously, making the bipedal reindeer huff.
"Hmm, your disease doesn't normally make humans state the obvious. I'll assume that means your health is improving," Chopper exclaims, crossing their arms as Nami chuckles softly at the sarcasm coming from such an adorable little guy.
As he speaks, a woman enters the room, smoothly walking around from behind the arch of one of the room's three doors, her face covered in wrinkles that serve as the sole indicator that she isn't as young as twenty, according to the rest of her body.
"Chopper, It's polite to wait until your patient is lucid enough to appreciate your banter," the woman states, taking graceful steps towards Nami before placing a single finger on her forehead and taking a deep pull from her bottle of plum wine.
"Thirty-eight-point-three degrees… It could do to be a little lower."
She smiles, lowering the sunglasses on her face as she looks Nami in the eye. "I'm a doctor. Dr. Kureha. But you can call me Doctorine," she drawls, allowing the shades to drop back down.
"And don't worry, your friends are in the other room, sleeping. They're as tough as I've been told," she chuckles, plopping down on the bed next to Nami as Chopper leaves to tend to the people she's talking about.
Chopper stares at the sleeping Luffy, his mind returning to that moment on the mountain when he had rescued the rubber captain and his friends.
He called them that. His "Friends".
Jackson stands off to the side, Chopper can tell he's excited, in spite of his numerous layers of clothing.
"He might try to eat you, Chopper, so turn into your Strong Point, dig?" Jackson claims, mixing together a beaker of Woodmetal Chains with a beaker filled with Distilled Pillows, shaking them up until they're completely scrambled together.
Chopper sweats nervously at that before nodding and transforming. He then continues to stare at Luffy intently, jerking back when the captain's eyes slowly open and look at Chopper and Jackson blearily.
His eyes glint with recognition as he sees the weird scarf man and monster that saved him, before smiling and falling back asleep with a soft snooze.
"Oh good, I don't need to restrain him. Either he's more tired than I thought, or he just didn't think you were food." Jackson deadpans, corking the bottle of Restful Restraints and slipping it into a pocket somewhere hidden under his scarves.
Luffy's ears visibly twitch as his stomach grumbles and his eyes shoot open. "Food?!"
Chopper leaps back in fear, while Jackson steps forward, shoving a bottle into Luffy's wide-open mouth.
"I've been working on a new food substitute with Doctor, this should help," Jackson mumbles, as Luffy drains the entire bottle down before shuddering as his skin turns brown and he starts sneezing clouds of leaves uncontrollably.
"Food Substitute ?!" Sanji shouts, his own eyes jerking open with equal viciousness. His head turns in a rapid blur and seeing Luffy in the state that Jackson had just put him in along with the strange, dangerous-looking individuals nearby prompts the injured cook into action.
"Hmm. It seems I soaked it in wood for too long…" Jackson mumbles as Chopper tries to shout out a warning, too late to stop Sanji's foot from crashing into Jackson's head and sending him flying out of the open door and down the hall.
"How dare you feed my captain weird crap! I'll kick your ass for that!" Sanji growls as Chopper runs out of the room to help Jackson climb to their feet.
Luffy coughs, trying to get the last few drops out of the bottle, "But it tasted really good!"
Sanji kicks the bottle out of Luffy's hand, sending it shattering into a wall. "Idiot! That stuff could be poisonous! Hey! Don't you run away!" Sanji shouts as Chopper and Jackson begin plodding down the hall, slowly turning their heads to meet Sanji's eyes, before Chopper shrieks loudly and they both dash off as fast as possible, an irate Sanji and a laughing Luffy hot on their tail.
'Oh god, he's going to kick my ass, or he's going to break his back, and then Doctorine will kick my ass..!' Jackson thinks to himself, narrowly dodging a stone-crushing kick from Sanji while Chopper screams his head off, having reverted to his Brain-Point in the chaos, clinging to Jackson's back.
"You're cruising for a bruising, Slick!" Jackson warns, reaching around in his robes until he feels the vial he needs, turning towards the violent chef as he leaps back, narrowly avoiding a kick capable of breaking bones.
"Slosh Slosh Absolutely Safe Capsule!" Jackson shouts, flinging a vial at Sanji that shatters over the chef, making them shout as the fluid wraps around them, hardening into a straightjacket made of wood and bolted iron bands.
Sanji falls to the ground, groaning as the cast prevents him from moving his upper body around too much.
"You need to catch some 'Z's, Slick, your back is busted, and your captain's fine, dig?" Jackson says, adjusting his scarves to cover his face better.
While Sanji is grumbling violent threats, his captain is laughing out loud at the antics, having returned back to his normal rubbery self with ease.
"You guys are hilarious! We should be friends!" Luffy says, approaching the shuddering little reindeer and the mass of scarves that they're hanging onto.
Chopper's eyes widen when Luffy's laughter is met with similar laughter from the individual behind Luffy, who had been watching the show with unabashed amusement.
"You heard the man!" Hiriluk claims, clapping Luffy on the back as they let out a pair of full-bellied laughs.
Luffy sighs, grinning at the stranger. "So who the heck are you?"
Before he can answer, Sanji has managed to worm their way back to their feet, kicking at Jackson and nearly clipping him that time. "Stop backpedaling, scarf-head!"
Hiriluk watches as the screaming Chopper and panicking Jackson run down the hall, cook in hot pursuit. "Maybe we should go check on your other friend for a bit, I'll explain everything there, okay?"
Luffy nods, a small amount of seriousness entering his expression. "Nami's going to be okay, right?"
Hiriluk grins. "But of course! Anything is possible through medicine!" He says, walking the pirate captain down to where Nami and Doctorine had been having their own discussion.
When Luffy plops down into a nearby chair, smiling at the sight of Nami, Hiriluk begins weaving a tale that starts with a young man time-traveling to the past, and a young reindeer desperately seeking friendship.
"After that, well, the rest is history," Hiriluk explains to Nami and Luffy, who had been listening to the tale with rapt attention.
"The old hag taught Chopper everything she knows about medicine. And I taught the boy everything I know about science. Whenever he felt like listening, that is!" Hiriluk scoffs.
Luffy hums. And then he nods. And then he thinks… hard.
"So cool~!" Luffy wails, his eyes glittering like stars.
"A Reindeer Monster Doctor and a Time Traveler Quack wanting to join my crew!" Luffy cheers, before Hiriluk punches him in the head sharply.
"They're both doctors!" Hiriluk attempts, while Doctorine laughs uproariously next to a faintly giggling Nami.
Luffy smiles, unashamed of his faux pas. "Shishishi!" he laughs, before his eyes widen.
"Oh man! If they're going to be part of my crew, I better go stop Sanji from beating em up!" Luffy shouts, before planting one hand on his hat and launching the other out of the room, grabbing onto something and slingshotting himself towards the sounds of violence.
Hiriluk shakes his head. "Jackson talked about them, but meeting that kid in person?" "He's something else, isn't he?!"
Nami pushes herself up at that, curiosity burning in her eyes. "You said he knew about us, because he's from the future, right?
"What kind of future is this so-called Jackson from, to know all about our adventures like he does?"
Doctorine looks uncomfortable, while Hiriluk shrugs. "He never said. The kid is tight about sharing stuff like that, and he only clammed up harder when he saw those damn Blackbeard Pirates for the first time."
"The only thing I ever needed to know, he told me the first time we met. His dream is to save lives," Hiriluk states firmly.
"I'm the sort of man who believes in a conviction like that."
Sanji paces through the halls, struggling to get the binding off of his chest to free his hands up as he stares at the various crude shelves that seem to coat every single wall.
Stopping for a moment with curiosity, he looks at one of them, reading the labels on the bottles and staring at the odd glowing handprints on them.
"Lizard Eyeballs, Wooden Ingots… Bread Flour?" Sanji mumbles, none of the bottles containing anything that looks remotely like what the labels describe, instead containing colorful fluids.
"What kind of freak made all of this?" he wonders, before flashing back to the scarfhead that tried to poison his captain.
"Whatever," Sanji scowls, plodding forward intent on giving that moron a piece of his mind.
He eventually hears talking, and slyly sidles up against a shelf, slinking closer to hear what's being said in a nearby room.
"Are you sure we should join these pirates, Jerry? They're kind of scary," Sanji hears a childish voice ask, prompting some sort of rustling to sound out, along with the faint clink of bottles hitting one another.
"Trust me Chopper, these cats are with it. The captain's real chill, so we just gotta calm down Slick.
"He's just pissed at me, so if you go out and meet him alone, you might have a better shot at it." A different, familiar voice responds.
"Mmm…" the child-voice mumbles nervously.
"Don't worry about it, I'll hang out nearby in case things get spicy, dig?" Scarfhead finishes, making the child make an affirmative noise.
The two of them walk out the door, and everyone in the area freezes as a wide-eyed Chopper and Jackson make prolonged eye contact with an equally wide-eyed Sanji.
"Slosh Slosh Decoy Plan!" Jackson shouts, throwing down a smoke bomb and running in the opposite direction.
"Decoy Plan? Wait, am I the decoy?! Jerry Jacksooon!" Chopper wails as the smoke clears, before awkwardly and shakily turning to face Sanji, running a hoof over his head nervously.
The little reindeer swallows audibly, while Sanji wishes his hands were free to light up a cigarette.
"I don't really like your friend much," Sanji offers, making the reindeer's eyelids droop as a smug expression crosses their face.
"Hmm, I don't have a cure for that type of mental illness. You'll have to develop coping strategies," Chopper sasses instinctively, crossing their arms before breaking out into a sweat when Sanji slowly plants his foot on the reindeer's head.
"You want to rephrase that, little guy?"
"Uhh..!" Chopper chuckles nervously.
Luffy eventually meanders his way around the castle enough to encounter the cool scarf quack.
The quack in question seems to be hiding up in the castle rafters, watching Chopper try to wrestle with Sanji as they argue and insult one another.
Making eye contact, Jackson gestures as if putting a finger to his lips, making Luffy giggle as he walks up to the duo below.
"Get off of me you little furry monster-toddler!" Sanji yells when Chopper manages to get on top of his shoulders and yanks his hair.
Luffy busts out laughing even harder when Jackson drops down from the rafters, knocking the cook to the floor. "Hey, who the hell are you calling a monster, Slick? I ought to flatten you out!" they shout, rolling up their sleeves angrily.
Luffy nods. That's enough funning around for now. "Oi! Quack! Reindeer, hop off my cook, yeah?! I got something to ask you!"
Instantly, Jackson and Chopper vacate Sanji's personal bubble, standing up straight and nodding affirmatively.
Luffy's eyes narrow as his grin widens. "I heard that you two want to join my crew. Is that right?" he demands, making them look between one another, before nodding.
He chuckles, patting them both on the shoulder harshly. "Good, that saves me the trouble of asking! Help Sanji up, I'll introduce you to Nami!"
Sanji growls when Chopper transforms and helps him to his feet. "Yeah, and can you get this damn thing off of me?" he says, jerking his head to the metal and wood cast.
Chopper moves a hand towards the bolts, but Jackson shakes their head. "Your back is busted, Slick, that thing isn't coming off unless you let me put another one on. Right Chopper?"
After a moment's hesitation, Chopper nods. "I think that would be best, Mr. Sanji."
"Whatever, just get it done scarf-head," Sanji scoffs softly before his eyes widen when Jackson instead starts by pouring a vial of liquid out into his hand, where the fluid transforms into a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
"Cool your jets, Slick, we'll hurry it up," Jackson says, handing Sanji a lit cigarette as Chopper starts undoing the fasteners on the back of his cast.
"So you don't care if I tell you all what's coming next, captain?" Jerry asks, feeling like he's wasted way too much time trying to come up with arguments to convince the notoriously stubborn rubber-man when Luffy just shrugs.
"Why the hell would I care about that, future-friend? A real adventure is fun even when we know what's coming. I let Nami tell us about where we're going, and there's nothing wrong with that," Luffy says in a blase tone, picking his nose.
Jackson nods, whipping out a comb and reaching under his scarves to comb his hair back. "You're cool, Captain. In that case, I've got some bad news. There's a good chance Wapol will be returning soon now that you all are here. He will most likely attempt to reclaim this castle and destroy Doctor's pirate flag. I leave our course in your hands, Captain."
Chopper's hooves clench at Jackson's reveal, and Luffy scowls angrily.
"That annoying Metal-Mouth. I want to beat him up, so that's what we'll do."
Sanji and Chopper nod with determination, while Jackson walks over to one of the shelves nearby, picking through the bottles and examining them.
Dr. Hiriluk quirks an eyebrow. "What are you looking for, boy?"
Jackson pauses. "I'm looking for the cherry bombs we've spent all this time preparing, Doctor. Wapol's defeat will require a celebration to let the rest of the island know."
Doctorine looks skeptical. "I think it's a bit early to be planning the victory party when the fat bastard hasn't even shown up yet."
Jackson's scarves shift as if he were smiling faintly. "This battle has a foregone conclusion, Doctorine. I believe we'll win."
Luffy chuckles at that, cracking his knuckles loudly.
Doctorine scoffs at Jackson's hokey prediction, but she's smiling too.
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 5: Excize
Luffy picks his nose while his new Quack mixes up mystery bottles.
"Whatcha doing, Jackson?" Luffy questions idly, as Jackson picks up a wooden boomerang and starts shoving it into the mouth of the bottle.
"Hmm. Do you know what belongs inside a gun, captain?"
"… Bullets? Why, are you going to make cool boomerang bullets?" Luffy states, his curiosity growing.
Jackson opens their mouth, but no words come out as their teeth clack together. 'I guess great minds think alike…' Jackson thinks to themselves.
"Yup. My devil fruit lets me melt down stuff, but it turns into what it's supposed to be when I pour it out. So I pour a boomerang into a gun, it turns into what's supposed to be in a gun, dig?"
Luffy nods frantically. "Does that mean you can make meat?"
Jackson looks around the room cautiously, before leaning in and whispering "Yes."
"So cool~!" Luffy shouts, pumping his fist.
"So why are you making boomerang bullets instead of meat, then?" Luffy gives a pitiable look, like a dog who knows someone is hiding scraps from them.
"Because I can't beat Wapol, and he might try to sneak by the others, his Munch Munch Fruit is superior to mine in every way, and anything I throw at him head-on, he could devour and strengthen himself with. So, I'll backline. If he tries to get in," Jackson pulls out a flintlock pistol, motioning with his finger to indicate that the bullet coming out would curve around.
"I get him in the back, so he doesn't just eat the bullets. Might slow him down some."
Luffy's carefree smile turns more serious. "Well if you're that worried about it, then we won't let him get that far.
"He won't plant a single foot in this castle, if I've got anything to say about it," Luffy states with hardened steel in his words.
Chopper carefully inspects a crate of what looks like candy-bars, clear plastic wrappers with three-sectioned bars inside. Three distinct colors are represented, white, orange, and brown. Only a few of the bars aren't one of those three colors.
"So, you think you'll need one of those?" Hiriluk asks cautiously, prompting Chopper to nod.
"I think so, Doctor. I'll only use one square though. Two if things get dire," Chopper says, tucking one of the little white bars in his pocket.
"Should I get the tranquilizer? " Hiriluk starts, making Chopper shake his head frantically. "Too risky, just warn the others if-"
Chopper pauses, sniffing the air frantically. "He's here. Stay inside Doctor!" Chopper shouts, transforming into his true form as he gallops down the hall towards the castle gate.
Chopper skids as he pushes open the alchemy lab's door. "Jerry, he's here!"
The individual in question shifts, sliding their gun into some hidden pocket on their person as they nod.
"Right. Captain, Wapol's coming. We should probably hoof it over there and give him a greeting,"
They hear the echoing laughter of Wapol outside, as Luffy jogs over to a window, face smushed up against the glass while Jackson idly polishes a milkshake glass he had pulled from somewhere, one with a long stem almost like a wine glass, and a strange glitter that indicates something unusual.
"That annoying metal-mouth..!" Luffy growls, yanking the window open and jumping outside.
Chopper and Jackson share a look, before nodding as they leap out the window too, Jackson hooking a hand over the window's edge and swinging around to land on the roof.
By now, Doctorine and Sanji have also gone outside to see what's going on, as Wapol rants to himself. "My old castle! It's just as I remember it, Maaahahahaha!" he shouts, before his expression dims at the sight of the Strawhats and Doctorine out in front.
"It seems though, that the rats are larger than I remember..!" He growls.
His eyes flash with recognition. "If it isn't the last survivors of the doctor hunt, The witch, The monster…"
He spots Hiriluk at one of the castle's windows with a gun in hand, and Jackson calmly standing on top of one of the castle's shingles.
"And even the two quacks!"
Doctorine puts a hand to her hips as she begins to firmly speak. "Get lost. This castle is for people who care about this country's well-being. Not for spoiled brats like you."
Wapol grits his teeth for several seconds, but before he can respond, Luffy grabs his shoulder with a violent grin. "Hey! Metal-Mouth!"
Wapol growls. "What?!"
"She said get lost!" Luffy says, sending a wind-snapping punch that approaches Wapol and ends with a violent metal clang.
Wapol is stunned for a moment, but his expression returns to a grin. "Maaaaaaahahaha! Good work Dalton! Scum like that pirate shouldn't be allowed to touch royalty!"
Luffy's fist retracts from Dalton's outstretched spade with a grimace as he glares at the Half-bull Zoan. "Hey, what's the big deal? You're working with this jerk?" Luffy shouts as Wapol continues to laugh.
"But of course! Dalton is, after all, my most loyal retainer! Even if he needs a small reminder, now and again…" Wapol mutters, twiddling his fingers for a moment, before shaking out of his stupor and returning to his smug look.
"But you know, that's still really pissing me off, that scum like you thinks you can simply attack a king like me and get away with it, Strawhat!" Wapol continues, taking a few steps forward.
"For that, I think I'll just bite you in half!" he shouts, only for his expression to turn into shock for a moment. "Hey, where'd you get that comfy-looking jacket!" Wapol shouts, Luffy having been ready to run inside to get better winter clothes, only for Jackson to splash him down with a bottle of Luxury Winter-Wear that morphed into a puffy gold-trimmed coat.
Luffy shrugs. "Jackson had it, I dunno."
The scarf-covered man waves awkwardly, before tossing aside the empty vial and allowing it to shatter on the ground.
Wapol's eyes narrow. "No matter! Stylish clothing or not, I'll still bite you in two! So, in short, the doctors, the quacks, and a few Strawhats are polluting my glorious castle!"
"Once I destroy you all, there will be nobody impudent enough to contest my uncontestable rule!" Wapol claims, clenching his fists tightly.
"It is just as you say, my lord! Today is the day of the Drum Kingdom's restoration!" Chess, a heavyset man in an odd jester outfit claims, smiling lightly.
"I'll start by killing you, Dr. Kureha! You've got some nerve settling here in my absence, you and your worthless friends," Wapol grouses.
'Why the hell is Dalton here? I thought he hated Wapol?' Jackson sweats, staring at the bull-headed warrior from afar.
He swallows heavily, noticing Hiriluk in the window off to the side, ready to start shooting if things start going pear-shaped.
'Doctor never made his great sacrifice, so he didn't impact Wapol's men emotionally, and Chopper never attacked, so Dalton never spared him and let him escape, which means Wapol never imprisoned him…'
"I wasn't interested in some run-down castle, but the Punk insisted on it. He said that this place would be where we start curing this country's disease. It's a bunch of hogwash, but Chopper and the Quack agreed," Doctorine explains with her arms crossed.
Wapol laughs even louder than before. "Cure? You're absolutely right, idiots! What an idiotic thing to say, curing a country! Maahahaha!"
He scowls. "How dare you violate my sacred home with your disgusting presence, your disgusting stupidity!"
"Kill them all! Leave no trace! We will enter my castle and destroy them to the last man!" Wapol announces with a vile grin.
Sanji stares at Kureha briefly, adjusting the metal vest that had been tightened around him, leaving his arms free and his back stiff.
"You going to fight too, old lady?" he asks, before Kureha casually kicks him in the head, leaving a small bruise.
"Watch your mouth, boy, I'm no old lady," Kureha grins.
"If they're too much for you, I guess I can hop in," she allows.
One of Wapol's other men, the final person in his trio of guards, steps forward, punching the air with his afro-covered fists. "Please, sir, allow us to clean up this trash, it is the least we can do for you, King Wapol!" Kuromarimo states, flinging a chunk of afro at Doctorine, which Sanji blocks with an outstretched leg.
"Oi, afro-guy, that's not very 'soul-brutha' of you, throwing hair at a lady. It's kind of gross, too," Sanji claims, making Kureha chuckle lightly at his term of address.
"You fell for it!" Kuromaro grins, as Sanji struggles to get the hairball off of him as it continually clings to his body via static-electricity.
"What the hell? Gah, get this thing off of me!" Sanji shouts, trying to dislodge the sticky hairball, only for a scarf to pelt him in the head.
"What the hell?!" Sanji yells before Jackson shouts down from the roof.
"Stick it to the scarf!" Jackson attempts, before dodging to the side when Chess pulls out his bow and fires a flaming arrow at the quack.
Falling off the roof as the arrow grazes him and catches his body on fire, Jackson throws a bottle at the archer who dodges out of the way as it shatters in the snow, expanding into a giant wall made of logs.
"Slosh Slosh Fortress!" Jackson shouts after the fact, throwing burning scarves off of him as he pats himself out while Sanji dodges more hairballs from Kuromarimo and dislodges the one attached to him.
While this is happening, Chopper charges towards the hairball boxer, only for Wapol to slide in between them, trying to devour the reindeer whole as his jaw distends to open wide enough to swallow even his Heavy Point form.
Before he can bite down on the massive yeti-like reindeer, Luffy's fist snakes under and smashes into Wapol's stomach, sending him flying back with a shower of spittle spewing from his distended jaw and tiny tears beading around his bulged eyes at the gut punch.
Luffy sweats nervously, pulling his arm back in a panic moments before Dalton swings down his bladed shovel, cleaving a deep gouge in the snow that was intended to remove the rubber-man's arm.
Chopper leaps back, and the two groups stand off against one another, Chess slowly walking out from behind the wall that had been keeping him away with his bow drawn.
Jackson groans, his hands a faint red even with the protection of several scarves buffering him from the flames he had to pat out.
'Four of ours, and four of theirs. Dalton is protecting Wapol, but his other men don't seem nearly as good at it.'
As he stands to his feet, he hears the distinct rustling of broken glass. Falling off the roof must have shattered several of his vials.
His suit of scarves swells as the liquids spilled out of his broken vials congeal, transforming into "What belongs on a man covered in scarves". Which is to say, even more of the comfy cloth wrappings.
Carefully feeling the new scarves, he shakes himself to make the glass fall out underneath him.
"My Revival Jam, Swordsplosion, and…" He recognizes the texture and softness of one particular scarf.
"Damn, my Rumble Pak too…"
Jackson shakes their head, turning to face Dalton, even going so far as to point at him.
"I'm calling you out! Coward!" Jackson shouts, dodging backward as Dalton's zoan-form grants him enough speed to flash in front of the quack and swing at him with his weapon.
'Chopper Luffy and even Sanji rely on their bodies to fight, making Dalton's blade deadly to them to try and combat, so I'll take him out of the fight,' Jackson thinks clearly, scarves flying off of him as he backpedals, dodging Dalton's rapid swipes.
'If there's one thing I can do almost as well as alchemy… It's dodge.'
"Jerry Jackson, why is all my hair gone?!" Chopper shouts at the top of his lungs, the completely bald reindeer unleashing a spray of syringes and scalpels at his friend in a rage, just like Doctorine taught him to.
Squealing as he leaps over a syringe aimed at a delicate organ between two of his limbs, Jackson tries to explain. "I swear, it wasn't supposed to do that Chopper! I thought that I had invented the perfect soap! All it's supposed to do is get rid of dandruff, grime and pet hair!"
"Pet hair?!" Chopper roars, creating a silhouette of sharp objects around Jackson, who chuckles nervously in a strange pose that had emerged from him trying to avoid the pain-promising instruments.
"Alright, give me the lizard lips," Hiriluk demands, making Jackson nod and pass him the jar absentmindedly as he sketches out blueprints for some kind of boat.
"… Kid, you did hand me lizard lips, right?" the doctor asks, smiling wide as his machinery begins spewing steam at an alarming rate.
Jackson picks up the jar, reading the label on it. "Oh, whoops, these are frog lips. My bad, doc."
Hiriluk chuckles, patting Jackson on the back. "We should run."
Eyes widening, Jackson turns to face the machine Hiriluk had been tinkering with, noticing that every single valve on it is in the red.
He gulps, backpedaling away from it in a panic as Hiriluk leaps behind an overturned table in a way indicating years of practice.
"Hey, hip chick, I'm going into town, we're running low on toothpaste. Do you use the regular kind or the dentures kind?" he requests, poking his head into her lab.
A vein bulges on Doctorine's face, as she turns very slowly towards him, picking a sword up off the wall and flinging it vaguely in Jackson's direction. "Yipe! Regular kind! I gotcha!" he shouts, vacating the room rapidly.
Jackson dodges another swipe, the two of them now firmly out of earshot of Wapol's other men, who had begun fighting with the other Straw Hats.
"Do you want to know why you're a coward, Dalton?" Jackson scowls, a huge chunk of shredded cloth flying off of him as he just barely avoids the bull-human's violent attack.
His hand flashes out, trying to grab ahold of Jackson, who pulls out a small scalpel, slicing away more of the cloth covering him to escape the grapple.
"It's because you refuse to fight," Jackson finishes, prompting his enemy to pause.
"What do you call this then?" Dalton snarls, leveling his spade at the rapidly thinning quack.
"Quitting, giving up. Whatever you want to call it. Why are you listening to that fat bastard? You're supposed to fight for this country. And you know what Wapol is doing?"
Jackson points towards Wapol, who is watching an amalgam of Chess and Kuromarimo try to fight off a rapidly transforming Chopper.
"He's killing it."
Dalton snarls, charging directly towards Jackson, who narrowly avoids the spade swipe, only to have five of his ribs cracked by a vicious follow-up kick, his padding barely dampening it at all.
"What would you have me do? He can't be defeated. Not by those Strawhats or anyone," Dalton claims, gritting their teeth painfully.
Jackson coughs, a small trail of blood trickling into his clothing as he slowly rises to his feet, back to the wall and vial in hand. "Put up or shut up, Dalton. Either assist in the surgery, or get out of the operating room, but either way, that tumor has got to come out."
As Dalton runs off to chase that idiot, Wapol turns to Chess. "Chess, tell me what I ate today."
"Well, according to my book…" Chess pulls out a small book, reading off his record for the day.
"You ate two cannons, one butter-basted, one raw, a gunpowder-cannonball salad, and a toasted house, extra-crispy."
Luffy tilts his head. "Jeeze, and I thought I had weird taste in food."
Wapol grins, staring at the enemies arrayed before him. "Oh, it's not weird at all, not when you are what you eat, like me…"
"Allow me… to demonstrate! Munch Munch Munchies!" Wapol shouts, his body growing and morphing as cannons replace his arms, and a house replaces his torso.
A chimney finishes the transformation, popping out of the top of his head, through his hat.
"Wapol House!"
Wapol leers down at Chess and Kuromarino, the "And now…" he states, making his two subordinates fearfully look between one another, dreading what's coming next.
Everyone but Wapol himself is disgusted when he leans down, devouring both of his subordinates messily.
"Behold the unstoppable power of my Munch Munch Factory, and the fusion of my country's strongest warriors!"
A hiss of steam emerges from Wapol, as the door on his stomach slowly creaks open, and a pair of faces leer out from within.
"Say hello to the Drum Kingdom's strongest warrior, Chessmarimo!" Wapol exclaims, as the two-made-one climb out of Wapol, chuckling in unison.
"It looks kind of like they're just riding on top of one another's shoulders…" Sanji deadpans.
Luffy, however, has stars in his eyes. "So cool~!"
Sanji's eyebrow twitches. "Damn it Luffy, it's not that cool!"
"Be careful. As stupid as it looks, they wouldn't have been able to keep control of this island if they were weaklings." Doctorine warns.
Chopper steps forward, shrinking from his Strong Point down to his Brain Point, Luffy and Sanji standing to his left side.
The reindeer swallows, as he looks at Luffy. "Captain Luffy… Please let me fight Wapol. I want to…"
"Fight the disease choking this country, once and for all! It's my pride as an apprentice of Doctor Kureha and Hiriluk at stake!" Chopper shouts, glaring at the Drum Kingdom's vile ruler.
Luffy chuckles. "Well dang, I was hoping to fight the annoying metal-mouth, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do, Chopper. Me and Sanji'll beat up the two-face, then."
Chessmarimo's face twists with anger as several veins bulge on them. "Hey! That's not nice!"
Chopper smiles, nodding as he plants his feet and pulls a small bar out of his pocket with a crinkle of plastic.
Wapol sneers down at Chopper, leveling his cannon-arm at the reindeer. "Rule number one of Drum Kingdom. Everyone who doesn't obey the king should die."
"What a foolish little monster you are, not understanding that one simple rule. I'll finish you off, and then I'll kill every other dissenter on this mountain. So get ready for that, idiot."
Chopper breaks off a third of the white bar in his hooves, popping the square in his mouth and swallowing it whole.
"Rumble Pak, Vanilla!"
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 6: Remission
Chopper drinks another tall glass of herbal slurry, to mitigate the pain from his Monster Point and help his cells recover from the intense distortion.
"Listen… Chopper. I know that the Rumble Ball is revolutionary, I know it's your pride and joy, but it worries me, I've seen the strain it puts on your body. Even Dr. Kureha only gave up trying to stop you from using them because you're too stubborn."
Chopper looks ashamed, if Jackson of all people is lecturing him on safety, he must have really messed this up. "I'm sorry, Jerry."
"Look, I'm not telling you to stop using them. Far from it, but we're doctors, damn it. I know our schools don't work together well, from time to time, but I think we should put in the work to refine your Rumble Ball. If only to keep it from shortening your lifespan.
"I promise, you'll be in charge, Chopper, you'll be at the head of the Rumble Ball research if you'll just let me, Doctor, and Doctorine help you."
Chopper clenches his eyes shut, before nodding. "Ok, we'll do it together."
Jackson smiles with relief. "Thank you, I promise, you won't regret it."
Wapol takes a few steps back when the reindeer he had been ready to blast to bits disappears. Swinging his gun arm from side to side, he scans the area for his enemy, only for a white-furred fist to blast up from underneath him, punching him somewhere delicate and extra-armored.
The armor does very little to help as he wheezes, his house body stumbling back with rumbling thuds as Chopper leaps up out of the snow, looking like an actual yeti with white-fur, red eyes, and gigantic disproportionate fists.
"Heavy Point Two!" Chopper shouts, smashing his fists together with a loud smack and charging at Wapol with intent to brutalize.
Wapol growls, leveling his cannon at the reindeer and opening fire several times.
"Brain Point Two!" Chopper shouts again, his body shrinking down to the size of a tiny dog as he lands on the cannonballs, leaping between them rapidly as he calculates the trajectories they'll take and their rotational force so he can jump between them, while estimating their temperature and rate of heat transfer to predict exactly how long he can plant his hooves on each ball without burning himself. His pupils shift and warp, looking almost like the eyes of a goat or a frog, while his horns wobble gently as he moves.
Wapol lifts his foot up to stomp on the little rat, only for them to rapidly shift into what almost looks like a gazelle, blurring out of sight and leaving behind a small cloud of fuzz, slipping around and ramming Wapol in the back. A loud crack rings out as one of the metal plates of his armor shatters, Chopper's horns having formed an aerodynamic helmet of sorts around his face that narrows his profile, and increases the force he applies with his headbutt.
"Walk Point Two!" he shouts, flipping back and skidding across the snow in a haze of white reindeer fur and thrown up snowflakes.
As the haze falls, Chopper begins speaking, his red eyes glaring out from behind his horn-helmet.
"What you are witnessing, Wapol, is one of the final results of our research. The Rumble Pak. It narrowly alters and augments the wavelengths of a Devil Fruit. The vanilla Rumble Pak enhances my existing forms to new heights, and allows me to do things with my power that some would consider impossible," he claims, scuffing his hoof against the ground.
Wapol cackles loudly. "So you got a paint-job. You've still made the worst mistake any Zoan user can! You've revealed all three of your forms to me. Now I can hit you no matter which form you turn into!"
Chopper leers, the exposed lower half of his muzzle turning up in a grin. "I think you'll find that no amount of observing my forms will help you now."
Wapol fires another series of cannonballs, prompting Chopper to leap above them, right into the trajectory of one Wapol had fired in advance, perfectly aimed to knock the reindeer right out of the air, now that they've already committed to a jump arc.
Wapol's eyes widen when they kick at the cloud of white fuzz their body had been shedding behind them as they move, somehow kicking off of it to leap even higher.
His eyes then go on to bug out when Chopper crashes into his stomach like a meteor, spittle flying out of his mouth as he coughs violently.
"Christmas Hailstone!" Chopper shouts, kicking back and driving his horn even deeper into the cruel ruler, sending their house form skidding backward a few meters before bouncing off and landing on the ground.
Wapol's face twitches in a snarl as he holds a cannon-hand to his bleeding chest and rethinks how he's going to put this monster down.
Sanji and Luffy grin at Chessmarimo as he pulls out his bow, and takes aim at the two pirates.
"Marimo's Aflamed Afro Arrows!" Chessmarimo shouts, quickly firing a spray of arrows into the air that begin raining down as Sanji and Luffy's jaws drop and they run around in a panic, trying to dodge the rain of fire, arrows, and greasy hairballs.
"Hahahah!" Chessmarimo laughs, firing more arrows into the air. "You fools can't even manage one of my attacks, and you thought you could beat me?"
Sanji has an idea, dodging one of the arrows, he uses the scarf Jackson threw at him earlier to snatch one of the burning arrows off the ground, throwing it at Chessmarimo, who dodges it with a sneer, only for their expression to turn fearful when Luffy takes the lull in arrows as an opportunity to attack.
"Gum Gum…" Luffy shouts, flinging his arm back as it stretches towards the castle, before snapping forward like a sticky hand from hell.
"Pistol!"
Chessmarimo shouts, the blow striking them in the stomach and leaving them wheezing in pain, dodging another flaming arrow being sent back at them by the smirking Sanji.
"Fine, if arrows won't work on you…"
"Then how about this! Marimo's Suddenly Surprising Sledgehammer Quartet!"
Chessmarimo whips out four gigantic wooden hammers, charging towards a wide-eyed Sanji, intent on smashing him to pieces with four mighty hammer swings.
Sanji's expression of befuddled disdain matches his thoughts at this. "You can't be serious," Sanji claims, flinging a leg up as he flips over, smashing his foot into the hammer that had been rushing towards him, and blasting the wooden mallet apart in an instant, while Luffy chuckles.
Chessmarimo takes several steps back fearfully, staring at the splintered handle before his expressions morph into grins as he tosses the hammers aside carelessly and pulling out a set of four metal axes, each with a strange hole cut in the center of them.
"Let's see you do that with these…"
'This is bad, I don't have the time or stamina to deal with this guy,' Jackson thinks to himself, nearly losing a foot to Dalton's attack.
The Bison-Human leaps backward, away from Jackson's thrown vial, which shatters on the ground and transforms into a pillar of ice.
"If you can't defeat me, how can you possibly hope to defeat Wapol?" Dalton questions, pulling up his spade and beginning to spin it slowly. Jackson's eyes widen at what this entails.
"I'm not going to defeat Wapol. All I need to do is make it easier for my friends. Hence me distracting you here," Jackson claims, pulling the pistol out of his pocket and aiming it at Dalton.
Dalton's eyes narrow. "Then I'll finish this quickly."
Jackson fires his pistol, only for Dalton to dodge the bullet, charging forward with his blade twirling in front of him like a deadly fan.
"Fiddle Banff!" he shouts as Jackson fires off more and more shots, his eyes narrowing with grim determination as the pistol sings out, bullets flying towards Dalton, only for his blade to deflect the few he fails to dodge entirely.
"One second to impact…"
Jackson drops to the ground, confusing Dalton right before his back explodes with agony, a spray of bullets somehow striking him from behind as he collapses, skidding into the snow for several meters as Jackson looks down dispassionately.
"Stay down, Dalton. I'm taking you to a doctor. Those bullets were made of wood, so they shouldn't have penetrated very deeply. If you move, you'll lose a lot of blood, though."
"Wh-" he starts, before groaning at the pain.
Jackson kicks away his weapon, before reaching down and slowly hefting the man onto his shoulders. "I'm here to save lives, Bullrush. Whatever you're thinking comes second, dig?"
Jackson mumbles to himself, almost too softly for Dalton to hear. "I hope Chopper's got this, damn snow-shoveling bastard, making me waste my boomerang shots."
Dalton coughs as Jackson dumps him in front of Dr. Kureha. "Wait! Please… Get my spade and I'll help you," Dalton demands.
"Please, if I do that, then Doctorine will kick my ass, dig?"
Kureha cackles, crouching down and jabbing Dalton with an unknown syringe, ending the discussion handily.
"Nothing to do now but watch the show, I guess," Jackson says, only for Kureha to give him the same leer.
"What, you think I'm going to jump in and fight with the others? I've got a broken rib, and four more that are cracked, half my vials are broken, half the ones remaining are empty, and my scarfmor is in tatters."
Kureha grins. "Good, I was worried I'd have to sedate you too, punk."
Chopper lands, another decisive blow pounding into Wapol's body.
By now, the Drum Island Ruler is heaving, blood dribbling down his face from one particularly unlucky blow.
"You're fast, little monster idiot, but I can be fast too… Munch Munch Factory!"
His jaw begins stretching out, wrapping up over his head and continuing until his entire body, house-torso and all, has been stuffed inside of his lower jaw.
The barrel-shaped mass wriggles and cracks while Chopper stares on in horror, uncomprehending of what exactly Wapol is doing.
The jaw-barrel emits a puff of steam, which clears to reveal Wapol, in a new, slimmer form. "Miracle Bone-Structure Augmentation Complete! Slim Wapol!"
Chopper sneers, as big as a house, or as thin as a sapling, Wapol won't escape his horns.
Dashing forward, Chopper skids to the side and around, rushing towards the Wapol, who is still laughing with his arms akimbo.
Chopper's eyes widen when Wapol leaps into the air, his legs morphing into cannons as he leers down, chuckling to himself in midair.
"Now… Die!"
Unable to back away effectively in Walk Point Two, Chopper frantically changes to Heavy Point Two, holding out his giant hands to block the cannonballs that slam into them with a loud explosion.
Wapol flips over in midair, landing on the ground and giving himself a round of applause. "Yes, yes indeed, my tactics are enviable! Maaahahahahaha!"
The smoke clears to reveal a bloodied but alive Chopper, reverted to his ordinary Brain Point. Panting, Chopper breaks off another section of his Rumble Pak and swallows it, his fur turning from brown to white again as he transforms into his even smaller Brain Point Two.
Wapol smirks at the bloodied little rat-dog form glaring at him with those freaky monster eyes.
"Your fast form can't beat me, idiot monster, do you plan to hide in the snow like a mouse now with your tiny one?"
Chopper doesn't respond, his pupils warping faster and faster before turning into a perfect diamond shape, glowing with a crimson light. His horns, which had previously been wobbling in the wind, go perfectly still in an instant.
"Super Scope!"
"Whoa! Look at his eyes! He's going to shoot a laser out of them, he's just got to!" Luffy shouts, utterly halting the fight to gape at Choppers.
Sanji groans. "Damn it Luffy! We're a bit busy to worry about that right now!"
Chessmarimo, however, seems to agree with Luffy, gaping at the little reindeer's glowing eyes. "So cooool~!" they shout, axes briefly halted.
Sanji places a palm to his face, while Luffy tears through the snow, grabbing Jackson by the shoulders. "Oi quack, is Chopper going to shoot laser-eyes? Come on, you gotta tell me!"
"He's not going to shoot a beam from his eyes." Jackson deadpans, making Luffy moan with disappointment.
Jackson then leans in and whispers something that makes Luffy's eyes glitter with stars. "So cool~!"
Luffy punches a fist into his palm, nodding. "Right! Now I'm really pumped! Oi! Two-face!"
Chessmarimo growls, veins bulging on their face again. "That's not nice!"
"I gotta beat you up fast so I can see Chopper do his cool thing!" Luffy shouts, making Chessmarimo laugh loudly.
"Beat me up fast? You can't beat me up at all! In case you haven't noticed, all you can do is dodge my axe attack!"
Luffy grins, flashing behind Chessmarimo and wrapping an arm around their neck while his other arm grips the castle's doorknob daintily.
The two-headed giant sweats as he looks from the stretched out arm all the way out to behind him, where Luffy is smiling.
"Gum Gum…"
"Zipgun!"
With that, Luffy allows his grip to slacken, sending the arm flying towards him, and smashing into Chessmarimo's upper head, sending them both flying back from the force as Luffy lets go, flipping through the air and landing flawlessly as Sanji idly lights up a cigarette now that their fight is over.
Luffy instantly plops down into the snow crosslegged, watching Chopper intensely.
Wapol's leg joints based on observation… scanned. Range of motion calculated, maximum projectile speed calculated, running speed calculated, max jump height calculated.
Wapol's personality based on behavior thus far… scanned. Emotional state calculated, possible reactions calculated, possible actions calculated.
"By altering my body's chemistry using my Devil Fruit Power and my Rumble Pak combined, each of my forms is afforded impressive abilities on their own. Using my enhanced Brain Point, I've managed to create a list of anything you might do in the next ten seconds. I've also calculated that your body is the most vulnerable in your slim state."
Wapol's eyes narrow, as he jabs a finger at Chopper.
"You can't predict a king!" Chopper and Wapol shout at the exact same time, making him jerk back in shock.
"Grr..! So what!? Even if you see this coming, there's no way to dodge it as close as we are now!" Wapol shouts, morphing his arm into a cannon and leveling it at the tiny reindeer.
Chopper snarls, his eyes flashing. "I'm not finished. One key element of the Rumble Pak is its time-release formula. It means that the negative side effects of the drug are vastly reduced, and it's effects are drastically more narrow than they could be. Unless I alter my bodily chemistry even more to process it in an instant, converting duration into potency."
Chopper's horns begin to swell.
"The key element of Brain Point Two is it's intelligence boosting and sensory powers, which through training have given me control over my bodily functions so long as I'm in this form, including my metabolism, and certain aspects of my cellular division.
"Now, let me show you the true power of my medical science! Life Return:"
Chopper's horns angle towards the cautious Wapol, as he plants his tiny hooves in the soil, eyes flashing rapidly as he calculates trajectories.
Wapol finally has enough of this little reindeer freak's rambling, firing his arm cannon several times in quick succession at Chopper.
"Velvet Gun!"
A flash of red energy erupts from Chopper's horns as they grow with explosive force, six rails of rapidly calcifying velvet shooting forward, piercing through the three cannonballs, and punching through Wapol's body, sending him flying back in a spray of blood.
The long horns break off one after another as Chopper rapidly reverts to his ordinary Brain Point, collapsing into the snow with exhaustion.
Wapol slowly stumbles to his knees, holding his stomach as he stares on blankly at his opponent.
How could this all have gone so wrong, so quickly?
Struggling to retain consciousness, he spots the other quack, who had been watching from the nearby window, smiling as wide as they can at the reindeer.
Wapol hates that smile.
Lifting his arm, he decides to take one last potshot. If that little monster likes doctors so much, then he'll just-
"What do you think you're doing, Dip Stick?" Jackson says, seemingly materializing in front of Wapol, along with Luffy cracking his knuckles, and Sanji crossing his arms.
Wapol swallows, trying to come up with something to say.
"Captain?" Jackson says, glancing at Luffy, who quirks their head.
"Smash."
Luffy grins, throwing his arm back where it stretches far past the castle, twisting up in the process.
"W-wait, I can give you whatever you want!" Wapol begs.
"You can keep the castle! Er, I mean, we can go halfsies?"
"Gum Gum Rifle!"
Wapol's body flips like a shuriken as he goes flying off into the distance, disappearing with a faint gleam.
Chopper wakes up on board a strange ship docked at the coast.
'Is this the Strawhats' ship?' he wonders, wincing as his motion touches his horn to the pillow he had been laying on. That stings.
Carefully wriggling out of bed and looking down at his bandaged chest, he realizes with a faint examination that these aren't like Jackson's liquid bandages. Someone must have wrapped these by hand.
He walks outside to the sight of a bunch of strangers, Luffy, Sanji and Nami as well, cheering, drinking and partying it up on the deck of the vessel.
"Jerry!" Chopper shouts, unnerved by the distinct lack of anyone he knows very well nearby, only for a familiar rustling to drop down behind him.
"You feeling alright buddy? You told me you weren't going to do that gun thing again until you got older," Jackson claims, leaning down to check the bandages.
"Sorry… I guess I got caught up in the moment," Chopper explains, wincing when Jackson's examination grazes his sensitive horns.
"Right, well, Doctor and Doctorine seem to think goodbyes should be fast and include few words, but I managed to weasel this out of them while we were getting ready to go down the mountain,"
He passes Chopper a thin tablet, which lights up when he flips the switch on the back of it.
Hiriluk and Doctorine appear on the tablet, with a small indicator claiming that it's a recorded message.
"Hello, Chopper! It's me, Dr. Hiriluk! Today's a big day for you, I'm sure. It's the start of your adventure! I know it's going to be great, and you couldn't have asked for better friends to become pirates with!
"I and Kureha will be hanging out here to whip these doctors into shape, this kingdom will recover now that the worst has passed, and I know I could never have done it if I didn't meet you and Jackson.
"I just want you to know, I'm proud of you son. Go be a great Pirate, and live a good life!" He exclaims, while Doctorine simply nods, a wide smile cutting across her face as she gives a small thumbs up.
The message concludes, Jackson sitting on the deck next to Chopper as fat tears roll down his face.
"Hey, Chopper, check it out. Hiriluk's dipping into his supply to send us off."
And indeed, Drum Castle is practically spewing clouds of pink, the glittering chemicals attaching to the snow and creating chilly, magical cherry blossoms.
Chopper watches in awe at the sight of Drum Island shrouded in pink, sniffing and tearing up as he leans up against Jackson.
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 7: Vaccination
Dalton limps his way to the edge of the mountain that Drum Castle stands on, his back having healed nicely under the care of various doctors.
Hiriluk is out there as well, smiling serenely at the horizon.
"Tell me, Dalton, were you planning to leave this country?" Hiriluk asks, making him stop with shock.
"… How did you know?"
Hiriluk just chuckles. "I've seen the face of a man ready to run from his sins. I used to own a mirror with a face like that when I was younger."
Dalton remains silent for several moments. "I was hoping I could find my atonement somewhere else. I wasn't willing to fight for this country, just because I thought I couldn't win."
Hiriluk scoffs, pulling a small bottle of chocolate liquor from his coat. "And are you now?"
Dalton pauses. "What do you mean?"
Hiriluk looks to the top of the castle, where his flag is flying proudly, after Wapol's defeat, becoming a symbol of the Drum Doctor Coalition.
"I mean what I mean, boy. Are you willing to fight for this country, after everything?"
After several long moments, Dalton responds. "Of course I am. But now I'm not sure if I'm worthy of it."
Hiriluk chuckles. "You're either willing to try or you aren't. I've always been one to believe in long-shots and miracles. Maybe if you fight for it, you'll find a cure for what ails you."
"And if you're lucky, it won't even take the rest of your life to find it."
Hiriluk takes a long pull of chocolate booze. He never did like the stuff, but those boys were so excited to give him a bottle, those years ago.
Dalton's face slowly changes, tension slipping away from it. "I guess if a country's heart can heal, I shouldn't be so skeptical of a man's heart doing the same."
"Careful, talk like that enough and you'll end up a quack like me!" Hiriluk laughs, long and loud enough that Dalton slowly joins in.
Luffy shoves Chopper and Jackson forward towards the others. "Say hello to our new crew members! Chopper is going to be our new doctor, and Jackson is going to be our quack!"
Usopp turns to the side, mumbling to Sanji. "Doesn't that mean one of them's a real doctor and the other one is a fake doctor?"
Jackson performs a shallow bow. "My name is Jerry Jackson. I'm a doctor, and a time-traveler from the future, my Devil Fruit affords me the ability to perform Philosopher's Alchemy, I hope to produce useful sundries and supplies to ease the struggles of sailing."
Chopper follows suit after seeing Jackson do his thing. "Uhh! I'm Tony Tony Chopper, I'm a doctor as well, and if my appearance seems odd, it is because I'm a Human-Reindeer. I am skilled in many disciplines, from the surgical to the medicinal."
Luffy just laughs. "Don't bow, you dorks, party! We've got two new crew-mates and we gotta celebrate!"
With that, he flings his arm over to the nearest barrel, dragging it over and trying to guzzle whatever's inside before Sanji kicks him in the head. "Don't try to drink the apples, idiot!"
Nami looks at Jackson with a serene expression, like a velociraptor looking down at a tasty park manager.
"Jackson, I seem to be having trouble figuring out where exactly all of our liquid assets have gone. And I've been informed by our new, very adorable doctor that you may be at fault."
Nami's cold, violent aura washes over her immediate vicinity as she looms over the pile of nervous winter-wear. "Where's my money?"
Jackson swallows heavily. "The three safe boxes in your room, I organized the funding into raw gold, paper money, and assorted jewels, and the paper money by denomination, I thought you would appreciate the added security and organization..?" he squeaks nervously, flashing back to when he had used his Slosh Slosh Butler technique to sort the fat pile of money spilling all over Nami's room while he had been combing the ship for loose garbage.
Nami's eyes narrow as she scrutinizes him for several long moments.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Jackson, it will certainly make counting a bit easier!" she exclaims cheerily, walking out of the room before turning to give him one last look.
"But you really should ask before touching my money."
Jackson swallows, returning to his large Slosh Slosh Crackpot with a nervous shudder. 'Ok, so that plan seems to have backfired just a tad…'
He pulls out a lump of clay, slowly working it into a roughly rectangular shape, and picking out a piece of cheesecloth as well.
"God, I hope I don't accidentally piss off the entire crew like that…"
He considers what he's about to ask Zoro, and shudders far harder, feeling sick in a way that has nothing to do with the gentle rocking of the Going Merry as they slowly sail towards Alabasta. "I shouldn't have said that."
"Why are you so interested in making a mold of one of my swords, shit-doctor?" Zoro scowls, swinging around a barbell covered in nearly a ton of weights while Jackson idles nearby.
"Well, if you allow me to make a mold of one of your swords, I can produce better training equipment for you."
Zoro's eyebrows raise as he swings the barbell a bit harder. "Explain."
"If I want to, I can melt down anything and pour it into a sword mold, and the better the mold is, the better the result will be. If I melt down a bunch of heavy weights and pour it into a mold made from one of your blades, I can make a weight that's shaped just like your sword, but as heavy as your training implements."
Zoro considers this. "Nah, sorry. I'm not interested."
Jackson takes a deep breath. "There's a second reason why I'd like a mold. My knowledge of the future includes the risk that Yubashiri may risk destruction at the hands of a person with the ability to rust metal with a touch. Given time, I can produce a set of swords which are resistant to this, at least, until you learn to harness Armament Haki."
Zoro sets down his weighted rod, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel before tossing it aside where it slaps Usopp in the face, prompting him to panic and scream.
He draws Yubashiri, looking at the blade as if he were seeing something that others cannot. "I'm not that interested in grabbing a bunch of new swords just to deal with something that might not even happen. What's that other thing you were talking about? I'd rather just learn Arm Hockey or whatever it was you said."
Jackson hums awkwardly. "I mean, it'd be great if you learned it this early on, but I'm going to be real, I've got no idea how to teach it, Zozzle."
"I know it involves controlling your life energy and willpower or whatever, but I haven't managed to figure out more than that."
Jerry hums, pulling out some kind of wooden sheet that he swipes his finger over rapidly while Zoro idly stares.
"Ok, so… This might help, and it might not, but the only leads I can think of are that the ability is dormant inside of you, so you need to figure out some way to awaken the power and that you… Might already have one part of it?
"I guess when you're meditating, just keep in mind that you've got an untapped well of strength and that there's still more that you aren't sensing? I know you were able to sense some spooky vibes coming off of your sword. I would assume everything's got a vibe like that."
Zoro sheathes his sword, groaning as he picks his ear. "That's annoying. So my meditation isn't up to snuff, eh?"
Jackson shrugs helplessly. "I'd still like that sword mold to make you some emergency swords. Strategy is handcuffed to Victory. You can't just toss one of them overboard."
Zoro scoffs, admitting defeat for now. "Fine. But I want three weighted ones. Heavier, too. I can't fit any more weights on this rod, and it's been pissing me off for months."
Jackson nods rapidly, already shuffling away to get the mold blank. "Of course, I'll see what I can do, Zozzle."
While Jackson mops the deck, Usopp watches with suspicion. You think a guy who's mopping the deck would take care not to wear something that would just get soaked from how low it's hanging, and yet Jackson is as coated in cloth as he was when they were in the middle of Drum Island.
"Say, it's getting kind of hot now that we're away from that winter island. Why not take off a few of those scarves, like, say, the ones around your face?"
Jackson stops moping for a moment and begins to smile. "I gotcha, cool cat. You want to see my mug, right?
"I've got a neat reason not to take any of them off, though, if you'll hear me out. Want to know the secret?"
Usopp leans in, eager to hear it.
"Scarves belong on me, dig?!" Jackson shouts, striking a small pose as Usopp faceplants into the deck.
"Damn it, that's not a reason, that's an opinion!" Usopp yells, rubbing his face with his shirt to get the mop-water off of it.
Jackson pulls out a vial of some unknown red liquid. "When I pour out this bottle, it's going to become what it's supposed to be. Dangerous stuff belongs on protective suits, so that's no good, I can't wear a protective suit when I'm working with my alchemy. If I wore some thick protective suit, then every time I spilled something on it, it would turn into something appropriately dangerous!"
"But if I wear nothing but scarves and pour it on me, it becomes what it's supposed to be… Another scarf!"
As if to demonstrate, he pours the vial on his arm, the liquid inside morphing and shifting into a cloth wrapping with glittery red sequins sewn into it.
"If I weren't covered in scarves, it could be really dangerous for one of my bottles to break, like that bottle filled with liquid flames I just poured on my arm," Jackson finishes before returning to his mopping, whistling a cheery tune while Usopp tries to crank the gears in his head on how exactly that works.
"Oi, Jackson… I'm hungry, you should make some meat for Sanji to cook," Luffy begs, draping himself over one of Jackson's tables with all the fluidity of a cat.
"Sanji said he'd kick me inside-out if I tried to pass off my alchemy as edible again. I don't want to find out how he was planning on doing that," Jackson responds simply, carefully dumping another gallon of seawater into his Crackpot, where the mechanisms in it slowly distill the liquid into compressed alchemical fluids as a green fire burns underneath the pot merrily.
"Please..! I'll tell Sanji that I did it. He'd believe that, right?" Luffy begs, his stomach growling.
Jackson sighs, watching the reaction too carefully to pay much attention to his captain.
While the Crackpot pumps the seawater into ingot molds, turning it from ocean-juice into a heavy compressed metal, he decides to give Luffy something to occupy his time. "Luffy, in the shelf behind you, there's a vial labeled 'Harpoons', pour it out into your hand and toss em at any fish you spot, you can try your hand at harpoon fishing."
Luffy nods rapidly, snapping into an upright position and rummaging through the shelf before pulling out a bottle labeled "Typhoon" and running off, too hungry to realize his mistake.
When Jackson hears a loud explosion rock the ship, and a rain of wet thumps on the deck above him, he instantly recognizes that whatever that was, it was Luffy's fault and that he would be blamed.
He just barely manages to get all of his alchemical fluids extracted, bottled, and stored away before Sanji comes in, dragging a sheepish-looking Luffy.
"Please don't kick my ass while we're in my lab, cookie," Jackson begs, marching outside and preparing both an explanation and a will, just to cover his bases.
Jackson finishes adding the pad-lock to his alchemical storage closet, to prevent any more "Gum Gum Typhoon Speargun" incidents. Sanji very graciously opted to not follow through with his numerous threats, in return for this small concession. He suspects it might have also had to do with the fact that Luffy tossing the explosive mass into the water had also thrown a school of fish on-deck for collecting. A happy accident, if ever there was one.
'Giant explosions occurring near the ship are never a good thing, though,' Jackson thinks as he pats one of the walls apologetically.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" he mumbles to himself, picking through his alchemical knowledge for an answer to the several ton wooden elephant in the room.
"Shame you probably can't talk yet, Merry, typically, one talks to their doctor before undergoing a treatment plan," Jackson says, patting the wall one last time before making his way up onto the deck, intent on finding Usopp and Luffy for a serious time-traveler discussion.
He spots them playing a game of cards along with Zoro and that duck thing, Carou, with Vivi watching idly from the side and Chopper playing translator.
"Oi, quack, you ought to join in! Game's getting good," Luffy claims with an easy smile.
Usopp and Carou glare at each other, while Zoro simply looks bored.
"Go Fish," Usopp says with determination, prompting Carou to begin quacking angrily, flailing and gesturing colorfully while Chopper blushes at the duck's no-doubt creative language.
"… He's displeased," Chopper translates after a moment, making Zoro chuckle.
"I think we got that much."
Jackson picks this moment to interject. "Stretch, Cat, I need you two, when you get a moment we gotta talk about a future thing. A crew member's life might depend on it."
Usopp and Luffy share a look, before nodding, following Jackson into his lab.
Vivi nervously looks to Chopper. "He said he was from the future, right? Why does he know so much about this crew specifically, if that's true?"
Chopper looks down. "I can't say, but he really does know the future, I promise."
Vivi looks dissatisfied with this answer, but also… Curious. Does he already know the fate of her country? Of their mission?
Jackson plops down into a chair heavily, while a curious Usopp and a serious Luffy sit down as well.
Jackson starts with Usopp. "Tell me what you know about ship maintenance, Cat."
Usopp looks confused at the non-sequitur. "I know enough to keep the Merry patched up, but… not much more than that."
Jackson nods. "When I was preparing for this voyage, I took the time to learn the basics. Nothing fancy, but I know which areas of a ship can be patched safely, which areas need to be replaced when they are damaged, and what can be done wrong."
"Do you know what specific type of nails you've been using to repair the Going Merry? Which components have been patched, which ones still need repairs?"
Usopp blanches at this. "I usually go over the ship with a fine-toothed comb in my free time and patch up anything we don't have the wood to replace. And I just use nails, is there a specific kind I should be using?
"What does this have to do with a crew member being at risk?" Usopp questions after a moment, while Luffy continues to observe the conversation as a passive participant.
Jackson sighs. "Less than a year from now, unless something changes, there is every chance in the world that the Going Merry's keel is going to crack, a death sentence for any ship. She's tough, with a will of iron, but her body was made in the weakest blue. Her hull just wasn't made to fight the Grand Line and win."
The bobbing of the waves and the soft creak of wood are the only two things interrupting the long silence that follows as Usopp shakes, and Luffy remains as serious as he can be.
"So that's why I brought you here. Luffy, you're the captain. I want your permission to do a lot of strange things to try and keep Merry strong and healthy until we meet the world's greatest shipwright.
"And Usopp, I know it must hurt to hear this, but I want you to take me to every repair you've made that you can remember, so I can replace them with my own."
Usopp shakes his head. "Of course I will. I'll give you as much help as you need."
They both turn to Luffy, who looks confused. "Why would I have a problem with you helping the Merry? Go on and do it then!" he states firmly.
Jackson and Usopp both give a lazy salute, only for Zoro to burst through the door, annoyed.
"Hey, shit-doctor, if you're going to tell me to meditate, then stop making it harder!" he shouts, getting up in Jackson's face.
"What the hell are you talking about Zozzle?!" Jackson retorts, nearly falling over.
"I'm talking about how I'm getting a 'Piss-your-pants scared' vibe no matter where I meditate, and I can tell it's coming from here!"
Jackson balks at this. "I am concerned at best, I don't know what kind of vibe you're getting, but it isn't from anyone in here!"
Zoro glares at the room for several more minutes, before storming off. "Whatever. I'm going to try and find somewhere on the ship that doesn't feel like a dog at the vet."
Luffy's confusion is matched only by Usopp and Jackson's.
"Well, let's get on with the repairs. Usopp, take me to the structural ones first, those are going to be where we need fresh wood the most."
Usopp nods, leading Jackson down deeper into the ship's belly.
Chopper scratches his head. "Jerry, I'm a ship's doctor, that doesn't mean I'm a doctor of ships."
Jackson shakes his head. "I just want you to look into possible chemicals for rejuvenating or strengthening plant-life. Maybe even a bark culture if you can devise one that is suitable for surviving on the open sea."
"The work I've been doing so far is mostly preventive, replacing metal patches with liquid wood poured into cracks, reinforcing key areas with more liquid wood or metal, so on. If you can come up with anything, let me know. I'll use it on the ship."
Chopper shrugs. "Sure thing Jerry, I'll let you know if I think of anything."
"Thanks, man. I've almost got the life-jackets made, by the way, so look forward to that," Jackson responds, making Chopper nod.
"I didn't realize how nerve-wracking it would be to live on the open ocean without the ability to swim…" Chopper exclaims, shuddering.
Jackson chuckles, only for them both to pause when they hear Nami calling out that they're getting close to Alabasta.
"Huh, I guess we missed the swan guy…" Jackson hums to himself while Chopper waddles out with excitement at seeing a new island for the first time.
Jackson looks shocked and annoyed at the sight of the Going Merry surrounded by Baroque Works ships.
"And I still haven't finished my Merry Pose either, so it's not like I can risk losing track of our ship to hunt them down…" Jackson mumbles irritably.
He walks up, clapping his captain on the shoulder lightly. "Luffy, when we hit land, hang back a bit, it'll be really easy to get lost, and you won't find any food or water if you run off and get lost in the desert. I've got a trick that'll make the trip faster."
Luffy ponders Jackson's words, before nodding. "I gotcha, but we better get the lead out then, I'm starving!"
Jackson nods as everyone stares at the desert island with baited breath.
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 8: Adhesion
Jackson slowly and painfully drags out a giant sloshing tank from the ship onto the sandy shore of Alabasta, while Vivi warns the others that Mr. 3's ship seems to be docked nearby.
"Alright folks, this trip is going to suck, and we'll want to collect every scrap of water and food we can find along the way and avoid getting separated," Jackson claims, only for Vivi to whack him on the head.
"Hey! I'm supposed to be the expert on this island!" she shouts as Jackson rubs their head.
Jackson's eyebrow twitches and he flings one of his scarves at Luffy, tangling up his legs as he tries to scramble off towards the city "Hey, what did I just say, Stretch?!
"Cool your jets for like, a second!" Jackson claims, kicking the tank he dragged out and rupturing it. The thick, metallic liquid inside begins spewing out on the ground, much to everyone's confusion.
"We'll travel in style, using this! Say hello to the Anything Goes!" Jackson shouts, as the liquid beads up into a blob a few inches taller than he is before it wiggles and wobbles, emitting a cloud of steam while whistling loudly.
Chopper is clapping and hopping with excitement while everyone else stares on with curiosity. Luffy misses most of it, trying to get his legs untangled.
The steam clears, revealing a large metal vehicle with an extremely crude-looking engine strapped to the back of it, and twin tank-treads on the sides.
The front of the vehicle is shaped like a giant beak, with two angry spotlight eyes on top, the upper half welded to a canopy, while the treads themselves seem to be covered in odd holes.
"Well? All aboard!" Jackson shouts, climbing into the front seat as Chopper outright leaps through the open canopy into the passenger's seat.
A loud shriek of metal sounds out when Jackson pulls a lever that makes the side of the beak-mouth clatter open, allowing the befuddled Straw Hats to go inside, where they spot two simplistic metal benches, and an open hopper welded directly to the engine mounted on the back.
"Don't dump anything in that hopper that you don't want to lose, because it converts anything you put in there into fuel." Jackson warns while Luffy laughs loudly at the "cool tank~!"
Nami has to admit, Chopper becomes irresistibly adorable when he's ranting.
"I love this ship so much but Jerry almost never uses it because it's really hard for him to pack it back up but it can go so fast! Even though it takes a while to fuel it back up, it's still really cool!" Chopper giggles, running around the center of the tank while the crew to either side just watch the little guy go.
Usopp squints his eyes, looking around the tank's interior with confusion as it plods through the dunes. "You said 'Ship', but this thing is a tank, right?"
Chopper pauses long enough to give Usopp a knowing smile. "Hmm. It seems I won't have to give you an eye exam for noticing the obvious, but you'll see why the Anything Goes is a ship if Jerry does the thing."
Usopp's head tilts. "The thing?"
Chopper zips his lip, giggling again as he clatters around on the metal flooring to get a good look at the dunes moving by as they approach the city. "No spoilers!"
"Hey, Chopper, fuel gauge is looking lean, dump another bag of sand in there, would you?" Jackson shouts back from the front of the tank, prompting the reindeer to nod, shifting into his Heavy Point to drag over a sandbag, stuffing it into the fuel hopper where it rapidly melts down into a tan sludge, burbling into the furnace it's attached to.
With their heads wrapped in cloth, the Strawhats, Vivi, and Carou walk through town, the Anything Goes parked near the outskirts to avoid drawing attention.
Vivi, oddly enough, has been mostly silent throughout the journey, staring blankly at her surroundings as they walk through the town of Nanohana.
While Jackson leans down to discuss something with Chopper, Vivi confers with Nami. "I think I want to ask Jackson for… Predictions. But our agreement was solely for you all to bring me to Alabasta."
Nami chuckles. "You said you had a plan for stopping the rebels, right? I guess it would make sense you'd want the quack to do some fortune-telling. All you need to do is ask."
Zoro nods. "We'll probably want in on it too, we've already come this far."
Luffy has a confused befuddled frown. "I thought we were coming here to beat up that Crocodile guy in the first place,"
Vivi is stunned by their willingness to go this far to help her country.
"Alright, Chopper's going to black out from heatstroke in like, less than an hour, so he's going with Luffy to find a restaurant, I'll go with Sanji to grab sundries and supplies, and the rest of you should probably grab anything you need, like clothing or whatever," Jackson explains, which seems reasonable enough to the group for them to not argue much about it.
Vivi steps forward. "I'd like to go with you and Sanji, if that's alright."
Jackson opens his mouth, only for Sanji's foot to push him to the ground and interrupt whatever it was he was going to say. "Of course, lovely, lovely Miss Vivi, just as I would follow you to the ends of the earth, so too can you follow me wherever you please!"
'Alright Chopper, it's time for your first Future-Mission, follow Luffy, and if you spot a restaurant with a large crowd in front of it, that's your target. There's a person in there that Luffy is going to be very happy to meet.'
Those were the words that Jackson had said to Chopper, and, after a mini-freakout that Jackson was trusting him with his very first Future-Mission, he accepted readily.
'But it's just so damn hot out here… I wish we could just go into any old place,' Chopper thinks to himself, trotting behind his Captain to try and catch up.
After a quick glance around, Chopper spots it, prodding the aimless Luffy in the side to guide him over to it. "Oh! Is this the place you said had the good food Chopper?" Luffy grins, muscling his way through the crowd of worried people
"They think he ate a Desert Strawberry..!"
"What's that?"
"Well, it's a kind of spider that looks just like a piece of fruit, but if you eat it, you just keel over three days later and become contageo-Whoa!" one of the bystanders yelps as Luffy plows through, ready for food.
He plops down in a seat, snatching up a fork and knife. "Food, please! Now!" the rubbery captain demands, his arms flopping as he slams the cutlery onto the table over and over, while the chef in front of him sweats.
Chopper is tempted to plop down to the cool floor for a while, but remembers Jackson's warning.
'Also, there's maybe a fifty-fifty chance that a Marine is going to walk in shortly after the guy inside wakes up. Be ready to run, and don't lose the cold-front extract I gave you. Nami said it should be strong enough to blast any smoke the guy makes straight up in the air, but don't rely on it.'
The fellow next to Luffy wakes up blearily.
"Oh, I guess I fell asleep," he claims.
"He fell asleep?!" the crowd shouts in unison.
Luffy reacts to the stranger's voice by doing something Chopper genuinely didn't think was possible for his captain. Namely, he stops eating long enough for his eyes to widen as he stares at the guy.
"A-!" Luffy mumbles through a mouthful of food, before swallowing it and smiling wide.
"Ace!" Luffy shouts, prompting Ace to notice Luffy as well.
"Luffy!"
"Ace!"
"Luffy!"
Both of them then remember their priorities and begin stuffing food into their mouths again.
"What the heck, they're eating again!" the crowd shouts, a chunk of them falling to the ground in shock.
Eventually, though, the crowd begins to disperse, and the two of them start mumbling to each other through mouthfuls of food, mostly about how delicious the food is, and how good it is to see one another.
Chopper's eyes widen when a scary-looking guy in a Marine outfit walks in.
In a panic, Chopper reverts to his Brain Point, flinging the vial in his pocket at their feet, where it erupts into a geyser of freezing air, sending Captain Smoker through the ceiling, and sending everyone in the restaurant into a panic.
Luffy idly looks back. "Oi, Chopper, what was that?"
Chopper sweats heavily. "W-we gotta run, Captain, that's that Marine guy Jerry warned me about I just sent flying!"
Ace and Luffy share a look, before stuffing their faces and running out of the restaurant with Chopper taking up the rear.
'It's like looking at a mirror!' Chopper says before Ace turns around, running back towards the place and thanking them for the food before scrambling to catch back up as Smoker flies down, violently angry.
'Or maybe not…' Chopper deadpans at Ace's weird bout of politeness.
"How the hell are you managing in this heat with all that heavy clothing?" Sanji mutters as Jackson calmly walks next to him, with a nervous Vivi taking up the rear.
"Actually, I'm not, you may be surprised to hear. I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing symptoms of heatstroke," Jackson says cheerily, popping open a bottle of some unknown fluid and drinking it.
Sanji cuts him a sharp look, only for Vivi to chuckle nervously. "Sanji, could you go searching for the supplies we need? I'll make sure Jackson gets some fluids in him that didn't come out of a vial."
Sanji scratches his head as Vivi shuffles away the befuddled doctor. "Looks like I'll be carrying everything… Damn scarf-head."
"So what's this all about? I'm perfectly fine now that I've had one of my snowball cocktails," Jackson lies, bobbing as they take a seat at a nearby outdoor cafe.
"Could you please tell me what's going to happen to Alabasta?" Vivi states insistently.
The air seems to still as the crowds walking by fade away.
"… Nope!" Jackson exclaims.
"Why the hell not?!" Vivi shouts as Jackson takes a sip of some fruity drink.
"Because on the side of our enemies lies a woman who could hear every word I say. Until she becomes our ally, I can't risk it."
Vivi pauses at this, even going so far as to look around briefly, before continuing. "Is there no way you can tell me?"
Jackson drains the last of his drink, sliding over a few coins. "Have faith, Vivi. It will take you further than my hokey fortune-telling ever could."
Vivi looks displeased with his answer, but doesn't respond until a low rumbling begins to sound out nearby.
"Do you hear that?" Vivi asks, only to notice belatedly that Jackson is totally sloshed.
"Hear what?" he asks, moments before Luffy, Ace and Chopper rush past. Vivi jerks back, but Jackson is instead sent flying, flipping over from the wind they threw up and crashing into a barrel of wine a half-block away.
His soaked and ragged outfit hang loosely on him as he groans, climbing to his feet, and he receives a small twinge of pain from how loud the crowd near him is screaming.
When he spots Smoker, his eyes widen in panic and he turns around, backpedaling at high speed towards the Anything Goes at a rapid speed, eventually pushing past the crowd of confused screaming marines, catching up to the crowd of confused screaming Strawhats, and then going past them to leap into the Anything Goes's cockpit, dumping a snatched Chopper down next to him.
"Chopper, dump the gold fuel in, we gotta make like bread and get to leavening!" Jackson shouts while the other Strawhats are only just climbing on board.
The reindeer grabs the little bottle of gold liquid, dumping it into the fuel hatch before diving to the floor as the engines spew fire everywhere, and the treads begin shrieking loudly, throwing up a miniature sandstorm as Jackson cranks levers and begins driving them towards the Merry.
"Oi, Ace, this here is my crew. What do you think?" Luffy grins, as Ace looks at them all before giving a friendly nod.
"Sorry you all have to put up with my little brother, I know he's a handful, so I appreciate you looking out for him," Ace claims.
"No, no, it's not a problem," most of the crew admits in unison.
"You two probably have a lot of catching up to do, why don't I make you some tea?" Sanji asks, only for Ace to hold up a hand.
"Please, don't trouble yourself at my expense," Ace says easily, before lighting Sanji's cigarette for him.
"Man, he's something else, huh? I would have figured he'd be as wild as Luffy..!" Usopp claims.
"He's just a polite guy who loves his brother!" Zoro shouts.
Chopper nods tearily. "Brothers are amazing, right?!"
Eventually, the duo connives Usopp into dragging an anvil out onto the deck, so they can put each other's strength to the test, hands clasping together as they begin to arm-wrestle. "Shishishi! This brings me right back Ace, like that time you tried to kick the apples out of a tree, and it fell on you!"
Ace grins, even as his face reddens from effort. "That was you! Idiot!"
"And then we ate all the apples, and you got sick from eating all the cores!"
"You did too, idiot, and it was worth it!"
Their struggle eventually ends, Luffy slowly grinding Ace's resolve down and slamming his hand into the side of the anvil with a cheer of victory.
"Damn it! When did you get so strong with noodle arms like those?!" Ace groans, rubbing feeling back into his hand while Luffy does a little dance.
"Say, where did your little driving friend go, anyway? He's on your crew too, right?" Ace asks after a moment.
Luffy shrugs. "He said he had to go do time-traveler stuff. He's from the future."
Mr. 11 can't help but wonder what exactly is going on, as he sits tied to the mast of the Marine Ship that he's on.
"Smoker and all of the other marines just left me here alone. Well, that's perfect, I'll take this opportunity to escape somehow!"
His eyes widen when three individuals approach him, standing higher on the ship.
"Hello, Mr. 11," the ringleader, a large heavyset man with both swords and spears strapped to his back says, while his partners chuckle maliciously.
"If you know my name… are you members of Baroque Works, then? Millions? Hurry up and untie me!" Mr. 11 demands, struggling against his bonds.
One of them leers, leveling a pistol at Mr. 11, making him gasp. "Oh we're members of Baroque Works, alright, but we're Billions. And if we kill you, there's an open seat among the Number Agents. Just opening up space means one of us could rise through the ranks, considering how weak you are."
"W-Wait, please!" Mr. 11 begs, before a loud bang rips through the air.
He breathes heavily, grateful he's still alive, but unsure of just what exactly spared him.
The smoke from the gunshot clears, revealing… a pile of loose clothing with a shield?
"Come with me if you want to live," they state, a glint of steel flashing out as they slash apart the ropes binding him to the mast using a scalpel of all things.
"What the hell? Kill them both!" the ringleader shouts, leaping down and drawing one of his swords.
He swings it down, only for the ragged individual to leap backward, their scalpel slashing at the Billions Agent as Mr. 11 backs away in fear.
"Slosh Slosh Resin: Psychic Scalpel!" they shout, swinging their blade sloppily in a horizontal fashion, sending out some sort of liquid blade that crashes into the three thugs and leaves them spurting blood as they fly back into the wooden wall.
Mr. 11's adrenaline begins to fade when the stranger approaches the unconscious foes, pouring something on their wounds that makes the bleeding slow, and then stop.
"W-what are you doing? Let's get the hell out of here!" 11 says, stomping forward only for the stranger's glare to stop him in his tracks.
"Long shot, but do you know where they keep the seastone handcuffs on this ship?" they ask, wiping their scalpel off on their sleeve, before slipping it back somewhere unknown.
"I've got intel that suggests they keep seastone with the subordinate officers on ships with a Devil Fruit using captain, they'll be in the officer's room over th-" as soon as he points, the stranger plops their round shield on their back, and charges backward into the door, smashing it down.
"Ahh, here we are," they say, staring at Mr. 11, who had jerked back in shock onto one foot.
'Who the hell is this guy?' Mr. 11 thinks as the stranger strolls out, a sack bulging with stolen goods slung over his back.
"Follow me, I've got a ship, don't, and I'll gun you down where you stand," they claim, climbing down a rope hanging from the Marine vessel.
Swallowing heavily at the ultimatum, Mr. 11 feels like they aren't joking about that last part.
'I suppose I've got nothing to lose…' he thinks to himself, adjusting his hat before swinging over the edge and climbing down into his savior's metal boat.
As he sets down on the bench, he can't help but wonder just what the hell is going on here.
"Who are you?" he asks, only for the shambling mass of cloth to look back at him, or at least, he thinks that's what they do.
"My name is Jerry Jackson, and I try to save lives when I can. Let's discuss your fate more when we get to my crew's ship."
As the boat's large, tank-tread-like paddles rip through the water like a blender, Mr. 11 gets a distinct feeling that if he were going to run, he should have done so earlier…
Last edited: Sep 1, 2019
Chapter 9: Symbiosis
Vivi is displeased with Jackson's decision, but everyone else is too dazzled by the Anything Goes happily plodding through the open ocean, paddles shoved into it's tank-treads somehow as Chopper and Usopp drive it around, giggling and laughing at the speed it can get up to.
"Alright, so, this guy is Mr. 11," Jackson claims, shoving the nervous suited individual forward lightly. He adjusts his top-hat and gives a nervous smile, his "11" tattoo on his face crinkling.
"According to my future-knowledge, he was supposed to die today, I prevented that."
"With your permission captain, I'd like to give him three options."
Luffy gives a lazy thumbs up. "This is your thing, Jackson. Go for it."
"Nice. Alright, Mr. 11. Here are your options."
"Option one, you help us dismantle Baroque Works, your information is our information.
"Option two, you become a prisoner. Either to us, or to a set of marines. If you become our prisoner, we dump you off somewhere after Baroque Works is through. In any case, it means you're out of our way, and you don't have to help us.
"Option three, we sail away from the shore a bit, and I dump you overboard. Life is cruel."
He gulps, unwilling to try to escape after seeing Ace turn a fleet of Baroque Works ships into kindling and driftwood, the men aboard paddling to shore in a panic.
Especially considering that Ace is on the deck as well, chuckling at Luffy's goofy quack trying to be intimidating.
"I, uhh, I don't want to choose option three, may I think about it?" he finally offers, making Jackson shrug.
"Sure thing. You've got until we make it to Yuba."
Jackson pauses. "Just, fair warning, I'll have to get creative to exact option three if you go for that one once we get to Yuba," he adds, as if it were an afterthought.
Usopp leans in, a bit nervous. "Were we really going to just dump him in the ocean if he didn't go along with that?"
Jackson responds in a low mutter "Nope, but it sounded pretty intimidating, right?"
Usopp nods rapidly, but strangely, his response makes Jackson utter a small curse. "Damn it, if you thought it was scary, then it's probably not very scary at all…"
"What's that supposed to mean?!?!" Usopp shouts, puffing up like an angry kitten.
"Alright Jackson, you're going to have to tell me if this is a prank or not, because it's kind of getting on my nerves," Zoro claims, holding up the pitch-black training sword.
Scarves shift in confusion. "What's wrong with it? I did make it more than three times as heavy as your old weights."
Zoro's veins throb with annoyance. "I can lift the damn thing just fine, but when I try to swing it, it's like it's glued or something!"
Jackson plants a fist in their palm in realization. "Ahh, that's the tar parachute I included. The sword's air resistance and dampening are impressive, aren't they? It's supposed to act like you're swinging it through solid tar.
"It's not too much for you, is it?"
Zoro's face turns red as he walks away instantly. "Nope, it's perfect, perfectly perfect!"
Minutes later, Jackson lets out a short laugh. 'Works every time.'
"Hey, Usopp, how are the repairs coming along? Any other areas you can remember patching?"
Usopp ponders this heavily, before shaking his head. "No, nothing I can think of right off the bat. I think we actually got everything gooped up like you wanted!" he states with some excitement.
Jackson nods. "Good. Sometime before we leave Alabasta, I want to careen the Going Merry,"
Usopp's lips twist as his eyes bulge out. "W-wh- Like, tip the Going Merry over? Why the heck would we want to do that?"
Jackson purses his lips, looking for good words to nest his demands in. "Have you once cleaned the bottom of the ship? or done any maintenance on her hull outside of the internal workings? We don't have a dry-dock, so we need to set aside some time to careen the ship on a beach or something, so we can take a look."
"Anything fouling her underside could cause us to lose speed, and there might be dry-rot on the outer planks that we can't access. It's standard practice to do this every so often, and it will give me the time to do some more preventive work."
Usopp ponders Jackson's words, digesting them as the ship bobs lightly from side to side.
"If you're sure, I suppose we can do that. I… Hadn't considered doing maintenance on the outside, since we haven't actually gotten any direct hits from cannon-fire or what have you."
Jackson nods. "Oh, also, this is a time-travel thing, but if Nami asks you to make her a weapon, just put the party functions in a different device. Combat only, got it? I'll let you dip into my chemical stores if you can keep that straight."
Usopp looks a bit befuddled, but nods. "Uhh, sure. Did including some fun party tricks in it mess something up?"
Jackson doesn't respond, climbing below deck as Vivi announces that a band of Kung-fu-dugongs is demanding a fight when they approach the shore.
"Damn it Luffy, we can't take them with us!" Nami shouts as the shell-covered dugongs pleadingly hug Luffy's legs, demanding they be allowed to join on their trip.
Jackson steps forward, pulling out several capsules. "I've got this," he claims, making the Strawhats panic for a moment, only to sigh in relief when the capsules he tossed at the ground in front of them turned into a giant block of salt, a pile of knives and pots, and a pile of jars instead of some horrific attack. Jackson sweatdrops at their lack of faith, before turning to the warrior sea-mammals.
"You want to train under Captain Luffy?! Then you've got to make it worth his while! I want to see every one of these jars filled with pickled fish by the time we get back!"
Jackson points to Sanji. "Would you mind giving them a quick course on what they should be doing?"
Sanji balks at this, but by this point, it's too late when Luffy nods with excitement from the idea of getting that much free fish and the Dugongs nod in excitement at the idea of proving themselves worthy of their master's tutelage.
"Well, first we'll need some fish…" Sanji starts, only for the Dugongs to plow into the water, sending a rain of fish flying onto the open sands, flopping wildly.
While Sanji tries his best to explain the basics of filleting and pickling seafood, a faint touch of confusion never leaving his tone, Luffy tilts his head curiously. "Not that I'm complaining, but why couldn't they come with us?"
Zoro gives him a violent stare. "Luffy, we would have stuck out like a sore thumb with an army of weird fish-turtles hanging around us."
As they approach a large ruin, half-buried in sand and decayed almost beyond recognition, Luffy looks confused, leaning out of the Anything Goes.
"Is this Yuba?"
Vivi shakes her head. "No. This is Erumalu. The city of green."
Luffy only looks more confused. "City of green?"
Vivi stares at the dunes threatening to overtake destroyed walls and dried, decaying trees. "This sight alone explains it all. This is the fate that Baroque Works has inflicted on my people. This is the face of Alabasta's suffering."
"It is the future I want to prevent," she says pointedly.
Mr. 11 is shocked at just how little these Strawhats have done to keep him from running. The one called Jackson just put some metal gauntlets on him and called it a day.
"If you try to run, you'll soon find out that those gauntlets slowly increase in weight over time. And I'm the only one who can lighten them back up," Jackson had warned.
Of course, what really made him less belligerent was Vivi's impassioned speech about how Crocodile was choking the life out of Alabasta with Dance Powder, all while framing the king for it.
Jackson plants a fist in their palm. "Shit, I knew I was forgetting something! I wanted to grab some Dance Powder from a smuggler while we were in Nanohana!"
He immediately gets kicked in the head by an enraged Sanji "Idiot Scarf-head! Vivi just said it was illegal and ruining Alabasta! Idiot! She would never allow you to just grab a bunch of it! And if she did, we sure as heck wouldn't let you use any of it!"
"Damn it Bird-dog, I wasn't going to use it, I just need it for alchemy!" Jackson shouts, blocking the kicks with his arms held over him.
Their bickering serves as the only sound ringing out through the hollow and empty ruins, aside from the low chugging and groaning of the Anything Goes's engine.
"We'll continue on to Yuba. I'll try to persuade the rebel leader to stop the rebellion," Vivi continues.
"All of this is Crocodile's doing. If I tell him the truth, then we can begin to fight the true threat, and end this pointless bloodshed."
With no further preamble, Jackson cranks a lever, sending them plodding away from the barren city of green.
Mr. 11 can't help but think, with nothing else to distract him. Was the dream he had really worth him participating in something like this? It was one thing when he was working as a Frontier Agent. His only targets were pirates, and he only killed for bounties. But this..?
He shakes his head, trying to clear out those pesky thoughts as the bleached skull that only he had spotted in the ruins sticks in his mind.
The moon overhead indicates that it's very nearly time to sleep.
"Oi, Sanji, I'm hungry! We should eat!" Luffy begs, bouncing up and down on the bench, while Sanji grumbles irritably.
"No way, wait until Vivi says we should," he retorts, turning his captain's attention to Vivi. "Please..? My strength is fading! Everything's going dark!"
Vivi chuckles lightly. "How about this, the next set of rocks we come across, we'll set up camp for the night near them."
Usopp leans out of the side of the tank, adjusting his binocular goggles. "Will those ones over there do?" he says, pointing at the maze of stone in the distance.
Jackson's eyes narrow when he spots it. "Huh. I figured we would have missed those. We'll probably encounter some bandits there, if you see any birds that look sick or injured, tell me, because they're faking it. And don't take your eyes off of our supplies."
Vivi's eyes widen. "Wait, you mean Egrethieves?"
Luffy ignores all of this. "Jackson! Hurry, get to those rocks! I'm starved, and no birds, bandits, or bird-bandits should get between us and dinner!"
He shrugs, adjusting course and driving up to the rock formations nearly a mile away.
As soon as they park, Chopper hears it, moaning pained noises coming from within. "I hear some noises, Jerry. Are those the birds you were talking about?"
Jackson nods. "You guys set up camp. Chopper and I will deal with our feathered friends."
As Chopper nervously follows after Jackson, they come to a clearing in the rocks, where the Egrethieves are laying on the ground, scuffed and seemingly brutalized.
Jackson pulls out his pistol, pointing it in the air.
"If any of you need actual medical attention, I've got a doctor right here. If you want to trade goods with us, we've got some goodies worth having. Otherwise," he fires a warning shot directly into the air, prompting the faking birds to leap to attention, no longer willing to play dead now that a gun has entered the equation.
The birds stare tensely at Chopper and Jackson, flanking to either side, before the largest one takes a step forward, squawking out several unknown words that Chopper seems to understand perfectly.
"They said that you're pretty smart for a human, and that they would be willing to trade for food and water," Chopper translates.
Jackson nods. "Let's bring out our respective trade goods, then. Anything you might not have a use for, I'd like to take a look at. The offer for medical aid is also still on the table."
"Sanji, please, just one exception to the rule, since we won't be eating it. I'll convert some of the wood I've got into syrup, and we'll use it for trade exclusively. Luffy's not going to let us trade food for anything, and water would be a really bad idea to give away," Jackson pleads.
The cook rubs the bridge of his nose. "I have to approve of it first. I don't even want to feed your crap to other people unless I deem it safe to eat."
Jackson nods, already pulling out a jar of thick, yellow slime. "Here's the highest quality stuff, made from some of the branches that Nami's tangerine tree shed."
Nodding seriously, Sanji pops open the jar, pulls out a tiny spoon, and takes a small taste of it.
Jackson swallows heavily as Sanji continues to swirl the tangerine wood syrup around in his mouth, a firm expression on his face as his frown deepens bit by bit.
Finally, Sanji screws the lid back on the jar, handing it to Jackson. "Alright, I'll allow this one exception, for your, uhh, wood syrup. It seems to be just ordinary, if a bit fruity, maple syrup."
Jackson pumps his fist in victory, already starting the long and tiring process of filling up a palette of glass jars while the herons look on in confusion and hunger, their own sacks of treasure and stolen goods laid out on the ground.
When Jackson allows the leader to try a jar for themselves, they suspiciously poke their beak in, their eyes widening as they turn to the others and squawk out several somethings to their underlings.
Turning back around, the leader of the Egrethief bandits barks something out at Chopper, who nods rapidly, turning to Jackson. "Uhh, they say that sweets are hard to come by, so if you're willing to fill up all of those jars, they've been holding onto something that they can't exactly get a buyer for."
Two of the birds run back, carrying a small wooden chest on their backs. Dumping it on the sand, it skids over until the leader stops it with their foot.
Opening the chest, the leader grins, watching Jackson for a reaction when, inside of the chest, a gigantic twisted watermelon rests on a velvet pillow.
Jackson's eyes widen as he looks it over, walking around the fruit.
The bird leader squawks at Chopper, who explains that it is the Fluke Fluke Fruit, and that the Egrethieves had been wanting to sell it for years, but animals have a hard time hashing out deals with anyone rich enough to afford one.
"My goodness, you must have been at this for a while, to get a fruit like that. Of course, you've obviously already taken a bite out of it," Jackson says, making the leader break out into a cold sweat when he reaches over and flips the watermelon over, revealing a tiny hole in the bottom, shaped just like a heron's beak.
Nami, who had been watching the trade carefully for signs of trickery on either side, can't help but wonder. "How did you guess that, Jackson?"
Jackson shrugs. "A small group of herons manages to steal so much from so many travelers that they become renowned enough for Vivi of all people to know about them, all while using a strategy that would get any other animal eaten if they screwed up even once. What are the chances of them also finding the one person on the planet who is willing to buy a Devil Fruit that has already had a bite taken out of the bottom? Nobody rich enough to buy a Devil Fruit is going to also be dumb enough to not check it for tampering.
"I'll pay ten jars of syrup for the scam fruit, and we can get back to trading. Does that sound good to you, Lucky?" he claims, utterly confusing the leader, who squawks at Chopper for confirmation.
"You seriously want to buy a fruit that's been used up? What, are you going to try and run this scam too?" Chopper translates.
Jackson shakes his head. "Nope. I'm an alchemist, and a used up Devil Fruit will be useful for my research."
The heron scratches their head with a wing awkwardly, before nodding.
Jackson claps his hands merrily. "So, let's get back to trading. I've still got a lot of syrup, and you guys still have a lot of garbage I want."
The Egrethieves wave goodbye to the Strawhats, several of them up on the ledge cheering in their bird-language as they clack their jars of wood syrup together as if it were booze, before dipping various foodstuffs into them.
Luffy laughs, waving back to the birds that he had been more than happy to swap snacks around with during their little mini-party that had gone on through the night after the successful trade, water, sweets and meat flowing like water between the two groups.
"Man, that was fun! Good thing they didn't rob us like they were trying to, that would have sucked!" Luffy laughs, leaning back into the bench and staring at the watermelon that Jackson had made a point of buying, before blanching, remembering the taste of the last Devil Fruit he ate.
"Ugh. Dunno why you wanted that thing though. Syrup is way tastier."
Jackson chuckles, cranking several of the gears at his cockpit as they charge forwards through the sands. "It'll come in handy, Luffy. Trust me. That thing was a lucky find.
"Even if I did have to use up almost all of my stored wood to get it…"
Last edited: Aug 31, 2019
Chapter 10: Culture
"Jerry, what are you planning on doing with that fruit, anyway?" Chopper mumbles, sitting in the passenger's seat next to Jackson as the two of them bounce lightly with every rock the Anything Goes plows over.
Jackson notices that Chopper's sweating has begun to intensify to levels he's genuinely never seen them endure before, tempting him to request a pit stop to try and come up with something.
He shakes his head. Chopper's a doctor, he'll just have to trust that they will tell the others when they are in danger.
"Well, I've been thinking about it. At first blush, It doesn't seem like there's too much I can do with it. It's not like I can make a mold of it. What belongs in a fruit mold? Not a fruit, that's for damn sure. More like fruit-shaped candies or fake plastic fruit. If I carve it into a bowl and then fill that bowl up, it'll just make more depleted fruit."
A harsh bump on a rock sends Usopp flying into the roof, where he jerks away and looks around in a panic, screaming until Sanji jerks him back down and slaps some sense into him.
Chopper hums. "I dunno. Did you think of anything that would work, then?"
Jackson nods. "It's tricky, but I think I've come up with something. I'll dehydrate it, and then Palm it with my power, so it doesn't melt down in a melting pot. Then I'll rehydrate the fruit with liquid made using my power. If my theory is right, what belongs inside a Devil Fruit's cells, if not a latent ability?"
Chopper nods, panting uselessly. "That makes sense."
Jackson hums, patting the control panel idly. "I don't want to waste it, though. So what I'll do is…"
Eventually, Chopper does indeed request some water, waddling back when Vivi approves, and taking several long swigs.
"Enjoy it while you can, Chopper. I won't be able to dump ice in with our water tank forever, as much as I'd like to," Jackson admits, thinking back to how many vials of compressed ice he's got right now.
A mere nine or so. And he won't be able to get any more unless he comes up with a recipe, or they stop at another winter island.
Chopper plops down to the floor, hugging the cold tank of water and rubbing his cheeks on it. "So coooool..!"
Sanji chuckles at the sight, trying to light up his cigarette in the whipping wind thrown up by their traveling speed, only for Ace to politely strike it up with his powers.
Hitting another violent bump, Jackson wonders how Zoro can sleep like this, or at least, it looks like he's sleeping, judging from the sight he spots in the rear-view mirror.
He spots an odd series of rock formations, eyes widening at the sight.
"Hey, guys, mind if we make a quick pit stop at those rocks over there? Time-traveler business."
Luffy shrugs. "Only if we're stopping for lunch!"
Vivi sighs. "Well, since we're making such good time, I suppose it wouldn't be too much trouble. Why would we need to stop there?"
Jackson slowly brings the vehicle to a halt near the rocks. "Well, we might be several days too early, but if we're lucky, then there's a guy camping nearby, waiting for Ace."
Everyone pauses nervously at this, aside from Luffy and Ace themselves.
"And, uhh, why is this guy waiting on Ace?" Usopp asks, sweating as he gulps.
Jackson smiles, cutting a look at the fire-man himself. "Well, you see, he's a bounty hunter."
Ace bursts into laughter. "You've got me pegged, huh?!" he chortles, before letting out a short sigh.
"Yeah. Sounds like that's the guy I'm looking for. There's a bounty hunter who apparently defeated Blackbeard at one point. I want to know how he did it, and where Blackbeard might be heading next."
Jackson nods. "I hope you don't mind, Vivi, but we're so far ahead of schedule that it might take a day or two for them to show up, if they do at all."
Vivi considers this with a sharp frown.
"Two days, and then we continue. I don't care what schedule you're on, I want to keep a quick pace to Yuba."
Jackson nods. "Two days, and we leave at dawn. I don't like wasting time any more than you do."
Zoro's body is tense as he sits far away from the others, legs crossed and ears as clean of wax as he can get them.
He recognizes the malign aura of Kitetsu-Three, whispering low, bloodthirsty notes, and, by now, he's learned to recognize the subtler humming of Yubashiri and the…
The familiar, almost sad tone of Wado Ichimonji.
Jackson said he had power untapped, though, and he'll be damned if he's going to leave that state of affairs where it is.
Even his training has taken a hit, from the simple fact of him even trying to meditate as he practiced back on the ship. With nothing better to do during the drive, Zoro continued his meditation even then, trying to find whatever it is that he hasn't managed to dig up with training and fighting alone.
He grits his teeth when the silent desert is quiet enough to make his ears whistle, the sound of the rest of the crew fading away.
He considers what he has now. What technique among his three-swords style comes the closest to tapping into potential that he doesn't yet understand?
Probably his most awkward technique, now that he thinks about it properly. It's effective, yes, but the crux of the technique is something he… Sort of took for granted. Yes, his Split Fiend is phenomenally powerful, and his Tiger Tooth Saber can easily take down even two foes at once, but the black sheep is clearly his Dracone.
The core of which is an oddity. He had first discovered what would become the Three-Swords Technique, Dracone, when training of course. He had discovered that striking at a very specific moment, when the air made a very particular sound, would throw up more wind than normal.
Why? Why do the sounds he hears correlate with the volume of air his strikes whip up? Why does he perceive the low mumble of his blades? Why did he hear that weird noise back on the ship?
It's as if the noises he heard weren't the consequence of a sound that is made by an object's existence, rather than its actions. He doesn't need the wind to be blowing to perform his Dracone attack. And yet there's something about the sound in the air that perfectly indicates the moment he should strike.
A sound that only exists when he listens for it.
His breath catches in his throat when he gets an idea, and he jerks up from his meditation, drawing Wado Ichimonji in an instant and walking to the nearest boulder.
He places a hand on it and listens.
He's no idiot, even if his friends don't seem to get that locations kind of wander around when he's trying to find them.
He can recognize a pattern. A noise that comes from nowhere, followed by something impossible.
He hears the low humming of the air, and the indistinct murmur of his blades, and tries to tune them out, listening for something else. Something he imagines he'll know when he hears it.
There, the sound of the rock… Breathing?
He levels Wado Ichimonji, holding up the blade. The rock almost seems to hiss in response, a tense feeling that he perceives as sound.
He waits until he hears it, the low breath that he had been waiting for, and swings his sword at the rock before it can react.
Wado Ichimonji cleaves through the stone with no resistance, recognizing his intent to attack through the angle of his grip, and the tensing of his muscles.
In that exact moment, Zoro remembers a boring rant from Chopper as his mind clicks. A rant in which Chopper had explained how dolphins are mammals, or whatever, but more importantly, how they use echolocation, recognizing shapes and objects from only the sounds they hear.
Something infinitely more relevant now when he can hear the world breathing around him, as if the desert had come alive with sleeping creatures. Only the low mumble of his swords and the raucous party of the crew add any hint of a voice to the experience as he realizes he had somehow lost eight hours without noticing, as the moon looms overhead.
"Alright, let's begin the operation. Junior Assistant Apprentice Intern Alchemist Chopper!?" Jackson shouts, turning to Chopper, who is temporarily covered in scarves for protection.
"Yes?! Doctor Professor Senior Head Alchemist Jerry?" Chopper retorts, saluting as Jerry sets up a gilded stainless steel pot over a fire, his glowing handprint on it indicating it's purpose nicely.
"Bring forth the depleted dehydrated disgusting fruit!" Jackson alliterates.
"Deploying fruit!" Chopper yells, using a giant pair of forceps to pick up the watermelon, dumping it in Jackson's hands.
"Step one, duplicate the fruit!" Jackson shouts, dumping the watermelon into his melting pot, where it melts down into a swirly liquid.
Jackson turns a valve on the side of his crackpot, pouring out several small blobs onto the ground, which form into tinier versions of the melon.
"Step two, dehydrate the fruit!" Jackson shouts, carefully scooping one of the fruits out of their rind, before using one of Chopper's machines to freeze-dry it.
Finally, he places his palm onto the fruit, branding it with his golden print while Usopp, Vivi, Nami and Sanji look on in curiosity. The remainder of the crew seems to not care much at all.
"Step three, rehydrate the fruit!.."
Jackson hums. "I uhh… Actually can't think of anything to rehydrate it with…"
Usopp faceplants. "You're saying you wanted to try and do this thing, and you couldn't even think of what to put in it?!"
Sanji slyly twirls his cigarette in his mouth. "Something invisible, you should make it give invisibility…"
His dreamy chuckling is interrupted by Nami smashing him in the head with her fist. "You damn pervert!"
She turns to Jackson's bubbling pot. "You should make a gold fruit, I'll even loan you a piece at a very low interest rate…" she says, giggling as her eyes glaze over.
Vivi thwacks Nami, this time, knocking her out of her own dream-like stupor.
"What about water?" Vivi offers.
Jackson shakes his head. "It needs to be something extremely simple, and cheap. My power is too draining for me to try anything too high-quality, until I get a better Crackpot. Even this could make me black out. Invisibility is too abstract, Gold is too valuable, and water…"
"I don't think there exists a force on the planet that could make a water devil fruit come into being."
"This first Ghetto-Ghetto Fruit is going to be a test. Just to see if the process works, we'll feed it to a mouse or a bug. So…"
Mr. 11 interjects, almost quiet enough to miss. "What about a piece of cloth?"
Everyone stares at the Fronteer Agent cautiously, who puts their gauntlet-covered hands up in a warding manner. "Seriously! A patterned piece of cloth, it would be cheap, simple, and obvious whether it worked?"
Jackson's eyes narrow as an idea bubbles in his head. "I think that'll be a good test," he says mysteriously, dumping out a vial containing a bundle of canvas, which he rips off a scrap from, painting a crude outline of the Strawhats' flag on it.
He leans down and whispers something to Chopper, who nods firmly.
"Here we go, then. The Ghetto-Ghetto Fruit, Model: Sailcloth Scrap," Jackson says with finality, dumping the scrap of cloth into the pot, before picking up the dehydrated devil-fruit.
He drops the fruit inside, where it floats and bobs on the tan liquid, slowly soaking it up.
When he scoops out the reconstituted fruit and breaks his palmprint with a small scalpel cut that makes the handprint flash brightly before disappearing, his eyebrows quirk as the fluid inside the fruit's cells transform into what belongs inside of a Devil Fruit. Power.
"Huh. Only a few hours. That's actua-" Jackson flops to the ground all of a sudden, blacking out and making everyone but Chopper panic. The reindeer simply drags him over to the Anything Goes and leans him up against it.
"He'll be fine, he just suffered the effects of… He said a few hours, right? So whatever the result of that was, it's worth at least ten-thousand beri, if it knocked him out that long to make it."
Nami's eyebrow quirks. "Only ten-thousand? That's barely the price of a halfway decent shirt!"
"That must be one hell of a shirt…" Vivi deadpans.
When the gang wakes up, it's to the sight of Mr. 11 trying to yank his arm out of one of the gauntlets, which has transformed into a very familiar scrap of cloth. Exactly the same scrap of cloth, in fact.
He pauses, hiding his arm behind his back and grinning sheepishly as he frantically tries to yank the tangled up limb out of the anti-escape gauntlets.
Jackson yawns, waving at Sanji to get his attention before he brutalizes the prisoner. "Don't kick him, I planned on that."
Sanji balks. "Wh- Planned on it?! He could have run off and escaped, and told Crocodile our plan!"
Jackson points to Chopper, who snorts softly in his sleep. "I told Chopper to pretend to sleep and watch him until he ate it, and tranquilize him if it looked like he obtained something dangerous. The gauntlets are designed to inject a sedative if he gripped something too hard as well, so if he tried to kill us in our sleep, he would have failed at that, too."
Sanji's mouth opens and closes like a fish, while Jackson simply brushes past him, planting a hand on Mr. 11's shoulder, who jerks nervously.
"You're an idiot, that could have killed you, and you traded the ability to swim for a power that couldn't even help you escape. You ready to choose? One, two or three."
Mr. 11 swallows heavily. "Y-you make a very good point, which option was the one where I help you all and don't get dumped in the ocean?"
Jackson smiles under his face-coverings. "The smart one."
Vivi grabs Jackson, pulling him aside.
"I can't take it anymore. I want to know what the hell you think you're doing. Why did you rescue him? Why are you trusting him?! He's a member of Baroque Works, our enemy! Do you not understand?"
"And don't give me any nonsense about intel. I was a higher ranking member of Baroque Works when I infiltrated it. Anything he knows, I know more of. "
Jackson pauses for several long moments, his expression unreadable, considering it isn't visible.
"Do I need a reason? I knew he was going to die, so I prevented it. Haven't enough people died pointlessly in this conflict?"
Vivi pauses, shocked.
She turns around, walking away in a huff as Jackson blandly watches.
Luffy stares at Mr. 11, to the point where it makes the smartly dressed man pale as the rubber captain's eyes bore through him.
"Oi, 11-guy, what's your deal? I'm curious."
Mr. 11 sighs in relief. So that's what it was, just some interrogation. He can handle that.
"Well, I'm a Fronteer Agent of Baroque Works, my job is to establish staging bases at all of the first islands of the Grand Line, captur-"
Luffy shakes his head, frowning. "No, not your job, your deal. Why bother going through all that trouble just to be a grunt?
"What's your dream?"
Mr. 11 pales at this. Much more complicated than an interrogation, then.
"Well, ahh, it's a bit embarrassing."
Luffy chuckles with a broad grin. "Not as embarrassing as what you've been doing to get there, I bet!"
Mr. 11 pauses. Work for a shadowy cabal with the goal of ripping apart a country, get captured, nearly killed by your own disloyal subordinates, then get rescued by the people working to stop your organization in the first place.
"I want to be a famous fashionista," he admits.
Luffy tilts his head, but keeps up a curious air. "I don't know what that means."
Mr. 11 tries to find a way to word it, before finding some good ones to use. "Well, it means that I want to dress really nicely, sometimes that means dressing like everyone else, and sometimes it means dressing like nobody else."
"The problem is, on the Grand Line, fashion travels as strangely as anything else. In some places, the fashions are more than a century in the past, in other places, what is fashionable changes every few weeks. It takes money and connections to keep up with the changing fashions of the Grand Line Islands."
"My sister became a famous model, but we sort of drifted away. If I become a famous enough clothing mogul, then maybe we'll be able to meet again on equal footing. Or at least, that's what I thought…" Mr. 11 finishes.
"I don't know how I'll look her in the eye, if Baroque Works succeeds."
Luffy nods sagely. "I see… You should join my crew!"
"Wh-" Mr 11 starts, before almost everyone dogpiles Luffy.
"What the hell are you saying, idiot! He just now tried to escape, and stole Jackson's fake fruit thing!" Sanji shouts.
"He's a member of Baroque Works, he could sell us out at any moment!" Vivi shrieks in offense.
"That fruit was worth ten-thousand beri, Luffy, I'm the only person who should be stealing that much money from us!" Nami shouts.
Luffy laughs loudly. "Nah, he's not so bad. I can tell."
Everyone deflates at that. That tone brokers no argument, and Luffy hasn't made a wrong call yet.
He turns back to Mr. 11 with lighthearted determination. "Oi, you're sick of working for Crocodile, right? Join my crew. We'll beat him up, and that'll make up for that other junk, right? We don't have a tailor yet, though, so you'll have to pull double-duty to make us look cool."
Mr. 11's jaw slackens at the sudden offer. Could that work? Put a stop to Crocodile, become famous, reunite with his sister.
It's not a bad plan.
"Uhh, sure? I suppose you should call me by my real name, then. My name is Gaussnocht Nicole Theodore."
Luffy huffs merrily, clapping his hand around his new tailor's. "Nice to meetcha, Theo! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to become King of the Pirates."
'Did I just get poached..?' Theodore questions to himself, his mind catching up with his mouth and realizing he's just joined a pirate crew whose only goal in Alabasta is to dismantle his old employer's organization.
He considers how exactly Luffy manages to do that for a few moments, before a loud explosion smashes into Ace, turning him into flames.
Last edited: Oct 17, 2019
Chapter 11: Prognosis
Ace casually reforms his body, staring off into the distance at where the attack came from.
"What the heck was that?!" Usopp shouts, hiding behind a rock.
Zoro and Sanji, however, had already assumed combat stances at the attack, while their captain idly chews on a piece of meat.
"It was the bounty hunter, Scorpion," Jackson claims, hopping backwards up onto the Anything Goes to get a better vantage point.
"He'll be along shortly, now that Ace has demonstrated a resistance to explosives."
Usopp jumps up in a panic. "Then we should get the heck out of here! Who knows what that guy'll do to us, even miles away, he was able to fire that bomb!"
Jackson shakes their head, but Luffy interrupts. "No way Usopp, this Scorpion guy sounds cool! I want to meet him!"
Theodore stares at Ace, who looks no worse than he did before taking a blast to the face, continuing to stare off into the distance with his arms crossed.
"Please tell me things aren't always this hectic around you all…" he mumbles, prompting Chopper to shake their head.
"It's usually much worse," Chopper responds, making Theodore stumble, nearly falling over.
"You can't be serious!" Theodore shouts, prompting Chopper to put a hoof to their chin.
"Hmm. I wasn't aware that artificial Devil Fruits could overtune someone's fight-or-flight response, but the sample size is quite small," he snarks, making Theodore grimace.
"Hey, I'm not scared, I'm just concerned, reasonably so, considering we just had a bomb shot at us!"
Chopper nods, jotting something down in his notebook. "Extreme… Fear… Response…" Chopper slowly sounds out, writing the words down for his medical report.
Those with sharper senses in the group notice the cloud of dust in the distance, while Jackson roots around in his clothing, pulling out a glass scarf and rolling it up until it serves as a crude telescope.
"Sure enough, he's almost here. Get ready, guys, he's an old guy, so don't hit him too hard," Jackson claims, watching carefully.
It was a stroke of terrible luck, Scorpion getting caught by his own damn kids, but he's got to show them that a man can make their dreams come true. When he saw them staring forlornly at a wanted poster of that damn Fire-Fist Ace, hungering for adventure and lamenting their dirt-farmer roots…
It tore him up inside.
"Stay on Popo and hide behind some rocks boys," Scorpion says, patting his ostrich on the back to make them run off to a safe distance.
Puffing himself up, Scorpion walks forward, meeting Ace's gaze. "I'm calling you out, Fire Fist Ace! Your High-Seas Adventure has reached its last chapter!"
"And the one to write that final period will be me, Scorpion the bounty hunter!" he jabs a thumb at his chest, hefting his bazooka around and clamping an odd construct onto its muzzle while Ace smirks.
"Now, take this!" Scorpion shouts, firing a giant steel net from his bazooka, only for Ace to erupt into a sphere of flames blasting outwards, flinging the net back towards Scorpion, who dodges to the side, sliding towards a steel box that his bird had left on the ground earlier.
Snatching the box, he swings it over his back, plugging a hose and pipe into it.
"Of course it couldn't be that easy, Fire Fist Ace!" Scorpion shouts, pulling the trigger and unleashing a razor-sharp jet of Soda-Acid Extinguishing foam that plows into the flames, Ace leaping out from above as Scorpion angles the gun higher and higher, trying to track the Whitebeard Commander with the spray.
Ace lands behind him, planting a fist in the bounty hunter's side, sending him skidding painfully across the sand.
Scorpion grits his teeth, holding his side and trying to climb to his feet.
Ace smirks. "You're not bad, by Paradise standards. But you never beat Blackbeard, did you? Used his name to try and lure me here. I guess word travels fast when a fellow goes looking for someone."
Scorpion smiles painfully, fingers digging into the sand. "It wasn't a half-bad plan, now was it? But don't talk like this is over, damn it!
"I've still got to… Show them why a man needs a dream!" he mumbles, almost to himself.
"Popo! Bazooka!" he shouts, prompting his ostrich to rush by in a flash, dumping the weapon in front of him.
"Now it's time that I got serious!"
Grabbing the bazooka in one arm, he levels it at Ace, who has a ponderous look, when he spotted the two children nervously riding the ostrich.
Suddenly, scorpion whips the tank of compressed foam off of his back, flinging it at Ace and firing his bazooka just before impact, striking the canister dead-on.
The explosive juts out in all directions, spikes bursting from its rounded surface and puncturing the tank, before both of them explode, engulfing Ace in foam and explosive force.
Ace walks out of the foam, reforming from flames.
"Like I said, not bad for Paradise," Ace finishes, crossing his arms as Scorpion falls back on his rear.
"I gotta say, it kinda bums me out, fighting someone like you. You've got better things to be doing with your time, old man," Ace claims, looking over where Popo and the two children are watching with nervous despair.
"Wouldn't feel right for me to put you down," Ace says, turning and walking away, while Scorpion is left somewhat speechless.
Scorpion is nervously tense when some weird guy in rags and a little fuzzy monster approach him.
"You're a farmer, right? I and my associate here are doctors, and we need your assistance," Jackson claims, holding out a satchel of odd lumps, which they drop into Scorpion's hand.
Scorpion looks perplexed. "What are these?"
"I call them Kudzutwo. I've sprouted a few just to make sure they're viable, but I'm not exactly a botanist. They should serve well as a food source when mature, and require vast swaths of empty land to grow in. Something a pirate has little of."
Scorpion scowls. "I don't like accepting charity."
Jackson shakes their head, crossing their arms behind their back. "It's not charity, I'll be coming back to retrieve them once you've grown them," he lies easily.
Scorpion hefts the sack in his hands, testing it for weight. "And why should I trust you? You're a pirate, after all."
Jackson doesn't react. "We are doctors, Mr. Scorpion."
Chopper nods at this and the pair turn and walk off with nothing further to add to the conversation.
Jackson ponders for a moment whether or not his Kudzutwo are potent enough to help. He did sort of palm his desk into his pot when making them…
"Alright, so, miracle food, what do we need for that?"
"Well, Alabasta is a desert, so… A breed of edible cactus… Grass seeds for invasiveness…"
He looks appraisingly at a small Railroad Tie laying on his desk. A long metal chunk he had picked up from trading with the Egrethieves, who had apparently stolen it from a band of construction workers planning on proposing the idea of a train cutting through Alabasta.
He starts by cutting the roots off of a cactus until he obtains a giant mass of long, thin filaments. He dumps this into his Crackpot along with the small piece of railroad track.
What else has the alchemical element of vastness?
A chunk of seastone, to give the vastness of the sea itself. Some Desert Sand, to cancel out the water portion of the Sea, and a sprinkle of powdered jerky, to counteract the salt element.
He stirs these ingredients until they mix together completely, before pouring it out onto the ground outside, where it transforms into a strange pile of roots. Rather than the weedy filaments that they had been before, now the roots have transformed, looking almost like a cross between an angular grid intermixed with swooping swirls and long, telescopic rods that jut out in all four cardinal directions of the plant. The roots look almost glossy in places as if they were polished, and in other places, they look almost glassy, as though they were made of wet paint.
He picks up the roots, placing them off to the side as he wipes the sweat from his face.
Roots complete. Now for the "Meat".
Maybe a Ghetto-Ghetto Fruit? Jackson chuckles nervously. "Best not to…" he thinks to himself, before shaking his head.
What's a good food, anyway?
He pulls out a few vials of plants that he had collected over time. Chocolate Pods? That should work nicely. Snowmelons? A Drum Island favorite, and insulated like crazy as well. Some unknown species of cactus that Chopper had deemed edible… And…
Ahh, what the heck, why not add some herbs as well, just to cover all bases.
These ingredients are mixed together, and poured out onto the ground, where they become a single large melon, dark brown in color, and topped with bright green leaves and needles.
Jackson also pours out a tiny version of the melon, slicing it in half and testing for taste. He feels Sanji's cold malicious gaze on his back for several long moments, the cook having smelled the odd and very distinct aroma of Jackson breaking his "No turning weird shit into food" rule.
The cook picks up a chunk of the brown melon, while Jackson holds perfectly still, hoping that if he does, Sanji might not notice him. Like a dinosaur… or Luffy.
Sanji's eyes narrow as he uses a knife to carve off a small chunk of the fruit and eat it.
"This tastes like coffee and wild berries. Not a good combination, but edible. D-Minus," Sanji says, disappearing as if he were never there, while Jackson lets out a sigh of relief.
'Note to self, save future "Illegal" experimentation for my scent-proofed lab on the ship.'
Shaking his head, Jackson begins work on the leaf portion of the fruit.
This time, he simply combines palm leaves, cacti, and some ordinary ivy, transforming them into large, thorny patties of greenery, connected together with thick cables of vine.
"Alright, we're almost done," Jackson mumbles, looking over three of his four key ingredients. Now for the flower, and he'll be ready for assembly. Good thing too, because he's feeling very tired, just from making these plant-chunks.
Yawning, Jackson shrugs, deciding to just go with a plain rose.
He looks over his ingredients, before placing them in the pot, one by one. Roots with the vastness of the sea and of railroad tracks, made to endure the desert, Fruit that apparently tastes like shit, but is edible, Leaves made of thick cacti, and long, virulent vines, like ivy, and a bundle of roses.
He dumps them into the pot, and without stirring or disturbing the resulting liquid, pours it all into a large sack that once held seeds, where the liquid then transforms accordingly.
Jackson stares at the resulting green lumps with anticipation. So many problems can be solved with food and water. Maybe these can at least help after Crocodile is defeated.
Chopper scrambles up onto Jackson's shoulders, jerking them from their memory and muttering in a sotto voice. "Why did you give him a sack of that stuff? You already tested it while we were traveling, and we aren't really coming back, are we?"
Jackson shrugs. "I dunno. It seemed like the right thing to do."
"Why lie, then?" Chopper wonders, as Jackson beelines towards Ace.
"Sometimes, you have to wriggle your way around someone's pride before you can help them," he responds.
"Ace! We need to talk before you leave," Jackson shouts, getting the man's attention, as he turns away from saying his goodbyes to Luffy and the gang.
"Yeah? What about, Jackson?" Ace says easily, choking slightly when Jackson pulls him and Luffy away from the others.
"So, if there are any doubts you might have about me knowing the future, I need to know now," Jackson claims, looking at Ace with a serious expression.
Ace scratches his head, chuckling nervously. "Jeeze, who died?
"Lighten up, Jack. If my little bro believes you, then I'll believe it. Stranger things have happened on the Grand Line."
Jackson nods. "So no matter what I say, you will treat my words as if they were the truth? As if they were a fate that could have befallen you?"
Ace's chuckling fades away when he realizes Jackson is clearly working up to something serious.
"I will," Ace decides, prompting Jackson to take a deep breath.
"If you chase Blackbeard as you are now, both you and Whitebeard will die within the year, and Blackbeard will become one of the strongest living humans on the planet."
Ace's eyes widen as his pupils pale in an instant. Him dying, that was always a possibility, one that he had made peace with when he decided to hunt down Blackbeard to the ends of the earth for his crime. The other parts, though… Unacceptable.
"Explain. Please," Ace demands quietly.
"Blackbeard has the Dark Dark Fruit. This fruit gives him the ability to control gravity, emit darkness, and crush anything within that darkness. But most importantly, his very touch negates a Devil Fruit User's power entirely, no matter what.
"In the future I know, you chase him to Banaro Island, where he defeats you. You are then handed off to the Marines, and executed at Marinford in front of Luffy and the world. Whitebeard and others attempt to save you, but Whitebeard dies in the process after a long battle with the bulk of the Marines' strongest fighters."
Ace pales. "I can't give up my hunt, Blackbeard needs to die for his crime. Why tell me this, if you know so much about me?"
Luffy's stare is blank, as his desire to disbelieve that such an awful thing could happen wars with his willingness to trust his friend.
Jackson pauses. "I've given you the stick, so here's the carrot. I'm not asking you to give up your hunt, but if you do it alone, you risk a bleak future for yourself and your loved ones. My suggestion is that you find Sabo."
Luffy and Ace balk at this. "Y-you're cracked, Jack. Sabo's dead," Ace states firmly, only for Jackson to shake their head.
"He was rescued by Monkey D Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionaries. He's got amnesia, however, and his memories only recovered once he learned of your death in Marineford."
"If you have any contacts with the Revolutionaries, that needs to be your next destination Ace. Find Sabo, try to help him recover his memories. Remember what I said about Blackbeard's powers, and consider very carefully how you plan to defeat him."
Jackson shrugs helplessly. "I'm sorry, that's all I've really got for you. Unless you're willing to stick with us a while longer, so I can try and produce something useful for you. Luffy still hasn't unlocked his Haki yet."
Ace stares off at nothing for a while, trying to process all of the information that he just had dumped on him. (Dragon's a relative of Luffy's?), before shaking his head. "I'll be back. Soon. I need to talk to some people."
Before he walks off into the desert, he turns to Jackson. "Those Revolutionaries are assholes when it comes to information. What do you want me to tell them when they ask how I know this shit?"
Jackson shrugs. "Tell them whatever you want. It'll be more believable that way."
Ace chuckles. "Oh sure, 'Alchemist Quack from the future told me what would happen'. that'll go over real well. Sayonara, Luffy, Jackson!"
Luffy waves as Ace disappears into the sunset, but it's not all there. "Jackson," he starts.
"All that junk you said, about Ace. Where was I during all of that? What was I doing?"
Jackson takes a few moments to consider what to say to a question like that. "You were there, fighting your heart out."
Luffy's smile is uncharacteristically rueful. "Sounds like that wasn't enough, then."
Jackson isn't sure how to respond to that. "Knowing is half the battle," he offers weakly, making Luffy perk up by a lot.
"That's corny, Jackson, come on!" he slaps the quack on the back, laughing quickly.
"Well, it's true!" Jackson responds as the pair walk back to rejoin their friends.
"I bet you didn't even know, but our whole crew is full of geniuses, how do you like them apples!"
"Jackson, stooop! We're not a bunch of smartie pants, don't taunt me!" Luffy clamps his hands over his ears.
"Sanji's a cooking genius, Zoro's a swordplay genius, and you, my dear captain, are a-"
"Don't say it!" Luffy warns, only for Jackson to ignore the warning entirely.
"Fighting genius!" he finishes, cackling loudly, before Luffy clamps a hand over Jackson's face, failing to silence his insubordinate quack through the layers of clothing between hand and face.
The others are confused by the topic, but amused by the tone.
Luffy's eyes glitter as he stares into the campfire, almost everyone else has fallen asleep by now, resting up to continue their journey in the morning.
'You were there, fighting your heart out,' Jackson's words repeat in his mind.
It might seem a bit arrogant, but Luffy can't help but think about how, usually, fighting his heart out is the solution to whatever problem he's got.
But now he's got a choice. Disbelieve what Jackson claimed would have happened, or trust his crew member.
Really, though, putting it like that, there's no choice at all. Jackson wouldn't lie to him, which means he isn't strong enough to protect the people he cares about.
Yet.
Luffy's not the kind of person to think of himself as being very smart, but Jackson called him a 'fighting genius', albeit as a joke. He sort of assumed that intelligence didn't trump instinct and power, after the fight with Kuro proved that fact to Luffy fairly conclusively, but now he's being told that his power wasn't great enough, and Luffy already knows that you can't just force instinct along with training alone.
So his course is clear. He needs to become stronger. He needs to fight more, to hone his instincts. He needs to become even more of a "Fighting Genius".
'… And I need to figure out what the hell a "Fighting Genius" is.' Luffy thinks to himself, scratching his head slightly.
Last edited: Aug 17, 2019
Chapter 12: Allergic Reaction
It strikes Jackson that simply walking into a city full of rebels casually might not end well. Staring down a veritable firing squad spread out through the buildings only confirms this, as Zoro looks out of it, Sanji looks tense, and Luffy looks ready for a scuffle.
The rebels had seemingly materialized at the city limits, far away from the slowly chugging city of Yuba behind them.
"I think they recognize you, Vivi," Nami points out obviously, leaning down as far as she can behind the Anything Goes's metal shutters.
"Exit the vehicle and lay down your weapons," one of them shouts, aiming their pistol firmly at the princess.
Jackson's eyes widen when one of the ones aiming out of a ruined building's window shoots outright, only for Zoro to somehow deflect the bullet to the side, his sword held out between Vivi and the tank's open shutter.
When none of the rebels react negatively, it immediately sends a message that the smarter members of the crew begin to cotton on to.
"I don't think they want to take us prisoner…" Chopper mutters fearfully.
Sanji's eyes narrow as he slowly slinks towards Nami and Vivi. "No, but they're making it sound like they do."
"Baroque Works infiltrators. If we surrender, they'll kill us before the main force learns of our arrival. If we fight them, then there's no hope of negotiating," Jackson states firmly.
"We're… At least a week ahead of schedule. Crocodile isn't even aware of our arrival in Alabasta yet, or our survival, he won't receive a report until several days from now. They're operating on old orders. If they've got orders to kill Vivi on sight, then they must be months old, at that."
Another bullet whizzes towards them, pinging off of the metal hull.
Usopp swallows nervously. "I… I think I have a plan. But it involves Luffy."
Bullets? No problem. Luffy being the crux of a plan?
Everyone onboard the ship pales slightly.
Luffy feels ridiculous, even though Theodore claimed that it was "Distinguished".
"Do I have to wear this heavy thing? And my hat!" he complains, his signature straw hat being buried underneath a gigantic tricorn hat.
Theodore hisses when Luffy tries to tug at the gigantic admiral's coat. "That coat is worth more than any other object in the nearest three-mile radius, including the black-market goods! Don't screw it up!"
Luffy sighs, before puffing up his chest, shadowing his face under his hat, and allowing Chopper to squash his neck with a weird clamp.
"Are you sure this will work?" Luffy says, his rubbery vocal cords pressed in such a way that his voice comes out in a violently deep bass.
"If it doesn't, at least you're bullet-proof. And with all the damn iron I put in that coat, it should be too. Just don't sit in any chairs. They'll break," Jackson claims, having provided the raw material for Theodore to assemble their hasty disguise.
With a low grumble, Luffy steps out of the tank, his intimidation for once matching his deadly combat ability.
He holds up a single hand. "I'm Mr. 0. We need to operate the discussion," Luffy recites incorrectly, making everyone in the tank panic.
Luckily, when one of the braver fake-rebels takes a pot-shot at him only for Luffy's gloved hand to block it casually the flattened lead pellet dropping into his palm, the sleeper-agent Baroque Works Members are far more willing to believe.
The one that shot at him pales when Luffy looks directly at him, grinning in a way that, contextually, promises pain untold.
"Please, do get it out of your system. I wouldn't want any of you to doubt the velocity of my words after all," Luffy again mangles, making everyone panic anew.
Thankfully, by some miracle, none of them have the stones to call his bluff and empty their rounds into the armored rubber captain.
Not that it would have done anything, with him wearing almost every drop of iron that Jackson had in reserve in addition to his rubbery body…
He takes slow thudding steps forward, towards the "leader".
As it turns out, Luffy can cut a very intimidating figure, so long as he doesn't open his mouth.
"And that's the story. The Baroque Works Infiltrators are being gathered now by Luffy, so you'll be able to capture them all in one fell swoop," Vivi explains to Koza, the leader of the rebel army, and one of her oldest friends.
Koza's shoulders sag heavily. "To think that someone so vile could have been orchestrating this. Playing us all for fools."
His eyes gleam like polished iron. "Then Alabasta's true enemy is none other than Crocodile. Does your informant know where he is now?"
She nods very deliberately, sliding a folded piece of paper to him. "I don't know. He refuses to tell me more than I need, for fear of eavesdropping."
He hums, reading the slip of paper containing Crocodile's next known location. Rain Dinners. "Then we'll just have to find him. I'll mobilize the remaining members of the rebellion, we'll spread out and try to gather intel," he says, writing on the paper before sliding it back.
'Gather forces, strike soon?'
Vivi lazily scrawls on the paper. "I suppose that's all we can do. Do you think ten days will be enough time to get your men into position?"
'Royal guard will assist.'
Koza swallows, before nodding.
"Ten days. Five to prepare, five to travel," he finishes.
"I think we may be able to get you there in two days, if Jackson's tank proves capable," Vivi responds, considering whether or not the machine could handle a load like that.
Koza hums.
"Very well, if it works out correctly, our operation will begin in a week."
"Why the hell does he need another pot?" Usopp asks, as Jackson rifles through one of the restaurants with the permission of the owner, searching for a suitable one.
"Less talk more pot. I'll explain when I-" He pulls out a sizable cooking vessel, almost like a metal urn. He nods at the sight of it.
"Here we are. Thanks for letting me borrow it, sir," Jackson nods to the apathetic head cook, who simply shrugs.
When they get outside and to the Oasis, Jackson begins explaining to his two partners in craft. "Thus far, I've found that my trusty Crackpot has several quirks. Medicine and Flames lean their concepts towards life and healing. Snow, ice, and water lean their concepts towards death, and destruction.
"Chocolate is considered a material of phenomenal quality, and snow is considered almost worthless to my pot.
"Why?"
Usopp scratches his head, while Chopper twitches with realization.
"Everything you said makes sense on Drum Island," Chopper says slowly, looking to the pot that Jackson had taken from the kitchen.
Jackson nods. "My Crackpot was made on Drum Island, and even though we're miles and miles away from it, it still behaves with the culture and values of the place it was made in."
Usopp smacks his palm with his fist. "So if you used a pot from Alabasta, it would behave differently!"
Jackson nods, planting his symbol on the steel cooking pot, before slowly dipping it into the shallow water of the oasis.
"I didn't realize it until I started shoveling sand into my Crackpot. I noticed that, for whatever reason, the sand behaved differently, unpredictably, and most importantly, it behaved as if it were a material of higher quality than it really is. Something like desert sand would be a rarity on Drum Island, and glass is at a premium, due to its nature as an island of medicine."
Jackson pulls up the cooking vessel, where the water within has already started transforming into a thick sloshing sludge. "But here, it's almost the opposite. Water is a substance of high esteem, and sand is very nearly worthless. I believe a pot from Alabasta may just reflect that."
Jackson shudders as the cost of melting the water sharply increases, compared to what he's used to.
"I'll take Yuba's water, its most precious resource, and…"
Jackson pours some of the alchemized water into a nearby firepit, where it erupts into blue flames.
As he sets the pot onto the flames, he turns to Chopper and Usopp. "If any of you have anything you want to produce, speak now, or forever hold your peace."
Chopper nods. "Please fill twelve vials and two beakers, Jerry. The resulting chemicals may have medical applications."
Usopp quirks his eyebrows in confusion. "So it's… Water? What's so special about it?"
Jackson stokes the fire by spooning another ladle-full of water out of the oasis and into the firepit.
"It's not 'water'. It's the water of Yuba's Oasis, the source of its life. And it's being refined with flames made from Alabasta's lifeblood. Whatever the resulting items are, they'll have that power in them."
Jackson's brief speech attracts a small crowd of mixed rebels and citizens alike.
"Wow, it's like magic!" one of them states, reaching towards the flames while Jackson watches carefully, sitting in front of it.
He turns to Chopper, biting his finger slightly to stay awake, "Chopper, it's unsafe for them to be this close to my project, and I'm not sure I have the energy to restart from scratch. Could you and Usopp get them a bit further away?"
"That won't be necessary," a familiar voice claims, making Usopp and Chopper pale as Jackson idly turns around.
In the distance, roughly twenty or so meters away, Smoker is sitting on his three-wheeled motorcycle, the Billower Bike.
While the rebels in the crowd begin drawing their weapons in preparation to attack the famous Marine, Jackson simply stumbles to his feet.
"How did you find us? The information I have suggests that you shouldn't have been able to track us down," Jackson asks calmly, while Smoker glares at Chopper long enough to make the reindeer shiver with fright.
Smoker returns to staring down Jackson. "Your information is faulty, then, if it didn't tell you about my Smoke Smoke Fruit. Your vehicle produces smoke unlike any that I've encountered, in the Grand Line or beyond. When I connected the pieces, the reports of an odd vehicle, the strange individuals who came into town at the same time, and the distinct smoke that I could smell, even after you were already miles away.
"My devil fruit power gives me a variety of powers, none more potent than my ability to detect smoke of any kind. There isn't a pirate on the planet who can go too long without burning something, whether it's wood for a cooking fire, tobacco from a cigarette…
"Or exhaust from an engine burning exotic fuels."
The standoff continues, rebels torn between maintaining their cover and fighting off a marine that threatens to blow it, and Jackson seemingly the only calm person in the area.
By now, most of the civilians have already backed into houses or down different streets, unwilling to get between the two sides.
"So, you know we're here, and you've come alone. Why?"
Smoker scowls. "I've come for answers. If I don't return with good ones, my subordinate has been told to track down and impound your ship. I had to follow your route to get here, and I gathered intelligence at each of your suspected stops.
"What are your plans, where is your captain, and in what way do your plans involve the Privateer known as Crocodile?"
'So that's why he hasn't attacked yet. He might want us captured, but Crocodile? A much bigger fish that he's not allowed to touch,' Jackson considers.
Jackson considers for a long period what exactly to do here. It's his fault that Smoker is here, and whatever results from this encounter will be his responsibility. "Usopp. Take him to the others, Vivi especially."
Usopp's eyes widen, shocked out of his stupor by Jackson's words. "Are you crazy? This guy has been chasing us since before we entered the Grand Line! I can't just-"
Jackson's vision darkens slightly, but a few deep breaths push back the looming exhaustion. "We don't have a choice. Even with your special ammo, we're unlikely to defeat him right now. Either he likes our answers, or Luffy will have to beat him within an inch of his life."
Usopp swallows, turning to Smoker. "F-follow me," he says, taking stiff steps towards the building where Luffy and the others are relaxing.
Jackson plops back down into the sand, as Chopper approaches. "Just how strong is that water, Jerry? Couldn't you have tried one of the seastone weapons you've been working on?"
"Smoker has a seastone weapon as well. It would come down to who is stronger, us or him. We don't have that kind of power yet," Jackson admits.
Chopper hums. "I'm going to go help them, Jerry. Stay here, and don't strain yourself, alright?"
He nods, waving one of the nervous rebels to approach him as Chopper leaves.
"Keep people away from my Crackpot while I work, I can try to produce some weapons for you all, as thanks."
"Uhh, guys?" Usopp says nervously, walking into the room where Koza is watching Luffy vaccum down plate after plate of food with shock.
"Hrr? Whrr Urr?" Luffy mumbles through a mouthful of noodles, before swallowing them all at once in a disgusting finishing move that ends the reign of the "Evil Bowl of Ramen".
"There's a, uh, guy here to see us," Usopp hedges nervously, before Smoker muscles past him, looking around the room with vague disgust.
When everyone but Luffy is instantly ready for a fight, he doesn't move for several seconds, before forcing out what he has to say, his teeth gritting from the strain. "I'm not necessarily here to make an arrest."
"Then just what are you here for?" Zoro demands, refusing to sheath his swords.
"I want to know what could possibly put Princess Nefertari Vivi, Koza, the leader of the Alabasta Rebellion, Mr. 11, who we had just finished capturing, and a bunch of lowlife pirates in the same room, and what Crocodile has to do with it."
Luffy laughs. "Jeeze, way to overcomplicate it. Crocodile's messing up Vivi's home, so I'm going to kick his ass!"
Vivi rubs the bridge of her nose. "That might not be complex enough, Luffy."
By the end of Vivi's discussion, she's begun to notice that Smoker actually goes through his cigars faster, as he becomes less calm.
Koza had to have more brought in for the Marine Captain, after he had gone through all thirty-eight of his cigars during her explanation.
"So, just to make sure I've got this straight…" Smoker ventures.
"Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords, is at the center of a conspiracy to trigger an Alabastan Civil War, and instead of bringing your evidence to the marines, the people who would want nothing more than to turn the bastard inside-out, you've decided to band together with a group of pirates and rebels, and, what? Knock down his front door and beat him to a pulp?
"Do you have any evidence?" Smoker says, with an odd inflection that sounds more pleading than skeptical.
"Only my word as a princess of Alabasta, and the information I have obtained by infiltrating Baroque Works," Vivi admits.
Smoker crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair with heavy contemplation weighing down his brow.
"That…" Smoker sighs, letting out a thick cloud of cigar smoke that catches Usopp in the face, making him cough helplessly.
"Going to have to be good enough. I'm going to send this up the chain of command. One way or another, Rain Dinners is about to be a hotbed of activity, and I want marines on sight to apprehend somebody."
He stands up and turns to leave. "It might not be you, if you're right about all of this."
Garp holds one of his idiot coworkers in a chokehold as he scans over the sensitive documents.
"Blah blah blah Crocodile, blah blah blah-"
"Strawhats?!"
He allows his fellow Vice-admiral to escape the chokehold, already signing his own signature on the papers before tossing them at the confused mail-lady who delivered them.
"Garp, for god's sake, you can't keep stealing assignments from me! There's got to be a rule about that!" Vice Admiral Dalmatian shouts, only for Garp to shoo him away, leaning back in their office chair.
"That's my chair!" Dalmatian again shouts, only for Garp's ears to wiggle mockingly at him as he ignores the Vice-Admiral.
"Go sniff something, I'm busy," Garp claims, looking at the Alabasta report.
"Unlike some people, I've got important work to do, like heading this investigation."
Dalmation squeals with outrage. "You stole that investigation from me!"
"Huh? What are you doing in my office anyway?" Garp wonders aloud as Dalmatian's eye twitches when he sees that Garp had gone so far as to set his own name placard onto the desk, throwing Vice Admiral Dalmatian's in the trash next to his desk.
"Garp!" Dalmatian shouts with petulant fury.
Last edited: Aug 19, 2019
Chapter 13: Growth
Jackson takes a deep drink of the soup hat had been brought out for him, breathing heavily.
"Next," he states, prompting the next nervous rebel to step forward.
"I've got a sword that's really well balanced, but I use two-swords style, is there anything you could do, Alchemist?" he states, holding out the saber.
Jackson nods. "I need the sheath too," he demands, prompting the warrior to hand it over.
With that, Jackson begins alchemizing the sword and it's sheath, mixing it with various things made from Yuba's Oasis Water, before pouring out two equal blobs of liquid that transform into twin sabers.
The rebel draws them, gaping at the cyan metal of the blades.
"Next," Jackson claims blithely, waving him off.
This time, Koza himself approaches, eyeing Jackson contemplatively. "I heard you've been making weapons for us yesterday and today. I decided to see what exactly you were doing."
Jackson yawns. "One of the cheapest forms of alchemy I can perform is to duplicate an item with filler. The quality of the results can be far below the value of the ingredients."
Koza considers this. "So you're giving my men lower quality weapons?"
Jackson shakes his head. "The weapons are roughly the same quality as the trash they give me to duplicate. The water from the oasis, alchemized and used as filler, serves to mitigate the loss."
"So if you weren't dividing it up for quantity, you could produce stronger weapons?"
Jackson shakes his head. "It drains me more when the results are of higher quality. I'm only doing this much because I know the rebellion is under-armed. Soon, I'll move on to just producing metal plates and leaving it to the craftsmen to turn them into crude weapons and armor. By turning the high-quality water into vast quantities of low-quality metal, I can mitigate the cost almost as much as is possible, and stretch out the last of my stamina for the day."
"Is there any way I can help?" Koza states firmly, as Jackson yawns.
"What's the single most expensive liquid-container you can obtain that is made in Alabasta by people from Alabasta?" Jackson asks.
"And I do mean expensive."
Koza hums at this. "I'll see what I can do," he answers.
"There's going to be a sandstorm soon. You should try to do something to keep the oasis from being buried under it," Jackson states after several moments.
Koza pauses at this. "What would you have me do?"
Jackson shrugs, yawning again. "I don't know. I don't know a damn thing about sandstorms or oases."
Chopper observes the alchemical chemical, redundant however it may be. Jackson, true to his word, had produced twelve beakers of fluid for Chopper. Water from the oasis, refined in watery flames, and transformed into medical chemicals for Chopper to study.
He goes through the basic steps that follow whenever he obtains a new chemical from Jerry's power.
How does it react with living tissue? Pouring it on various tissue cultures hydrated them. Obviously. An overdose of the chemical seems to act like a form of steroid, water binding to cells and causing them to rupture, as the cell is converted into complex hydrocarbons that go on to supercharge nearby cells. Death would follow shortly for anyone who overdosed on this substance. A deadly poison masquerading as an empowering drug.
How does it react with dead tissue? In most cases, it had little effect. Bacteria die, viruses are destroyed, and a wide variety of organic toxins are denatured. The liquid binds to the substances, converting them into complex hydrocarbons, in the same fashion it does to living cells after triggering cytolysis. A purifying substance. If it could be unbonded from the carbon it attaches to, then it could even be reusable.
How does it react with inorganic substances? Little reaction is found, save for one case. In the case of any sand touching the chemical, it is dissolved entirely, heating up to a steaming boil, and propagating the reaction as the sand is welded into glassy chunks of stone. The exothermic reaction of this "Aqua Anima" with sand causes it to turn to steam, which only serves to spread it over any sand that might be nearby. Almost like an enzyme, it serves to facilitate a conversion in which it itself is not consumed. Eventually, however, the heat denatures the Aqua Anima, turning it into a variety of hydrogen-centric chemicals.
In short, Chopper finds, this liquid that Jerry produced is in many senses useful. The most obvious use, Chopper considers, would be to apply it to a large amount of biological material, converting it into a slurry that a living organism could then consume as fuel.
"Questions that I must answer, in the course of experimentation," Chopper states aloud, speaking into a recording device hooked to his wooden doctor's tablet.
"Can Jerry replicate this chemical once they leave Alabasta? It is unknown, but unlikely. Jackson stressed the importance of oasis water in its creation. Lesser waters may not suffice," Chopper admits, humming to himself.
He paces the room, staring at the bright blue jelly that had been produced from mixing Aqua Anima with a pile of fruit.
"Can I replicate Aqua Anima, using mundane chemistry?" Chopper considers, his ears twitching.
"It may be possible. Given sufficient time to study, and a variety of other sacrificial chemicals, I may be able to force water to bind together to form this new substance. If nothing else, by studying Aqua Anima, I may be able to produce a synthetic equivalent."
He paces some more. One of the largest problems Chopper has faced recently has been with his Life Return techniques. The cellular growth consumes much of his energy, and the cellular death overtaxes his body's ability to process waste. Could Aqua Anima solve both of these problems? Either directly, by incorporating it into the formula for Rumble Paks, or indirectly, by allowing him to create calorie-dense fuel that his body can rapidly absorb.
"This chemical holds promise. Slosh-Slosh chemical number twenty-eight, Aqua Anima, status: Incomplete. More study is required."
While Sanji may admit to himself that the new crew member's power could afford him unique culinary challenges, by this point, he's just giving Jackson shit on principle. Something that the cook had belatedly realized when preparing coffee for the lovely Vivi, who wished to work late on planning the assault on Rain Dinners.
He swoons slightly. "Oh, poor Vivi, such radiant beauty doesn't deserve to encounter such hardship…" he mumbles to himself, before shaking his head, and returning to producing her coffee, just the way she likes it.
Roasting the beans to perfection, he transfers them off to the side, allowing them to rest for a bit so the flavors can begin to emerge.
His mind kept returning to that strange coffee-watermelon tasting fruit Jackson had been working on. He could smell the damn thing all the way from the kitchen, and while he had rated it poorly, perhaps that's Sanji's fault, in some way.
As much as it turns his stomach to see what Jackson seems to consider acceptable food, his mind returns to some of his very old memories, ones that remind him of his two sole rules of his cooking philosophy. To sate hunger, and produce flavor, at any cost.
God knows that Luffy has been his greatest challenge, the captain eating several times his weight in food, and always, always hungry. It pains him to think that he had actually grown used to Luffy's complaints of hunger, if only because they rang out every hour or so whenever the captain would smell food or spot Sanji cooking or prepping.
He should never grow used to someone being hungry while he's around.
He scowls, grinding the coffee beans in his grinder.
He's been working up to this for a while now. Slowly assembling ideas into words and phrases to best apologize to the quack without unduly harming his own pride as a chef, and considering a rather dire scheme of his own.
Jackson had shown once or twice the ability to turn inedible things into edible ones, and their doctor seemed to offer no complaints when it occurred, or when Luffy had snatched it before Sanji could examine it coldly.
So it's sating, it is apparently safe, and above all else, it's cheap. Jackson themselves claimed that perishable goods constituted objects of low cost to him, compared to tools and weapons.
Can Sanji call himself a chef if he's incapable of turning Jackson's garbage ingredients into gourmet dishes?
He ponders the question as he delivers the stunning, full-body coffee to the stunning, full-bodied goddess that is Princess Vivi.
The answer is no, and thus, Sanji has no choice but to work out how to diplomatically loosen his ban on alchemized food.
Nami tests out Usopp's new creation, the weight, the balance. It being made of what is seemingly solid gold is a bit cheeky of them, and the weird trident that unfolds from the end leaves her unsure what exactly the point of the three tubes is until she takes the time to read through the instructions that he gave her.
Her eyes widen as she feels around the base of the staff, finding the four holes where her fingers go. Wiggling her fingers, the four dials for heat, humidity, wind, and pressure slide around, mechanisms shifting inside the staff.
Pressing the button, she watches the three prongs of the staff emit spurts of water, fire, and wind, which collide in the air forming masses of cloud vapor.
Her eyes widen as she dials the flames and water down to nothing, sending jets of swirling wind at the cloud that manipulate it.
It's like a paintbrush for weather.
Twisting a piece of the staff, the prongs combine, changing to a form in which they emit bubbles containing the mixtures she demands instead.
She can't help but wonder if Usopp is even aware of what he's given her, considering the blase humor he had included with the instructions. He even included some kind of weird prank box. She's honestly not sure if he meant to give it to her or Luffy.
"Well, whatever. Looks like the most challenging thing I'll have to do from this point forward is to avoid getting overly arrogant," Nami mumbles to herself, swinging her staff and allowing the magnet inside of it to direct a bolt of lightning from between the bubbled cloud and the free-floating one.
Theodore's disarming smile comes across as something more like 'Panicked frozen animal' than 'Charming confident man'.
"Do you have smooth one-inch lead pellets and blackpowder? I need to restock my guns," he requests, prompting the rebel to glare down at him.
"Yeah. We do," they state, not moving from their seated position next to the racks of guns spanning the room.
"… May I have some?" Theodore offers after several moments.
The rebel's eyes narrow, prompting Theodore to chuckle nervously, "Ahh, I'll just… find an alternative."
The rebel halts him, rooting around and handing over two satchels containing the preferred goods.
Theodore exits the building with his two new sacks of ammunition, frowning slightly. "Well, that was unusual. I suppose I'm not very well-liked."
Sitting down on a bench nearby, he plops down heavily, rubbing his wrists. Luffy had seemingly demanded that the anti-escape gauntlets be removed, which Jackson had done so with little complaint.
"I'm such a fool. I got greedy and frightened, and for what?" he states, holding out a hand and flattening it into what looks like a cutout of his hand as it takes on the properties of his cloth scrap.
He sighs, rubbing his head underneath his stylish hat. "Well, that's what greed gets you, the world's crappiest Devil Fruit and a bad reputation."
Tilting his hat, he returns his body to normal, pulling various tiny guns out of his coat, and beginning the long process of filling them with tiny lead pellets and blackpowder.
Luffy returns to his two core principles, the ones that have taken him this far on the Grand Line. Do what he can, and If he doesn't know something, then one of his friends might. That said, Zoro's explanation doesn't make a lick of sense, and this meditation crap sucks.
"Mmmm. Zoro! You need to go away. You're too loud."
Zoro scowls. "I'm as quiet as a damn church mouse, you just need to focus."
Luffy shakes his head. "I can't focus if you're going to be loud. Hmph!"
With that, Luffy stomps his way outside, wandering off into the desert.
"Stupid Zoro, 'Oh, I'm not being loud at all, you're just not focusing hard enough!'… Pah! Him and his dumb swords."
Luffy plops down in the middle of the sand, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.
One of his ears twitches at the sounds of the desert. He tries to tune it out and listen for that breathing stuff that Zoro said he should be able to hear.
A vein bulges on his forehead as even the middle of the calm desert is still tickling his ears with the mystery noises that definitely aren't breathing.
He hears a sandstorm in the distance. "Ugh! Stupid Zoro, stupid mystery noises, stupid mystery breath."
A few hours later, and his stomach begins to growl. This takes a backseat to the Sandstorm ripping its way across the landscape, drowning out any possible noise.
Luffy keeps his eyes clenched shut and his teeth grit as he tries to ignore what are clearly malicious forces at work to stop him from figuring out the mystery power.
He plugs his ears, stubbornly trying to drown out the sounds of the sandstorm, whistling and whipping and all the mystery noises that definitely don't sound like breathing to him.
He hears what almost sounds like a mocking whistle, for the briefest of instants.
Luffy growls like an animal as his eyes snap open.
"Hey!" Luffy shouts, taking a gigantic full-lunged breath that inflates his chest like a balloon.
"Shut up!" he bellows at the annoying mystery voice.
A wash of invisible blue rips through the sandstorm, and before long, the winds settle down, as Luffy plops back down into the sand, grumbling to himself when the mystery sounds only decrease by a moderate amount.
A few hours after that, Luffy stomps into the inn that the Strawhats had commandeered for their own use, petulantly refusing to elaborate on what happened and why he had been out in the middle of that strangely brief sandstorm.
"I couldn't hear any mystery breathing," he frowns, prompting a confused Chopper to look in his ears.
"Mystery breathing? I don't know what that is. Are you talking about tinnitus?" Chopper questions, before waving it off when Luffy just gives him a confused look.
"He's talking about Observation Haki, I think," Jackson claims, resting on his cot with a wet towel over his face.
"You know you can't just spend a day out in the desert and figure it out, right? It took you two years to figure it out in the prime timeline," Jackson offers, making Luffy whine.
"It wasn't my fault though! The stupid mystery voices made it so I couldn't hear any breathing. Even after I told them to shut up, they didn't get that much quieter."
Jackson jerks up, holding the wet towel to his head to stave off his exhaustion headache. "Mystery voices?"
Luffy nods obliviously. "You know, weird sounds you hear everywhere?"
Chopper swallows. "Uhh, Jerry, please tell me your foreknowledge includes whether or not our captain has schizophrenia. Luffy, if the voices tell you to do things, ignore them!"
Jackson pats Chopper on the shoulder. "No, nothing like that. I just… I think I made some dumb assumptions? Luffy, could you please explain exactly what you mean by Mystery Voices?"
Luffy looks befuddled at the conversation that had mostly run away without him. "Uhh…"
'It's too early for this shit,' Jackson thinks to himself, wondering why he had just assumed that hearing the Voice of All Things was an ability that, while innate, still had to be unlocked.
"So, you just… Told it to shut up, and that ended the sandstorm?"
Luffy nods obliviously. "I was super mad. I have to learn that Hokey stuff so I can get stronger, and it was getting on my nerves! I take training seriously, Jackson."
Jackson rubs between his eyes. "Right, and you did this because it sounded like it was mocking you."
Luffy nods. "It totally was, too."
Jackson sighs. "Right. So, here's what I'm going to do," Jackson states, walking over to Usopp's cot and kicking it, prompting the sniper to leap up in shock.
"Jackson! What the hell? It's early!" Usopp whines, rubbing his head where he had bumped it on the ceiling.
"Go outside, blindfold Luffy, and start shooting at him. Luffy? Go outside, let Usopp blind you, and try to dodge. You're not allowed to move your feet though."
"What?! Why?!" they shout in unison.
"Observation Haki is based on sensing the presence of another, and sensing their intentions, based on what I know. You'll get smacked until you learn to dodge without seeing Usopp at all."
Luffy hums. "Well, it beats sitting around trying to hear stuff I can't hear. Come on Usopp!"
Zoro eyes Jackson deliberately as he polishes his swords. "Do you really think that will work?"
Jackson shrugs. "Hell no. But he might learn to hear the wind thrown up by Usopp shooting at him or something.
"I mean, Luffy might be a monster, but the likelihood of him figuring out Observation Haki like that, when I don't even know what the hell I'm talking about? And in the three days we have left before our trip to Rain Dinners begins?"
Jackson shakes their head. "Doubtful."
Chapter 14: Mutation
Crocodile reclines in his chair, sitting in the dark secret room below his casino, Rain Dinners.
"Have you found replacements for the Billions that were defeated in Nanohana?" he asks, puffing at his cigar as he watches one of his banana gators swim by in the gigantic tank outside of the room.
Miss All Sunday nods. "I've already sent lizard runners to inform the Millions of their promotions."
"Good. It looks like this situation might be salvageable, then," he responds.
"And the Officer Agents?"
All Sunday nods. "Already on their way. We'll be able to finalize Operation Utopia as soon as they arrive."
Crocodile hums. "I've had a… Suspicion. Brewing for a while now. What is the latest report from the Millions stationed in Yuba?"
Miss All Sunday pauses. "There hasn't been one. The Billions overseeing their infiltration into the rebellion haven't responded either."
Crocodile frowns. "What about the ones in the royal guard?"
"No response. It's as if they all vanished."
Crocodile's lips turn up in a sneer. "A rat, then. Our plans will have to be adjusted. Is there anything you can tell me, Miss All Sunday?"
She hums, before lying easily. "There was one report, an older one that was sent before the blackout by one of the supervising Billions. Strange individuals arrived in Yuba right before the loss in communications. An individual with a straw hat was among them."
Of course, there was no report, and there was no Billion. But in any sport, you want to keep an eye on both teams. Something she had been doing on and off since she had met them.
Normally, she wouldn't interfere like this, but their newest member has proven that he'll completely undermine her little test if she doesn't even the playing field at least a little bit. If another chess master has taken his place on the board, then she has no choice other than to at least play the game.
Crocodile finally formulates his response. "I see. Please edit the missions that will be given to the Officer Agents. We need to perform some last-minute cleaning before Operation Utopia can begin. Send everyone but Mr. 2 to Yuba, with the intent of gathering information, and then murdering the source of interference. If worst comes to worst, then Mr. 2 will fully replace King Cobra, and I myself will deal with executing him."
"I was thinking the same thing, Mr 0," she responds easily, turning and leaving the room.
After she leaves, Crocodile begins speaking to himself. "There comes a time when a man needs to stop playing with his food. If this is truly the work of sabotage, then I'll just have to accept that, and move forward."
"After all, there's really no reason why I couldn't just murder everyone in Alubarna myself. It would just be a vastly less elegant undertaking."
"Gah! How much longer do we have to waaait! I want to get out of here and find a place that serves a proper octopar!" Mr. 2 moans, slamming the table with his fist.
"I might be a lovely swan of the swanniest proportions, but damn it if I don't like being spun around like this! I can't dance to this slow tune!"
Mr. 4 laughs slowly, each chuckle coming out one after another.
Miss Doublefinger doesn't respond, simply crossing her arms and attempting to tune the annoying Okama's complaints out.
"Finally you're speaking my language! I can't stand this slow crap either it sucks and I won't stand for it, this is so stupid stupid stup stu stu stu!" Miss Merry Christmas shouts as fast as she can, pounding the table over and over.
A voice rings out off to the side of the table they're all seated at. "Ahh, so it seems you can at least endure one another's presence. Thankfully, you won't need to for too much longer," Miss All Sunday laughs, slowly walking down the stairs.
"I'd like to thank you all for coming to this meeting at Rain Dinners, where all the dreamers come hoping to win big."
The others remain silent. prompting her to continue. "Well, I won't waste any more of your time. But before we begin, I believe it's time for you to meet the boss of our company."
"As his proxy, I am the one who has ensured that he remains an unknown, even to our own organization. However, the need for such subterfuge has passed."
Crocodile spins around in his chair, which he had subtly materialized into while the other agents had been taking their own seats, making it appear as though he had been there the entire time.
Something suitably shocking to a group of premier assassins, whose instincts normally afford them immunity to such surprises.
Equally shocking, then, is his own identity.
"Crocodile? You're Mr. 0?" Mr. 1 states with some shock.
"What? Aren't you impressed?" Crocodile chuckles.
"Inside each of those documents are one among your final operations. Once complete, Operation Utopia can begin."
Mr. 3 takes this opportunity to burst into the room.
"Ah, Mr. 3. I've been expecting you," Crocodile states without preamble.
"Y-you have?"
"Yes. I have. Today, you have received the opportunity to put to rest a conspiracy that I've been suspecting for a while now. Tell me, why is it that the Strawhat Pirates and Princess Vivi are still alive? Why did I receive a message from you explaining that they did not survive?"
"Wh- What? I never sent such a message! I didn't use my transponder snail for the entirety of my stay on Little Garden!" Mr. 3 shouts, shocked at the statement his boss had made.
Crocodile nods. "That makes sense. So then, we have a second infiltrator. One who has aligned themselves with the Strawhats, and who has knowledge of our plans. This is the belief that I have gained from the information I have at my disposal. You, Mr. 3, will be my answer to them."
"You've come here seeking a second chance, but instead, you'll receive your last chance. Go with the other Officer Agents to Yuba. Kill the Strawhats. Bring Vivi here. This is my last order to you as a member of Baroque Works, Mr. 3, after which your services will no longer be required to enact Operation Utopia. Do not fail me again."
Mr. 3 swallows, looking at the other assassins in the room, who have begun burning the papers containing their own assignments.
"Understood."
Chopper is grateful that Jackson was able to recover sufficiently after his extended power usage.
"They're amazing," Chopper mumbles, looking at the rows of three-wheeled contraptions that Jackson had made for his final creation, each one made of a clear blue metal and filled with clear blue water.
"What can I say, when you convert precious water into tons of cheap metal plates, it's not hard to come up with something," Jackson states, fighting off the looming exhaustion that he had worked himself into by creating and duplicating the motor vehicles.
"They've only got enough fuel to make it to Rainbase, though. And I'm not sure if any other fuel will actually work in them. It's really not my best work," Jackson claims, while Koza gives some sort of speech to rile up the soldiers.
Chopper bops Jackson on the head. "Don't be dumb. Honestly, without those, it would take weeks to make it there.
"A logistical nightmare for an army," Vivi states, approaching the pair.
"Food, transportation, weapons. Even if you only manifested food and weapons from nothing but water, it would make you Alabasta's strongest asset, near one of the oases, or with access to groundwater."
"But one thing eludes me. It must have been exhausting for you to produce that many motorcycles, even with Yuba's supposedly treasured water, and that old urn that Koza had obtained for you."
"And yet, there were some horses in Yuba. Couldn't you have duplicated those, instead? A horse is far less valuable than one of those vehicles,"
Jackson doesn't respond immediately.
"I have a rule about that. Consent, Emergency, Time. I refuse to use my power to melt down a living thing that Chopper can converse with unless I have their consent, the situation is an emergency, and I have the time I need to ensure their safety."
Vivi considers his words. "But wouldn't any emergency lack that time that you need? This is an emergency, and I'm certain one of the horses could be convinced. To require all three is…"
"As silly as the idea of nobody dying in the conflict to come?" Jackson states coldly, prompting Vivi's eyes to narrow while Chopper looks between them nervously.
"All we need to do is defeat Crocodile and whoever he's got left on his side. We've already cleared out the Baroque Works agents that have infiltrated the rebellion, my father may receive my own letter detailing the fact of there being agents in the Royal Guard any day, the Marines themselves will be arriving in Rainbase around the same time that we are, just based on transponder snail calls from Captain Smoker."
"Why does anyone have to die in this upcoming conflict? And if they did, wouldn't fewer die if you prioritized lives over your hangups with using your power on animals?" Vivi snarls.
"Because I've taken the responsibility of saving lives where possible. Not the privilege. Never the privilege."
"It's triage on a grand scale, Princess. I've got the choice now of abandoning my principles in the hopes that it would help even more people, but in doing so, I would grow more callous. It's unavoidable, once I decide that I'm both unwilling to uphold my own standards and that they can change to suit my whims."
"Why wait for an emergency? Preventive medicine is an ideal solution to many problems, most of which I know about in advance. Using my powers, I might be able to find the man who will throw the world into chaos, and devise a way to stop him before his plans even go into motion. It would probably save more lives than my work here."
"Why bother with Ghetto Ghetto Fruits and alchemized weapons? If I so chose, couldn't I simply combine people with armor and weaponry directly?"
"Why not try to save as many lives as possible, instead of only focusing on individuals who I know I can save? I could try to devise a way to maximize survival through alchemy if I did enough experiments on people. By 'poisoning' water supplies with alchemical medicines, this can be done imperceptibly over time."
"But I'm just talking about the horses!" Vivi shouts, horrified with Jackson's words.
Jackson glares. "We both are."
With that, he walks away, Chopper still silently sitting on his shoulders as he climbs into the Anything Goes and prepares it for the journey.
King Cobra's hands shake as he reads the letter. Spies, assassins, and at the center of it all, Crocodile himself, playing both sides of the conflict. No, not just playing it, but its instigator.
Carou slurps messily at the barrels of water he was given, draining the fluids desperately after his long trek through the desert to deliver Vivi's letter.
"Sire, who is that letter from?" one of King Cobra's head guards, Pell, asks frantically.
He simply hands the letter to them, allowing them to read it for themselves.
"It's Vivi's handwriting. Of that, I have no doubt," Cobra states, as his guard grows increasingly shocked by the sheer detail of Vivi's letter, naming and describing specific members of Baroque Works, their powers, their plans, and even possible backup plans.
Most terrifying of all is the vaguely justified, but intimately detailed reasons why Crocodile must not be engaged directly by any member of Alabasta's guard, due to his overwhelming power.
Pell notices the shift in tone, near the end of her letter. Where her writing seems to him more like an after-action report, or even a recipe of sorts, listing dispassionately the ingredients for victory.
'My informant has told me in no uncertain terms the nature of Crocodile's power, and his tactics. If you have no choice but to fight him, then enclosed with this letter is an explosive vial, containing no less than two tons of compressed seawater, blades, and chemical explosives. Though my informant has meticulously described how to utilize this vial, his intended tactic is abhorrent. Instead, I will simply tell you one, simple fact.
'Crocodile will at every stage attack your heart before he attempts to attack your body. Any hostage, from a small child to an entire city, will only give him the impetus to gain a greater advantage over you should you come face to face. This is the method he will use repeatedly to control you if you attempt to fight him, both to halt your attacks, and to goad them on.'
"She may have refused to say it, but I believe I understand what her so-called informant had planned for this vial," Cobra claims, holding up the tiny glass tube, filled with a clear blue fluid.
"I have a plan. But you all will not like it," King Cobra claims, placing the vial on his nightstand as he draws a long knife from his belt.
"There is a man who could be any one of us, he could be among us even now, and he possesses the memory of my face,"
"Your majesty, you can't be saying…" Chaka claims, his face paling.
Cobra sheathes his knife without doing anything immediately. "Let us make our way to the royal doctors. I'll make an announcement later today. An assassin snuck into the palace and attempted to slay me as I slept. I survived, but the stitches required to ensure such were numerous."
"There will be no doubt that someone wearing my unblemished face is an imposter, even to the most unlearned citizen. After that, we go to Rainbase. I've received a call from the Marines, stating their intention to hold an investigation there. We will lend the fullness of our forces to their own efforts."
"But sir, that would leave the palace unprotected!" Pell states, stepping forward.
Cobra frowns. "A palace would be a very small loss, compared to that of the country."
Luffy, having grown comfortable with the Anything Goes, forgoes sitting inside, instead merrily riding on top of the vehicle's gigantic beak, laughing as the wind blows through his hair. Jackson's suggestion of adding a string to hold his hat on was great!
By now, and at least partially thanks to Chopper and Jackson discussing a bunch of boring stuff about the mystery voices and putting Luffy to sleep, he has completely forgotten the annoyed embarrassment that comes with failing to master that whokie stuff.
Especially when he figured out something really cool to make up for it.
Meanwhile, Zoro is performing additional meditation, using his newfound powers to attempt to memorize the rhythms of various substances, and thus add to his cutting power.
With the ability to put his metaphorical fingers on the pulse of the world, it only makes sense that the next step is honing it. To discover the living force of things he may encounter, and force himself to ingrain them into his muscle memory.
Soon, he may finally become what his sensei described. Someone who can cut anything, but choose to cut nothing.
Sanji sits across from Zoro, distracted with plans of his own for after they take care of this business with Crocodile. Namely, how to broker the subject of alchemical food to Jackson. Perhaps he'll just jot down a request like the ones Jackson receives from the other crew members. It's a system that works, and it's a rather dispassionate one.
Perhaps, then, after requisitioning something as an informal way of lifting the ban, he'll make a slightly more formal apology with the ingredients.
Sanji shakes his head. There will be time enough to ponder food once the battle is over and done with.
In a corner to themselves, Usopp and Nami are performing the final pieces of maintenance on their own equipment. Tabasco and Gunpowder stars had quickly been given upgraded partners due to Jackson's intervention, if nothing else, resulting in Ghost and Dynamite stars for when he needs far more boom, and Nami's Clima-Tact had received a number of minor tune-ups after she had gotten the chance to test it properly, and push its limits.
Before long, the group spots Rainbase on the horizon and peeking up over the city, Crocodile's casino looms, it's giant golden crocodile-head leering down at the people below.
Suddenly, a blast rips through the ground, separating the Strawhats, who had been trailing behind due to the Anything Goes's lower speeds. The tank flips end over end, Luffy flying through the air as he grimaces from above.
The tank comes to a halt, and everyone but Jackson climbs out rapidly, scanning the horizon for attackers, only to find empty dunes and dry soil around them.
Luffy lands on top of the overturned tank, glaring to the side, where he had spotted a strange man with a baseball bat.
He considers for a while what exactly the right call is, here. On one hand, the sooner he can kick Crocodile's ass, the sooner this can all come to an end, but on the other hand…
"Everyone, don't split up this time. I only see one guy," Luffy says cautiously.
Zoro draws his sword. "Doesn't that mean there's just one guy?"
Sanji smirks. "Figures you'd be dumb enough to think that. Who else but Baroque Works would send people to stop us? They're an assassination team. The ones we don't see are the real threats."
Luffy doesn't respond. No more words need to be said. Well, no words other than…
"Gum Gum..!" he pulls his arm back, the limb stretching out for several tens of meters behind him as he aims slightly off from where the batter is standing, taking practice swings with their distinctly number-branded baseball bat.
"Torpedo!" he sends his fist flying towards Mr. 4, only for the sand to erupt as a dark-skinned individual leaps up from where he was buried, arms coated in blades as he swipes for a fist that isn't there.
Instead, Luffy's fist had already burrowed under the sand, confusing the two assassins for the brief instant it takes for Luffy to twang his arm, sending a giant wave down the elongated limb.
"Gum Gum Dynamite!" he shouts, the wave traveling under the sand and causing a massive explosion as the sand underneath the pair is thrown sky-high, sending them both leaping backwards out of danger while their partners erupt from behind the Strawhats.
Zoro's swords are caught between the dirt-studded claws of some mole-woman, and Sanji's kick is aborted by him realizing that his target would have been a woman.
His love of the ladies, he realizes mere moments before leaping back, saved him the pain of sending his leg directly into a maze of thorns that erupted from the woman's body.
Usopp, Chopper, and Nami hang back, all of them scanning their friends' opponents in their own ways as they prepare for battle.
Jackson, meanwhile, is still inside of the Anything Goes, shattering a vial in his hand before pressing the fluid into his bleeding, fractured skull. He isn't sure which one it is, but soon the pain fades as he manages to heal his injuries from the crash that the others had shrugged off with ease.
Wrapping his scarf tightly around his head afterwards, he brushes broken glass off of himself and slowly climbs out of the driver's seat, trying to figure out just what the hell is going on here.
A voice stops him dead in his tracks. "Ahh, Jackson. You shouldn't go out there just yet. You've got your own test to deal with," Miss All Sunday claims, as her eye and mouth materialize on the metal wall next to him.
Last edited: Aug 24, 2019
Chapter 15: Clinical Trial
"What do you want?" Jackson demands, hand already invisibly reaching for a vial under his clothing.
An arm reaches out from the wall as wax begins bubbling up from the floor, turning into a torso that she casually flips upright and sprouts limbs from.
"I'm curious. That's all," Miss All Sunday responds plainly, her wax double standing up and sprouting a face of its own.
"You see, I was curious if your captain was really all he seemed to be. But with your meddling, I very well might never find out,"
Jackson takes a step forward. "So you're here to, what? Shut me up? Kill me?"
Miss All Sunday frowns. "Nothing so uncouth. Well, not necessarily, anyway. I thought we would play a little game. We'll talk while we fight, and every time I don't like one of your answers…"
Wax continues bubbling up between the cracks of the Anything Goes.
"And you think Mr 3's wax is enough to kill me?" Jackson asks casually, shattering the vial in his hand, and uncorking the bottle it creates.
"If it disables your vehicle, that's as good as you losing, if you ask me," she shrugs.
Jackson makes a noncommittal noise. "Aside from Mr. 0 himself, the person I've had to consider the most is you, Miss All Sunday. Would you care to guess why?"
She chuckles lightly as he douses himself in the bottle's contents, soaking himself with some sort of chemical. "Well, if I had to guess, it's because your so-called future knowledge assumes that Mr. 0's plan will fail, and I will react accordingly. Is that about right?"
Limbs sprout from Jackson's back, firmly gripping him as they attempt to get purchase on the extremely loose clothing. "Alright, you've had your turn, now for mine," Miss All Sunday claims.
"Clutch!" she shouts, the arms trying to twist Jackson's back backwards until it cracks. This fails, as her attempt to apply the intense pressure needed for the technique simply rips the scarves free from Jackson's back, the limbs being pushed away with them. The oil coating his body only serves to make it even harder to grip him.
She pauses, smiling softly. "Oh, I hadn't considered that. A good play, then. Why does your knowledge of the future so closely follow the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Jackson pulls a lighter from his pocket, holding it loosely in his hands as Miss All Sunday crosses her arms, already sprouting another set of limbs from Jackson, intent on strangling him with his own scarves.
"Because they are at the center of massive upheavals throughout the entire world," Jackson states, igniting his lighter and causing the Stunt Fire Oil to ignite, cooling him, and making Miss All Sunday flinch as her limbs near his burning body.
She frowns, staring at the blazing scarves already being shed by Jackson as he drops them on the ground to keep the wax liquid molten. "I don't like that answer. You might know major events that would support that theory, but you also know incredibly trivial information, such as the habits and personalities of your crew."
"That's a penalty," she states, wax rising up to their ankles as Jackson takes several steps forward, flinging one of his burning scarves at the woman, and prompting her to dodge them, reappearing a few meters to the side as colder wax rises up to form a new torso for her limbs to bloom from.
Jackson hums, pulling out a vial that he uncorks, dripping it onto the ground where it transforms into thick stone slabs that he casually steps up onto.
"How were you able to spy on us? I painted the Going Merry with several chemicals that produce small amounts of irritant fumes. Especially areas in which I studied my records," Jackson responds, leaping backwards onto a jutting metal plate when a wax spear suddenly shoots up with the intent to impale him.
"I'll admit, It was touch and go for a while. I purchased eye drops, and began using them. The effects of the eye drops on my actual eyes would spread to the ones I left hidden on the Going Merry, so I didn't have to dispel them.It wasn't very enjoyable," she states, as one of her limbs erupts from the wax and attempts to pull Jackson's legs out from under him, where the flames haven't spread.
Jackson huffs, jerking his leg and shattering the vials stuffed into his socks, which explode into scarves violently enough to throw her hand free. "It wasn't meant to be."
She ponders for several moments as Jackson pulls multiple vials out, mixing the fluids in the palm of his hand while they merge together into a small red flare. "Why interfere? If you truly have the ability to travel through time, why interfere here? What could possibly occur in the future that causes more loss of life than other events of the past?" She finally asks, dodging to the side casually as Jackson swipes at her with a lengthy jet of flames erupting from the flare in his hands.
By now, the flames on Jackson's body have begun fading to bare smolders, ash-smeared, burnt cloth dropping from his body. "I didn't have a choice in my destination."
She rolls her eyes, and at the same time, the liquid wax in the vehicle has risen high enough to reach someone's hips. Jackson leaps over to a wall, pulling out his gun.
"That answer is too convenient. You came to the past, with a grand mission in mind, you have the information needed to execute it, but your destination was a fluke. I don't believe you.
"That's strike two, Jackson," she states, holding up two fingers deliberately.
Using his flare as a distinct threat staving off any more of her limbs appearing on him, he offers his own question. "Why waste your time questioning my motives instead of asking me about the future? You don't have much more time before my friends are finished mopping up those agents outside, and there are things I know you want to know."
She smirks. "And just how would you know that? Ahh, nevermind. I believe I know the answer already.
"Fine then, I'll give you my answer. I've got all the time in the world to learn the information you have about the future. If I wasn't curious about you yourself, I wouldn't have bothered playing," she finishes, her limbs popping into petals as the wax figurine drops to the ground, and the liquid wax begins draining from the floor.
Jackson grimaces as the tank flips upright, and he climbs out of the side hatch cautiously.
Luffy's fists are aching right now. A novel sensation for the rubber-man, but not an unusual one, from how many times he's tried to punch this guy that keeps turning into blades.
There's a pattern to it, he thinks. Sword guy burrows into the sand, Baseball bat guy swings his bat to knock bombs at them from somewhere, and when Luffy tries to punch the bat guy, Sword guy somehow knows, and leaps up to try and chop his damn arm off.
Needless to say, just punching these guys isn't working. So maybe…
Luffy shakes his head. 'If I use either of those, Crocodile might learn about it somehow.'
He takes a deep breath. "Usopp, Nami, Chopper! I can't punch sword guy. One of you need to do it," Luffy rolls his shoulder and grits his teeth when one of his fingers starts bleeding profusely again.
Chopper nods. "I might be able to occupy him, but I don't have anything that…" The doctor's eyes widen. "Usopp, Nami, can you give me an opening?"
They both nod, and Chopper pulls out an orange package.
"Rumble Pak, Orange!" he shouts, chomping down one of the servings of his unique drug cocktail.His body shudders for a moment, before he forcibly transforms, growing into a form not dissimilar to his Heavy Point, with the key alteration of vastly increased muscle mass, and hooves replacing his hands. "Arm Point!" Chopper shouts, leaping towards Mr. 1 and slamming his hoof into the blade that his arm transforms into directly.
"I think you're mistaken, little beast. I can cut through bone as easily as I can cut through rubber," he shouts, transforming his hand into razor-sharp steel claws, driving them towards Chopper's chest.
Chopper's second hoof strikes that blade as well. "My Iron hooves can shatter even rock in this form. You can cut bone… Rubber… But not me."
"Cloven Rose!" Chopper shouts, punching him in the chest and driving him back. A small, petal-shaped dent glows in the center of his chest from the blow.
Mr. 1 snarls, rushing towards Chopper and turning his limbs into a blender of spinning blades.
"Whirlwind Spadices!"
Chopper bashes aside Mr. 1's arms with relative ease, but notices without a doubt that he's not doing as much damage as he would like, striking them directly.
"You claim that I can't cut you, but you don't seem to be doing very much to me, either," Mr. 1 observes, his fist shifting into a mass of blades as he punches at Chopper. The reindeer doesn't respond, simply leaping back as Usopp's Ghost Star explodes all over his face, prompting him to roar in pain as the capsaicin oil splatters over him.
His eyes are red as he blindly swipes at Chopper, who has already slipped behind him.
"Dual Point: Antler Gun!" Chopper roars, shifting from his Arm Point into his Horn Point after punching the ground so hard that it sends him flying at Mr. 1's back, his elongating and thickening horns smashing into their back and cracking it loudly.
" Bodice!" Mr. 1 shouts as Chopper charges in, his body becoming steely to block some of the blow.
After several moments of heavy breathing on Chopper's part, he reverts to his Arm Point, watching him carefully. Much to his surprise and dread, Mr. 1 manages to climb to his feet, swaying slightly before turning to face him. To counteract the pepper spray in Usopp's Ghost Star, Mr. 1 had opted to simply transform his entire face into blades, cold steel replacing sensitive flesh.
'He's literally glaring daggers at me,' Chopper notes with some morbid humor.
Usopp's Dynamite Star follows shortly after this, slamming into Mr. 1's back. The earth-shaking explosion, horrifyingly enough, doesn't seem to faze the blade-human. "You know, going so long without receiving so much as a scratch in my long career, I had almost wondered if I was missing out, not feeling pain. "But I didn't really like that, I'll be honest," he states, kneeling down and planting their hands just above the sandy ground.
"Erupting Radicel!" he shouts, pounding his palms into the ground as they shift into bladed claws.
Chopper looks confused for several moments, before the ground erupts in slashes around Mr. 1, one of the slashes ripping up through him and sending him to the ground in a spray of blood. Chopper lays on the ground, staring blankly at the fight going on around him as he slowly draws out a vial, uncorking it, and pouring it into his wounds as he breathes heavily, and gritting his teeth. Immediately, the chemical goes to work, burning and bonding with his blood, fur, and skin to form a thick, fibrous patch that stems the flow of blood.
"Damn it, we've got to help him!" Usopp shouts.
Nami shakes her head. "Don't lose your head, Usopp, it's the only advantage people like us have in this fight."
Mr. 1 turns to face the duo. His expression is as cold as his steel. "I don't know which one of you shot me, but then, I'm going to kill you both, so it shouldn't matter."
Nami whispers to Usopp. "Remember the plan. We just have to keep him busy until I've finished the cloud."
When Usopp spots Chopper applying something to his wounds, he finally nods, forced to accept that Chopper will have to take care of himself if they want to win this.
"I'll use my dynamite stars to blind him, and then you bring down the thunder."
Mr. 1 begins his slow walk towards the pair, arms transforming into twin blenders as he holds them aloft.
"Multi-Dynamite Star!" "Thunderbolt Tempo!" Chopper faintly hears as Nami's plan begins, and the clouds she had been forming overhead suddenly bringing down a pillar of lightning on the stunned Mr. 1.
Chopper grits his teeth further, pulling out a small device that he applies to his arm, flooding his veins with saline to help restore his blood pressure. Taking a deep breath, Chopper prepares to continue the fight, only to realize in shock that something about Nami's thunderbolt had caused the blade-man to collapse, clenching his chest.
Not giving himself enough time to consider the consequences of trying to help a (seemingly defeated) enemy, Chopper dismisses the remaining fifty or so minutes of his Orange Rumble Pak, allowing him to return to Brain Point as he rushes towards the glowing metal man and slaps a seastone spur into his arm to allow Chopper to operate.
'Well, looks like I was able to get him vulnerable enough to apply that thing,' Chopper thinks grimly, popping open vials to obtain his medical tools.
Grimacing, Sanji continues to dodge Miss Doublefinger's attacks, long thorns extending from her knuckles and turning them into a deadly weapon.
She smirks, sashaying from side to side as she walks. "You're clever, pretty-boy. Anyone else would be dead right now, trying to fight me with their bodies alone."
"But if you think you can win without hitting me, well…"
She shrugs, turning her thumb into a gigantic lengthy spike.
"You're probably wrong."
Her thumb, extended as it is, becomes her new weapon to use against Sanji as she dashes towards the cook and jabs it at him repeatedly. "Fencing Stinger!" she shouts, flourishing the spike before jabbing it into Sanji's shoulder six times in a row, the smooth spine ripping through his jacket and making him gasp with pain.
"Damn it," Sanji groans, stumbling back. 'Even if I wanted to hit her, it would be a death sentence with those spikes everywhere. With her range being longer than mine, it would be trouble to even get that far.'
His gaze wanders over to Zoro, who is fighting some kind of weird mole monster.
"It pains me to say, but I don't think I can fight you, ma'am." Sanji admits, pulling out a cigarette with his good arm and lighting it up.
She chuckles. "So you're saying that you'll lay down and die? That's admirable of you, understanding your limits."
Sanji shakes his head. "Far from it. It sickens me to even consider striking a lady such as yourself. My honor as a man and a cook are what hold me back. Not my skills."
She laughs for a long while at this. "Oh, now that's rich. 'Your honor as a man and a cook'. As if those things matter in a fight. Anyone with a sentiment as driveling as that isn't much of a man at all, if you ask me, and I suppose, by your own logic, not much of a cook either."
Sanji takes a deep breath through his nose, before taking his cigarette and flicking it onto the sand, where he crushes it under his boot.
"Alright, then."
Zoro grimaces. This is downright humiliating.
Miss Merry Christmas erupts from the sand several meters away, howling with laughter. "You swordsmen are all alike! You think that those fancy weapons make you a killer, but then what happens when you can't hit me? You eat your words! Stupid! Idiot! Idiot idiot idi id id id!" she shouts over and over.
"I haven't said any damn words to eat, you greasy little hag!" he shouts, dashing over and slashing at her yet again, only for her to dip below the sand as though it were water.
A baseball spins around the Anything Goes, curving towards Zoro, who slashes at it instinctively.
The explosive goes off, sending him flying back and skidding painfully across the ground.
"Aww, poor swordsman, cutting bombs doesn't make them stop working, you stupid idiot!" she cackles, dipping below the sand and rushing towards him like a shark.
'I can't hit her like this. And that bastard flinging bombs everywhere is making everything worse,' Zoro grimaces, staring at his raw arm that had absorbed the majority of the blast.
He crosses his blades, preparing to use a new technique that he had been developing. One that just might work against this hag.
He is unable to, however, before Sanji dashes towards him.
"What the hell are you doing shit-cook!" Zoro very nearly squeals, when the aforementioned cook taps a sword out of his hand, flicking it around his foot before kicking it towards his own opponent.
She snarls, blocking the sword with ease, as it had been flung towards her by the wrong end, only to gasp when a familiar set of cuffs had been flipping around behind it, one of them successfully latching around her arm.
She collapses to the sand, weakly tugging at the seastone cuffs. Where the hell did that cook even get these?!
"Damn it! Sanji, you don't just do that to a man's sword!" Zoro roars, his forehead pressed up against Sanji's.
"Look, you see that chick over there? Do you want to try kicking her? I just needed to borrow it for a second, Christ, Mosshead, where's your sense of teamwork!"
"You can take your teamwork and shove it up your-!"
Miss Merry Christmas coughs lightly, to get their attention.
"Can't you see we're busy!" they shout in unison, unleashing a flurry of attacks on the Mole-woman, whose attempt to burrow underground is ruined when Sanji kicks the sandy soil so hard that it erupts everywhere, leaving her unable to avoid Zoro's new technique after he quickly snatches his third blade away from Miss Doublefinger, dashing towards Miss Merry Christmas and leaping into the air after her as she flips helplessly.
He begins spinning his swords rapidly around, picking up wind as his will flows into each of his swords.
"Dracone… Barge!"
The wind that he had been dragging around using his blades combines, each splitting gale slamming into one another according to the rhythm he had established. The conflagration of bladed winds striking one another sends them outwards in an explosion of tiny razor-sharp tornadoes.
Miss Merry Christmas shrieks as she is carried away by the bladed gales, slamming into the sands insensate.
A quick glare from Zoro and Sanji stops Miss Doublefinger from doing anything particularly stupid as she accepts her defeat.
Luffy groans, rubbing his fists. This baseball guy is really getting on his nerves. Even without that sword guy covering him, he's managed to use that super heavy bat of his to smack away Luffy's punches.
Seeing Chopper doing doctory stuff to the sword guy, and Zoro and Sanji handcuffing those two other ones, he realizes that he doesn't have to worry about one of his lengthier attacks being intercepted by a sharp thing that wouldn't feel very good pitted against his rubber.
"Hey, baseball guy! My friend just beat up your friends. I'm kinda annoyed though, so don't surrender yet, I'm gonna knock you out first!" Luffy bellows, prompting the batter to sweat after several seconds to process his words. It's also around this time that the slow Mr. 4 realizes that, yes, all of his friends have been beaten.
He swallows heavily as Luffy winds up his final attack, gripping his bat tightly.
He doesn't last a second against Luffy's whip crashing down from above where he can't swing his bat properly.
It's around this time that an exhausted, burnt Jackson climbs out of the Anything Goes.
"We need to go, now. We're officially off-rails," he groans, collapsing back against the tank's sides.
Last edited: Aug 25, 2019
Chapter 16: Adaptive Radiation
Miss All Sunday smiles, turning to Mr. 3 with her arms crossed.
"The Strawhats are all dead. Retract your wax."
"If you're certain, Ma'am," Mr. 3 nods, summoning his wax back into the wax tunnels they had built underneath the sand.
"So what do we do now?" Mr. 3 asks nervously.
Miss All Sunday responds easily, chuckling slightly. "Now? Well, you'll need to be unconscious for this part," she explains, confusing him greatly.
"Clutch!"
"Luffy, swallow," Chopper demands, stuffing a large pill into Luffy's mouth, which he swallows with a grimace.
"Ugh, tastes fishy," Luffy complains.
"It's a vitamin pill. Jackson seems to think it will help," Chopper explains, pulling out his sewing kit.
With all of the agents bound in seastone, regular stone, or rope, the Strawhats have a small breather to recover as Usopp clumsily drives the Anything Goes, trying to catch up with the rebel army.
While Jackson produces bandage and sterilizing fluids, Chopper sews up the gashes on Sanji's shoulder, and the deep cuts in Luffy's hands.
"Jerry, you're bleeding," Chopper states clinically, reaching for the scarf wrapped around Jackson's face.
He backs away slightly, "It's already taken care of, Chopper."
Turning to the others, Jackson continues. "I'm fairly certain that Chopper and I will be unable to participate in the upcoming battle, and Sanji might not be able to either, unless I do something drastic.
"A decision needs to be made. I've got enough energy to perform the Sloshurgery once, but I'll be completely out of stamina if I do."
Chopper hums nervously, while Sanji groans, leaning forward. "Look, scarf-head, if you've got something that can get me back in the fight, then you need to do it," Sanji demands, cringing as his wounds disagree with the movement.
"It's not that simple. The Sloshurgery technique allows me to instantly heal a wound, but if I use it, you had best be prepared to see it in the mirror for the rest of your life. The liquid I use transforms into healed flesh, but it will retain the properties of the vial I choose. So unless you want five chunks of your shoulder to be made of rock-flesh or something for the rest of your life, you'll consider carefully whether or not you want me to do this."
Jackson crosses their arms. "It could be removed later, but that's even more surgery, and an even longer period needed to heal. Is that worth you having a chance to help in a fight against one person, who our Captain is going to try and take down himself anyway?"
Sanji pauses at this, considering Jackson's words. "If I let something like that scare me, I wouldn't be in the Grand Line. You might as well just show me what you've got, and I'll decide for myself."
Chopper swallows heavily, while Jackson fishes around in his cloak for some vials that wouldn't be too unappealing for use in the surgery.
Mr. 1 sits silently on the bench, tied up with the rest of Baroque Works's Officer agents.
It doesn't make sense. Not just the fact that that little monster managed to hurt him, but the fact that those other two fools had managed to nearly kill him.
The little monster doctor said it was a heart attack. Something about his metal body's conductivity making his nerves more easily fired by electricity. Not that he would know, considering he's never been struck by lightning before.
What makes even less sense to him is the fact that they saved his life anyway. At every step, Mr. 1's carefully honed killer instinct twitches in annoyance. If they didn't have the stomach to finish him off, they could have just let him die from his heart attack. If they were his enemy, then they could have simply left him in the desert, and he would have eventually died there.
But they did none of that. And their captain doesn't seem to disapprove. What kind of people do that? They had the impetus to fight, even at risk to their own lives, they had a clear goal in mind, to halt Baroque Works's plans, and yet they, as far as he can tell, risked throwing all of that away just to save his life.
It goes beyond even idiotic things like honor, directly into a yawning void of madness that Mr. 1 simply cannot comprehend.
He spots Miss Merry Christmas covertly using one of her lockpicks to try and pry open the muzzle holding the strange dog-gun's mouth shut.
He slams his elbow into her shoulder, making her drop the pick down onto the floor. She silently glares at him with an expression containing near-infinite fury.
He isn't sure why he did so, besides one simple fact. He won't allow anything to prevent him from learning why they would do something so…
So incomprehensible.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Princess?" Theodore questions, riding next to her as they both drive towards Alubarna instead of joining the others.
"I'm certain. As much as I want to fight Crocodile myself, we need to regroup. Rain Dinners is about to become a cesspool of violence and confusion, and intercepting the Royal Army, if it's on it's way there, is key to preventing any mishaps."
Their motorcycles spew clouds behind them as they silently ride through the night.
"So, uhh…" Theodore starts, trying to think of a good topic of conversation.
He spots something in his rearview mirror that confuses and frightens him. "Princess, were any others supposed to follow us?"
Vivi's eyes widen as she looks back in a panic. "No, I thought we got them all!"
Behind the duo, several sneering rebels riding Jackson's motorcycles begin to rapidly approach them from behind.
"Any ideas, Princess?" Theodore states, breaking out into a cold sweat.
She simply guns the throttle, prompting him to follow suit.
"Princess, I think we might need a better plan!" he states nervously, when a bullet whizzes by them.
"Do you have a gun?" she demands, narrowly avoiding another bullet from the band of Billions and Millions.
"I do, but I can't shoot it backwards!" he shouts in response.
Narrowing her eyes, she turns and approaches his motorcycle. "Grab my hand, I'll pull you on here!"
Nodding, Theodore reaches over, his motorcycle rumbling in protest before he grabs hold of her hand and transforms into a far lighter scrap of cloth.
His motorcycle skids, wobbling back and forth before crashing into the crowd behind them, making several of the Baroque Works agents crash into one another and thinning the herd out by a wide margin.
Vivi swings Theodore around, allowing him to reform on the back of her bike backwards. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his fancy coat.
"Tailgunner-coat!" he shouts, pulling the triggers sewn into his pockets, and causing the buttons of his shirt to pop open, revealing six small machineguns.
Bullets rip through the crowd of bikers, allowing none of them to continue the chase as wheels are popped like water-balloons, and bodyparts are peppered with bullets.
Panting heavily, he gives a thumbs up, which Vivi spots in the mirror. "I think I got em!" he shouts, pleased with himself.
Vivi's next words make him far less pleased. "You need to transform. The added weight means we might run out of fuel before making it."
He grumbles loudly as Vivi folds him up and shoves him into the saddlebags on the bike. "Damn it, I'm fashionable, but not like this!" he groans, the cloth scrap briefly forming lips long enough for him to speak.
'I better not get any creases," he complains internally.
"What do you mean my father isn't here?!" Vivi shouts at one of the royal guard, who stoically tries to explain.
"He has taken a retinue of soldiers to Rainbase, with the intent of coordinating with the Marines," they explain as well as they can.
No small amount of fear emerges in Vivi's eyes at this fact. She jams a finger and a thumb into her mouth, emitting a shrill whistle.
"Carou, take me to my father. We need to move quickly. Mr. 11, portable mode."
"I'm not voice-controlled, damn it!" Theodore grumbles.
"We don't have time. We need to move fast if we're going to catch up with him," Vivi stresses, already swinging on top of the Supersonic Duck and preparing for takeoff.
Carou lets out several quacks that go uncomprehended, until the rest of the Supersonic Duck Squadron arrive, one of them leaning under Theodore and lifting the shocked man up onto them.
Vivi pauses for a moment. "Right, let's move, then."
The ducks rush off in unison, carrying their riders deep into the desert after Cobra's forces.
The Strawhats arrive to a total mess, not in the destructive sense, but in the sense that the entire place is flooded with Marines.
Jackson's eyes widen as he visibly sweats when he spots none other than Garp of all people approaching, Smoker in tow, and looking for all the world like they aren't walking up to wanted Pirates.
Garp uncrosses his arms from behind his back, casually putting a hand on Luffy's shoulder.
"Captain Smoker, please inform the Strawhats of the situation. I'll discuss matters further with their captain," he growls, dragging Luffy away while he mouths "Help me" silently, head twisted around to an impossible angle to look back at them.
Smoker turns to Zoro. "We've investigated his Hotel, and found evidence of Princess Vivi's claims. Due to your participation in the investigation and arrest of Crocodile, your bounties will be frozen temporarily, and you will not be accosted for the remainder of your participation in this delicate matter," Smoker states, as if he were reciting it from a report of some kind.
"In other words, don't give me a really good reason to arrest you idiots, and we'll get along just fine for now," Smoker finishes, wincing slightly as both the nearby Marines and nearby Strawhats all follow suit, hearing the faint back-and-forth between Monkey D. Luffy and Monkey D. Garp.
"Damn brat! You had to go and do the one thing out of all the things I ever told you not to do! Why couldn't you just have become a damn Marine like I said!?" Garp roars, pounding another lump into Luffy's aching cranium.
"I can't be a marine, gramps, don't act stupid!" Luffy shouts back, rubbing his head.
The two return to the rest of the group, acting as calm and composed as two sea-faring authority figures who didn't just have half a brawl and a whole argument in earshot.
"The situation has become clear," Luffy nods sagely.
"I need to kick Crocodile's ass, and then we need to get the hell out of here," Luffy and Garp say in unison, before butting heads immediately after they finish speaking.
"That's all you got from this?!" several marines and Strawhats shout at the same time.
"Damn it brat, Crocodile's out of your league, and out of your jurisdiction, of which you have none! If you wanted to go beat up pirates, you should have just done as I said, and you'd get to beat up all the pirates you want! More, even!"
"Shut up gramps, jeeze, you're like a broken record! I'm going to beat up Crocodile, and that's that! If he's out of my league, then I gotta kick his ass even harder!"
"Oh no, don't you try to turn this into some kind of youthful rebellion bullshit, leave the ass-kicking to the professionals, you're on cleanup duty after I pound Crocodile into powder, brat! Then we're going to have a long talk about this other youthful rebellion bullshit you've got going on here!"
"The only bullshit here is standing right in front of me, gramps! I have dibs! I came all the way down here to kick his ass, and by god, I'm going to do it!"
Garp snarls, planting his face into his fist. "Shit!"
He turns to the rest of the Strawhats. "Did he actually call dibs? Don't pull any fast shit on me, I gotta know."
Chopper nods, being the first one willing to sass a vice-admiral to their face. "He did mention such, yes. Would you like a complimentary hearing-exam?"
Jackson plants a hand over Chopper's mouth. "Our initial goal was to take care of this matter. You are our backup. Not vice-versa."
Garp's eyes narrow, before he laughs loudly. "You punks are a riot!
He sighs. "Damn it, and I really wanted to turn that guy's face into an 'innie'."
Smoker coughs slightly. "I don't believe that calling dibs constitutes-"
"That sounds like insubordination, Captain Smoker!" Garp shouts merrily, clapping the captain on the back hard enough to send them tumbling over as he laughs loudly.
Meanwhile, Zoro swallows heavily. Are these marines seriously not going to attack them? This is surreal. A surrealness that isn't at all helped by Tashigi glaring at him with impotent fury.
Honestly, trying to avoid her hateful glare, he would prefer if they were attacking them right now.
Her eyes narrow.
Yup. He would really prefer being attacked over this awkwardness.
A marine runs up towards the group, sweating and breathing heavily. "Sir, there are no signs of Crocodile or any other Baroque Works agents!"
"Well where the hell are they then?!" Garp roars.
"If I had to guess, he's going to Alubarna. If he isn't, we can meet up with the Vivi and the king," Nami offers, prompting the others to nod.
Dumping the Officer Agents on the Marines to deal with, the Strawhats zoom away, and the marines awkwardly find methods to try and follow after them, lacking the same ability to travel over-land that they do overseas.
Though, one concerning oddity is how Mr. 1 was somehow able to escape undetected.
"Ahh, just the man I was going to see. It's awfully fortunate that we've met here of all places," Crocodile chuckles to himself, sitting on top of the turtle-driven cart that he had been riding to Alubarna.
Cobra stares dispassionately from atop his horse, Pell and Chaka standing to either side of him. Two long rows of stitches trail down his face, the result of the royal doctors carefully altering his appearance.
"Crocodile, you stand accused of treason against the country of Alabasta. You intended to throw my country into the depths of despair, all so that you can exact your plans. For this, and your other crimes, you will die today," Cobra states firmly.
Crocodile chuckles, and after several moments, his chuckling turns to outright laughter.
"I am, huh? Now that… That's rich."
He sighs. "Well, I suppose if I have to kill everyone here other than you anyway, I might as well indulge you. I'll give you five minutes."
Crocodile pulls a small hourglass out of his coat, throwing it into the sand.
"Go ahead, give me your best shot."
Instead of sending Pell and Chaka, Crocodile feels slightly insulted when Cobra waves for his archers to take aim at him. Of all the stupid-
Crocodile's eyes widen as he stumbles back in pain, no less than twenty arrows jutting from his body.
How could they possibly have..?
He coughs, stumbling to the side slightly as red sand flows down his lips and chest.
"I've been informed that you fare poorly against liquid. So I've taken the liberty of arming my men with poisoned arrows. Undoubtedly wet, and definitively deadly. Your ambition dies here, at the foot of your arrogance," King Cobra explains coldly.
"Even if you don't bleed out before your hourglass empties, the poison will kill you, dry or wet."
Crocodile's body sways from side to side dramatically. "My ambition? No. I won't die to such a…
Sand armor begins falling away from his body, revealing an unharmed ballerina's outfit.
" Deuxpid trick."
"There's a sandstorm up ahead! What should we do?" Usopp demands, the Anything Goes slowing down as they approach the swirling vortex.
Jackson grimaces. "I'm not one to believe in coincidences, Usopp. Everyone, do you have what I gave you?"
One after another, the Strawhats nod.
"Good," he responds, forcing himself to his feet and walking over to a nearby lever.
"Activating Anything Goes special function: Nothing Much Curtain!"
A blend of woven fabric and see-through plates drape over the tank, all of them a light cyan color.
"This Seastone curtain should protect us while we force our way through the storm," he states.
Luffy stares out of the new window, glaring in the direction of the sandstorm's center.
Vivi grips Carou's reins until her knuckles whiten, shuddering in horror at the gigantic sandstorm consuming the land between her and Rainbase.
She remembers what Jackson said to her. 'I decided to make another one last night. If things become truly dire, then you'll probably need it. It's got the only thing I can think of that would help deal with him in a worst-case scenario. Burn this fruit if Crocodile is defeated.'
She doesn't believe in coincidences in a situation like this one. A sandstorm, here of all places?
She hops off of Carou. "Carou, you need to go back to Alubarna. If I don't return, evacuate everyone. Mr… Theodore. Go with them. I don't know if you'll be able to endure a storm like this."
Theodore swallows heavily, assuming the properties of a particular piece of scrappy cloth. His skin takes on a distinctly canvas-like texture. "I can't do that, Princess. It would be quite gauche."
She sighs as Carou salutes, him and the rest of the ducks rushing to Alubarna to sound the alarm. "I was worried you might say that."
Pulling the small cube of swirly watermelon out of it's sack, she swallows it whole, gritting her teeth against the malicious flavor before absorbing the power of the Ghetto-Ghetto Fruit, Model: Molten Glass Sculpture.
Last edited: Aug 28, 2019
Chapter 17: Terminal
Crocodile can't help but grin. Everyone has something to say until they're up to their neck in sand. Did they really believe that he was going to just stand there and take it, when he knew an infiltrator was bleeding Baroque Works secrets? There's a time for toying with your opponent, and there's a time to be cautious and prudent.
Of course, now that everyone is nice and buried, and there's a sandstorm giving them some privacy, a bit of toying is warranted, he feels.
"So then, your majesty, it's been five minutes, and my ambitions don't seem to be dead. Knowing that, I can't help but feel you may have made a mistake," Crocodile states, leaning down to leer at the half-buried ruler of Alabasta.
"So here's what I'll do, you and I are going to take a little trip to Alubarna, and if you don't do what I say…" he pulls out a small transponder snail. "I'll give Mr. 2 a call, and have him murder every living human left out here, and then I'll turn Alubarna into archeological curiosity. Does that sound good to you?"
"If I must," Cobra states, a curious evenness to his tone.
Crocodile's grin widens. "So you can make good decisions, with a bit of encouragement. I was concerned about that, considering."
"Just to be sure though, Mr. 2, could you kill one of them, it doesn't really matter which one. I'd like his majesty to rest assured that we can follow through."
"Absolutely, Mr. 0, I'll go ahead and… Un! Deux! Ora?" Mr. 2 states with confusion, looking at the fist buried in his gut, and the arm connected to it stretching all the way to some weird looking thing rushing at him.
He immediately coughs up a large amount of blood after the attack as the fist snaps back into the vehicle, collapsing to his knees.
Crocodile sneers as he watches the vehicle come to a stop, and a flap on the side of it flips open.
"Hey!" Luffy shouts, teeth bared as he leaps out of the Anything Goes.
"Are you the one they call Crocodile!?"
Jackson crosses one leg over the other, watching calmly from the window.
"It feels kind of wrong, letting Luffy do this alone…" Chopper says as Luffy stomps towards the Warlord.
"If Crocodile strikes any of us a single time, we will die. You and I have given him the best chance possible of winning," Jackson responds plainly.
"If Luffy gets into trouble, we'll help. Otherwise, this is something he needs to do on his own," Zoro comments, idly polishing his sword as Sanji lights up a cigarette.
Nami and Usopp watch the fight far more critically, Usopp's nose crinkled as he presses his face up against the glass with an intense stare.
Chopper hums nervously, replacing the bandages wrapped around his chest and splashing himself down with sterilizing fluid. "It still doesn't feel completely right."
Jackson hums. "We're used to helping out our friends, Chopper. Just think of it this way, we're the reserve force. If Luffy passes out, we need to be here so we can run Crocodile over with the tank."
Chopper claps a hoof over his mouth, trying not to giggle in the midst of such a serious situation.
Jackson pats Usopp's shoulder, pointing to Mr. 2, who has begun crawling away while Luffy and Crocodile rant at one another.
Nodding, Usopp launches a Ghost Star at the Okama, coating him in painful pepper spray that leaves him unable to continue, due to him rolling around on the ground crying.
"We've just got to do what we can, yeah?" Usopp claims, closing the window before any sand can get inside.
Chopper pauses, before nodding firmly at his words.
'So, punching isn't going to work,' Luffy thinks to himself, after Crocodile blows up into dust for the third time from Luffy's punches.
'I'm getting so sick of punching not working…'
"Look, kid, I really don't have time for this," Crocodile scowls, taking a deep puff from his cigar, holding up his arm.
"Desert Spada!" he shouts, ending a wave of razor sharp sand towards Luffy, who leaps to the side moments after hearing Crocodile speak it.
"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy shouts, sending another attack at Crocodile's head, bashing through it and dealing no real damage.
Crocodile crosses his arms disdainfully as his head slowly reforms.
At the same time, however, Luffy takes the opportunity to fish out two small white spheres.
Jackson approaches Luffy as he sits on his special seat of the Going Merry, right on top of her figurehead.
"Hey, stretch. I've got something for you. You'll need this for when you beat up Crocodile."
He tosses a large wooden case at Luffy, who catches it with ease, looking inside of it curiously. "What are they? They look like candy!"
"For the love of god, don't eat them, Luffy. They're weapons. I know you won't want to use em, but you're not going to be able to hit Crocodile without something to give you an advantage. He's a Sand-Human, so ordinary punches will just phase right through him."
"So I can't just hit him really really hard?" Luffy asks innocently.
"Feel free to try, captain, I won't mess with your funky flow. But when you get sick of that not working against him, feel free to take two of them out, and crush them in your hands. That's all you need to do for them to transform into the perfect weapons."
"I call them Riot Balls."
Spheres in hand, Luffy hums, pulling out two of them and observing them idly, before shrugging. "Here goes."
Crocodile, whose eyes have reformed by now, watches cautiously as Luffy crushes two of the spheres, releasing the fluid inside, and allowing it to wrap around his hands.
In seconds, the liquid transforms, forming a skintight set of blue gloves, coated in a thick, clear substance.
"Huh? I thought it was supposed to make a weapon?" Luffy hums.
"Are you done wasting my time, brat? I didn't think I would need to explain this outright, but you clearly can't hit me,"
Luffy clenches his fists, the weird glove material crinkling slightly as he does so.
"I'm pretty sure I can, Croc, I was just being stubborn before."
"Gum Gum… Riot Pistol!"
Crocodile grimaces, holding out his right hand. Another fool trying to use his weakness against him? It doesn't matter how wet something is, when his hand can dry it out in the instant it strikes him.
His hand crunches, and he is send spinning sideways across the ground.
He props himself up by his hook-hand, his other arm hanging limply at his side as he stares at the brutalized limb. "The water… was dry?"
Luffy's limb rushes back to him, snapping into place as he holds his elbow with a grin. "Told'ya so! Now, I'll say it again. My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to kick your ass!"
Crocodile leaps to the side when Luffy throws his second punch, avoiding the attack with ease. "You should have gone for the legs, then. You won't get another chance like that."
"Gum Gum Riot Shotgun!" Luffy shouts, throwing another punch, but using his other arm to twang his arm, the ripple traveling down until his fist scatters in all directions, a medley of blows made from a single high speed punch.
Crocodile grimaces, leaping backwards moments too late to avoid the erratic blow, the Riot Shotgun striking him directly in the side as it swings around, and flinging him into the sandstorm in a spray of blood.
Luffy frowns as his arm ripples back, snapping into place as he scans the wall of ripping sand swirling around them.
Crocodile's voice rings out all around them.
"Oh you've done it now. Sure, you might be able to hit me, but where am I, then? Which little bits of sand are me? Which bits are the desert?"
Luffy throws another punch in a flash, the fist ripping it's way through the wall of sand and splitting it down the middle from raw force.
"Just be sure you don't miss, brat. Or I'll make you regret it. Kuhaha, ah, ah, ah!" he laughs.
Luffy suddenly winces, pulling his limb back as fast as he can, realizing with some shock that everything below his fist has turned grey and wrinkled.
"What's wrong, brat? You said you could hit me. If you don't figure something out quick, well, you might just die! That arm is just a taste of what you're in for, trying to go up against a Warlord like me."
Luffy's arm slowly inflates back up with fluid, in a process that seems downright disturbing, even to him.
"Wait, you said one hit from Crocodile would kill any one of us, what's keeping Luffy from ending up like that?" Nami ponders, watching Luffy's arm puff back up like a water balloon, before returning to it's former properties.
Chopper chimes in. "It's that vitamin I gave him. Luffy's got something called a Gedreht Gland, which means his metabolism accelerates in response to stress. Combine that with a gel capsule made of compressed water and vitamins, and you've got a pill that dynamically hydrates him for up to an hour. If he weren't made of rubber, he would just die before the fluid could distribute itself through his body."
He hums, digging around in his sack before pulling out the ultrasound pictures, a weird black-and-white photo of Luffy's stomach showing tiny snail-shell-shaped lumps growing around it. "It's incredible, so few people have it that it was considered a myth for the longest time. Most of the people who may have had one die of starvation at a very young age."
"So you're saying that the harder he fights, the hungrier he gets?" Sanji poses, after turning over Chopper's words in his mind for several moments.
Chopper pauses, staring at the picture and nodding. "Yeah, anything that puts strain on his body would do it."
Sanji considers this heavily, a small piece of the puzzle sliding into place for his plans to conquer Luffy's appetite.
"Come on Strawhat, where's that bravado? That anger?" Crocodile laughs.
"You're out of your league by an order of magnitude, and that's all there is to it.
"Weren't you going to kick my ass? Let me guess, you're scared of a repeat. Nobody likes being shriveled into a prune, after all. Well, if you won't come to me, then I guess I'll make this a bit more simple for you."
The walls of the cyclone begin to shrink, only a thin layer above the ground being spared, to prevent him from accidentally killing his hostages before he's ready.
The fact that Mr. 2 is laying on the ground as well is just a bonus.
Luffy's eyes open after his long few moments pondering.
"If you're out of my league, then that's all the more reason I have to beat you. I can't just scrape by and win by the skin of my teeth here, Crocodile. There are people in this world that are even stronger than you are, and I can't lose to any of them."
"So that means I can't even have trouble fighting you. If I'm going to become King of the Pirates… I can't let scum like you…
"Even slow me down!"
He throws a fist directly into the air, stretching high into the sky so far that it begins to curve in midair. "I'll use a technique I've been working on. Something that will let me hit you, no matter what you do. It's the smartest thing I could come up with…"
"Automatic!"
Luffy's fist crashes into the sand, bouncing off so rapidly that it spirals back into the air, twisting around from the recoil.
"I'm not underneath you, strawhat… Just what do you hope to accomplish, thumping your fist into the ground like an ape?" Crocodile ponders, closing in on Luffy.
"Gum Gum Automatic-Rifle!"
A random patch of sand around Luffy explodes, faster than the eye can see, prompting Crocodile to back away deeper into the storm.
'What the hell was that? It just exploded? A bomb from that idiot in the tank?' Crocodile questions, only to jerk in shock when another patch of the sandstorm explodes, faster than he can react.
"Each time I miss… I save the force of the blow, and each time I miss… I add even more speed on the rebound!" Luffy growls, grabbing his shoulder and pulling down his twisted up arm again, sending his fist bouncing off of the sand like a superball thrown by a major league pitcher at a steel wall.
Crocodile looks around in shock, more and more patches of sand randomly exploding. 'There's no way, that brat can't be-'
His back nearly doubles over when one of Luffy's punches lands, smashing Crocodile into a deep crater as it finally lands for the first time.
Luffy's arm snaps back to him, but instead of allowing it to return to normal, Luffy's arm swings back behind him, keeping it's recoil momentum.
"Gum Gum Automatic-Pistol!"
Luffy's arm snaps towards where he last felt Crocodile at incredible speed, only for the grimacing warlord to dive to the side, hidden in the sand.
The fist rips through the sand next to Crocodile, and he reaches over with his hand to turn this brat into leather.
Before he can, he gets a terribly ominous feeling as Luffy grabs ahold of his shoulder and wrenches it, the fist rushing back towards Luffy at an angle.
Crocodile's face explodes in pain as he flies towards the center of the ring, Luffy's arm already stretching behind him for another attack, using the recoil from his first one to set it up, and his other hand to adjust for aim.
"Sables!" Crocodile shouts, throwing a small whipping sandstorm at Luffy, distracting the rubberman long enough for him to leap out of the way of his rapid attack.
"You aren't enough oceans away to dodge, Crocodile!" Luffy roars, aborting his Pistol attack and transforming it into a whip, swiping through the air in an arc.
The instant he feels Crocodile's body, he pulls his arm back as fast as he can, his fist striking the warlord on the recoil, dragging Crocodile even closer.
Crocodile vomits a small amount of blood, the latest punch smashing into his kidneys, and bending his back enough to crack it.
He turns to glare at Luffy, spotting him swinging his arm around in a wide arc, maintaining the momentum he had gained from the whip.
"Consider this a mark of respect, Strawhat. You've grown annoying enough to justify this," Crocodile snarls at the frowning rubberman.
"Vast Sables!" he shouts, turning into sand and flooding the area with sand as well, blinding his opponent.
He dashes to the side, form obscured by the sandstorm as he rips Cobra out of the ground, stalking off into the desert while his opponent blindly swings at a foe that has already left.
Even then, somehow, one of the Strawhat's punches manages to fly all the way to where he had walked with the gagged king, grazing his cheek and sending up a spurt of blood.
"That's right, Strawhat. Just keep swinging, like the mad animal you are. Meanwhile, I'll get what I came for, and win regardless," Crocodile mumbles.
He turns to walk away, only for his world to turn into pain and fire as a fat lump of glass smashes into his head, sending him tumbling away and dropping the king in the process.
Crocodile shakily puts a hand to his face, feeling nothing but blood, all over its left side. "What the… hell?"
In front of him, he spots two vaguely familiar sights.
"Miss Wednesday, Mr. 11. Was there a single member of Baroque Works who wasn't a traitor?" Crocodile growls, staring at the two, clearly Devil Fruit using agents.
"That would have made my duty easier, wouldn't it?" Vivi snarls, a visage of cherry red slime shaped mostly like her former self.
Theodore doesn't respond, instead taking a canteen of water and pouring it out on his hand, where it soaks into the fabric he had transformed it into.
"How about this, you back away, I walk away, and your precious father lives," Crocodile responds, allowing the gag to slip away from Cobra's mouth.
Vivi steps back slightly, snarling. "If you give up, you'll be arrested. If you hurt him, I'll beat you to death myself."
Crocodile laughs. "Yes, yes. Very intimidating, Miss Wednesday. I'll be going now."
"No, you won't," Cobra states, wrenching his arm free of Crocodile's grip, holding out a familiar vial.
"I said you would die today, Crocodile. This vial contains an explosive tailor made to kill you in an instant."
Vivi runs forward. "Father, no! Don't do it!"
"I'm sorry, Vivi."
Everyone pauses when they hear a faint noise for a second, the noise rapidly increasing in volume.
"Crooocooodiiile!" Luffy roars, stretched behind the Anything Goes, and his other arm stretched out behind that one, both arms twisted up tightly with Luffy rotating violently in the center.
Crocodile's eyes widen as anger floods his veins. The glare on the Strawhat's face reminding him of his last defeat far too much for comfort.
"That… Look," Crocodile growls, throwing Cobra to the side.
"Strawhat!" Crocodile roars, snapping the end off of his hook, and firing it at Luffy, the blade hidden inside of it snapping out to impale him.
Vivi rushes forward. "I won't let you kill anyone else!"
"Gum Gum Longrifle!/Phoenix Slasher!/Ground Secco!"
As Crocodile's knife flies towards the rapidly approaching Luffy, he turns to face Vivi, right hand held out defensively to block her liquid form. Some kind of acid? Boiling water? It doesn't matter, he'll dry out anything, until it's as dry as the desert sands themselves.
Thrusting his hand towards Vivi's neck, Crocodile hisses in pain as his skin burns at the touch, just as he planned, the rubber idiot is forced to abort his attack, his fist striking the side of Crocodile's flying hook to divert it away from himself.
Vivi is unaffected by his ultimate technique, her Peacock Slasher sliding around her finger with a thick coating from her own body surrounding it.
A loud, buzzing whir marks the end of Crocodile's life, his head tumbling to the ground as the molten glass rips through him.
Last edited: Aug 27, 2019
Chapter 18: Mesocarp
As it turns out, Luffy creating the Riot Gloves had been the last straw, Jackson blacking out shortly afterwards. When he awoke, it was not on the Going Merry, or even the Anything Goes. Rather, it was in a rather luxurious bed, in a place he doesn't recognize.
He notes that his usual outfit has been replaced by a simple tunic, pants, and some bandages wrapped completely around his face.
'Damn. Well, let's hope that doesn't become a habit,' he thinks to himself, searching for something better to cover up with.
"Sir, you really shouldn't be up, you've had a rather serious head trauma," Tashigi states, leaning up against the doorframe.
"And I should care? Why are you here, Ensign Tashigi?" Jackson claims, crossing their arms.
She looks confused. "I'm not an Ensign, pirate. I've been informed to stay here and keep an eye on you while the others are negotiating."
Jackson's eyebrows raise. "Negotiating what, my release? Unless you've got something more substantial than seastone, you're not going to be keeping me in here."
Tashigi shakes her head. "They are discussing your captain's offer to take up a position as one of the Seven Warlords."
Jackson balks. "He would never go for that."
She nods. "They are negotiating with him."
Garp rubs his nose, feeling a very real tightening in his chest.
"Luffy, please, for once in your life, listen to reason. This is an opportunity, and it's one that doesn't cost you a damn thing."
Luffy's lips suck into his face as he shakes his head. "I ain't anybody's toady."
Garp growls. "You think that matters? You're dumber than you look if you think any one of the Warlords actually gives a shit about obeying the World Government. Please be realistic, the Seven Warlords are a glorified PR stunt, designed to turn random pirates fighting into popularity for the marines."
"It would take something absolutely vile for you to get your position revoked, and you clearly don't give a shit anyway! What are you going to do, storm Enes Lobby? Invade Impel Down? Almost none of the Warlords show up to any meetings, almost none of them heed any of our missions. You know what they do?"
"They do exactly what they were going to do anyway, and the Marines don't look too closely at it," he finishes, clearly referring to Crocodile.
Luffy hums uncertainly.
After a moment, Garp continues. "Do you care about fame?"
Luffy shakes his head.
"Do you care about reputation?"
He shakes his head again.
"You going to try and take over a country?"
Luffy shakes his head one final time.
Nami cuts in at this. "I hate to say it, but he's got a point, Luffy. Are we really losing anything by accepting his offer?"
Luffy crosses his arms. "Warlords have to say they'll be toadies, to the Five Elder Stars, even. And something like that will never come out of my mouth."
Jackson walks in unsteadily, taking a seat at the table with the others, "Not necessarily, sir. Exceptions have been made in the past. Isn't that right, Vice-Admiral Garp?"
Garp glares. "Once. And it was because the Warlord in question held a World Noble Tribute ransom in exchange for the position. Are you suggesting something similar, boy?"
They shake their head. "Not at all. I'm offering a counterproposal, with my captain's permission. Luffy receives all of the privileges, and none of the responsibilities of a Warlord," he looks to his captain for confirmation, who motions for him to continue.
Garp slams his fist on the table. "You don't have that much leverage, brat, as much as I would like that, it's unfeasible to make those sorts of demands!"
Jackson slowly rolls out several tiny watermelons onto the table, covered in swirls, and devoid of bite marks.
Garp's mouth dries up in an instant, as he reaches towards one and picks it up. "Where did you get these?"
"They're hollow. The power inside of them has already been taken. But I know where to get more. And the person who can produce them can take requests, within very strict limits," Jackson continues.
Garp runs his hand through his hair. "Our intel suggested that something like this was happening in the New World. Mass-produced Devil Fruits.
"You know the person who makes them?"
Jackson nods. "I do. Give me a week, and I will obtain one batch of Manufactured Devil Fruit, containing a weak power of your choosing, to be used on men under your command only, and to be used at your discretion."
Garp grits his teeth. "I need proof."
"Princess Vivi and Gaussnocht Nicole Theodore. Both empowered by the Ghetto Ghetto Fruit," Jackson responds.
"I need the kind of proof that someone can eat," Garp repeats insistently.
"… I'll see what I can do. Luffy, do you like that idea? I give em some shit, and the Marines stay off our back as long as we don't like, murder a whole town or take over a country?"
Luffy laughs. "Shishishi! Sure, whatever! As long as I don't have to be someone's toady."
Sanji seems to have taken up space in Jackson's temporary Workshop like a specter while the others take care of their own business.
"Are we really just going to give the Marines a bunch of devil fruit? It seems like a poor long-term decision."
Jackson gestures to several sacks as he uses a magnifying glass to pick apart grains of rainbow-colored powder.
"Pure sodium, cobalt, dynamite, and a specialized thermite blend. I'm going to rig all of the fruits so that bee pheromones can totally control the user if needed, up to and including a self-destruct mechanism.
"What's more, I'm including redundant systems in each of them, just to make sure that if one of the systems fail, then a different one will succeed. I'll bake them into the metal itself, so they can't even devise a workaround without removing every single part of the user's transformed body, replace it all with something else, and prevent the old parts from growing back. And by that point, they're just making cyborgs with extra steps and worse powers."
Sanji hums.
"I need ingredients," Sanji says, changing the subject and making Jackson pause completely.
"You need ingredients..?"
Sanji glances to the side, frowning slightly. "From you, yes. Luffy is eating his way through the royal pantry at a record pace, so eventually, he's going to need more. How much turkey can you produce? I want to see if enough of it can impact his appetite."
Jackson goes through several small emotions at once. "… I'd be happy to help. Could you gather up some of the rainwater that's been falling everywhere? I'll need some of that," Jackson says, swiveling around in his chair and searching for his bottle of Turkey and cursing. "I think I left my only bottle of alchemized turkey back on the ship. I'll need to work on getting some of that. Don't let Luffy eat the last of it."
Sanji nods. "I'll try. Consider this a lift on the food ban."
Jackson nods, flicking a small steamer to make sure it's still working. "I figured as much. I'll prioritize your request, nosebleed."
Sanji nods, leaving the room casually and allowing Jackson to return to his work.
Combining the juiciest pieces of diamond and steel, with the explosive triggers that he had devised, and then pouring it into a mount for ball bearings, Jackson is left with six identical pieces of neon-blue metal.
Ones that he fails to break with a hammer, but succeeds at detonating with a command from one of his wood-tablet computers.
"And the best part is, as small as these little ball bearings are, they're almost worthless," Jackson mutters, converting a piece of dehydrated hollow fruit into a chunk of Ghetto Ghetto Fruit, Model: Sloshium Detonation Pellet.
"Goddamn," Jackson mumbles, staring at the solid gold pot that King Cobra and Vivi had generously given him.
"I didn't even black out for that one…" he mumbles, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Say, sir! We're taking bounty photographs, it's just a formality, of course, would you like us to take one of you?" one of the marines says to Sanji, who simply shakes his head.
The marine swallows. Smoker's not going to like that. Luckily, he remembers… most of the details he saw of the fellow. The biggest and most noteworthy one being the five weird gold stars that Sanji had on his shoulder. Ones exposed by his lack of a repaired shirt. A sketch should be enough for him to properly capture the Pirate's essence on paper!
He can see it now, the big round lips, the one incredibly curly eyebrow.
He'll make the best damn sketch of that pirate, his honor as the Marines' best sketch artist demands it!
Vivi winces as one of her doctors pats her down with another salve-soaked rag. Completely transforming, and assuming the properties that her new powers afforded her work just fine, judging from Crocodile's currently cremating corpse. When she had attempted a partial transformation, however…
The angry band of burnt flesh where molten glass met skin tells the tale all too well.
"I should warn Jackson about that if he doesn't already know," she mutters to herself. If his fruit don't protect their users from themselves, she could easily imagine some more volatile instances of the synthetic fruit causing serious injuries to their user.
She huffs, the fight running through her mind again. Killing Crocodile might have been necessary, but the consequences still annoy her. Ever since the full story came out, everyone's been calling her the "Sunrise Princess", because of her stupid form and how suddenly she had seemingly rushed in and dismantled Baroque Works.
It's so cheesy!
She winces again at the application of yet more salve, but smiles at the sight of Chopper waddling in with one of the head doctors.
"Having fun, Chopper?" Vivi smiles easily, as the bandage is wrapped around her arm quickly and effectively.
Chopper nods, beaming. "Absolutely! I've been learning even more about medicine from the doctors here."
"I'm glad to hear it. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," Vivi says, hopping up from the medical bed and stretching.
"Well… There is one thing." Chopper says, scuffing the floor with his foot as he looks down.
"I did say anything, didn't I, Chopper?" she giggles.
"I'd like access to samples of Hero Water for study," Chopper asks seriously.
Vivi's smile fades slightly. "I see. Consider it done."
"Could someone please help? I really don't want to fall from this high up!" Theodore shouts, waving at one of the royal guards below him.
Pell's eyebrows squinch in confusion. "How are you floating up there?"
"I don't know! I was just messing around with my power, and now I'm floating," Theodore claims, climbing around until he's standing on the ceiling.
Transforming into a gigantic falcon, Pell rushes up, grabbing the cloth-man and dragging him down close enough to the floor to safely transform back to normal.
He returns to normal, thumping to the ground painfully. "Sorry about that, sirs. I really don't know why that happened…"
Pell puts a finger to his chin. "Well, you lacked propulsion of any kind, so if you were floating, it stands to reason that it is because you were somehow less dense than air."
Theodore hums. "I was trying to do what Princess Vivi had done, taking on the properties of a particular scrap of cloth."
"So its strength, its durability, and… say, its weight?" he offers, walking along the remainder of his patrol with Theodore idly following behind.
Theodore tosses the idea around in his head a bit. "That makes sense, I guess. Thank you for the help, Mr..?"
He smiles slightly at Theodore's awkwardness. "Please, just call me Pell. I am happy to help friends of the Princess."
While Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Cobra serve as the sole audience for this demonstration, Garp walks around, staring at the volunteers he had managed to bully into a more orderly line. "Alright men, you're all about to be guinea pigs for this guy's weird fruit. If you die, I'll beat the shit out of him for you."
He turns to the scarf-dude, who, now having all of his scarves back, Garp recognizes as one of the punks that sassed him yesterday. "Pick any one of em you want. I don't care which."
Jackson nods, stepping forward and handing a small cube of fruit to the middle one. "Hold your nose. This won't taste good," Jackson warns, as the scrawny marine gulps loudly, taking the fruit as though it were a live bomb and swallowing it whole.
His face turns slightly green as he shudders violently from head to toe.
In a second or so, the Marine recruit seemingly disappears in an instant, Garp cracking his knuckles in response. "So where is he?"
Jackson points down, where a tiny BB-sized pellet is wobbling on the ground uncertainly. "He ate the fruit that allows him to turn into a special type of metal. It's extraordinarily durable."
Garp's eyebrow raises. "Is that all he can do?"
Jackson shrugs. "Hey, short round, is that all you can do?"
The pellet-human grows back to his original size, while his fellow marines look on in a small amount of awe.
"Uhh, I think I can…" he mumbles nervously, before turning himself a bright cyan color, and slowly floating up into the air.
"Uhh, Vice-Admiral Garp, sir, I think I'm flying?" he mutters, prompting Garp to laugh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, yeah, hold your tits, recruit," Garp says, leaping up and grabbing the soldier before he can float off into the sky.
"So then, has my benefactor sufficiently impressed you?" Jackson asks, arms crossed behind his back as Garp scratches his chin.
He gives his recruit a small flick on the arm, making a shrill bell-ringing noise sound out as they wince, rubbing their arm.
"Alright. You've got yourself a deal. I'll throw some weight around, and get Luffy his get-out-of-jail-free card. Five fruits, just like this one," Garp offers.
"Ten fruits, and you teach Luffy Haki and the Six Powers," Jackson responds calmly.
Garp's eyes narrow. "I'll teach him what I damn well please, ignore how you know about those, and you'll give us six."
"… Deal," Jackson states, shaking Garp's hand with only a minimal amount of bones creaking.
"Alright men, find a building where Recruit Vigridi won't float off, and then try to beat the shit out of him. That's your training for today. Dismissed!" Garp roars, stalking off as the Marines obey.
Jackson shakes his hand with annoyance, walking off to meet with Cobra and the others.
"An impressive showing, Jerry Jackson," Cobra claims.
"Hey, just keep your end of the bargain, and I'll give you the real cream of the crop, your majesty. Fair warning though, it might take me a while to get the materials I need."
Cobra smiles. "And it may take me a while to find 'The single most expensive and highest quality vessel in Alabasta'."
Jackson shrugs. "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast, or so I've heard."
The Strawhats all eventually make their way around the snoozing form of Luffy, hand still outstretched towards one of the six-hundred turkey dinners that Sanji had prepared, along with Vivi as well.
"So, uhh, what did you want to discuss?" Usopp asks, picking up one of the weird, see-through turkey legs and staring through it for a moment.
Jackson sighs heavily. "I was looking through my vials, and I noticed a problem."
With that, Jackson pulls out one of his vials, pouring it out onto the table, where it transforms into a pile of dates.
On top of the pile, however, is something that is certainly unlike any date that the Strawhats had seen thus far, a bright yellow, wrinkled fruit, covered with swirls.
"What? One of your shitty fruits ended up in the wrong bottle?" Zoro grumbles, annoyed at the interruption to his training.
Jackson shakes their head. "I never misplace my vials. That fruit wasn't in there until after Crocodile died."
Nami seems to figure it out before the others do, snatching the Devil Fruit up in her hands mere instants before Luffy's unconscious limb snaps towards the pile of dates, shoving them into his mouth.
"It's the Sand Sand Fruit, isn't it?" Nami states, staring at the mutated Date along with everyone else.
"I'm like, ninety percent sure. Ninety-five if you squint," Jackson nods.
"It could be worth millions," Nami points out.
"It could also be used for the good of Alabasta," Vivi retorts simply.
"I could attempt to perform research using it," Jackson offers.
Usopp's eyebrows tilt. "I mean, or one of us could eat it…"
Everyone gives Usopp a confused, vaguely annoyed look.
"We've already got one," everyone other than Usopp, Zoro, Nami and Sanji claim in unison.
"I'm a swordsman, not a fruitsman," Zoro grumbles, walking out of the room.
Sanji shrugs, taking a puff from his cigarette. "There's only one Devil Fruit in the entire world that I would be willing to eat."
"Why would I eat one when I could sell it?" Nami points out.
Usopp twiddles his fingers. "Well, it was just a thought…"
Last edited: Aug 28, 2019
Chapter 19: Booster Shot
"So that's the Strawhats' ship?" Mr. 1 asks, crossing his arms as he turns to face Miss All Sunday.
"It certainly is. Consider it your severance package. I doubt I'll be able to afford to pay you for future jobs."
"Thank you. I won't forget this," he nods, walking towards the Going Merry, and ignoring the strange ship docked next to it.
Miss All Sunday chuckles, pulling up a seat to wait. She doubts she'll get the chance to talk to the Strawhats until they set sail, what with all the marines swarming everywhere.
A metaphorical lightbulb pops in her mind. If worst comes to worst, she could always persuade the Strawhats to take her on at her leisure, to benefit from their newfound immunity. Or perhaps Jackson's alchemy could alter her appearance.
Jackson. What an interesting individual. Spiteful enough to light himself on fire when they fought, and yet ballsy enough to bribe the World Government itself for what amounts to freedom from the law.
And then there's the elephant in the room. The cryptic letter he had left hidden for her to find.
'You missed one, you knew some, I know of twelve. I don't know of eighteen. Your dreams exist among nine, a path exists among four. Our path contains eight that I know of.' the hastily scrawled and extraordinarily vague note read, slipped in a part of the Anything Goes's mechanisms.
What did he mean by this? 'My dream exists among nine,' Robin thinks to herself.
'The problem with simply interrogating a person like Jackson,' Robin continues internally, taking a long drink from her canteen as she watches Mr. 1 delicately try to negotiate his way past the various animals near the Strawhats' ship.
'Is that he knows too much,' she decides.
"If he only really knows about the Strawhats, and he knows so much about me, then it stands to reason that however he got his information of the future, it includes me interacting with the Strawhats. If I was truly their enemy, then he knew enough to kill me. A different poison, a stronger chemical. It's possible. But more importantly, he would have at least tried something stronger than a deterrent."
"So his future, therefore, must include my presence as a neutral party at worst. But he said that he had to consider me almost as much as Crocodile. A betrayal? That would make sense if I had reason to betray them. A reason years away? It stands to reason that if they encountered eight poneglyphs, and I had joined them, then there are one of three possibilities. I betrayed them early on and was defeated. I betrayed them after they found eight, and thus, they never sought out more after I left, or I betrayed them, and they died, thus ending their journey at eight poneglyphs."
She hums, switching her focus to one of her eyes planted on the Anything Goes, a single eyeball growing from the palm of a single arm buried in the machine's hull, peering through the cracks.
"They're too naive to have betrayed me, just judging from what I've seen of their crew so far…" she admits to herself, several distinct memories floating to the top of her mind, times when she had nearly blown cover at the sight of something amusing aboard the Strawhats' ship.
"So I must have had a reason to betray them. Some cause that would be worthwhile enough for me to bring harm to a crew that hasn't wronged me."
After a few moments, she shakes her head with a soft chuckle as she pulls out a book and begins reading it. "Or maybe I'm overthinking this."
"Here it is, Jerry Jackson. The appraisers have said that this vessel was once used to cremate the bodies of royalty in an ancient era before my family entombed our royalty. It is without a doubt the single most valuable vessel that I or my men could find," Cobra states, showing Jackson to the gigantic structure, easily as tall as a man, and just as wide. The vessel seems to be made primarily of gold, with jewels and iron bands wrapped around it.
Jackson nods. "I will endeavor to treat it with the respect it deserves. May I begin, your majesty?"
Cobra nods. "I will have my men bring your equipment here, if you desire it."
Jackson nods. "And if it isn't too much of a burden, could you send Chopper over, as well? I will need his help to fulfill my end of the bargain."
Cobra nods, waving for his men to do exactly that.
Before long, Jackson's lab is moved into the sacred room containing this one treasure, and Chopper waddles in after them. "Hi Jerry!"
"Hey Chopper. I need you to supervise me, I'm going to be doing some of my special alchemy,"
Chopper's eyes widen. "Do you think that pot is strong enough?"
Jackson grins. "I think it very well might be."
Cobra's eyebrows raise. "What manner of alchemy would be more special than what you already do?"
Jackson hums, pulling out a plastic package from his robes. "Well, normally, I can't liquefy my own tools. Anything I place my palmprint on becomes immune to my power. I can't melt down one pot in another pot, right?"
"If I use a Vanilla Rumble Pak, that changes."
Jackson walks a circuit around the large pot. "See these plugs here, Chopper? I'd like you to help me remove them," he says, gesturing to the golden plugs in the four corners of the vessel, intended for removing coal ashes from the bottom of the device.
Chopper nods, changing into Heavy Point and pulling them out.
Jackson applies his print to one of the plugs, using Slosh to fill in the empty spaces for the other plugs, and leaving him with three extras.
"One trick I've learned is that, as long as I don't break my actual handprint, I can do a few interesting things, like making my Melting Pots into modular Crackpots," Jackson explains.
"This plug here saves me the trouble of having to break the handprint on the pot so I can apply a different one later."
He pops the white square into his mouth. "Rumble Pak, Vanilla!"
As he presses his hand up against one of the golden plugs, he leaves a glowing white palmprint instead of a glowing yellow one. The power of the Rumble Pak is drained in an instant, leaving Jackson in his normal state again.
"There we go. Now by swapping the plugs, I can switch this crackpot between two modes. Normal, and Vanilla.
"Chopper, if you would, I need a Syringe and a Hollow Fruit."
Chopper nods, handing Jackson both of the materials. He transforms the Syringe into a Melting Pot, before hollowing out the Hollow Devil Fruit and combining them in the gigantic vessel.
They both begin to melt down, burbling and combining inside the pot, before Jackson pulls out one of the plugs, allowing the liquid to drip out into a lesser, normal crackpot.
"Now that it's in this lesser pot, I can stir it without my stir rods melting down inside," Jackson explains, using a long metal spoon to stir and combine the hollowed-out Hollow Fruit, and the Slosh-Slosh enhanced Syringe.
Pouring this back into the Greater Crackpot with Chopper's help, Jackson allows this new fluid to burble for a bit, before pulling the plug once again, and allowing the fluid to leak out of the vessel Cobra had given him.
With only a minimal drain on Jackson's part, the fluid congeals into a syringe covered in spirals.
"Say hello to the Ghetto-Ghetto Syringe. I'll be able to use this to extract and enhance Vivi and Theodore's Ghetto Fruit Powers, and give them a much-needed tuneup. Since they're so weak, I should be able to extract them relatively simply, through the power of alchemy."
Cobra balks. "You believe you can remove a Devil Fruit power from someone using that?"
Jackson squints. "No, not really. I'd die if I tried. This is still a tool of alchemy, and using it still drains energy from me. It is designed to allow me to extract Ghetto Fruit powers, which are vastly weaker."
"Now then, let's slurp out some powers."
The operation proceeds as expected, allowing Jackson to extract the power of the Cloth Scrap and Molten Glass Sculpture, after a few painful pokes to find a vein…
"Now that I've got a better pot, I can go ahead and enhance these," Jackson states, holding up the two vials.
"Obviously, the first step is upgrading Theodore's power. Scrappy Cloth be gone and say hello to… Pure silk," Jackson announces, extracting the scrappy cloth and inserting a thick rolled up bolt of dark blue silk cloth.
"I would use spider silk, but I haven't got any," Jackson shrugs.
"Hey, that's fine by me. Canvas is so unfashionable, and a power boost will help me right my wrongs in this country before I move along elsewhere." Theodore shrugs, allowing Jackson to inject the power back into him.
"You aren't going with the Strawhats?" Vivi wonders, prompting him to shake his head.
"They've got a wonderful thing going on, and I'll always be willing to help, but our paths have to diverge, at least for a little while," Theodore responds, looking firmly at Princess Vivi.
"… Now, as for you, Princess," Jackson claims, holding up the vial containing the Ghetto Fruit power he extracted.
She shakes her head. "I asked for Luffy's permission, and I would like to claim the Sand Sand Fruit for myself. If you placed my original power inside of it, would that harm me?"
Jackson's mouth opens and shuts a few times. "Let's test it on some fruit flies first, alright?"
The fly in question, after being drowned with water in a tank to counteract its newfound powers over sand and molten glass, relinquished the Sand Sand Fruit's power back into another nearby date, noticeably lacking the slightly altered appearance that injecting Vivi's power had granted them.
"It seems, even though you can inject a Ghetto Fruit into a real Devil Fruit, the added effect doesn't persist through a Devil Fruit Reincarnation," Jackson points out, already preparing another batch of molten glass, and injecting it into the Sand Sand Fruit.
"I guess that wouldn't matter, though, since if the Devil Fruit reincarnates, that means you're dead anyway."
Vivi nods, taking the date and swallowing it whole with a shudder.
"It tastes even worse the second time."
Shockingly, Cobra didn't seem interested in Jackson's offers for some sort of rain or cloud-based Ghetto Fruit, but rather, the vehicles he had given to the rebels.
Jackson, considering how he might make vehicles into a renewable resource, pulls out a bottle of slosh that he had recently gotten ahold of. Vacuum.
He hums, pulling out a vial containing a cactus.
"I might have just the thing."
Jackson pours the cactus and vacuum into the pot, obtaining a cactus which sucks in air through its roots, draining the moisture from the air before expelling it from holes dotted all around itself.
He takes this cactus, and combines it with an axle and a fan, creating a cactus that grows into a strange structure which sucks in air using large, fan-like thorns embedded in its side.
He then goes on to add gears, levers, and other vaguely mechanical components, mixing them into the cactus and transforming it piece by piece.
Make a few seeds, make a few Ghetto Ghetto Fruits out of them, and…
"Done," Jackson states, holding up five of the small fruits, and a sack of cactus buds.
Jackson hums. "Alright, so I've gotten Cobra his batch of Ghetto Ghetto Fruits, Model: Engine Cactus done, I've tweaked Vivi and Theodore's power. What else should I do while I've got access to this big honking pot?" Jackson asks, prompting Chopper to hum in contemplation.
"Well, you've never had a pot this strong before. You could try making some more tools like your syringe. You've never been able to use the Vanilla Rumble Pak safely before."
Jackson hums. "I've got a few ideas. My power is heavily based on concepts and philosophy. Ergo, it stands to reason that the tools I create should serve conceptual purposes."
Chopper's head tilts. "I'm going to get a headache by the time you're done, aren't I?"
"Well, have you ever wanted a scalpel that lets you perform surgery on anything?" Jackson questions, pulling out one of his scalpels and applying his palm to it before tossing it into the pot.
"I'll prepare some aspirin." Chopper deadpans, waddling out of the room while Jackson goes mad with his newfound power.
A screwdriver, a scalpel, a chisel, an ordinary syringe, and of course, a magnifying glass. All of which were alchemized into conceptual tools before Jackson had finally started to grow tired.
"This thing is so incredible. I wish we could take it with us," he sighs, idly twirling the screwdriver around as he stares longingly at the royal relic he had been using as a conduit for his powers.
"Shush, I'm busy. This is fascinating," Chopper mumbles, utterly enthralled with what had happened when he had tried to use the Alchemy Scalpel to cut open a plant, finding a full cardiovascular system and green organs, instead of the ordinary innards of a plant.
"Whatever the scalpel cuts, it… organifies. Look, see? That kidney-shaped organ correlates to the plant's own ability to filter toxins, and those lungs seem to play a role in Photosynthesis!"
Chopper squeals, pointing at the fiber-optic-like cables trailing down into the plant's alchemized stomach "Jerry, its stomach literally eats sunlight!"
Jackson shrugs, sighing again. "I'm excited and all, but I don't think Luffy is going to let us hang out around here much longer, now that he's recovered from his fight. Call it pre-lamenting."
Luffy crosses his arms, staring firmly at all of the gathered Strawhats. "I'm bored. It's time to go."
"Well, there's no arguing with that," Nami sighs, having only gotten a few hundred-thousand beri from pawning off Jackson, Chopper, and Usopp's various creations.
"I've learned all I can learn here!" Chopper nods happily.
"As a brave warrior of the seas, I cannot ignore the call!" Usopp shouts, planting a foot on the table.
"I could stay a few more weeks. Training in this blistering heat builds character," Zoro states, before Sanji plants a foot on his head.
"We've got places to be, mosshead. We've been eating other people's food for a bit too long, I think," Sanji says.
"Damn it, and I was just now starting to explode with power…" Jackson moans piteously.
Eventually, everyone has packed up their respective supplies and the gifts they received as thanks for their help, Jackson has dispersed his power on anything he can't take with him, and the group begins the journey back to the Going Merry.
"What the hell is this?" Zoro states, staring at the gigantic pile of jars piles onto the Going Merry.
"And what the hell is that?!" he yelps, spotting the gigantic ship next to them, made of reeds and tar, and plastered end to end with thick seashells and bone woven into it.
An Egrethief lands onboard the ship, along with a Kung Fu Dugong.
Luffy stares in awe at the shoddily constructed vessel, and the sail-less mast bearing a crude rendition of the Strawhats' own Jolly Roger, with a bird skull instead of a human one, and a giant shell drawn behind it.
Chopper translates for the two animals, the Egrethief starting first. "We've figured that you guys are too good a payday to let you run off. So we decided we wanted to join you. I lucked out and found these Dugong guys guarding your ship, and they also wanted to join you guys. So we worked together and made this ship so we could follow you and do more trading!"
The dugong goes next. "Sir Lord Master Sensei Luffy! We have worked hard to create a feast of preserved fish to sate your hunger, and we will follow you onto the open seas to continue our tutelage under you! These bird thieves also wished to align themselves with you, Sensei, and after proving their worth in helping us get the tar, we worked together to construct a vessel worthy of following our new Sensei!"
Luffy blanches. "I don't want people serving under me, though. You guys should do whatever you want to do, don't just be my minions or whatever!" he huffs.
Chopper translates. "What if what we want to do is be your minions?"
Luffy's lips suck into his face like he accidentally swallowed a lime.
"Don't… I..!" Luffy starts, before turning around and stomping off in a small huff.
"I don't think that was a no, per-say," Nami chimes in, adjusting their log pose and looking at one of the maps she had purchased.
"So wait, are we a fleet now?" Usopp questions, checking over the supplies left on the ship.
"Idiot, you can't have a fleet with just two ships," Sanji points out, checking the jars of preserved fish for quality before storing them in the pantry for later.
"I'm not sure that's true, actually!" Usopp responds, him and Sanji rapidly devolving into an argument over the logistics of maritime organization.
Jackson, meanwhile, checks over the entirety of the Going Merry for any stowaways.
When he does find one, his eyes widen in shock, and his hand immediately goes to his weapons.
Daz Bonez sits on a barrel in the back of the ship's underbelly, arms crossed.
"Your crew saved my life. I would like the opportunity to join it, please."
Last edited: Aug 28, 2019
Chapter 20: Nutrition
Scorpion balks. It's only been a few weeks, and yet…
He stares out his window at the… Is it an infestation, when it's producing food?
The seeds that that weird doctor had given him had been growing pretty quickly, all things considered, and after the rain started falling everywhere, they soaked it up like crazy.
"Uhh, boys? Dip, Chip? You might want to come out here and see this…" Scorpion says, walking outside as his boys yawn and rub their eyes, both of them backing up in shock at the sight of what had happened to their farm.
Gigantic melons as big as their heads, and thick wooden poles stretching out across the sand in all four directions. All with huge, frond-like leaves and flowers growing out of the tops of the melons.
The largest melon among them had grown roots so long, Scorpion could barely see the end of them.
What's really weird though, is how some of the roots from different plants almost seem to be growing into one another, forming something like a ladder, or…
Railroad tracks?
"Absolutely not! He almost killed Chopper!" Nami shrieks when Daz Bonez poses his offer to the rest of the crew, all of whom prepared for a fight. Even Usopp, who's previous victory against Daz Bonez bolstered his courage enough to at least aim down from the crow's nest.
"The little doctor stopped me from dying. That isn't something I can just ignore. I want to understand why," Daz explains, staring at the reindeer, who even now has bandages wrapped around his midsection.
Chopper hums. "It's my dream to become a doctor who can use medical science to cure all of the world's sicknesses. I didn't think, I did what I did on pure instinct."
Daz Bonez blinks. "I don't understand. But I also did not expect to understand it that easily. It goes against everything I know."
Jackson takes the opportunity to interject. "All of the strongest people in this world have dreams. Charlotte Linlin has the dream to create a utopia free of prejudice and racism, Whitebeard's dream to have a family, hell, even Kaido has the dream of creating a crew made up entirely of Devil Fruit Users. A dream they are all willing to fight, cry, and die for.
"Does that help understand how important they are?"
Luffy, who has remained uncharacteristically silent, seems to see something in Daz Bonez's reaction to this that he likes. "Shishishi… Ahh what the hey! Welcome aboard!"
Daz Bonez nods, bowing slightly. "I will strive to be an asset."
"So wait, we're not shooting him?!" Usopp shouts from the Crow's nest, leaning over it far enough that he tilts over, screaming as he falls to the deck in a heap.
"Ow."
Nami sighs, helping Usopp to his feet. "I guess not. This still seems like a terrible idea, he's not just an assassin, he's one of the top assassins!"
Jackson shrugs, walking below deck to check up on his lab. "I've seen stranger things."
Robin smiles faintly, laying back on the reeds of the ship belonging to the so-called "Sea Mammal Pirates".
Her turtle was very kind to give her an excuse to board the ship, offering to join their ranks, and a bribe of honey was enough to allow her a secret presence on the ship.
Much simpler than trying to stow away with the Strawhats themselves.
She'll follow them at a distance. No matter what happens next, they'll lead her to more poneglyphs, if she can just stay on their tail.
It shouldn't be too difficult, considering how naive they are. She restrains a dainty giggle at them throwing a party to induct the stoic Mr. 1.
She hums. Jackson seems to have stopped painting the ship with fuming chemicals. Or at least, he hasn't started doing it again.
Does he know she's near? Surely not, by now, he's probably thrown his own predictions wildly off-course. Unless his ability to predict the future is continuous. There were rumors of a man like that rapidly rising up in the pirating scene, a fortune teller with frightening accuracy.
And those wooden tablet devices that he constantly studies. He seems to have everything on it turned into some sort of code that only he can read. A blend of blank-faced pictures of people in various poses, and text that has been written down as blends of numbers and letters.
Did he turn his documents on the future into… comic books?
She shakes her head. She'll worry about that later.
Even with the faces and hair blanked out from the pictures, she is still able to get the barest glimmers of the future, using her eyes on the ceilings spying on Jackson. Luffy, just judging from the stretched limbs, and someone with power over lightning, fighting one another.
Her faint smile widens by the slightest margin. The intrigue is just so fascinating to her. A mystery to unravel, not one of the past, this time, but of the future.
"Sup Goldilocks. I'm here to pick up my Poses," Jackson states, leaning up against the doorframe.
"You better not break them. These Eternal Poses are worth more than your kidneys," Nami growls, handing him a small bundle of cloth, containing a box.
"Well, after I'm done with them, they very well might be," he states, taking the bundle into his lab.
Whipping out his Alchemical Screwdriver, he unbolts a panel that didn't exist until his tool touched it, alchemical screws sliding out of the bottom of the Pose, and revealing it's mechanical innards.
He pulls out a small fragment of magnetic mineral, one that he had obtained years ago from Drum Island, and fished around inside the Eternal Pose, until he finds a small device labeled "Alabasta Magnetic Record".
Using his screwdriver, he unbolts the magnetic log of the Pose, pulling it out and replacing it with the fragment of Drum Island Minerals, replacing the panel, and screwing it shut.
As if by magic, the screws that had come into existence when he used his screwdriver on the pose fade away into nothing, and the words engraved onto the Alabasta Eternal Pose morph and distort, until the engraving now reads "Drum Island".
The pose's needle flicks around uncertainly for a moment, before pointing in a new direction.
"Now for the Merry Pose that I'll need to get back here…"
Chopper tears up slightly at the two objects Jackson shows him.
"Now, whenever we've got a lot of free time, we'll be able to take a short trip home in the Anything Goes. Can't let Doctorine and Doctor get too lonely, can we?"
One Eternal Pose, with the name "Drum Island" engraved on it.
"And we don't have to worry about making our way back either, we'll always be able to find our ship and crew again."
The second Eternal Pose, with a little wooden needle, and "Going Merry" engraved on its casing. The needle is currently pointed towards the ship's center.
"The world's opening up a lot for us, Chopper, but we can always come home."
Chopper sniffs several times, before unleashing a torrent of bawling, hugging Jackson tightly.
He pats the little reindeer on the back several times before reaching over, and, in a slightly confusing move, using a ribbon to wrap the Drum Pose around Chopper's hat.
"I've got a few extras, so I don't mind just leaving one somewhere special," Jackson states, prompting chopper to nod as he pops his little hat off, and stares at it for a while.
Sanji stares at the pile of carcasses, fruit, and grains nervously. He's hesitating.
"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained…" Sanji claims, pulling out a knife and filleting the giant bee-sand-fish.
He finds it hard to believe that all of those weird tablet things that Jackson uses are full of bees, and was a bit confused when Jackson provided carcasses instead of cuts of meat. Apparently, it's easier for him to add "filler" to existing things, and as such, he had taken a few fish from the ocean and bloated them up with sand and honey.
Sanji takes a small strip of the raw fish, sniffing it carefully. Chopper had deemed it sushi-grade, but perhaps Sanji should save something like that for when he has grown more used to the strange ingredients.
His eyes narrow at the challenge he had inadvertently gave himself.
"No, I don't believe I'll shy away from this challenge," Sanji hums to himself, rapidly dismantling the insect-fish, taking the time to taste a small portion of everything it had to offer.
The bones and exoskeleton are to be reserved for stock. The organs, used for sauces, the clear fluid that seems to have replaced its blood will serve well in a modified black-pudding recipe, and the meat will be made into sushi. It's grainy, sweet flavor, Sanji suspects, would honestly do well as jerky.
Something to consider later. For now, he will instead combine the fish with softly cooked rice, adding some thin slices of cucumber to complement the sweetness, and bathing the fish in pineapple juice to dissolve some of the outer granules.
This juice is then reserved with the hemolymph, and set to simmer, while the organs are seared on all sides rapidly in a pan to develop roasty flavor along with garlic and a few herbs, mostly fresh Alabasta-native ones, such as the uniquely savory Lilybloom and a local variety of dill to add earthiness.
Taking the organ-meat off of the fire, it is then stewed in the mixture of insect hemolymph and pineapple juice, the meat and sauce absorbing one another's flavors.
Before the various organs can become too overly cooked, Sanji takes them out of the sauce, wiping them clean and placing them in a blender, where he shreds each one into a type of pate, including some liver in each.
Bread is rapidly toasted to serve as the raft upon which that pate will rest, while the fish's actual meat is decoratively wrapped with dried seaweed and topped with freshly steamed rice.
The sauce is then served on the side, while Sanji takes the last remaining bucket of clear hemolymph, and adds various spices and goodies to it before putting it to a very low simmer, it won't be ready today, but by tomorrow, he'll be able to turn it into a very rich delicacy.
The bones are then cleaned, sterilized, and stored in a bit of salt and cloth.
Finally, to ensure that none of the fruit begins to brown, he chops it last, peeling things like apples and oranges, but leaving the skin on the pears and exotic fruits that Jackson had produced, placing them in a bowl with a towel in it, and planting it in the middle of the table, along with the other dishes.
He spots Luffy's nose jammed under the door, sniffing loudly.
He sighs. "Alright, everyone, Dinner is ready!"
Daz Bonez watches Zoro slice through what seems to be glass, though, just judging from the shrieking and sparks, the clear substance is closer to some form of metal.
Picking up a fragment of it that had fallen near him, he idly cuts into it with his finger. Soft, like lead.
"So, then. You are a swordsman?" Daz states simply, with no particular intonations one way or another.
Zoro pauses, sweating heavily as he sheathes the black training sword he had been using. "Yeah. I am. And you? I saw a bit of what you can do, when my friends fought you earlier."
"I wouldn't consider myself such, no," he shakes his head.
Zoro groans slightly. "That's a shame. I haven't fought a proper swordsman in a while now. Although, I suppose a man made of swords wouldn't strictly qualify."
"If it's an opponent you need, I doubt it would be a good idea for us to spar on the deck. This ship wouldn't survive me fighting on it anyway," Daz responds.
Zoro smirks. "Is that so? Then we'll just have to do it on land."
"Hey, everyone, I've spotted an island!" Nami shouts, pointing towards land in the distance.
Daz and Zoro's gazes meet. "Speaking of which."
While the Egrethieves and Dugongs descend on the island like locusts, and Chopper tests everything they find for disease and edibility, Zoro and Daz face off against one another.
"I have to warn you, you may be displeased with the results of our spar," Daz warns, his arms transforming into two wickedly long blades.
Zoro smiles "Let's save that for after we're done, yeah?"
Daz shrugs, and the pair rush towards each other, violence in mind.
While Daz had chosen to withhold judgment, as he's been doing with all of these pirates so far, it's only now that he feels vindicated in not voicing his concerns more thoroughly. Mostly because, if he had mentioned how his body cannot be harmed by blades, he would be eating his words right now.
"Oi! You didn't even try to block that, or dodge it or anything! How did you get to be a premier anything with fighting sense like that?" Zoro groans, nervously sheathing his swords as Daz winces at the shallow cut on his chest.
"That's new," Daz states as the little doctor panics, bringing over a roll of bandages for him.
"Don't bother, doctor. The bandages would just get shredded."
He runs a hand down his chest, transforming the small amounts of blood into shiny hard blades.
"It seems that there are yet more things that I was wrong about. I apologize for my insolence." Daz says to Zoro, with a small amount of shock preventing him from fully processing the event.
He had never once been harmed since eating the Dice Dice Fruit. Now he's been harmed twice by the same crew in the span of a few weeks.
"Uhh, don't worry about it, just try to block and dodge, if you want me to take this seriously," Zoro says awkwardly, as Jackson casually tosses Daz a bottle of sterilizing agent.
Usopp nervously watches as Zoro and that new guy go at it again, sending waves of cut sand everywhere with their clashing.
"Are we really just going to trust him? Zoro's acting like a puppy with a new toy, Luffy is Luffy, and Jackson and Chopper seem too busy mother-henning him. He's still an assassin, though!"
Nami nods. "We're the only bastions of sanity on the crew, Usopp."
"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Sanji shouts at Usopp.
"Your eyes turned into stars when he sharpened all of your knives for you." Usopp deadpans, prompting Sanji to wince.
"That doesn't mean I trust him, damn it!" Sanji retorts, crossing his arms and huffing.
Luffy simply laughs, clapping at the gigantic pile of fruits, vegetables, and fish that the Sea Mammal Pirates had gathered up.
He hops to his feet, nodding. "If Zoro and Dicey-guy are training, then we'll train too!"
The Dugongs' eyes turn into stars and they scramble to get into position for Katas.
"Ha!" Luffy roars, throwing a punch which they imitate.
"Hua!" he roars again, throwing another punch.
The Egrethieves opt to instead get drunk and watch, laughing as they drink some of the booze they stole when they were still in Alabasta.
When Nami is finally able to slip away from the others, she takes the opportunity to scan over the island, marking down its dimensions to include in her maps. Using a set of Sapphire-lensed binoculars and telescopes, Nami analyzes the terrain, eyes roaming from coast to coast from one of the higher parts of the island.
"Huh. That's odd," she thinks to herself, when she spots a turtle that had apparently been helping to tow the ship that those animals were using to follow them.
"That turtle looks… Really familiar, for some reason."
Nami hums, trying to remember when she last saw a giant turtle.
Eventually, she shrugs. It must have just been a random sea-turtle that they recruited at some point. Who knows what those critters get up to, unless they take the time to have Chopper translate for them.
"Oh my, that's an interesting landmark!" Nami says to herself, spotting a curled rock formation near the end of the Island.
"Alright, I think it's about time," Jackson says, staring at the Going Merry as Usopp swallows nervously.
"And you're sure this is just a thing people do to ships?"
Jackson shrugs. "According to everything I've read, yes. Unless we build a drydock, we need to careen Merry while we're on the island, so we can clean her off and do some key maintenance."
Usopp hums, looking at the ship critically. "We'll bring her in at high tide, and use weight distribution to make her lean the right way, then turn her around the next day and take care of the other side. Does that sound right?"
Jackson nods in response. "If there's anything you have in mind for enhancements, now would be the time to tell me so I can get ready and coordinate with the others. We'll want to tie everything down on-board the ship before we get started as well."
Usopp hums. "Yeah. I think I've got some things in mind. We've got a lot of work to do."
Last edited: Aug 29, 2019
Chapter 21: Retrograde
"It seems… Many of these organs are inert. And some of them are newly grown. I don't recognize any of their functions, however."
"I'm hesitant to remove the non-functioning organs, as while they might be vestigial, they might also serve a purpose that I'm unaware of. There's also plaque buildup, and bruising along the internal cavity. I'll apply a numbing agent to help with pain, and an injection to help heal the bruising more quickly."
"There's a large amount of swelling, along this spinal column, but I don't believe I can safely do much until I've taken a small sample and studied it more in-depth. I'll apply the anti-swelling agent, and hope for the best."
"Other than that, we have small fractures all along the skeletal structure, but none of them have grown to the degree where treatment is required, and a surprising amount of fat. A consequence of them being born in the East Blue? Conjecture at best."
"Jerry, could you give me the sutures?" Chopper requests, holding out his hoof, and taking the gigantic spool of black thread, using it to sew up the Going Merry.
As he does, the alchemically created cut from the Alchemy Scalpel begins healing in seconds, the stitches fading away until the ship looks one-hundred-percent like a nonliving ship again.
"Thank you for your prognosis, Chopper. I've got a few ideas for what the vestigial structures might be, but it can wait until the next time we perform maintenance," Jackson nods, taking the remaining roll of suture-thread and placing it inside a funnel, where it melts back into his storage vial.
Usopp blanches, unused to seeing stuff like what he had just seen. "So, uhh, the Going Merry is fine, then?"
Chopper turns, red with fury. "No, they aren't! I didn't recognize half the organs in there, but there's no mistaking the kind of damage that someone has after a no-holds-barred beatdown. If this ship were a person, I'd suggest bedrest, and a whole tub of ice!"
He places a hoof against the Going Merry's keel, exposed by the ship leaning on its side as it rests on the sandy beach. "The ship has taken a good long beating, even if it doesn't show on the outside."
"We'll start with cleaning. The underside of the Merry is fouled to hell and back with all sorts of nasty crap. It's got to come off, and it will give us a nice boost in speed without all this garbage on the bottom," Jackson states, gesturing to the barnacles, algae, and other unspoken life-forms that had begun growing on the underbelly of the ship.
An actual tentacle flails out from the bottom, covered in thorns.
"Psychic Scalpel!" Jackson shouts, backpedaling away from it and flicking out with his replacement scalpel, a thin arc of vacuum ripping out of it and slashing the creature in two.
"So, free tentacles, that will come in handy," Jackson claims, nonchalantly picking up the writing creature with tongs, and dumping it into his crackpot, where it melts down and is poured into a vial automatically.
He produces several metal blades, tossing them to Usopp and Chopper before taking one of his own.
"Let's get to scraping boys."
Before long, Usopp is on the ground, breathing heavily as Jackson finishes the last of the washing, and Chopper punches a gigantic, cannon-shaped barnacle into submission before it can fire another shot at them.
"You should probably start training sooner or later, Usopp," Jackson points out.
"I've been practicing my aim on Luffy every other day like you said, isn't that training?" Usopp questions, flopping forward into a cross-legged position.
Jackson hums.
"Not in the slightest. You rely on a slingshot, right? So all of your power comes from your arms. The stronger you are, and the more you practice, the more potent of a slingshot you can use, and the heavier the loads as well."
Usopp's memories flash to Zoro, swinging around weights larger than several people. "I uhh…" he chokes on his words slightly.
"Everyone's got a niche," Chopper nods, screwing lids onto the Jars that they had filled up with the various odd species of Grand Line parasite that were scraped off of Merry's hull.
"I get stronger when my drugs do, and when I practice operating under their effects, so my niche is adaptability. I adapt to changes in a fight, using my transformations and Rumble Paks." Chopper explains.
Chopper hums, putting a hoof to his chin. "Zoro uses his physical skills to win fights, so his body needs to be trained. Sanji and Luffy too. Nami grows stronger as she gains more control over the weather…"
"We all have a niche," Chopper finishes.
Usopp hums. "What about Jackson? You didn't mention him."
"There is only one physical skill I have trained during my entire time on Drum Island," Jackson states, holding a jar of purple spotted fluid up to the light appraisingly.
"And what's that?" Usopp asks, having recovered from the strain of cleaning off a third of a barnacle and scum-coated hull.
"Backpedaling," Jackson deadpans, making Usopp collapse to the ground, stunned.
"Backpedaling isn't a fighting niche!" Usopp shouts, confused.
Jackson's eyebrow raises. "Usopp, I'm pretty sure you would be unstoppable if you could gain distance from an opponent like I can. My ability to run backwards is one that I've honed for years. It keeps me out of trouble in a fight," he finishes, swirling the fluid a bit before setting it in a wooden crate with the others.
"Alright Luffy, just keep that blindfold on, and you'll be rewarded with meat," Jackson states, pulling out his Alchemy Needle and Magnifying Glass.
Holding the glass over his captain's arm, he searches for a particular concept. Elasticity.
Through the magnifying glass's glass, Jackson spots countless little blobs of colorful something-or-other, some of them so bright that they shine out of the lens, just observing them, others so faint that one can barely see them, even with the power of an Alchemical tool of observation.
Eventually, he spots it. A pool of liquid where two other fluids meet, forming a blob of red that practically screams "Rubber".
"Ow, what did you poke me with, Jackson?" Luffy mumbles, holding still under promise of meat as Jackson draws out a syringe of pure elasticity.
Jackson balks slightly when he checks his captain again. The mass of elastic concept had instantly regenerated, in exchange for an almost imperceptible amount of Luffy's stamina. Which itself had also instantly regenerated.
"So that's the power of a Devil Fruit," Jackson hums, dangling a gigantic turkey leg in front of his captain, who sniffs it out and devours it messily.
He makes his way back to the Merry, slightly out of breath.
"First, a test."
Pulling a bee out of his pocket, he injects a tiny bit of elasticity into it, before tossing the bee into the shallow water, where it flutters around a bit before buzzing it's way out of the water.
"So we don't have to worry about Merry sinking like her anchor," he hums.
Pulling out vials of Seastone, Starfish Extract, Sea Cucumber Extract, and, something Jackson is particularly proud of managing to obtain from the dugongs' fishing efforts, Limpet Teeth.
With that, Jackson begins injecting small measures of the fluids into points along Merry's keel, the wood slowly gaining elastic, strengthening properties as curly white vines sprout from it.
"It's not much, but it should help you deal with the worst offenders," Jackson hums, pulling out a small hand-drill and drilling holes into Merry's hull.
After each small, finger-sized hole is drilled, Jackson pulls out a paintbrush bearing his mark, using it to drench the wood in alchemized copper, the liquid seeping into the holes and adhering to the hull itself, forming a thick, seamless shell of copper with gigantic rivets holding it flush with the ship.
"These should give you resistance to any more biofouling, and let us go longer without cleaning. That's why I replaced all of your iron nails with copper alloy bolts, by the way. If I didn't, the copper would react with the iron and seawater, and it wouldn't be a very good end result." Jackson states idly, as if the ship would respond somehow.
Jackson hums, pulling out a vial filled with random chunks of machinery. "I would add a propeller, while I'm at it, but I'll save that for when we get you a bit more structure."
He spots the Going Merry's figurehead, it's sheep-horns glinting with fresh polish. "Well, that is Luffy's special seat," Jackson says, leaping backwards up onto the wooden figurehead, and injecting some of his special mixture into the figurehead, the material changing invisibly as it becomes more elastic, regenerative, and durable.
The figurehead's eyes gleam underneath its polish.
"Just in case," Jackson mumbles, hopping over and sliding down the tilted deck.
"Later on, we'll probably replace the deck with wood-paneled steel, but that isn't as important now."
He sighs, looking over the ship one final time.
"I am not trained for this shit," he hums, unsure whether or not his adjustments will help.
'Well, what Nami and the others are working on should help,' Jackson thinks to himself, remembering the discussing that Chopper had with her, and the effects that Chopper's synthetic compound Chopyrobloin has on clouds…
Shrugging, he wanders over to the Sea Mammals who have also taken the chance to maintain their own ship. Which, considering that it's made of reeds, tar, and garbage from the sea, it could use a touchup as well.
Chopper offers a translation when Jackson asks them the name. "They said that they have decided to call their ship 'Splash Mountain', after the sound of them dragging it through the water."
Jackson nods. "I've combined these Barnacles with Limpet Teeth and a few other things. I'd like you to plaster your ship with them, for both structure and armor. You should be able to harvest the teeth they produce, they'll come in handy."
"I call them hexaplate barnacles," he explains, handing over paintbrushes marked with his power and jars of the liquefied sea-organisms he had produced using the garbage scraped off of Merry.
"Also, this jar has some with cannons built into them. Be careful, they respond to tickling," he says, handing the final jar to a nervous heron bird, who nods rapidly, the co-captains of the crew honking and barking orders respectively.
Before long, Jackson is ready for a long nap, and Splash Mountain has a true hull made of interlocking hexagonal sea-creatures.
When Jackson next awakens, it's to the sight of Zoro grumbling as he carries a gigantic machine across the sand at Usopp's command.
"Come on, put your back into it, Chopper, Nami and I worked real hard on that thing, so don't you dare drop it!" Usopp shouts as Zoro carries the machine on-board the Merry, who has been pushed out to deeper waters with her new amber coat and oddly fuzzy figurehead.
Jackson's eyes remain fixed on the ship, floating on the water in a way he can't quite put his finger on. It's as if the ship itself is swaying less on the water.
Shrugging, he makes his way aboard, where Luffy has an odd expression as he sits on the Merry's figurehead.
"Something's different…" he says, rubbing his hand over the fuzzy wood.
"I like it!" he finally decides, gazing out over the open sea.
Luffy's eyes widen. "Hey! It's Ace!"
Jackson and the others pause what they're doing long enough to look over towards the open sea, where a crest of water is being thrown up by some kind of fast-moving vehicle.
Daz's eyes widen slightly as he decides to go below decks and peel something to look busy. Ace is extraordinarily well known among bounty hunters, former or otherwise.
Well known enough that Daz knows to avoid pissing him off. He's gotten a few too many blows to his idea of being invincible to risk it.
Luffy laughs, waving at the rapidly approaching ship as it comes to a halt next to the Going Merry.
His expression lights up like the sun when he sees the person that Ace had brought with him, the two of them leaping up onto the deck.
"Ace! Sabo!" Luffy roars, flipping off of the figurehead and wrapping his arms around Sabo until his face turns slightly purple.
"Luffy! Off!" Sabo wheezes as his little brother laughs uncontrollably, a few tears streaming down his face.
Luffy hops free of his brother, but it's clear that the three of them aren't going to be able to stop smiling for a while.
"Jackson said you got hit on the head and forgot everything! Do you remember now?"
Sabo's smile turns slightly brittle. "Yeah. I remember."
Ace walks right onto the Marine vessel. Considering that it's on fire, and all of the crew are knocked out or dead, though, he doesn't really have a problem with it.
His breath quickens when he sees the only two people left standing on the ship. Some random woman, and the person he's been trying to contact.
They turn to him with an even expression. "Portgas D. Ace, of the Whitebeard Pirates. Owner of the Flare Flare Fruit, and second-division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Why did you contact us? Our dealings with pirates aren't that extensive," Koala demands, crossing her arms.
Ace feels a lump in his throat, unable to respond at the sight of Sabo.
He reverts to his usual politeness. "I apologize for the inconvenience. Sabo was a very dear friend of mine. I thought you were dead, but someone said you got amnesia. Do you remember me?" Ace asks, the ship rocking slightly as a barrel of gunpowder explodes below deck.
Koala's eyes narrow. "How do you know about that? Who is your informant? That sort of information is not to be distributed, and it shouldn't have been distributed to you, pirate."
Sabo steps forward. "I don't know who you are, but you seem to know a lot about me. This isn't the first time someone has claimed to know me.
"The Revolutionary Army has a lot of enemies, and a few of them even go so far as to obtain information on our members. Your informant can't be allowed to continue letting that sort of information disseminate further. Who told you about me?"
Ace balks. "Damn it, Sabo, I'm telling you that we're supposed to be friends! You seriously don't remember me?"
Koala casually walks away, intent on staying out of the beatdown that Sabo is about to deliver in response to that.
In a flash, Ace is forced to leap back from the familiar hum of high-frequency Haki as Sabo claws at him, leaping forward.
"I'm warning you, Portgas D. Ace, I don't take lightly to this sort of thing, and your Flare Flare Fruit's abilities will not protect you from me. Who is your informant?" he states, leaping forward again with his fingers arranged into blackened claws.
Ace sweats as he leaps backwards again, sliding to the side as Sabo's hand crunches through solid wood, ripping it apart and exposing the boiler pipes underneath.
'I can't fight Sabo, damn it, the Flare Flare Fruit isn't exactly good with friendly fire!' Ace groans internally, wincing when Sabo's claws finally catch their prey, crushing Ace's bicep until a nasty crack sounds out.
Ace grimaces, trying to think of something, before he spots the exposed boiler pipe, and the one that Sabo has refused to draw so far, resting on his back.
"If you can't remember that we're friends, then I'll just have to beat it out of you!" Ace shouts, dodging to the side and ripping the pipes out of the wall, steam spraying everywhere.
Sabo rushes forward, claws outstretched. He's slightly confused when Ace swings the pipe directly at his hands. If he can crush bone, what makes Ace think that a metal pipe will fare any better?
The steam obscures Ace's second pipe as he swings it at Sabo's head in the same moment that the first one is gripped by Sabo's crushing claws, sending him flipping backwards.
The steam clears, and Sabo looks pissed. "Damn it Ace, that was a cheap shot," he growls, grip tightening on the pipe that ended up in his hands.
Ace grins, whacking his own pipe into his palm. "And what are you going to do about it?"
Sabo snarls. "I'm going to kick your ass, damn it!" he yells, dashing forward with the pipe wound behind him like a baseball bat.
Loud clanging rings out as the two fighters smash the cheap metal pipes into one another, trying to land blows and using muscle memory that hadn't been tapped for yearsas the two remember how to fight against another pipe user.
Ace and Sabo pant heavily, their pipes mangled beyond all recognition, unable to handle the forces being thrown out.
"I won that one, Ace," Sabo states firmly, his eyes turning down in a mixture of confusion and adrenaline.
"You wish. You're gaping like a fish over there. Do I need to tell Luffy how out of practice you are?" Ace grins, hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.
Sabo scoffs. "Oh please, he…"
"He…" Sabo says again, frozen for what must be minutes.
"Where is he?"
Jackson's eyes dart nervously between Sabo and Ace.
"Shishishi! It sounds like it's a good thing Jackson told us about you when he did! If you two got any stronger, the pipes might not have lasted very long!" Luffy shouts suddenly, laughing when Jackson chokes, almost falling off of the crate he had taken as a chair.
Sabo follows the contextual clues, staring directly at Jackson.
"I swear to god I'm not a spy. I'm just a humble time-traveler," Jackson says, waving his arms wardingly as Sabo approaches.
Sabo grips Jackson's shoulder tightly. "Thank you."
Before long, the ships are ready, and the supplies are packed, Ace's Striker and the Anything Goes tied up and dragging behind the Merry as they make their way out onto the open sea.
"Both me and Ace agreed that we want more information. If there's anything you have to tell us, it would be appreciated," Sabo says, sipping at the tea that was provided to everyone as they all sat down for dinner.
Jackson hums, pulling out his wooden tablet and swiping through it.
"I'm assuming you two want to know stuff about Blackbeard, and things that might be useful to the Revolutionary Army?"
Sabo and Ace nod, watching Luffy slurps up noodles from a large vat that was prepared for him, intermixing them with boiled potatoes and seafood made as part of Sanji's latest experiment to sate Luffy.
"Well, there's a lot to go over, so I'll go through everything I can. Now that Crocodile is dead, I don't need to worry as much about espionage. I'm assuming you already know of Luffy's new status, Sabo?"
Sabo nods. "The Secret Warlord. I found it hard to believe that the Marines would bend the rules so much. The identity of the new Warlord has been kept a total secret, the names of Luffy and his crew only appear in some of the most top-secret documents. Furthermore, our spies at Marineford have stated that a total information blackout occurred shortly after several unusual Devil Fruits were brought in."
Jackson nods. "If everyone knew Luffy was a Warlord, it would effectively take the Marines' reputation and throw it in a wood chipper. So they've shuffled us under the rug. We're offering them something too valuable to refuse, and this seems to be the best end result they could come up with. Plausible deniability."
Ace's eyebrows quirk. "Wait, Luffy's a Warlord? That's kind of gross."
"Not really. We bribed the marines so they would give us the privileges of one. We're as free as birds," Nami interjects, watching with horror as Luffy's cheeks bulge out with noodles.
Ace's grin widens. "Okay, that's pretty hilarious. What did you bribe them with? I can't imagine Marines responding well to a bribe…"
Jackson pulls a Ghetto Ghetto Fruit out of his pockets. "I have access to someone who can produce these. Six of them were enough to make the Marines back off. Presumably, they've realized that the Golden Goose is nesting onboard our ship."
Sabo and Ace react with shock. "That's pretty bad, actually!" Ace shouts, imagining the horror of an army of Devil-Fruit powered Marines.
Jackson shrugs. "I only gave them the shitty ones. Since my contact can produce them tailor made, they have self-destruct devices in them. If any of the Marines try to turn on us, we're holding the detonator. There's also been a few of them given to Alabasta as well, and I'd of course be willing to provide some for your respective groups, for a suitable price."
Sabo calms down significantly after Jackson's explanation. "We'll discuss that matter more in depth after you share any information you might have."
"Right, well, the first thing you need to know is that Blackbeard has unique abilities that make him a threat to the world itself," Jackson starts.
Last edited: Aug 30, 2019
Chapter 22: Chronic
"It's… It's unbelievable," Sabo claims, leaning back in his chair.
"I can't believe it," Ace says, looking stressed by the revelations.
"It's bad enough that he killed Thatch just for one Devil Fruit, but he could have been stealing Pops's too?"
Ace releases a long breath. "It's insane. How do we stop something like that?"
Nami enters the lab, turning to Ace. "You need to drag your boat up here and hide it, there's a bunch of marines up ahead."
Ace nods. "We'll talk about this more. Hold on a sec."
Sabo waits patiently for Ace to return, trying to process the various shocks of today. It's almost too much to believe. A man with the ability to wield two Devil Fruits, someone sitting on the Empty Throne, and conspiracy after conspiracy, coverup after coverup, some of the things Jackson had claimed were so vile, he doubted that they were even possible, much less true, and some of the profiles he gave for major players contained details so trivial, you would think Jackson himself was spying on them.
If he left right now, he would have enough information to advance the Revolutionary Army's cause by a full year. More, even.
Staying a little while longer, then, wouldn't be too much of a problem, even with Jackson's demand that no Transponder Snails be used to relay any of the information he gave, and that no living soul be told where he learned any of this.
Eventually, after Ace hides his boat on board the Going Merry, and Jackson has Usopp fire a cookbook at some random child standing near the edge of one of the ships to knock him back over, they pull ahead of the Marine vessels far enough for everyone to relax, Ace, Luffy, and Sabo "relaxing" by fighting with each other.
Luffy frowns, holding ice to his head. "Maaan. This sucks. You guys got way too strong. I can't hit Ace, and Sabo's hits hurt."
Sabo's eyes glitter. "If you want, I could show you how I do what I do, Luffy," Sabo offers, his hand sheathing itself in a layer of metallic blackness.
Luffy waves him off. "Nah. Gramps already tried to show me, and that sucked really bad…"
"Alright brat, hold still, because I'm going to teach you something cool, and this was my idea, by the way, I had this idea myself, and nobody else tried to convince me to do it!"
Luffy looks like he really does not want to comply with Garp's demand, but the promise of learning something cool just barely holds him in his place.
Garp holds out his fist, his body emitting a low, bassy tone as he turns it pitch black with Armament Haki. "See this stuff? It's Haki, and pretty much everyone strong uses it. It's the secret to disciplining bratty Devil-Fruit-using grandchildren who don't listen to their grandpa. It makes stuff hit harder, and it makes stuff harder to hit, and Devil Fruits don't protect against it. Get it?"
Luffy nods. "It's a Mystery Power!"
Garp nods. "Exactly. Now hold still, this is how we used to teach it back in my day, before the Marines started getting all pissy about medical bills."
Before Luffy can wonder what that means, Garp grabs him by the legs, both of his hands turning black with the hum of Haki. Luffy yells as Garp holds him up like a baseball bat, swinging him around a few times.
"Yeah, this seems about right," Garp says, nodding with approval before he swings Luffy facefirst into a nearby boulder, smashing it apart.
"He did that for a whole week until I got bored," Luffy claims, stuffing a finger up his nose.
Ace scowls. "Shitty old man. Look, Luffy, that's not how you learn Haki."
Ace pauses, scratching his head. "… At least, I'm pretty sure it isn't. Sabo, tell Luffy that that isn't how you learn it," Ace demands.
Sabo's eyes widen. "Hey, don't ask me, my training method was to just fight really strong people."
Ace's eyebrow twitches as Sabo continues ponderously. "As a matter of fact, it might not even be a terrible way to go about doing it…" Sabo says.
"It's absolutely a terrible way to go about doing it!" Luffy and Ace shout in unison.
"If we did it that way, we'd get to use Luffy like a baseball bat." Sabo deadpans, making Ace nod sagely.
"Ahh, I see. I approve now," Ace says, planting his hand in his fist as he nods.
"That's what made you approve of the idea?!" Luffy roars in Ace's face.
"Well, you certainly can't doubt their camaraderie…" Usopp mumbles sarcastically, him and Zoro moving the machine into place, where it clicks onto the rails they built earlier, ones seemingly pointed in such a way that they go right off the edge of the ship, in front of the bow.
"Are you sure about this, Jackson? We aren't really low on supplies…" Usopp says, staring at the island in the distance.
"Look, do you want to check out some master Fireworks artists or don't you? I'll go by myself if you don't want to help out, but there is a risk of someone getting hurt until this is dealt with," Jackson says, pulling at the ropes that keep the Anything Goes tethered behind the Merry.
"Jeeze, your ship's got a few dents in it," Usopp points out, spotting how the gigantic metal beak of the Anything Goes is banged up in a few places
Jackson hums. "I probably tethered it too close to the Going Merry. I'll have to keep that in mind. Anyway, are you coming or staying? I don't have all day."
Usopp groans, staring up sufferingly. "Fine, but I get first pick of any explosives compounds we come across. I've been doing a bit of hobbyist fireworks artistry of my own, you see!"
"Yeah, I figured as much. That might help us out in the future," Jackson nods, sliding down the rope after Usopp.
As Jackson takes the controls, Usopp decides to sit in the Passenger's seat this time. "How will fireworks help out in a fight? I mean, it's pretty and all, but gunpowder's gunpowder."
Jackson shrugs, pressing the gas and sending them plodding away from the Merry. "Hell if I know. I suppose I should say, artistry is useful in a fight. Remember Miss Goldenweek's color traps? Fireworks technically represent a mastery of explosives, beyond the obvious application of stuffing iron shells with bomb materials."
Usopp considers this for a few minutes as they make their way towards Fireworks Island.
"I guess I'll take your word for it," he says, unable to think of anything right off the bat. Explosives in an Iron Shell, though… That's not a half-bad idea!
"Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard laughs. "Come on Van, let's be logical here. We've been keeping up with the news, and Ace, well, he ain't subtle!
"So if we haven't heard news of him in weeks, months even, then he's long gone, he's dead…
Blackbeard smiles in a curious way. "Or he's right on top of us."
He shrugs, taking a long pull of wine. "So let's not worry about it right this minute. We'll enjoy a little fireworks display, and head on to Mock Town to load up on supplies."
Van Augur doesn't respond for several moments, before finally taking a seat as well. "Alright, Teach. Just for tonight, however, and then we really should continue on our journey."
"Sometimes, you just got to enjoy the simple things in life. Recharge your batteries, so to speak! Zehahaha!" Blackbeard laughs, watching the crowds go by.
He almost falls asleep, between the warm day, the small buzz, and the peaceful relaxation with his crew, until he sees something that instantly makes him jerk awake.
His jaw drops with shock, and at least a bit of mirth, and he waves broadly. "Oi! Jerry Jackson!"
The cloth-covered Sloshing-Human turns, spotting Blackbeard as he and Usopp wandered through the streets.
"Come over here, you crazy bastard, I haven't seen you in years!" Blackbeard roars, waving towards himself.
Usopp sweats heavily, and Jackson says something to him that Blackbeard doesn't hear. Apparently, this prompts Usopp to run off, rushing to the Anything Goes and driving it off into the distance.
Jackson approaches calmly, nodding in acknowledgment.
"It's been a very long time, Marshal D. Teach."
Blackbeard smiles. "You're still alive! Well come on, take a seat! We'll catch up."
Jackson nods politely, taking a seat on one of the barrels nearby.
If he annoys Blackbeard, there is every chance in the world that his life will end today.
Blackbeard huffs, taking another long pull of his alcohol. "Ahh, It's almost a shame I didn't recruit you when I had the chance. You really blew my prediction out of the water, huh?"
Jackson and Chopper wander down the streets, searching for the people who could still be saved. When the Blackbeard Pirates arrived, Wapo had decided to run, gunning down any civilians in his way without mercy as he plowed his way towards his own ship.
"Chopper, you handle resuscitation, I'll try to seal up wounds," Jackson says, as the nervous Chopper makes his way over to one of the people who had been shot, trying to restart their heart using a series of drugs and techniques.
Jackson knew this day was coming, but with this many injured people, he can't afford to hide away. Jackson himself makes his way to someone bleeding out on the ground, cleaning their wounds and pulling out a lumpy jar of Slosh.
'This bullet went all the way through. And through an artery at that,' Jackson thinks, pouring the slosh into the wound and patting it down until it transforms into freshly healed herbal flesh.
'That should help absorb any lead particulate, and stave off infections, or at least, that's the going theory.'
Jackson hears some crunching in the snow, sparing a moment to glance back at the one man he didn't want to see.
"Well damn, I didn't think I'd find anyone on the island, what the hell happened here, eh?" Blackbeard says, smiling as he watches Jackson silently trek to another person, attempting to seal up their wounds.
'Alright, Jackson. You knew this was coming. Act accordingly,' Jackson thinks, sweat dripping down his face as he pours another jar of slosh into a wound, feeling his vision darken.
"Our king is kind of a fat asshole," Jackson claims, trying to keep his breathing and voice even when he spots some of Blackbeard's other crewmembers poking around curiously.
"Huh. Is he the one with all the good doctors?" Blackbeard says, idly collapsing his rump onto a nearby barrel, kicking one of the corpses away.
"Yes, he is. He ran when your crew arrived," Jackson responds evenly, moving to another patient.
Blackbeard scowls, pounding his hand into his fist. "Well goddamn it. I wanted to see if these fancy doctors had anything for one of my crew members. He's real sick, you see," Blackbeard drawls, crossing his legs as he stares intently at Jackson.
"I have to warn you, sir, if you're angling to recruit me, my apprenticeship isn't yet complete. I was left behind when they ran away," Jackson lies.
Blackbeard merely laughs for a moment. "Zehahaha! No thanks! I wouldn't want a power like yours on my ship if someone paid me!"
Jackson almost pauses, before continuing his treatment instinctively.
"Oh you can't fool me, kid, I saw that," Blackbeard grins.
"You see, I've done quite a bit of research on Devil Fruits. And all of em will curse you, of course, but there's only one Devil Fruit that they say is truly cursed."
Jackson uses another jar of Slosh, patching up gashes caused by metal boots smashing into someone unconscious.
"The Slosh Slosh Fruit. Unique among all Paramecia for its hostility and mischievousness. It gives the user riches and wealth, and then they die a week later. The only fruit among any Devil Fruit that is invariably deadly towards its own user."
He doesn't have the right materials for this sort of mass-healing, so these people are just going to have to forgive him for giving them weird skin and muscles as he replaces what the bullets had caused. A few people have already bled out, forcing him to go faster, and a bit sloppier.
"It starts where you are now, just based on the records. Someone happens upon it, or maybe they even seek it out, and they use it to produce tiny wonders, one after another."
Jackson's vision begins to darken further, as he feels the drain on his energy with every single jar he empties.
"They never once notice that insidious little drain that it has on them, as tiny as it is. Practically microscopic, normally. But you see, that's the downfall. As they use the power more and more, they invariably overuse it, unaware that they're about to overdraw with some sort of grand creation. Humans are just too greedy, and too confident in their own strength to hold back when they realize just what the Slosh Slosh Fruit can do."
Blackbeard shrugs as Jackson pants, finishing the last bit of healing he can do. "You'll be dead in a few days, kid, and if I brought you on-board my ship? Well, somebody's going to get greedy. We keep plenty of fruit on-board, strawberries included. One of my idiot crewmates would think they have what it takes when you inevitably kill yourself, and the cycle would continue from the moment that berry touched their lips."
Jackson brushes himself off. "Thank you for the advice. I'll try to fulfill my dreams in the time I have left."
Blackbeard gapes at just how blase this kid had taken his own inevitable doom.
He snorts. "Zehahahahahahahah! Oh man, I tell you you've got less than a week to live, and you decide something like that right then and there?
He stands up, grinning widely. "Alright, I'll have my own doc help out with this little shindig, on one condition. You gotta tell me a bit more about yourself, I'll make sure you're remembered, with balls like that! The one-week doctor..! Uhh, what's your name, again?"
Jackson pauses, gritting his teeth as he attempts to remain civil. Another doctor means more lives saved, and it seems like Blackbeard isn't intent on killing or recruiting him.
"My name is Jerry Jackson."
Blackbeard chuckles, tossing aside his twentieth empty wine bottle. "And that other guy with you, he must have been Chopper, right? Your little friend that can turn into a human? He's a lot scrawnier than you described him!"
Jackson shakes his head. "He is Usopp, another friend of mine."
Blackbeard nods, swaying from side to side. "Alright, I've kept you long enough. Go make your dream come true, One-Week Jackson!" Blackbeard yells, falling backwards off of his seat, now that he's thoroughly drunk and only vaguely conscious.
Jackson calmly stands up from his own seat and makes his way to the dock, breathing heavily to calm his heart-rate.
Hopefully, Usopp is bringing the others without too much fanfare. Any misstep here could mean death.
Last edited: Sep 1, 2019
Chapter 23: Nervous System
Usopp shudders, face held in his hands. "He could be dead already, for all I know! He told me to run back here while he held Blackbeard's attention," Usopp explains.
Luffy and Ace both look apoplectic, Ace nods. "I'll take the striker, it's the fastest ship here."
Chopper waddles up rapidly, holding up his tablet with a panicked expression. "No, don't! Jackson sent me a message, he's okay!"
Tapping the screen several times with his hooves, he brings up the short message and reads it.
"Blackbeard appeased, nonhostile, waiting at the dock. Ace and Sabo disguise, Use Going Merry for stealth," Chopper reads off, before closing the Phero-mail and turning to the others expectantly.
Ace grimaces. "So we're going to sneak up on him? Fine by me, the bastard deserves nothing less," he lies, irked by the idea.
Luffy, who had remained silent through this exchange, cracks his knuckles, snarling. "Jackson better be A-OK when we get there. That was pretty dumb of him, running off with just Usopp."
"Nami, what should I do to keep him from doing stupid stuff again when we're all safe? I can't just whack him on the head like gramps does since he might get hurt, so I need something else," Luffy says seriously.
Nami's jaw dropped. "That's… awfully captain-like of you Luffy."
Luffy crosses his arms, pouting. "Well, I can't let my friends go off and do dumb stuff."
Nami chuckles, putting a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "We'll think of something after we pick him up."
Jackson waves at the Going Merry as it approaches, waiting patiently for his crew to get the ship docked properly. Splash Mountain opts not to dock at all, its crew of marine animals comfortable with making the swim or flight over to shore.
Luffy holds a rolled-up newspaper with a mischievous grin that confuses Jackson.
"Gum Gum Friendship Pistol!" Luffy roars, whacking Jackson on the head with the rolled-up piece of fragile paper.
"The hell was that for, stretch?" Jackson hums, rubbing his stinging head.
"Don't do dumb things," Luffy nods, tossing the newspaper in the ocean, only for Daz Bonez to catch it before it flies off the dock, rolling his eyes as he unfurls it and returns to his reading.
Sabo and Ace shuffle off the deck as well, wrapped up in surplus scarves.
Jackson raises an eyebrow. "Since when do I have clones of myself?"
Ace grits his teeth. "Hey! It isn't my fault your damn ship doesn't have anything else lying around that would make a good disguise!"
"Focus. We need to discuss the elephant on the island," Sabo says, pointing them right back aboard the ship.
"Wait, why even put on the disguises if we aren't even going anywhere?" Ace says, looking to Jackson for an answer.
"Their sniper has phenomenal sight. He could shoot down the flies around us, at this range. Seeing you walking around would be trivial," Jackson responds, walking up the gangplank.
Mockery the Egrethief is preening nervously as they and the Sea Mammal Pirates' other captain, Tall, are brought in on the meeting aboard the Strawhats' ship.
So this Blackbeard Guy isn't where he's supposed to be, weird, but not impossible. But the fact that he's on the island that they're docking at, and the one person on the crew who has ties to the guy is the first one to spot him.
Unlikely.
Mockery always gets like this when the going gets rough. He's never a hundred-percent sure what his power is doing. It gives him the power to cause flukes. Incredibly unlikely events conspiring to occur. He doesn't actually know what the result will be, though. He's almost certain that his power never outright brings down misfortune… But he has such a hard time believing it at times like this, when something so incredibly unlikely and frightening comes along.
In contrast, Tall looks completely calm and disciplined. Which is probably why he was leading the Dugongs before this.
The humans begin speaking again. "He told me that his crew's next destination was Jaya. They decided to linger here for the fireworks festival, due to Ace's disappearance," Jackson explains, tinkering with some sort of clamp and glass mechanism in-between bites of his food.
It's a good thing the Strawhats and the Egrethieves already have an arrangement. If they didn't, Mockery isn't sure that he would be able to keep his subordinates from pledging loyalty to them in return for Sanji's food.
'Very fortunate, in fact,' Mockery thinks, plucking up another piece of fried fish and downing it in a single bite.
Sabo, the sensible human that he is, offers the first suggestion. "We'll wait."
Ace balks at this. "Wait!? He's right here! We're right on top of him, even!"
Sabo shakes his head. "Do you care about fighting him or killing him more? We should contact our respective groups. I can get several Revolutionary Ships to Jaya in a week, which gives them more than enough time to work their way undercover before Blackbeard arrives. I don't know if Whitebeard has a strong presence here in Paradise, but if he does, you should contact him as well, and see about getting your own backup.
"We've got all of the tools we need to end this, but going in unprepared is begging for everything to fall apart. Blackbeard has both a doctor on his crew and an impressive sniper. That might destroy any element of surprise if we attack now, especially if his doctor can deal with the poison or bullets that we might use to ensure a swift victory."
Ace's teeth grit. "So we're just letting him go, then. Damn it that chafes, Sabo. Are you sure we can't just take him down? We've got a whole crew with us, not to mention me, you and Luffy."
Sabo hums. 'Luffy is honestly one of the reasons why I don't want to fight him unprepared,' Sabo thinks, trying to think of a way to phrase it.
"Blackbeard will have no chance of survival if we just show a tiny bit of patience. He's not getting away, he's sailing into a trap."
Ace feels so awkward, calling Whitebeard like this. Sure, he ran off against Pops's orders, but this definitely feels off to him.
"So, uhh, yeah Pops. I've tracked down Blackbeard, but some friends of mine talked me into calling you instead, to get some… Backup?"
Pops snorts over the Transponder Snail, relief barely hidden on the snail's face. "Your friends are smart, Ace. It takes a lot of strength to ask for help."
Whitebeard coughs a few times before continuing. "So the Revolutionary Army wants a piece of him too, huh? Hmm. Speed Jiru and Atmos are the two closest Division Commanders to Jaya. They'll help you, son. Just wait on Fireworks Island for them to come pick you up."
"… Thanks, Pops," Ace finishes, ending the call and tossing the snail back to Sabo.
"They'll be there," Ace says, walking out of the room with a lot to think about.
Sabo begins making his own call, idly looking at the sack of seastone bullets that Jackson had given him. Enough to arm a full squadron's worth of guns.
"Epsilon Magenta, Confirm. I've found a potential world-class threat to human peace," Sabo claims, as the Transponder Snail's face shifts.
The person on the other end shuffles through papers, reading through that week's code-listings. "Confirmed. An agent will be sent to your position shortly. Where are you?"
"Fireworks Island."
More papers shuffling, and the sound of a quill scratching. "Right," they say, closing the call abruptly.
After Blackbeard and his crew leave, Jackson is left sour, in spite of them having watched the show from the ship.
"What's got you so down? The fireworks were beautiful!" Chopper says, sipping at his glass of juice.
"It's petty of me to say this, but it could have been better, if we didn't need to deal with Blackbeard, I could have helped them set off a rather spectacular one," Jackson says, morose that his actions had ruined what would have otherwise been a beautiful scene.
Chopper hums. "Well, they're gone now, so maybe we still do something. What happened the first time around?"
"Well, Usopp wanted to see if he could stock up on gunpowder, since the island was so well known for its fireworks. Hence the name of the island."
Chopper giggles, listening intently.
"Greetings, Odama, sir. My name is Jerry Jackson, I am a doctor of Philosopher's Alchemy, I've come to provide my assistance, along with my dear friends, Chopper and Usopp."
Odama scowls. "Well, you're a day too late for any sort of help. Whatever you're selling, we don't want any."
Jackson nods. "I understand, but after arriving on Fireworks Island, and learning that your family no longer launches large-gauge shells, I felt the need to share my professional historic knowledge."
He points to the large structure near the house, a metal and wood tower, standing taller than most of the other nearby buildings.
"That structure is the secret. It was used in ancient times as the mortar equipment for launching a large-gauge fireworks shell."
Odama looks at it appraisingly, before turning to face Jackson. "It's an interesting idea, but you're too late, like I said. My apprentice has already dismantled our only large-gauge firework. And we have no plans to produce another."
Jackson stumbles in shock. "Pardon?"
"It was unsafe to fire. When I denied her the privilege of attempting to fire it under my nose, she decided to dismantle it," he explains, plainly.
Jackson is frozen in place, and it's Usopp that steps up to the plate this time. "So what you're saying is, you've got no plans to use that giant mortar over there?"
Odama's eyes narrow. "That's right."
Usopp shrugs. "Then we'll use it. Chopper and Jackson know their way around chemicals, and I'm not too shabby with explosives myself. We'll just make our own and fire it off."
Before Jackson and Chopper can respond to this, Usopp grabs them by the shoulder and leads them away from the old man.
"I don't know the first thing about fireworks, Usopp!" Chopper shouts, sweating underneath his fur.
"And you're not that good at fireworks construction, Usopp," Jackson finally manages.
Usopp laughs. "Trust me guys. I've got a plan."
In less than a day, they've amassed the materials, through a blend of herbology and chemistry from Chopper, and alchemy and artistry from Jackson.
"Alright men, we've got our materials, now let's start putting them together!" Usopp shouts, grabbing a bucket of paste and a pile of bark-paper.
Chopper fixes Jackson with a curious look, but he shrugs, still uncertain of what exactly Usopp's plan is.
Working together, and with Usopp giving advice, the trio begins to pack together a ball of explosive chemical coated and shredded corn-husks, using it to fill up a paper sack. They then place this sack inside of another sack, filled with round, shiny firework stars. This continues, layer after layer, until the sack is almost as large as they are.
Usopp wipes his forehead dramatically. "Whew, I sure am tired! Let's go back to the ship until tomorrow!"
Chopper nods, reaching for one of the sacks of material they had been using, only for Usopp to stop him. "No, no, we're too tired to be lugging all of that stuff around. We'll just leave it here, where it will be un-tampered with and unaltered through the night!"
Chopper looks confused. "Why are you talking funny, Usopp?"
Usopp sweats, chuckling nervously. "No reason at all, let's get back to the ship, we'll finish this tomorrow!"
"What the heck! It's… Done?" Chopper shouts, staring at the gigantic firework ball that was seemingly completed overnight.
Usopp smirks. "Oh no! How could this have happened? Someone must have tampered with it during the night, after seeing us work on it all day!"
"Ahh, so you had us create such a shitty firework that they had no choice but to rebuild it themselves to stop us," Jackson nods, making Usopp collapse to the ground with despair.
"It wasn't that shitty," Usopp mumbles, twiddling his fingers.
He leaps to his feet. "Now for part two of my master plan!" Usopp shouts.
"We'll take it to them, and then leave. They know how to shoot it, it's ready to shoot, and now all that's left is to let them do their thing," Usopp explains.
Chopper looks disgruntled at Usopp's pleading expression, shifting into his Heavy Point. "Fine. I'll carry it."
Odama stares blankly at the trio.
"So you see, we don't actually have the time to launch this puppy! We've got to set out to sea, so we figure we'll give you this generous gift," Usopp lies easily, keeping a straight face as Chopper plants the gigantic firework shell down.
"Fine. We'll take it off your hands," Odama says walking inside and dragging out a giant scroll.
"In return, I want you to never make a Firework that poorly again," they state, shoving the scroll into Usopp's arms and sending him flopping back onto the ground.
"Gah! What the hell is this thing? It weighs a ton!"
Odama's eyes narrow. "It's just some basics on pyrotechnics. Something you clearly need a refresher on."
Jackson helps Usopp climb to his feet, hugging the gigantic scroll uncertainly. "Uhh, thanks, I guess!" Usopp says.
The trio return to the ship, business officially concluded.
"Listen, Luffy, Jaya is about to become a very dangerous place, and the only thing interesting will be the all-out-war breaking out on it for Blackbeard's head. I'd suggest you avoid it for now. Alright?" Sabo says, hoping against hope that Luffy will listen to reason.
Luffy laughs. "Well duh, you guys don't need my help to take down one gross pirate. I've still got a lot of growing to do before I can help you guys out. The next time we meet, though, I'm beating both of you up at the same time. Got it?"
Sabo and Ace share a look, before grinning widely. "You wish!" Ace laughs, turning and walking off into town to wait for their reinforcements.
"We'll take care of Blackbeard, and then we'll make contact again to discuss less pressing matters," Sabo explains.
"Stay safe out there, alright Luffy?" he finishes, hopping off of the Going Merry and down to the dock near it.
Luffy nods. "Until next time, Sabo!"
Sabo smiles, giving Luffy a wave before following after Ace.
As the Strawhats begin pulling away from Fireworks Island, they spot a single, gigantic firework go off in the distance, lighting up the night sky in a rainbow of colors.
Jackson seems to be the only person who is displeased, as he plops down on a nearby crate.
"I think we're in danger if players are showing up in the wrong places," Jackson says quietly.
"If any of you want to get stronger, and fast…" he sighs as the crew looks at him.
"There are some options we should discuss."
Chapter 24: Hybridization
"You're talking about the Hunter Operation, aren't you, Jerry?" Chopper says shyly, his mouth having long since gone dry.
Jackson nods. "The very same one. Updated with our new technology and medicine."
Chopper can't help but whine, the high noise coming from the back of his throat. "When we did it to you, it was because you almost died."
Jackson responds easily. "And when we did it to you, you came out of it without so much as a sniffle or a cough. We know so much more than we did back then. If we updated our own enhancements and gave some to whoever wants it, it could help us out a lot.
"We'll follow the same procedure we did last time. We test it on carcasses, bugs, and then, once we know it's safe, we can move on to testing it on volunteers to improve and streamline the process."
Usopp raises his hand as Nami begins guiding their ships to a nearby island to restock on ordinary food. "What exactly are you guys talking about?"
"It's hard to explain. I'm not a very strong person, Usopp. It took a lot of work for me to survive on a Grand Line Island," Jackson starts.
"Stay awake Jerry, we're going to get you to Doctorine, she'll know what to do! Ok?!" Chopper shouts, dragging Jackson up the line to Drum Castle, rushing as fast as he can before time runs out.
Chopper had been so stupid, he knew Jackson wasn't the strongest human in the world, and they shouldn't have been searching for herbs that close to… To them.
The image just won't leave Chopper's mind, as he bashes through the doors, and a frantic Doctorine brings him into their cleanroom to operate.
The other reindeer's horns just passed through Jackson's body as if he were made of soap bubbles.
"Chopper, get me the stored blood, Hiriluk, bring me the sutures, now!" Doctorine yells, already pulling out scissors and shears to cut away the thick layers of fabric that the boy wore all the time.
Jackson coughs uncontrollably, pure blood being the only thing that comes out. Kureha shoves tubes down his throat and nose, trying to drain out the blood and replace it with life-giving air. She has never faced a patient like this, one this quick to die on the table.
Chopper and Hiriluk return, handing things to her like a well-oiled machine as she stitches up organs, inserts the needle to begin pumping life-giving blood into him, and applies medicines to slow the flow of blood.
Despite all of this, Jackson remains wide-eyed and twitching. Good signs taken together, for someone almost ripped in half.
"Damn it, the blood's stopped, but his organs are shutting down," Kureha says, grabbing more medicines and applying them one after another until Jackson grabs her arm, pulling the tube out of his throat with his lungs mostly clear.
"Shelf two, in the hall, grab," he coughs, eyes shaking.
"Grab the gold, analgesic herbs, evergreen root tissues," he wheezes out, pointing at his wound.
Kureha doesn't hesitate, jerking her head to the side to prompt Chopper and Hiriluk to grab it as she tries to keep him alive.
"Stay awake, brat," Kureha snarls, injecting another medical serum into his side to slow the bleeding some more.
The pair return, holding the vials that Jackson demanded.
"Inside," Jackson barely manages, the nearby air-pumps keeping his lungs going.
Chopper swallows, nervously pouring the vials into his wound.
Jackson blacks out as the fluids mix and shift, tiny organs made of gold, roots and plant matter forming randomly inside of him.
Kureha checks his pulse, noting its almost immediate return to something close to regular.
Sterilizing the areas involved, she stitches up the wound, hoping against hope that Jackson doesn't bite it from this.
"I was asleep for five months after that, between what I did and my remaining injuries," Jackson explains.
"Right now, I have five lungs, one of which is made of pure gold, and two of which are nonfunctional. I've got one nonfunctional kidney, and six far smaller ones made of various materials. My liver is twice the size of an ordinary human's, and there are an unknown number of heart-like structures scattered throughout my chest cavity.
"After that event, Chopper and I agreed that something needed to happen, or I wouldn't survive for very long against anything else that tries to kill me, so we did several more surgeries, giving me lumps of hardened brain-tissue that don't stop functioning under physical trauma, redundant arteries, and a spine capable of regeneration."
Jackson gestures to Chopper. "When Chopper requested that a similar procedure be done on himself, Kureha agreed to perform the surgery and injections with Hiriluk's assistance, and I spent another three months asleep for it."
"That was a year ago."
Chopper interjects, having gained some confidence. "But now I'm a far more skilled surgeon and doctor, and Jerry has gotten a lot stronger with his alchemy. With what we have now… It might turn out better."
Usopp has to admit, he's disgusted, but curious. "What did they do to you, then, Chopper?"
Chopper grins, arms akimbo. "I'm the proud owner of fully redundant organs! Plus a few things to make it so my entire body can heal naturally, given enough time."
Sanji, however, is hit far too close to home with what Jackson had described. That sort of heavy modification… "Sorry, Scarf-head. I'll stick with exercise and nutrition to grow stronger."
Zoro nods. "I hate agreeing with the shitty pervert, but I do. I need to take my own path to become the strongest."
Nami huffs, having listened to the explanation as she commanded the docking crews. "Well, I'm not dumb enough to pass up something like that. As long as it doesn't hurt Jackson or make me sick or something."
Daz Bonez nods. "I will accept anything you offer me, if it will make me stronger."
Luffy's lips are turned inward as he ponders Jackson's tale.
"So you've got stuff in you made of metal. Does that mean you're a…"
"Cyborg!?" Luffy yells, leaping to his feet, eyes glowing with merriment.
Jackson ponders this for almost a minute, before answering with a nod. "I'm a meat cyborg."
"So cool!~" Luffy roars, falling to the ground in shock.
Chopper huffs. "That's so oversimplifying it…"
Jackson waves to Luffy, who is doing a slow stomping dance while chanting "Meat Cyborg" repeatedly.
"Feel free to complicate it to our captain. I'll prepare the aspirin," Jackson says.
"Anyway, I'm not done, if you guys don't want to go that route, there's still a lot we can do to get stronger. Sanji and Chopper could work together to prepare training-tailored meals, containing ingredients designed to nourish and empower someone to ready them for combat or recovery."
He hums. "I could, of course, try to build some more weapons and armor for you all. Sanji, I'll be producing a new pair of clothing for you, it should be perfectly serviceable for sterile cooking and combat in one. If you like, I can also start trying to produce ingredients that are more difficult to cook with. I've got no clue if it will make you better at fighting, but it will probably make you stronger.."
Sanji nods. "Now that's something I can get behind."
Jackson turns to Zoro. "I've got some special training in mind, and you're really not going to like it."
Zoro grins. "Good."
"Everyone else, if you want augmentations, come to my lab. Chopper, could you extend this offer to the Sea Mammal Pirates? We want them to be strong, too."
Surprisingly, Luffy is the first person to arrive after Jackson performs the preliminary testing. "Yeah! Meat Cyborg!" Luffy roars, clearly having a very specific vision in mind.
"So then, you don't have a problem with me and Chopper performing operations to make you stronger?" Jackson starts, prompting Luffy to laugh.
"Why the hell not? If I'm stronger, that means I can train harder, and get even stronger!" Luffy shouts, flexing his arm with a grin.
Jackson nods, pulling out a heavily modified device made of lenses and computer parts. "This will let me calculate how much it will cost to do certain augmentations. I used my old Alchemy Magnifying Glass to make it."
"The first step, I feel, is helping you with your hunger problems," Jackson says, rooting around for several vials.
Luffy's eyebrows pull up. "Food?"
Jackson shakes their head. "More like… Giving you a super stomach that makes you not as hungry. Plants can eat sunlight for food, but you couldn't, even if you wanted to."
This explanation makes Luffy irrationally annoyed. He wants to eat all of the food, damn it!
"So, do you want to be able to eat sunlight?" Jackson asks.
Luffy nods. "Sounds cool!"
Jackson scribbles something on his tablet, informing Chopper of the development.
"Now, you're ungodly strong, so I can probably only add one other thing, and it's something really special."
Jackson pulls out a large jar of water and a large jar of sand.
"Now, what I've got here is mystery sand. Whenever I drop it in water, it traps bubbles over it," Jackson explains, taking a handful of the sand and dumping it in the water, where it clumps together, surrounded in bubbles of air.
Luffy laughs a bit, staring at the cool mystery sand. "Wow, it's all shiny!"
Jackson nods. "It's really cool, but here's why I showed it to you."
Jackson plunges his hand into the water, a large layer of air surrounding his hand, and allowing him to grab a handful of the sand. When he pulls them both out, they're completely dry.
"I had Chopper alter mine and his sweat glands, so we can touch water without getting wet. You won't be able to breathe underwater or anything ridiculous like that, but it does mean that water would have a very hard time touching you unless you scrubbed yourself down with soap. Otters use a similar compound in order to give them greater speed in the water, and there are species of spiders who are able to drag down air bubbles from the surface, using them to survive, even in lakes," Jackson explains, pouring the jar of water out on his hand, the liquid sliding off with contemptible ease.
"It's not a perfect defense against a Devil Fruit's weakness, but it's a really good one. Would you like this treatment as well, captain?"
Luffy nods rapidly.
Jackson scans Luffy, his new computerized Alchemy Scanner spitting out a number. "It will take me a day to recover from your procedure, photosynthesis, ultra-hydrophobic sweat, and of course, one or two critical redundant organs as part of the Hunter Operation. I've sent a message to Chopper for him to get the cleanroom ready."
While Jackson naps, spread out on the beach, Nami apologizes to the old man, for how rowdy their own animal companions had been towards his goats.
"I swear, I'll make sure that the Egrethieves don't feed any more animals half-baked hooch, sir. I didn't realize they would do something like this," she says, her glare promising the cowering birds pain in their future as punishment for getting all those adorable goats blackout drunk.
"Our doctor will make sure none of them are sick, if that's alright with you," she finishes, Chopper having already been in the process of checking over the unconscious goats for any signs of illness beyond the obvious.
Despite Chopper's best efforts to explain otherwise, Luffy has taken to gaping up at the sun, as if it would let him absorb more energy by having his mouth open as he sunbathes.
"Ahh, it's alright. Goats will be goats, young lady," Zenny says. He originally planned on giving these pirates a hard time, until their critters and his critters started partying it up.
He didn't have the heart to pester them after seeing his goats having so much fun.
As the night drags on, and Luffy eventually meanders around to talking with the old man, Daz listens to the conversation intently as the topic turns to piracy and dreams.
"Ahh, age doesn't mean a thing, old man! If you've got a dream, you should chase after it. You've got the whole rest of your life ahead of you. No point wasting it doing anything else, am I right?" Luffy laughs, Zenny's story of being a former loan-shark for pirates, but one who had a dream of becoming a pirate himself entertaining him enough to offer them advice.
Another opportunity to learn, in Daz's mind. What Luffy had just said… It's wrong?
"Captain Luffy, permission to speak?" Daz states politely, setting down his plate of food.
"Oh, sure thing! Go ahead," Luffy says, watching the Kung-fu Dugong Captain scold the Egrethief one for passing out so much booze.
"How can he pursue his dream if he lacks strength? He would die," Daz claims, waiting for his Captain to answer this paradox.
Luffy laughs. "That's life, Daz! If you die, you die. Until you do, though, chasing your dreams is still worth doing."
Zenny pauses, shocked at the claim.
He waves Luffy off. "Ahh, come on now. My bones are old, and my time's running low."
Daz has a hunch that he doesn't have a good rationale for, listening to Luffy and the old man go back and forth.
He decides to interject. "Jerry Jackson claimed that more test subjects would allow him to refine his and Chopper's medical procedures on us. Would it not be wise to offer Mr. Zenny an opportunity like that? It would be a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Luffy puts a hand to his chin. "I like that idea! Hey old man, I bet my doctor and my quack can fix you up to go pirating!"
When Jackson wakes up, he finds himself helpless against the pouting of a literal army of goats.
"If I let Chopper give him a tuneup, it's just going to take that much longer for me to get around to the rest of you guys…" Jackson says, turning to the others.
The goats tilt their head pitifully, causing Jackson to clench at his chest, collapsing to the ground as the cuteness washes over him.
"No! I will resist! I've been trained for years to resist Chopper-tier cuteness!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean Jerry?" Chopper shouts angrily. The sight of Chopper's violent stare makes Jackson groan from the adorableness, clutching his chest harder.
Chopper notices this, growing even angrier.
"Amazing! I feel twenty years younger!" Zenny yells, clenching and unclenching his fists with awe.
"I mean, barely," Chopper grimaces, disappointed that he had only managed to stave off so much of the old man's failing bodily functions with the budget that Jackson calculated with his new scanner.
"Alright Goat-gramps, you're good to go. Just remember to eat lots of vegetables whenever you can. You'll need the vitamins," Jackson claims, Zenny giving a thumbs-up as he has his crew of goats shove their boat off into the sea, climbing aboard with a hefty chunk of supplies weight them down.
The ship sails fairly well, for something Zenny had originally built to be his gravesite.
Daz approaches Jackson, standing next to him. "Disappointing. I had been hoping to learn something from this. Come to some sort of realization."
Jackson shrugs. "Fortune favors the bold? I got a full tank of various goat essences from the experiments and transferring some of the excess essence from those goats into him barely cost me anything. It practically wanted to transfer on its own when I was using a pot from this island.
"Profitable, and it induced a fuzzy feeling. That good enough for a day's work?"
Daz crosses their arms, the ghost of a smile crossing their lips. "I suppose."
Last edited: Sep 2, 2019
Chapter 25: Vertigo
"Look, I don't know what you think we owe, but we're just here to take care of some business, and we'll be on our way," Sanji says, glaring at the strange individual threatening them.
"And I'm telling you that you aren't going anywhere until you pay your docking tax, your eating tax, and of course, the all-important breathing tax, even if I have to beat it out of you all!" Lake shouts, pointing his mecha-suit's arm at the cook.
Chopper's eyes widen when he sees the greedy look in Jackson's eyes.
"I want that mecha," Jackson says.
"Hey! I heard that! That's a 'Coveting the Mayor's property tax'!" Lake shouts, pointing the electrified rod at them angrily.
"I've never cut up a robot before," Zoro says with interest in his tone as he partially draws one of his blades.
Luffy's eyes glow as he stares at Lake. "Mechaaa.~"
"Alright, the solution is clear. We'll have to play rock-paper-scissors for who gets to fight this guy." Jackson says, prompting Lake to stumble.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here! You'll all be fined so heavily for this nonsense!" Lake shouts, swinging his suit's mechanical arms at them.
"Rolling Thunder!"
The mechanical arms slam into one another, creating a giant arc of electricity that he swings towards the Strawhats, the electrical pulse ripping down the street like a missile.
Luffy, who had taken the lead, looks at the bolt with confusion as it slams into him and bounces off up into the air.
"Was that supposed to be a distraction? It was pretty loud and bright, but you're supposed to do an attack after you distract someone," Luffy says, scratching his head at Lake's incredulous shock.
"His attacks don't work on you, captain. Rubber beats electricity," Jackson explains, patting his poor captain on the shoulder.
"Oh, so his mecha is really weak?" Luffy says, disappointed.
"Hey, if you can beat him up without breaking it, I bet I could make it better," Usopp offers, looking at the machinery appraisingly.
Luffy nods, throwing his arm back. "Gum Gum Pistol-That-Doesn't-Break-Stuff!" Luffy says, flinging his fist at the man's foot, knocking it out from under him and making him fall facefirst to the ground.
After Zoro and Sanji beat up the guards trying to attack them, Usopp takes the time to dismantle the machinery, packing it away and wheeling it off to the ship.
When Chopper attempts to treat some of their wounds, he's slapped by an irate Lake.
"We don't need no help from some thieving pirate scum, and I certainly don't need it from some ugly little monster!"
Chopper takes this stoically, choosing to turn and walk away, but Jackson stops him, placing a hand on his head.
"Would you care to repeat that, you son of a bitch?" Jackson says, Lake turning around in time for Jackson to punch him in the jaw, sending him flat to the floor as Jackson shakes their hand to rid it of the slight pain, pulling the brass knuckles off and returning them to their vial.
As Lake attempts to stumble to his feet, Jackson plants a foot on their chest, reaching his hand up to the scarves on his face.
"You really shouldn't make fun of people's appearances. Someone might take offense," Jackson says, leaning in so Lake can get a good look at him.
Lake's eyes widen as he spots the blue tint to Jackson's nose, but it's far overshadowed by the patchwork of scars crisscrossing across their face, each scar having a more ridiculous color and texture than the last. Metals, from flat nail-shaped patches, to the crisscrossing pattern of a file, cloth replacing a small sliver of skin, and the latest offender, a spiderweb of polished clay skin spreading across his forehead.
"So if Chopper's an ugly little monster, what does that make me? Go on, tell me."
Lake passes out, eyes rolling back into his head.
Jackson scoffs, picking up his discarded scarf and wrapping it back around his head.
He walks back over to Chopper, patting him on the head. "Let's get going, we've got a few more errands to run before we can leave Ruluka."
Chopper nods, following after Jackson and remembering the first time he saw Jackson like that.
Chopper is hiding in Kureha's medicine cabinet, sobbing quietly to himself. Today was a really bad day for little blue-nosed human-reindeer.
'Mommy, why is his nose that gross color?'
'I don't know dear, but I would stay away. It could be infectious.'
'Sorry, we don't serve monsters. Tell that quack to send a person next time, instead of his freaky pet.'
'Whoops! Sorry, I thought you were some kind of gremlin!'
Chopper grits his teeth, trying to get his emotions under control as fat tears splash onto the wood underneath him.
"Hey! Chopper! Where are you hiding? I got a new tattoo I wanted to show you!" Chopper hears muffled from outside.
Sniffing heavily, Chopper wipes his face and opens the cabinet door, plodding outside to see whatever it is Jackson wanted to show him.
Jackson smiles down at the little reindeer, pulling the scarf off from around his mouth that he had been using to hide the little scars dotting it here and there from his experiments.
"Check it out, I went ahead and found a tattoo artist willing to take care of it," he says, pointing to the fresh blue ink covering his nose.
"Now if someone makes fun of the way you look, then they're messing with me, too!"
Chopper's tears erupt as he shakes his head.
"No! You're supposed to be the normal one! You can't have a blue nose too! We can't both be monsters…
"You gotta cover it up, so nobody thinks you're wrong too."
Jackson leans down with a serious expression, grabbing Chopper by the shoulders.
"There's not a damn thing wrong with you, Chopper… But if it makes you feel better…"
He pulls the scarf back over his face, "How about this. If someone makes fun of you, I'll whip this scarf off, and it will be all shocking and surprising, right before I kick their ass. They'll be like, 'Oh man! How could we have been so stupid, messing with Tony Tony Chopper with someone as cool as Jerry Jackson in his corner!'"
His cheeks poke up above his scarf as he smiles. "Sound like a plan?"
Chopper blinks, trying to imagine such a scenario.
He nods shyly, saying nothing else.
"Say, Jerry, why didn't we help out with that Rainbow Mist thing? We probably could have spared the time to do more than just give that old man that huge bomb," Chopper questions, as they pull away from Ruluka.
"Time travel freaks me out, Chopper, and that mist is one-hundred-percent time travel. Did you see all of those other old people that were there with Henzo? That wasn't like that, in the future I came from. I figure I shouldn't mess with that time loop more than I absolutely have to. Who knows how interfering with the Rainbow Mist personally could warp the past?" Jackson admits.
"Awfully hypocritical of you, isn't it?" Chopper says with an extremely amused expression on his face.
"Hey, no sass in the lab. It interferes with the alchemization process," Jackson sasses, pouring out the melted down machinery that Usopp helped bring aboard, and pouring it out into cube-shaped mechanisms for tinkering.
"Did you manage to find any volunteers, among the ship mice?"
Chopper nods. "There were more than a few willing to come in for testing in exchange for safety and food."
Jackson smiles, pulling out a case containing his latest batch of Ghetto Fruit Cubes. "I had a few ideas for Ghetto Fruits, ones that aren't suitable without an ally. I'll discuss the matter with Mockery, Tall and Luffy, and see if we can recruit some of the mice as partners for the Sea Mammal Pirates."
Jackson roots around for something, before pulling out a glowing white sphere using a pair of tongs.
"I call this stuff Hailfire.
Using the metal tongs, Jackson nudges the ball until it bumps into a block of wood, singing and cracking it on impact.
"By blending distilled heat, magnets, and a few animal extracts, I've made a form of thermal radiation that is attracted to itself, pulling into these spheres moments after heating, smashing, and cutting anything it touches.
"The problem is controlling it. Only intense, localized radio waves can meaningfully manipulate it without having something attached to it, like these tongs. Unless, of course, a living thing was in control of it.
"While I can make weapons that control hailfire, using some of the transponder snail extract I got ahold of, I feel like its true potential will only emerge with a living creature at the helm."
Chopper's eyebrows twist in confusion. "So you want to make the mice into laser mice?"
"You're damn straight. Check this out."
Jackson pulls out a pale white machine, made of metal and ivory, wrapped with what seems to be a bit of wood.
"Hailing Frequency, switch on!" Jackson shouts, flipping a switch which causes a white blade to emerge from the hollow end of the weapon, humming as it distorts the air.
"One part sword…" Jackson continues, flipping another switch which makes the handle slide, forming a curved gun-shape.
"And one part pistol," he finishes, the energy coming from the barrel of the weapon congealing into a giant sphere, ready to fire.
"If we can get some people together with Hailfire Ghetto Fruits, then they could be formidable combatants, even though I haven't figured out why this stuff glows, yet…
"I mean, if it's reabsorbing all the thermal energy it puts out, it should be invisible," Jackson shrugs, deactivating the weapon.
Chopper nods. "I'll tell the mice about it, so they can decide for themselves."
"Thanks, Chopper. I figure if we're going to have mice, we might as well put em to work, if they're willing," Jackson chuckles.
Chopper balks, rushing onto the deck. "Guys! We've got a really big problem! Splash Mountain is in trouble, their ship got really far away from us, and they're under attack!" he says, having gotten the response from them via transponder snail.
Luffy growls, grinding his fist into his palm. "Well, let's go beat em up!"
Nami shakes her head. "We'll never find them unless we use something fast. Some of us need to stay on the ship to protect it, too."
Zoro steps forward. "Me, Nami, and Chopper will go help them, the rest of you should stay here, in case someone tries to come after the Merry. Jackson, can you give us one of those Merry Poses, so we can find our way back?"
Nami seems shocked that Zoro would have considered something like that, as she packs her Clima-tact, "That's a great idea, Zoro, that way, we'll be able to regroup after we find them."
"(Come on, Mockery, we've got to get up and fight this Dizzy bastard!)" Tall shouts, holding a very sharp blade between his flippers as the bird behind him.
Mockery breathes heavily, panicking at the sight of the grody human and his weird crew trying to kill them.
Flapping up into the air, Mockery pulls the saber from their rope-belt, swinging it at the pirate from above.
The weird thin pirate laughs, leaping back and drawing his sword up to clash with Mockery's own, giggling to himself when his sword bends like a noodle, skidding around Mockery's sword and whipping out at them, hitting them in the chest.
"Tee-heeheeheeheehee! Dumb animals! What did you think I meant when I called myself the captain of the Toon Pirates?" he shouts, wobbling his springy sword from side to side, before poking the tip and bending it almost in half, the blade forming a tense arc before flopping around wildly as he releases it.
"All of my men use spring steel in our weapons, so they squash and stretch just like a cartoon! You hardened little beasts are no match for that sort of thing!" he laughs, looking around where his men are faring all too well, Dugong Flippers crashing into the metal weapons, only to bounce off, and the Egrets being almost helpless, trying to drop barrels down onto the hardened pirates from above.
"Let me tell you, fish lips, you and your little friends are going to make quite the meal for us tonight!" Dizzy Martin yells with delight, swinging his wobbling sword at Tall again, wiggling it to prevent the Dugong from grabbing it like they did last time.
The flexible weapon slips past Tall's guard, striking him in the chest and sending him crashing into the guard-rail.
Tall grimaces at his cracked shell, forcing himself back up onto his tail.
Mockery, he notes, has already fallen unconscious, the blow to the chest being far more than the bird can handle.
Tall forces himself back into his fighting stance, flippers held at the ready. "(I'm not going to let you hurt my fellow disciples.)"
"Sorry, I can't understand your little mongrel noises? I thought it was rats that fight hardest when backed into a corner, whoopsie-me! Tee-heeheeheehee!" they laugh, shrugging as he bends his sword idly.
Tall remembers the things that sensei had taught him and the others, both directly, through their training, but also, indirectly, through simply observing the rubber-master.
He cocks his flipper back, tensing his tail.
"Now, take this! Acme Thwap!" Dizzy yells, pulling his sword back in a gigantic two-handed overhead swing, the blade arching back from the movement as he charges.
Tall leaps into the air, flying towards Dizzy, outstretched flipper clenching, even as their body relaxes.
"(Kung-Fu..!)"
Tall drives their fist into the blade, wincing at the pain, but driving on even harder as they power through.
"(Pistol!)"
The spring steel blade snaps in two, swiping across Dizzy's face and sending him flying backwards onto the ground.
Growling, Dizzy pants heavily, planting his hand on the ground and pushing himself up as blood drips from the long cut across his face.
"You think you're so goddamn strong… But I bet you aren't stronger than a bullet." they snarl, pulling out a gun with a barrel formed out of a thick, springy coil that widens towards its muzzle.
Sneering, Dizzy adjusts his aim, pointing towards Mockery's unconscious body.
"Whoopsie-me, my finger slipped," he says, firing the gun at the Egrethief, causing the barrel to wobble wildly.
The bullet curves towards them faster than Tall can move, whizzing by them entirely, only for the bullet to halt with a loud clang.
"Sorry we took so long, Fish-guy," Zoro says, his sword outstretched protectively in front of Mockery.
Chopper finishes up the last of the bandaging, after Zoro finishes kicking the Toon Pirates back onto their ship, Dizzy's face too swollen with bruises for him to do much more than mumble incoherently.
"Alright, I'd avoid punching any more swords if I were you, Tall. Fists aren't meant to do that."
Zoro shakes his head. "Those guys are something else. Using swords made of spring steel means that they wouldn't hold an edge at all. They would have taken easily an hour to kill someone with one of those."
Nami watches the horizon carefully as Splash Mountain regroups with the Going Merry, before turning to Mockery and Tall.
"Alright, I think I'd like you guys to designate someone to be your navigator. I'll have Jackson produce a Merry Pose for you, and we'll get ourselves a Splash Mountain Pose as well, so we can avoid losing one another like that again. We're a lot stronger when we stick together."
She spots Usopp preparing the machine that she helped him build with Chopper. "Speaking of sticking together, have your crew tie Splash Mountain to the Merry, we need to keep our ships close together for this plan.
"Hey! Usopp! Is the wool-plow ready?!" she shouts, leaping across and onto the Merry.
He nods, grinning widely. "It sure is! I hope you're ready, Nami, for the Going Merry's first flight!"
The machine strapped to the Going Merry's bow begins sucking in seawater, rapidly boiling it into steam, and injecting Chopper's synthetic Pyrobloin compounds into it.
The steam thickens, surrounding the Going Merry like a blanket and transforming into thicker, denser sea-clouds, ones that the Going Merry, inch by inch, begins climbing up onto as it plows forward through the steam.
Nami shouts over to Tall and the others. "Stay near our ship! If you fall off the trail we leave behind, it's not going to be a pretty sight!"
Last edited: Sep 2, 2019
Interlude 1: Visiting Hours
"You know… I don't really… Get it, exactly?
"If we really want this pirate fellow, why should we bother with all this… Subterfuge?
"If you like, I could pop over and bring him here for a visit. Introduce him to CP3? It would be so much less work than all this subtle investigating." Aokigi drawls.
"We cannot afford to make enemies of them at this point in time. Currently, Jerry Jackson is the only known individual with access to these artificial Devil Fruits. Until we know where or how he is obtaining them, or learn of additional individuals obtaining a supplier, the risk of losing all access entirely is unacceptable," an elderly voice says over a nearby Transponder Snail.
Sengoku idly shuffles through his reports. "Vice-admiral Garp's 'Steel Men' have been all but ripping their way through paradise as well. If the Devil Fruits that Mr. Jackson has provided are a hoax, then they are a hoax elaborate enough to be attributed the capture of no less than six pirate crews in one month."
Akainu snarls. "Great. Fantastic, even, sir. Now we capture the Strawhats, and that would make seven. What possible benefit could we have by allowing them to run free after we already have everything that they offered us? The fact that any amount of those blasted fruits would be enough to protect pirates from Justice is appalling."
Sengoku shakes his head. "Even if they aren't doing so directly, the Strawhats are still fulfilling the role that the Warlords play. Through what they offer, more and more pirates are captured. Thus, for now, there is more to be had in allowing them the privileges they have bought, especially should they begin to trade in earnest with the Marines."
"And when we discover the source of the duplicate fruits they're obtaining?" Akainu demands.
"Then we will have no further use for them."
As Doflamingo and the others shuffle into the dining hall, some of them can't help but notice his "I've found out something delightfully intriguing" smile.
He notices this as well, chuckling slightly, explaining what he had just heard from Vergo's latest report, a report detailing some very interesting tidbits about a certain group of pirates, and their mysterious supplier.
"So that's what we've gotten from our Marine contacts," Donquixote Doflamingo says, smiling with unrestrained amusement.
Trebol begins with what can be the only answer to Doflamingo. "What would you like us to do, Doffy? Something like that… Isn't it a threat to our operations?"
Doflamingo waves Trebol's concerns off, laughing n a low tone. "Nothing like that. A bit of competition is… healthy, in our line of work."
He shrugs easily. "Our business with Kaido hasn't been affected in the slightest, and our factory is still churning out our own products with no hiccups. If they are content in knowing their place, and staying away from our territory, then what can I do but respect them immediately understanding my superiority?"
"Of course, if they can produce so many, so quickly, then doesn't it stand to reason that we should be able to, as well?" Doflamingo says, his eyes glinting madly.
"Really, it's like I said. This sort of competition is healthy. How could we have possibly known that someone could suddenly distribute dozens of products oh-so-similar to our own, with no signs of stopping, if not for the Strawhats and their mysterious supplier? I'll have a little talk about increasing Ceasar's budget, to see if he can match that sort of output."
He leers, leaning back in his chair. "Though, their position of Warlord is a bit irking. It's the sort of thing a person might interpret as the act of a rival. A crew forcing the World Government to grant them such a position, and producing Devil Fruits en-masse?"
He chuckles as he spots his elite officers listening intently.
"Oh what the hey, maybe we should do something about it."
Doflamingo thinks to himself for a moment. "How about this, we'll just have one of them killed, so they know we can."
"I think it's a good plan, Doffy," Diamante says, smiling.
Doflamingo chuckles, waving them off. "Anyway, enough business at the dinner table. I just thought you all might like to hear about this."
The Executive Officers murmur in general agreement, hacking off slices of pizza and grabbing at the other various dishes available.
Vivi can't help but ponder how bizarre her current situation is, as she prepares to embark on the Frog River's maiden voyage, the gigantic train resting on its wooden tracks as if awaiting her.
"The ground around these tracks looks odd," Pell points out leaning down to examine it.
Vivi noticed this as well, but hadn't pointed it out. "It's the weeds," she explains, pointing to where several of the pale yellow plants are forcing themselves to survive in the unforgiving heat, dotted around the cracked and hardened soil near the wooden rails.
"They're giving the sand structure, forcing it to hold together," she explains, as she and her retinue climb aboard, prepared to ride to the center of these anomalous tracks, to meet with their owner and keeper.
They take their seats in one of the private booths, guards taking their places next to the booth's entrance.
Theodore hums, watching the scenery go by. "Is there any particular reason why weeds are growing everywhere around the tracks?"
Vivi nods. "One thing I've often read is that plants make rain. These roots apparently run deep enough to reach some of the groundwater, but more importantly, they've been absorbing all of the rain that falls, releasing it as the plant performs photosynthesis. That rain would normally run off into rivers and back into the water table, but with so many plants nearby, it's being put directly back into the air," she explains.
"More humidity means more clouds, which in turn means more rain."
"Which would mean more plants begin to grow, as the rainfall increases," Pell interjects.
Vivi nods. "That's the theory, at least. In practice, the opposite is usually the case, as rain depletes, the plants begin to die, and the area transforms into desert. But these cacti that Mr. Scorpion has been cultivating are strange. They're aggressive, virulent, and hardy, enduring even the worst dryness of the desert as it spreads its roots…"
"Trains and rain. Two things I hadn't considered going together before," Theodore shrugs, before a rumble rocks through the train.
"Did you all feel that?" Pell says, suspicion entering his tone.
"I did. Do you think the train hit something?" Vivi wonders as he stands up.
"I'm going to go investigate. Stay here, Princess," Pell demands, exiting the booth.
"What do you think happened?" Theodore asks.
Vivi shrugs. "I'm not sure. Maybe we ran over one of the melons?"
Another rumble rocks the train, and this time, there's no doubt about its source, as a gigantic ship slides up along the train as it runs, pirates leaping up and onto the ship.
While Theodore looks panicked, watching the pirates leap aboard with dread, Vivi looks idly confused. "Alright, let's see what they want."
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Vivi? It could be dangerous… Oh who am I kidding, there's no stopping you with something like this…" Theodore moans, standing up and stretching before following Vivi out of the booth and up onto the train.
A larger pirate stands facing off against Pell. "Ahh, and Princess Vivi, too! I apologize for the inconvenience, my name is Barbarossa, and me and my men, well, we were going to steal all of the melons that this train has been collecting!"
Vivi nods. "If nothing else, I can see your rationale. I can't allow you to simply steal food, however. Those melons will be used to foster a new generation of Railway Plants."
Barbarossa scratches his chin. "Well, I suppose…"
Before he can finish speaking, an arrow whizzes by prompting the people riding the top of the train to turn and spot the offender. On the other side of the Frog River, a large group of Desert Bandits begin riding up alongside the train.
"Barbarossa! You bastard! We were going to rob this train!" the leader of the bandits shouts over the whipping winds.
Barbarossa laughs uproariously. "Why do you think I went to all this trouble? I'll steal anything you want to steal, without fail!"
Vivi's eyes narrow ponderously as the Desert Pirates and Bandits begin arguing in earnest.
"Barbarossa, consider this an offer, if you can fend off these bandits, then we might very well have a surplus of food to share."
The pirate pauses, grinning at the princess as Pell balks. "A discerning eye, Princess, realizing how much better we are than those damn bandits! I'll decide whether or not to rob this train after we take care of the trash!"
Vivi's arm transforms and morphs as she sucks sand from around her into her glowing limb, forming a nest of glass needles that she points at the bandits. She carefully adjusts her aim so she doesn't hit any of their horses or vital areas. "Peacock Quills!"
Her arm erupts in a spray of glass powder as the tense glass ball inside of her arm ruptures explosively, launching the needles at their targets and piercing ankles, shoulders, and hands with ease.
Barbarossa's own pirates take aim, firing more lethal shots that are just as effective.
Pell, meanwhile, opts to use his gatling guns, transforming into his hawk form as he leaps off of the train and begins tailing behind the bandits.
"Damn it! Retreat! Retreat!" The bandit leader shouts, pulling his horse away from the train after one of Vivi's quills pierces his shoulder.
As the action dies down, Vivi turns to face Barbarossa. "I've heard that you Sand Pirates travel all over the desert. I happen to have a use in mind for a group like that, if you'll hear me," she says, considering the plans she had for distributing the Railway Plants.
Kureha stares expectantly at the tiny turtle-shaped tank that had climbed all the way up the mountain, watching it wander around in circles before seemingly spotting her.
With a short fanfare and a spurt of confetti, the turtle-machine unfolds, revealing letters and a few cases.
Spotting crudely drawn pictures of Chopper and Jackson on the letters, she decides to drag the turtle-machine inside and see what exactly they've sent.
Hiriluk takes one of the letters for himself, cracking it open and reading Chopper's letter first as Kureha scans over Jackson's.
"Hello! I hope this care-package got to you all in good condition. It damn well better have, with how much stuff I packed into it. You should find a bunch of bright blue pills in one of the cases, and some bottles of powder in the other. Basically, I've gotten a few artificial Devil Fruits that I've been making, and I figured that I should at least take the time to send you all some. I've included some documentation on the pills and powders, so be sure to read through it before you give anyone that stuff. Stay safe, alright Doctor and Doctorine?
Yours truly, Jerry Jackson."
"Zehahahahaha! So I was right then, I thought you might be close by, Ace!" Blackbeard claims, his crew standing back at a safe distance as he and his opponent stand on opposite sides of the empty main-street of Mock Town.
Ace had approached him almost calmly, casually, as Blackbeard enjoyed the food at one of the local establishments, telling him to come outside so they can put an end to this.
"So you still want a fight, eh? You know, if you join my crew instead, then you'd be on the fast track to the top, Ace! You can't possibly think Whitebeard's got that much time left, do you? I'm the man who's going to be king of the pirates!" Blackbeard shouts, his hands held out.
"Marshal D. Teach, while a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, you committed a betrayal of the highest order. There is only one offer I will accept from you after your murder of Thatch."
Ace's eyes narrow. "Offer up your own life. Accept your death. That is only punishment available for those who betray their own as you've done."
Blackbeard's grin turns nasty. "Oh come off your high-horse, Ace, I had no other choice. I had to choose between my dream and my crew. The Dark Dark Fruit was worth committing any crime, no matter how vile."
Ace's face twists in anger, but he doesn't act. Blackbeard's suspicion grows as Ace just stands there, unmoving. Anyone else would be running at him like a wildebeest, by now.
The bullet that slams into his forearm only missed his heart due to him jerking to the side in time.
"Gah! Damn it all! I thought you wanted a fair fight, damn you!" Blackbeard moans, clutching his arm as he feels his strength sap.
"What is this, Seastone?!" Blackbeard roars as Ace approaches him, some other person at his side.
Blackbeard backs away, only to hear a loud ruckous as his crew comes up against two other Whitebeard Division Commanders, and rank-and-file soldiers flooding in from every street corner.
As Ace pulls his fist back, and Blackbeard's attention returns to the bullet in his forearm, he realizes that he's only got one chance of survival.
Even under the effects of water or seastone, Blackbeard's body still has it's one fatal weakness, which is that his body absorbs attacks, intensifying them.
"Fire Fist!"
Robin finishes the last of her tea and closes the book she had stolen from the Strawhats' ship.
She can't decide if it's funny or humiliating, how her method of bribing the animal pirates had gone from goods to services, her power being utilized to scratch their heads as bribery for them not informing the Strawhats of her stowing away nearby.
Banchi the turtle slowly plods below the deck, holding a note in his mouth.
"Ahh, Banchi, what is it you've got for me?" she asks, taking the note from her own animal companion.
She unfolds the note. Another secretive piece of correspondence from Jackson?
"Golden Bellfry, Shandora Ruins (Probably?)" the note reads.
Robin frowns. It isn't like she knows where those places are. An attempt to manipulate her into revealing herself for more information?
Banchi waits patiently for Robin.
"Alright, let's see this sky island. I'm sure I'll find something if there are ruins here. Do you know where the Strawhats are right now?" she asks, not seeing any of them on the Going Merry itself.
Banchi shakes their head.
When she opts to look abovedeck to see if it's safe to come out undetected, she notes that they had all gone aboard Splash Mountain after reaching the White Sea, and at least a few of them are looking expectantly at the entrance to where she had been hiding.
The deadpan stare she gives her treacherous giant turtle causes it to sweat heavily.
Last edited: Sep 3, 2019
Chapter 26: Barotrauma
"So you knew I was here, the entire time?" Robin says, casually crossing her legs on the chair they provided.
Chopper nods. "After Jackson learned that you were spying on us in Alabasta, he came up with a plan to communicate silently and invisibly. It only works with people who have enhanced senses, however, due to its reliance on twenty-six different pheromones."
"I gave Chopper the translation key encoded in the research notes we would send one another, and over the course of a week, told him to give the Sea Mammal Pirates a sharp pay raise in exchange for informing us of even small aberrations. I suspected something closer to the Dugongs spotting you following us in the distance, or perhaps some of your limbs in hidden places. But when I saw your turtle in the crew, it cinched it for me," Jackson explains.
"Even if you had eyes and ears all over the ship, you probably didn't have noses as well. And even if you knew the translation key, you would never be able to discern the scents. So I was able to get the information I need, and secretly pass the message on to the others later on with some other trickery."
Usopp balks. "I still don't get why we had to wait to deal with this. She's an assassin, isn't that… uhh…" he chuckles nervously, remembering that they've already recruited Daz Bonez of all people.
Daz himself crosses his arms. "He waited until we were already up in the sky, to minimize the risk factor that might emerge from exposing her. Even if she somehow killed us now, she would have no information on the area, and no clean methods of returning safely to the ocean below. Is that correct?"
Jackson shrugs. "Not exactly? I assumed she would try to explore on her own now that we're in Skypiea, and you can count the number of things up here that aren't deadly threats on one hand. Is that correct?"
Robin crosses her arms. "You did tempt me with promises of past knowledge."
"Better than making an enemy of you. We did screw you out of reading the Alabastan Poneglyph. Even if it didn't contain anything useful to you," Jackson states firmly.
Luffy groans loudly, leaning back in his chair until it flops over. "Can we get on with the adventuring already? Jackson already told us how you aren't bad, so we're just wasting time going over it again!"
Robin pauses at this. "Did he now?"
She chuckles softly, closing her eyes. "I suppose time will tell."
Chopper giggles as he pokes his hoof into Merry's cloud cover, the mass of pale-pink artificial sea-clouds thick enough to climb up the sides of her hull as they sail through the White Sea.
"Our ship had a sheep's head, and now she's got the wool to match!" Chopper says with delight, scooping up a puff of the pink clouds.
"It's just a good thing we have Nami with us. Otherwise, we'd never be able to cobble together the right atmospheric conditions for these clouds this close to sea-level," Jackson says, pulling up a thick pair of rubber boots over his own shoes and tightening his necklace.
"Chopper, you and Luffy will need to wear these too, I'm not certain we can walk on island clouds unless there's something blocking our coating," Jackson claims, tossing Chopper a tiny pair of rubber shoes and a necklace of his own.
Chopper whines. "I hate wearing shoes though!" he says, pulling the small rubber boots over his hooves and shuddering at the unnatural sensation.
"Hey, you can take off the booties the exact moment you figure out an alternative. Just make sure Luffy puts on his own stuff. He can't fly yet."
Chopper nods, waddling below-deck to find the napping rubberbrain in question.
He pauses when he hears that weird lady Robin and Daz talking in one of the other rooms. "I really am losing my touch, if I had gotten caught that easily," Robin complains softly, reading through the more complete dossier that Jackson had taken the time to write up.
"In all fairness, I haven't met someone who obsessively prepares like Jackson seems to. It would surprise me if he didn't have some sort of plan to deal with a member of the Four Emperors. Whether or not it would be a good one is up for debate, though," Daz responds.
"I suppose. How have you found the Strawhats so far?" Robin says, crossing her legs as she reclines in her seat.
Daz crosses his arms, looking away. "Informative. Having watched them increase in skill in such a short time, I'm growing less certain that I would be able to beat any of them in a fight, aside from the long-nosed one."
"And you haven't been growing as well, Mr. 1?" Robin offers a faint smile.
"I haven't been pushed to grow in a very long time. It has been difficult, growing stronger than what I thought was sufficient. Zoro has proven himself to be a vast challenge to overcome. He can cut through steel, which means that whatever I once was, now I'm merely steel."
"It sounds like you have quite the road ahead, then," Robin says with amusement.
Chopper swallows, nervously inching away from the door, and then tromping down to where Luffy is as quickly as he can.
"Alright, everyone. Those of you who actually read your dossiers will know that we need to watch our mouths if we want to get the biggest payoff of all time. Rule one: Don't say anything stupid. Rule two: Don't do anything stupid," Nami lists off, glaring at the entire crew as they idly watch Usopp tie a rope around his waist.
"Alright! Let's have a look-see!" Usopp shouts, only for Nami to whack him on the head.
"Rule one and two!" She roars.
Jackson shakes his head. "He can swim if he wants to, but Usopp, you need something stronger than Dynamite Stars, if you want to deal with the sea monsters."
Usopp grins nervously, breaking out into a cold sweat. "Ahh, well, uhh. You see, I just remembered, I'm actually allergic to clouds!" he laughs, backing far away from the edge of the ship.
As if the world itself were justifying Usopp's decision, A gigantic sea serpent emerges from the cloudy depths, roaring violently as it leans towards the Going Merry, strange circles on its belly stretch and contract as it writhes.
Luffy grins, walking forward with loud squeaking noises from his boots as he rears his arm back. "Nice! Our first sky-ocean dinner!"
Several more seemingly identical serpents rise up as well, all of them roaring and twisting around the Merry.
Zoro grins. "So, you take the twelve on the left, and I'll take the thirty on the right," he says to Sanji, whose face twitches with anger.
"I'll take on all of them, and not leave any for you! Moss-head!" Sanji says, butting his forehead against Zoro's as they growl at one another.
When Luffy ignores both of them and punches two of the serpents out in an instant, Daz and Jackson share a brief look of exasperation.
"Psychic Scalpel!/Erupting Radicel!" they shout, launching their respective attacks while Zoro and Sanji argue over who will get to kill the serpents.
Jackson's wave of liquid vacuum splashes on the beast's hide, while Daz's own attack leaves a shallow starburst of cuts on one of the serpents.
The serpents all roar and writhe as the ship rocks from side to side in the sloshing clouds, Splash Mountain pushed away from the Merry as a gigantic snake-mouthed kraken reveals itself as the center of all the serpents, who are merely part of its body.
"Poitrine Shoot!" Sanji yells as Zoro trips and falls from Sanji disengaging from their argument to leap over and kick the beast in its center of mass, punching a hole through it and causing it to pop like a balloon as he flies through the other side of it, splashing into the cloudy water.
The snake-tentacles twist into knots, breaking off from the octopus and swimming away as if their life depended on it.
Sanji climbs back aboard with a grimace. "Damn. Barely any meat on these things, and half of it got away."
"Yeah. How about that," Jackson says, eyeing his scalpel critically before pocketing the weapon.
"Are you alright Sanji? Let me test the creature before you cook it. Anything could be poisonous in the Grand Line, after all," Chopper points out, examining Sanji as he brushes kraken scraps off of himself.
"Lunch! Lunch! Lunch!" Luffy chants, flinging his arm out and dragging the deflated monster up onto the deck.
One of the Egrethieves flies over to ask if anyone got hurt, Chopper answering in the negative. The bird nods, preparing to flap its way back to Splash Mountain.
"Chopper, tell them to avoid swimming down. There's no seabed, and they will fall through," Jackson points out, but the bird nods to Jackson themselves before leaping over and gliding to the other ship.
"(Alright guys, we've got our mission from Rubber Captain's friend. There might be a ship up here, if anyone's alive on it, keep that way, if there isn't, salvage any valuables we can grab!)" Mockery shouts, taking to the skies after their new mouse-crewmember climbs on their back.
The other Egrethieves follow after them, while the Dugongs and Turtle remain behind to guard the ship.
Mockery has a funny hunch that they decide to follow, turning to the left and flying a ways until they spot it, a large ship in the distance, with a bright red shield painted across its sails.
The crew look confused and more than a bit amazed when Mockery and their group begin landing one after another on the ship's guardrail.
Mockery pulls a sign from their pouch, scribbling on it while the pirates look on in confusion.
"We are members of the Sea Mammal Pirates, we do not have hostile intentions," the sign reads.
The smallest person the ship steps forward, an incredibly short individual with a very tall tricone hat.
"Well met, strangers. We are the Tasteful Pirates. What intentions do you have, then, if not hostile ones?" he asks in a nasally tone, turning his nose up at them.
Mockery writes on another sign. "We have two ships between us and our parent crew, the Strawhat Pirates. It is a dangerous sea, and we might be served well by aligning our paths briefly."
The Tasteful Pirates' Captain sneers. "We've been sailing this sea for weeks in search of an alternate route to Skypiea, and we've met no danger we cannot handle. If anything, we would be protecting you. What do you get out of such an arrangement, if it's purely out of altruism?"
Mockery's eye twitches, and they write their final sign. "Trade is the lifeblood of the sea, and fortunes can change in an instant among even the wary."
Their little mouse-friend transforms into a ball of white energy, flowing into Mockery's magnetized talon-gloves as they swipe behind themselves randomly, sending a bright white line through the air that causes a surfacing sea-beast to emit a howling shriek as its neck is split open.
The burning heat energy returns to Mockery's feet, shifting back into a tiny white mouse that climbs up onto their back.
"I suppose I see your point, then…" he swallows, watching the dying creature slowly sink below the clouds.
Jackson takes long, even breaths, due in part to the intense altitude, but also due to what he is seeing.
"Sanji, my friend, my pal, our cook and long-time friend, where is all the dirt that I had stored up?"
Sanji's eyebrows raise. "You said I could take anything that wasn't expensive, if it meant making food to pad out Luffy's rations."
Jackson takes another deep breath, staring at the sixty-eight empty jars, all of which were labeled "Dirt"
"Sanji, I had all of these locked up in my cabinet, behind armored glass. How did you even get into it?"
Sanji nods. "I told Luffy that, and he jerried the lock, no pun intended. Don't ask me how."
Jackson nods, examining the lock and discovering that all the mechanisms inside of it were broken, as if shattered apart with a jagged piece of metal. "That figures."
He nods absently. "Alright, so clearly, giving everyone a dossier, and expecting people other than Luffy to at least glance at it isn't going to work. Also, you literally just fed Luffy hundreds of thousands of beri worth of dirt, and I'm telling Nami."
"Please, forgive me Nami-swan! I'll do anything to make it up to you!" Sanji begs, prostrating himself before Nami, who is on the verge of literally, not metaphorically in the slightest, igniting into flames from pure rage.
Her demonic visage turns into a sickly sweet smile. "Is that so? Then why don't you… go back down to sea-level, swim to an island, collect sixty-eight tons of dirt, and ride the knockup-stream back here so you can make up for blowing our second-biggest payday of all time," she offers, gently but insistently pushing Sanji towards the edge of the ship.
Jackson sighs. "No, Nami, that shouldn't be necessary. I can technically replace it all, but it would take time, and it would be a really big pain in the ass, even with my Jeweled Alabasta Pot padding out the cost."
He shakes his head as they approach a gigantic ornate gateway in the clouds. "What this really means is, we need to decide what our priorities are, since we can't easily pay our way through Heaven's Gate now. We can pass through, and become criminals. We could try to fly up to Skypiea ourselves with Merry's Wool Plow and risk the target deciding to attack us, we could wait for me to safely and slowly produce the dirt, or I could produce it now, and sleep off the drain."
Luffy, who had been listening in on this abrupt meeting as he bounced on some nearby bouncy clouds, considers this with all the seriousness he can manage. "Let's become-!" Luffy starts, before Chopper shrieks, running towards them and dropping his binoculars.
"The guy! That guy!" Chopper yells, breathing heavily as he points over to where a man with a bazooka and shield is skidding towards them, intent on violence.
"Idea!" Nami says, turning to the old lady snapping pictures of them as they approach. "M'am, there seems to be an individual intent on attacking here with that bazooka of his, and he looks pissed. Could our Extol fee be waived, if we fended him off?"
Amazon shrugs, uncaring. "Sure, why not."
Luffy grins pulling his arm back. "That works too!"
"Gum Gum Pistol!"
The masked warrior dodges to the side, leaping into the air as his skates emit a burst of wind and he levels his gun at them.
Luffy chuckles, pulling the same trick he did against Crocodile as he wrenches his arm to the side, altering the attack.
"Gum Gum Whip!"
Luffy's arm snaps into the masked warrior, throwing off their aim and sending their cannonball soaring high above the three ships, where it crashes into the clouds harmlessly.
The warrior skips across the surface of the clouds several times, giving them all one last hateful look before speeding away when they spot a nearby silhouette of something flying nearby.
Nami breathes a sigh of relief. "So then, m'am, can we go through Heaven's Gate with our fees paid?"
She shrugs again. "Sure."
Nami pumps her fist, before returning to the helm and guiding them towards where the Speedy Shrimp begins ferrying them up the Milky Road, one ship at a time.
"That was pretty quick thinking. Everyone has priorities that one can exploit," Daz offers.
When the last of them leave, Amazon goes into her little room off to the side of Heaven's gate. "Three ships, they bribed me into waiving their fees by defending Heaven's Gate," she whispers.
Robin's ear disperses from the corner of the room it had sprouted in.
Nami curses loudly when Robin informs them of this fact.
"Let's all be honest here, it was unlikely for Wyper to show up in the first place, much less that plan working. The Grand Line can only provide so much contrived random chance in a day," Jackson mumbles, wincing when Nami whacks him with a newspaper.
Chapter 27: Kaolin
"It's… Amazing!" Luffy roars, seeing the buildings and wide expanse of Skypiea stretching before him as the ships begin docking one after another.
"All ashore who's going ashore!" he bellows, leaping off of the Merry's figurehead and plopping into the shallows below, trudging towards land.
"You heard Luffy, let's go!" Usopp shouts, Chopper leaping up onto his shoulders with frantic nodding as they leap off of the ship as well.
Robin approaches the railing, eyeing the island critically. "An entire world up here in the skies. Isolated from the seas below. Fascinating."
Nami shakes her head with exasperation. "Well, I need to get some dirt from Jackson, so we can see about trying to fix this problem with the law here before it starts," she says, trodding back inside to see what Jackson has managed to scrounge up.
Robin huffs with amusement, looking over the rough map and folders that Jackson had printed out for her. If she so chose, she could leave right now in search of these so-called Shandoran Ruins. The problem is, if she did, then the strongest fighters here would all hunt her down like an animal with their sensory abilities.
What a tease.
She leaps down as well alongside Sanji, Zoro, and Daz, and makes her way over to the adorable little reindeer doctor.
Chopper crosses his arms under him as his eyes narrow, laying on the cloudy beach.
"Enjoying yourself, Tony Tony Chopper?" Robin says prompting the little doctor to huff petulantly.
"These clouds are fine and all, but I think Merry's are clearly superior," Chopper claims, scooping up a pile of the solidified clouds and rolling over as they pat the cloudstuff on their belly.
"Is that so? I'll take your word for it," Robin says idly.
"Jackson claimed that you were to accompany me for my own excursion later. Why is that, if I may ask?" she asks with a falsely casual tone.
Chopper pauses his task of scooping clouds up over himself like a blanket. "If a problem occurs, I'm to give you something Jackson made for emergencies. I've also got a camera for recording any hieroglyphs you encounter."
Robin pauses for a moment, before turning to leave for elsewhere. "I see. Thank you for informing me."
"Wait! Help me out here. I need to collect research data on these clouds," Chopper claims, unable to fully bury his body in the soft fluffy mass on his own.
Robin pauses, before casually sprouting two arms near him that complete the job. "Very scholarly of you, doctor," she deadpans, walking away to investigate elsewhere as the reindeer wiggles around in the clouds.
"Spit it out Luffy!" Sanji shouts.
Luffy shakes his head from side to side, the giant Conache Melon stuck in his throat after he had decided to attempt swallowing it whole when biting it didn't work.
Sanji's eyebrows twitch when Luffy tries to escape Sanji attempting to remove the offending object, in spite of his face turning blue.
"Collier!"
Sanji drives his foot into Luffy's neck from below, caving in the melon's soft underside.
Luffy pauses for a moment, before spitting out the empty shell, the juice spilling out after the kick.
"Ahh! Refreshing!" Luffy chuckles, already reaching for another one.
"Luffy, I will get a chisel, don't stuff another one in your mouth!" Sanji yells, running back aboard the Merry to grab his tools before Luffy can choke himself to death.
Daz ponders the large melon in his hands. The report said that the top of its shell was hard, "like iron".
Slowly, as if considering whether or not it would be ridiculous to pit his strength against fruit of all things, presses his pointer finger against the gigantic melon, allowing it to turn into a mess of razors, and begin spinning like a drill.
His finger punches through the melon's shell after a few moments, and he punches another hole in it to vent.
"An exaggeration, then," Daz muses aloud, drinking the melon's disappointment-flavored juices.
Daz Bonez, conqueror of over-hyped fruit.
Dumping the hollowed-out fruit on the ground, he turns his attention to the ship that Jackson had apparently had the animals convince to come with them.
Why bother? They aren't strong, and, judging from their own intention of taking the gold for themselves, they aren't even worthy of an alliance.
Perhaps it's a mark of strength. Some sort of advanced posturing where one not only spares their enemies, but surrounds themselves with them.
Daz releases a sharp breath through his nose, humored by the thought.
No, this seems to be another case of Jackson's strange comment back on the island with the goat man. "Profit and a fuzzy feeling," Daz mutters, turning the empty melon on its side with his foot, before sitting down on it.
Is that enough justification to do unsavory things like that?
'Well, profit alone was sufficient for me to do far more unsavory things,' Daz thinks.
"Is it done yet, Jackson?" Nami asks softly, peeking in on his lab where Jackson is mixing Gold and Water together, converting them into as much Soil as he can manage.
Jackson rubs his forehead. "I think I can make ten tons if I use up all the oasis water and rainwater I got from Alabasta to pad out the energy cost. Do not haggle with the White Berets when they come, we can turn a profit, but not if they mark us as criminals."
He shoves a Jar across the table to her, filled with a glittering tan fluid. "One ton of goldwater soil. It should be enough to convince them we're on the up and up until I finish the rest of it."
Nami feels genuinely sorry for Jackson, having to exhaust themselves this soon after producing so much for them already, but at least he understands the value of going under the radar when it matters.
"Right. I'll see if I can track someone down to make our pitch," Nami says, exiting the lab and walking up to the main deck.
She pauses when she hears an odd noise, turning to look and see what it is.
A spray of cloudstuff rises behind the unknown individual as they drive their waver towards the shore, parking it on the beach and looking at the large crowd with curiosity.
Nami leaps down to greet them before one of the other idiots can bork this situation up further.
"Heso!" the woman says, climbing off of her waver.
"Heso," Nami responds in turn, shaking the woman's hand.
"Are you all from the Blue Sea?" she asks, looking between the three sizable ships resting comfortably in the cloud shallows.
"Yup. And you must be-"
"An angel!" Sanji squeals, spotting the woman talking to Nami, and more specifically, her ivory-white wings.
"A Skypiean!" Nami snarls, punching Sanji in the head and sending him to the ground with a new lump on his head.
"Oh? Most people from the Blue Sea don't know such things. I'm surprised," the woman responds.
"Well, I am Conis, allow me to welcome you to Angel Beach," she continues.
Luffy stares at the Waver intently, all interest in his third melon lost. "What's that boat you've got? It looks so cool!"
Nami points a finger in the air with a smug look. "It's known as a Waver, a type of ship that doesn't use wind or paddles, but rather, a unique object known as a Dial to power it!"
Conis seems a bit shocked. "You're quite knowledgeable about this."
"Well, unlike my empty-headed friends, I actually did my homework on this place," Nami says, glaring very pointedly at Sanji, who cowers away dramatically.
"Conis, who are these people?" an older fellow says, approaching the beach with a curious look in his eyes. A small white fox follows behind him, running towards Conis.
"They're friends, father! They were here when I finished my waver practice!" Conis shouts, leaning down to pick up her pet.
"Ahh. I'm sorry. We may not be able to accommodate you all, but perhaps a few of you could come to our home, and enjoy our hospitality?"
Chopper tries not to get too relaxed on the puffy chairs provided by the old man who had introduced himself apologetically as Pagaya.
The little reindeer crosses his arms as he sinks into the mind-numbingly soft cloudstuff couch, thinking about how he'll make even better ones with the Pink Clouds he and the others invented.
"It's not that soft and absolutely comfy and cool," Chopper says, eyelids drooping as he falls asleep in the chair.
"(It totally is though,)" Mockery and Tall deadpan, sinking into their own cusions with sighs of enjoyment.
Conis takes a small sip from her glass of juice. "About your request, Nami, I'm certain that I could show you to the reefs where we gather our dials, and help you obtain the proper license to obtain some of your own. But as for helping you with the White Berets… I'm not certain what they will do. Our laws are not like you've described, they're absolute. An offering of tribute may be enough, but it might not. I wouldn't profess to know the thoughts of our god and his priests."
Nami sighs. "That's not ideal. We've got a backup plan, but it's little better than just-"
She shakes her head. "Well, it wouldn't be very good for us if we can't make peace until our business is done," she says carefully.
Luffy huffs through a mouthful of sky lobster. "If we gotta beat him up, I think we should just go do it."
The Tasteful Pirates' Captain, Penchant takes this opportunity to speak up. "What exactly are you all here for, if not the gold?"
"Oh, we're here for the gold too, but we gotta beat up a guy to get at it," Luffy says blithely.
Everyone in the Strawhats aside from Luffy and Nami cringe at this.
"Luffy, you can't tell me you actually read the dossier enough to know that," Nami says, sighing heavily as she pulls out the slablet phone that Jackson had given her.
Luffy tilts his head like a confused puppy, swallowing his food. "Well Jackson made mine into a cool stick-figure comic book, so I looked at the cool parts."
Pressing an icon on the slablet's wooden surface, she presses it up to her ear with an annoyed expression, informing Jackson that operation "Conductor" probably needs to happen today, before Luffy gets a chance to spill the beans.
"You're going to doom us all Luffy! Doom I say!" Usopp wails, shaking his absent-minded captain violently.
"Jeeze, it's not that big a deal. We literally have to beat him up. Does it matter when we do it?" Luffy points out, picking his nose idly.
"And if Jackson needs those seashell thingies, then we can pick some up on the way," he finishes.
Daz Bonez shrugs, uncrossing his arms. "He's right, you know. We can't feasibly stay undercover for a long time in a place like this, with a group this large. According to the dossier, the laws here are tailored to trap outsiders. Navigating them would cripple us, and would only serve to delay the inevitable."
Nami ends her call to Jackson, after he explains that he'll start working on it as soon as he finishes producing the dirt they'll need.
"Yeah, well, I had hope that between the few smart people in our group, we can at least enter the damn city before announcing ourselves as outlaws," Nami groans, flopping back into her seat.
Conis looks nervous at the topics they're discussing, but doesn't voice her concerns.
A shout of "Heso!" from outside alerts everyone to the presence of the White Berets as they encounter Pagaya sweeping just outside.
Nami feels filled with determination as a sense of finality washes over the situation.
The group of soldiers outside watch the group cautiously as they exit the building and head down the stairs to meet them.
Laying flat on the ground, they all stand up when their leader does, stepping forward with a firm expression.
"So you are the leaders of the illegal entrants into our land?!" he shouts up to them.
"I am the leader of the White Berets, and I have come to humbly bring forth Divine Judgement!"
Luffy steps forward with utter confidence. "Good."
Nami plugs Luffy's mouth, grimacing as a vein ticks on her forehead.
"We wish to discuss an offer of tribute in exchange for crimes we unknowingly committed."
Jackson arrives shortly with three additional jars, adding to the gigantic pile of golden mud on the beach, the result of four pounds of gold and four barrels of rainwater.
"Very well, in exchange for these four tons of Vearth, you and your crew will be granted leniency for your twelfth-degree crime of bribing the Heaven's Gate Official. Let me be the first to welcome to to Skypiea, tourists!" Captain McKinley says, smiling widely.
"Yes, thank you very much, but could you please do us a massive favor, and tell us exactly what all of the laws are in this land?" Nami says, barely restraining herself from hissing as they cart off the piles of potential-money.
"We've got four more jars on the ship, calm down," Jackson whispers.
"Ahh! Yes, I would be happy to do so, perhaps we could meet at Lovely Street's Sky-Pie-a diner to discuss the matter?" the captain offers. Nami nods, following after the White Berets.
"Alright, those of you who haven't completely read through the files I made for you all, please follow me, and I'll try my damnedest to get you up to speed on why we need to be careful here, before any of you get us all killed," Jackson says with some seriousness, leading most of the Strawhats back to Conis's home.
Chopper looks nervously between Daz and Robin, being the only other two there who had completely read through the reports Jackson prepared for them.
"So uhh, you two must like reading, that report was pretty long…" Chopper says nervously, tempted to follow after the others even though he himself made sure to learn about this place.
"To ignore crucial information is to accept death in my former line of work," Daz says plainly.
"If I did not enjoy reading, I would be scattered into pieces and eaten by fish," Robin deadpans.
Chopper sweats even more heavily. 'These two are so intense..!'
Chapter 28: Acrochordon
"Thank you, I'll be able to put this to good use!" Nami waves, walking away from the diner with a sizable book on the 'Do's and don'ts' of Skypiea, and a shiny new dial-fishing license.
Her eyebrows sink at the realization that she must have wasted thirty minutes or more talking to Captain McKinley, leaving the Strawhats and company unsupervised for far too long.
"Now to find out if the others have managed to ruin everything without me," she grimaces, making her way back to Angel Beach, where surprisingly, nothing is on fire or exploding.
Instead, it seems Robin and Daz are silently watching Chopper stack giant blocks of cut clouds, before allowing Daz to carve them into shape.
"Alright, this time… Do one of me!" Chopper says, changing into his Walk Point and assuming what he seems to think is a regal pose.
Daz's face is completely blank as he approaches the pile of cubed clouds and plants his palms up against it.
"Erupting Spadicel!" Daz shouts, waves of pure cutting force erupting from him and causing the mass of clouds to explode, vaporizing everything but the cloud-statue of Chopper in roughly the same pose.
Chopper shifts back into his Brain Point, running around the statue in awe. "You're really good at this, Mr. Bonez!"
"There were some situations in which I needed to cut very specific targets to shreds," Daz deadpans, making Chopper flinch and sweat as he eyes the former assassin.
'So intense!'
Nami approaches from behind, waving to Chopper. "Hey, have you seen the others?"
"Yeah, they're over by the other side of the beach. Luffy grabbed a life-jacket and started trying to ride Mr. Pagaya's waver. It's… Uhh."
Chopper giggles. "The life-jacket is being put to good use."
Nami sighs. "Well, at least they aren't doing anything illegal yet. I'd like to at least stock up on some of the supplies here before we start our business."
"I'm anxious to begin as well," Robin says evenly, following Nami to where Luffy is trying to master the waver through sheer force of will, and not much else.
"Luffy, stop staring at the handlebars! Just look at the horizon!" Jackson yells, reclining on a puffy chair that was dragged down to the beach for sitting purposes.
"You seem familiar with a waver's operation," Conis points out, curiously. She strokes her little cloud fox while watching their captain grit his teeth and fight against the White-White Sea.
"Not really, but you don't grow up where I did without riding a Jet-Ski at least once in your life." Jackson points out, failing to elaborate further.
Nami watches Luffy bumble around on the water with unrestrained greed. The sooner she can get ahold of some breath dials, the sooner she can get one of those puppies for herself.
"Conis, I've got the license we need, do you think you could guide us to where you fish for dials?"
She nods. "I'd be happy to!"
"Come on Luffy, get off of that thing and get on the ship!" Sanji shouts, only for Luffy to cross their arms, pouting. "Don't wanna. I've gotta figure this waver thing out. It's cool!"
Sanji rubs his forehead. There's no arguing with Luffy when he sets his mind on something.
"Just be careful, Luffy. Living Dials can be phenomenally dangerous! There is a very good reason why we merely gather them near the shores and shallows," Conis shouts over the railing, as the Going Merry sails a short ways around the beach with the Kung-Fu Dugongs in tow, eventually coming to one of the nesting grounds.
"Now, typically, we'll use special trawling nets, they drag along the floor of the shallows, picking up the dials laying there and allowing the living dials to escape, but since your ship isn't equipped with one, we'll have to swim down to gather them," Conis claims, climbing up onto the railing and preparing to dive.
Chopper gives the Dugongs their own orders, and they dive below the surface as well.
Nami dives off after Conis when she spots Sanji freaking out over the bathing suit she chose.
Best to minimize Sanji's exposure to such things.
Eventually, however, Sanji and Usopp both dive in after them. Zoro opting to remain on the deck with the various Devil Fruit users
Under the cloudy depths, Conis points to one of the dials floating on the seafloor, holding up the dial and giving a thumbs up. She then points over to another dial which is glowing brightly, and forms an 'X' with her hands.
One of the curious Dugongs leaps back when one of the Live Dials pokes its head out of its shell, spotting the gigantic mammal and erupting into a cloudy ball of sharpened spikes.
Conis once again shakes her head, pointing to the dials that aren't glowing.
This is more than enough motivation for Nami and the others to avoid any of the dials that shine too brightly.
Conis watches Jackson pull out a screwdriver, examining one of the Dials carefully when they bring their load back on the deck.
She can't help but laugh a bit. "What are you doing? It isn't held together with…"
She stops laughing when he unscrews the dial, opening it up and revealing a wide swathe of tiny mechanisms that he observes underneath some sort of wooden scanning device.
"… Screws," she finishes, stunned at the seemingly impossible sight.
"Ahh, here we go. I'll just remove this Cloud Battery, and replace it with this Stamina Battery," Jackson says, using the screwdriver to pry out the white battery from where it was plugged into a charging dock, and replacing it with a tan one.
He pockets the cloud battery, saving it for later.
"Alright, could you touch this dial, and tell me what you feel?" Jackson says, ignoring the sounds of Luffy and Sanji fighting a gigantic dial that spews lasers at them.
Conis panics, ignoring Jackson's request and shouting to the others. "Hurry, climb aboard! We need to get out of here before that dial kills us!" she yells, her words completely ignored by the pair.
"No point shouting, Conis, they'll be able to handle it," Jackson says idly, tinkering with the dial in his hand.
Her hand goes to her mouth in horror when the giant dial fires a laser that strikes Luffy directly in the face, sending him skidding off of the waver and into the cloudy water.
"Gum Gum Torpedo!" Luffy shouts, his fist rocketing out of the clouds and striking the dial crab in the face, leaving it unconscious as he grabs onto the bobbing waver and pulls himself back up onto it.
"Is it illegal to hunt living dials?" Nami asks, staring at the unconscious dial crab floating on the water's surface.
Conis shakes her head. "No, only if they're below a certain size. But a dial that large could have killed a dozen men, how did Luffy survive its attack?"
Luffy awkwardly drives the waver next to the Going Merry, dragging himself and it up onto the deck. "Oh, I've got a tree stomach. I can eat lasers," Luffy nods sagely, completely misinterpreting his ability.
Luffy looks deeply confused by something for a moment, before smiling and walking over to spy on Jackson.
"I'm making a mystery shell. Check this out," Jackson says, pressing the dial against Luffy's arm, making him recoil.
"Ugh, that didn't feel good," Luffy complains, rubbing his arm where the shell's aperture had touched him.
"Yeah, now check this out," Jackson says, pressing the Dial's button and firing a beam of energy that hits Luffy.
"Huh. That did feel good. What's it doing?" Luffy says, staring into the hole of the dial with one eye, as if he could see what's inside of it and figure it out.
"It's a stamina dial. It can drain and return the energy of a person. You're looking at the new me," Jackson says, flipping the tan dial up onto his finger where it spins a few times.
Conis's eyes widen. "You can-!"
Jackson nods, interrupting her. "Whatever you're about to say, you're right."
Jackson stares idly at the nine swirling patterns embossed on the underside of his left forearm, each one glowing with a pale jewel set in its center. Updating Jackson's Hunter Operation was a snap, now that he had the ability to store his own stamina up to build a buffer. And with nine Stamina Dials masterfully woven into his arm, that gives him a whole nine days of constantly regenerating buffered energy even if he doesn't store any of it elsewhere when the dials in his arm are full.
Easily worth having a hole in his palm where the energy drains into and out of the dials.
Jackson pulls out his computer, sending a message. "Alright Nami, I've finished the prep work for your Hunter Operation. See me when you're ready. Yours will be the most extensive one done so far, so we might need to do multiple sessions, even with my new dials."
"I'll be right down," Nami says, ending the call.
"After we finish Nami's, we'll work on yours, alright Chopper?" Jackson says as Chopper cleans off the tools he used to update Jackson's augmentations.
"You know, I could remove your scars if you wanted. It wouldn't be hard," Chopper offers, staring at Jackson's exposed face.
Jackson waves him off. "I'd have em all back in a week, with how dangerous the Grand Line is. We'll remove my scars when I'm strong enough to stop getting so many."
After a few moments of contemplation as Jackson wraps a single scarf around his face and puts on his new Quilt Robe and Wizard Hat, Chopper finally nods.
Nami comes in shortly after that, ready for her own operation to begin.
Hours later, Jackson sits down at one of the food vendors lining the streets, ordering a plain bowl of fried rice that he drips some of his ghost-pepper sauce into before digging in to recover a bit of his lost strength.
"Heso! Sorry to bother you, but I've been wondering, who created that statue in the middle of town? It looks very nice," Jackson asks.
The disgruntled old man that Jackson had encountered running the stand narrows his eyes slightly, before deciding that belligerence isn't worth it to paying tourists.
"Our god's divine soldiers produce the statues from Vearth in Upper Yard, though at one time they were produced by the White Berets. Such statues are sacred to us," he explains.
Jackson nods, sipping at a glass of water. "The water up here is clean," he comments idly. "So, if one wished to speak to these soldiers, what would be the respectful and correct procedure for doing so?"
"If you wish to speak with the divine soldiers, then you must speak to our lord's priests, and if you wish to speak to them, then you must speak to the White Berets," he explains, handing another bowl of rice to Jackson when he requests it.
Jackson eats the rest of his quick meal in silence, before tipping his hat. "Thank you, I appreciate the help," he says, standing up and making his way to the White Beret's headquarters, intent on having a pot commissioned with some of his own gold soil.
Jackson's face is carefully blank as he stares at the "Divine Soldier" that had finally been assigned to help him in exchange for bartered goods.
The child can't be older than thirteen at most, with goat-ear like appendages protruding from their head and innocent curiosity.
Jackson has trained for years to resist adorableness like this. "So, are you the person I'm supposed to meheheheet?" the goat-eared child bleats.
Jackson clenches his chest, collapsing to his knees for several seconds and causing the child to flinch back.
He stands back up, acting as if nothing happened. "Yes. I am Jerry Jackson, an alchemist from a foreign land, and I have need of a sacred craftsman to work the holy Vearth that I have brought with me," Jackson says dramatically, holding out a jar of glittering fluid.
Their face scrunches up in confusion. "My name is Mahmud, but… That's not a lot of mud to work with."
Jackson shakes his head, "Inside this jar is a ton of glittering Vearth, stored with alchemy. I had hoped to have some of it made into a new vessel for my work."
Mahmud's eyes glitter with curiosity.
Last edited: Sep 6, 2019
Chapter 29: Diathermy
Nami runs a finger along her collarbone, now covered in small glittering jewel-like nubs, each one having a single tiny slit in it that closes and opens every so often. Every single bone in her body is dotted with the extremely minor protrusions in fact, aside from exposed places like her head.
"Along with the standard Hunter Operations, you've been equipped with organs able to replicate the functionality of your Climatact to a vastly superior degree. While you were unconscious, Usopp took the time to equip your Climatact with new functions as well, which are detailed in your report. Take the time to read over it when you get a chance."
"Also, don't worry about the little weather-horns being damaged, Jackson took the time to gather up the Sapphires and Diamonds you rationed out to him, every bone in your body is now made from one of the single most indestructible materials in the Grand Line, stronger than diamonds, but elastic and regenerative too. No expense was spared for this, Nami."
Nami can hardly speak. If what Chopper said is true, then maybe she can finally help, really help her friends. If nothing else, they won't have to protect her as much.
She scoops up Chopper in what would be a bone-crushing hug for an ordinary person. "Thank you. You and Jackson are the best doctors we could ask for," Nami says, walking out of the room with a spring in her step.
Chopper blushes heavily at the praise, returning to his business only after he manages to squash down his inflated pride.
It may have taken a few moments of cheerful wobbling.
Zoro's sweat sticks to his face as he struggles against the training room Jackson had built using some empty space on Splash Mountain.
He wasn't kidding at all when he said Zoro would hate this training.
Cold Liquid Iron, with nothing but a thin suit and an air supply between Zoro and the incredible pressure and weight. He can't see, either, nor can he hear anything other than his own pounding heart.
An entire vat of liquid iron had been Jackson's answer to Zoro's need for a new level of training. Every kata feels like he's dying, and every movement is a struggle just to perform it.
He hasn't even bothered bringing one of his swords inside. The weight is so intense that he would risk damaging them if he tried to swing them around in this thick sap. Instead, his training weapon of choice had been steel rods, made from some of the reclaimed Spring Steel that they had gotten from the Toon Pirates.
He pauses, even if he wanted to, it would take an hour for him to collapse in this pool, just from how viscous the fluid is. He focuses on breathing for a few minutes to regain some of his strength.
The entire experience, in many ways, reminds him of when he and the others had fought Mr. 3. That wax prison was even worse than this, hard steel-like wax, instead of this soft, fluid-like metal.
He has to overcome this challenge, he needs to become so strong that Jackson will be stumped to come up with something to push him further.
He swings the steel rod as hard as he can, his body creaking as he moves inches each second.
The sound of his blades murmuring nearby serve as the only other noise breaking the silent pool of iron.
Luffy has encountered an odd situation. Perhaps the oddest one so far.
He wasn't hungry yesterday. He was thirsty, yes, extremely thirsty, but between the piles of seafood and the barrel of water he drank, he felt sated.
He almost went to Chopper right then and there, but decided to give it a few hours, and sure enough, he was hungry again after that.
'Mmm. I hate thinking hard,' Luffy thinks, wondering what it might have been that he ate, that filled him up so good. He only had like, a few hundred pounds of that dial crab meat after they finished killing that big one. Maybe there was some sort of mysterious meat that did it.
Luffy shakes his head clear of thoughts, considering his plans for the day. Well, adventure, duh. But to where? Nami said they shouldn't go in the forest until everyone's ready to beat up that Enel guy.
Honestly, given the time to laze around waiting, Luffy has to admit that this whole place feels creepier, the longer he's here. The whole dang island.
He's hit with an idea. If the island is giving him creepy vibes, and he can't explore the forest, then he'll just explore somewhere away from the island!
Luffy runs over and bursts into the kitchen. "Hey, Sanji!" Luffy yells, interrupting the cook as he finishes preparing a large vat of stew.
"You have to wait until it finishes cooking, Luffy," Sanji deadpans.
Luffy shakes his head. "No time for food! I'm bored and I need a spotter! Let's go ride that waver Usopp hobbled together!"
Sanji is frozen at Luffy's uncharacteristic words, before he manages to wrench himself free of his paralysis. "Sorry, Luffy, I've got to watch this stew for the next few hours. Why don't you ask Usopp?"
Luffy hums for a moment, before nodding and running out of the room.
Sanji shakes his head. "No time for food? Just what has gotten into Luffy?"
"Say hello to the almighty Usoppmobile! Made with the finest craftsmanship! And all you've got to do is spin this axle here!"
Luffy hops from foot to foot, staring at the Waver that Usopp had built after getting the chance to look at some of them. The device looks less like a boat, and more like half a submarine, or some sort of missile, with a giant nozzle on the back, with a large lever poking out of it, intended to be twisted in order to power the dials inside. One of the five Merry Poses is built directly into it.
On the front of the vessel, a tiny version of the Going Merry's figurehead with steel horns leans down, complete with tiny angry eyebrows.
" So cool~! It's like a Mini Merry! The Going Mini!" Luffy shouts, ignoring Usopp's name, and making the sniper lean down with despair as his name is rejected out of hand.
Luffy wraps his arm around the drive axle, creating a huge spool around the rod.
"Gum Gum Top!"
Luffy's violently rapid spinning of the axle turns the breath dials built into it, sucking huge amounts of wind into them, and fueling the vehicle in an instant.
"Climb aboard Usopp! To adventure!" Luffy shouts, sitting down on the seat as Usopp nervously follows suit.
"Now, uhh, Luffy, don't gun the gas so hard on this one, it's got a lot more power than the other one, and-"
Luffy introduces pedal to metal, blasting them out onto the White-White Sea at speeds that would leave their lips flapping without a wind guard.
Luffy frowns when they narrowly avoid another cannonball from that same jerk who was bothering them down on the White Sea.
Usopp aims another Dynamite Star, narrowly missing the guerilla fighter due to both him and them moving at incredible speeds in erratic ways.
"Dang! He's hard to hit!" Luffy shouts.
"Maybe if you slowed down!" Usopp roars, karate-chopping Luffy on the head harmlessly.
"Oh crap!" Luffy shouts, ignoring Usopp as the masked warrior draws closer and closer, leaping into the air.
Luffy starts to prepare a desperate and hasty attack, but before he makes the executive decision to totally let go of the waver's controls to attempt it, someone else interrupts, slamming their spear into the guerilla's shield and shoving them away.
"That is quite enough!" the knight shouts, his gigantic bird flapping hard enough to force the warrior back onto the clouds.
The warrior growls, skidding along the surface of the cloudy sea.
He starts to turn to attack the newcomer but spots Luffy, one arm clinging to the back of the Going Mini, and his other arm trailing far behind him, both limbs twisted up tightly as he exploits the Going Mini's own speed to stretch himself even further than normal.
Usopp desperately tries to keep control of the waver as it charges towards them.
"Gum Gum Longrifle!" Luffy shouts, flinging his rapidly spinning body towards the guerilla and punching them with incredible rotational force, sending them skipping across the clouds until they go completely out of sight.
Flipping back onto the waver as Usopp jerks his foot off of the accelerator as if his life depended on it, Luffy stares at the weird old knight who helped them.
"Hey! Who are you!? We're looking for something cool!"
The knight pauses. "I am the Knight of the Sky!"
Usopp's eyes widen with realization. "Wait, are you that Gan Fall guy?"
Gan's own expression turns to mild shock. "You know of me?"
Luffy nods. "You're that cool old guy from the comic thingie."
Usopp bops Luffy on the head. "What he means to say is, we know who you are."
Gan Fall relaxes. "Well, I don't know about 'Something Cool', but perhaps I could welcome you to my home?"
"Sounds cool!" Luffy shouts, tossing Usopp behind him and whipping the dials back to full capacity.
"I apologize for bringing you here on false pretenses, but we are beyond the range of Enel's Mantra, and you all are in grave danger," Gran Fal claims, offering Usopp and Luffy each a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Oh yeah, we know. We're going to beat him up later," Luffy nods happily, slurping his juice loudly.
"Excuse me?" Gan exclaims,
"Well, we're after treasure, and we gotta beat him up to get at it. Also, he's a huge jerk, and I kinda want to beat him up anyway," Luffy shrugs.
"Hey, old man! Can we borrow your whistle thing? Jackson said to grab it if we could," Luffy finishes, waiting for Gan's shocked surprise to fade.
"Speaking traditionally, Alchemy can be boiled down to thirteen processes, and four components of the Magnum Opus," Jackson explains, referring back to the book he had studied long ago as part of his earliest research.
If nothing else, his explanation of alchemy and its symbolism seems to be entertaining Mahmud while he works, the child quietly shaping the pale yellow mud into an ornate urn, adding various faces and other religious symbols into it.
"What is important for me, however, are the processes of Ceration and Congelation. These two processes form the basis of my alchemy. I use a melting pot to reduce an object to malleable liquid concepts, and then, when I have finished my work, I congeal them back into physical form."
Mahmud nods, ear-flaps quirking as they listen intently.
"Normally, an alchemist might be concerned with producing one of the great treasures of alchemy, like the Panacea, Philosopher's Stone, or Alkahest. I'm mostly just concerned with helping my friends out, though."
Jackson pauses. "Let's take a break, shall we? My friend Sanji packed me a lunch. We can split it, if you like," Jackson says, pulling out a sizable bento box.
Mahmud pauses, looking at the mouthwatering collection of food, before shaking his head. "Our Lord has forbidden us from partaking of frivolously fanciful dishes, so we do not succumb to sinful desire," he says, trying not to look at the meal.
Jackson shrugs. "Well, you gotta do what you gotta do. Are you allowed to eat rice?"
The child nods, and Jackson pulls the small bowl of rice out of his bento, passing it to the kid.
"Careful, Sanji made mine a bit spicy."
The child freezes, the spicy heat of the dish shocking them to their core.
They scramble to devour the rest of the rice while Jackson eats the fried cheese and breadcrumbs a very confused Sanji had packed for him.
"It tastes like fire, but It's so good," Mahmud whispers, tearing up.
"That's Sanji for you. Even ordinary rice tastes good with him at the helm."
"I didn't even know food could taste this good," they say.
"I shouldn't be eating this," Mahmud says, before taking another bite.
A low hum vibrates through the air, making Jackson's blood quicken.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me, over this? Asshole," Jackson grunts, whipping his conical hat off and summoning up several vials into his right hand as fast as he can, pouring their contents into the hat and turning them into glittering sequins on its surface.
He flicks the bright yellow stars off of his hat by waving it above them.
"Alchemical Principality! Fixation!" Jackson shouts, as Mahmud looks to the skies in fear as white light builds up above them.
Chapter 30: Epinephrine
"Alchemical Principality: Fixation!"
The glowing stars that Jackson had flung into the air tie together, forming into the shape of the constellation "Aries". The stars drag together until they form a twisting cage of bone around Mahmud and Jackson, lined with stripes of gold and emitting thick cold smoke. It trails into the unfinished clay pot that Mahmud had been working on.
Moments before the lightning strikes, Jackson tackles Mahmud to the ground, and the world turns white.
The blast ends less than a second later, and Jackson returns to his feet, looking around while the child shakes uncontrollably. The alchemical mixture of horn, wood, gold, and ice had held up. Enel's lightning can still be twisted by the laws of physics, as much as he touts himself as a god.
Jackson's own research had shown that, when he realized that Nami was able to use thunder-balls in the original timeline to deflect Enel's attacks. A Faraday cage made of nearly superconducting material is a fair sight better.
Even with all of that, only perhaps a tenth of the beam had actually been redirected by the Faraday cage. The rest of it had erased the clouds around them, leaving a giant donut of empty space around them and their protective shield.
"Slosh Slosh Knighting Ceremony!" Jackson shouts, summoning a vial of copper mesh and flinging its contents over Mahmud, who is too stunned to react when the mesh forms a thick outer robe, complete with a facial covering. Another vial is spilled over himself, covering his own robe in a layer of copper quilt patches.
He grabs the kid by the shoulders. "We're going to run, dig?"
Mahmud shakes his head. "W-we cannot defy our Lord's judgemeheheheh-"
Jackson scowls. "I don't have time for a heart to heart right now kid. Sleep," he says, crushing a vial and blowing the resulting sleep powder in their face.
As Jackson walks out of the Sheep-Horn Faraday cage with Mahmud slung over his shoulder, no sudden smirking Enel appears to taunt and kill them. The radiowaves he uses to extend his Observation Haki are interfered with by the copper mesh.
Jackson pulls out his phone as he grabs the clay Melting Pot and leaps backwards over the gap. No signal.
Jackson's mouth twitches up in a faint snarl. "Looks like I'm not the only one who can block radio signals."
He switches the phone to Pheromode, sending a far slower message to Nami and Chopper.
After he finishes sending the text, he looks at his arm. Only two of the nine dials are lit up. Three of them had been drained in an instant by absorbing that blast and producing the cage to do it.
'A lightning described by its culture as possessing the quality of judging one's sins,' Jackson thinks to themselves, slowly dragging the clay melting pot behind him, slowly, to avoid spilling any of its contents.
Nami stares directly at the source of their problems, sitting crosslegged on Merry's stern.
Enel smiles absently. "I hope you don't mind, but… It's quite an honor, making a god curious. I've heard your discontented, plotting mumbling for roughly a week now, 'him' this, and 'that guy' that. But I don't think I actually know anyone else on the island… Who has gold in their possession."
Enel stands up, looking at the various Strawhats on the ship. "It might be interesting, wondering how you know so much, but I just got so bored of waiting. So I decided to give you all a bit of motivation. Your friend, I believe his name was Jackson is…"
"Well, he was," Enel laughs.
'Was behind a faraday cage, like we planned,' Nami thinks to herself, as Sanji growls, taking a step forward before Nami stops him with a firm hand on his shoulder.
Enel's smile fades as he idly holds his own hand out to Sanji, a crackling whine filling the air.
Lightning flies off into the distance when Nami fires a thin beam of ionized gas between her and Sanji, staring Enel in the eyes.
"We'll gather our friends, and go through the Ordeals. And then we'll come after you," Nami says firmly.
Enel pauses for several long seconds. "Good. I look forward to it," he smiles, disappearing in a flash.
"I should have kicked that bastard's ass while I had the chance. Why did you stop me, Nami?" Sanji growls, while Daz and Robin just stare at where Enel was.
"We need to stick to the plan," Nami says, watching Luffy and Usopp ride their waver back, hooting and hollering.
She receives a message on her phone. "Radio's down. Enel attacked. Shanghaiing a kid until we thump him."
"Alright everyone, just so we're clear on the plan," Nami begins, with all of the Strawhats and the leaders of the Tasteful and Sea Mammal Pirate assembled on Merry's deck.
"Team A, B, C and D will go to the Ball, Iron, Swamp, and String ordeals respectively. Team E will go to the hidden city and record historic data, and Team F will remain here, guarding the ships along with our weaker crewmembers," Nami says, slapping sticky notes with letters written on them onto people's chests.
Captain Penchant frowns. "Why was I not given a letter, then?"
Nami's expression turns sardonic. "What can you do in a fight?"
They pull out their gun and wave it as if accentuating their point.
Penchant's veins bulge when Nami rolls her eyes. "You can be on team F."
"What are you saying?" Conis demands, disbelieving.
"We need someone to guide us to the road leading to the Ordeals so we can conquer them," Zoro demands, several others nodding.
"I see," she says, stunned into disbelief.
"I'm so ready, A whole place to explore that nobody's supposed to go? That's as cool as it gets!" Luffy shouts.
"That won't be necessary," Captain McKinley says, stepping between the Strawhats and Conis with a stoic expression.
"I will guide you there myself."
The Strawhats all follow along, people quietly avoiding them as they go down the streets.
"I guess word travels fast, huh?" Usopp says nervously.
Nobody responds.
"As you've purchased your own waver boats, we've taken the opportunity to leave them here for you. Your exit is gate number two. It will lead you to the giant Milky Road, and from there, to Upper Yard," McKinley says, watching them all for any reaction whatsoever.
Luffy hops onto the Mini Merry along with Nami, while the others pair off in the other boats. Zoro and Daz, Chopper and Robin, Sanji and Usopp, and finally, Tall and Mockery.
McKinley looks almost disappointed, disappointed that they had blasphemed against Enel? Or perhaps disappointed that people as polite as they were will have to die for it. Even he isn't sure at this point.
Jackson can't help but feel confused. Obviously, the Super-Speedy Lobster had intended on dragging the Going Merry to the Sacrificial Altar, but when he heard the telltale rumbling, it was followed almost immediately by the most violent noises he had ever heard. By the time he got outside, the Lobster looked as though someone had beaten the hell out of it, covered in gigantic bruises and cracked pieces of its shell.
It ran away shortly after.
"What the hell was that all about?" Jackson wonders, looking to see if the Sea Mammals had shot at it or something. However, they look just as shocked and confused as Jackson did. Without Chopper there to translate verbally, or Mockery there to translate with written language, though, it seems unlikely that Jackson will get an answer right this minute.
A loud scream from below deck indicates that someone else had woken up from the ruckous.
Jackson casually adjusts his robe and wizard hat, going to check on their… Sort of prisoner?
Mahmud wriggles around in his thick cocoon of metal fabric, trying to pull himself free. "What have you done! Where am I?" Mahmud shouts, eyes darting from side to side, wide with panic.
His tiny axe dial activates, slicing him free of the cocoon, only for Jackson to fling a band of melted chains at him, pinning him back down.
"I saved your life, and you're somewhere safe," Jackson says.
"No, there is no safety from the Judgement of our god, please, you must let me go, we cannot defy our Lord!" Mahmud shouts.
Jackson pulls a book from his robes, opening it up to a bookmarked page.
"A Devil Fruit is a type of special fruit, which, when eaten, grants the user supernatural powers. There are more than one-hundred types of Devil Fruit, each one granting a unique ability," Jackson begins, ignoring Mahmud's protests.
Mahmud has stopped shouting by the end of Jackson's long-winded explanation.
Jackson closes his book. "My own power comes from the Slosh Slosh Fruit. After eating it, I became a Sloshing Human. Enel possesses the Rumble Rumble Fruit, making him a Lightning Human. Neither of us are gods, by any stretch of the imagination."
Mahmud looks confused. Confused and pained. "Why would you tell me all of this?"
"That which can be destroyed by the truth should be," Jackson says.
Mahmud's face turns pained. "Even if he weren't a god, there is nothing that can stop him. His power, his will is absolute."
Jackson chuckles at this. "Well, then it's a good thing my captain is on his way to kick Enel's ass. Monkey D. Luffy."
"What could your captain possibly do against the divine wrath of Lord Enel?"
Jackson hums, trying to remember something. "Rumor has it that people bearing the initial 'D' are often called 'The Sworn Enemy of the Gods'.
"Trust me on this one, Luffy's going to beat Enel to a pulp. It would take more than a god to slow him down. Now, are you going to do anything stupid if I untie you?"
Mahmud shakes their head.
"Good, because I've got work to do while I watch the ship, and I arguably need to watch you too."
"Wyper, the Blue Sea people are storming Upper Yard. All of their strongest warriors at the same time, it seems," Braham says, sitting in the ring with the other Shandian warriors.
Wyper scoffs. "Good. Maybe they'll manage to kill one of the priests before they're slaughtered,"
"You have to admit, they're quite bold. No sacrifice has been taken, and yet they are charging towards the ordeals anyway. Fearlessly at that."
Wyper takes a puff of his cigar. "Why should I care what merits Blue Sea Pirates have? We'll kill them as well, if they are in our way when we attack."
Raki frowns. "We still aren't ready to attack the priests, Wyper. It will take more time for us to gather all of the weapons we'll need."
"How much time? How much longer will we wait before we can finally take back what is ours?" Wyper demands.
Raki's frown deepens. "We should attack when we are ready."
Wyper lets out a sharp breath. "Very well."
Outside of the tent, a little girl names Aisa has been having a very strange time. So many new voices, weird and loud and changing.
Just who are these Blue Sea Pirates?
"Holy crap! With traps like these, you'd think they don't even want us getting there," Usopp pants, blasting another metal pendulum to pieces with a Dynamite Star.
"These are just little party favors. If they wanted to kill us before we got there, they could have hidden Dial-based explosives under the road, and blasted us into teeny tiny pieces remotely," Robin points out, flipping a page in her book as she mostly ignores her surroundings.
Chopper sweats heavily at her intense statement, the boat jerking forward when he accidentally pressed the pedal harder after hearing that.
"We're coming up to the four tunnels. Does everyone remember what you need to know?" Nami demands, turning to face the ordeal of Swamp.
"Our guy has a clown sword," Zoro points out.
"Protect Usopp, don't try to chase our guy," Sanji claims.
"(They can all predict our movements!)" Tall barks.
"Move quickly and gather as many pictures as possible before a fight inevitably breaks out," Robin says.
"Good. We'll reconvene at the Altar of Sacrifice. Be careful, everyone," Nami says right as they pass into the four tunnels, and Robin and Chopper park their boat near the side of the river, walking off into the forest.
Last edited: Sep 7, 2019
Chapter 31: Paralysis
"(How do you think this is going to play out?)" Mockery asks nervously while Tall uses a rope to drag the boat quickly through the milky waters.
"(We need to be ready for anything. And I mean that literally, fellow disciple. This Satori fellow relies on his Surprise Balls to help distract his opponents until he can kill them with an impact dial. I'll try to distract him, but we need to be prepared for your attacks to miss. A lot,)" Tall responds, flipping up onto the boat when they exit the dark tunnel, coming into a gigantic forest filled to the brim with floating spheres of cloudy material.
The ship falls over a gigantic waterfall, splashing onto a floating road of clouds, hovering suspended above the forests below.
"(Remember, be ready for anything. Even the unexpected,)" Tall barks, recovering from the drop and scanning their surroundings.
One of the balls comes close, but when Mockery tries to turn the ship away from it, their wing slips, slamming the boat directly into the sphere.
Light radiates from it as it hisses loudly, exploding in an eruption of smoke.
When the smoke clears, Mockery is laying in the back of the boat, covered in soot. Tall, meanwhile, had leapt between them and the explosive, blocking it with their shell.
"(T-try to avoid those,)" Tall coughs, turning to face forwards.
Loud laughter rings out through the forest. "Ho! Ho Hooo!"
One of the cloud spheres slowly drifts down in front of them, bearing a gigantic rotund man on it. His sunglasses gleam along with the golden rings stretching down from the neck of his jumpsuit as he leans down, tipping his hat and grinning widely at the pair.
"Looks like someone got surprised! Well, it's no wonder, considering just where you are! These are all my special Surprise Balls!"
He puts a finger to his chin, pouting. "Though, normally, little critters don't go through the Ordeals. Oh you must be something special to be here. So I thank you, for choosing the Ordeal of Balls! Ho! Ho Hooo!"
He climbs to his feet, standing on the spherical cloud on his toes, wobbling back and forth merrily as he hops from foot to foot.
"(Get ready,)" Tall whispers, entering his special fighting stance as Satori leaps towards them gracefully, flipping several times in the air.
Satori smiles. "Oh? A block, and then…"
The fat priest holds out his orange-gloved hand, gently pressing it into Tall's defensively crossed flippers "Impact!"
Mockery freezes up when Tall is launched out of the boat, crashing into one of the milky spheres, which immediately explodes on impact.
"Oh wow! Two in a row!" Satori claps. "Ho! Ho Hooo!"
Mockery forces themselves to move, swinging their talon out and sending a thin line of light slashing through the air. Satori, however, predicts it with contemptuous ease, hopping into the air and landing on another Surprise Ball.
"You know, between your little critter friend and you, I don't think you know how to fight! You can't just sit there and do nothing! Ho! Ho Hooo!" he laughs, wobbling back and forth on his floating ball.
Mockery barely manages to fly out of the way when Satori leaps for him, Impact Dial at the ready.
"(Burgundy!)" Mockery yells, firing their laser mouse at Satori, who has already moved out of the way, twisting to the side as the beam passes them by and obliterates one of the Surprise Balls, another explosion ringing out as the mouse zips back to Mockery's talons.
"It doesn't matter how fast your attacks are, if you can't adjust your aim in time to hit them, little critter!" Satori says, laughing when he twists around, Impact Dial at the ready to blast away Tall, sending them flying through another explosive Surprise Ball and into the tree behind it.
"What could I have expected, little critters, of someone challenging me, Satori, one of my god's four priests? The overseer of this stretch of Vearth?" they ask rhetorically, laughing as Tall gets back up, wiping the soot off of their face and glaring at the priest.
"My god had warned me you may know my abilities, but it seems, in the end, I had absolutely nothing to fear! Nothing at all! Ho! Ho Hooo!"
Mockery breathes heavily, slashing at Satori over and over desperately when Tall leaps at them again to distract them, each attack missing as Satori cleverly avoids all of the locations marked for death. Several of the attacks cleave through more of the Surprise Balls, detonating them one after another.
'No, no, my power can't be acting up now! Tall should be hitting all of the duds, if anything!' Mockery thinks, dread building up in their chest as Tall gets caught up in the explosions.
"Ho! Ho Hooo! I'm sorry, little critters, but I think our game might be running a bit long. But I'll end it quickly, Ho! Ho Hooo!"
Using their Impact Dial to launch Tall away again, they laugh as Mockery sweats, overcome with uncertainty.
Tall smashes into another Surprise Ball, this one exploding with flowers.
"Huh. That one was a dud! I knew I didn't pack all of them with explosives! Well, no matter. I've still got more than enough to finish you both off with style!"
Tall stares at Mockery as Satori begins pulling several of the Surprise Balls together into a long chain using a cane they produce from somewhere, the red and white candy-cane shaped stick allowing him to drag the balls into one another, before he slaps a dragon mask onto the frontmost one.
"Say hello to the end of this game, little critters! My Ball Dragon! It's made up of all sorts of nasty surprises, but explosives especially! Touch even one of the firebombs on it, and it will all be over. One bomb will trigger another, in a chain reaction! Ho! Ho Hooo!"
"(This is our chance. Mockery, you need to attack, on my signal. I've got a hunch,)" Tall says, rotating their shoulder as they shrug off the pain of enduring so many explosions in a row.
Mockery gulps. "(What will the signal be?)"
Tall leaps onto the boat, standing between Mockery and the dragon. "(You'll know.)"
"Now! Ball Dragon! Attack them, and put an end to our fun little game! Ho! Ho Hooo!"
Mockery freezes when Tall leaps directly at the oncoming dragon, arms crossed in front of them.
"(Kung-Fu…)"
They flip in the air, pointing their tail directly at the dragon's face.
"Oh my, it seems the little critters didn't understand me when I said they would die when they touched it! Oh well!" Satori laughs.
Mockery's eyes are wide with disbelief. "(Tall! No!)"
"(Spear!)"
Tall's tail crushes the Ball Dragon's wooden mask, and they punch through all of the Surprise Balls behind it.
Flowers, birds, and all manner of harmless trinkets spill out from them one after another as Tall passes through all of the Surprise Balls utterly unharmed.
"W-What?! All of them were duds?! That's impossible!" Satori shouts, sweat dripping down their face as Tall drives forward towards them.
"I, Uh!" Satori says, throwing their arms up reflexively to block the attack, Mockery managing to overcome their own shock when they realize what happened.
"(Burgundy!)" Mockery shouts, firing a beam at Satori, who is too panicked to try and predict it.
The Laser Mouse instantly punches through their body, while Tall's own Impact Dial implants unleash all of the raw force their body had absorbed from all of the explosions.
Satori lays unconscious on the ground, slowly bleeding from the wound in their side.
"(How did you know that would happen? What even did happen?!)" Mockery shouts, as Tall sighs with relief, rubbing burn cream on themselves.
Tall slaps a bandage on Satori and chains them up with some of the supplies from the boat. "(When Satori seemed surprised that I hit a dud, I instantly remembered what you said about your power, how it makes really lucky and unlucky things happen automatically around you. When he made that dragon thing, and I realized your power was at work, I just thought about what the most unlikely thing possible would be.)"
Mockery balks. "(You just guessed?!)"
Tall shrugs. "(Yeah, kind of!)"
The pair pause for several moments, before laughing uproariously.
Mockery sighs, wiping a tear away from their eye.
"(Alright, help me get this guy's jumpsuit off. I want to steal everything he owns,)" Mockery says, pulling off Satori's shoes.
Gan Fal's beard whips around as he flies closer and closer to the Strawhats' ship, responding to the call of the One Whistle he had given them. As he approaches, he sees a strange sight. Some sort of robed individual, poking a Tone Dial with a stick on the beach nearby.
"Enel literally poops his pants every hour, what do you think the drums are for?!" the dial shouts at a high volume. After several seconds, nothing happens, but the person writes something down on a wooden tablet in their hands, before banishing it away somehow.
Gan Fal has his pink, spotted bird land on the ship after the strange individual climbs back aboard it, only for Jackson to approach them rapidly with a syringe, injecting the confused man's armor with some sort of fluid before he can react. The armor turns a coppery grey color.
"Your armor is now hardened against electric shock. You're welcome," Jackson says, breathing heavily.
Gan notices, in addition to the various birds and strange dog-fish-creatures milling around on the deck, there's also one of Enel's Divine Soldiers staring at Gan with wide eyes as they hide behind the Going Merry's mast.
Not a fully trained one, obviously, considering that such a Divine Soldier would attack Gan on sight.
"Anyway, I apologize, Gan Fal, but I haven't finished your fruit yet. Its power is potent, and dampening certain unsavory aspects of it is a challenge. Also, I need a vial of your blood."
Gan backs away in confusion, and his pet bird looks incensed at this weird magician wanting uncomfortable things from his master.
"I am an alchemist, and the only source of divinity worth using on this island comes from you alone. It may be weaker, but it isn't tainted," Jackson says disdainfully.
"I can use it to create a Devil Fruit for you."
"If you believe it will… help?" Gan says, surprised when Jackson already has a vial that he somehow makes disappear as he clenches his hand around it.
"I already took a sample with my laser syringe. Asking was more of a respect thing," Jackson says, dismissing the syringe as well.
"Again, I'm sorry for the suddenness, but I really don't have a lot of time,"
He summons up a case filled with Tone Dials, numbered one through ten.
"I know this is an unusual request, but I need you to give these dials to the Shandians. Tell them that they hold the secret to defeating Enel and his Priests, whatever you need to say to make sure they hear these."
Gan takes the case, but looks dissatisfied.
Jackson responds to the unspoken question. "In case Enel escapes or the Shandians interfere, I want them to have the best chance of survival, even if the plan is for me and my friends to take care of it. Got that?"
"How do you know all of this? How do you even know my role as the former god of Skypiea? It's unlikely that there is anyone here who would be willing to say such a thing with Enel listening," Gan says, confused beyond belief at Jackson's whirlwind explanations.
"An alchemist knows many things," Jackson says, failing to explain much of anything.
After several long suspicious moments, Gan nods, taking the case before climbing aboard Pierre and flying away at high speeds.
"Alright Usopp, this is going to be tough. I'm relying on you here, as much as you're relying on me," Sanji says, piloting the waver boat off the edge of the waterfall, sending it crashing down onto the Milky Road below them.
"Don't worry, Sanji! You can count on me! It will be a cinch with you protecting me!" Usopp shouts, pulling down his goggles and preparing his slingshot.
"Good, because if what Jackson's report said is right, that's going to be just about all I can do against this guy," Sanji points out, scanning the forest carefully, trying to spot where the priest will emerge from to attack them.
"The moment he comes out, I'll flood his entire world with every trick in the book! He won't be able to dodge what I've got!" Usopp says, putting a hand to his chest as he proudly plants his foot on the side of the boat.
He turns to look at Sanji when the boat stops moving, only to realize that the seat he had been sitting in is completely empty.
Last edited: Sep 8, 2019
Chapter 32: Pilus
"Sanji! Where did you go?!" Usopp shouts, looking around frantically with his slingshot at the ready.
"You know, I pity you. I really do. It never fails to disappoint when someone is too weak to stand on their own two feet," a voice rings out. Usopp whirls in place, firing a Dynamite Star at the voice, causing a massive eruption of fire and wood splinters as it smashes into one of the trees.
Usopp finally spots the source of the voice riding on top of a gigantic bony-faced bird. The bird comes to rest on one of the branches, the crimson plumage around its neck shifting and contrasting with the rest of its purple feathers.
The man stands tall on top of the bird, a set of wings adorning his leather aviator's helmet, similar to the wings jutting from his back. "If you had chosen one of the other trials, you may have survived in spite of that. Almost all of the other trials have higher chances of survival. Sadly, with only a three-percent survival rate, your life will end here in the Ordeal of Strings, and it will be ended by me, Sky Rider Shura!" he shouts, hefting his lance and making Usopp shudder with fear.
He finally spots Sanji, wriggling around in a cocoon of pale strings high above him.
"Sanji! I'll get you down!" Usopp says, pulling a shuriken from his belt and firing it upward with his slingshot.
Usopp gasps in pain when Shura flies down, shoving Usopp out of the boat and pinning him to a tree with his lance. "If you can't fight on your own, then you shouldn't fight at all," Shura says, his lance glowing with heat as part of Usopp's clothing smolders.
Sanji's cocooned form thumps down into the boat and he wriggles around, cutting himself free with one of his boot-knives.
"Damn it! Usopp!" Sanji shouts, ripping the strings off of his face and, leaping out of the boat towards Usopp. He thrusts his foot forward, the knife jutting from his shoe allowing him to cut through the strings. At the last moment, he retracts the blade, swinging his foot at Shura, who dodges at the last second.
"Usopp, are you alright?" Sanji says to the sniper, who pulls out a white ball from his belt, crushing it into his shoulder wound.
The sticky substance inside expands into foam, stopping the bleeding. Usopp grimaces at the sensation of the medical foam, forcing himself to stand up confidently. "I'm one-hundred percent fine! The great Usopp could endure a thousand blows like that without flinching!" he lies as Shura stares dispassionately at the both of them.
"Fuza," Shura says, confusing Usopp and Sanji.
"Huh? What's that supposed to…" Sanji starts before his eyes widen and he grabs Usopp, leaping out of the way when Shura's bird opens its mouth, firing a stream of fire that incinerates everything in front of it.
"I know what you're trying to do. Avoid moving, and you'll avoid my String Clouds and String Cloud Traps that I've hidden throughout the surrounding forest, but that only works if I can't force you to move," Shura snarls, pointing at the duo again to order his bird to prepare another blast of fire breath.
"Well that's just dandy, because now that I'm good and warmed up, we won't have to move another inch," Sanji smirks, standing between Usopp and Shura and cutting the few strings that had gotten on him and his friend.
Sanji pulls his right leg up high in the air, before leaning back and flipping over onto his hands. as the bird launches another wave of fire breath.
"Poumons..!" Sanji begins, pushing himself into the air and flipping himself several times as he picks up speed while swinging his legs.
"De La Jambe!"
The wave of fire washes over both Usopp and Sanji, enveloping them entirely for several seconds as trees begin falling to the ground as they are burnt away.
Shura scowls, disappointed at just how quickly these idiots had died.
His scowl deepens even further when he realizes they had both survived without so much as being singed, Sanji having flipped around so fast that he whipped up a strong whirlwind around him and Usopp, protecting them from the flames.
Sanji lands on his feet, putting a cigarette he lit off of the flames into his mouth. "I'll admit, the thin air up here made it hard for me to fight properly, but I found a fine solution, in the form of nutritious dishes, tailor-made for fueling the body, and strengthening the lungs. With that said… I've got more than enough energy to whip up a strong wind, strong enough to blow away your bird's bad breath."
Usopp grins, stepping out from behind Sanji and pulling back a ball wrapped in thick layers of paper, with the word "Death" written across the front of it.
"You still won't be able to hit me, my Mantra is more than enough for me to predict your every movement. All you've done is chosen to die slowly, and painfully," Shura scoffs, hefting his lance up, and pointing it at Usopp.
"If you're saying something like that, then it's all the more apparent that you have no idea who you're dealing with! None other than the masterful Usopp! I'll blast you out of the sky, even if you could predict someone as amazing and incredible as myself!"
Shura rolls his eyes before a terrible premonition hits him. The long-nosed sniper will shoot him, and then he'll go unconscious.
"Fuza!" he shouts, prompting his bird to rapidly fly him away from where he predicted the sniper would shoot.
His Mantra gives him yet another prediction, exactly the same as the last one.
Again and again, he dodges away from where he thinks Usopp is going to shoot, but the prediction doesn't change!
"Sure-kill Technique!: Festival Star!" Usopp shouts, firing the large paper-covered ball at Shura.
Even flying as fast as he can, even knowing where the Sniper would have aimed, why is the attack still going to hit him?!
"Your ability… It doesn't work if there's no way for you to dodge an attack… Right?" Usopp smirks, watching as his Festival Star explodes, flinging a cluster of Dynamite Stars in all directions.
While Sanji had been blocking Fuza's fire breath earlier, Usopp had hunkered down, grabbing handfuls of his Dynamite stars and wrapping them with paper and sawdust. He had watched Shura in flight, calculating the trajectories he could take, and his bird's top speed.
With what he had learned about explosives on the journey here, it was as easy as making a star that left no routes for Shura to escape, even with the ability to predict where it would explode.
Shura's eyes widen as one of the dozens of Dynamite stars flies in front of him, shining brightly before it explodes, shaking Upper Yard as his and his bird's smoking bodies crash to the ground.
"A little drop of divinity, split in two. One part centrifuged to extract the worship from it. The worship is then combined with a dial, to create a Worship Dial," Jackson says, grabbing the Worship Battery he had pulled out of the idol. It was interesting, how divinity on its own would transform into a small statue as it did.
With the Worship Dial, he could then wire the idol to the dial, funneling any worship it absorbs into the idol, and feeding into its divinity.
"Now for the hard part," Jackson hums, using his screwdriver and a pair of wire clippers to begin fumbling around inside the Dial and Idol he had opened up, rewiring their insides until the two objects combined together, sucking into one another and transforming into a singular idol, which he plugs a Stamina Battery into, wiring the divinity and worship into the stamina.
He feels the drain as his own stamina meter depletes by another bar, one of the jewels on his arm dimming as the clay idol glows.
"Now I add the sin amplifier, to boost the efficiency of conversion whenever strong sources of sin are nearby," Jackson claims, pulling out the crackling lightning-bolt-shaped circuit and plugging it into the worship supply unit.
Jackson hums, staring at the divinity unit. "Features… features… Divinity on its own is incredibly vague, and rarely directly helpful. I'll plug in some flight, healing, and strength. That will go well with how the worship supply unit can already feed into the stamina battery."
"And finally, I make it purely symbolic, removing the physical portion of the idol," Jackson says, using his Alchemy Syringe to draw out all of the conceptual components inside of the clay statue, causing it to crumble into dust.
He injects this into one of his Hollow Fruits, instantly draining another bar of his stamina.
"Thus far, all of my Ghetto Fruits have had inferior qualities of a Paramecia, Logia, and a Zoan all in one. This one, however, I can firmly call a true Paramecia Ghetto Ghetto Fruit."
He opens up the fruit itself with his screwdriver, looking at it with his alchemy scanner. Not spotting anything particularly out of place, he closes it back up, pocketing the fruit for later.
"Hopefully, that will be enough to help, after we leave," Jackson hums to himself, climbing above deck and watching the horizon bob up and down as the jewels on his arm slowly light up over time.
Mahmud, who had been watching with shy awe, follows him up as well.
"Ahh, Captain Penchant. What brings you aboard?" Jackson says as the short captain approaches the pair, along with several burly pirates, all of them wearing fancy outfits, bright red suits with poofy collars and handkerchiefs in their pockets.
"Well, I had opted to follow along with your little band because I believed it would profit us to trade, until such time that I and my men claimed the gold on this island. However, no trade has occurred, and your men are scouring the island without any of me or mine. It pains me to say, but I doubt our alliance can last any longer."
Jackson sighs, standing up from the chair he had pulled out onto the deck as Mahmud backs away, bumping into more of the Tasteful Pirates that had somehow surrounded the two of them.
"If you like, we could begin some trading right now. I believe you may be past the point of wanting to, though," Jackson says.
"You would be right. I'll have my men rob your ship of all its valuables, and then we'll go on to look for the treasures ourselves. If you like, I will allow you to retreat to shore," Penchant says, gesturing for his men to point their guns at the violently angry animals on Splash Mountain, which bobs near the Going Merry.
"I have an alternate proposal. Your pistol, it's roughly one-hundred grain, am I right?"
Penchant pauses, before nodding. "Indeed. You could tell at a sight?"
"I wanted a pistol of my own, but the doctor I apprenticed under said that I had to learn about them, first. But that's beside the point. I'd like you to shoot me in the head."
Penchant almost flinches back. "Pardon?"
Jackson pulls off his hat and scarf. "I'd like you to press your gun up against my head, and fire your gun at me. If I survive, you'll know that I can handily defeat your entire crew with ease. If I fail, then there will be nobody left to stop you from robbing the ship in peace."
Penchant frowns at the sight of Jackson's gruesome face. "I've played carnival games before, Mr. Jackson, there's always a trick to it," he says, pulling out his gun and shooting Jackson in the chest instead.
Jackson takes a step back as the bullet smashes into his coat, bouncing off.
"That was incredibly dumb, Penchant," Jackson says, putting his hat back on.
"If you didn't want to play carnival games, you shouldn't have come to the circus," Jackson claims, turning away from Penchant and running backwards into him at high speed, grabbing the short captain and wrenching his arms behind him in a second.
"I'd like you to order your men to get off of this ship and set sail back to the blue sea. Otherwise, I'll make sure you eat mouse food out of a thimble for the rest of your life," Jackson says, pulling out a syringe and pressing it into Penchant's neck.
"Gah! How dare you mock my height!" Penchant shouts, struggling to get out of the insane doctor's grip.
"You're just making this worse on yourself Penchant. Order them off of the ship, now," Jackson says, tightening his grip when Penchant's squirming causes the syringe to inject some of its contents into the pirate captain.
"Fine! Fine, men, let us leave this horrid place," Penchant groans.
Jackson tosses the captain away, stashing the syringe as he and his crew climb back across the gangplank Penchant's crew had placed between the two ships.
"I'll know if you don't leave, by the way!" Jackson shouts cheerfully, making Penchant scowl as he barks orders to his men.
"Sir, uh…" one of Penchant's men says nervously.
"What? What is it Ensign Copperman?" Captain Penchant demands, swallowing the last of his sauce d'arachide and wiping the peanut butter from his face.
"Well, it's just, your ears."
"What about my ears? You've all been acting suspiciously ever since we left those crass fools in Skypiea."
"You've got, uhh… Mouse ears."
"Ensign, I've kindly requested that you all don't make jokes about my height. Three weeks of mop duty."
"But sir!"
"Need I make it four? And bring me more peanut butter as well."
Chapter 33: Laceration
Nami and Luffy both speed along, the Going Mini giving it everything it has as they rush down the Milky Road.
"Hey wait! I'm supposed to fight you!" they both hear from behind them as they almost speed by him entirely.
Luffy frowns at Nami until, with a long-suffering sigh, she pulls the waver to a halt so they can turn and face their opponent.
His hair is the most noticeable thing about the priest, a tangled mess that juts out in all directions like the legs of a spider, followed only slightly in strangeness by him trying to cross his arms dramatically as he glares at them, his purple sleeves rippling as he just rubs his arms together, trying to cross them.
Trying and failing, as each time he attempts to cross them, he doesn't do it right, causing them to just slip over one another.
"You can't just stand there and let us go by if you want a fight! We almost drove right by you!" Luffy shouts petulantly, cracking his knuckles.
The priest adopts a look of utter shock, frowning. "How careless of me!"
He shakes his head, pointing at the two of them for several long moments.
"… Are you going to say anything?" Nami asks, confused by the long awkward pause.
He claps a hand to his mouth in shock, realizing he hadn't actually been saying anything.
"Right! Well, I am Gedatsu the Sky Boss! I am the sole purveyor of this section of Vearth, the sole arbiter of this, the Ordeal of Swamp! Having chosen my ordeal, you have a mere fifty-percent chance of survival!"
"Is it fifty-percent because half of the people coming here just drive right by you?" Nami deadpans as Luffy's eyes glitter.
"Whoa! Only fifty-percent? That's crazy! How do people even survive this Swamp Thingie?" Luffy ponders out loud.
"Well, even though my Swamp Clouds can drown you, and you can't normally touch them to pull them off of you, if you've got something like a shovel or even a folding fan, my Swamp Clouds can actually be brushed away with those, it's because they've got a lot of surface area, so they can push them away!" Gedatsu points out with a smile, pointing a finger up informatively.
"How the hell do you kill anyone when you're telling them how your attacks work?!" Nami shouts with exasperation.
"How careless of me!" he says, embarrassed with himself.
"Can we fight now?" Luffy asks, raising his hand.
"Right!" Gedatsu nods, leaping into the air and forming a giant ball of clouds in his hands.
"Swamp Burger!" Gedatsu shouts, flinging the cloud at Nami and Luffy.
The gigantic cloud crashes into them, smearing away as Luffy's hydrophobic skin repels it, and Nami's weather gems emit a hiss of air that blasts them off.
"Cloud-based attacks won't work on either of us, Gedatsu," Nami states, leaning back in her seat as Luffy winds up his fist.
Gedatsu's eyes widen as he senses the attack, flying higher into the air as Milky Dials in his boots erupt, firing a jet of clouds below him.
"Cool! Nami! Make Jackson make me shoes like that when we get back!" Luffy shouts, Nami sighing as Gedatsu flies towards him angrily, reeling his arm back.
"Jet Dial! Activate!" Gedatsu shouts, the dial in his arm erupting with intense wind as he punches Luffy in the head at blistering speeds.
Luffy's head stretches back an incredible distance, and Nami just smirks idly at Gedatsu, who looks stunned.
"The funny thing is, a regular impact dial probably would have hurt him more," Nami says, waving goodbye to Gedatsu.
"Gum Gum Gong!" Luffy shouts, his head flying back and smashing into Gedatsu's head, sending him flying into a tree, where he becomes completely embedded in it, limbs hanging limply around him.
"How careless..!" he starts, falling unconscious.
Nami giggles. "Help me get those dials off of him, Luffy. That's free loot, right there."
Zoro and Daz hop out of their boat as soon as they see someone, Zoro plopping to the ground and idly examining his swords.
"I'll step in if it looks like you're about to die, but not a second before," Zoro claims. Daz doesn't visibly respond, instead taking a step towards the strange tank-top wearing man, riding on top of a gigantic white dog.
"Your name is Ohm. You are one of Enel's four priests, your ordeal, the Ordeal of Iron, is one in which you use barbed wire traps scattered around the area to kill your opponent. Should this fail, your dog, Holy, is capable of boxing, and your sword, being made of Iron Clouds as well, is capable of changing its shape," Daz says.
"You seek to kill out of some misguided desire to save men from their sins and burdens, and your Ordeal supposedly has a survival rate of zero percent."
Ohm adjusts his sunglasses, standing up. "If you know all of this, why tell me? You could have preserved the element of surprise, to gain some sort of advantage."
Daz's expression doesn't change. "Doing this will help me learn honor. I don't yet understand it, so I will attempt to practice it until I do. To decide if it holds merit."
Ohm's eyes narrow. "I see. I can respect that. I assume then, that you want some sort of honorable duel from me?"
Daz takes another step towards him. "To a person like me, the closest thing to honor is achieving victory, at any cost. If you wish to pay me honor, then attempt to do so."
Ohm's posture shifts. "What is your name? I will remember you when you die."
"Daz Bonez."
"I see. Goodbye, then, Daz Bonez. You, in some small way, strove to overcome human sin through honor."
Daz takes another step, triggering a nearby Milky Dial to fire its payload at him, a stream of Iron Cloud barbwire crashing into him as his body reflexively turns into blades.
He crashes into a nearby tree, the barbwire bouncing off of his side and trailing off into the distance.
"Eisen Whip!" Ohm shouts, swinging his blade at Daz, the blade shifting and morphing as the Iron Clouds making it up distort in response to the gigantic dial in his sword's pommel activating.
Waves of razor-sharp and iron-hard clouds slam into Daz, pushing him all the way through the tree and into another one.
He slides free of the ruined tree and stands up, brushing himself off to reveal that the attacks had done nothing to him.
"I'm sorry, but if you don't have something that can harm me, I'm not sure how else this battle can end," Daz says honestly, walking towards Ohm.
"Don't underestimate him, Daz. Who knows what that weird clown sword could do," Zoro says idly, eyeing Ohm's giant dog, Holy.
Ohm's eyebrow twitches, but he otherwise doesn't respond to the provocation.
Instead, he fires a stream of Iron Clouds from his Eisen Whip, swishing the sword from side to side to make the clouds wrap around Daz, pinning him to the ground.
"Even if I can't cut you, there are still ways I can kill you," Ohm says, attempting to cover Daz entirely with the Iron Clouds to suffocate him.
Daz almost pauses, testing the clouds that are climbing up towards his neck and face. Zoro looks up from his blade-care, checking to see if Daz is in danger.
Daz freezes, before releasing a deep sigh.
"These clouds might be as strong as iron, but they're honestly too soft for me to struggle against. Iron strength means nothing without the hardness of a temper,"
Daz sighs, disappointed as he unleashes a wave of cutting force from his entire body, reducing the Iron Clouds to ribbons.
Ohm slumps, realizing that everything he tried has completely failed against this steel warrior.
His Eisen Whip reforms back into the shape of a katana, and he levels it at Daz.
Daz frowns, holding up his hands as he presses his wrists together, fingers turning into blades as Ohm stabs at him.
"Erupting Radicel!"
Ohm flies backwards into the forest, his sword flipping around in the air before stabbing into the ground.
When Daz walks over and plucks the blade out of the ground, Zoro's eyebrow twitches. "Oi, don't take that."
"We should collect resources wherever possible," Daz countermands.
A low coughing interrupts the argument about to occur, and they both turn to Ohm, who coughs up blood as his dog licks him sadly.
"Take it."
Zoro looks confused, and Ohm continues.
"If what you say is true… If Iron Clouds are not enough to defeat the two of you… Then I need a new blade. The power my weapon had given me has made me complacent, it shamed me, against swordsmen like the two of you."
"It's yours, Daz Bonez," he finishes, falling unconscious. His dog looks nervously at them, but they simply turn and walk to their waver boat without another word spoken.
"I'm disappointed that I failed to learn anything here," Daz admits, climbing aboard.
Zoro shakes his head. "You did learn something. You intentionally didn't kill him. Didn't you?"
"I saw no need to," Daz explains, holding the Eisen Whip awkwardly in his hand.
Gan Fal ignores the weapons pointed at him as he slides the case over to Wyper, who spits out his cigar in disgust. "Why should we listen to you?"
"Any advantage you have over Enel is one you should be willing to take," Gan says.
Wyper scowls, refusing to lower his bazooka even as he gestures for one of the others to pick up the case.
When Raki leans down, picking up the case and examining its contents, Wyper looks pointedly at the former god of Skypiea "Fine, we'll listen to them. Leave, now. I won't tolerate you here any longer."
Gan doesn't respond, other than to swing his leg over onto Pierre and fly away.
"Well, shall we listen to what this mysterious 'Alchemist' has to say?" Raki says, leaning her rifle over her shoulder as she carries the case over to their central tent.
Aisa sits next to the tent's entrance, hugging her knees close to herself
"What's wrong, Aisa?" Raki asks, pausing to look at the little girl.
"I heard four voices go dim. Very dim," the little girl says, sensing several people being knocked completely unconscious.
"Oh? Who were they?" Raki says, leaning down as the other warriors approach her, making to enter the tent with Wyper.
"I think It's the priests."
Wyper pauses at the tent's entrance after hearing that. "Which ones?" he demands firmly.
"All of them. One after another," she claims.
"I think it was the Blue Sea people that beat them," she finishes shyly, scooting away from Wyper.
"Is that so? Then let's not wait another minute. Raki, dump that trash. The time to attack has come," he grins.
"I think we should listen to these dials first, if we are to attack, then we should know everything we can about our enemy," she says in response.
Wyper rolls his eyes. "What could some worthless Blue Sea scum have to say that would change the outcome of our battle? They don't know anything about the foe we're fighting. They don't know anything about our struggle,"
He grabs the case, throwing it to the ground and smashing it. "Come on men, let's go!" Wyper shouts, eliciting a roar of approval from the other warriors who follow after him.
Raki scowls at Wyper's recklessness, leaning down to pick up the only intact Tone Dial left. Number one.
She clicks the button on top, listening to the even voice that comes out of the dial.
"If you attack recklessly, you will die. Enel's capabilities make him immune to any defense or offense that a person could muster, aside from somehow drowning him. Ignoring that his Mantra can allow him to avoid harm and predict attacks, his devil fruit power means that no weapon can touch his body, unless it is made from seastone or a nonconductive material like rubber. Any and all attacks will phase through him harmlessly."
Raki backs away, even as the voice continues, swallowing the lump in her throat as she experiences a horrific revelation. Whatever "Seastone" or "Rubber" is, they don't have any.
"Aisa, stay here, I have to stop them," Raki demands, speeding away as fast as she can, desperate to catch up to Wyper and his men.
Chapter 34: Shock
Enel sighs as one of his servant girls rubs his shoulders, carefully avoiding the ring of giant drums pierced through his shoulderblades.
"This is unusual. All four ordeals, conquered in minutes. I thought it would be entertaining, letting them challenge all four at once, but this? It's disappointing," he says.
'What's worse, the Ark Maxim is barely ready to fly, much less put an end to this nonsense,' Enel thinks to himself.
Enel snatches up a grape from the bowl next to him before one of his servants can feed it to him, too frustrated to wait.
"I'm going to be so busy cleaning up this mess, I don't think I'll have the time I'd like to properly play with them all," he claims idly.
"A funny little alchemist who thinks I can't hear him if I can't sense him, the Shandians flying around like buzzards. There's just so much that I want to play around with, and so little time to do it," he groans, planting his chin onto his hand.
"Today is so stressful," Enel points out.
He looks at one of the servant girls. "What do you think?"
"I- I would not know, it isn't my place to consider how my god might deal with such a problem," she says, avoiding making eye contact with Enel.
Enel turns away, his elongated earlobes swaying with the motion. "Oh come now. It isn't every day that I allow this. Don't be such a downer. Go ahead, try," he says, turning back to face her with a malicious grin.
"W-well, if they are moving too quickly, then I… I would guess that perhaps someone could slow them down?"
"See? That wasn't that hard, now was it?" Enel smiles.
"As for slowing them down… They're meeting at the Altar of Sacrifice, so I don't think it would be a problem to keep them there for a little while. I think I can give you the ultimate honor, my dear. We'll make a game of it, see how long it takes them to escape, while I hunt down their friends."
"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?" Zoro shouts, wincing when the fence of clouds that had sprouted up around them all zaps him, sending him flying into the stone altar when he tries to slash the cloudy cage trapping them on the Sacrificial Altar they had all parked their boats at.
"It seems to be a modified thundercloud, I don't know how it got here, but it shouldn't take long for me to dismantle it, so don't touch the damn thing," Nami claims, whipping out her brand new Magician's Clima-Tact. The single long rod hisses with cold fog that pours from the holes on each of its ends, the pale blue metal glistening with frozen condensation.
Nami stabs one end of her Clima-Tact into the ground, before wrenching it so the other end touches the iron-cloud fence.
"Discharge Tempo!"
Instantly, massive amounts of lightning drain out of the fence, rushing into the ground and turning the rocks a cherry-red color.
Luffy groans. "Why can't I just punch it down? Electricity isn't supposed to hurt me, right?" he says, grabbing the fence, only to yelp and leap back when it burns him. He blows at his fingers frantically.
"These iron clouds aren't as conductive as actual iron, so the electricity is making them hot enough to melt stone, in theory at least," Nami says, focusing as her Weather Jewels feed her a running commentary on the air conditions near her, emitting puffs of water vapor and blistering cold air to maintain her working conditions.
"In practice, most of the heat is being lost to the surrounding air, even with the strength of iron, they're only three times as dense as an actual cloud," she points out.
"Is there anything we can do to speed up this process? The fact that we're being held here does not bode well," Daz points out.
Nami grimaces when a stray spark of electricity hits her in the process of draining the electricity bound up in the clouds. "If you can, try digging through the ground. These fences might not go underneath us."
Daz nods, transforming his arm into a whipping storm of blades which he uses to begin burrowing through the stone of the altar.
"Luffy, did you bring your Riot Balls with you?" Nami demands, turning to look at him.
Luffy's face contorts as he realizes the problem. "I… Didn't think I would need them."
"I just hope the others are okay," Usopp says, staring in the direction of their ship nervously. He can't help but feel like something's horribly wrong with this whole situation.
His blood freezes when he sees bolts of lightning beginning to crash down in the distance, one after another.
Chopper snaps a photograph of the ruins that Robin pointed out.
The gigantic pillar's mournful face sits somewhat askew as it rests in the clouds, tilted to the side and covered with moss.
"This pillar could have been a memorial of some kind, possibly for a king, or great warrior," Robin says, writing down notes in a book she had taken with her as Chopper takes several pictures with his phone.
"It will take some time for me to translate this. It's an unusual script."
"Take as much time as you need, Miss Robin," Chopper says, filing away the pictures and pocketing the wooden device.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," they hear turning to see who had spoken.
Surrounding them both on all sides are several individuals, all with horns and long, goat-ear-like flaps on their heads, save for the centermost one, a corpulent giant of a man with a serious expression.
"I and the rest of us among our lord Enel's Divine Soldiers have been commanded to keep you here until our lord arrives," the gigantic leader says, stepping forward along with the two other rotund individuals flanking him on either side, each of them wearing sunglasses of their own. To an onlooker, they would seem to be almost identical twins, down to the bright grins on their faces.
Robin's posture changes, though her expression remains carefully blank. "So you are the henchmen of this Enel person?"
The leader bares his teeth. "Watch your mouth. I am Yama, the commander of our lord's Divine Army. Do not try to escape, or you will be slain in short order. Such a thing would displease our lord."
Robin glances towards Chopper, who scans over the area analytically, measuring up the horde of soldiers surrounding them on all sides. "Would you say this qualifies as an emergency, Doctor?"
Chopper looks at her, before nodding and pulling a vial from his bag.
He turns to the suspicious-looking soldiers. "We aren't going to try to leave this place, but my friend Robin needs her medicine."
"If you have no intention of leaving, then I don't care," Yama says, watching them carefully.
Chopper nods, before turning to Robin and giving her an apologetic look. "This will hurt."
Before Robin can ponder for too long what this means, Chopper stabs her in the left shoulderblade and pours the vial's contents into the wound in the span of a second, causing her to wince as the fluid fills in the gap, shifting and transforming.
The soldiers all back away in shock when Robin's shoulder erupts, a single small, but extremely fluffy wing sprouting from where Chopper had applied the vial, the wing's feathers shaped almost like the petals her fruit creates when she dismisses one of the limbs she grows using it.
Robin looks back at the appendage, before looking to Chopper curiously. "How does this help me?"
"The wing is virtually identical to that of a hummingbird's wing, with only one main difference," Chopper begins.
"And that is?" Robin responds as some of the soldiers nervously take defensive stances.
"A normal hummingbird couldn't beat a gorilla in an arm-wrestling competition while under fire from cannons." Chopper snarks, turning to face the soldiers.
"Ahh, I see now," Robin comments idly, twitching the wing on her back experimentally as a long tentacle made of wings sprouts up behind the soldiers, wobbling from side to side as it grows in length and size.
An errant twitch sends the pink fluffy limb snapping sideways, smashing twelve of the soldiers aside in an instant, and throwing the rest of them into chaos as they frantically move away from the attacking mass.
"I can see that I'll have to practice, to make the most of this new limb," she says.
Chopper shifts into his Heavy Point and begins cracking his knuckles. "Hmm. Physical therapy is an important step to growing comfortable with any new limb. I'll mark you down for an appointment later," he snarks again.
Robin's lips quirk in a way that might be considered a smile, by extremely optimistic people.
Gan Fal returns one final time to the Going Merry, after Jackson had blown the whistle as he said he would when he was done.
Gan lands on the deck as Jackson walks towards him with a thick rubber box in his hands. "Alright, I've got the Devil Fruit, Gan, this should give you everything you need. You'll lose the ability to swim, but I can fix that later, when we've dealt with everything up here.
"I see. And this will allow me to protect Skypiea?"
"So long as there is one, I imagine," Jackson says, handing over the box.
When Gan opens it, pulling out the small cube of fruit, a tiny blast of lightning knocks it out of his hand, sending it skidding over the railing of the Going Merry.
"Oh, was that important? I hope it was," Enel says, sitting cross-legged on the Going Merry's figurehead.
Jackson immediately pulls out a plastic package filled with a brown, three-sectioned bar when he sees Enel.
"Gan, get that fruit, no matter what!" Jackson shouts, ripping the package open and breaking off one of the squares.
Gan nods, leaping onto Pierre and diving through the White White Sea, intent on breaking out on the other side to grab the falling Ghetto Fruit.
"You know, I thought it would be funny, to let you think you escaped Judgement for a little while. But I'll be honest, it was boring," Enel yawns.
"You won't be bored, for the next five seconds, Enel," Jackson says, backing away as he rolls the sleeves up on his robe, revealing his left hand.
Enel rolls his eyes.
"Rumble Pak: Choc-" Jackson starts, only for Enel to flash behind him, stabbing him in the stomach with a golden trident.
"I mean really, you might have escaped my notice with your little metal-coating trick if I hadn't noticed so many people talking to thin air. After that, I just started listening for any noises at all on this ship, instead of for the voices of specific people on it," Enel says, pulling the spear out of his back and kicking him to the ground.
"You sure know a lot about my powers. If I had tried my electricity attacks, you would have killed me right then and there, wouldn't you?" Enel says ponderously, kicking the bar of chocolate-flavored Devil Fruit Augmenting Drugs away from Jackson, who grabs for the package weakly.
The Going Merry rocks from side to side as waves crash into it.
The animal pirates, who had already been told about Enel, do as they were ordered to previously if he personally appears near them, escaping the area as fast as they can and scattering in all directions.
"Alright. I don't have any more time to waste here. If you have any prayers left to say, I'd go ahead and say them," Enel laughs, unleashing an intense shock through his spear that makes Jackson thrash violently before Enel leaps off of the deck and disappears in a flash of lightning.
The air shimmers maliciously above Splash Mountain and the Going Merry as the waves roll in harder and harder, crashing into the ships as Jackson tries to crawl to his feet.
With one final wave pushing the Going Merry towards the shore, Jackson swears he feels the ship hit something hard right before it goes vertical, his body sliding down the deck as the Going Merry tips almost completely onto its back, figurehead pointed upwards as the divine lightning crashes down.
Jackson could swear he hears a deep bass tone right before his head smashes into the rearmost railing, leaving him only vaguely conscious.
Last edited: Sep 9, 2019
Interlude 2: Deathbed
The Going Merry is a very sleepy ship.
Not in the sense of her personality, or her health. She's got tons of personality! All of her beloved passengers, they give her so much of it.
And her health… Well, it does hurt, but she's a strong ship, and Usopp helps so much with keeping her maintained, patching the holes, cleaning the deck. Even bolting her entire mast back on, who knows how many times?
She's a sleepy ship because she hasn't woken up completely yet.
Oh, a lot of her passengers in the same room. That's usually important, when it isn't lunchtime!
She does the ship-equivalent of blinking sleep out of her eyes, listening in on the conversation. "What does this have to do with a crew member being at risk?" Usopp questions after a moment, while Luffy continues to observe the conversation as a passive participant.
Jackson sighs. "Less than a year from now, unless something changes, there is every chance in the world that the Going Merry's keel is going to crack, a death sentence for any ship. She's tough, with a will of iron, but her body was made in the weakest blue. Her hull just wasn't made to fight the Grand Line and win."
The bobbing of the waves and the soft creak of wood are the only two things interrupting the long silence that follows as Usopp shakes, and Luffy remains as serious as he can be.
Merry feels so cold, hearing that, a chill runs over her as her boards creak. She hasn't known Jackson for very long, but he doesn't like to lie, especially when it's about something sad.
Usopp's been keeping her repaired, though. Why would she be in danger, when he's the best repairman on the ship?
"And Usopp, I know it must hurt to hear this, but I want you to take me to every repair you've made that you can remember, so I can replace them with my own," Jackson says, making Merry feel even colder.
Usopp shakes his head. "Of course I will. I'll give you as much help as you need."
It isn't supposed to be like this. She's supposed to be their ship, she took them over Reverse Mountain!
She just wanted to be the ship of the Pirate King.
It doesn't feel good, having someone rooting around inside of her. It isn't like when someone is in her hull, and it isn't at all like when Usopp would make his repairs.
It almost feels invasive.
If the painful discussions hadn't been a wakeup call, then this is. So many strange things, the injections, the alterations. It hurts in a new way, like the ache of boards bending from strain, rather than the pain of splintered wood and shoddy repairs.
She won't let this beat her. She won't let anything beat her.
Jackson begins drilling holes into her hull. Just what the hell is this bastard doing now?
He drenches her hull in liquid, the fluid transforming into a smooth shell of copper, sinking into the drilled holes and firmly fastening the coating to her body.
"These should give you resistance to any more biofouling, and let us go longer without cleaning. That's why I replaced all of your iron nails with copper alloy bolts, by the way. If I didn't, the copper would react with the iron and seawater, and it wouldn't be a very good end result." Jackson states idly, as if she could somehow respond.
'You should have told me that before you started, Quack Bastard,' Merry thinks to herself, grateful for the running commentary, but not that grateful.
Jackson hums, pulling out a vial filled with random chunks of machinery. "I would add a propeller, while I'm at it, but I'll save that for when we get you a bit more structure."
'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'
After some more idle talking and injecting her with strange chemicals, he spots her figurehead, freshly polished by none other than the amazing Usopp. He even took the time to pay special attention to her horns.
"Well, that is Luffy's special seat," Jackson says, leaping backwards up onto her figurehead.
'Oh hell no, keep that damn needle away from Luffy's seat, Quack Bastard! Oh god it itches so badly… Her eyes are even itching. Those aren't supposed to do anything, much less itch.'
She won't let this itchy feeling kill her. She won't let anything take her away from the Strawhats.
This itchy achy hell will make her stronger.
Usopp hums, having tied a rope around the mast and rapelled over Merry's side to examine her for any problems.
'Hi Usopp.'
"That's weird…" he says, running a hand along her copper hull.
"What's with these lumps? Those weren't there before."
Indeed, Merry's hull had bulged out in four places, odd emblems, made of two teardrop shapes side by side.
'Those are for kicking. Maybe if you didn't tie that little gremlin boat so close to me, I wouldn't have needed them.'
"I'll check with Jackson, maybe he's got some idea of what this is."
'Oh yeah, ask the guy who didn't even put them there. I'm sure he'll know.'
'Get the hell off of me, you freak!' Merry thinks to herself, gritting her teeth as she slams her hooves into this bastard lobster trying to grab ahold of her.
"When I say get off, that means get the hell off," she hisses through her teeth, cracking its shell like a spiderweb with one final kick, and convincing it to leave.
Jackson climbs onto the deck as she retracts her legs, scratching his head.
"What the hell was that all about?" Jackson wonders aloud, looking over to those other pirates and their freaky ship.
'Oh sure, make a ship out of that crap you scraped off of my belly, I'd be happy to sail alongside it. Quack Bastard. See if I don't break your little junkmobile the next time you tether that thing right up against me.'
The animals panic, having seen her fend off that lobster thing. Oh shit they saw her, didn't they?
Oh shit, they saw her.
When Merry feels Jackson thud onto her deck, she realizes she has to do something before Lightning Bastard can blast her. She kicks out, paddling forward towards the shore, but her damn hooves can't get any traction on this marshmallow fluff.
She's filled with nothing but white-hot fury when she sees the sky lighting up.
She sinks her hooves into the fluffy clouds, pushing herself up. Sorry Jackson.
She won't die here. She won't die at all!
She pushes herself up, facing the lightning head on.
"I am the ship…" she whispers, not noticing her figurehead turn black as the lightning rushes down.
"That will conquer the sea!"
Chapter 35: Hypertension
Usopp doesn't like the sight of that lightning flashing everywhere, not one bit.
"Daz, did you find a way through?" Nami asks, using jets of moist air to slowly break up the iron clouds blocking them all in.
"No. The stone bottoms out directly over more of the fencing. The person who did this was thorough," he grimaces, climbing back up.
"Man! There's gotta be something we can do! Hey! Someone out there help us out!" Luffy shouts, making Nami's eyebrow twitch.
"Sanji, please hit Luffy, my hands are full,"
Sanji obliges, smacking Luffy in the head.
"Calling for help isn't going to help us here! Who would even be close enough to hear that anyway?!" Nami shouts, incensed as she finally breaks through another one of the prongs of the Iron Cloud.
The entire forest begins shaking and rumbling, as if answering her question.
"I swear to all that is holy, I will turn you inside out if you just lured a giant monster here to eat us!" Nami hisses as the Sacrificial Altar shakes and shudders from the rapid thumping.
Nami, as focused as she is on her work of trying to help them escape, doesn't notice everyone else's jaws dropping, gaping like fish at what had just charged out of the forest, skidding to a stop at the edge of the giant moat surrounding them.
"Merry?" Luffy says blankly, uncomprehending, but rapidly growing with excitement.
Nami's face twists with rage. "Oh my god! Jackson, did you sail the Going Merry… Through… The forest?" she trails off, eyes bugging out at the sight in front of her.
That sight is the Going Merry, with a hull completely covered in thick wooly pink clouds, four gigantic legs, and a beaming toothy smile.
"Baaa-hihihihihi!" Merry laughs.
One of the sky sharks in the moat swim towards her at high speeds, only for Merry to rear back on her hind legs.
"Mouton Chataeu!" she shouts, crashing back down and smashing her hooves into the shark when it leaps from the clouds.
"What the hell is going on here?! What happened to Merry!?" Usopp squeals as the shark crashes through the clouds, shaking the ground as it hits the bed of the moat.
Merry guffaws at this, turning to face the Strawhats. "I got… Real strong!"
She scuffs the ground, backing up aggressively as she aims herself at the cage holding them in.
"Uhh, guys, I think we need to move!" Nami shouts, backing away when Merry's cloud-coating puffs up even larger, and she charges at the cage with her figurehead low, running over the moat's surface as she charges forward.
"Throne Bell!"
Merry's head smashes through the Iron Clouds, the electricity and heat not affecting her body meaningfully.
Jackson wobbles dizzily on the deck, pushing the gangplank down.
Luffy ignores this, grabbing Merry's horns and rocketing up onto her figurehead. "Shishishishishi! Merry did get strong!"
"You're damn right!" Merry responds, trying to look up at Luffy as he sits down.
"I swear I didn't do this, and I can explain." Jackson begins as Usopp gives him a suspicious confused look.
Jackson's vision is blurry from the concussion as Merry tips up onto her rear, facing upwards at the bolt of lightning crashing down.
He hears a voice coming from above him as he pulls out a healing pill and swallowing it whole. "I am the ship…"
"That will conquer the sea!"
The lightning bolt crashes down, smashing into the Going Merry's figurehead and silhouetting it against the intense light. Black arcs of energy radiate out in all directions as the bolt fails to move past her figurehead.
After several stretched out moments, the attack ends, Merry slowly tilting over and crashing back down onto the cloudy beach.
"Oh man, that was tough. Damn it, that lightning blew up Splash Mountain, I don't want those bird things riding me!" Jackson hears that voice again, climbing to his feet as he pulls out a handy vial of distilled regeneration, drinking it as he walks towards the front of the ship.
Merry's figurehead twists around in a hilariously disturbing way, causing Jackson to fall back onto his rear.
"Sorry about the concussion, but I kinda had to do something after you bungled everything up," Merry says, facing back forward as she tries to drag herself onto the beach, legs plunging through the soft clouds.
"Man, I can't believe I can just talk. I've been holding off on it because I thought I couldn't do that! Damn it! I'm too heavy to get on these clouds!"
Jackson swallows heavily. "I don't remember giving you any enhancements like this," he says nervously.
"Pah, you would forget. The foremost principle of Philosopher's Alchemy; The culture by which alchemy is performed is its sole arbiter and ruler. You might be the one shoving crap into my conceptual mass, but I got to pick where it goes," they say, deeply confusing Jackson as to how they know that.
Merry scrabbles for a few more seconds, emitting a frustrated growl as she continues to scoop more island clouds away from the beach, effectively digging instead of climbing.
"I want you to melt down the wool plow and give it to me. I'm too heavy," Merry demands.
"Sorry, but I don't have the stamina for that, I burned almost all of it a few minutes ago," Jackson responds nervously, not sure how to behave around a ship that has apparently flipped the script when it comes to the alchemical enhancements he had been making.
Merry rolls her eyes, swinging her head back around and nibbling Jackson's coat sleeve, shoving his hand onto the deck.
Jackson's eyes widen when his Stamina Dials fill back up, one after another.
"It's your energy. Just consider it a return on some of your investment and give me my cloud factory, I need to get to the others!" Merry shouts, grabbing the rope around her neck and pulling the Wool Plow machine that had created the pink clouds letting them fly to Skypiea in the first place up onto the deck.
"After that, Merry ate the pot I melted it down in, grew clouds out of her hull, and ran over here,"
"Not true! I also made the little goat boy pass out from fright, and we also discussed how he also owes me a ton of stuff for his incompetence tax!" Merry shouts, flying up towards Enel's temple.
"Dial Engines, Dial Storage, a propeller that my structure is perfectly fine for! "
"God Damn it Merry, I'm not an engineer! I'm barely a doctor!" Jackson says with exasperation.
"Well, then we'll go get an engineer. It's just as well too, if you do any more unsupervised upgrades, I'm going to end up looking like Buggy's ship. No ship wants to be a clown, Jackson," Merry argues, everyone else too stunned to interject.
"Merry can't be a clown-boat, she's a sheep!" Luffy jokes, instantly distracting Merry, who bursts into laughter.
Usopp tries to hold in his own laughter, cheeks bulging as he covers his mouth.
"You know, it's a good thing, that you all should die here. It would be too cruel for me to not give you a reward, for your hard efforts in this life," Enel laughs, walking around and summoning bolts of lightning that crash down onto the Shandians, electrocuting their already paralyzed bodies.
"And that reward, you see, is death. So you don't have to struggle fruitlessly anymore against a god that you will never defeat."
"Oh, what was it my loyal priest Ohm said? Something about relieving humans of their burdens in life?" Enel asks rhetorically, before shrugging.
"At any rate, a few more shocks, and your hearts are going to start stopping. I wonder who will die first? It's almost like a game of duck-duck-goose," he laughs, walking over to Raki, whose eyes are wide with fear as she lays on the ground, frozen.
"Poor thing. You tried so hard to warn them, but that would have spoiled the game. Now you get to watch what happens when someone defies a god for a whole six years."
Enel holds up his hand, prepared to make the first kill, but freezes in shock when he senses a familiar presence.
"Really? He survived my judgment twice in one day? Some doctor, am I right?!" Enel laughs, walking around and kicking the bodies of the Shandians into a rough pile.
"I'm putting our game on pause, so do me a favor, and wait for me," he says, flashing away as the warriors struggle to regain control of their bodies.
"Rumble Pak: Vanilla! Heavy Point Two!" Chopper shouts, swallowing his second white bar and growing into a gigantic white yeti, similar in appearance to his ordinary Heavy Point, but with two gigantic fists, each one as large as a person.
"Divine Soldiers! Attack!" Yama shouts, pointing at them with a snarl.
Chopper holds up his gigantic hands, pointing them out towards the rapidly approaching soldiers as he presses his fingers together.
A dozen of the Divine Soldiers try to dogpile Chopper and Robin, activating their axe dials in unison.
"Finger Pistol: Keratin Gun!" Chopper shouts, snapping his fingers with such force and speed that the shockwave blasts out from his hands, unleashing whipping waves of force that his cupped hands guide towards the attacking soldiers, ripping apart the bladed wind their axe dials had fired at the duo, and knocking the soldiers unconscious.
As Chopper continues to snap, the wave grows larger and larger, smashing into the Divine Soldiers and blasting the weaker ones away.
"Veinte Fleur: Mandevilla!"
Robin spawns several wings that catch the soldiers before they can crash into the more delicate relics, allowing them each to thump to the ground as the pink wings erupt into petals.
She looks around to see if anyone survived Chopper's compressed-air attack. "Well Chopper, it seems we're only left with the strongest among them now," Robin claims, breathing heavily from the strain of maintaining so many of her new armored wings at the same time.
It may have been a tactical misplay, to waste so much of her energy protecting the relics of this place with layers of her new cushioned appendage, with how exhausted it had made her.
'No. This was worth doing. Preventing these buffoons from harming the priceless relics here is the true goal of this battle,' Robin thinks to herself.
"I can take the big one, if you can keep those two round guys busy," Chopper claims, his Vanilla Rumble Pak wearing off as he transforms back into his ordinary Heavy Point.
"Pah! Keep us busy? As if! I am Kotori!" One of them shouts.
"And I am Hotori!" the other one says.
"Mix us up..!" one of them begins, dancing around along with his brother.
"And you'll die for it!" the other finishes, both of them laughing uproariously.
"Ok," Robin says blankly, causing everyone to pause at her deadpan delivery.
"Don't underestimate us! We've each got special dials unique to us, so you won't be able to learn our attacks since we both look the same!" Kotori shouts, irritated at Robin's lack of reaction.
"Ok," she says again, prompting total silence as everyone balks at her blase demeanor.
"Can we fight already?" Yama growls, turning to face Chopper.
"Hmph," Chopper grunts, holding his fists up in preparation.
Robin rolls her eyes when the duo charge at her.
"Quatro Fleur!" Robin shouts, crossing her arms as four limbs sprout on Kotori and Hotori's back, wrenching their arms behind them.
"Your predictive abilities do not function when you have no way to avoid an attack, and your dials do not function when you can't point your limbs at me," Robin says, dispelling the protective wings she used earlier, so she can summon up the limbs needed to finish off the panicking rotund warriors.
Yama body-slams Chopper away, sending him skidding back as he turns to Robin. "Oh no you don't!" he roars, running towards her.
Robin turns to face him as Chopper chases after Yama.
"Now take this! Axe Mountain!" he shouts, pulling out a long sash covered in Axe Dials.
"Veinte Fleur: Mandevilla!" Robin says, summoning a wall of wings that blocks him from hitting her.
Yama leers over the wall as the dials discharge, her wall managing to block the attack.
She hears laughter behind her, turning around in shock when Hotori and Kotori had leapt into the air with surprising acrobatic skill, flipping upside down so that their bound palms point towards her.
"Ho! Ho Hooo!" they laugh in unison, blasting her into her own wall with a mixture of raw force, cutting winds, and intense flames.
"Robin!" Chopper shouts, transforming into his Walk Point as he rushes by her, picking her up and carrying her to safety.
Yama and the two brothers laugh uproariously, pleased with their teamwork working out.
Chopper swallows painfully, stitching up Robin's wounds in a flash and dousing her with burn cream before turning to face the trio after he ensures that Robin is stable.
He shifts into his Brain Point, pulling out the last of his three types of Rumble Paks.
"I won't forgive you for that. And I can't win without using this now, having to fight three of you at once."
"Oh? Well, I don't think you can win at all! It's three against one, and we've already taken out your friend," Yama says, sneering at the reindeer.
"Each of my Rumble Paks gives me both advantages and disadvantages, in exchange for reducing the strain they place on my body. This Rumble Pak is no different. The Vanilla Pak gives my three normal forms vastly increased capabilities for three minutes. The Orange Pak gives me access to four new forms for up to an hour, but at the cost of me being unable to transform into my original three forms without dismissing the effect."
Their laughter dies down as Chopper calmly explains the properties of his drug.
"The Chocolate Rumble Pak gives me access to a single form. This one form has the qualities that comprise all of all of my forms, enhanced or otherwise. The downside of this Rumble Pak is that it only does so for five seconds."
Yama growls. "So what, you think you can beat all three of us in a measly five seconds? Utterly ridiculous."
Chopper shakes his head, infuriated by the sight of Robin being injured, which, for whatever reason, refuses to leave his mind's eye.
"No. I'll spend the first four seconds scanning you for weaknesses," Chopper explains evenly, swallowing the brown square.
"Rumble Pak: Chocolate!
"Hunter Point!"
Last edited: Sep 10, 2019
Chapter 36: Bioluminescence
"Hey, Jerry, whatcha doing?" Chopper asks idly, drinking a nice glass of milk as he watches Jackson stomp around hilariously.
"Well, I've got these fancy new organs that Doctorine said were out-of-this-world, so I thought I would try to figure out the Six Powers. I don't think I'll ever manage it, though."
Chopper's head tilts in curiosity. "What do you mean?"
Jackson stops his stomping long enough to answer, plopping down onto a bench nearby as he wipes the sweat off his face.
"Well, there's six of them. Moonwalk, Iron Body, Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick, Shave, Paper Arts, and, the secret seventh one, the Six King Gun. Oh, and there's this thing called Life Return that is sort of a part of it? I think?" he says uncertainly.
"I've been trying to learn the fifth one for months now, since I've gotten so good at backpedaling, but I just can't get it to work. It might honestly be too hard for me to learn."
Chopper hums, drinking the last of his glass.
"Well, Jerry, you're in luck. I was about to do some practice with my Rumble Paks. Why don't you explain how they're supposed to work, and I'll use my Brain Point Two to figure it out? I get a lot smarter when I use it, so maybe I'll think of something!"
Jackson hums ponderously. "You really think that would work?"
"Alright Jerry, prepare to be amazed! I've been spending time thinking on your little puzzle for weeks now, and this is my answer!"
"Rumble Pak: Vanilla!" Chopper shouts, popping the white square in his mouth and transforming into his enhanced Brain Point.
Chopper focuses as hard as he can, honing his senses to their absolute limits until he can swear he feels his cells wiggling around. "Life Return… Activate!"
"Chopper, you look constipated," Jackson says, munching on a piece of popcorn as his friend's tiny chihuahua form scrunches his eyes shut in focus.
"Shut up Jerry! I'm trying to concentrate!" Chopper whines.
After a few seconds, Chopper's horns begin growing slowly, but visibly, as he takes control of his own cells to force that growth to occur.
"You've got to be kidding me… I don't care how intelligent Brain Point Two makes you, you can't tell me you figured out a damn CP9 technique in a couple of weeks..!"
Chopper beams, staring at Jackson with his unsettling eyes, his goat-like pupils distorting. "Oh, you're not going to be happy with what else I've figured out using Brain Point Two. I'm going to keep practicing. Some of this stuff is useful for my medical work!"
Chopper's body twists painfully, muscles tensing as he literally becomes denser, four long armored fingers growing from his forelegs, coated completely in shiny black keratin as he stretches up, taller and taller, until he's barely larger than his Heavy Point, with thin lithe limbs, instead of his Heavy Point's normal hulking musculature.
Chopper's body twists painfully, growing larger as his limbs stretch outwards. He tenses as his body becomes denser at the same time, muscles compressing as he grows until he is slightly taller than his ordinary Heavy Point, but far more lithe. Five long armored fingers grow from his forelegs, coated in shiny black keratin.
His fur bleeds into white as his eyes turn black, his fur growing long and silky as it stretches out into thick quills, coating him in a mixture of long spines and even longer strands of hair intermixed into it.
His fur grows rapidly, shedding constantly onto the ground him while an invisible wind blows them everywhere, coating everything in sight in clouds of white that cling to surfaces through static electricity.
Yama snarls. "Kill him, now! Axe Mountain!"
Kotori, Hotori and Yama attack Chopper at the same time, Axe, Impact and Flame dials flinging Chopper's body back several meters as broad deep lacerations open all over his body.
Forced to by a combination of pain and raw sensation, Chopper throws his elongated muzzle to the sky, howling at a deafening tone as his wounds heal in seconds, and his skin reabsorbs the spilled blood. His horns curl forwards, all of their branches curving so that they point in the same direction.
Chopper turns back to look at the three warriors, his eyes erupting with bright red lights as the transformation finishes.
Yama and the other two are petrified when Chopper seems completely unharmed by the attacks after his brief stint of regeneration.
The red bioluminescence in his eyes narrows as an actual laser beam sweeps over the trio of foes harmlessly. Chopper's fingers creak as he silently sizes them up and places his hands together, pointing his fingers and palms towards them in the shape of a cross, while his three-pronged antlers creak and bulge as he takes aim.
"Six King Gun: Cold Hell Sire" Chopper mumbles, pushing his hands forwards gently as his horns blast forward, growing rapidly enough to shatter the sound barrier as they fly over the heads of the three enemies at mind-numbing speed, a cross made of air slamming into them at the same time and triggering the chemical cocktail in the fur Chopper had covered the area in."
Yama, Kotori and Hotori are all frozen inside of a gigantic white cross, pale fuzzy snowflakes falling around them.
Above, another Heavy-Point-sized cross is punched through the clouds and stone all the way to the surface of the underground cavern these ruins were in.
'As predicted, those guys, and most of the ruins, probably wouldn't have survived if I lined up both parts of it,' Chopper thinks to himself.
Chopper shrinks back down immediately afterwards, breathing heavily as he pulls out a bottle of water and a nutrient bar, eating and drinking rapidly to regain his lost nutrients.
"Sanji, you're a lifesaver," Chopper moans, biting into the mixture of drastically enhanced nuts and chocolate with delight.
As he waddles over to check on Robin, he notices that she had actually woken up at some point, and must have seen his least cuddlesome form.
He scratches his head, blushing as he picks a quill out of his hat. "No offense to Jerry, but that's why it was called the Hunter Operation. I've got the best augmentations out of any of us," he mumbles.
"So what's all of this, then?" Robin says, picking up a small handful of the frozen snow around them.
"Oh! Well, it's an endothermic gelatin that my hair follicles produce, when my body chemistry is altered by me utilizing biofeedback, the concentration of the chemical goes up, and any sort of high-pressure system will cause it to turn into snow and ice," Chopper says, not making eye contact.
"Well, I think it looks rather beautiful, if you ask me," she points out conversationally, making Chopper's blush deepen.
"W-well, of course, it seems your vision wasn't impacted by the blood loss or heat flash," Chopper claims, turning away from Robin as she chuckles lightly at his restrained wiggling.
"L-lets get those idiots out of there before they freeze to death!" Chopper shouts, waddling over to the huge block of ice and leaving Robin to stare at her little savior.
Enel lazily reclines on his throne, alone in the courtyard after he had sent his servants away.
He watches the Going Merry fly over the walls of his temple, landing heavily in front of him as her crew stands at the edges of the balcony.
"Well well, the guests of honor. It's good to see you all," Enel smiles faintly as Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro leap off the Going Merry with serious expressions on their faces.
When Jackson leaps off as well, Enel's smile widens. "And the man of the hour. The voice of a cockroach, and the survivability to match."
Enel stands up off of his throne, looking at the assembled Strawhat Pirates. "I'd like to introduce you all to someone. You came here for gold, did you not?"
He flashes away to somewhere else, laughing maliciously as bubbling molten gold begins flowing up from the ground, reshaping until it forms a gigantic steaming clone of Enel himself, one which crackles with electricity.
"Then I will give you gold. Meet my Avatar. Consider him to be the answer to your prayers."
The Avatar hefts its gigantic golden staff, swinging it at the Going Merry as she charges at it, gritting her teeth as a bit of her face chars from molten gold sticking to it.
"Gum Gum Riot Pistol!" Luffy shouts, flinging his glove-coated fist at the behemoth.
A massive dent explodes the upper half of its body as it stumbles back in shock.
"Yeah, that's right! Hot gold, meet cool gloves!" Luffy shouts, grinning.
The gold statue pauses, as the molten gold on the ground crackles with electricity, flowing back towards the statue until it regenerates entirely.
Jackson flings a wet wad of paper at the statue, which obliterates the soggy mass with a fork of lightning from its body. "Nobody touch it! It's charged with electricity, and a lot of it," Jackson says, fishing around for something useful.
Zoro crosses his swords over his chest, holding his third blade in his mouth. "Ghost!"
"Buster!" Zoro yells, his own rubber gloves and mouthguard allowing him to slash the gold titan into pieces.
Unfortunately, once again, the gold simply welds itself together.
"We aren't getting anywhere fighting this thing, we need to figure out where Enel is hiding and kick his ass!" Sanji yells, leaping out of the way of the Avatar's crackling stomp.
"Nami, how's your plan coming along?" Jackson asks, backpedaling out of the way of the statue's sweeping staff.
"It's coming, but I need more time, the clouds I'll need for this thing are insane!" Nami says, her body absorbing moisture from the air as fast as she can.
Jackson thinks, hard. Leaping away from another attack as Daz rushes in and slices at the golem's legs, he flings a vial of water at the Avatar, the liquid hissing and steaming as it makes the statue crack in several places, Sanji's subsequent kick smashing it apart.
He has a realization, watching the steam hiss off of its body. "The Ark Maxim, it might have enough water to do the job, if not, there might be some near it!"
Merry smiles harshly, spitting out a hunk of gold when the Avatar punches her in the head. Usopp takes that moment to fire Merry's forward cannons, the tri-barreled gun blasting the golden statue all the way into Enel's throne and crushing it.
Nami leaps off of the deck. "Luffy, you're with me, come on!" she shouts, running towards where the Ark Maxim is stored.
"What about us?!" Usopp yells nervously from Merry's gunport.
"Usopp get back inside!" Merry shouts, gently pushing him back and headbutting the golden statue again.
"It's a statue for god's sake, just throw it off the island or something!" Nami yells with exasperation as she and Luffy run away.
Zoro scowls. "Damn witch. She wouldn't be saying that if she had to be the one to throw it off, it's not like there are any convenient holes around here!"
Daz frowns. "There are holes here, we just have to dig them."
He runs over to the Avatar, sliding underneath its legs when it tries to attack him, and planting his hands on the cloud underneath it.
"Dicengage!" Daz shouts, his power causing the shape of an octagon to be cleaved into the floor, thin lines surrounding the Avatar completely where Daz had cut into it.
"Sanji, kick it straight down!" Daz shouts, groaning in pain when the gold statue kicks him away into a wall.
"Good. That didn't kill me," he comments idly, collapsing to his knees in pain from the electricity.
Sanji runs towards the gold statue, leaping into the air and flipping around several times.
"Concassé!" he shouts, his leg smashing into the golden statue's head, squashing it flat and causing the entire temple to rumble ominously as the spot Daz had cut slides down, revealing he had cut all the way into the bedrock and through it.
Sanji whistles as the statue falls, the chunk of island it was on tipping over and dumping it off.
Jackson frowns, walking over to help Daz to his feet. "Nami's going to be so pissed."
Daz awkwardly pats Jackson on the shoulder. "We can still turn a profit, one statue or no."
They both jerk in shock when even more gold bubbles up from the ground, pinning each of them down as they wriggle and hiss from the pain of the molten gold hardening around them.
"What's wrong? Can't see me? I don't have to show up to use my powers, you know," Enel's voice rings out around them, as gold catches everyone but Merry and Sanji, who are able to break off the gold and leap away.
"But now that I don't have to worry about the cockroach, I can take my time to really play," Enel finishes, pulling up the statue that had fallen through the floor in a crackling field of electricity.
"It doesn't matter whether you hide or not, Enel, your sins are still as apparent as the day you arrived in Skypiea," Gan Fal's voice rings out as he enters the temple grounds, his armor seemingly replaced with a long white robe with the word "God" written on the front of it in red, his long beard and withered face alight with an unknown power as his body glows.
Enel's lips twist with amusement inside of the cloud he had been lounging in, as he shifts his focus to Gan Fal.
"Are they now?"
Last edited: Sep 11, 2019
Chapter 37: Faith Healing
"Hurry, Pierre!" Gan shouts, reaching forward for the fruit, closer and closer as it falls down towards the White Sea
His fingers snatch the fruit just in time, Pierre swooping up at the last moment as they skim across the surface of the White Sea's clouds.
Holding the twisted purple fruit in his hand, he feels a distinct sense of finality. This far down, and this far away, Enel fails to notice as Gan immediately swallows the fruit whole, forcing it down as fast as he can.
It tastes as disgusting as he had heard.
In the space between moments, he immediately understands why a Devil Fruit has the kind of power that could be mistaken for the divine.
High above, two forces clash in Gan's mind's eye, the miasma of Enel's mad cruelty, and the whispers of faith.
Gan's clothing changes, his armor being absorbed as his appearance shifts. It seems that no matter what a god wears underneath, they must still look the part.
'A bit on the nose, isn't it?' Gan thinks to himself as he sees the bold red label on the front of his robe.
He shakes his head when he senses the flickering notes of faith in Skypiea, like a fire being maintained in a cold blizzard, forced down to bare embers.
"Pierre! Take me to Lovely Street!" Gan Fal demands, his loyal bird flaring its wings and flapping hard as it turns upwards, flying towards the White White Sea, and the land of Skypiea once again.
As he approaches closer and closer, Enel's malice only grows thicker. The murderous insanity that only someone truly evil could create.
In contrast, the evil of his Priests has fallen quiet, each one laying battered and beaten.
'I'm coming, Skypiea,' Gan thinks to himself, aching bones and muscles soothed by the small flickers of faith and prayer that are even now silently directed at him.
He can almost hear them now.
Everyone on Lovely Street is stunned at the sight, Gan Fal erupting from the clouds on his bird Pierre, who transforms into a Pegasus as they land in the middle of the street, radiating a faint power.
"People of Skypiea!" Gan shouts, stepping off of Pierre and walking towards the crowds.
"Forgive me! Once, I was unable to protect you, I was unable to act as your god! I was unable to act as your protector!" he begins.
"I only ask that you have faith, that you give me one last chance to make this right. Even now, Enel's priests lay vanquished by the Blue Sea Pirates! Even now, they are fighting against him!"
Gan holds his arms out wide. "Give me this final chance! Have faith, and I will protect you!"
Though those at Enel's temple fail to hear it, Gan's voice radiates throughout the whole of Skypiea, each and every Skypiean hearing Gan's voice boom through the air.
While very few of them react verbally, for fear of Enel's wrath, the invisible, oh-so-telling embers of Skypiea's faith erupt into a bonfire, Gan's body obtaining an unearthly glow as he turns towards the temple.
"Pierre, you need to stay here. It won't be safe. Am I understood?" Gan Fal states, his tone brokering no argument.
Pierre nods hesitantly, as Gan floats into the air, as if standing on nothing at all.
Everyone's jaws on Lovely Street drop as Gan Fal flies away, his robes whipping as he approaches the temple, invigorated by Skypiea's burgeoning revival.
Meanwhile, in a small house on Angel Beach, Conis silently weeps, her prayers having finally been answered after these long years.
Enel grins, reshaping the mass of gold he stopped from falling into the sea back into his Avatar, which looms ominously over the Strawhats.
"If you won't come out, then I will bring you out, Enel," Gan says, walking forward.
"Oh no, don't strain yourself at my expense. I'd be happy to kill you from here," Enel says idly, making a puddle of gold grow beneath Gan.
Gan holds out his hand, unleashing a Kiai as a pulse of energy shoves away everything around him, pushing a deep spherical hole below him as it drives everything away.
Still holding out his hand, he points it to where Enel is hiding.
"Your games will come to an end," Gan says, a wave of holy strength erupting from his hand, wiping away the clouds and crashing into Enel's body.
Enel is slammed into the clouds behind him, coughing up blood as what feels like an Impact Dial is blasted through his organs.
Enel scowls in pain and shock, teleporting away in a flash of electricity. At this range, he should be able to predict Gan, no matter what he's wearing, but it's all his Mantra can do just to sense him.
"Your Mantra will not avail you against me, Enel. Your own sins blind you to the truth," Gan says, still hovering in the middle of the crater he had formed with his energy wave.
Enel bares his teeth, spitting out a gob of blood. "Do you want to know what the truth is?! It doesn't matter what Devil Fruit you've eaten, I am the only one who has the qualities of a god! Power! Fear! Omniscience! Your power is nothing compared to that!"
He flashes in front of Gan Fal, holding out his hand. "One Million Volt Vari!"
Faster than the eye can blink, a beam of pure all-consuming electricity blasts away at Gan.
Before the attack even ends, Enel creates a golden trident, stabbing it through his opponent's head.
As the light fades, he leers at Gan, his trident plunged completely through the man's skull.
Gan's eyes refocus on him, and he places a palm on Enel's chest.
"Holy Impact."
Blood spurts from Enel's mouth as the wave of force penetrates his body, sending him flying into the temple, smashing through the pillars.
A low whispering can be heard in the air as Gan's head begins regenerating, the edges of his wounds revealing that his body is made of some sort of glowing substance.
Daz casually slices apart the gold binding him and Jackson to the ground, while Sanji performs another incredible kick, smashing the gold statue into pieces as Enel loses the focus he needed to keep it moving and regenerating.
Jackson watches Gan's regeneration with awe and shock, not because it was happening, but because the wound had been averted by him transforming into something else. "That's not a paramecia power," Jackson says quietly, before turning his attention to an almost insensate Enel, whose expression has turned from disgust and anger to fear and shock.
Enel just stares at Gan and the Strawhats for several moments, cradling his broken right arm close to his chest and standing with the help of his gold spear, before disappearing in another flash of lightning.
"He's trying to escape," Gan says, shocking several of the others.
"I guess he realized there's no way to win this fight, up against a Logia who can hit him," Jackson points out idly.
"He's heading for the ruins," Gan says, his eyes seeing something that the others can't.
"Ark Maxim, he's either trying to escape, or he's trying to kill us all with it. Possibly both, if the ship is functional enough," Jackson states.
Gan nods, holding his hands out to the various Strawhats, emitting a pulse of golden light that washes over them.
"Follow me," he says, floating up and flying away towards the ruins.
"Well, how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Zoro ponders, slowly lifting off the ground without noticing.
"Faith, trust, and pixie dust!" Jackson yells, flying backwards into the air after he spots the others doing the same.
"But I can fly already! I could have just taken us…" Merry whines as the crew float up and after Gan, his power somehow spreading to them as well.
"Don't worry about it Merry, you can carry me! Let's just get after that jerk!" Usopp shouts, pointing forward dramatically as he puts a foot up on the railing.
"Yes sir, Captain Usopp!" Merry giggles cheerfully, taking a running start before leaping off of the temple grounds and floating after the others using her coating of pink cloud-wool.
"I have to get to the ship, I'll use the Jet Dials to get it into the air," Enel mumbles, stumbling into the cavern and trailing blood.
He grins as he spots it, looking up at his glorious ship, the Ark Maxim. Even unfinished, the ship is a thing of beauty, a gigantic wooden vessel coated in golden veins and filled to the brim with mechanisms that allow it to fly using broad electricity-powered propellors.
It would have only taken a few more months for him to finish filling up the vats inside of its hull that would allow him to create thunderclouds so large that nothing in this world would be able to question his godhood. People would see the golden face attached to his ship and known their god.
He spits out more blood, scowling at just how poorly his plans have gone. It's almost as annoying as the two voices aboard his sacred vessel.
He stumbles to a pile of gold ingots nearby, building materials that hadn't been added to the ship.
With a wave of his hand, they all transform into a single mass of molten gold, floating into his hand in a sphere.
"Damn it, this ship doesn't have any water, and I've already drained all the barrels outside, Luffy, help me check the pantry, maybe there's some bottled water there," Nami says, already feeling uncomfortably full with how much water she's stored so far.
"Woo! Pantry time!" Luffy shouts, only for Nami to whack him on the head.
"This is no time for eating, Luffy, we need to find enough water for me to stop Enel!" Nami says with exasperation as Luffy rummages through the gold plates, already ignoring her.
She spots a faint glitter in the reflection of one of the plates, and feels an odd tingle and warmth in the air.
"Luffy! Watch out!" Nami yells, trying to push her oblivious captain out of the way as Enel floods the room with gold at incredible bone-crushing speed, pinning Luffy to the wall of the ship with a loud hiss and clipping her with splatters of the molten liquid.
Enel stares at them with bloodshot eyes, satisfied by both of the pirates appearing unconscious as he stumbles towards his throne.
Failing to maintain his Mantra well enough from his intense pain distracting him, he fails to notice the thick iron clouds that had insulated Luffy and Nami from the deadly attack, merely knocking Luffy unconscious from the blast and incredible burns, and barely harming Nami at all inside of her shell.
Nami breathes heavily, slapping at her face to rid it of golden specks, before running to Luffy, grabbing her captain and yanking him out of the mass of clouds and gold.
"Luffy! Wake up!" she shouts, shaking him rapidly, slapping him a few times for good measure.
"Damn it Luffy, I need you to bodyguard for me!" she yells, Luffy mumbling incoherently before dozing off.
She gulps, looking around for anything that might help.
Finally, she sighs, seeing no alternative. Leaning Luffy up against the wall, she places a barrel over him. Hopefully, the fact that Enel didn't sense them then means that he won't sense them now, considering how killy and displeased he looked. Ultimately, though, Nami has little choice.
The ship begins to rumble loudly, instilling her with fresh panic as it suddenly jerks up, crashing into the ceiling of the cavern and plowing through it with the help of several Jet Dials.
'Alright Nami, time to stress-test what you've got,' she thinks to herself, aware of the fact that her options right now are sink or swim.
Gan's face drops as he and the others arrive, the Ark Maxim flying high in the sky above them.
Gan looks back to the center of Skypiea, grimacing. "I don't think I can follow him any further. My powers come from this place, and I'm already growing weaker as far away as I am now,"
Merry's face turns into a confident smile. "Fine by me! Climb aboard everyone! I'll push that damn boat all the way back here for you old man!" she shouts, waving her foreleg around in the air as if scuffing the nonexistent ground underneath her.
Gan nods, watching them all float onto Merry's deck, each of them staring at the Ark Maxim as Merry drifts after it.
"Good luck, Strawhats."
Last edited: Sep 12, 2019
Chapter 38: Airsick
Chopper had been very intrigued by Jackson's explanation of Nola, the giant snake that is supposedly roaming around the island.
He didn't really want to find out first-hand how the gigantic blue snake behaved, at least until he could create a controlled environment to experiment.
Robin looks unperturbed, but is, on the inside, very perturbed by the giant snake glaring at the two of them.
"Easy! We're not here to hurt you, we're here to help you, okay?" Chopper yells as softly as he can at the gigantic snake.
The snake hisses, prompting Chopper to sweat heavily and nod frantically.
"Yes, that does make sense, Miss Nola, you probably have a lot of blockages from all of the… Buildings… You've been eating, I've packed some medicine here that can help with your stomachache if you can just-"
The giant snake, upon hearing Chopper's claim, excitedly charges at him, swallowing Chopper whole as Robin leaps out of the way with a wing-assisted jump.
A few moments later, Nola's eyes widen as her stomach hurts even worse than before!
Heaving, the drugs that Chopper had poured out inside of her gut take effect, the tiny pellet of concentrated reptile-tailored ipecac making her heave over and over, vomiting up buildings, relics, and treasure alike.
By the end of it, her tears are watering, and that lying little jackalope is patting her on the head!
She hisses loudly, flinging the jackalope off and rising to her full height.
"But do you feel better now?" Chopper asks, restraining his annoyance at being called a jackalope.
Nola pauses, for one, two, and then several more seconds.
"Try not to eat any more buildings, okay Miss Nola?" Chopper asks gently, marking the location of the treasures on the little crude map he had been making on his phone before walking away with Robin.
What a nice little jackalope.
Mahmud, who had been dumped into the care of the Marine Animal Pirates along with Tall and Mockery, spots the little dot that is the Going Merry flying after the Ark Maxim.
"(Hey, goat-kid, are you alright?)" Tall demands, flopping over to where he was sitting in the clouds.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand you," Mahmud responds apologetically. Tall pats the child on the back, flopping over to Mockery and dragging him back to the kid.
Mockery rolls his eyes, writing on a piece of paper to translate for the Kung-Fu Dugong.
Mahmud looks at the piece of paper curiously. "The Strawhats are going to kick his butt, don't worry," it reads.
The kid hangs his head. "I hope so. Jackson treated me nicely even when I served Enel, and he saved my life, even though it's my fault that we were attacked."
Mockery looks at the sign, before underlining the word "going" several more times and handing it back.
"I hope so," the kid responds, remembering what Jackson had said when before dumping him off with the two animal pirate captains.
"Why? Why do you have to fight Enel! You almost died the first time, you can't beat him!" Mahmud shouts as Merry tromps through the underbrush, plowing her way singlemindedly towards the Sacrificial Altar in Upper Yard.
"Maybe not, but Merry's right in that we have to try. I might be able to help my friends put an end to this," Jackson states, staring ahead.
"Besides, I wouldn't be much of a scientist if I backed off just because Enel got one over on me. Science will always be the enemy of cruel gods."
"I thought you all were just after that gold stuff?" the child responds.
Jackson awkwardly shrugs. "There's a lot on my to-do list for Skypiea, kid. Cut me some slack here."
Enel sits on the throne molded into the Ark Maxim, powering its engines with his electricity and guiding it away from Skypiea as fast as it will go.
He frowns, sensing several people behind the ship, approaching fast from the right side.
"What's up Sparky? You ready to get whupped?!" Merry shouts, pulling up alongside the Ark Maxim.
Enel holds out his hand, pausing when he sees Jackson on-board as well, waving smugly at him.
"Don't you dare mock me," Enel growls, shakily standing to his feet as Zoro, Sanji and Jackson leap across the gap between the ships, Daz being too heavy to make it across as quickly.
Enel plunges his arm into the gigantic golden face that makes up the upper half of the ship, crackling with electricity as his arm phases into it and begins melting the gold.
"You're out of luck, Enel. Sanji and I already whipped up potions of heat and lightning resistance for everyone," Jackson says.
"We're all ready to go, and you can barely stand, give it up," Zoro says, pointing Wado Ichimonji at the Lightning-human.
Merry pulls out ahead of the Ark Maxim, twisting in the air and butting her head against it, pushing as hard as she can to bring the ship to a grinding stop.
"You tried to zap my crew! So yeah, you're pretty much donezo," Merry smirks as Usopp levels his slingshot at him from her crow's nest.
Enel's fist clenches as gold flows into his body, electricity and metal combining as he slips on the gold as if it were a suit.
His expression becomes even and dispassionate as his transformation completes, his body phased electrically into the gold he filled his form with.
"I'm going to kill every last one of you," he says calmly, holding out a hand and firing several spiked pieces of superheated gold at Jackson, who whips off his hat, holding its opening towards the projectiles.
"Hat-Trick!" Jackson shouts, the golden spikes being sucked into his hat's opening before he flicks them back at Enel, the jagged spines plunging into his chest harmlessly.
The thick Seastone Oil on Zoro's blades give him what he needs to cut straight through his enemy, blades crossed in front of him as he uses a variant of one of his strongest attacks. Two swords crossed over his chest, with the sword in his teeth held behind them as he charges forward, he leaps at Enel, unleashing three potent slashes, enhanced with the Seastone Oil.
"Split Fiend!" Zoro shouts, his trifecta of attacks missing Enel as he dodges out of the way, his Mantra at full capacity.
Daz runs, leaping off of Merry's Figurehead and on top of the Ark Maxim's prow.
Instead of joining in the brawl against Enel, Daz turns his attention to the propellers, running towards them with his palms outstretched.
"Erupting Spadicel!"
The ship rocks to the side as one of its main propellers is instantly slashed to pieces, giving Merry the upper hand in her pushing competition.
Enel snarls, sliding out of the way of Sanji and Zoro's attacks, before grabbing Zoro's sword and Sanji's leg in each of his gold-clad hands.
He flings them both away, Zoro's sword smoking from the intense heat as he skids onto the ground. Sensing something wrong with Sandai Kitetsu, he sheathes the demonic blade that had been wrapped in the molten gold grip, adjusting to a two-handed stance instead.
Nami scowls, hearing the fighting on top of the ship as she uses island clouds sprayed underneath her as platforms, slowly climbing down underneath the Ark Maxim.
'There are two parts to a lightning strike. The positive and negative charges…' Nami repeats to herself, finally ending up underneath the keel of the ship, nothing but a small puff of clouds between her feet and the endless expanse of blue ocean below her.
Holding out her hands, she begins, clouds of all shapes and colors spraying from her arms, along with spurts of flames, ice, and water that create even more below her.
Before long, a gigantic looming thunderstorm has formed underneath both of the ships, black clouds humming ominously as they build up an electrical charge.
But even this isn't enough. For what she has planned, she'll need to use everything she has stored.
Supported by a network of melted gold flooding his form, Enel has stopped limping, and indeed, stopped showing any outward signs of injury at all.
"If you want to do that trick, now would be a really good time, Jackson!" Sanji shouts, dodging a bone-crushing punch from Enel.
"It's no good Sanji, I have to grab him or his lightning for it to work, and he knows that!" Jackson responds, trying yet again to place his left hand on the logia, only for him to slyly dodge out of the way at the last second.
"Is it starting to sink in yet?" Enel says conversationally, flashing behind Sanji and kicking him in the back hard enough to send him flying into the railing, the wood splintering with a violent crack.
"Power, fear, omniscience. These are the things that I possess. The qualities of a god," he continues, dodging each of Zoro's swings, and, in one instance, actually teleporting out of his own golden vessel at the exact moment that Zoro slashes it in half, before returning to it and melting it back together.
"If I desire it, you cannot hit me," he states, using his Mantra to dodge away from Jackson's palm.
"If I so wish it, you cannot harm me," he continues, allowing one of Sanji's kicks to hit him dead on, leaving the statue in the brief moment Sanji's seastone-lined leggings crash into it.
The Ark Maxim slowly sinks down into the thunderclouds below it, which have begun to rumble ominously.
"You've made me stumble and bleed, and yet my divinity shines through in the end, my right to decide who lives, and who dies," he finishes, levitating into the air.
"Who gave you the right to decide something that stupid anyway!?" Luffy yells, smashing through the door as he runs out onto the deck.
Enel sneers, looking at the newcomer. "My strength gives me that right. One that I think I'll exercise," he says, summoning a gigantic spear made of gold as he slowly floats into the air along with it.
Luffy growls, flinging his arm behind him and twisting it as tightly as he can. "Gum Gum-!"
Enel responds by charging his spear with a magnetic force so intense that the spear begins to vibrate. "Olympian-!"
"Rifle / Spear!" they shout in unison, their respective attacks hitting one another so quickly as to be invisible to any onlookers.
Enel is blasted out of his golden armor, flipping out over the thunderstorm below as Luffy is pinned to the wall by the spear driving through his stomach.
Luffy hisses loudly, bordering on screaming as the others run to him, Zoro and Sanji yanking out the blazing-hot spear and Jackson pouring liquified biomass into the wound, one of his Stamina Dials draining as the liquid begins transforming and healing the damage.
"Nice, we won," Luffy grins in spite of the pain as he looks over where Enel landed.
Jackson glances back, seeing that the lightning logia had landed on a puffy white platform of clouds, Nami looming over him with her Magician's Clima-tact wafting frozen fog from its surface.
Enel coughs up a lot of blood. Well, he coughs up a lot more blood.
"And just who are you supposed to be?" Enel says with a long-suffering sigh as he forces himself to his feet, his head aching and his stomach turning.
"I'm a friend of the people you've hurt," Nami says, whipping out her Magician's Clima-tact as she walks towards him.
"You'll have to be more specific," Enel chuckles, vision darkening as his hands glow with electricity.
"I've hurt a lot of people," he grins, almost proud of the statement.
Nami can't help but admit just how much this bastard reminds her of someone else she hates. This fact makes what she has to do a lot easier.
"Oh go to hell," she snarls, swinging her freezing-cold staff through Enel's head as he tries to blast her with electricity.
The thundercloud underneath them, in tandem with the incredible negative charge that Enel creates is more than enough to trigger an event, Enel's body turning into electricity as her staff hits him causes a bolt of lightning to rush down all the way to somewhere on the Blue Sea, sucking all of the negative charges in the air through the ionized path of the lightning as the charges attempt to equalize.
"Storm of the Century! Ragnarok Tempo!" Nami yells.
Enel's shriek begins and ends in an instant as Nami's superconductive staff pulls him along with the rest of the lightning, sending him straight to ground.
Last edited: Oct 17, 2019
Chapter 39: Critical Care
Jackson looks around the ancient ruins that Chopper and Robin had mapped out, making sure that the brand new Steel Cloud Pillars were holding up the Shandoran Bell safely. It doesn't hurt that the new Steel Clouds were used to replace the solid gold pillars that held up the bell before."Alright, Chopper, you got the cameras set up?"
After Enel was defeated, there weren't any further problems with gathering up the Shandorans, bringing them here, and preparing to ring the bell that would herald peace between Skypiea and Shandora. Ironic, considering the bell's ancient purpose of guiding natives home and warning off intruders.
And with the threat of Enel and his priests gone, things began to change. What had been idle curiosity towards Merry's powers of flight became deep fascination from the locals, when it was revealed that the pink clouds were created in the Blue Sea, Something that could never be done with the Island and Sea Clouds that made up the White Seas.
"Yup! The camera is rolling in High-Definition!" Chopper yells, holding up his wooden phone carefully on its makeshift tripod.
Jackson looks over to where several dials are laying on a table nearby. "And the Tone Dials are ready and waiting, Luffy, you ready?"
Luffy rolls his shoulder cheerfully. "Yup!"
With a smirk, Jackson points to the giant bell dramatically. "Then let's ring this puppy."
"Gum Gum Clanger!" Luffy shouts, using what appears to be a perfectly normal Gum Gum Bazooka, just aimed at a bell.
While the other Shadorans look tearful and overjoyed as the bell rings for the first time in over four-hundred years, Wyper looks suspicious.
"You can't seriously just be giving Upper Yard to us, old man," he says, looking at Gan Fal critically.
"With the Strawhats teaching us to manufacture Wool Clouds, we can create ships able to visit the world below. Is it so unbelievable now that we no longer have need of Upper Yard to survive, when we can go out into the world to obtain Vearth of our own?" Gan Fal responds, staring at the ringing bell.
Wyper sneers with annoyance, mostly with the fact that he and his warriors had basically done nothing but disregard the Blue Sea Pirates' warnings, get beaten by Enel, and get rescued by Gan of all people, having served almost no purpose in this conflict other than as a loose end for the Skypieans. "Whatever. Have fun with that," he says, secretly happy to see this conflict end as he breaks eye contact with the serene old coot.
The bell's sonorous noise rings out for what feels like hours, a deep, miraculous tone that leaves everyone else speechless.
Nola the giant snake even joins in, emitting a loud joyous call in time with the bell's ringing, entranced by the tone and pleased with her lack of stomach pain.
Jackson himself is beaming, overjoyed for reasons he can't quite put into words. Reasons that might have something to do with the finality of hearing the bell ring without a single confirmed casualty to mar the occasion, as far as he knows.
As far as Jackson is concerned, that makes today the best one so far.
Conis has already informed her father. Now all that remains is to ask permission from her god.
"Hello, lord Gan Fal. I am honored that you would deign to meet with me personally." Conis says, bowing deeply.
"What is it you wanted to talk to me about, M'am?" he asks softly. He's already got an odd hunch as to what her question is, but it would only help to hear her say it herself.
"I have heard tell that you plan to reform a part of the Divine Soldiers into a new, seafaring crew to explore the Blue Sea below us. I wish to be a part of it," Conis asks as humbly as she can manage.
"How well do you know the Strawhats?" Gan responds after a moment.
"I spoke with them for a long while when they were staying near Angel Beach. Why do you ask, my lord?"
"I plan to have the Valkyries sail alongside them, as they are vastly more experienced than we Skypieans at the art of exploring the Blue Sea. It would help to have one leading them who is familiar with the Strawhats, if you are willing to take that responsibility."
Conis swallows heavily. What Gan Fal is suggesting is a far sight from her intended vision of simply joining the group. "I'm not sure that I'm qualified, my Lord."
"It may be true that you haven't been trained for combat as the other Valkyries have, but you have a strong will, and a friendlier disposition. Should the Valkyries sail alongside the Strawhats, I would be happy for you to take their lead. For that, you have my blessing,"
he says serenely.
Conis gasps as a flash of light heralds an incredibly uncomfortable sensation coming from her back. When it ends, Gan looks surprised, and Conis looks…
She looks up, seeing a small ring of golden light over her head, and looking behind her, she sees that her wings have grown nearly ten times in size.
Gan pauses for several moments. "I apologize. I didn't quite expect that to happen," he admits.
While Sanji flirts with various random civilians who are somewhat awed by his status as a member of the crew that saved them all, Jackson faces a different trial.
"As a member of the Divine Soldiers, I and several others were given the blessings of Gan Fal, after he forgave us for what we had to do to survive under Enel. A lot of them are getting ready to venture down to the Blue Sea as soon as the Ark Maxim is modified to use dial power and wool clouds, but… I want to join your crew, Jackson!"
"You said that science is the enemehehey of cruel gods, so I want to be your apprentice, please teach mehehehe your science! There might be others out there, people like Enel, and I don't want to sit here and do nothing about it!" Mahmud bleats, a shiny golden halo and vastly larger wingspan being the key signs that Gan had indeed given them his blessings.
The look is completed with a white robe like Gan's serving as the uniform for the new Valkyries.
While Jackson pointedly avoids looking at Mahmud's heart-stoppingly adorable new appearance, Sanji falls to the ground with a nosebleed when he sees one of the female Valkyries demonstrate their own newly functional wings, flying a few feet off the ground before plopping back down with a minor cramp from disuse of the formerly vestigial limbs.
"I wouldn't know, kid, you have to ask Luffy for that, it's his call," Jackson says evenly. It's a good thing Mahmud is too pure to do something as underhanded as attempting the rare and dreaded 'Cherub Aesthetic Puppy-Dog Eyes' technique, or Jackson isn't sure he'd be able to resist accidentally joining Mahmud's crew instead.
"Oh… Okay," Mahmud says pitifully, turning and walking slowly over to Luffy, sniffling softly.
'Shit, is Luffy hardened against adorableness yet?' Jackson thinks in a panic, turning and accidentally glancing at the goat-like child's saddened expression.
"… Are you alright?" Mahmud asks when he hears and sees Jackson collapse to a knee, clutching his heart as he kneels next to Sanji's bloodied body, the cook's nosebleed having been intense enough to knock him out at the sight of a second female Valkyrie appearing to buy lunch in town.
"Fine, just a blood sugar spike. Nothing to worry about. Too pure, must protect," Jackson mumbles under his breath, confusing Mahmud greatly.
"Jerry, can you please tell everyone to stop calling me a jackalope? They keep giving me carrots!" Chopper complains, approaching Jackson with a basket of the root-vegetables large enough to eclipse the reindeer behind them.
"Begone Chopper! My heart can't take anymore!" Jackson says, waving his hand warningly at the adorable sight.
Luffy crosses his arms in an 'X' when Conis, the nice lady who met them at Angel Beach, steps forward with a retinue of the former Divine Soldiers that form the newly named Valkyries.
"No way! I don't want another crew! Two crews are already way too many! I'm not some big-shot boss guy who wants a giant fleet!"
Conis hums. "So if you don't want us to be allied with you under your flag, and would prefer to simply remain friends, then we can go wherever we want?"
Luffy nods frantically, trying to get her on board with the idea.
"Good, then you won't mind if we just so happen to go to the same places you go," she sasses, making Luffy's expression turn sour, lips sucked in as he tries to come up with an argument to counter this.
Mahmud slips through the crowd, approaching Luffy. "Hello! Mr. Luffy, sir! I want to become Jerry Jackson's apprentice, but he said I have to ask you if I can join your crew."
Luffy frowns, crossing his arms as he remembers how Shanks wouldn't let him join his crew at that age.
"No way kid. I don't want little snot-nosed brats on my crew, you gotta grow up a hell of a lot before you're ready for the open sea!" he says, much like he's sure Shanks would have.
Mahmud hangs his head as one of the other Valkyries laughs, leaning over to pat him on the head. "Looks like I'll have to join the Valkyries after all,"
Luffy puts two and two together, realizing he didn't actually stop or delay a damn thing when it comes to making sure the kid grows up before taking to the sea.
Luffy's sour, petulant expression grows as he stomps off in frustration, leaving behind a confused group of Valkyries.
"And that's why I need comfort food and I need it now!" Luffy demands, pouting as he waits for Sanji to finish preparing a snack for him.
Sanji smirks. He cannot pass up this opportunity.
"So you're saying that when you refused to let the kid sail with us, he refused your refusal?" Sanji says, a shit-eating grin firmly plastered on his face.
Luffy's eyes narrow, even as Sanji sets down a platter stacked high with lobster and other assorted shellfish.
"Sanji is so mean," Luffy says in response to the teasing as he stuffs a handful of food in his mouth.
Chopper refuses to eat any of the carrots on principle, even if they are his favorite vegetable.
Staring at the towering basket and noticing that a lot of them are baby carrots, he hums, adjusting his principles slightly.
He refuses to eat any of the carrots until Sanji has cooked them on principle.
Robin watches Chopper's internal struggle with faint amusement, but also deep contemplation.
She decides to frame her question as a rhetorical one.
"Say, Doctor," she begins, knowing full well from Chopper's facial tics that he enjoys being called that.
"If you could have been anything else in the world, anyone else, who do you think you would be?" she asks casually, crossing her legs as she sits down on the cloudstuff couch across from him.
Chopper pauses at the odd question. "Well, there was this one time, when Jerry told me about an island on the back of a turtle, when he was trying to cheer me up. Apparently, the people living there are somewhere between animals and humans. Kind of like me. It's a bit embarrassing, but I've wondered once or twice what it might have been like to grow up there as one of them," he says, blushing deeply at what he considers a strange admission.
He shakes his head. "But if I did, I would have never met my family, so if I could be anyone, I'd be me."
"Me with a Brain-Point that people actually recognize as a reindeer," he grouses, speaking so quickly that Robin almost doesn't catch it.
Her smile widens, as laughter bubbles up out of her. "I see. Thank you for telling me that Doctor. It sounds like it was very personal for you."
Chopper looks somewhat mystified by the topic, but shrugs it off. "What about you, Miss Robin? What would you be if you could be anything?"
Her smile fades as she looks out the window towards the Going Merry, who is chewing her way through several trees at a rate that would almost disgust Luffy, all while Usopp and several others cheer her on, chanting the word "Tree" over and over as they drink and celebrate their victories here.
"I haven't decided yet, but… I think I will soon."
Chapter 40: Growing Pains
"Careful… Careful! There!" the Skypiean construction worker says, slowly guiding the assembly over the mouth of Shandora's Bell.
Merry slowly pushes the bell until it and the gigantic lid fastened over its mouth are tilted sideways. She holds it up long enough for workers to flood the area with Iron Clouds to hold it there, after which they push the scaffolding into place for it to be used as a giant makeshift Crackpot.
Jackson hops up the steps, his Alchemy Scanner already going to work measuring the bell's value and how much various things would cost melted down in it.
"Shame Buggy isn't here, I could probably suck the fruit right out of him with this thing on hand," Jackson mutters to himself, pupils shrinking when his Alchemy Scanner finally spits out the numbers.
Jackson's mouth becomes dry as he stares at the screen in disbelief.
"Hello there…" he mutters as Gan approaches him in all his divine glory.
"Is it what you were hoping for, Mr. Jackson?" the old god asks curiously, looking at the gigantic structure attached to the Shandoran Bell.
"Oh y-" Jackson's voice cracks, and he coughs nervously several times.
"Yeah, it'll do,"
Jackson holds up his hand, pressing it up against the front of the device.
"Slosh Slosh Crackatroda!" he shouts, feeling almost no drain at all for applying his power to the titanic vessel, its sheer worth and presence mitigating the cost by orders of magnitude.
"My plans have altered somewhat, I'm afraid, Gan Fal. I underestimated how much this bell is worth. Dear God in heaven I underestimated it," he mumbles, running calculations in his head.
He pulls out his phone and a Vanilla Rumble Pak.
"Chopper, could you bring me all of my alchemy tools?" Jackson asks.
The phone emits a low mumbling. "Yes, all of them. I'll need every single one."
"Sorry to intrude, but what is that device you have?" Gan asks, idly watching the proceedings.
"Well, it's a phone, it's sort of like…" Jackson begins, before realizing he doesn't have a good way to explain it to the guardian deity.
"Well, for one, it's obsolete now. I'll make a few and try to show you their features," he states, watching Chopper lug up the cart full of tools.
"Step one, we need a way to store gold. One Laser Dial, opened up with its Laser Battery exposed," Jackson states, Mahmud having approached at some point to watch.
"Step two, open the battery, exposing its internal Light Capacitor and Laser-Shaping apparatus. Replace both of them with a Gold Capacitor and a Coin-Shaping Apparatus respectively," Jackson says, pulling out a tube from the Shandoran Crackpot, with a long needle allowing it to dispense molten slosh.
He uses the needle to inject the concepts of gold and coins into the empty spaces where he removed the battery and shaping apparatus, before bolting the plate back on. The Laser Battery that powers the gigantic Laser Dial transforms into a Gold Coin Battery. Again, Jackson feels barely any drain at all.
He bolts the hatch back onto the Laser Dial, its white spiked appearance transforming as it becomes smooth and golden in color.
"Alright, now that that's done, I can get on with the hard part," he says, placing a palm against the rotary mechanism that determines what type of Crackpot is active.
Swallowing a Vanilla Rumble Pak, he transforms the Shandoran Crackpot into a Vanilla Crackpot, able to melt down his own alchemy equipment as well as anything else.
He turns to Chopper. "Your job is simple, I'd like you to implant all of my alchemy tools into my arms. I've already put the divinity sparks into them to give them anomalous functionality, and I've done a few more upgrades as well."
He holds up a small dial he had created earlier, one made of dense shining clay, pure refined Vearth.
"I'd also like you to replace all of my Vial Dials in my right arm with these Slosh Dials. With the power of Shandora's Bell, I've finally managed to create a way to circumvent my need for vials in combat."
"Nami, am I going to have to sterilize all of that?" Jackson groans, watching Nami giggle deliriously as she literally showers herself with gold from the gigantic gold dial that had been installed in Merry. The gigantic Laser Dial they had obtained by fishing repurposed into a Gold Dial by swapping out the gigantic battery inside of it through alchemy.
"Nooo, don't worry about it Jackson, don't be such a buzzkill, I'm kind of busy here," she mumbles almost incoherently, giggling uncontrollably as coins fall down in an infinite fountain from the dispensing mechanism in a mesmerizing display of opulence.
"Look, Sanji is going to have dinner ready soon, you need to come to the dining room," Jackson says as Nami's eyes continue to glaze over.
"Yeah, yeah, just… Five more minutes. Five and a half?" she mutters, grinning at all of the gold, complete with a Beri-counter attached to the Gold Dial.
Twenty-eight billion Beri in unmarked coinage.
Robin almost feels nervous. What she has planned, the thrill of doing something as dramatic as this can't be ignored. "So you see, Captain Luffy, I've decided, I'd like to properly ask to become a member of the Strawhat Pirates."
Luffy picks his nose. "I thought you already did," he says, shrugging.
"As I said, I'd like to become one, but there's a problem, you see. With the privileges you hold, the privileges of a Warlord, you could turn me in for a sizable profit, and if you didn't, you would all be in danger for harboring me."
"I mean, we all knew that Luffy wasn't going to keep getting away with that forever. Your life definitely isn't worth those benefits," Jackson points out idly.
Luffy nods, along with Sanji and Chopper. "Yup. We don't sell out our crew for anything. That's sick," Luffy states as if it were the simplest fact in the world.
Robin smiles. "I have a slightly different point of view, if you're willing to hear me out. I believe, in order for me to join this crew that I've begun growing fond of, one thing has to happen, first."
She crosses her legs, relaxing on the comfortable couches that were brought aboard Merry.
"Nico Robin has to die, and you all must obtain the bounty for her corpse," Robin finishes, smiling slyly.
"What?!" everyone shouts in disbelief, failing to comprehend her words.
"Can it be done?" she says seriously, looking at Chopper, and then Jackson.
"The two of you, you're functionally miracle workers. Your understanding of the human body alongside your Devil Fruit Powers are enough to give people supernatural abilities, create impossible objects, and defy nature itself."
She looks directly at Chopper, her eyes almost glittering with intent. "You asked me what I would like to be. I believe I'd like to be a Strawhat who looks nothing like Nico Robin. One who looks so different, there would be no mistaking them.
"I hope my crisis is sufficient to qualify as an emergency, Jackson. It feels enough like one for me to ask this of you."
Zoro is morose. Sandai Kitetsu has been behaving strangely, to the point where he has refused to use it in training. That blue discolored handprint in the middle of its blade says it all. Even Zoro knows that a ruined temper means a ruined sword.
But what can he do? He's a swordsman, not a swordsmith. Jackson's prediction had come true, in one of the worst possible ways.
Kitetsu's reedy tone is nothing like before, where before, its tone was low, and ominous, and above all else, always, always begging for blood, now its mumbling goes on at random, shifting between topics that Zoro can't quite make out. The only thing he is certain of is that, even if it spoke in plain English, its speech would be incoherent in its current state.
If the sword were broken, then he would know. He's broken swords before, and all of them had gone deathly silent. If that were the case, he would bury the blade in a place worthy of respect. A final thanks to a blade that had chosen him as its user.
But this isn't right. Sandai Kitetsu isn't broken. Just hurt. Wounded in a deep, fundamental way. To damage a sword's temper is to damage its very essence.
He's hesitant to leave the blade in Jackson's hands, after seeing the laser swords and flaming scimitars he had made for those birds. It wouldn't be right, having Kitetsu fixed, only for them to be returned as some sort of clownish weapon, or some blend of experiments and strange substances. It's petty, Zoro knows that Jackson has been nothing but respectful when it comes to producing blades that he intends for Zoro to use, but there's that fear that he can't quite shake.
Does he risk distorting his proud, bloodthirsty blade even further in the hopes of restoring it? Or does he abandon it, and end its suffering while it still has its dignity as one of the cursed Kitetsu blades?
He doesn't know, and it's eating him up inside.
Luffy plops down next to him. "Worried about your sword?"
"How did you know?" Zoro grunts.
Luffy shrugs. "I had a funny feeling."
Luffy pauses for a moment, figuring out the right thing to say here.
"Thinking about hard stuff in your head sucks. You should think out loud," he demands, waiting for his swordsman to start speaking his mind about the problem.
Luffy probably won't understand what Zoro's talking about, but it might help Zoro understand it.
Merry groans, laying on her side miserably as she paws at her hull, copper skin bulging underneath her woolen coating.
"I feel like I'm gonna dieee," she moans miserably, as Chopper and Usopp attempt to figure out a solution.
"Well, maybe if you didn't deforest Angel Beach, you wouldn't have a stomachache," Usopp chastises lightly, constantly looking to his reference book that he had gotten from the library on ship-maintenance.
"You egged me on…" she moans.
"Only for the first five minutes! I was trying to convince you to stop after that!" Usopp states, remembering how Luffy's influence had clearly shone through as Merry gorged herself on trees and plant-life.
"Well, I can safely say, I've got nothing. You don't have a stomach Merry, so unless you want me to break out the Alchemy Scalpel, and have me try that…"
Merry turns green at the thought. "No thank you."
Moments later, Chopper dispassionately watches Merry disgorge the contents of her nonexistent stomach, nauseated by the idea of getting opened up again.
"Hmm. It seems the ailment resolved itself," Chopper states, patting Merry sympathetically before digging around in his medical bag for some mint for her to chew on.
He might need more mint than he has for this patient.
Daz calmly stands in the middle of a clearing in Upper Yard, where the rest of the crew can't see what he is sure will be embarrassing. He draws the Eisen Whip, holding it loosely in a two-handed grip.
The only sword he has used for the longest time has been his own body, but it only seems honorable that if a swordsman gives you his sword, you damn well learn to use it.
Pressing a small button on the weapon's handle, it spurts out a few Iron Clouds, automatically reshaping the mass into the shape of a sword.
Grimacing as he senses the cloud-sword's sharpness, he takes the time to run his own hand up and down the iron clouds, shaving off material until he's satisfied with the weapon's edge.
He turns to a tree nearby, swinging the sword at it slowly, testing the feel of the weapon. Being made of clouds, it weighs less than balsa wood, something Daz only knows from a brief time in which he did whittling as a hobby during a particularly slow month in Baroque Works.
He adjusts his stance, swinging the blade again, slower this time as he tries to optimize the movement.
"The first rule that I will follow. If I must perform an act of honor, then I will do so efficiently," he says to himself, trying to memorize his burgeoning code he's been working on.
Last edited: Sep 14, 2019
Chapter 41: Evolution
Zoro finishes explaining the problem he has to Luffy, who had patiently listened until the end.
"You know, it's a shame you can't just tell the sword to remember how it's supposed to be," Luffy says idly, remembering how Sabo's mystery voice had been saying stuff like "I'm invincible" and "I break what I touch" when he was using the hokey power.
Zoro's eyebrows twitch. "And just how would I do that? That's a good way to look like a crazy person, talking to inanimate objects."
His captain shrugs helplessly. "I dunno. You hear them talking all the time."
"Yeah, well, they haven't exactly answered back so far. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and see the quack."
Luffy nods. "That makes sense. Jackson is smart when he's not being silly. I bet he can help."
"Yeah, well, we'll see about that," Zoro says, stalking off to find the alchemist in question.
"I refuse," Jackson says plainly, making Zoro's face twist with rage.
"What the hell do you mean, you refuse? I can't go running around with two swords, you can't seriously be telling me that you don't have what it takes to fix Kitetsu," he growls.
"I'm not going to use alchemy on your sword until I have greater skills than I have now. I can't afford to mess something like that up," Jackson explains.
"Give me some time. I'll make some steel swords. No bells and whistles, just the highest quality I can manage through alchemy alone. Luffy and Nami said we'll be setting sail soon, so we can make contact with the Revolutionaries and get some books and documents together so we can understand how swordsmithing works.
"I'd rather we can make sure that when your blade is repaired, absolutely nothing goes wrong.
"After I prove that I can make katana that you approve of, and we both gain a firmer grasp on what needs to happen to fix the Sandai Kitetsu, we'll work together on it, alright? I know you have a very traditional view of swordsmanship, so I don't want you to feel forced to settle for my usual work, when we both know that the number of traditional weapons I've made can be counted on one hand."
Zoro considers this. He likes the idea of making sure he can fix his sword properly, but… He still needs a sword.
"Tell me when you finish one. I'll need something I can use while Kitetsu is benched."
Jackson nods. "I'll work on it as soon as I can."
Enel's four former priests glare at Daz as he stands in front of their cells. He had suggested obtaining information on Observation Haki from the captured priests themselves, something which the others were all too happy to let him attempt.
"If you have access to any documentation on Mantra, we need to know where it is hidden. One of you will tell us," Daz explains, his tone allowing no defiance.
"Mmph mhh mph mmh Hmm!" Gedatsu says, his lips pressed firmly together.
"You need to open your mouth to speak, idiot," Shura snarls, his chains rattling as he glares at the incompetent swamp priest.
"Oh! How careless of me!" Gedatsu shouts, shocked at the revelation.
"You think you can just learn Mantra? Now that's the funniest thing I've heard all week! Ho! Ho hoo!"
Ohm looks Daz in the eyes. "In each of our private quarters, if you pull up the flooring or erase it with a milky dial, you'll find the scrolls."
The other priests all complain and shout loudly at Ohm's betrayal.
"Have you forgotten that these pirates are our enemy, Ohm?!" Shura demands, struggling against his bonds.
"They were the winner, and to the winner go the spoils. What good is it to hide the teachings we once learned ourselves, when Enel is dead, and Skypiea returned to Gan Fal's control?" Ohm responds simply.
"Tell me, how is my dog, Holy?" he asks Daz.
Daz pauses. "The dog wanders around the prison. They've only attempted to attack me, thus far."
"I apologize for that. I have attempted to train Holy as best as I can, but they are a very loyal dog. I see you've kept the Eisen Whip for yourself," the priest notes.
Daz nods. "I have. It is a serviceable weapon."
"Good. I hope it serves you well."
"Alright, Mahmud. Lesson one of Alchemy, the rules are made up, and the points don't matter," Jackson begins, holding up a piece of chalk.
"I made this chalk to act as your apprentice tool. It's made out of a blend of chemicals and anomalous substances that allow it to perform alchemy. I've also made a bonsai tree which produces this chalk when it consumes stamina. That's why I had to drain a bit of your energy earlier."
Mahmud looks at the stick of chalk with curiosity and hunger in his eyes, excited beyond belief when Jackson gives it to him.
"How does it work, Mr. Jackson?" Mahmud asks gleefully, examining the small stick from every angle.
Jackson nods sagely. "I've got no clue."
"W-what? But you mehehehehade it!" he demands, eyeing the chalk much more suspiciously.
"That's right. I did make it, so I know a few things about it. But I've intentionally avoided using it myself. This is your alchemy now, Mahmud.
"All I can tell you is, the chalk must be used to write on something, a single drop of blood activates all the chalk connected to it, and the chalk consumes itself to perform alchemy.
"It is designed such that it cannot affect living creatures, though plants and other simple organisms are fair game.
"It is also not polluted by any culture other than that of its creator. Once you produce chalk of your own, it will draw upon your own beliefs to shape its effects.
"It's up to you to discover what exactly you can do with this. I'd be happy to help you at any point, and give you advice on any subject, but in order to become a master alchemist, you must first forge your own philosophy. Discover your own truths.
"The rules are made up, and the points don't matter," Jackson repeats.
Mahmud stares at the pristine white chalk in a new light. A blank slate, one that not even Jackson fully comprehends. And it's all for him?
He hands Mahmud a wooden tablet. "This, however, I can explain. It's a plank of Knowledge Tree Wood, and you'll be using it to record data and communicate with people. I already gave Conis and the others some of these, so she can help you if you get confused."
Mahmud pockets the stick of chalk as he looks at the tablet with awe, watching Jackson leaf through the functions and explain them one by one.
Really, all of it seems magical to him, whether it's alchemy or technology.
Jackson groans, melting down another attempt to make a wholly manufactured fake body exactly like Robin's. "Alright, I've tried everything I can think of, cloning based on cells, cloning based on coffins and alchemy, I even made that attempt with the mirror clone.
"None of them hold up to the kind of scrutiny that Marines use to test for fake corpses when turning in high-value bounties, just based on what I learned from Garp's men in Alabasta. I'm not sure what else I can try. I just don't have the right tools on hand to perfectly duplicate your body without already having it melted down into concepts, and any marine base worth their salt is going to have the forensics needed to figure out something is wrong with a fake."
Robin shrugs. "That's fine. We'll just go with our original plan. It isn't as if I'm truly losing anything, with the designs you have for my augmentations."
"I'll get started right away then. Meet me here in a few hours, and we'll get started with transferring you over," Jackson says, returning his attention to the Shandoran Bell Crackpot, waving at the air as he controls the mechanisms inside of it.
"Alright, now all that's left to do is see if the body takes. If not, we'll have to extract her out of there and put her back until we can think of something else," Robin hears Jackson say.
It's like she's operating in a fog, seeing everything around her, but also, nothing at all.
"Robin, if you can hear me, you should probably activate a form," she hears, along with a lot of other people mumbling.
'Activate a form?' she wonders, confused by the phrase.
She suddenly remembers the past two days.
"Alright, so, since the plan to just make a fake corpse and upgrade your original body didn't hold up under my scanners, I've gone ahead and gotten three forms planned. That should be enough to get you started, I'll duplicate your original form, in case body dysphoria becomes a problem, and I'll add the two Mink forms like you requested, I just need to get Chopper to help finish the last one."
"I refuse! This is harassment! I will not be a part of this evil science!" Chopper yells, avoiding looking at the third body.
"Chopper, there's no such thing as evil science. Come over here and help me finish this last one so I can fill up the Body Dial," Jackson pleads.
Robin holds up the glittering pale-pink gemstone that Jackson had given her to examine. 'So this is going to be my "True Form",' she thinks to herself.
Jackson's solution was quite ingenious, really. Just give an indestructible regenerating gemstone the abilities of a dial, one not set to a substance or material, but set to absorb and dispense entire bodies, though the bodies have to be designed a certain way for the gem to absorb them. While this does mean she can't just absorb anyone in her way, it's probably better like that, all things considered.
It was a far sight more efficient than adding a dial for every single animal part and feature that she might want in the future, and would even give her the option of returning to her true self with trivial ease, if she so chose. Even if Jackson did lament the fact that he had apparently stolen the basic idea from elsewhere.
She's very pleased with herself for how she responded to Jackson's query. "What mammal would you like?" he had asked. So she decided to go with "All of them."
He's certainly made headway into fulfilling that request.
"I refuse to take part in this debauchery! You will not convince me to give Hunter Operations to that third body, which I will neither name, nor describe!" Chopper yells with determination, holding up a hoof to block the third body from his sight.
"Oh come now, Doctor. I need all the disguises I can get, and a reindeer will have qualities that could prove useful, don't you think?" Robin points out, looking Chopper in the eyes until she spots his resolve crack.
"I- I guess?" he swallows.
Poor little Chopper.
She just needs to pick a form, and…
Everyone but Chopper and Jackson gasp as Robin sprouts from the seed-like gem as if she were a plant. Limbs unfolding from the jewel until a thankfully clothed Jaguar-human hybrid stands before them.
"Are you alright Miss Robin?" Chopper asks, watching her idly clench her hands, before cracking her neck.
Sanji swoons at her new appearance. "Robin-chwan is an entirely new kind of lovely!" he shouts, swaying dizzily.
She spots her hat on a table nearby, grabbing the hat and planting it firmly where it belongs.
"I think I'll grow into it," Robin says roughly, before returning to her original form.
Sanji, upon seeing her return to normal, realizes the implications of a Robin who is literally doubly beautiful, stumbling backwards until he falls off of the scaffolding of the Crackpot Mechanism, Nami groaning as a panicked Chopper runs down to make sure he hasn't injured himself from the fall.
Jackson hands over the newly reincarnated Bloom Bloom Fruit.
"I added a few functions to the fruit, like you asked, you should be able to bloom inanimate objects in your hands, and unbloom your normal limbs at will to hide them." he says as she takes the fruit and quickly bites into it, swallowing it as fast as she can to minimize exposure to the taste.
She can't believe it, but the fruit almost tastes worse the second time around…
"Is there anything you'd like us to call you when you're in disguise?" Jackson asks, storing the half-eaten Bloom Bloom Fruit for evidence purposes.
"Well, it may be a bit on-the-nose, but I think 'Jaguar' will do admirably," Robin answers, having given that question a lot of thought already.
Last edited: Sep 15, 2019
Chapter 42: Fitness Evaluation
Jackson balls his hand into a fist.
"Sacred Psychic Hammer," he mumbles, some of his own spiritual energy surrounding the limb and giving it the power of Alchemy.
The bar of ordinary steel looms in front of him on the anvil he had quickly assembled.
He swallows heavily, pulling out a sheet of paper he had Usopp draw on. His alchemy scanner tells him the concepts of the sheet of paper in an instant, picking out the locations of the concepts, and their concentrations.
He presses the sheet of paper flush against the iron bar, looking at the drawing Usopp had made, a very fine picture of a sword drawn in charcoal and pencil.
Jackson raises his fist, aiming for a particular spot on the paper as he slams down, hammering the pattern out of the sheet of paper, and into the steel.
The steel bar absorbs the pattern, transforming until it is shaped like a katana. The sheet of paper is left covered in randomly smeared charcoal and pencil, the pattern having been hammered out of it.
"Now it has the shape of a sword, but it lacks structure," Jackson mumbles to himself, pulling out a blank sheet of paper and a diamond.
Rolling the diamond around in his fingertips, the jewel rapidly turns soggy and oily, glittering paint covering Jackson's fingers.
"Sacred Psychic Paintbrush."
He uses his finger to paint on the sheet of paper, painting a picture of a tube on it.
The invisible energy around his hand changes again, as he holds up his finger, pressing it to the paper.
"Sacred Psychic Knife"
Using his finger, he cuts the picture of a tube in half, it shifts and warps on the paper until it becomes two smaller pictures of a tube.
He repeats the process until the one Diamond Tube has been cut into so many tiny tubes, they can no longer be seen with the naked eye.
He holds the paper over the sword, searching for the concept of carbon inside of the steel blade, and holding the paper directly over it.
Using his Sacred Psychic Hammer, he hammers the pattern of Diamond Nanotubes into the Steel Sword's carbon.
The blade shifts subtly, warming as its structure changes.
He pulls out one of the tone dials he used to record the sound of the Shandoran Bell.
"I'll use this for the hamon, I mean, where am I going to find a better wave than this?" he mutters, hammering the sound of the dial into a sheet of paper, turning it into drawn waves.
Examining the drawing of the bell's sound waves, he holds it over the sword, looking for the blade's concept of density. When he finds it, he hammers the bell's waves into the blade's density, changing it from its homogenous internal structure to a far more complex pattern of hard and elastic steel structures.
"Now I just need to get the handle and guard on it, and we should be good to go," Jackson finishes, flicking the blade with his finger. The sword rings out like a bell.
"Right, probably should have seen that one coming."
"I guess as soon as I find a Wano Dictionary, I'll be able to come up with cool-sounding name for you," he states, creating a simple steel guard and shark-skin wrap in his hands.
"Oh, right, katanas are supposed to have some kind of charm in the handle, right?" he mutters, not exactly familiar on how a katana is constructed, beyond what any weeaboo might know from cursory google searches.
Shrugging, Jackson creates a generic-looking brass bird, pinning a wooden handle to the blade and finishing up the final mundane components of the blade.
One of Jackson's Stamina Dials dims, indicating that he had dipped into his reserves a bit in creating the weapon.
He stares at the blade, examining the pale blue sword from tip to end as he tries to see if there is anything immediately wrong with the blade. He frowns with realization. "Who needs a Wano Dictionary anyway. I made the damn thing, I'll call it whatever I want."
He examines the almost wood-grain-like lines, waving along with the blade's hamon, and considers what would be a good name for a blade like this.
Zoro catches the sheathed blade as Jackson tosses it to him.
"Here's my first try. Its name is Wind Chime. Good enough to tide you over until we can fix Kitetsu?" he asks nervously.
Zoro unsheathes the sword, looking at it with a critical eye. Nothing goes unobserved, from the curve of the blade to the cap on its pommel.
Jackson's nervousness increases, the longer he watches the swordsman's frown slowly deepen.
"Well, its unique," Zoro finally admits, sheathing the weapon and putting it in its belt.
He's not really sure what to think about a sword that seems more interested in singing than cutting.
With the Ark Maxim repurposed and refitted into a Wool Cloud Ship with enhanced durability and speed, (Due in no small part to all of the gold used to build it being replaced with Steel Wool Clouds) the Valkyries stocked up and the Sea Animal Pirates shuffled aboard awkwardly, the Strawhat Fleet is ready to go.
Conis and the other Valkyries wave tearfully to Skypiea as they slowly make their way towards the milky road that will take them to the White Sea.
"We'll be sure to call! And visit too!" she shouts to her father, while Mahmud and the other former Divine Soldiers wave to the rest of their comrades, who had stayed behind to resume their duties as protectors of the land.
The Egrethieves, Dugongs, and Banchi also wave, saying goodbye to the various animals they had befriended, only some of which had actually joined the crew.
Ohm idly scratches his neck, where the GPS Tracking Chip had been installed as part of his work-release program for good behavior.
His giant dog Holy noses the hand, clearly wanting scratches of their own.
As the group sails down into the cloudy ocean below Skypiea, all manner of horrific monsters appear, emerging from the Sea Clouds as if unionized to threaten the two ships alone.
Conis glares, prepared to order the crew to prepare their cannons, but she's interrupted when her Radio Wood crackles, Usopp's voice ringing out of it.
"Hold on a sec, we'll clear this up," he says, prompting the Skypiean to look over to the Going Merry, where their entire crew grins defiantly at the sea beasts.
"Gum Gum/Dracone/Mouton/Thunderbolt/Festival/Cloven/Psychic/Erupting/Un Fleur..!" she hears all of them shout.
Luffy's fist stretches behind him, grinning widely as he aims for one of the tastiest looking serpents.
Zoro assumes a specific stance, arranging his swords so that each one forms a spiral around himself, his muscles tensing in anticipation as he listens for the right moment to strike.
Sanji leaps into the air, his leg tensing with a loud snap of displaced air as his leap sends him towards the meatiest looking monster.
Nami simply surrounds herself in a stole made of pitch-black clouds, holding out her Magician's Clima-tact as it hums with energy from the clouds wrapped around her neck and shoulders.
Usopp takes aim, a large paper ball filled with explosives prepared so that when it explodes, every single Dynamite Star inside of it hits one of the monsters.
Chopper devours an Orange Rumble Pak and shifts into his Arm Point, cocking back his right arm preparing to strike the air in front of him as the fur around his joints emits a faint amount of steam.
Jackson casually holds his hand up in the air, a low hum emanating from it as the air distorts around it.
Daz places his wrists together, his palms pointed in the vague direction of the enemies as his fingers sharpen into blades.
Robin simply sprouts a dial from the palm of her hand, the dial glowing red-hot as it awaits its chance to erupt.
"Pistol/Barge/Shot/Tempo/Star/Rose/Scalpel/Spadicel/Spiranthes!"
Several sea monsters are dispatched nearly instantly as Luffy's fist smashes into one, Zoro's whirlwind slashes several more of them apart, and Sanji's rapidfire kicks crush the largest one.
Moments after the trio finish their physical attacks, Nami's Clima-tact unleashes a bolt of divine retribution, searing several monsters as the lightning bolt leaps from target to target.
Usopp's bomb explodes, peppering all of the creatures with Dynamite Stars as Chopper emits a pulse of compressed air as his Arm Point Punch fires, the sheer force and speed of his hoof traveling making a vacuum bullet that pierces through the head of a particularly thick-shelled beast.
Once all of the beasts are disoriented from the concussive forces, and their various shells cracked by the intense attacks, Jackson chops downward, sending a splatter of Liquid Air and Liquid Vacuum.
The fluids mix in midair and transform into a swarm of smaller flying slashes that sustain themselves long enough to combine with Daz and Robin's own attacks.
The pair of former assassins unleash raw cutting force as Robin's Battleaxe Dial and Daz's hands both fire off blasts of their own.
From Conis and the others' perspective however, it looks as though everything in front of the Going Merry had simply exploded, bits of sea monster raining everywhere.
Her radio crackles again. "Alright, we should be good to go, let's get moving," Usopp says casually over the radio.
Through a combination of sheer altitude and a strong telescope, Usopp is able to spot Jaya, an almost insubstantial dot in the distance. He also spots the Marine Fortress, G8.
"Well, there's the island, what are we going there for, again?" he questions.
"We'll get into contact with the Revolutionaries, see about getting some books on swordsmithing ordered, and share our respective intel. I've got a few errands to run there as well," Jackson explains, suspiciously looking towards Jaya, as if expecting something to leap up and attack them.
"Don't worry Jackson, Ace and Sabo are probably sitting around waiting for us," Luffy laughs, patting him on the back.
"You're probably right," Jackson says as they slowly sink down into the waters of the Grand Line, Merry's figurehead wriggling with delight.
"Oh, now this, I've missed. Those Sea Clouds just aren't the same," Merry says, deactivating her two gigantic dial engines as she unfurls her sails to catch the wind.
After a few hours of lazy sailing, Nami waves down a passing News Coo, paying them for a newspaper and bounties.
Luffy runs over with excitement. "Oh man, here we go!" he says, leaning over as Nami grimaces, pushing his face away from her.
"Let me fish everyone's out, okay?" she asks, Luffy nodding as he plops down on a barrel nearby.
"Alright, Daz 'The Killer', your bounty went up to a hundred-million, probably because of that stuff in Baroque Works," Nami says, passing the poster to the stoic blade-man.
"Luffy, you've gone up to… Oh wow, one-hundred-and-twenty-million for 'Straw Hat Luffy'. Alive Only. Guess that's our bribery at work."
Luffy bounces up and down, looking at his poster excitedly, and doing the same pose he had done for the marine photographer in Alabasta.
"Sixty-million for 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, forty-five-million for 'Mad Bomber' Usopp, another forty-five-million for 'Cat Burgler' Nami and…" Nami snorts, holding up Sanji's poster for all to see.
Lacking a photograph, Sanji's poster instead has a drawing. A very poor drawing, as its lips and face are comically bloated, and the small gold stars that Sanji had gotten from being healed by Jackson in Alabasta had been changed to gigantic ones stretching across his shirtless chest.
Sanji hangs his head in his hands, pure agony ripping through him as he sees the poster.
"'Five-Star' Sanji, at fifty-five-million," Nami chokes out between laughs.
"What about me and Chopper?" Jackson asks, ignoring Sanji's agony as he walks over to see if there was one made for him.
Nami hands him his poster, and he collapses next to Sanji. "'Unknown Bigfoot Creature', one-hundred beri" the poster reads, showing a picture of Jackson when he was stumbling around in shock after being smashed into a wine barrel and soaked in it. His scarves look ragged and indistinguishable after being stained by the wine.
"When they said they already had a wanted poster of me, I didn't realize they meant this!" Jackson wails, pounding the deck with his fist alongside Sanji.
Nami's eyes widen with some shock when she finds the last Poster.
"'Chemical Expert' Chopper, one-hundred-and-twenty-two-million." the last poster reads, showing a photograph of Chopper in his walk point, running away from the ice-explosion he had caused in Alabasta while running from Smoker.
Jackson pats the reindeer on the back cheerfully. "Damn straight! Don't mess with this Doctor!" Jackson laughs, Chopper blushing with pride as he rubs his head.
"Three cheers for Chopper! He really must have pissed old Smokey off!" Luffy laughs, happy for his crew all getting such nice bounties.
"Speaking of bounties, perhaps we should stop by G8 and turn in one, eh, 'Jaguar'?" Jackson asks Robin, who offers a small fanged grin in response.
Last edited: Sep 15, 2019
Interlude 3: Invalid
A man coughs up water, clutching his chest as he leaps awake, feeling incredibly weak, and aching from head to toe.
'What is going on here?' he thinks to himself, wincing at the sunlight beaming down onto his face. His lungs burn as he takes deep shuddering breaths.
"So you're finally awake, long-ears," he hears a gruff voice say.
He groans, nausea ripping through him as his ears pop, and he feels himself swaying.
His eyes snap open, looking around for the source of the voice.
His eyes eventually settle on two people, and a strange horse.
The first man is a hulking individual, his entire right half is covered in a blend of burns and bandages, and his hand and foot are missing entirely, nothing but reddened cloth to indicate that they had existed in the first place. A leather patch covers his right eye.
The second man looks little better, his dismal expression matching his thick stubble and sweaty skin perfectly as he leans against a similarly ill looking horse.
"Who… are you?" he asks, confused and foggy.
"Zehahahahah! I should be asking you that question, long-ears! You went and fell right out of the sky. If we hadn't fished you up onto our raft, you'd be dead!"
Doc Q grins maliciously. "You were very lucky."
He looks at the raft. Two giant logs, tied together and covered in frayed ropes. Barely even enough to qualify as a raft.
"So how about it? You got a name, long-ears?" Blackbeard asks, grinning widely in spite of his countless wounds.
"I don't know. My head… Hurts." he says, thoughts coming and going like static.
Blackbeard huffs through his nose. "Amnesia, huh? Well, Long-ears, I'm Marshal D. Teach, and this is my doctor, Doc Q! He's the one that fixed us both up. And trust me, Long-ears, you needed fixing."
When Blackbeard spots him staring at his wounds, his grin widens. "What, you ain't even healed yourself, and you're curious about what happened to me?"
He nods unsurely.
"Well, it isn't a nice story."
"Fire Fist!"
Blackbeard knows he only has one chance to survive. His Devil Fruit comes with one fatal weakness, a weakness that isn't even dampened by the seastone buried in his right forearm.
Any attack that hits his body is absorbed, just like anything else, and the damage is amplified greatly. But this time, he can use that. A desperate lizard's tail tactic, to get this damn bullet out of him.
He turns his right side to the oncoming attack, holding up the arm that had taken the Seastone Bullet.
He feels darkness edging its way into his vision along with so much pain that he can barely even feel it. The exact instant that the bullet in his arm vaporizes, he unleashes as much darkness as he can, insubstantial, not even enough to crush, but enough to obscure, to escape.
He hears the gunshots as his crew scramble to grab him, and he almost blacks out entirely, time and time again.
The next time he fully becomes lucid is when Doc Q jabs him with a syringe of adrenaline, and he leaps to attention.
He realizes that they're all on their gigantic raft, floating away from Jaya as fast as they can. But not fast enough.
He notices that his hand is gone. Sacrificed to the flames.
He hears one of his crewmembers speaking, but it's hard to hear them. Listening harder, he realizes. It's Burgess, the strongest brawler he knows, the Blackbeard Pirates' very own luchadore. "Teach, they're still after us. A few miles out. What do you think we should do?"
Blackbeard looks to each of his crew members. Is this really the end of the line for them?
He notices that he has been creating darkness this entire time, massive amounts of darkness, enough to obscure their ship. But… If Ace and his little buddies just follow the mass of darkness, then they'll never stop chasing them.
His gaze settles squarely on Van Augur, his second-mate and sniper.
"There's only one thing we can do, I'm afraid," Blackbeard admits, forcing himself to sit upright so he can look at his crew.
"We've reached the hardest point of our journey so far. And we came up short," he says, pulling his own vivre card out of his pocket. The card had thankfully been in his left pocket.
He tears off pieces from it, handing them to each of his crew members.
"We've gotta scatter. They'll get us for sure if we stick together now. Maybe a few of us will survive if we don't. If fate is on our side, we'll meet again in Jaya. Two years from now."
Nodding solemnly, Dan Augur is the first to pick up on his plan, grabbing the knives from their supplies, he hands them out to the crew members, who begin cutting the ropes of their raft, splitting it into pieces that they can row away with.
"Teach, that foot has got to come off too. You were unlucky, getting burned that badly," Doc says, his horse pushing their chunk of raft away from the others.
Blackbeard grits his teeth. "Do it."
Blackbeard's smile is brittle as he stares at him.
"So then, Long-ears, I told you my story. What exactly do you remember? It must have been pretty interesting, coming down on a bolt of lightning and all that. It must have run right through you."
His breath quickens. "Lightning is the sole authority of the gods of Birka. If what you say is true-!" He looks over to the ocean, only for Blackbeard to grab his shoulder firmly before he can leap overboard.
"There's no gods down here on the Grand Line, boy. So don't concern yourself with them," Blackbeard says, no longer smiling.
Something in his mind seems to rebel at the idea of there being no gods, even on this strange blue sea. "But then who do you serve?" he asks. Blackbeard laughs, loud and hard.
"I don't serve anyone! In fact, I'm going to become the freest man in the world!" he exclaims, forcing Long-ears into silent shock.
"You see, Long-ears, I'm the man who is going to become King of the Pirates someday! Zehahahahaha!"
Last edited: Sep 16, 2019
Chapter 43: Relaxant
"I've finally done it," Jackson grins, staring at his admittedly small Tree of Knowledge.
He picks up one of the planks he had alchemically grown from it and pins it up on the wall where it lights up, receiving a stream of data from the tree.
"At long last, I've finally alchemized a computer strong enough…"
A logo appears on the screen, along with a strange chime.
Jackson slowly reaches over to the polished wooden device sitting on the table next to him, picking it up and pressing the buttons on it to see if it is functioning correctly.
"Yes… Yes!" he laughs maniacally, selecting an empty save file and starting up the videogame he had an emulator for on his hard-drive.
The problem with emulating games, Jackson had found, was that even if he had them on his hard drive, and copies of it, none of that mattered if the computer in question wasn't strong enough to run the emulator. A difficult feat in most cases, considering that the computer has to be powerful enough to itself run an imitation of another computer.
A knocking on the door interrupts his virtual knocking of heads.
"Hey, Jerry, I heard mad scientist noises. You know the rules," Chopper says, waddling in with a suspicious and curious glint in his eyes.
Jackson sighs with annoyance. "Chopper, Doctorine isn't even here, surely-"
Chopper shakes his head. "If she finds out I ignored your insane laughter coming from a laboratory and didn't tell her, she'd make pincushions jealous of us. Now come on," he says expectantly.
Jackson rolls his eyes. "Fine, my computers are strong enough to play videogames now, and I may have emitted entirely neutral, perfectly sane laughter in response. It isn't like we can follow the rules and tell Doctorine about it anyway, we've got to be hundreds of miles away from Drum Island by now."
Chopper raises an eyebrow at this, watching Jackson slowly crumble beneath the incredulity.
Jackson sighs. "Fine, we'll take the Anything Goes over there after Merry docks somewhere safe enough for us to dip for a day or two."
Luffy pokes his head in. "I heard someone say 'game'," the rubber captain says, looking to see if Jackson and Chopper are doing something fun.
Jackson has an idea.
"Well, since we're taking our time heading to Navarone, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show off a few of the games I've got."
Luffy watches with idle curiosity as Jackson fiddles around with his mystery plank, making the picture on it change into one of a weird raccoon man running on a rooftop.
"You might like this, Luffy. It's a game about a master thief and his friends," Jackson explains, shoving the controller into his hands.
"Jackson… You've still got that mad scientist vibe…" Chopper says warningly.
Jackson shushes Chopper. "I've got an idea. Alright Luffy, that button there makes him jump, and that stick makes him run around," he explains.
"Luffy, why are you scurrying around up on my yards?" Merry asks lazily, tickled out of her little nap by her captain's acrobatics.
Luffy pauses, swinging up onto the yardarm. "Shishishi, I saw it in a game!" he exclaims, trying to walk across the ropes strung across Merry, arms held out for balance.
He stumbles, flopping off of the rope and nearly falling overboard, rescued by Merry snatching him by the collar of his vest with her teeth.
She flips him up over onto her head. "Silly captain. Those aren't tightropes, you know!
"No more ninja stuff on the deck until we make landfall, alright Luffy? My crew isn't supposed to fall overboard as often as they do," she chastises, craning up as she tries to look at her captain.
Luffy chuckles unashamedly. "Don't worry Merry, we've all got those lifejackets, remember?" he says, tugging on the inflatable cloth that Chopper and Usopp had devised using some of Jackson's chemicals.
Merry whines. "I don't like it when you fall overboard. Lifejacket or not."
Luffy hums, before nodding. "Okay! I'll be careful Merry," he says, patting her on the head and wandering over to find Usopp. Surely the sniper can build a cool danger room to play in. The Ark Maxim has a lot of empty room in it, so maybe the Valkyries will let them build it there.
Merry sighs with a small smile, before her eyebrow twitches and she pulls a metal tube out from where it was attached near her neck, a metal horn on the end allowing her to shout inside the ship.
"Zoro, please stop sharpening those swords below deck! I might be fireproof, but the supply bags aren't!" she yells into the metal tube, her voice carrying below the deck as she reacts to the sound of Zoro sharpening his weapons next to the various sacks of goods they had amassed.
She sighs again, allowing the tube to snap back where it was. Her crew can be challenging, but she's got what it takes to handle them.
"Ooh! Usopp's waxing the deck, now that's a treat," Merry mumbles, slowly dozing off as Usopp drags the waxing machine across the planks.
Zoro groans, dragging his grind wheel and other tools out of the room and up onto the deck. Damn boat, telling him what to do.
It'll take longer to finish up these new swords with him having to run below deck to grab bottles of polish and acid.
He holds up the latest weapon that Jackson had made. A plain, two-handed broadsword, made of steel, with two small branches splitting off of it at its tip. After Wind Chime had been approved, Zoro had decided to take a more active role in supervising Jackson's foray into swordsmithing. Jackson would produce the blades with Zoro watching, and Zoro would etch, polish, sharpen and fit them.
"Well, this one's not suitable for our subordinate crew. I'll put it in the 'sell' pile," he grumbles, clipping the clamshell sheath over it that it requires due to its strange 'Y' shaped blade, and hanging it up on the rack of swords that had been made so far. All of them made primarily of steel, but each one with odd quirks that had emerged from Jackson imbuing patterns into their steel and temper that he had extracted from other objects.
Daz, who had been sitting on a nearby chair, reading through a newspaper, looks idly at Zoro's rack of burner swords.
"You know, those could be sharper," he points out.
Zoro half-glares at Daz. "Oh, is that so?"
"It is. May I?" Daz asks, prompting Zoro to shrug as he examines a straight-sword with a square chisel-tip, deeming it appropriate to pass along to their allies.
"Knock yourself out."
Daz stands up from his seat, walking over to the rack of swords and picking one out, drawing the bright pink sword and running his finger along the edge, all the way to its large heart-shaped point.
"I wasn't aware that you and Jackson had taken up this craft. He certainly has been producing some interesting examples." Daz says curiously.
"Yeah. Apparently the stuff he's been working into the steel gives it some funny quirks like that. We'll be giving the good ones to the others," he says, jerking a thumb over to where the Ark Maxim is following them.
Daz doesn't respond, sheathing the sword and picking up another one, a Katana with three blades, braided together.
"Well, if nothing else, it seems we'll be meeting interesting people soon, if you plan on finding someone willing to buy these," Daz points out, having to carefully angle his finger to reach the inside of the braided sword.
"Alright, be careful with those crates everyone, the Strawhats worked really hard to make these new weapons for us," Conis says firmly, watching the Valkyries pop open the crates to examine their contents.
"There's a bunch of fruit here too, what's the deal with these?" one of them shouts, holding up a wrinkled purple chunk.
Conis glares at them. "Read the documents, don't eat any without my express approval!" she shouts, having already been informed about the Ghetto Ghetto Fruits in a very thorough meeting with the Strawhats.
While the warriors look at the laser rifles and bizarre-looking swords, below deck, Mahmud is obtaining his own gift of sorts.
He listens intently to the recording that Jackson had sent him. His first lesson.
"Your first test will be to present evidence of any instance of alchemy taking effect. You can send me either a photograph, or a video if the effect is transient. I leave any further details in your hands," he hears Jackson explain.
Mahmud gulps, holding up the stick of chalk he made today by funneling power into his little tree.
He isn't sure what to do, exactly, having thought about it.
He starts by drawing two circles on the ground and writing the word "Sacrifice" underneath one of them.
He's always been taught that sacrifice is the road to good things. Maybe that works here too?
He grabs two wooden branches, placing one in each of the circles, before activating it.
The branch inside of the Sacrificial Circle evaporates into nothing, while the branch in the other circle shimmers with a faint green light.
Mahmud isn't sure what he just did, but he clearly did something!
He snaps a photograph of the glowing stick and sends it back to Jackson, before picking up the stick and swinging it around idly.
A nearby speaker rings out with Conis's voice. "We are nearing Navarone Island, everyone prepare for docking."
Mahmud jerks in shock. He had best get back to work!
"Commander Johnathan, Sir! We just received a call on our Transponder Snail, somehow, a group of pirates keyed into the frequency we use for outgoing communications!" a marine with large mutton-chops and sideburns shouts, bursting into Commander Johnathan's door. His pristine white coat and blue suit underneath indicate his status as a Lieutenant Commander.
Johnathan himself sits at his desk idly, his red hair contrasting with his darker mustache, and his own coat's various medals indicate himself as a Vice-Admiral.
Johnathan's eyebrows raise at his subordinate's exclamation and abrupt entry. "And what exactly did they want, Lieutenant Drake? Who were the pirates in question?"
Drake balks at this. "Does it matter?" he says, before shaking his head. "They said they were the Strawhat Pirates, and apparently, they wanted to turn in a bounty, of all things!"
Vice-Admiral Johnathan, much like all of his peers, had been informed full well what exactly was to be done if the Strawhats appeared. Do not interfere with them, do not investigate them, if they attempt to do business with any Marine base, throw it up the chain of command, and above all else, do not allow their doctor to come to harm.
What they neglected to explain, however, was why. Supposedly, Monkey D. Garp is the sole Vice-Admiral to know the full extent of what exactly had led to the Strawhats being afforded such leniency.
It's the type of thing that would make anyone incredibly curious.
"The Strawhats are on a very short list of pirates that we are to consider allies. Let's see what they have for us, shall we?" Johnathan says casually, standing up from his desk as Drake backs away, stunned at this fact.
"But they're pirates! We would allow them to enter the single most secure fortress on the Grand Line? Just so they can turn in a bounty?" Drake retorts, following Johnathan as he exits his office.
"But of course. Do you see any downside? You seem to think that we would be trapped in G-8 with them if this request of theirs turns sour.
"The decision of whether or not to antagonize them before then is above my pay-grade, Lieutenant Drake. There are limits to what I can do in this situation."
'Of course, even if I don't investigate them, it can't be helped. In every interaction between people, something is learned,' Johnathan thinks to himself, the whole situation seeming supremely suspicious to him.
'Perhaps then, I might " accidentally" discover why such a small band of Pirates has been given free-reign over the seas, as far as our authority goes,' he thinks as Drake gives the command to lower the gate and allow them into Navarone's impregnable walls, tons of steel moving to open the only canal going in or out of the island fortress by sea.
Last edited: Sep 16, 2019
Chapter 44: Hyperfocus
Johnathan smirks with bemusement as he looks over the group who had deigned to meet with him. "I have to admit, 'Straw Hat' Luffy, you aren't at all like I expected,"
"Shishishi, that's me alright!" Luffy says, plopping down into one of the chairs that had been brought in for him, Nami, Tall, Mockery, Conis and 'Jaguar'.
"So then, what brings you all the way here to G-8? Just one bounty?" Johnathan asks, sipping at his morning coffee.
Robin smiles. "Ahh, but we aren't just bringing you any bounty. We felt it prudent to bring the body to one of the most reputable marine bases we could," she lies, not knowing that much about G-8 or Navarone, beyond Jackson's dossier on the location.
Johnathan's easy smile remains fixed on his face as he looks directly at her. "And who might you be? I'm afraid I don't recognize you," he says, already beginning to get a small idea of the situation after hearing her deceptive words.
"Ahh, you wouldn't. They call me Jaguar. As you can see, I'm not from around here," she claims, flapping her bloomed wings idly as she presents a fanged grin.
Johnathan nods. Another lie, then, but a very comfortable one, made of wants and technical truths.
"I see. And what bounty could require a base as secure as mine to process it, then, Miss Jaguar?"
Robin's smile widens with humor. "None other than Nico Robin, the so-called 'Devil of Ohara'. We have her body on ice, waiting for someone to sign off on it," she claims.
"My my… A bounty that significant, it must have given you quite a bit of trouble. You understand, I'll need to report this to my superiors. If what you say is true, your crew has done us a great service. Perhaps I could put in a good word for you all. Your own crew has rather high bounties of their own, after all," Johnathan claims.
"Oh, that won't-" Nami interjects nervously before Robin interrupts her very firmly.
"We would appreciate it, Vice-Admiral Johnathan. A good word from you, well, it would be a very high honor," Robin says, looking at Nami with strong intent.
"So can we go now?" Luffy says, picking his nose.
"Well, I apologize, but as I said, I'll need to contact my superiors. We lack the forensic tools here to confirm your bounty, so you'll need to wait a short while," Johnathan says, Nami's slipup informing him full well of their disregard for any Marine activity whatsoever. Jaguar is the only person in the room concerned with Marine attention. A newcomer, still nervously anticipating a reaction from a Marine force that has decided to give the Strawhats leniency?
So their plan, based on what he's learned so far, seems to involve presenting a fake bounty. That much is obvious just by their diversions and tone of voice. The things they haven't said are all the louder to him.
The question is, why? What do they gain by turning in an admittedly high bounty? What makes them confident that their fake will pass forensics?
"But, in the meantime, we would be all too happy to accommodate you, our home is yours, Strawhat Pirates," he continues disarmingly, trying to figure out their plans.
Well, this so-called Jaguar's plans are obvious enough. She'll try to attack him, but only if he gives her no other choice. Her plan is to deflect his probing until she has an excuse to leave. She's already picked up on the fact that he's learning about them so quickly.
"Would you like rooms to be prepared for you, or will you remain on your ship?" Will they try to divert his suspicion by accepting his offer, or avoid him to minimize the chances of their ploy being exposed altogether?
Luffy shrugs. "I mean, I want to sleep in my own bed, but we can still look around, right?"
Johnathan pauses for a second. An interesting answer. He can't quite tell what Luffy is planning, just based on what he's said so far.
"That sounds lovely, I'm sure we could offer a sort of tour of the facilities. I'm particularly proud of this fortress, you see," Johnathan says truthfully.
"We'll look forward to it," Robin says, standing up along with the others.
'We need to prepare for additional probing', she doesn't say, as she walks off with the others.
Johnathan chuckles as they leave, considering the chess-board he has on his shelf. He's been meaning to dust the old thing off, but with the looming threat of inspection, he hadn't had the time or desire.
He sets up a full board on his desk, considering carefully where to place the pieces.
"What was going on back there? We don't exactly need him to go out of his way to talk nicely about us," Nami says as they walk towards the dock where Merry and the Ark Maxim had pulled up to, Merry pretending to be an ordinary ship for the time being.
Robin frowns. "I think we need to have another talk with Jackson about just what this Johnathan is capable of. He somehow learned something from you turning him down. From just us talking and being nearby, his behavior had changed from someone who had just met us to someone who was suspicious of us."
Conis looks confused. "Aren't you all Pirates? Suspicion would be warranted, I would think."
Robin shakes her head as they enter the large dockyard, beelining towards Merry. "That's not my point. He became suspicious of us based on what we said, but the things we said weren't inherently suspicious based on the facts at hand, and his demeanor. He knew something we didn't, but only after we had walked in the room."
Luffy continues to pick his nose. "I think fortress guy is alright. He's pretty cool, offering us rooms and all that."
Nami isn't quite sure what to say about the situation.
"Be on your guard, everyone. I don't think this fortress is dangerous because of its physical defenses," Robin says, approaching Jackson with intent.
Johnathan chuckles as they leave. What interesting people they are.
He grabs the microphone from a nearby Transponder Snail, dialing the outgoing frequency.
"This is Vice-Admiral Johnathan, calling from the G-8 Marine Base in Navarone. I have a report to make with any available Admiral. Yes. Yes, well, it seems the Strawhat Pirates have docked here, and are seeking to claim the bounty on Nico Robin. Dead. They claim to have the body with them," Johnathan explains to the lady on the other side of the phone.
"Yes, I'll wait."
'Chances are, if I were to accuse the Strawhats, they would believe me, even without evidence. But to be honest, I'm far too curious to let it go at that, These Strawhats seem to think that not even evidence will result in their being punished,' Johnathan thinks to himself.
'A Marine has a duty to the people to uphold, even if my superiors refuse to uphold that duty. If these Strawhats are a true threat to the peace, I'll just have to take it from there.'
"Ahh, Admiral Aokiji. Yes, it's true. Of course. I patiently await your arrival, then. Oh don't worry, I don't plan on interrogating them without your express approval."
It's almost a shame that he can't read people over a Transponder Snail. God only knows what his superiors are planning.
Jackson rubs his head. "I genuinely don't know. My knowledge of the future is particularly shaky here." Due in no small part to the fact that he didn't actually have the anime stored on his hard-drive, forcing him to operate entirely off of his own memories. But this isn't like the Rainbow Mist and Goat Island things, where one only needed to know the broad strokes of the situation to come up with a solution.
"All I know is, in the original timeline, Vice-Admiral Johnathan let the Strawhats go. He wasn't trying particularly hard to actually catch them. I don't know his true abilities, or even his motives beyond his pride in Navarone."
Robin almost laughs at this. "Then we're all on the same page. Well, it's too late to leave. The Marines won't just let us leave, now that we've claimed to have the body of Nico Robin. It would be far too suspicious."
Jackson nods. "We'll need to discuss this with the captain. He's the one person on this ship most likely to give away the game. Where is he, do you know?"
Robin hums. "He should be somewhere on the ship."
A few seconds later, after checking the ship personally with some spawned eyes, she deadpans. "He isn't on the ship."
Luffy tries his hardest not to giggle as he walks right up behind one of the patrolling marines, following them down the hall with his shoes removed and stuffed in his pockets to make his footsteps silent.
He's so clever, this guy has no clue he's right behind him!
A tiny snort escapes Luffy, prompting the soldier to stop, stock-still.
Luffy's eyes widen, and he slips around behind them at the exact moment the marine turns around to search for the source of the noise.
When the marine scratches their head and shrugs, another tiny giggle manages to escape from Luffy, making the marine whip around in shock and apprehension, only to find empty air.
Above him, Luffy sticks to the ceiling. 'Ok, I take it back. Jackson giving me sticky gum-gum powers is more cool than it is gross-sounding,' Luffy thinks to himself, flipping upside down and walking on the ceiling after the marine, his bare feet selectively sticking to the metal ceiling as if glued, releasing each time Luffy makes to take another step.
His sandals clack to the floor, slipping out of his pockets due to him hanging from the ceiling.
The marine whips around again, pointing their rifle at the shoes.
They slowly look up, seeing Luffy grinning at them.
"Shishi, you got me!" Luffy laughs, only for the man to scream, turning and running away as fast as he can from the impossible sight.
"I swear, it was a man, hanging from the ceiling! He just looked right at me with those cold dead eyes, said something like 'I'll get you!', I ran as fast as I could," Joshua, the youngest recruit in the room says, trying to rid himself of the sight of that horrid supernatural creature.
"It was some sort of undead monster, I'm telling you. Or a body-snatching alien, if it was walking on the ceilings!" he hisses. His friends all just laugh.
"Come on Josh, you were probably imagining things, you haven't been drinking that homemade wine again, have you?" one of his friends says, still chuckling at the ridiculous story.
"Of course not! But I'm telling the truth, I really did see it!" he retorts. One of his friends pats him on the back.
"Look, there's no such thing as aliens or zombies, just calm down. We've got bigger things to worry about anyway, with those damn pirates hanging around."
Another one of them interjects. "Did you hear the orders we got? I can't believe we're supposed to just leave those Pirates alone until the Admiral gets here. Doesn't that seem at all suspicious to you?"
Joshua shrugs. "I mean, orders are orders. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean there isn't a good reason for it. Whatever that reason is."
One of the marine recruits, the burliest one in the room and with a giant tattoo of an anchor on his arm to match, hops off of his bunkbed nearby, grimacing. "Well, I say we check it out. We didn't get any orders saying we couldn't look at em."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Joshua points out idly.
"Yeah, you wouldn't huh? Worried about more of your little aliens showing up?" he says to Joshua mockingly.
"Aliens are a perfectly reasonable thing to be afraid of! You wouldn't be so smug if an alien tried to body-snatch you!" Joshua yells with frustration.
"Well, you know what isn't something to be afraid of? Any damn pirates that think they can just roam free in Navarone. Now, who's with me when I say we should check it out?!"
The band of grunts yell in affirmation, their collective peer pressure leaving Joshua with no choice but to accede.
Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
Chapter 45: Foreign Object
"Alright, these 'Marines' have given us the use of their shooting range. I want everyone to treat it with the respect it deserves," Conis says firmly, watching her Valkyries slowly familiarize themselves with the Laser Rifles they had been given.
Each rifle seems to utilize a large clear bulb, which refracts light into a dial in its center, more glassy materials interspersed with copper serving as the main bulk of the weapon.
Conis pulls out her own Laser Pistol and adjusts her visor, a simple structure made of Steel Wool Clouds and a glassy material. She takes aim, firing blasts of red light at the targets.
The nearby Marines look on in shock, stunned at the seemingly technologically advanced weapons.
Johnathan walks into the large room with a casual air, watching the Valkyries shoot poorly at the targets. Most of them having only used Axe Dials to attack foes near them before this.
Conis notices his presence but opts not to say anything, silently focused on improving her aim.
"A tight grip is useful for controlling recoil, but yours doesn't seem to have that problem, Ma'am." Johnathan idly points out, pulling out his own flintlock and firing it several times. His aim is nothing spectacular, but he consistently hits the middle of the target.
Conis glances over at him, before loosening her grip accordingly.
"I remember my first time firing a gun. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I'm still not that good at it," he says, shooting more and more slowly.
"You don't get to be a Vice-Admiral without good aim, even if you don't normally use a gun."
Conis takes a few more shots herself, hitting closer and closer to that fabled bullseye in the middle of the target.
"So how did you do it, then?" she asks, primarily making small talk.
Johnathan grins, holding up his gun for several seconds, his hands swaying a bit as he takes an exceedingly long time to aim. "I picked my shots. I waited until after they cleaned the testing guns so I could check them out. I figured out that the one I was going to be given was sabotaged as part of the test, so I dropped it off the edge of the ship by mistake, making them give me a new one. Just barely squeaked by on my marksmanship," he explains, firing one shot that finally manages to hit the bullseye.
"I see," Conis says.
"I noticed that your gun isn't much better than the ones your crew has. Most pirate captains keep the best for themselves, I've noticed," Johnathan points out.
She shakes her head. "I'm not most pirate captains."
Johnathan grins slyly. "I can see that much. Enjoy the rest of your day, Ma'am."
'She isn't a pirate captain at all. None of these winged fellows are,' Johnathan thinks to himself, reading the subtext of her words as he makes his way for the exit.
'At least, they don't have the motives of a pirate crew. With wings like those, they obviously have the sort of biology suitable to live in high locations, and their ship is covered with propellers besides. Either mountain or sky island natives. A few of them seemed disoriented. Oxygen poisoning?'
He waves goodbye, exiting the room and making his way to his office. 'Their weapons incorporate unknown technology. An isolationist country then. The Strawhats had visited this country, and that ship and crew followed them down. Lightly armored, but heavily armed. The weapons aren't the strongest ones they have in reserve. They had no fear in revealing the existence of these rifles to him and his men.
A show of force from the Strawhats? No. Not at all. A show of force from this Sky Country.
Very interesting.
Joshua swallows, staring at the bird-goat-people through binoculars.
"Well, what do you see?" the heavily muscled Michael demands, snatching the binoculars away and shoving his head through the door, peering at them.
"A-a-a-" Joshua stammers over and over, his face turning pale from what he had seen.
The other marines lean in, wanting to see whatever it was that Joshua had seen in the shooting range.
Michael sweats as he watches the Valkyries fire strange glowing ray-guns. He doesn't want to believe Joshua's ridiculous accusation, but this…
Conis turns to look at them, her two hair antennae bobbing as she looks over at them.
"They've got… Horns, wings… Laser guns, and antennae!" Michael shouts, dropping his binoculars in shock, backing away from the door.
"A-a-a-!" Michael and Joshua stutter, looking at each other with pale faces.
"Aliens!" they shriek, blacking out in fright.
The other marines sweat at this, taking turns conspicuously looking into the room, shocked to see what appear to be actual aliens, along with their leader.
"I mean, at least they're hot aliens," one recruit points out, before being whacked on the head by everyone else.
"Idiot! We do not fraternize with the alien invasion!" they all shout in sync.
"Is this why we were told not to aggravate them? This could be a first contact situation!" one recruit points out reasonably, only for another one to shake his head.
"No. I'm afraid the truth may be far more terrifying. The aliens have used their mind control to… Take over the minds of our superiors!" one of them screams, causing everyone else to begin panicking.
Robin casually approaches the group with Mockery riding on her shoulder. "Excuse me, I was informed that this place has a sizable library. Could one of you tell me where to find it?" she asks.
"Oh! Of course Ma'am, just go down that hall, and take a right, there's a sign that will take you right there!" one of them cheerfully points out.
She nods, walking off to gather information.
One of them points towards her as she walks away, his finger shaking as he sweats. "S-she's got wings… Just like the Aliens!"
The marines balk at this, wondering if they've all already succumb to the mind control.
"So are we just going to ignore the fact that that chick is like, actually a tiger?" one of them says meekly, his voice drowned out by the sheer panic of the others.
One of them, who had heard this comment, shakes their head. "For shame. Don't you recognize a lynx when you see one?" he shouts over the other shouting.
Luffy laughs, using his stretched out arms to swing around the mountain walls, this place is fun to explore!
His nose detects the subtle aroma of cooking food, prompting him to adjust his plans, zipping in through a nearby window just as someone had looked outside.
At the same time, Sanji grimaces, looking at his supplies on Merry. All these mouths to feed. Jackson has gotten good with creating the ingredients themselves, but he has to admit, he may need a larger kitchen soon, just to simplify the logistics of cooking so much food.
Until then, he'll just have to count on Usopp to set up a temporary cooking area, the Ark Maxim's deck being more than large enough to hold the impromptu cooking area.
"Hmm. I think I can come up with something Sanji, but it might be a bit messy, if you need it fast," Usopp claims, digging around for rolls of sheet metal, wood, and screws.
"As long as it's clean and safe for food prep. I just need more room, if I'm going to be cooking for everyone."
Usopp hums, leaping between the ships with his bundles of raw materials, rapidly assembling the gigantic griddle and table while Sanji stacks the table high with plates and baskets of foodstuffs, carrying his cooking tools in a satchel slung over his back.
"Say hello to the Usopp-Top Mark One! Everything a master chef needs to cook enough food for hundreds!" he shouts, overhyping what amounts to a strip of sheet metal stretched over a wood and metal frame, with heat-dials wired to the bottom of it.
"Yeah, it'll do," Sanji deadpans, pulling out a can of evaporated milk. Literally, in the sense that the can dispenses a cloud made of milk when Sanji sprays it into a bowl. He whips it together with flavoring while he waits for the griddle to heat up, before setting it aside and mixing together a pie dough.
'I can make some of these funky wood-syrup apples into a pie of sorts, which will go well with a pork-based dish,' Sanji thinks to himself, pulling out the caramel-brown apples, cutting them into pieces and rolling them up in the dough. He'll be able to drop them onto the greased griddle to make a sort of fried confection, and by sliding a divider in the middle of the griddle, he'll be able to sear the pork at the same time.
"Hey, is this your captain?" someone shouts, holding up a sheepish-looking Luffy, who looks like he had more than enough to eat already, judging from his massively distended stomach.
"Huh? What did he do?" Sanji immediately says, far too familiar with the consequences of Luffy pilfering food.
"Well, he ate the meals we prepared for over a hundred hungry Marines. Do you plan on paying for that?" the person says, their outfit clearly revealing them as a member of this base's own cooks.
Sanji glances at his own paltry accommodations, mentally comparing them to a proper kitchen built to handle the amount of food he had been planning on cooking.
"I think we may be able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement."
Nami pokes her head out of her room, her ears instinctively quirking at the phrase "mutually beneficial agreement."
When she sees that it's just Sanji discussing something with a cook and Luffy, she shrugs, returning to her room to continue her call with Vivi.
She can always scold Luffy later, after she sets up their investments.
One of the Egrethieves taps the table. "(Hit me.)"
The Dockworker passes them a card. Twenty-eight.
The bird scowls, pushing their cards away and wandering off.
They might hate to admit it, but playing blackjack with a bunch of wild animals is far from the strangest thing these dockworkers have done on break. That honor goes to the time Mickey had accidentally turned a ship upside down in the drydock. Lieutenant Drake was pissed when he saw that.
A cloud wolf that had joined up with the Sea Animals back on Skypiea taps the table. "(Hit me.)"
He passes out another card, making the wolf howl, pounding the table cheerfully as they drag their chips back to themselves. "(Woo! Blackjack!)" they howl.
One of the dockworkers who had gotten particularly drunk on his break pats the dog on the back, laughing loudly.
Admiral Aokiji sighs heavily, as if the strain of setting down his Transponder Snail had been a workout on its own. He continued to stare at it for nearly an hour after he had ended the call.
The possibility had always existed, that Robin might die before she found her place in the world. It doesn't make it any less… Disappointing.
He rubs the bridge of his nose. He'll need to go over there, check and see if the body is real. Especially since he requested the assignment specifically.
He'll just do that and leave. If they want to do some more trading with these Strawhats, they can send someone else to do that.
He's frankly not interested in that kind of hard work.
Grabbing the field forensic kit and Eternal Pose to G-8 from one of the nearby offices, he picks up his bicycle and leisurely strolls to the nearby shore.
He stares out at the setting sun, feeling particularly lazy right now for some reason.
He adopts a placid expression. "Looks like being lazy finally caught up with me. Sorry about that," he says out-loud to seemingly nobody, placing one foot on the gently lapping waves of the beach, before freezing the entire ocean for miles around, allowing him to take another step onto the frozen water. He plants his bicycle down so he can get to cycling over to the other island.
He'll have plenty of time to wonder if he should have done something. If he should do something now.
Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
Chapter 46: Delusional State
An old man approaches the Going Merry, with wild straight hair and bushy mutton chops. One of the shipwrights of G-8. It seems he's the only person in the dock at the moment who isn't allied with the Strawhats themselves.
Usopp hops down, meeting him halfway.
"Oi, oi! I wouldn't want you to get in trouble old guy, but people aren't supposed to be poking around our ship," he explains, mostly genuine in his desire to not get anyone in trouble.
The old man waves him off, adjusting his sunglasses. "Don't worry about me, I ain't here to snoop on your pirate business. I'm just here to snoop on your ship business. The name's Mekao, I'm one of the senior shipwrights around here."
Usopp pauses at this, long enough for the old man to slip by him and make his way to where Merry is sitting in the dry-dock.
"This ship is interesting. Using copper plating to keep her from getting fouled is an old trick. Very old. There aren't any seams, either. I'd love to know how you managed that trick," he laughs, pausing when he sees two of the large hoofprints on Merry's sides.
He runs his hand along them, and Usopp panics silently when he sees Merry choke from the ticklish touch, trying to keep a blank face.
Mekao fails to notice her grimace or the noise, focused intently on the strange symbol. "What are these, some sort of maker's mark? You wouldn't be able to see these while the ship is in the water, so they can't just be decorative."
"Well, uhh," Usopp starts, unsure what to say that would ward off the old shipwright.
He raps his fist on the metal shell, "This isn't pure copper, is it? And its thicker than copper plating should be, too. An alloy, then?" he asks.
His attention turns to Merry's keel, and Ussop scrambles after him as he leisurely walks over to the front of the ship to examine it.
"I've never seen wood like this in my life," he mumbles, touching the fuzzy white material.
"Ok, that's where I draw the line," Merry growls, Usopp shaking his head frantically as he shushes her.
"Hmm?" the old shipwright hums, craning his head up to look at Merry, whose eyebrows are twitching with minor annoyance.
"I'm not sure how I feel with some grody old shipwright poking around my trade-secrets like that," she grumbles irritably, working her jaw, which had become stiff from trying to pretend to be inanimate for so long.
"…" the old man falls backwards, unconscious. Usopp claps his hands to his cheeks in shock. "Merry! Oh man, oh no!"
He grabs the old man, taking him to the office where Chopper had been reading through medical reports, while Merry winces extra-sheepishly.
"I told em you should have just showed your stuff to begin with," Zoro idly points out, utterly immobilized by his new training equipment, a literal hunk of solid steel with a Zoro shaped hollow in it, and a latch on the side to open it.
The metal groans as he strains to rip his way out of the literal steel trap.
"Yeah, you also wanted to challenge the strongest person here to a fight," Merry grumbled.
"It would have established a strong first impression," Zoro retorts, one of the bolts snapping off of the glorified iron maiden.
The metal finally shrieks, one of his arms ripping free from the contraption as bands and bolts spill out everywhere.
"Damn. Looks like I'll just have to wait until Jackson finishes that new thing," Zoro complains, ripping the rest of it off of him. That's what he gets for failing to comprehend the rule of three. He wanted a fast, cheap training method after the loss of his steel tank, and thus, the result the others had come up with wasn't very good.
"Hey, old guy, you hit your head pretty hard back there, are you alright?" Usopp wonders, Chopper and another doctor having administered smelling salts to the shipwright.
"Yeah, I'm fine kid, wh-" Mekao remembers what had made him black out.
"Talking ship!" he shouts, only for the other doctor to put a hand on his shoulder, putting her stethoscope to his chest and checking his heart rate again.
"Father, calm down please, this young man told me you passed out when you saw their figurehead, what happened?" she asks.
"I saw the dang figurehead come to life, and start talking! You have to believe me Kobato!" he shouts.
He tries to get out of the bed, but is stopped by Chopper and her. "Father, you might still have a concussion, please, lay back down until we know you're alright."
He finally accedes to his daughter's demands, sighing as he leans back. "Fine."
Usopp tries to sneak out of the room, but is frozen in place by Mekao's firm ironclad stare, turning around while sweating.
"Don't give me the runaround boy, what did I see back there?" he says, utterly unwilling to believe that it was merely a figment of his imagination or a faulty memory.
Usopp swallows, chuckling nervously.
"Well, uhh, it was obviously just… Swamp gas, reflecting the northern lights!" Usopp shouts confidently.
"I mean, whoever heard of a talking ship?" he chuckles.
"Anyone who has heard of the Queen Mama Chanter, or most of the other Totto Land Grand Fleet ships," Mekao deadpans, not having any of Usopp's diversion.
Jackson makes sure his scarf is extra tight, and his hat is on extra well. Best to be as inconspicuous as possible while he searches for a good pot to take from this island. A place like this will surely give him what he needs, when it comes to untainted Justice.
He notices Lieutenant Drake following him at a safe distance.
"Can I help you, Mr. Drake?" he asks, stopping to turn and face the individual.
"You seem to know me, but I don't know you. I offered to help you navigate the corridors here, and ensure you stay out of restricted areas. Will that be a problem?" he grouses angrily, clearly displeased with the quack so much as being here.
"Not at all. I had just assumed someone of your standing had more important things to attend to. My name is Jerry Jackson."
Drake grimaces. "You're right, as one of the senior officers of G-8, I do have more important things to do than follow some stage magician around. But it needs to be done with you pirates snooping everywhere. So do you have anywhere in particular you're planning to go, or are you just bumbling around aimlessly?" he asks suspiciously.
'Stage magician? Oh now he's just asking for it,' Jackson glares.
"Well, I didn't ask for your life story, bub. I've already got one," Jackson claims, using some sleight of hand to spawn the biography on Drake that he had taken from the library when trying to gather information on this base.
He tosses the book over to the shocked Lieutenant as a joke, before turning and walking walk off while they fumble to catch it.
"I wonder. You seem to take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks, but are your men as gullible as you?
"Take me somewhere where I can put on a little show for them, and I'll show you some real stage magic," he says.
'This aught to be a good way to kill a few hours, and I might finally get something I've been looking for if I put on a good enough show.'
Several folding chairs are brought out when the marines thus far demonstrated an extreme interest in seeing a magic show, pirate or not, there isn't much entertainment on a fortress as isolated and secure as Navarone.
Jackson spawns a microphone in his hand, tapping it a few times to make sure the device made of compressed Knowledge Wood, Magnets and Megaphones is functioning correctly.
"Hello, all! Now, before we begin, I have to admit, I'm more of an alchemist by trade. So if any of you smell funny fumes, feel more immortal than normal, or find that the pocket flasks you've been hiding from your staff leader have turned to gold, you'll have to forgive me," Jackson begins, getting a few laughs from the crowd.
He spawns a wooden stand, ordinary wood slosh pouring around the microphone as he lets go of it and allows it to form into the holder so he has his hands free.
"Let's see, what does a magician even do…" Jackson mumbles loud enough for everyone to hear, prompting some more laughter.
"Oh! I know, rabbit out of a hat, oldest trick in the book, right? Well, oldest one in the hat, anyway," he says, pulling off his wizard hat and spawning an ordinary wooden stick in his other hand.
"Let's see, the magic words are… Higgitus Figgitus? No, no, that's not right. Oh, I know," he says, stalling as he wirelessly funnels slosh into the hat to make stars appear on it.
"Very soft, never rough, always playful, always puffed!" Jackson exclaims, tapping the brim of the hat with his stick, only for nothing to happen.
"That's odd, I just had this hat dry-cleaned yesterday, there shouldn't be anything gumming it up," he complains, shaking the hat several times, and making the stars fall off of it, scattering to the floor as they turn into playing cards, coins, and paperclips.
By now, the small crowd is laughing uproariously.
"Oh, I see the problem," Jackson admits, reaching inside of the hat as it automatically deactivates its melting function when it senses a living thing in it.
He begins releasing a massive amount of marshmallow slosh from his hand, appearing from an onlooker's perspective to be pulling a huge blob of marshmallow out of the hat.
When he finishes, the blob shifts and changes, invisible energy reshaping it into a rabbit-shaped marshmallow easily twenty times larger than a person.
"I should have said 'Fluffed' instead of 'Puffed'!" he exclaims, causing the crowd to cheer.
"Thank you, thank you. You're too kind," Jackson says, melting the rabbit back down with an invisible pot, and seemingly stuffing it back inside his hat, where the marshmallow is compressed back into his slosh dials wirelessly.
He gives Lieutenant Drake a smug grin, sweeping the trinkets off the floor and into his hat as well as he begins cleaning up while the marines shuffle out.
"Alright men, it has become clear. The aliens are in league with the pirates, and both Lieutenant Drake and Vice-Admiral Johnathan have already fallen under the alien mind control. Anyone who went to the magic show, you're probably mind-controlled too, so please tie yourselves up and pick a good gag so we can stuff you in a broom closet until we're done. It's for your own safety." Michael says, whipping a stick towards the large sheet of paper that had been set up on the wall.
Joshua nods, continuing where Michael left off. "We cannot allow this state of affairs to continue. We may be the only ones who can reveal the truth before Admiral Aokiji gets here. I don't need to tell you all what would happen if an Admiral were to become mind-controlled like the others."
He points to a spot on the Map of Navarone. "Our goal is here, this is the Transponder Snail Office the furthest from both the Aliens and the Vice-Admiral's office. It is, therefore, the least likely to be under their sway. We make our way to this office, and we send out a warning before it is too late."
"Anyone could be an alien infiltrator, so be wary, be suspicious, and above all else, trust nobody. Is that clear?" Michael says, prompting the other new recruits to salute to him.
Zoro sits idly near the front of the crowd, looking disgruntled.
"Wait, who the hell are you?" Joshua asks, not recognizing the person.
"I'm just looking for directions to the armory, I wanted to check it out," Zoro explains idly.
"Oh! Right, of course, just go out into the hall, take a right, and just keep going straight! You should walk right into it," he offers cheerfully, pointing to the door.
"Right. Good luck with your alien hunt," Zoro claims, waving dismissively as he walks out the door.
One of the recruits raises a hand.
"Yes?" Joshua asks.
"Didn't we lock the doors? How did he get in here?" one of the recruits points out.
Everyone in the room gulps in unison. "He must have been one of the aliens… Oh god, he's heading for the armory!"
Everyone scrambles out of the room, storming towards the armory.
Zoro had taken a left when he exited the room, failing to encounter them at all…
Chapter 47: Food Chain
When a few recruits wheel in more crates of food, Sanji stoically endures the head chef's anger.
"Do you expect me to believe this? Is this supposed to be a joke? Your captain has eaten our food, and you're wheeling in boxes of rocks and sacks of sand," she says, scowling heavily.
"My assistant has a unique talent for discovering food where there is none," Sanji says mysteriously, having grabbed Jackson to assist him in producing ingredients.
"So you pirates subsist on boulders and planks? I would believe it on principle alone if it weren't so absurd," she says.
"Yeah, you tell em Jessica!" one of the chefs shouts, only for her to glare at them as well to get them to return to their own work.
"Jackson, if you would?" Sanji says, unperturbed by the angered chef. He was little better a few months ago.
Jackson pulls out a branch, grabbing handfuls of rocks and doing something mysterious to them before sprinkling them over the leaf-covered stick.
The rocks stick to it, wrinkling and shriveling as they grow stems that adhere to the branches.
He idly picks the newly formed nuts off, placing them in a barrel nearby before doing the same with another handful of rocks.
The room goes silent, Sanji picks one of the nuts out of the barrel, setting it on a nearby table before using a metal rod to crack it open, revealing its innards.
"Food is a vital resource in any line of work. Where it comes from shouldn't matter to a chef, so long as it is nourishing and palatable."
"So your crew has a Devil Fruit user able to produce food. I wasn't aware that a power like that existed in Paradise," Jessica says, unimpressed with the feat unlike the rest of her subordinates, who are shocked and awed as Jackson somehow peels a ball of glass as if it were a piece of fruit, revealing what looks almost like a white tangerine inside of it.
"Are you sure this stuff is safe to feed to… People?" One of the chefs asks, watching Sanji use a steel spike to crack open another one of the rock nuts from the rapidly filling barrel of alchemical foodstuffs.
"Absolutely. Our doctor has already signed off on both the nutrition and safety of these foodstuffs. Their only downside is that they require true care and skill to make palatable dishes from them," Sanji says, pulling the grey filling from each rock and placing them to the side.
"I understand if it seems exotic, but if something can be eaten, it shouldn't be wasted," Sanji admits, a row of burners being used to sear a pile of water-sausages. The result of alchemizing seawater into sausage casings.
"An appetizing medley of dried fruits and nuts will whet the appetite and provide vital fuel, preparing one for the main event, a dish of sausage and glazed ham, with a heavy bread on the side, and a choice of dry citrus wine or juice, to refresh the drinker, and revitalize them for the work ahead," he says, easily managing the corner of the kitchen he had been allowed to use, grabbing ingredients from Jackson as fast as he can produce them.
Sand becomes Desert Sugar when poured into a sugar bowl, a large hook turns everything poured onto it into hocks of ham, from wood to water. A drying rack converts the glassy citrus fruits into dried strips, while a sack turns gravel into grain, and an empty plastic sack turns those into square chips as Jackson's power transmutes them one after another, before he turns to the subject of bread, sucking up the grain into his hand and combining it with elemental fire and yeast to transmute it directly into long loaves of bread.
By now, Jessica groans internally, it's clear that her cooks are totally enthralled by these pirate's literally formerly inedible cooking.
An empty wine barrel is filled several times with sand and the aforementioned glass citrus, to create an especially dry wine.
Another barrel is filled with ordinary juice, made from the same fruit.
Sanji finishes the last of his labor, placing the meats and bread on the final plate, before gesturing dramatically to present his one-hundred bowls of chips and dried citrus, generously sprinkled with sea salt, and one-hundred plates of Glazed Ham and Sausages, with buttered toast on the side and a choice of Wine or Juice.
"Cuisine… Du jour!" he announces.
"A hundred meals for the ones my captain had eaten."
Jessica leers. "We still have to decide if the meals are of equal value. If the men coming in here for dinner aren't satisfied, then we aren't satisfied," she says.
"I couldn't agree more," Sanji says, smiling as marines file in slowly only to be presented with the unusual dishes instead of their usual fare.
Jessica's expression slowly turns more dismal as she sees them not only enjoying it, but adoring it. Meat other than fish is at a premium in places like this, and fruit is difficult to keep. It only makes sense that the marines would adore these meals, when they have such scarce ingredients in abundance.
"Fine, you've proven your point. I suppose even a pirate cook can excel, when they have an endless supply of what they need," she snarls.
"Now, if there's nothing else, I think I'd like you out of my kitchen."
Sanji nods. "Alright. It's a shame too, it's always a challenge, cooking without quality ingredients. I would have loved to see how our dishes would compare, given the same stock to draw from."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Jessica demands. He had access to fresh fruit, fresh meat, all for seemingly no cost.
"Blech!" one of the cooks shouts, startling her.
"This orange tastes terrible!" they say, having idly tried to taste-test one of the unused ingredients, only to discover that the fruit's sour flavor had all the sharpness of broken glass in its raw form.
Another cook curiously sears a piece of the water-sausage on both sides, before tasting that as well. "This pork is almost completely tasteless, what's up with that?"
Jessica looks back to the dining hall, where there isn't a single complaint about the taste of the finished dishes.
"Yeah. Jackson might be able to produce food, but nearly any cheap ingredients are going to have some sort of flaw. It doesn't mean they can't be made into truly delicious food, if you put in the effort to develop the cooking techniques needed," Sanji says, leaving along with Jackson.
"Weren't you going to use their kitchen to cook stuff up for our people as well?" Jackson asks, examining his dials. Thankfully, it seems producing all of those low-quality ingredients didn't run him very much stamina.
Sanji waves him off. "I'll use the griddle Usopp made. It would be very rude to wear out my welcome in another chef's kitchen."
"I see. Well, I better keep investigating while everyone else is eating, this place has a policy about not working during dinner, so it's a good time to gather intel."
Sanji glances at Jackson. "Take a bento. I won't have you skipping meals."
Below the decks of the Ark Maxim, in a quiet side-room that once housed a giant vat of weather-fluid, Daz Bonez and Ohm are engaged in a game of chess to pass the time.
"So, you've opted not to join the other Valkyries in practicing their shooting?" Daz says, moving a pawn forward on the chessboard he had whittled. Little marble and ebony chess pieces cover its surface.
"I haven't decided what profession I'll take up. I believe I'll still practice swordsmanship, once I prove myself trustworthy enough to obtain a suitable sword," Ohm says, moving one of his own pawns forward.
"I could always return your Eisen Whip at some point. It is unusable until I have it modified anyway. Unmodified Iron Clouds can't persist on the Blue Sea," Daz says, moving a pawn two spaces forward.
"Then what use would I have for it? It's yours, regardless of what you choose to do with it. I'll take up another sword, once I find the right one."
Daz eyes the chessboard, before deciding on his next move. "You should examine the ones we have. They may be odd, but they're structurally sound."
Ohm remembers the oversized kukri that had been given to their cabin-boy to protect himself.
"I might have to take you up on that," he says, before silently contemplating the board.
"Do your smiths take commissions?" Ohm asks.
Daz moves his rook out. "I imagine they would. They've been making them for practice, thus far. I don't know for certain, though. I've only been sharpening them."
"I see. Well, I hope you are able to restore the Eisen Whip's functionality. I had forgotten how poorly sky island clouds fare on the Blue Sea."
"I'll make sure it gets done. I've become… Invested in the matter," Daz says, not elaborating further as he captures a pawn.
"And you're sure that buying up land would be the right call? It isn't like we'll be there to make sure it's being managed properly," Nami says to Vivi, using her new Knowledge Wood table as an impromptu video-phone.
"You'll have to trust me on this one, one of the best things you can do with your money right now is buying land in a safe place. Since we're friends, it won't be a problem for me to check in from time to time, just to make sure any buisiness you purchase isn't being cheated while you're away, and owning land is a good way to own status. Land is the backbone of any civil operation, and Alabasta's land is about to become some of the most worthwhile, with all the gifts you've given us already," Vivi explains.
"The more land you own, the more weight you can throw around as a political entity, but more importantly, the more legitimacy it gives your money. The World Government will want a slice of what you've obtained, but if it is invested in land and stocks, we can actually write that off as you giving tribute via enrichment of an allied country, protecting your money from seizure in the future. Even if your Warlord status fell through, and they tried to force your properties to close down, the land would default back to Alabasta, and we could keep running your operations as our own."
Nami nods, doing a bit of mental math as she considers what sort of use she might put towards a property like that.
"Maybe a Tangerine orchard?" Nami poses, having failed to think of what sort of actual businesses would be worth investing her cut of the money into.
"There will be a larger need for agriculture, now that the soil is improving so much. That's not a terrible idea, actually!" Vivi claims.
"Luffy will probably just mindlessly vote for something meat-related, and Zoro would want something booze-related."
"Agriculture is a good goal for any sort of large land acquisition, so long as the land itself is fertile," Vivi points out.
"Yeah, you've got a point… I'll discuss it with the crew next chance I get. We'll need something to do with all the money we have leftover after we purchase a ridiculous amount of supplies and resources. Oh, and a new ship for the animals.
She remembers something Jackson had been discussing, which seems far more relevant here. "Do you know anything about Water Seven? I've read Jackson's report on the place, but a second opinion is always good," Nami says.
Johnathan finishes his meal with a grimace. He loves his wife. Jessica is the absolute light of his life. But does she have to include broccoli and carrots in every meal? She knows they are his least favorite…
He's almost tempted to see if he can sneak off to see what that pirate cook had made. His first impression was that the cook treated food almost religiously. So the chances of it being poisoned are slim to none.
The local Transponder Snail in his office begins ringing, and he picks it up to see what the problem is.
"Vice-Admiral Johnson, sir! A group of recruits have flooded into the armory screaming about aliens, we're not sure what to do, but they've barricaded themselves inside, and won't let anyone in!" the person on the other side exclaims.
Johnathan rubs the bridge of his nose. "Right, tell them I'll be right over."
As if he didn't have enough problems.
Last edited: Sep 18, 2019
Chapter 48: Persecutory Delusion
"Alright miss, just make sure you take that heart regulatory medicine. I've left the recipe and procedure for manufacturing it in this book here, so you shouldn't have a problem keeping yourself supplied with it. One a day should help with your fainting spells," Chopper says.
"I can't thank you enough, with all the doctors getting ready to leave, I don't know what I would have done if someone got injured before they got back," Dr. Kobato says.
Hemophobia is a poor look for a doctor of any sort, Pediatrician or not. Being able to stand the sight of blood with just a disgusted shudder is easily orders of magnitude better than her previous state of affairs.
"Not a problem Dr. Kobato. I had a remedy, and you had a problem. It only stands to reason that I would help. I should be thanking you. Some of these medical texts are unlike anything I've seen!" Chopper admits, flipping through his phone and examining the documents he had photocopied.
"That reminds me, this might be untoward but, what is that device you've been using? I've never seen one of those before."
Chopper hums nervously. "I really shouldn't say. Sorry ma'am," Chopper apologizes, a bit hastier to leave the room.
Kobato can't help but wonder why her question had made him so nervous, but shrugs it off.
Chopper makes his way back to the ship, intent on stashing his phone and possibly securing the rest of the Knowledge Wood. It couldn't hurt to make sure everything is accounted for.
As he approaches, however, he notices a suspicious-looking old guy, who seems to be getting along well with Merry, considering she isn't hiding from the stranger.
Based on Usopp's nervous smile at Chopper, someone must have spilled the beans to the guy.
Merry stares intently at the blueprints that Mekao had brought as a peace offering, marveling at the designs.
"That's a big ship," Merry states, reading the measurements for one of the older Marine Battleship designs that had been released to the public.
Mekao huffs. "Yeah, you can thank the higher-ups for that. As far as they care, a bigger ship is a better ship. That sure hasn't changed with the newer designs either.
"But that simply isn't wholly true. The size of a ship isn't as important as its quality and crew," he says pointedly.
"You're damn right, geezer!" Merry laughs, before subtly motioning for Usopp to stash the blueprints for her to peruse later.
He shakes his head. "It's just incredible. I've heard the stories, any shipwright worth their salt has heard about ships manifesting a spirit of its own, but you're something else entirely, aren't you?"
Merry smirks. "Yup. I'm the ship that's going to conquer the sea!"
Makao blinks at the utter confidence with which they made the claim. As if it were a foregone conclusion.
When she notices his shock, her grin broadens as she laughs through her teeth. "Baaa-hihihihihi!"
"That's our Merry alright. When she found out East Blue ships aren't made to handle the Grand Line, she didn't take it sitting down!" Chopper interjects, having been listening up until this point.
Merry nods solemnly at this. "I knew that I had to get stronger, so I did. I won't let the Grand Line beat me."
Makao is the only person to notice the darkening of her figurehead in the brief moment she made her proclamation.
"Don't come any closer Vice-Admiral Johnathan!" one of the recruits shouts behind the cover of the Armory's heavy doors.
"Don't worry boys, I'm not going to approach. I just need to check something. You believe I'm not in control of my own actions, is that right? That there are aliens walking among us with the goal of compromising marine officers?" Johnathan says easily, holding up his hands.
"That's right sir! Don't try to stop us either!" the recruit responds.
'Now, unlike every other minor annoyance to occur today, this is something I can use. Let's see if I can guide this somewhere productive,' Johnathan thinks, a plan already coming together.
"That's a heavy accusation, boys. I hate to say it, but I don't feel particularly mind-controlled, and what you've said is a pretty heavy accusation besides. There's really only one solution I can think of.
"Until I've ensured the security of Navarone, I'll be putting the entire facility on lockdown. Nobody gets in or out.
"That should be enough to ensure that if there are any aliens here, we'll be able to capture and interrogate them."
He turns, walking away from the confused mutineers, who are beginning to suspect that Johnathan may have escaped the alien mind-control.
'It also helps that, not knowing who might be an "alien infiltrator", and having probable cause based on eyewitness accounts, I can justify ignoring the blanket ban on investigating the Strawhats' operations.' he thinks with a smile.
He places his hands on Lieutenant Drake's shoulders. "Drake, I'd like you to stay here with the other squadron, and keep an eye on those recruits in the armory. Make sure they don't accidentally hurt themselves."
Robin calmly closes the book she was reading, before leaving the library and walking calmly towards the docks where their ships are.
It seems Johnathan finally found his excuse. Unfortunate.
She pulls out her phone, sending a silent text to everyone. "Be aware, the Vice-Admiral is about to put the fortress on lockdown. Apparently, one group complained about aliens attempting to take control of the minds of the leadership here. Make sure we have our exit strategy ready if he fully turns on us. Gather everyone to the ship, if possible."
She turns the corner, freezing when Johnathan walks right up to her. How did he get here, her eye should still be on his coat where she bloomed it!
She checks the eye carefully, only to realize that he must have switched coats with someone when she wasn't paying attention.
"What's got you in a hurry?" Johnathan asks, smiling placidly.
'He's trying to do something, he wants me to answer,' she thinks to herself, tempted to simply run, as utterly as that would break their cover.
Johnathan hums after a few seconds of her silently staring at him. "You know, this might be a bit off-topic, but did you know there are some people who call me 'The Hedgehog'. Mostly because of how well-defended G-8 is. The whole fortress is like a porcupine, really."
Robin doesn't respond.
"But honestly, they called me a hedgehog before I even became the commander of this base. It's because I'm always poking my way into other people's business."
"I need to go, my apologies, Vice-Admiral," Robin says, quickly walking past him.
"Back to your ship, right? Feel free. I won't even stop you from leaving. Of course, if you did leave before I finished my investigation, it could start a witch-hunt the likes of which has never been seen before."
He pauses, glancing down the hall. "My men seem to think that your winged friends are… Hostile aliens. There's nothing I can tell Marineford that will satisfy them if Aokiji arrives to a totally locked down Navarone, and I don't have the truth of the matter."
"You wouldn't dare," Robin responds.
"You're right. I wouldn't. But I also can't stop rumors from spreading with my authority alone. We allow the marines working here to talk to each other. To send letters to their families. If rumor spreads that winged aliens are coming from the skies with the power to control minds, it wouldn't be good for anyone," he says.
Robin's eyes narrow. "I'll discuss it with my captain."
"Good. I'll be on the lookout for anyone who looks mind-controlled. See if I can get to the bottom of this," Johnathan says pointedly, before walking away.
"Alright Zoro, we're finally here, after I had to personally track you down twice," Jackson groans, rolling his eyes at the giant armory doors.
"It isn't my fault you don't know how to walk in a straight line," Zoro claims, before staring at the armed guards standing near the doors.
"What's with these guys?" he asks as Lieutenant Drake approaches them rapidly.
"You all need to leave, we've got a situation here that doesn't benefit from your interference," Drake grouses.
"So what's the situation, then? If we actually knew what it was, we might leave," Jackson responds.
"I wouldn't," Zoro interjects, only for Jackson to whack him on the head.
"He would be made to leave," Jackson elaborates.
"Like hell I would, shit-doctor, I came here to check out what they have and I'm not leaving until I get a peek," Zoro says, rubbing his head.
Drake glares. "Well, none of you are going to be seeing anything until we convince the men in the armory to come out. They think that there are mind-controlling aliens in the base, and for some reason, Vice-Admiral Johnathan is acting as if he believes them."
Jackson shrugs. "We could probably get them out," he says, before his phone rings, prompting him to take it out and examine it.
"Zoro, we need to leave," Jackson claims, only for Zoro to glare at him. "I'll leave after I get a look at this place. I'll get em out of there," he says, grinning at the prospect of a fight.
Jackson groans. "We really don't have time for this. Is there anything I can say to convince you otherwise?"
Zoro just chuckles.
"Right, whatever, hurry it up and head back to Merry, dumbass," Jackson exclaims, walking off quickly.
Zoro watches Jackson leave before turning to the Lieutenant. "So, you want them alive or…?" Zoro says to him, only for him to glare in response.
Jackson listens to Robin's assessment of the situation, along with everyone else but Zoro.
Chopper is the first one to speak. "So here's the facts. Whenever we talk to him, he figures out what we're planning. He's a Vice-Admiral, so he has Haki, and he's known for somehow out-thinking his opponents, even when he seemingly has no way to have known the facts of a situation."
"… Do you think his Haki lets him read minds? I've never heard of that, the information I have on it only says that it can predict someone's moves, or see the future," Jackson points out.
"But what if that's exactly what he's doing? He's not seeing the future, or reading our minds, he's just predicting our next moves, far in advance. Something about hearing people talk might let him figure out whatever they're planning on doing,"
After a few moments, Luffy frowns. "Why is everyone looking at me?"
"Because you don't plan anything, and he wants an interview, it stands to reason that you're our best bet," Nami points out.
"You know, I can't help but feel that letting Luffy be interrogated by a Vice-Admiral isn't a good idea, just on principle," Sanji points out.
"You got any better ideas? I'm not exactly fond of pissing away Skypiea's good name here, even if I would rather not tell him more than he absolutely needs to know" Conis says, giving Sanji an incredulous look.
Sanji sighs. "Unfortunately, I don't. Guess we just have to hope Luffy doesn't say anything too damning," Sanji says, looking at their slightly befuddled captain intently along with everyone else.
"What if he decides to interrogate one of the rest of us? It isn't like we can channel our captain's unique advantage ourselves," Robin says sensibly.
"I think I might have a solution for that too," Jackson admits.
Johnathan sighs, plopping down into his chair, where a chessboard has been set into an illegal board-state, mostly as a way to visually frame his strategizing.
"I've got them in check. They can't leave without dire consequences, I have a loose excuse to question them, and, best of all, I'll be able to keep G-8 on lockdown long enough to delay that damn inspector. All I have to do is keep this place under control long enough to question them."
He moves his pawn over to their king.
"One way or another, I'm going to find out exactly what the higher-ups are hiding, and I'm going to find out what these people are planning."
He stares at the chessboard, silently awaiting the call indicating that one of them has agreed to speak with him. "Your move, Strawhats."
Last edited: Sep 19, 2019
Chapter 49: Test Results
Johnathan stares at Luffy intensely. "Date of birth?"
"Uhh, May… Fourth. No, fifth," Luffy responds.
"Age?"
"Seventeen."
"Are you under mind-control?"
"Uhh..?"
"That will be all, thank you for your cooperation, Captain Luffy," Johnathan says dismissively, waving towards the door.
After a long moment's pause, Luffy shurgs, walking out of the door.
From the way everyone hyped it up, it seemed like this was going to be some big mystery battle where he had to fight with his brain instead of his fists.
He remembers what they had gone over in detail. The broad strokes, anyway.
Several hours before Luffy's interview with Vice Admiral Johnathan, Nami had been the first one to suggest an idea for Luffy's "Training".
Nami holds up a small seastone rod in her hand, standing between Luffy and a towering plate of bacon.
"Which questions are off limits, Luffy?" she asks sweetly, now that Luffy has learned that he gets bacon for playing the "Game" she had come up with.
Luffy frowns, rubbing his hand after the small thwack Nami had given him for "cheating". "Nami is so mean. Uhh, he isn't allowed to ask us what we're going to do, where we're going to go, or how much money we have"
"Good! What else? There were three others," Nami says, tossing Luffy a handful of bacon using a set of tongs. The bacon is eaten out of the air the instant it clears the metal.
Luffy rubs his head for a moment. "No questions about our weapons, where we're getting Jackson's fruits, or… Jaguar!" he remembers at the last second to not say Robin's name.
Nami sighs. "Alright, that's just going to have to do. And if he does ask a question like that, what do you say?"
"Oh! I remember," Luffy grins.
He clears his throat before speaking in a serious tone. "That information is classified," Luffy says, an uncharacteristic glare on his face as his lips turn down in a thin frown.
Nami takes a step to the side, allowing Luffy unrestricted access to the pile of bacon, which dematerializes before her eyes as Luffy vacuums it down.
Johnathan grimaces. Usually, his three-question vice was enough to give him a full picture of any situation.
Usually, someone remembering the date of their birth coincides with a flood of interconnected thoughts and plans, someone stating their age slightly considers the things that both match and defy their own idea of what someone their age is meant to do, and the final question is the best one he could come up with that wouldn't get him Court Marshalled.
Something so benign and utterly unrelated to the Strawhats operations, there's almost no justification for the idea that he might have had the intent to gather information on them.
For some reason, though, the only absolutely certain plan he had gotten from the Strawhats' captain was, apparently, a plan to obtain a meat-shaped cake with a side of bacon.
Luffy's eyes widen as he has a small realization. He turns around to face Johnathan with a determined glint.
"Hey, do you know where I can get some bacon Fortress Guy?" Luffy demands, suddenly hungry for some reason after answering his questions.
Johnathan's eyes widen imperceptibly at Luffy's request.
His plan was to answer Johnathan's questions and then get bacon. He trained for this. He was expecting harder questions, which he is associating with the promise of bacon.
"I think I know where we can get you some, Captain Luffy."
Jackson, who had been listening from a wiretap he placed in Luffy's pocket, suddenly winces.
"Damn you Pavlov," he says, grimacing.
"What, what happened?" Nami says demandingly, walking into his little spy-room on the Ark Maxim, hidden enough that someone somehow wiretapping the Going Merry wouldn't notice it.
"Well, apparently, someone gave him the idea that he gets bacon after he answers questions-" he glares at Nami.
"-So Johnathan is taking him to the mess hall."
Nami rubs her head. "Right. I should have seen that one coming. So what do we do now?"
"We could threaten to report him," Robin points out.
"It a very risky gamble. Right now, all we have to offer is the fact that we've given the Marines a mere six fruits. We would have to assure them that we are more valuable than a Vice Admiral, rather than merely having the potential to be. If we didn't offer them something substantial before reporting him, then we risk suffering extreme consequences," Jackkson explains.
"Right now, we're playing hard-to-get, when it comes to handing over power to them. Do you want to hand the Marines even more permanent power, just to get out of one Vice-Admiral learning information that we don't want him to?"
Robin gestures to the spy-camera. "I get the feeling that this discussion is about to become moot."
Johnathan watches Luffy plow his way through a full course of bacon, with some eggs on the side as well, of course.
Johnathan almost chuckles at the sight. It's clear Luffy is used to cooking of a higher quality. At least, to him it seems clear.
He's slowly coming to a realization that doesn't quite fit with his profiles thus far, Luffy's rapid devouring of the food causing him to inadvertently display information that he has associated with it.
Luffy is a simple captain, with poor planning ability and impulse control. He doesn't care about wealth, or power, beyond how those things can better serve one singular purpose. Helping his crew.
It's enough to make Johnathan feel guilty when he finally cottons on to Luffy's rough outline of a grander scheme here. He imagines that if he had known their intentions from the start, he would be in just as much disbelief, with their captain's innocent goals contrasted against their interwoven web of lies and bribery with the World Government.
Johnathan decides to ask one final question, to lay this matter to rest. "Tell me something, Captain Luffy. I've noticed that you seem to have an interesting crew. What is your relationship with your subordinates?"
Luffy pauses, swallowing a mouthful of food so he can speak clearly. "Well, they're my friends!"
"I don't care how strong you are, you'll either do this our way, or you won't do it at all," Lieutenant Drake says, getting in Zoro's face.
"Why should I? They're just recruits, right? I can take them all on easily," Zoro says.
"I don't care how strong you think you are, that isn't how we do things here." Drake says.
"We do things with strategy, so that our operations are efficient and sound! Sword Division, line up!" he shouts. A group of marines draw their swords and form into a picture perfect formation.
"We do things here with discipline, so that our operations are clean and coherent! Sniper Division, line up!" Another group follows suit.
"But most importantly, we do things here with teamwork, so that our methods are true and effective! About face!" The marines turn, facing towards the armory.
"Navarone is not a place for people who think that the strength of a single individual trumps all other facets of combat," Drake finishes, leering at Zoro.
Zoro looks at the squadrons appraisingly.
After finishing his work on the other docks, Mekao returns once again, this time with a chair and even more outdated blueprints for Merry to ogle at.
After a few minutes of staring intently at the ships, Merry's eyebrows slowly sink downward in confusion.
"You know, something about these blueprints seems off to me, now that I'm looking at them. Why do all of the big ships have almost the same amount of guns as the little ones?" Merry asks. Mekao scoffs.
"There's a reason for that, but it's a bit of a story."
Merry smiles. "I like stories, go on, tell it!"
The old man frowns, sighing a bit. "Well, you won't like this one."
"The reason why Marine ships are all so undergunned is because of one simple fact. They're only designed with as many guns as they need. On the Grand Line, you might think this means that a ship with more guns is crucial, but in truth, the deeper you go, the less useful they become."
"You'd never hear anyone using this term in Navarone, but there's a word they use to describe ships that were built for any Marine whose rank is Vice-Admiral or above," he begins, a serious tone entering his voice.
"They call them 'Ferries'. It's because as far as the Marines are concerned, any ship with a Vice-Admiral on it has one job, and one job alone. To ferry the Vice-Admiral somewhere where they can beat up whatever the problem is. When there are people roaming these seas who can single-handedly destroy entire fleets of ships, it diminishes the value of ordinary hard working Marines.
"This stigma against ordinary marines holds true, the closer you get to the New World. G-8 is a bit funny, when it comes to only retaining recruits and low-ranking officers for its staff."
Merry's face twists into more and more of a snarl as she listens to him talk.
"That's sick," she responds. "They're just… Making ships unfit to handle the Grand Line on their own, just because they've got strong people to ride on them?" she asks.
Mekao nods. "What is there to be done about it? Against one of the Emperors' crews, or even some of the stronger pirates sailing around, it doesn't matter if your ship has one cannon or a thousand, when some yahoo with a sword can cleave the entire ship in half, or a Devil Fruit User can do something devastating and novel to it?"
Merry balks. "Wh- Make better ships, of course!"
Mekao chuckles at this. "Funny that a Pirate ship would say that, if we did, wouldn't that make your job harder?"
This time, Merry is the one to scoff. "I don't care if it's a little raft or Moby Dick herself, I'll take on all comers. But the idea that the marines are just churning out these… Unfinished ships."
"It's not right," she stresses. "A ship isn't supposed to be a glorified pair of water-boots for one overhyped dude, It's supposed to be a vessel, a ship for an entire crew, an entire purpose and culture unto itself, fighting the challenges of the sea and coming out on top!"
"Hmph. If only there were more ships like you around, they might see your side of things," Mekao says, ever more impressed by how willful this one little modified caravel is.
Johnathan smiles with genuine cheer at the Strawhats, following Luffy back to their ship..
"I'm happy to announce that Navarone is one-hundred-percent mind-control free. I'll be sure to reprimand the men involved and give them a very stern seminar on Sky Islands and Skypiean culture."
"Wait, you knew of Skypiea already?" Conis exclaims, deeply confused.
"No. But I did my homework," he says, holding up a copy of "The Adventures of Noland the Liar".
He glances at each of the crew members, noticing that they've all got devices that he can only assume they devised to counteract his ability to read their plans.
"I have to admit, I'm curious to see what comes next, but I think I'll avoid spoiling it for myself," he says mysteriously.
"Aokiji will be arriving soon, so I'd recommend that you have your stories straight. Despite the disgustingly suspicious circumstances of Nico Robin's designation as a criminal, she is still a very high priority target to the World Government," Johnathan finishes, eyeing the so called "Jaguar" for a moment before walking off and waving at them as he leaves.
"Keep your noses clean Strawhats. I'd hate to see my good-faith go misplaced for such a tightly knit crew."
When Aokiji arrives, he notices that the sea-gate preventing access to Navarone is just now coming down. Interesting. He wasn't informed of any schedule changes.
"Well… Whatever. It's not my problem," he mutters, bicycling his way inside the fortress.
When he finally enters the facility, he notices a group of recruits covered in bruises and being chastised heavily by a screaming Lieutenant Drake.
Again, not Aokiji's problem. He approaches the Lieutenant, and when they notice him, they salute respectfully.
"Admiral! Vice-Admiral Johnathan is waiting for you in Dock Fourteen with the Strawhats and their bounty," Drake answers immediately.
Aokiji shrugs internally, wandering over there with the hope that this won't take too long.
When he arrives, he notices that the Strawhats are larger than he had been informed.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm here to verify your bounty," Aokiji says blandly. A jaguar mink with an odd set of wings approaches, pulling a long crate filled with ice behind her.
"Greetings, Admiral. My name is Jaguar, and I'm the woman who killed Nico Robin," she says, dropping the crate with a low thud.
Aokiji gives the woman an uncomfortable, confused glare. "A Jaguar named Jaguar?"
"Well, I think it's a nice enough name, Admiral," she deadpans, before stepping away to allow him to administer the test.
He silently opens up the metal case he brought with him, pulling out a pink snail with a mechanical device attached to its shell.
"To ensure that the body hasn't been surgically altered or manufactured, this device will tell us the age of the body, as well as print a picture of the body's original face," Aokiji explains, pulling a long thin needle from the machine attached to the snail, and stabbing it into the neck of the corpse in a smooth practiced motion.
The snail wriggles around for a bit before the machine on its back prints out a sheet of paper.
He frowns at the positive readout and photograph. There's no doubt left in his mind.
He turns to Jaguar. "How did she die?"
She pauses contemplatively. They had a cover story already prepared for this. Some long-winded and dry explanation of Nico Robin being killed in self-defense in a section of ruins they had been searching for treasure.
Seeing Aokiji's expression, though, she decides to make a small adjustment to the story. "Among friends."
Last edited: Sep 20, 2019
Chapter 50: Memory Retention
By now, any pretense of Jaguar not being Nico Robin is entirely suspended on nobody in the room having any desire to point it out, with all of the red flags she had been giving off to anyone who knew anything about her.
Aokiji is almost tempted to wonder how they did this, but ultimately, it isn't his problem. The body passed inspection. If anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with the scientists.
"I see… And will you be taking your bounty in cash, or credit?" he asks idly, quickly regaining his former cool confidence.
Nami and Robin share a look before finally, Nami's resolve cracks, and she emits a small sigh as she nods.
"Our Treasurer has suggested we offer the bounty as tribute. Perhaps it could be ceded to this fine fortress? I've heard that it is suffering from a lack of funding," Robin claims.
Aokiji shrugs placidly. "Sure."
He turns to Vice Admiral Johnathan. "Talk it over with them, I don't feel like doing it. Ask em if they'll trade, too, the Fleet Admiral wants more of their stuff." he says, wandering off now that his job's done.
Nami takes this opportunity to step forward, eyes gleaming like shiny shiny gold. "So then, let's talk shop."
"Alright, let's begin," Jackson says, prepared to start producing something he's been wanting to do for a long time.
He starts by applying his print to a flask taken from one of the marines who had seen his show, turning it into a tiny melting pot.
He then slides one of the sticks he used for his magic show into the mouth of the flask, melting it down.
"Alright, now, thanks to the magic show I did, the amount of G-8 that watched it, and the time given for rumors to spread, I finally have access to-"
Jackson sees that the concepts in the flask are not the concepts he was looking for.
"Where's the magic? These wands are supposed to melt down into magic! Wh-
"Psychic and Alien? Why the hell are those in wands?"
Jackson groans, tilting his head back with frustration. "I was so close. So damn close, and I've been thwarted by… By those idiots!"
He rubs his temples. "Alright, no magic means no magic beans. That's alright. I can still do some work here with regular beans."
Setting the flask aside for now, he simply mixes together the concepts of cloth, string, soybeans, and vast quantities of nutrient and photosynthesis concepts.
The result is a purple sack of seemingly ordinary soybeans.
Dreadfully, definately not magically extraordinary soybeans.
"And of course, I don't want to risk throwing some divinity into them, since that's just begging to come bite me in the ass if we trade them away," Jackson mumbles sadly.
Setting the sack of nonmagic beans aside, he turns to the subject of weapons.
Still disappointing by his failure to snatch magic from this place, he decides to phone it in for the other half of what he was going to produce to trade with them.
Instead of putting a great deal of effort into devising the perfect weapons and carefully creating each one, he instead expends a week of stored stamina to produce seven-hundred low-quality Laser Guns by combining a few Laser Dials and some cheap Flintlock Pistols, extracting the "Flintlock" concept from the guns and storing it for later.
The concepts of Gun and Laser Dial in hand, he pours the liquid into Invisible Energy Gun Crates, producing the cheap weapons en-masse.
He finishes by producing a single thick square plate from Limpet Teeth, one of his cheapest materials that he can manufacture from raw concepts.
"So you're offering me… Magic Beans," Johnathan says blankly, staring at the sack in Jackson's hand.
Jackson scoffs. "Man, I wish. These are Nonmagic Beans. Genetically altered to grow quicker, and have incredible nutritional value. I would offer an example, but…"
Johnathan shakes his head. "I'll take your word for it."
Something made easier by the fact that Johnathan knows he's telling the truth.
"And you're also offering a crate of those guns that the Skypieans were using. Of a vastly inferior quality," the Vice-Admiral continues.
"Yeah, but we never intended on trying to convince you that they were as good as the ones we use. Only that they are functional and effective," Conis interjects.
Jackson gestures theatrically, summoning the armor plate he made into his hand.
"Effective against everything but this," Jackson offers.
Johnathan is tempted to roll his eyes at this. "Let me guess, bullet proof, and laser proof to boot?"
"You got it. And unlike the guns, these are cheap enough that I can supply G-8 in its entirety with these, after you've tested this one to your satisfaction."
"Alright, fine. If the beans, guns, plates, and your tribute of Devil Fruits are all approved of, I'll give your crew, in your own words, 'Every scrap of Seastone in Navarone'." he sighs.
Conis and Jackson give each other a high-five.
Zoro has to admit, he found it pretty entertaining to play along with Lieutenant Drake's plan. After seeing the Sword Unit's clear pride in their abilities as a group, Zoro decided to see if it had any merit, standing back and observing how a group of swordsmen would handle a fight, as opposed to a singular one.
With Lieutenant Drake in control, the squadrons had charged into the armory, using a blend of shock-and-awe and flanking to quickly move past the blind-spots of the mutineering recruits and surround them.
Unfortunately, he didn't get to see any actual fighting, since they surrendered after that, but he got more than enough to see why the Lieutenant was so proud of having a bunch of reletively weak swordsmen, instead of himself being a strong one.
It was almost a style all its own, managing that many blades, and that many people, while still retaining some semblance of technique and artistry. Until now, Zoro had only seen the worst examples of multiple swordsmen working together. Little more than brawlers, Zoro had dismissed the idea of fighting in a group after only seeing a few of them.
It's clear, however, that he was wrong to be so dismissive of them.
After watching them take care of the problem, he went on to observe them training, with Drake's permission, which only served to enlighten him even further.
He had an idea, when he saw a mock-battle between two groups of three swordsmen. An incredibly difficult and improbable one, but one that he is confident he'll be able to make work, with some training.
Standing up from his meditation, he beelines his way to Jackson's lab, where the quack in question seems to be throwing a hissy fit because he didn't get something he was looking for.
"Hey, shit-doctor, I need a training device, something with multiple moving targets."
Jackson gives him a funny look. "And weights?"
Zoro shakes his head. "I'm not sure we can carry heavier weights than we've got now. Merry's been complaining. Just make something hard to hit, and then make two more of them.
"I need to learn how to fight with multiple people," he says mysteriously.
"You know, Merry, I thought we were going to keep the fact that you can move around on the downlow," Usopp points out, sitting on the deck as Merry walks towards one of the other docks, her thundering footsteps lightened just enough not to crack the floor by her cotton-candy pink wool.
Merry shakes her head. "I already told the others, I want to see the ships. I need to see them. Sorry, Usopp."
"Hey, don't worry about it Merry, you gotta do what you gotta do," Usopp says, waving her off.
"Thanks," Merry says, ignoring the dropped jaws of the dockworkers nearby.
She finally comes to a halt in front of the various marine ships held in their drydocks.
It's clear to her that all of these ships have been cared for deeply by their crew. Maybe it isn't fair for her to think of these ships as the same kind that Mekao had told her of, but she can still see places where the number of guns are less than they could be.
She turns to leave, only for Mekao to run up to her, clutching one final blueprint. Unlike the yellowed paper of the outdated blueprints, this one is a shiny white.
"You're going to Water Seven, right?" he says, clutching the paper tightly.
"That's right old guy, we need to get a new ship for our animal friends," she nods.
He holds up the rolled up piece of paper. "I know this isn't much, but I did this sketch last night. If you give it to the shipwrights there, they might be able to do something with it."
He grins slyly, motioning for Merry to lean down, which she does.
"This is a touch illegal, but some of the stuff here… We haven't started using it in our ships yet. Won't be using it for years yet," he whispers.
He unrolls the blueprint, and Merry gasps.
It's her, but… With guns. A lot of them.
Oh wow, that's a lot of guns.
Usopp screws in the final bolt mounting their new Seastone Ingot Dial next to their Gold Coin one.
The numeric indicator above the dial proudly reads "Six Tons". The result of trading with G-8 until they were bone dry on the substance.
He isn't sure exactly why, but seeing a number really seems to give him a sense of progression and pride.
Maybe he should figure out a way to incorporate that into his sniping…
Shrugging, he walks back above the deck, where everyone is celebrating the trade-deal in the only way they know how.
Eat everything in sight and get drunk.
Merry stoically tolerates the large number of blackout drunk herons sleeping on her deck, while Chopper in his Arm Point and Zoro arm wrestle on an iron ingot while Luffy cheers in the background.
When Merry stops, few people notice in the stupor of the party.
She slowly turns around to face G-8, staring directly at Mekao.
"When we get our Shipwright, we're going to come back here and build you jackasses a ship worth taking on the Grand Line, so you better get your checkbooks ready, got that?!" she roars with a grin, before paddling back around with a self-satisfied grin.
Nami balks at this, while Luffy just laughs, patting her on the head.
"Are you sure we should be making promises like that? I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of giving the Marines a ship if it's anything like what that old shipwright was talking about…" Usopp says nervously.
Merry giggles. "Hey, if they turn on us after we build that ship for them, then I'll kick her ass too.
But they'll never learn what a good ship can do if they never see it for themselves…"
As Aokiji begins the long bike back to base, he considers what exactly he should take from all of this. He almost broke his one unspoken promise because of his laziness. Even if it turned out to be a false alarm.
If he believed in that sort of thing, he might almost consider this a warning from above. He can practically hear his old friend Saul chastising him now for getting as lazy as he has.
A Sea King rises up next to him, looking angry at the intrusion of something that has dared to exist in its general area.
Before the gigantic blue fish can even leap from the water, it has already been frozen solid, bobbing gently in the water as he continues bicycling.
Of course, since his promise to his old friend is fulfilled, now that Robin seems to have such a nice crew looking after her, he could just retire altogether. The very idea is laughable, of course. Admirals don't ever truly retire, and he's not even the right age for it.
Well, with his goal fulfilled, he's left at an odd precipice. He could get even lazier, and see where that takes him.
Or maybe he should learn his lesson here. If this whole debacle really was a sign, it probably was meant to warn him that sitting around doing nothing will get him into trouble, sooner or later.
'Maybe it's time I dust off my old motto,' he thinks to himself.
Last edited: Sep 21, 2019
Interlude 4: Checkup
While the Strawhats make their way to Jaya, the depths of Marineford are abuzz with activity.
Fleet-Admiral Sengoku sits at his desk, preparing to discuss the latest information on the Strawhats and their benefactor.
When Sengoku had seen that Aokiji had been jogging on the ice towards the base instead of bicycling over it, he immediately realized that today was about to become extraordinarily complicated.
This wasn't helped by the call that came shortly before his arrival, stating the successful transaction of six tons of seastone that G-8 had given to the Strawhats, in return for a sizable number of weapons and armor plates, along with another tribute of five Devil Fruits, identical to the ones they had been given previously.
Unlike the previous meeting, this one that Sengoku had called this time would only have Aokiji physically present, Kizaru and Akainu instead conferring via Transponder Snail.
"Well, you certainly seem energetic today, Admiral Aokiji," Sengoku says, waiting for the normally listless Admiral to give his own part of the report.
"Indeed. The test proved that the body the Strawhats had offered was indeed that of Nico Robin. They decided to cede her bounty to the G-8 base as part of their tribute."
"So then, Sengoku, sir, are you finally going to tell us what it is you've figured out, about where the Strawhats are getting their fruits from? I'm ready to be done with them, personally," Akainu says, the snail relaying his words displaying a perpetual scowl.
"I am, but you won't like the theory I've developed," Sengoku admits.
"It ties into the latest orders, for the Strawhats' doctor to be preserved at all costs. I believe 'Chemical Expert' Tony Tony Chopper to be the source of the Devil Fruits. New information suggests that this doctor isn't in possession of a Reindeer Zoan, but rather, one of the Human Zoans. Maybe even the true Human Human Fruit itself. This presents evidence supporting the theory that their doctor has the medical knowledge needed to produce a Devil Fruit."
Sengoku briefly considers his own Devil Fruit Power. The Human Human Fruit, Model: Buddha. The reason why he developed the theory in the first place.
"As some of you might already know, all of the Human Zoans confer enlightenment to their user, the degree of which varies between each model. None, however, is more potent than the 'True' Human Human Fruit."
He pauses for a moment, before elaborating. "It is my belief that, as a doctor of medicine, the pirate known as Tony Tony Chopper may have gained enlightenment in his field that surpasses that of Vegapunk in the field of biology. With that sort of insight, producing Devil Fruits would be possible, even without a large manufacturing base or advanced technology."
None of the Admirals respond to this shocking revelation, so he continues.
"This is further supported by what we've seen of them so far. A total mastery of surgery, chemistry, and medicine, to the point where several crew members and themselves are clearly augmented biologically. But the most damning evidence is a type of drug they were seen using, which demonstrated the ability to augment a Devil Fruit's power. Such a thing would feed into itself, only granting them deeper insight.
"Thankfully, it seems that our original theory that Jerry Jackson's ability to produce food with the Cook Cook Fruit being responsible for producing the fruits doesn't hold water anymore, as activity from the Big Mom Pirates suggest that its current owner is still alive, and no major spikes in their number of Devil Fruit users have been noted."
Sengoku closes his eyes, already prepared for Akainu's outrage. "But right now, unless we discover evidence to the contrary, our choices are to allow our agreement with the Strawhats to stand, or discard the potential supply of critical Devil Fruits entirely.
"Given their willingness to provide a second tribute, we can safely assume they have the intention of using these fruits in their dealings with us. This unspoken agreement must be cultivated for as long as we are able to."
Kizaru's snail looks bored, while Akainu's teeth grit tightly, unwilling to speak, knowing that he has nothing useful to add.
"The reports from Navarone suggest that their next destination is Water-Seven, based on hearsay and circumstantial evidence. I'd like security to be tightened there. Roll out the red carpet, and see if we can maneuver for a larger batch in the next trade. It's clear that they've only been giving us scraps so far. We need to find out what it is they want, in order to access what they're keeping in reserve.
Sengoku leans back in his chair. "Furthermore, Vice-Admiral Johnathan's own intel suggests that we'll be seeing a new country make its way onto the world stage due to the intervention of the Strawhats. We want that to work out in our favor, before they do anything that we can't sweep under the rug."
The emergency report Transponder Snail begins ringing, interrupting his speech.
Sengoku frowns as he pulls the microphone off of its receiver.
"What? What is it?"
"Sir, an individual matching the description of 'Patchwork' Jackson just arrived at the royal palace in Alubarna."
"What?! That's almost a thousand miles away from G-8!" he shouts, pounding the table.
"He was seen approaching the palace in some sort of large metal bird."
Sengoku's shock turns to deep confusion.
"Metal bird?" he repeats incredulously, as if doing so would simplify this situation.
'I was right. Today has become… So damn complicated,' he thinks to himself, his eyebrows twitching.
The solid Steel-Cloud hull of the new Anything Goes is reabsorbed into the Milky Dials that form the core of the flying machine, the result of replacing every single part of the ship with nothing but Steel-Clouds, Dials, several Eternal Poses, and his own special Slosh-Powered Engines, which have been modified to feed fuel into several Jet Dials for propulsion.
The end result is a small, backpack sized drone that hovers idly on a bed of clouds after him as he enters the Alabastan Capital's royal palace, a drone with the ability to dispense and reshape Steel Clouds into an aerodynamic hull for travel.
Vivi runs up, giving Jackson a polite hug. "It's good to see you again Jackson. You and your crew have been well, right?"
Jackson nods. "Yup. They're getting ready to dock at Jaya right now, so I decided to fly over to give you a care package and hash out that deal you were setting up with Nami. I'll probably go pick up Chopper and make a stop at Drum after this.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he finishes nervously, looking around the opulent entry hall.
Vivi shakes her head. "No, not at all. I've always got time for you guys, I hope you've got time to catch up. I love getting calls from you guys, but I'd love to hear some of what you all have been up to in person." she smiles.
Last edited: Sep 21, 2019
Chapter 51: Unsanitary
Mahmud stretches, grimacing as his back pops. This Blue Sea living has really done a number on him, between the dizzy spells and aching. Apparently, he isn't alone, either, as all of the Skypieans have been complaining about similar problems.
"Man, I hope they don't get onto mehehe for wanting a new bed…" he mumbles to himself, staring at his cloud-cot, which has gotten too small, even for him. When he went to see Dr. Chopper, he had given him a basic checkup and bloodwork, only to announce that it's likely just the air pressure getting him down when he found no signs of infection or disease.
He isn't sure why air pressure would make his bed smaller, but he took Doctor Chopper's word for it.
Putting on his robe, cleaning his face, and gathering up the chalk he had produced thus far with his little bonsai tree, he feels ready to face the day.
He pulls out his phone to check today's lesson from Jackson. "Your next test will be to produce a subtle but effective way to protect yourself. Not even a cabin boy is safe in these waters. Present it to Master Gunner Usopp and Daz Bonez for approval. I leave any further details in your hands," the message says.
"I've already got an Axe Dial, and those things can almost cut through an entire tree! Wouldn't that be good enough?" he mumbles.
He thinks back to what he saw the Strawhats do to those sea monsters.
"Mehehaybe not…" he admits to himself.
He notices the tiny laser gun he had been given by the quartermaster, a toy, really, just to practice his aim and trigger discipline.
He takes off his Axe Dial Glove, carefully setting it on the floor, next to the gun.
He draws two circles around them using his chalk, before drawing an arrow pointing from his dial glove to his gun.
"The dial goes in the gun," he writes underneath it, before pricking his thumb to activate the alchemical diagram.
The chalk burns away, as the gun and his glove both glow brightly.
When the glow ends, the chalk has disappeared, and his laser gun has his Axe Dial integrated into it.
He picks up the newly created Axe Gun, making sure that the safety is on before he holsters it, and puts his glove back on.
"I hope this is good enough to impress Mr. Usopp and Mr. Bonez," he thinks to himself, going above deck to search for them.
"Oh wow! This place looks neat," Luffy shouts, staring at the forests swaddling the island of Jaya, coating its surface in a bed of greenery. He pats Merry on the head several times.
"Merry, go faster, I want to check it out!" he says.
"Luffy is just going to have to be patient, It would be rude to leave our friends in the dust, now wouldn't it?" she chastizes, craning her head fruitlessly as she tries to look up at her captain. He tumbles off of her head, flopping back onto the deck.
"Merry is too patient," Luffy grouses, crossing his arms as he flips himself right side up again.
After docking near the South Grove Forest, Conis, Robin and Nami make their way along the coast, while Zoro, Luffy, Chopper, Sanji and Merry begin trudging off into the forest itself, Merry taking the lead as she plows through the trees slowly, making a path for the others.
The other crews remain where the Ark Maxim had docked, while Daz and Usopp taking the role of minion babysitters as the highest-ranking members left among them.
The Sea Animal Pirates do what they do best, overfishing and martial arts, combining the two to great effect as they stockpile fish and ocean detritus, while their captains wander off into the pirate settlement known as Mock Town, intent on looking for trouble to eat up some of their free time.
Mahmud interrupts Usopp's studies, walking over to where Usopp is using the mecha-suit they stole from Ruluka Island as a chair while he goes over his copy of the Mantra Scroll.
"Oh, hey little guy, what's up?" Usopp asks, looking up from his scroll.
"Jackson said that I had to make a weapon, in case I need to protect myself, and he said you and Daz had to okay it."
Usopp scratches his chin. "Uhh, sure, sounds like something I can handle. Hey, Daz! This kid's got something to show us. Well, whatcha got, then?" he says, returning his attention to Mahmud.
Mahmud turns to a nearby tree, pulling out his gun and carefully flipping the safety off of it before firing it, a deep X-shaped gouge being embedded in the tree's trunk.
Usopp whistles. "Yeah, that's not too shabby, kid. It'll at least keep some weaker people off of your back."
Daz looks unimpressed. "In the Blues maybe. I've already taken a look at some of the Axe Dials. They aren't sharp enough or strong enough, and their shots are limited. Are we clear?"
Usopp looks tempted to argue in the boy's favor, but before he can, Mahmud nods firmly. "Understood Mr. Bonez, I'll make it better, be back in a bit!"
"You know, for what it was, it wasn't a half-bad weapon," Usopp points out.
Daz nods. "I know, but he needed to learn that there's always room for improvement. He might fight someone who can fire pepper spray at him, for example," he explains, looking at Usopp with a raised eyebrow.
Usopp chokes for a second. "Was that a joke?" he asks incredulously.
Daz doesn't answer.
"So, does anyone have any idea why we're actually going to this guy's house? Jackson's explanation of us getting a good deal with his salvage crews if we tell him about Skypiea doesn't make sense with how rich we are. A salvage crew doesn't have anything we want," Nami says as they continue walking along the coast.
"Well, that much is obvious. It's just a paper-thin excuse Jackson came up with so that we would help this Mont Blanc fellow. You know how he can be a bit soft when it comes to trying to fix other people's problems," Robin points out.
"According to what he said in his dossier, Mont Blanc Cricket is the descendant of an adventurer from four-hundred years ago, who was executed for declaring the existence of a city of gold, only to be unable to find it. His execution was followed by his story being immortalized as that of a liar. He believed that the city had sunken into the sea, but in reality…" she points up.
Nami's eyes widen. "Oh, wow. But what does that have to do with us? Just because we found the city doesn't mean we need to gallivant all the way here just to tell one guy about it."
Conis frowns. "Well, I think it's rather noble. If nothing else, we needed to dock somewhere safe while Jackson went to visit Alabasta. Why not?"
Nami sighs. "He's lucky that I'm rich beyond my wildest dreams, or I wouldn't be nearly so patient with these detours…"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Conis says, confused at the non-sequitur.
Robin just chuckles softly as they continue to walk.
"Mouton Chateau!"
Merry's two front hooves crash down, obliterating the ground in front of her and sending Luffy flying away into a nearby tree, his body distorting as he bounces off of it and flops to the ground.
Merry breathes heavily, grinning as widely as her captain is.
"Again!" she shouts, wiggling around to pull her legs out of the ground where they were embedded deeply after her attack.
Chopper shakes his head rapidly. "Nope! You both need time to rest! You practically brutalized one another!" he says, leaping between Merry and Luffy, who had decided to spar against one another in the forest.
She huffs, the puffy bruises on her face slowly healing "I didn't even use my seastone, he's fine," she claims, holding up her distinctly copper hoof, having redistributed the mineral so she wouldn't hurt her captain.
"You weigh over fifty tons, Merry! Seastone or not, that's going to hurt someone," he says with exasperation, examining Luffy to see how bad his own sparring injuries are.
Luffy just laughs, rolling his shoulder while Chopper fusses over him with a bottle of fibrous spray, squirting Luffy's cuts and abrasions with the medicated bandage fluid.
"Merry sure has fun fighting," Luffy exclaims cheerfully, hopping to his feet and cracking his neck once Chopper is done.
Chopper rubs his temples for a moment, before remembering that he's a doctor and has Ibuprofen, taking one to sooth the burgeoning headache that these battle-junkies are giving him.
"Sanji, I think it's time these two take a lunch break," Chopper pleads, looking at the cook pointedly.
Sanji puts out his cigarette, nodding. "Zoro, Luffy, go gather some food and I'll cook it. Chopper and I need to work out what Merry needs to be eating."
The pair nod, chattering about the fight as they wander off into the underbrush.
"They're going to get totally lost, you know that, right?" Merry says idly, plopping to the ground where Chopper can tend to her own scuffs.
"Hmph, they'll find us just fine if you stomp around like a maniac long enough," Sanji smirks at Merry who pointedly avoids looking at the craters she inadvertently made.
"Whatever. I'm hungry," she says, changing the subject back away from her wanton terraforming.
"Well, what are you hungry for?" Sanji asks, sitting down on a fallen tree and crossing his legs.
She hums, thinking carefully.
"Well, I think it would be a bad look for anyone to be drinking paint thinner, even if I am a ship… I know I need copper, seastone, and wood in my diet, but I can just draw the first two from our storage directly. Oh, and I need calcium and protein too."
Sanji shrugs. "I don't know how to cook metal, stone, or wood, but I can help you with the last two."
Merry nods. "Yeah, you can help with cutting the wood. I got kinda sick, eating all those raw trees back in Skypiea, so I'd like to try them cut and boiled, this time."
"We don't have a trough big enough to boil that much wood, Merry," Chopper says reasonably, spraying the last of his liquid bandage onto her face before hopping off.
"Yeah, you're right. I guess I'll just have to settle for cut and charred."
She ponders for a few more moments, before nodding.
"Stewed meat, with the broth drained and used for other purposes, seashells with a light glaze, bone and bone marrow, roasted, and cut planks, charred and oiled with a mint garnish."
Sanji sighs. "We'll have to buy some more mint unless you want to dip into the alchemy reserves."
"Well, I just want it for pest control anyway, so that should be fine. Alright, let's get to chopping," Merry announces, spitting a glob on the ground that turns into an ordinary, if oversized, axe.
Sanji is just grateful that Merry is describing what she wants as if it were food. If he squints anyway .
"(So why did we come here?)" Mockery asks, walking along the ruined and charred streets of Mock Town, only just beginning to fill back up with ner-do-wells after the devastating battle that wracked the place.
"(We're supposed to tell Ace and Sabo that the rest of the crew is hanging out on the other side of the island,)" Tall explains, hopping along.
Mockery gives him a look. "(They could have just called them on the Transponder, though.)"
Tall shrugs. "(Ok, maybe I wanted to test my skills by knocking a few heads. Doesn't look like there are many heads to knock, though. Guess when an all-out-war wrecks the place, people start keeping their heads down.)"
Mockery shakes his head. "(Good, we don't need to be causing trouble right now anyway. Let's just tell them we're here, and be on our way.)"
They both bump into an irate looking man with a scar above his eyes, deeply tanned skin, and a perpetually violent glint in his eyes.
"Oh, what the hell. They even let the pets wander around now? This place really has gone to shit," Bellamy growls, clenching his fists.
Last edited: Sep 22, 2019
Chapter 52: Osmosis
"So Nami really beat a Logia? Looks like I better keep on my toes, or the gap really will start widening," Vivi says as they ride a wooden car driven by a large plump cactus poking out of the back of it, its needles trimmed and a large fan growing out of it sucking in the air it needs to function as an engine.
Jackson sort of half-shrugs. "Sort of? She finished him off, but we had this whole plan with Luffy if it failed, he's got this technique he's been working on, apparently," he says, only knowing about it because Luffy had very poorly tried to explain the idea to him, accidentally tying his fingers into knots when he tried to perform a small scale demonstration.
He shakes his head. "Don't worry, Vivi, that's what I'm here for. You're going to keep up with the pack just fine after I'm done with you. Where's Theodore, by the way?"
Vivi chuckles. "He's off sailing with some of the Alabasta Fleet, they're heading to Cactus Island now that we've purchased the rights to the land. It'll be filled up with Engine Cactus Farms, and we'll see about selling them to anyone entering the Grand Line."
The car comes to a stop in front of the Alubarna Carpenter's Society, some of the best woodworkers in the country, recently repurposed to building cars with the new Cactus Engines that have been cultivated recently.
Walking inside, Jackson can't help but marvel at the sight of all the wooden hulls, some blend between wagon and ship, the consequence of them not knowing exactly what they want out of these vehicles yet, and drawing from their experience in other fields to design Cactus-cars that look as if someone had slapped wheels onto a small boat.
An old man wearing a set of armor made entirely of wooden planks approaches the two of them, a gigantic wooden katana strapped to his hip. His hands are crossed behind his back as he walks towards them.
"Greetings, your majesty! Who is this young man?" he asks, tapping his back to sooth the ache it had developed from working.
"This is my friend Jerry Jackson, Woody, he's one of the Strawhats that helped us in our time of need. Jackson, this is Woody, the Master Carpenter here. He was the first person I turned to, when hardy construction was needed to house and use all of our new technology," she responds.
"He's the mind behind not only those taxi services you see driving around Alubarna, but also the new Root Trains. It's safe to say that Woody and his men helped build the foundations for our technological revolution to rest on."
Jackson nods, holding out his hand. "It's good to meet you, Woody. I look forward to the meeting of our respective crafts as much as I enjoy our meeting in person."
Woody snorts, grabbing his hand tightly to shake it. "I like this one, Princess."
Jackson pulls out the gigantic Milky Dial and book that Chopper had written on manufacturing Chopyrobloin.
"Say hello to your new best friends, Mr. and Mrs. 'You can now create flying machines'," Jackson says, wiggling the dial and book before setting them on the table.
"Your engines right now are great, so I won't waste your time with Jet Dials, since I didn't bring enough to outfit an army anyway, but Milky Dials, the seashell I've got right here, can store clouds. Besides the obvious use of it allowing you to manufacture weather, these Milky Dials have been tweaked ever so slightly, to store these."
A hazy mist flows out of the dial when he presses in the apex of the shell, which rapidly shrinks into a dense shiny rod. He taps the rod on the table several times, demonstrating its durability.
"Steel Wool Clouds, or Steel Clouds for short, are a special type of weather developed by me, and then reverse-engineered by Nami and Chopper. By combining metal powder, Chopyrobloin, and dense steam, a type of solidified cloud can be created, which is just barely lighter than air, and as hard as steel."
He holds his hand up before karate-chopping the steel cloud, his Sacred Psychic Scalpel cutting the steel-cloud rod off of the dial, allowing it to float up into the air.
"As you can see, combine lighter-than-air steel with a form of propulsion, and you've got…" he waves his hands leadingly.
"Airships…" Vivi whispers.
"Well, I was going to say planes, but yeah, basically," Jackson nods.
Vivi pauses, turning to go take a call when her Mini-Transponder Snail begins ringing.
"Yes? Oh. Well, that isn't good." Vivi admits.
"I'll be right there."
She turns to face Jackson and Woody. "Pack your stuff, Jackson, we need to put a pin in this, someone stole one of my projects from the treasury."
Vivi crosses her legs as she stares tensely at the approaching palace, while Jackson awkwardly twiddles his thumbs.
"So, any culprits it might be?"
Vivi frowns. "I didn't want to talk about this, but it might be Baroque Works. Or what's left of them, anyway. We're cleaning up the last of their grunts, but Mr. 3 broke the main members out of prison. We think he may have reacquired the services of Miss Goldenweek for the breakout." she admits.
"After the debacle with Crocodile, My father and I decided to keep the Baroque Works agents in our own prisons, instead of handing them off. It isn't like we have a great deal of trust for the World Government's ability to manage our criminal element. Clearly, mistakes have been made on our part as well."
Vivi's hand glows cherry red as she clenches it tightly.
Pell and Chaka meet up with the duo as they exit the taxi, Pell taking the lead. "Princess. I apologize for interrupting, but it seems they did manage to steal what you had been developing."
Vivi scowls. "Damn."
"What exactly did they steal?" Jackson can't help but ask, curious about what could be so valuable, but kept in a treasure of all places.
Vivi sighs as they walk towards the treasury to see what had been taken. "It's a project I've been working on. It started when I discovered a diamond that my powers could affect. Something about its structure was like that of glass, instead of a crystal. I purchased it, and started searching the diamond markets for more of these tiny jewels, just as a sort of side project.
"What changed it from a hobby to a far more serious project was the properties of this jewel. Almost as hard as an ordinary diamond, but without flaws, due to its structure. With my power applied to it, I was able to weld them together and refine the material. The resulting six-pound mass is stronger than diamonds, or even seastone. And with its raw size, the gemstone could be worth hundreds of millions of Beri. I hate to think about what someone might do with it if they knew its true potential."
Jackson balks when he sees the ruined and devastated treasury, a single giant hole in the wall punching through all the way to the outside of the palace, and priceless treasures scattered all over the ground among the rubble. A retinue of guards have been assigned to the hole, keeping it under tight guard until they can be repaired.
Vivi scowls, leaning down where she notices something, a patch of solid white splatter on the ground, rock-solid to the touch until her hand heats up, melting the substance and confirming what exactly it is.
"Wax," she states simply as if it explains everything.
Jackson takes the snippet of wax, melting it down and recombining it with other concepts to create a compass.
"This should point towards the largest concentration of wax in the area. We'll be able to go whenever you want," he explains, holding up the Wax Compass.
"Do you want to go before, or after we upgrade your Devil Fruit?" he asks.
Vivi hums. "We should go now, befo-"
He holds up his hand. "That was a trick question. Let's get you kitted out before you run directly into a trap."
She coughs. "Well then why did you ask?!"
"I was just being polite. Who the heck runs into danger before they're ready?"
Rolling her eyes at Jackson's paranoia, they make their way to the back of the treasury, where the pot Jackson had used last time still sits, waiting to be reactivated.
He presses his palm against the vessel, leaving a glowing print on it that transforms the golden urn back into a Crackpot.
"So then, let's start with the big-ticket item, I'm going to inject some Divinity into your fruit," he mumbles, pumping raw divinity into the urn as he attaches a hose to the top of it, with a long needle on the other end.
Vivi looks at the needle nervously. "Are you sure this is safe?"
"I mean, sort of, yeah," he shrugs, holding the needle up and staring at the princess intently, searching for the correct place to inject the divinity essence.
"I am no longer a fan of this idea," she insists, ignored entirely as Jackson plunges the needle into her, adding divinity to her Sand Sand Fruit.
The needle is removed a moment later, and he begins the process of disabling the Crackpot and unplugging the hose from it. "See, that was completely painless, you big baby" he says, turning back around to an irate looking, off-color Vivi.
"Why am I golden?" she says, looking at her shiny, almost tan skin and glaring at Jackson.
Jackson swallows. "That will probably wear off?"
"You didn't say that with very much confidence Jackson," Vivi says, immensely displeased with the idea of not being able to turn this off.
"Just take deep breaths, calm down, and resist the urge to smite. I'm pretty sure I can fix that if it lasts longer than four hours."
She sighs, only to be gratefully surprised when she returns to normal. "Looks like it fixed itself."
He nods. "Good thing too. It's already going to take…" he looks at his wrist, "Three weeks to build back up my stamina reserves after that little trick."
In a deep, dark chamber underground, lit only by the light of several candles, the remaining members of Baroque Works sit at a table, upon which rests Vivi's Diamond.
A low noise rings out from time to time, the sound of something moving inside of the pale walls.
"With this thing, we could be rich beyond our wildest dreams so I don't understand why we need to use the damn thing as bait, why bother taking revenge when the best revenge is good living am I right?!" Miss Merry Christmas demands rapidly, pounding her hand on the table as she stares at the coconut sized sphere of pure diamond.
Miss Doublefinger's anger at this is second only to Mr. 3's own.
"Because, you simpleminded fool, Princess Vivi is nothing short of our truest enemy. You can leave if you want, but the sole purpose of our alliance is revenge. Crocodile promised us utopia. If you were willing to settle for cash, you would never have joined Baroque Works," she snarls.
"I don't know why she kept this thing under such tight wraps, and frankly, I don't care. What it represents is an opportunity. An opportunity to get her down here so we can begin our final operation."
Mr. Three takes this opportunity to look around the room, Mr. 4's sad expression having failed to shift at all since they had rescued him. Without Lassoo, he had become listless and even slower than before.
"We'll kill Princess Vivi and King Nefertari Cobra, then move on to the traitors, Mr. 1 and Miss All Sunday. This will be our final operation as members of Baroque Works, after which we will go our separate ways. Once the Princess finds our hidden base, Operation Dystopia will begin," he says.
The hulking Mr. 4 walks out of the room sadly, the action ignored by the others save for young Miss Goldenweek, who follows after him.
Last edited: Sep 22, 2019
Chapter 53: Separation Anxiety
Mockery and Tall share a glance at the angry human, before the Egrethief pulls out his little drawing board, writing something on it.
"Apologies," the board reads when he flips it over. This only seems to enrage Bellamy even more, as he kicks Mockery in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"I don't give a shit what some dumb animals have to say. Maybe if you had run, I might not have given enough of a shit to hunt you down, but this?"
He kicks the board away, grimacing.
"It's downright insulting."
A hush falls over the streets, almost as if the town itself is silently hoping another fight won't occur. Bellamy's grin shatters any hope of this ending peacefully, however.
"I've already been kicked out of the only good bar on this shitty island, and now I'm getting mocked by animals," he hisses, teeth bared widely, twisted into a smile with all the same humor of a hyena's laugh.
Tall brushes Mockery off as he stands up, giving the man a blank stare as his friend picks up his whiteboard off the ground.
"(So, is this the trouble you were looking for?)" Mockery says humorlessly, unharmed by the tumble they took.
"(I don't know, this guy seems too cocky. If he isn't careful, then he won't have a good defense. I guess if he attacks first…)" Tall ponders, Bellamy's face twitching as the animals talk as if he wasn't there.
"Alright, best pray to your mangy little gods, because I'm going to kill you now," Bellamy says casually, his legs transforming into thick steel springs.
"(He's got a Devil Fruit,)" Mockery points out.
"(Ok, maybe he'll be enough to give me a challenge,)" Tall finally cedes, watching the Spring Human bounce on his heels a few times before leaping around wildly, bouncing from building to building as his entire body acts like gigantic steel springs.
Tall holds up his arms in a simple guard, while Mockery snorts, pulling a small flask from his belt and taking a sip.
"Spring Hopper!"
Bellamy sneers as his fist crashes into Tall's guard, but his expression rapidly morphs into confusion when he seemingly freezes in midair, Tall's body refusing to move an inch.
"(Impact,)" Tall states, unleashing the stored force and blasting Bellamy back into a wall, smashing him through it.
Bellamy climbs out of the rubble, bruised, but angrier than ever. Pulling his knife and pistol from his belt, he flicks the blade open, realizing that raw force won't work if the midget walrus thing can just block it somehow.
Tall cracks his neck, smirking at the human. "(Good to see you can take a love-tap,)" he says.
"What the hell are you even saying," Bellamy sneers, pointing his gun at Tall, who simply re-establishes his guard.
Firing his gun several times, Bellamy bounces around on his spring legs, trying to get at an angle where he can put a bullet through Tall, who simply blocks the bullets with his flippers, absorbing their force one after another.
Finally, Bellamy flashes behind him, stabbing Tall in the back and hopping away before he can do that strange force attack again.
"Not so hot now, are you? I gotta admit, it's been a while since I've had to use this, but eh, sometimes you need a knife to take down an animal," he shrugs, twirling his knife as he sways on his metal-spring legs.
Tall grimaces. What an honorless individual. 'I'll have to get strong enough to avoid hits like that in the future,' Tall thinks to himself, the bleeding already stopping from the shallow scratch that his stab had caused.
"(Mockery, if you would?)" Tall asks, unashamed of asking his friend for help.
"(Uhh, sure.)"
The bird stretches out his wing, poking at the Improbability Dial enhancements that Jackson had given him while Bellamy prepares another high-speed attack.
"(Random Crit,)" Mockery mumbles, waving his wing and unleashing a narrow arc of improbability that washes over the area Tall is in.
A very unlikely thing to happen, contextually, would be…
"(Kung-Fu Pistol!)" Tall shouts, flinging his fist forward and punching Bellamy as he flies by, slamming into his gut and sending him flopping down the street.
Bellamy tries to climb to his feet, but coughs up a spray of blood before collapsing from the intense punch.
A few minutes later, Ace stumbles out of a nearby bar, laughing it up as two of his friends keep him upright while Sabo follows with a happy smile.
"I shaw that, you little guys got him good! My little bro's got such nishe minionsh" Ace giggles.
"Could you show us where Luffy is, now that you've finished your business?" Sabo asks them politely.
Giving each other a glance, Tall and Mockery nod, walking back towards where the Arc Maxim had docked.
Merry grins widely as she flexes her legs that had bulked out significantly between her fighting Luffy and the pair of them gorging themselves to heal their wounds and recover their stamina.
"It seems Merry has at least one thing in common with our captain. Though I doubt she has the Gedreht Gland to back up the accelerated metabolism Luffy is sporting," Chopper comments idly, pulling away Luffy's bandages to reveal that the scratches and bruises from sparring against Merry had already healed after the sixth pile of fresh fruit and meat broth.
"And between the intense strain and practice, I've managed to break in a lot of my new musculature. Now I'll be strong enough to hold lots of big guns!" Merry exclaims, cracking her neck and doing a quick jig that makes the ground rumble ominously.
"If you can redistribute your mass and affect your internal structure, did you even need the training?" Chopper wonders out loud.
"I have to work out the growing pains," Merry explains, to which Chopper instantly nods with understanding.
"So when is it going to be my turn?" Zoro grouses, having been a silent observer up until now.
"What the hell?!" Ace shouts, eyes widening at the sight of the giant pink sheep.
Merry turns around, grinning at him and laughing loudly at his shocked expression.
"What the hell happened to your boat?" Ace says, wondering if he's still drunk.
"Shishishi!" Luffy chuckles, running over to his brothers.
"So, didja get that guy?" he asks, patting them both on the back hard.
Sabo grimaces. "No. We only got a few of his crew members. They clammed up hard when we caught them, but we think he might still be alive. They were carrying vivre cards, and we managed to get one before they all ate theirs. We think it might be his."
Luffy frowns. "Dang. Sorry to hear about it. Any of your friends get hurt?"
Ace laughs. "Nope! We just did like Sabo said and gunned him down hard, didn't even have a chance to react, cept' to run off with his tail between his legs. I'm going to meet up with Pops and figure out what we're going to do now. How about you, little bro? I heard that bell all the way from here, didja thump that thunder dude?"
"Yup! Nami got the last hit though, but I hit him hard, and now we're friends with a god!" Luffy explains poorly.
Chopper coughs, pulling a pair of packages out of his pack and handing them off to Ace and Sabo. "Jackson wanted me to give you these, they'll help you keep in touch with us, and there's a letter in there for Whitebeard too, but you should probably read it first. I hear he… tosses his mail," Chopper says as delicately as he can.
Ace nods solemnly. "I'll make sure he gets the news."
Chopper nods gratefully. "Thank you, and for you, Sabo, there should be a letter detailing some new people your leader might want to talk to sooner or later, but it's totally up to him."
Sabo nods. "I'll keep it in mind."
"So, you guys are going to keep chasing that Blackbeard guy?" Luffy asks.
Ace sighs. "Not yet. Sabo made a really good point. If he thinks we're following him, he might just be walking us right into a trap. We need to check out this card and see if it's really his, do some snooping. He's not going to escape us."
Luffy nods. "Sabo is so patient. You'll get him Ace, perk up! Hey Sanji! Let's cook up a feast!"
Sanji's eyebrows raise. "You mean I'll cook up a feast?"
While they talk, Chopper is using his heavy point to try and give Merry the Heimlich maneuver when she attempted to spit out a sword big enough for her to train with Zoro, only to choke on the guard.
Sabo looks at this, before laughing as he shakes his head. "You got the perfect ship for yourself, Luffy."
Luffy laughs loudly, Merry panting after she managed to cough up the oversized seastone katana, Chopper chastising her as he sympathetically pats her on the neck.
Usopp holds up his slingshot, aiming at Daz.
Daz tightens his blindfold for good measure before the sniper begins, seastone coated steel pellets leaving large welts on Daz as he stoically attempts to avoid the storm of bullets, failing immensely.
Usopp pauses after the first twenty minutes of this, pulling up his own blindfold. "You want to take a break, you're looking kind of…"
Daz's body is covered in tiny bruises, which he shrugs off, shaking his head. "No. I'm making good progress. The scroll says that one long uninterrupted session of attempting to find someone's voice is more effective than several short sessions. Talk while you shoot, please."
"What about?" Usopp asks, dropping his blindfold down and firing three more stars at Daz, whacking him in the chest and arms.
"Anything. It helps the training along if we have something to match it up against."
"Alright, I guess that is what the scroll said," Usopp admits, hitting Daz directly in the knee, making him hiss.
"It really doesn't help you out though, since I can aim pretty well, just from the sound of you talking," Usopp says.
"Good. It will force me to dodge more effectively," Daz grits out, leaning down to avoid a shot, only for another one to hit him directly in the head.
"If you say so. You better help me pick all of these up after this. Magnet or no, it'll take a while to pick up all the stars."
"We'll worry about that once you've run out," Daz says, focusing as hard as he can.
Usopp's expression turns incredulous at this. Though he doesn't immediately voice his concern, he's got a whole sack of these things, as one of his just-in-case sure-kill tools.
It'll take a while to even put a dent in his supply of the anti-Devil-Fruit bullets.
Usopp shakes his head. "Well, I guess if it were easy, it wouldn't be training," he admits, knowing full well that his arms are going to be aching by the end of this as he grabs another handful of seastone stars and takes aim at his target blindly.
With both of them blindfolded, and the animals busy fishing, they all fail to notice a fearful, sunglassed individual who had been separated from his other friends on the island when things started getting hairy between all of those big-name pirates that showed up.
"I-I better report this to Bellamy," Sarquiss says to himself, brushing off his torn fur coat and walking away from them, intent on trying to find his way back to Mock Town.
"Alright Nami, it looks like I'm going to be held up for a few days, I need to help Vivi clean up some Baroque-Works-shaped garbage, so you can go whenever you like, and I'll just meet up with you guys then. Tell Chopper we might have to hold off on visiting Drum until after we visit Water Seven, though, since I'm so far behind schedule."
Robin chuckles lightly while Conis fans the muscular swimmer they had met living near the coast, Mont Blanc Cricket himself.
It seems between some sort of diving sickness and the shock of what they had told him, the man had actually fainted, prompting everyone but Robin to panic.
What did I tell you, Nami? So soft, when it comes to other people's problems," she repeats what she had said before.
"Yeah, yeah. You better hurry this up Jackson, not every crew needs an alchemist, but we need ours. Got it?"
"I'll make this quick. Stay safe out there," he finishes, ending the call.
Nami sighs. "I swear, he'd give money to a beggar…"
Conis looks confused, pausing her panicked fanning. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Chapter 54: Emotional Response
Jackson stares at the gaping cave that Pell had driven them all to, following his Wax Compass to the highest concentration nearby.
"Still think we should have run in guns blazing?" he teases, looking at the wax-encrusted walls, covered end to end with ominously burning candles.
"What do you mean?" Vivi asks, stepping out of the wooden car and looking curiously at the mysterious cavern's mouth.
"I mean, if this cave is reinforced with wax, you won't be able to use any of your molten glass powers here without risking a cave-in, and if they've got a way to counteract your sand abilities, you wouldn't have had an answer to any attackers," he explains.
"And if I had just sent heavily armed soldiers instead?" Vivi poses.
"Against trained assassins with Devil Fruit powers, ones who have clearly been preparing for an attack?" he responds.
"… Good point. I've got a backup plan, but you clearly have something in mind. What's your plan then, genius?"
Jackson smiles mysteriously. "We flip the script."
Vivi's eyes twitch as the Cactus Engine in their car is repurposed into a fan, pumping hallucinogenic cactus steam into the cave. Chaka having been delegated to shoveling duty, gathering up the nearby Mescal Cacti and throwing them into the device.
"Something about this seems wrong," Chaka points out, staring at the covered vaporizer machine curiously.
"Chances are, they've got vent holes dug into the cave, but having multiple entrances would be a tactical challenge for a small group. Smoking them out will force them to do something in retaliation," Jackson says, gunning the throttle of the engine to stoke the fire.
"And what exactly do you think they'll do?"
"They'll either leave or they'll try to stop us. Pell will be able to survey from above and see if anyone leaves the area," Jackson explains, before being thrown back as a long needle stretches out of the cave, punching through his chest before flying back into the cave at incredible speed.
"Jackson!" Vivi shouts, running towards him as she throws up a gigantic glass wall between them and the cavern's entrance.
Chaka leaps to the side as more needle rails fly out, ripping the fumigating machine to pieces and punching round holes into the glass wall.
"Interesting choice of solution. They are assassins, though, so I guess that's my 'b'," Jackson admits, coughing up a gob of blood.
"Jackson! You have a hole in your chest! Lay down," Vivi demands, seeing that the hole is right where his heart should be, just based on what she knows.
"Vivi, I'm a bit beyond punctured lungs giving me trouble," Jackson says, clearing his throat. His bleeding stops in seconds as his blood vessels snap shut around the wound, and a small spurt of slosh into the punctured area regenerates the damage.
Vivi's eyes widen as he stands up as if he didn't just get shot through the chest.
"Looks like flipping the script isn't going to be cost-effective," Jackson says, crossing his arms as the wave of spike attacks end now that the machine is broken, and its sheet metal is peppered with holes.
"It also looks like the tunnel might be straight for a long distance, judging from how Miss Doublefinger was able to shoot us without revealing herself."
A sphere of slosh forms in Jackson's hand. "I want to armor you and Chaka up, to avoid the two of you getting shot in the head. I think we'll have to go in there unless I want to spend even more of my energy trying that again," Jackson says, checking his reserves. Two weeks' worth of stamina left. The more he wastes on these assassin chumps, the less he'll have to do what he planned on doing in Alabasta.
Vivi nods, giving Jackson permission to do the deed.
"Slosh Slosh Knighting Ceremony!"
Vivi tugs at her collar, the ornate headdress and shiny bronze mask being entirely too overdone for her tastes.
"I swear, I didn't pick that design," Jackson says, taking the lead in case any more nasty needle-based surprises come out of the darkness beyond the faint candlelight.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. I know I certainly didn't want a huge fancy pharaoh armor, so why exactly did that happen?" she grumbles.
Jackson considers how his power works. "You don't want to know."
Chaka stoically tolerates his own ornate steel armor, which had been applied after he had already transformed into his half-Jackal form, molding itself to the form perfectly.
As they enter a large chamber, the room suddenly lights up with row after row of candles, revealing a large round table, with Mr. 4, Mr. 3, Miss Goldenweek, Miss Doublefinger, and Miss Merry Christmas seated around it.
"It's good to see that you can be taught not to cheat," Miss Doublefinger says, picking at her nails idly.
Vivi steps forward, a hostile expression behind her mask. "You've already been beaten once, just give yourselves up, before you make this even worse on yourself."
Mr. 3 laughs. "Oh, poor princess. We already know we're not going to beat you in a fight. Ta!"
A gigantic wax pillar falls from the ceiling, enveloping the remaining members of Baroque Works, and flooding the room in an instant as a tidal wave of water pours out of the hollow wax walls.
Vivi and Chaka are swept over by the water, leaving Jackson the only person energetic enough to do something about it.
He grabs the two of them, dragging him towards himself as he forms a large stone bell around them from Slosh and floods it with air.
Vivi and Chaka immediately begin coughing, Jackson patting them on the back to help them rid themselves of water.
"We need to hurry up and figure a way out of here before they get away," Jackson says, only for Vivi to shake her head.
"It's already taken care of," she wheezes, hacking up the last of the liquid, and using her molten glass body to evaporate the rest of it.
The sand erupts as a large pillar of wax explodes out of it, unfolding to reveal the members of Baroque works.
Mr. 3 smiles widely. "Now we just collapse the tunnel to make sure there's no chance they survived somehow, and we can get on with our other business!" he says cheerfully.
"Sor… ry…" Mr. 4 says, smashing his four-ton bat into Mr. 3's back from behind, sending him flying into bloody unconsciousness as his body flops along the sands.
Miss Doublefinger balks, only to be splattered with paint from behind by Miss Goldenweek.
"Tranquil Green. Just sit down and relax until the rest of the guards come," she says, Miss Doublefinger helplessly flopping to her back as she stretches idly, prepared to take a short nap.
Miss Merry Christmas looks at her partner in shock, not comprehending why he would do something like this.
Mr. 4 winces slowly at her betrayed expression. "They… said… I… could… have… Lassoo… back…" he says apologetically.
She scoffs. "Yeah, that figures," she says, sighing as she sits down and crosses her arms behind her back. Far be it from a professional to not know when they're really beat.
Pell flies down, looking between the duo as he claps cuffs around the three other agents. "Good work. We'll discuss the conditions of your deal further after Vivi and the others get out."
The water begins to drain out of the room, cracks in the floor sucking the water away until it is as dry as it was previously. The result of someone with a very heavy bat having bashed in the floor to break the watertight seal.
"Vivi, why didn't you tell me you had already bribed like half of them?" Jackson grouses, slashing open the stone shell and allowing them to walk out freely.
"I didn't tell anyone, in case they had a transponder snail hidden somewhere to spy on us. It's like you said, they had time to plan this out. I just had a little more time," she explains.
"It started when I got a call from Miss Goldenweek, she knew Mr. 3 was planning a breakout, so we worked out some deals."
"Why should I trust you? You helped Mr. 3 almost kill my friends," Vivi says, glaring at the placid face of the Transponder Snail.
"Because I want out. He tracked me down out of the blue, and he's just aching to kill a bunch of people. I didn't join Baroque Works to commit genocide, and I sure didn't do it to be threatened by a revenge-crazed assassin. You help me, and I'll help you. You're at the top of his list, so you should really take my offer."
Vivi takes a deep breath. "Fine."
"Good. Here's what I need you to do, I can get Mr. 4 to turn on them and return to custody, but you're going to need to make some assurances, he'll only help if he can get Lassoo back," Miss Goldenweek explains.
"The dog-gun?" Vivi asks cautiously.
"The very same. Let him keep his dog, and he'll walk right back into jail."
"Fine by me," Vivi says.
"Good. They're planning on trying to drown you. When you walk in, there's going to be a table, and a bunch of candles in a big central chamber," she begins.
Jackson rubs the bridge of his nose. "So basically, this entire situation could have been streamlined by us just walking in blindly, guns blazing. Is that correct? This sounds like one of the worst plans I've ever heard. And all of the other worst plans are ones I personally have made, so I'm a bit of a connoisseur of terrible plans."
Vivi giggles. "Sorry."
"Sor- Vivi, I'm kind of on a time crunch here, I hate to think what my crew is going through right now, without my omniscient, generous guidance," he jokes.
Shaking his head, he continues. "Alright, so we got the bad guys, nobody got hurt, happily ever after. Except for the part where I got shot in the chest. That didn't feel very good."
"Neither did almost drowning. How did you manage to avoid the water? You're a Devil Fruit user as well, aren't you?" Chaka says as they exit the cavern, watching as everyone but Miss Goldenweek and Mr. 4 are walked into a police vehicle with Seastone Cuffs binding their limbs behind their backs.
Jackson grins. "Oh, you'll find out. I've still got a lot of business to attend to here anyway, so let's start with that. Are you familiar with the concept of hydrophobic materials?"
Chaka and Vivi's confusion indicates that, no, they do not.
"Remember, princess. If anyone asks, it was literally anything other than the truth," Jackson says, watching her idly pour a glass of water over her hand, only for it to slide off harmlessly after he had given all of her Devil Fruit Users the same hydrophobic coating he gave his own crew.
"I'll just say it's a new feature of the Sand Sand Fruit," she says, nodding as she leaves Jackson alone with the Alabasta Crackpot.
"Let's see, we'll want a few things in this project," Jackson mumbles to himself, pulling out the seeds he had taken along to work with.
"We'll use the same enhanced photosynthesis that we used on Luffy, and make the leaves black so they absorb more light," he says, injecting the seed with the correct concepts, drawn directly from the captain himself and a bucket of black paint.
"Dial up the growth with a few injections here and there, add cactus roots for structure and water retention, and…"
Finishing the black seed, he scans its concepts, obtaining an exact list of the concepts making it up.
Summoning the slosh from his dials into his hand, he replicates the recipe, mixing the concepts together and filling up nine sacks. One for each of the Strawhat members.
For Luffy, Jackson decides to alter the seeds, making them grow large thick-shelled Crab-Apples, to satisfy his captain's demand for Meat Trees. Seafood being the cleanest-looking meat he could come up with, that wouldn't result in a very foul tree if one grew it.
For Sanji, simplicity is best, adding the enhanced soybeans as a type of nut for the tree to grow, and making its leaves rich with MSG are enough to satisfy Sanji's sole two conditions that it be nutritious and palatable.
Zoro's sack of seeds is altered such that every part of the tree is abundantly rich with sugar, from its citrus fruits to its roots, making every part of the tree suitable for making alcohol.
Nami's tree is made to grow tangerines, the seeds unaltered save for their quick growth.
Surprisingly, Chopper, Daz, and Robin had all agreed on what they wanted for their own seeds. A package of every herb and root Chopper has encountered is inserted into the seeds, turning them into Thousand-herb-thousand-root tree seeds, and instantly draining three days of Jackson's stored stamina.
Usopp had a slightly different idea, requesting that his tree be suitable for lumber, and encouraging Jackson to make the wood as durable and quickly growing as possible. Something he achieves by including the ingredients for Steel Clouds in the seeds and resulting in what is almost like incredibly thick bamboo shoots.
As for the final sack of seeds, the one that would be used to fill up Jackson's share of the farm they planned on leaving in Alabasta…
He carefully puts a password on a slab of Knowledge Wood that locks off all of its functions, aside from video-calling, before placing that inside the seeds to create a sack of "Transponder-Wood" Seeds.
When the time comes… He can always just publish the password.
Jackson slides over the two treasure chests, one filled with solid gold ingots, and one filled with Ghetto Fruits, a Knowledge Wood tablet resting on top of the chest for Vivi to take and immediately begin poking at.
"Each of the fruits should have an entry on your tablet, I mostly just made combat ones for your batch, and Nami said you would know what to do with the gold, for getting our farms set up. We're counting on you, Princess."
Vivi nods, staring at Jackson's giant hawk-shaped Cloud-Plane.
"I have something for you too, Jackson," Vivi begins, turning to take an object from one of her servants.
A single large pot, made of some sort of clear glass, and studded with jewels and golden patterns. On the front of it, the Strawhats' Jolly Roger is inlaid into the pot. The skull and cross-bones are made of pure ivory, and the hat made of gold with a single red band across it, made of a single incredibly long ruby. The work of art is protected by the layer of jewel-like glass that its more fragile components are embedded in.
"Even though we can't give you the cremation urn from our treasury, I couldn't let you go without thanking you. I used the Alabasta Diamond I made to create this for you. I hope it serves you well," she says, handing the pot to him.
"And I hope it has a lot of value," she continues as Jackson simply stares at the bright and shiny pot in his arms.
"It's priceless," Jackson says metaphorically with a smile, strapping it to his back with a quick bit of alchemy as he waves goodbye and climbs into the Anything Goes.
Last edited: Sep 23, 2019
Chapter 55: Punctuated Equilibrium
"Just one more time Sabo, please?!" Luffy demands, sitting on Merry's railings. Sabo sighs, before once again shrouding his hand in Armament Haki, the limb turning pitch black.
"Luffy, you know this isn't the easiest thing in the world, right? I'm not going to keep doing it if you're just going to close your eyes when I do," Sabo explains, Luffy's eyes having squinted shut the instant Sabo started using it.
"Shush Sabo," Luffy groans, focusing as hard as he can.
He knows the sound. The buzzing that sounds like "I'm invincible" being screamed over and over, the low bass of Armament Haki. Like a baby, Luffy tries to figure out how to make noise for the first time, two long minutes passing as he continues his singleminded focus.
"I -m --f--" Luffy finally mumbles without using his physical voice, letting out a puff of air as he feels exhausted after only that one moment of effort.
"Dang," he says dejectedly, Sabo patting him on the back.
"Hey, don't worry about it Luffy, it took me years to learn to use Armament Haki. You'll have it down pat in no time at all," Sabo says.
"What exactly have you been doing to train it?" he asks, shocked that Luffy has already gotten this far in just a few months.
Luffy puts a finger to his chin. "Well, I'm not the only one, but anyone who has been trying to learn it reads this big scroll we got from some bad guys, and then we all put on blindfolds and Usopp tries to shoot at us with a blindfold on too."
Sabo hums. "Well, typically, real combat with real stakes helps progress it along faster, mayb-"
Luffy interrupts. "Yup. Daz said that after he started reading that scroll thingie, so now Usopp uses seastone bullets instead of little bb's, and man do they sting!"
He points over to where Daz is stoically applying an anti-bruise salve for his numerous welts, the consequence of being shot countless times by Usopp.
Sabo balks at this. Even Dragon made sure that the soldiers were only trained via submission holds or to their first injury.
"Well… I won't dismiss results. At least you've got the hardest part out of the way," he says, confusing Luffy.
"What's that?" Luffy tilts his head in confusion.
"I mean, you managed to use it," Sabo answers obviously, Luffy's jaw dropping.
"What?! But I didn't go all bwowowowo," he says, making sound effects and gesturing to Sabo.
Sabo chokes, almost laughing. "Luffy, were you trying to perform Armament Hardening this entire time?! That's insane!"
He shakes his head, sighing. "That's the most advanced technique I know, Luffy. Every sane person starts off learning to do something more like this, at first."
Sabo holds up his hand, focusing for a moment before looking to Luffy to see his reaction.
Though it hasn't visibly changed at all, Luffy is just barely able to notice the difference, like one of those "notice the difference" puzzles, it is extremely subtle.
Instead of sounding like invincibility and power, his hand just sounds louder. "I am Sabo!" it affirms, more passionately than the rest of him.
"As you can see…" Sabo begins, grabbing Luffy's cheek and tugging on it with his Haki-clad hand.
"There is a difference, even if you can't see it," he says, his tugging stinging Luffy's face and making him slap away the offending limb reflexively.
"Sabo is mean," Luffy pouts, crossing his arms.
Sabo grins, leaning in, "Don't feel too bad, Ace can barely even do that," he whispers.
"Shishishi!"
Usopp calls down from the crow's nest. "I found an island guys! A few miles thataway!" he points to where a landmass can be barely seen in the distance.
Ace flops off of the Ark Maxim, stuffed with cheap food and booze. "Man, these pigeons know how to party," he says idly to himself.
Looking around the wide plains, interspersed with incredibly tall trees, he is immediately stricken with an intense sense of boredom.
"Dull place, huh?" he mutters to himself before spotting a weird-looking dog.
Weird because, unlike a normal dog, this one has a body so long that he can't see the end of it, the dog's length stretching all the way across the plains and out of sight.
He leans down to pet the dog, laughing a bit at its ridiculous appearance. "You're pretty friendly, huh?" Ace comments idly, the dog barking in response.
"Alright Ace, we've gotten caught up on what's going on on this end. I'm going to head off now, they've loaned me a Waver to use," Sabo says, approaching Ace from behind.
Ace smirks, looking back at the Revolutionary. "It's been good seeing you too, keep in touch, alright?"
Sabo nods, waving as he walks off. "Be careful out there. The world is about to become a lot more interesting."
Ace decides it's about time for him to go as well. Pops is waiting, and the letter that little doctor gave him is potentially very very good news.
"What do you think it is..?" Usopp asks, watching the two incredibly tall bamboo trees skid across the ground.
"I don't know. Jackson's dossier on this place is mostly just information warning us about the Foxy Pirates," Nami says, watching Luffy and Chopper chase after it.
When Chopper had seen the trees move, he simply knew he had to get a sample. Moving trees! Understanding a biological phenomenon like that would be priceless to his research!
Luffy, however, was just curious about them in general, and more than happy to help the reindeer chase down the odd bamboo trees.
Grinning, Luffy throws his arm back, stretching it out and sweeping it forward. "Gum Gum Whip!"
The two Bamboo trees are snapped apart by the attack, wobbling from side to side before tilting forward dangerously.
Chopper slaps his forehead. "Dang it Luffy, how am I supposed to study a live specimen if there isn't one?!" he shouts, before spotting some kind of old man falling from the sky.
"Gum Gum Balloon!" Luffy shouts, inhaling rapidly as he inflates enough to function as an airbag, bouncing the old man off of him and into Chopper's arms as he skids to the ground to catch them.
Chopper sighs. "Oh thank goodness. Good work Luffy, that was some quick thinking. Are you alright mister?" Chopper asks, gently setting them down.
"Yes, I am, thank you for helping me down from my stilts, old friend. It's been a long time."
"Whuh? Do we know each other?" Chopper asks.
"Probably not, no,"
Chopper nearly trips from befuddled shock. "Well then why did you act as if we did?!"
Luffy looks a bit confused by all of this. "Hey, why were you on those stilts anyway, old guy?"
He nods, stroking his beard. "Well, I've always been fond of stilts, so I wanted to use the bambooooo of this island to make a pair. But when I got up onto them, I was too scared to try and climb back down. I'm afraid of heights."
"Then why did you climb up there you crazy coot?" Luffy mutters incredulously.
"I've been up there for ten years, too frightened to climb down, and with the bamboo continuing to grow, it had only become harder," the old man continues.
"Then why did you climb up there you crazy coot?!" Luffy repeats, far more incredulously.
"At any rate, thank you for helping me. My name is Tonjit," he explains, ignoring Luffy entirely.
Separated from the group to explore, Robin amuses herself by using her powers to lengthen her legs whenever she encounters one of the incredibly tall animals that populate the island so she can look them in the eyes to see their reactions, wandering around until she encounters an interesting house, with an incredibly tall horse resting behind it.
Robin approaches the animal, who looks frightened by her predatory appearance.
"Don't worry, I've got no intention of harming you," Robin says, shifting into her Reindeer Mink form to appear less intimidating.
The horse looks at her with confusion over her strange transformative power, but also curiosity, allowing her to approach and pat them on the head.
"It looks as though you have an owner. Do you know where he might be?" Robin wonders aloud as she spots the saddle and other pieces adoring them.
She frowns when the horse shakes their head miserably.
"Unfortunate. I'm assuming they've passed away?"
The horse shakes their head frantically.
"I see. Perhaps you'd like to meet my friends? Maybe we can help you," Robin offers, smiling faintly.
Jackson's wooden screens give him a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of his surroundings as the Anything Goes plows through another hailstorm, the cameras embedded in the steel clouds protected by thin crystal shells as they feed back to his screen.
Even with all of this, he keeps his senses as wide open as possible. He's an amateur pilot and an even worse navigator, in a vehicle built by someone who also isn't exactly an expert in aeronautics. His one saving grace is how over-designed he had made the vessel, with extra jets, extra armor, and even extra wings. Redundancy in exchange for efficiency.
While from an outside perspective, the Anything Goes is a marvel of brilliant engineering, in reality, it's a nightmarish fuel-hog, one with two options for its speed. Slow, and Costly.
Jackson had opted for costly this time, spending a chunk of his share of the loot as pure fuel, turning fifty-thousand Beri worth of gold into Golden Fuel for its alchemical engines.
Whether its the sky or the water, the only things he can trust are his instincts and his Poses, and his instincts say the less time he spends traveling over the Grand Line by himself, the safer he'll be.
He spots a building-sized chunk of hail falling from the sky, the result of a storm in the upper atmosphere creating a gigantic comet before finally releasing its load.
Grimacing, he scoops another handful of gold into the engine and guns the throttle, speeding up briefly in order to avoid being hit by it.
Moments later, he's forced to jerk the ship to the side, to avoid a titanic sea serpent leaping up from the sea and attempting to snatch him out of the air as if he were a bird.
This puts him in the perfect position to be swallowed by the second sea serpent, who he can hear laughing uproariously as it dives back into the water.
"God damn this sea," Jackson grimaces, opening a port in the side of the ship so he can reach out with his right hand.
"Psychic Scalpel!" he shouts, flicking his wrist and sending a blade of liquid vacuum and air out, where it crashes harmlessly against the serpent's stomach lining with intent to irritate.
The creature laughs even more loudly, rumbling something to its companion.
He grimaces. "Fine, you want to play it that way, fine by me. See if I try inducing vomiting in a Sea King after this…"
He holds his palm out facing the creature as invisible energy begins to grow around it.
"Sacred Psychic Eraser!"
A ball flies out of Jackson's hand, punching a hole through the water and the serpent's stomach, leaving a smooth exit hole that doesn't bleed, as if the hole were a birth defect instead of a wound.
Exit route made, Jackson pulls his arm back in, sealing the hole he made in the ship's hull and piloting it out.
The two serpents panic at the large hole Jackson made, but are too confused to continue pursuing him when they notice it closing back up rapidly, healing as if nothing had happened.
"When something is removed, other things will fill the gap," Jackson says to himself, tilting the ship upwards and allowing the Jet Dials powering it to push it out of the water, flying high into the air once again to avoid any more Grand Line Mishaps.
Frowning as he realizes how much energy he spent up just dealing with one quick trip, he sighs heavily, making a note on his tablet to make sure Nami knows she isn't going unappreciated.
The Grand Line sucks, no matter how much you cheat.
Interlude 5: Ambulance
"Please, stop! Why are you… doing this?!" Sarquiss begs, holding up his large kukri knife as he stands across from Bellamy, whose shattered ribs make him a poor enemy in the first place.
A low, sadistic chuckle rumbles out as the crowd nearby watches in shock as Bellamy and his first mate Sarquiss seemingly battle to the death.
"Why? You know, that's actually a pretty good question. Why am I doing this? I really should just kill you, and be done with it," the person says, light glinting off of their curved sunglasses as they display a mad grin underneath.
"But we're a bit beyond that. What you've done is lose. To run away when some of Whitebeard's little boys showed up is a shame, but I can see the logic in doing so, even if it does reflect poorly on me. If I were doing this because of that, it would make me a bit callous," he says with amusement, holding up his hand as he twitches his fingers around, forcing Sarquiss to swing at his own captain again, his attack sending them falling to the ground.
"And… Making trouble in Jaya while they're here? Well, I don't even care about that. What you do in your free time, really isn't any of my concern," he continues, twitching his fingers to force Bellamy to stand back up in anticipation of another attack.
"But then you had to go and get humiliated by a pair of animals, in broad daylight."
Bellamy grimaces. "Please, give me another chance, those creatures, had some way of knowing where I was going to be, even before I did. I can hunt them down, kill them for you!"
Sarquiss nods rapidly. "I saw them, more like those creatures, with the Strawhats! We can figure out where they're going,"
"Tsk tsk…" Doflamingo says, shaking his head.
"I don't need you… To do something like that for me. I don't need weak people at all, in fact."
He throws his hands out wide, laughing to himself. "There is a new era fast approaching, in which only the strong will thrive."
He leers at the two pirates who were once his subordinates "And I'm afraid that people like you… Have no place in it."
Sarquiss struggles, fighting against the strange power forcing him to attack his captain, but it's no use, and his knife swings down faster than anything he could have managed himself.
Long-ears coughs up blood and water in equal measure as Blackbeard pats him on the back, gently, to avoid jostling his numerous arrow wounds.. "Doc, look after him. I've got a flower to pick," Blackbeard snarls, his pegleg thumping with every other step.
"Teach, you can't be serious, that thing's a monster, and their pet Baron will turn you into swiss cheese," Doc Q says, already working on patching up their patient's wounds, his horse sitting near him with minor wounds of their own.
"Zehahahahah… We've been brought here for a reason Doc, that doesn't mean it has to be a pretty one," he responds.
Ever since he had come to this island, he had been suspicious. A healthy fear of death and paranoia making Blackbeard endlessly skeptical of this so-called Resort Island he had arrived on with Doc and Long-ears.
That paranoia bore fruit after Long-ears tried to warn him and Doc that people were dying rapidly in one specific area of the island, only for the Baron of this island to try and drown him for it when they weren't looking in the middle of the celebrations. After that, the entire island was rapidly being revealed for what it was, an illusion created by the disgusting and deadly Carnation Lily.
"How unfortunate. It looks like your friends won't be helping you. After I pin you to the ground, my lovely lily is going to eat them, and then, you'll be all alone. Just like I am. I wonder how that will make you feel," the Baron says, drawing his bow back while the flower on his shoulder smiles maliciously as it licks its lips.
Blackbeard grins widely. "Oh I wouldn't like it one bit. But that is what it means to believe in fate. To believe that each step of my journey has meaning. Now, if you're done talking, I think we should settle something I've always wondered.
"Who wins, between a Devil and a Monster?" he says igniting his body with black wispy smoke, leering at the Carnation Lily that had been eating those that travel to this island for years with the help of Baron Omatsuri.
Baron Omatsuri leers, firing an arrow into the air which rapidly multiplies into twenty, then more than a hundred, continuing to swell into more arrows until the sun is blocked from the sky.
"Very nice, but that isn't how you blot out the son, fool," Blackbeard grins, holding up his hook-hand and charging it with the power of darkness before unleashing a wave of pitch black energy that rapidly grows in both size and speed as it meets the rain of arrows head on, the powers of Plant and Darkness clashing in the sky over their masters.
"Eclipse!"
"That's another twenty pirates captured, and six different marines brought up on abusing their position… Where have you been finding them all?" Sengoku wonders, genuinely spooked by the sight of Aokiji jogging in place in his office.
"I've decided not to confuse peace with quiet, when it comes to deciding where I investigate. The Morgan, Arlong, and Crocodile cases demonstrated without a doubt that criminal elements are more than comfortable with establishing quiet fiefdoms," Aokiji explains simply, continuing their jogging.
"I see. Be sure to… Sleep, from time to time, yes? You are dismissed Admiral," Sengoku says, trying to come to terms with the strange new reality he apparently lives in now.
Aokiji nods, jogging out of the room and leaping out of a nearby window, running off the edge of Marineford and continuing to jog out of sight on thin pillars of ice just below the sea's surface.
In the end, Aokiji had decided that just returning to Hotblooded Justice wasn't going to solve the underlying issue of him wanting to do the right thing. Just running around beating up the baddest guys he could find wasn't going to solve as many problems as he had thought when he was younger, and doing barely anything at all, he's come to realize, obviously isn't going to get anything done.
Hence his new motto. "Efficient Justice."
Chapter 56: Fight or Flight Response
When Tonjit spots the extremely tall hoooorse that had been following Robin, he tears up with joy, running over to the pair.
"Oh Shelly! You waited here all this time?" he exclaims, the hoooorse nodding as she leans down for him to pet.
"Well, it seems like my wait won't have to be so lonely after all," Tonjit claims.
"Huh? Whatcha waiting for?" Luffy asks, smiling at the heartwarming reunion.
"Well, I wasn't always the only person on this island… My people are nomads, and every three years, we move on to another island in Long Ring Long Land. This is because once every three years, a special tide occurs, lowering the sea level enough to reveal the land-bridges connecting the ten islands that make up Long Ring Long Land.
"It will be many years still, before I can reunite with them."
Robin ponders this. "Ten islands, with the opportunity to travel to the next each year. That would mean your friends and family have traveled across three islands already. It would take around twenty years for them to return here."
He nods sadly.
"But! If I also travel across the bridge with Shelly, I can cut that time in half, meeting them in the middle. It isn't all dire."
"We have a means of producing Eternal Poses, if you wish..?" she looks to her captain for confirmation.
"Oh yeah, that sounds fun! We can go see Tonjit's friends!"
The old man shakes his head. "Even if you had a Log Pose, or an Eternal Pose, you wouldn't be able to navigate the islands by sea. All of the islands are technically part of the same island, so the pose would always point towards the middle of the ring."
Luffy laughs. "Maybe your navigators, but Nami is the best one in the world. I bet she could figure it out with her hands tied behind her back!"
Conis tilts her head, distracted from petting the adorable daaaachshund that had approached her. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Nami sighs at Luffy's request. "I'll see what I can do, Luffy, but it's not going to be easy," she offers, in order to get her captain out of the room.
She pulls up a blank map, working out how she might navigate between the islands, first drawing a crude picture of ten circles in a ring.
'The Long Ring Land eternal pose should be pointing towards the center of the ring, so in theory, if we just sail to the exact right of the Pose's heading, we would eventually reach the next island in the chain, but any deviation whatsoever would throw us off, making us miss it. So I need a way to determine distance.'
Having an idea that won't work on paper, she walks over to her computerized mapping table, bringing up her unfinished World Map, which she makes a copy of.
Little indicators appear on it, areas where a camera is presenting a live-feed of their eternal poses, tied to the islands they are attached to.
"If I use our Eternal Poses so far, I should be able to…" She draws a line with her finger, connecting the islands to where they are now. As she moves the little dot representing their ship, the three lines pointing to Alabasta, Skypiea, and Drum Island begin to change in angle.
Nami swallows, a thought running by her as she moves the dot around, experimenting to test a theory of hers.
Every time she moves their location on the virtual map, it would create a unique combination of headings for each of their three Eternal Poses. A unique, but consistent one. She feels like she's on the verge of something, but can't quite work it out in her head.
She shakes her head. 'For now, if I use the Alabasta Eternal Pose as a sort of fake north, I should be able to compare that to the Long Ring Long Land Pose, to give us a consistent distance to hit between each island. Once I know those angles, I should be able to work out how far apart each island is, and use that to take us where we need to go.'
Watching Luffy race on his Waver along the coast while the old man Tonjit rides Shelly along the shore in a friendly race leaves everyone but Merry entertained.
"Whatever. I could go faster than that little shrimp if I wanted to," Merry says, jealous of the attention that the Going Mini is receiving.
"So, Chopper, I'm curious about something," Robin asks, sitting down next to the little reindeer doctor.
"Yes? Why do you ask?" he responds, taking nothing but the utmost care to not look directly at her in her current form.
"Well, I was bored at one point and decided to check out that big bookshelf he has, but all the books in it…" she begins, unsure how to phrase her question.
Chopper breathes a sigh of relief at the benign topic. "They're full of math equations. Jackson doesn't like talking about those books, since trying they frustrate him so much."
"So whenever he uses his power to create written text, it all becomes mathematics?" Robin continues.
"We think it's because Math is the universal language. Whenever Jackson tries to turn something into a book, it doesn't try to explain the content with words, except to name things. He's been trying to figure it out on-and-off for years, but…" Chopper shrugs. "No luck."
Robin pauses. "I was curious. Admittedly, I had hoped they were more of his future knowledge at work. I… recognized some of the notation."
Chopper's eyes widen. "You know the math in those books?! The stuff in there, it's so far past anything we've seen…"
She shakes her head. "No. I only know of it. My home… We had entire libraries devoted to mathematics. All of them lost. Trigonometry, Algebra, Calculous… You would be hard-pressed to hear those words used nowadays. It is likely that the books are useless without mathematicians who no longer exist."
Noticing the tense atmosphere, she decides to change the subject. "You know, the dossier said that we're supposed to see some Pirates soon. Any idea why nobody's showed up?"
Chopper hums for a moment. "No clue. Maybe they got lost?"
A long-nosed individual's face becomes almost as red as his nose. "What do you mean you lost the Log Pose?!" Foxy shouts, furious beyond all reason.
"Well, you see… I was just polishing it, and I slipped on some of the polish on the floor…" the Head Navigator of the Foxy Pirates says nervously.
"Damn it! How are we supposed to catch up with the Strawhats if we can't even follow them? Now we'll have to go all the way back to Water Seven just to get a new Log Pose!" he yells, frustrated with his bumbling crewmember.
"Sorry boss…"
Robin huffs with amusement. "I suppose so…"
Nami waves from on top of Merry's deck. "Alright everyone, I think I've got a plan, so let's get ready to set sail!"
The crew gathers up to hear Nami's idea for getting Tonjit home while they wait for their Log Pose to set.
"Here's how we'll do this…" Nami begins, launching into an explanation of her plan. Merry and a few of the others will remain behind so that they can use the Merry Pose to obtain a firmer comprehension of their location as they attempt to find one of the other islands, at which point Nami will be able to create a route taking them around the island freely.
Jackson flies at a sedate pace, noting that the Merry Pose requires less and less lateral movement to alter its direction, indicating that he's getting closer.
He spots something below that makes his blood chill. A gigantic pink flagship, bearing a flamingo-shaped figurehead, and a terribly familiar flag, one bearing the Jolly Roger of the Donquixote Pirates.
He swallows as he slows down, zooming in on the ship with his cameras as he ascends even higher to ensure he isn't spotted. He reconfigures the Anything Goes so that its silhouette is that of a bird, and adjusts his course so that he is close enough to the sun to obscure any details of his vessel's appearance.
After several long minutes of slowly flying towards Merry, Jackson comes to the conclusion that this ship is going in the exact same direction.
He's left with two choices, he can think of off the top of his head. Risk attacking, or risk letting them continue to follow.
He opens up a videocall to Nami.
"Nami, I need you to warn everyone. Unless this is one massive coincidence, there are some dangerous people heading to your location, and I'm not sure what to do. Are you able to set sail?" Jackson asks, before Nami can greet him.
"We are, but we can't! We're on the Ark Maxim right now, and half of the crew is back with Merry, we figured that Foxy wouldn't be able to challenge us to a Davy-Back Fight without Luffy to okay it, so we're trying to take this old guy home, but we're split up right now on Long Ring Long Land. Who's following us?" she says tensely.
"Some of Doflamingo's men. Possibly even some of the ones from the New World. I've been following them for the better part of an hour, and we both have the exact same heading. I can try to slow them down, but none of us are ready for a fight with them if any of his Executives are on-board and have some sort of gripe with us."
Nami swallows, walking out of the room and dragging Luffy in.
"What's up?" Luffy says idly, picking his nose.
"Bad guys are coming, and they might be too strong for us. I can try to slow them down, or I can get the hell out of here and we can try to run. It's your call.
"They're maybe a week away, if they're just sailing."
Luffy scratches his chin. "Don't do anything you aren't one-hundred-percent sure about, Jackson. I can't exactly come over and help you out if something goes really wrong. Alright? I still want to help this old guy get home." Luffy finally says.
Jackson sighs. He should have seen that one coming. "I'll see what I can do. I'll meet up with you guys in about a day or so."
He ends the call, looking at the Donquixote ship with dread and caution, before sending the Anything Goes into a nosedive, plunging beneath the water and slowly looming closer to the ship.
"Torpedos. That figures," Jackson mumbles, looking through the murky seawater to where, below the surface, several ports can be seen on the ship, ready to target any undersea attackers in seconds.
He holds out his right hand, sliding it out of a nearby port so he can aim at the ship.
"The concept of Lightning, to travel through the sea with ease. The concept of Lasers, to fly straight and true, and the vessel to contain them in, an invisible cannon…"
A large blob of slosh begins flowing out of his hand, into the invisible energy cannon he formed to house it, rapidly transforming into a singular cannonball.
"Alchemy Complete, now, buy us some time, Kugelblitz!"
The crackling glowing cannonball whizzes forward faster than any ordinary human could react, punching a hole through both sides of the ship's underbelly, causing it to rapidly take on water. and melting the metal components of the hull enough to crack them as they hiss in the water.
He pulls his arm back into the ship, shaking his burned arm several times as he spawns a small bottle of salve to apply to it. The logical conclusion of creating a cannon and firing laser-thunder-cannonballs out of it right next to your hand.
"I should probably stay underwater, considering how many of them have aerial superiority," he mutters nervously, looking at his last active Stamina Dial flickering at roughly half capacity.
He notices spotlights erupting on the underside of the ship as people clearly scramble to try and make repairs and locate the attacker. He simply sends the Anything Goes diving further away in response.
"Mission was a success. I'm heading to your position now," Jackson says over the videophone, Nami breathing a small sigh of relief as Luffy chuckles loudly.
"So what didja do?" Luffy asks, leaning over closer to the phone.
"I used up a few days worth of energy and resources to blast a little hole in their ship. Should take them at least another two weeks catch up, if they go fast enough to risk damaging the patches they use for repairs."
Luffy laughs loudly at this. "We'll be right over, as soon as we get this old guy back. We're already two islands in! One more to go."
Jackson nods. "Good. I'll be waiting with Merry. Over and out."
Last edited: Sep 25, 2019
Chapter 57: Hippocampus
Usopp stares at Tonjit's hoooorse, Shelly. With a horse that tall, he can only imagine what kind of an advantage that must give, for ranged warfare.
"Say, Tonjit, why is it that all the animals on this island are so long?" he wonders, Valkyries and Sea Animals working together to manage the Ark Maxim and guide it according to Nami's extremely strict navigational orders.
Tonjit nods. "It's a very common question. The animals here are like that because they long for adventure. The open plains and wide expanses mean that the living things here have no stress or concerns to keep them tense."
Chopper's eyes narrow incredulously at the statement, but he decides not to open his mouth just yet.
Usopp spots something in the distance, pulling down his goggles to get a better look. "Hey! Nami, I see the island!" he shouts, pointing towards it.
"Good work Usopp. You heard the man, thirteen-degrees to starboard!" Nami shouts, the two crews working together to achieve her exacting commands.
After a short hour of sailing and docking, the Ark Maxim finally reaches the island they were looking for, the crews filing off to help Tonjit search for his people.
When they finally find them, Tonjit's return is met with tears and laughter from the nomads as they see him riding Shelly towards the village. Usopp, however, has slightly more serious business in mind, an idea having latched on to him like a leech over the days of their short journey there.
"Hey, where are you going, Usopp? They're gonna give us a bunch of milk!" Luffy shouts, excited at the prospect of free beverages.
"Go on without me guys, I need to see a man about a horse," Usopp says mysteriously.
Nami's vein throbs in anticipation of a headache. "Usopp, it might not be the best idea for us to linger here for very long, we need to get back to the others and get the hell out of here," she explains.
Usopp waves nervously. "This won't take long! I just want to look into something is all!" he says, walking over to one of the nomads and asking them some questions that have him directed to a bulky woman wearing a bandanna.
Conis approaches Nami, looking at the sight of Usopp being led to some sort of paddock full of hoooorses with curiosity. "What is he doing?"
"I don't know, but I think it will end with everyone needing headache medicine," Nami grumbles, watching as Usopp runs over to grab Chopper, taking him to the animals to act as a translator.
"Howdy. I'm Bolormaa, by the way," she says with vague annoyance, Usopp having run off before she could introduce herself properly.
"Oh, right! Sorry, I'm Usopp, and this is my friend Chopper," Usopp explains, holding out the reindeer as if they were a plush doll.
"Anyway, I just wanted to know if I could trade for one of these horses, a strong, fast one worthy of carrying a brave warrior of the seas!" Usopp exclaims, Chopper hopping out of his hands.
"Why did you need me for this exactly?" Chopper asks curiously, wondering why Usopp wants a horse of all things.
Usopp twiddles his fingers. "Well, I figured you could help me figure out which one would want to adventure on the high seas!"
Bolormaa's eyes narrow, at the same time one of the horses instantly locks their eyes on Usopp, looking between the rancher and the sniper. The tallest hoooorse in the entire paddock, with thick muscles and bones that serve to make it the strongest as well.
"Oh hey, what about that one!" he says, pointing to the hoooorse that turned to him, watching the ebony equine stalk forward to the edge of the paddock, huffing as it leers down at them.
Bolormaa shakes her head. "Oh no, you don't want that one, little man. She might break out of the stables and go running to the coast from time to time, but she won't do you any good. That maaaare won't let anyone ride her, and she's got the strength to keep everyone off. Everyone calls her Khan for a reason."
"(And how is it my fault that this island is inhabited by cowards? I've got little intention of being made a pack mule.)" Khan nickers aggressively.
Usopp stares at them for several long moments, the animal's intense glare making him shiver with fright. "Yeah, you might have a point there…" he says to the woman.
"(Oh goodie, not even the sea is free of cowards,)" the maaaare snorts aggressively, turning her head away.
"What did they say Chopper? That sounded insulting!" Usopp shouts, pointing at Khan as she rolls her eyes at him.
"You don't want to know," Chopper says dryly.
"Oh boy. I've seen that look before. I'll go get the headache powder," Bolormaa says, as Usopp glares at Khan, only for Chopper to wave her off.
"No need, I've been keeping a bag on me for situations like this," Chopper admits, watching a battle of will unfold.
"Alright, boy. If I can't talk you out of this, I might as well tell you what's going to happen. She already knows how riding is done. She's just ornery as all getout, with an attitude taller than she is." Bolormaa explains, guiding Usopp to the top of the tower they use for mounting hoooorses.
"She's going to buck you off, and then you'll have to get right back up on her. And eventually, she's going to get bored or tired, or you're going to get knocked out. that's as much warning as will help you with Khan, I hate to say it," she admits, glaring at the snickering horse.
Usopp's face twists with determination. "Well, that hoooorse better get ready, because no brave warrior of the sea would get beaten by a challenge like this, and that's exactly what I'm going to be!"
Twenty humiliating minutes later, Usopp's leg twitches as he flops to the ground, being kicked off yet again by Khan for the fortieth time.
Khan chortles loudly from high above him, more entertained by the little pirate than they have been in years.
He eventually pushes himself up with a sigh, glaring at the obstinate hoooorse with resignation.
Chopper waddles over, popping his shoulder back into place and injecting a healing medicine to restore the damage. Usopp doesn't wince nearly as hard as he would have normally. The first three times something like that had happened, he had been writhing on the ground shouting frantically until Chopper could administer glorious healing medicine, but by now, it's barely a footnote compared to his mounting frustration.
Finally, Usopp sighs, climbing to his feet when he sees Nami tapping her wrist impatiently from the crowd, Luffy two barrels of milk in and counting.
He looks at Khan, the maaaare smirking proudly, satisfied with her own strength.
Usopp has a downright malicious idea.
"Looks like I'm not enough of a warrior for this. I suppose I'll just have to get a different hoooorse to take on adventures with me."
Khan's grin shrinks.
Usopp shakes his head sadly, throwing his hands up as he walks off. "Yup. To think, I'm going to have to settle for one of the others. Ahh well, with how aggressive this one is, they would never be able to handle something like the time when I single-handedly defeated the legendary swordfish who has the strength of a hundred men," he lies, catching her attention utterly.
"And with their flightiness, they'd panic if they saw something even half as frightening as the army of mummies that I and my army of followers had to battle for six days and nights. The pile of wooden stakes and ashes that covered the battlefield was almost as tall as the…" he thinks for a moment, Khan's eyes widening as they lean closer to the sniper.
"It was almost as tall as living island that I had fought to a standstill with the help of my trusty flying ship! Oh absolutely, it's a mercy, really, sparing the poor gal the terrifying adventures that I and my crew went on," Usopp tsks, shaking his head thoughtfully.
"I guess I'll just have to give my super-advanced horse-shaped power armor and two tons of salt and sugar cubes to someone else," he finishes, only to yelp in shock as Khan headbutts him from behind, gritting her teeth as she stands perfectly still, as if to accentuate the point that they aren't kicking Usopp into next week.
Usopp pauses, almost shocked that that had worked. All of the other nomads are utterly stunned into silence as the seconds drag on without the 'Demon of Long Ring Long Land' throwing her rider off.
"Well, if you insist," Usopp finally says, grabbing hold of her reins.
Nami rubs her forehead, hoping that she'll wake up soon from this bizarre fever dream, so she can get to scolding Jackson, who she absolutely blames for this. She isn't sure why it's his fault specifically, but she will find out.
"Usopp, there isn't enough room on Merry for an entire horse, much less one big enough to make giraffes feel insecure!" she insists, Usopp ignoring her very rational argument as he ushers the giant black maaaare onto the Ark Maxim along with the others.
"Don't worry about it Nami, we'll figure something out! Oh man, I'm so excited, I'll be able to shoot things on other islands, with a vantage point this high up!" he cheers, Khan unsteadily climbing aboard the vessel. as Luffy laughs uproariously at how interesting Usopp's new friendly critter is.
"(I better see a scale to measure all those sugar and salt cubes I was promised,)" Khan mutters in earshot of Chopper.
The reindeer shakes his head. "Jerry and Sanji are going to be so pissed when they find out about that…"
Jackson balks at the sight he's seeing over the videophone, having called Nami and the others as soon as he met up with Merry.
"Please tell me you didn't just buy a horse," Jackson pleads.
Usopp nods. "I didn't just buy a horse. I bought a hoooorse," he enunciates.
Sanji glares at the screen. "I hope you plan on paying for that thing's food," he says.
Usopp looks confused at this. "Sure? Aren't we like, billionaires now anyway?"
Nami interjects, "Yes, and we will continue to be billionaires if you are frugal, and don't waste all of your money on horse food."
"Hoooorse food," Usopp corrects.
"Hoooorse-shit. Am I allowed to be jealous? I'm feeling pretty jealous," Merry says, glaring at the curious creature staring down at the little glowy-wood-square talking to her.
"I think it's a sound investment. We have Merry to carry the bulk of our supplies, but we also split up into groups often enough to justify a second method of hauling goods," Robin points out, both Merry and Khan glaring at her as she smiles faintly.
"(I am not a pack mule,)" both Merry and Khan complain in unison.
"And as you can see, their personalities seem to be compatible," she jokes.
"(I am nothing like that glorified rowboat/telescopic donkey)!" Merry and Khan shout in unison again, glaring at each other over the screen.
Usopp glances shiftily from side to side, before leaning in. "Uhh, Jackson, I need you to do me a big favor…"
Jackson sighs. "Yes, Usopp?"
"Remember that mecha we got in Ruluka? I've been doing some work on it, but uhh… I kinda need it to be refit for a horse. Can you handle that?" he whispers nervously.
"You bribed the horse," Jackson deadpans.
"I may have bribed the hoooorse," Usopp admits.
Jackson closes his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "I hope you know what you're doing, man," Jackson finally says.
Usopp nods rapidly. "Trust me, I've got huge plans! This is going to take me to the next level!" he claims.
The two crews finally rejoin, Merry only begrudgingly allowing a canopy to be built for Khan to sit under until she can forcibly expand herself enough to house her.
Khan stares at Merry's figurehead with a smug expression, laying underneath the canopy as the water bobs gently beneath the ship. "(So, jealous of the little coward taking me on with your little crew, eh?)" they say, smirking at the ship.
Merry pauses before an idea hits her. "Oh, you guys should probably hold on tight, and tell the other crew to use their own engines too, we want to move quickly if someone's really on our tail!"
Khan looks confused at this before Merry jerks forward, bouncing off of the waves as she unleashes her Jet Dials. Khan's stomach turns as she continually bounces up and down underneath her little canopy, making her begin to regret being so hasty with wanting to get away from her boring homeland.
Last edited: Sep 26, 2019
Chapter 58: Narcolepsy
"It's good to be home," Jackson mumbles to himself, plopping into his sterile science couch with a sigh, before taking out several items, ready to begin working again.
He decides to start by addressing the problem of their animal companions, and communicating with them, by injecting Psychic Essence into a Wooden Microphone, and Human Essence into a Wooden Speaker, before combining the two together.
"Need to save on stamina, so I'll just pour this into a pill bottle, and let Chopper work out testing and how to synthesize more of it," he says, melting them down and doing exactly that, creating a bottle filled with translation pills. A psychic microphone picking up thoughts, and a human speaker emitting human language fused together and alchemized into a blend of drugs serving admirably to solve that problem.
"Next, I need to address the matter of navigation. None of this would have been a problem if we had some way of marking waypoints other than leaving Merry behind,"
"Damn straight. I could have talked Usopp out of buying that pile of extra emergency rations," Merry mumbles out of a nearby speaking tube.
Jackson starts ignoring Merry's running commentary and creating a large magnetic pole, alchemically hammering the number '1' into it with a stamp. He then breaks off a piece of the magnet and uses his Bonsai Knowledge Tree's special functions to make it begin growing an Eternal Pose. A function he had programmed into it when deciding what sort of "fruits" he would make the tree sprout while designing it. Finally, he attaches a small triangular flag to the pole and coats it in steel for protection.
"If we need more, I'll make more. But this should be good enough for us to keep track of a place if we really want to," he says, placing the flag on a nearby rack.
He turns to the suit of power armor that Usopp had been tinkering with, using a healthy supply of parts that Jackson generated to modify and upgrade it, up to and including the most recent addition, a psychic control unit.
Jackson shakes his head, melting the entire suit down into slosh using his new Jewel Melting Pot, before strapping it to his back and walking out of the room to where Khan has been lazing on the deck.
He should probably get some sleep after this, spending so many late nights forcing the Anything Goes along to speed up his trips…
Zoro looks suspiciously at the only empty room on the Ark Maxim. Jackson's explanation had been pretty simple. "Every minute someone spends in this room, the heavier and less responsive their body will become. Do whatever training you think is appropriate, but the room automatically shuts down if anything other than your feet touch the ground, or if it detects something wrong with your biometrics."
Chopper's warnings had been far, far more complicated and frantic, something about psychic and stamina dials draining energy and focus to power invisible energy emitters. He didn't understand a lick of it, but the premise seemed simple enough. Strengthen his muscles and willpower by forcing himself to stand up and train in this room.
A glowing indicator on the wall shines with a number. One percent. Zoro can barely feel any difference, but he's sure it will get interesting soon.
A thin red line appears on his arm as something hits him gently, putting him on his guard as he draws his swords.
He can't see anything in the room, but with some focus, he can tell there's a sword floating around. One made out of his own energy. Clever. Who would make a better sparring partner than Zoro himself?
He swings Wado Ichimonji at where he senses the invisible weapon, shattering it to pieces and scattering the power forming it.
The glowing panel on the wall bumps up to two percent, as another invisible blade forms, stalking around him more cautiously.
Zoro smirks as the counter goes up to three percent, the ever-so-slightly stronger sword clashing against his own blades.
Half an hour later, Zoro is stumbling out of the training room, having reached fifty percent before the invisible swords fighting him and incredible pressure weighing down on him were too much to handle. Especially considering that both of them were themselves being powered using his own energy and focus.
When she puts the little virtual ship here, the Eternal Poses produce a unique heading. When she puts it there, they produce another unique heading.
Nami scratches her head. Three lines… Three lines…
She continues staring at the map, she's so close to some sort of breakthrough, but it just isn't clicking correctly. She sighs, setting aside her cup of coffee. It's clear that she isn't going to get anywhere by trying to force herself to suddenly have a eureka moment.
She walks up onto the deck to clear her head, noticing Jackson tiredly painting Usopp's horse with some kind of robot liquid, the horse begrudgingly allowing this as Chopper carries a bottle of pills into his lab to study. Usopp observes the proceedings nearby, ready to leap into action if Khan becomes aggressive.
"So, what's today's plan to catch the deck on fire," Nami jokes, approaching the trio.
Jackson's eyes narrow. "Okay, first, I've never caught the deck on fire, two, it was acid, so technically I only caught the deck on potential fire, third, I'm not actually making anything, anyway. I'm just refitting some armor Usopp made to his horse."
Nami waves him off. "I'm just teasing you, Jackson. If Merry and Chopper aren't getting onto you, it must be safe. I'm going to go get some shuteye. You guys take first watch, alright?"
Usopp salutes while Jackson nods, yawning as he finishes coating Khan in the mechanical armor.
"Alright, now we just need to remove it and pack it up," Jackson claims, watching Usopp open up his toolbox and taking apart the mechanical armor with enough fervor to make Khan a bit nervous.
Chopper proudly holds up the result of reverse engineering Jerry's translation drug. A process made incredibly simple after using a Rumble Pak to let him just taste the chemicals making it up by using his Life-Return technique to enhance his senses to the cellular level.
A quick taste test and cross-referencing the chemicals with his medical books serve to help verify their safety after he does a few mental calculations and cell culture tests, and it isn't long before he is able to produce a large amount of this animal/human translation drug, enough to supply the Ark Maxim's crews for a while.
One thing Chopper is certain of, he's very excited for when Jerry has enough energy to help update the Hunter Operations with this new substance. Once he gathers more data by observing the other crew for a few days, he'll be able to produce a refined form of the drug for his friends as well.
He hops over to the Ark Maxim to help explain the drugs to the Valkyries and Sea Animals and deliver the first shipment of it.
"This should help with the problem you guys have all been having with communicating. Turns out, it was as simple as creating a polycarbonate lubricating gel capsule with specialized enzymes, a small dose of magnetized hemoglobin suspended in a protein shell and mixed with a blend of targeted inflammatory and anti-inflammatory chemicals to augment the vocal range and trigger a primarily electromagnetic form of language comprehension in the patient! It was so simple, I'm surprised I didn't think of it myself, really," Chopper says, shaking his head smugly.
The Animals and Skypieans stare at him blankly, utterly uncomprehending.
Chopper coughs softly at the long silence. "It lets animals speak English and lets humans understand animals," he deadpans.
"(Well why didn't you say so. I was getting sick of using that whiteboard,)" Mockery says, snatching one of the bottles and popping a pill down his throat.
"Just make sure you only take one per day. I don't want to have to pump anyone's stomachs," Chopper warns, the idea sickening the other crews enough to make them nod frantically, warning absorbed completely.
Conis approaches Chopper. "While you're here, there's something we could really use your advice with, concerning our cabin boy."
Chopper looks curious. "Sure thing, what seems to be the issue with him?"
Chopper openly gapes at the sight of Mahmud, who looks at the floor nervously.
"And you said this has been happening for how long?" the reindeer asks, swallowing heavily.
"I… I think it's been happening since I came down here. Remember when I saw you before, and you said it was the air pressure making everything feel small?" Mahmud says, rubbing his forehead where he had bumped on his bedframe at one point.
Chopper mumbles to himself, pondering possible reasons why Mahmud might have gained a whole foot of height in a month.
His expression turns to shock. "It is the air pressure. Well, not exactly, but it could be the oxygen content that is a result of that air pressure, the other Skypieans are all adults, but the concentrated oxygen might be… Affecting your natural growth hormones somehow."
He turns to Conis. "Have you ever heard of anyone being particularly small or short, when you were living in Skypiea? Any sort of correlation between where they live and their stature?"
Conis's eyebrows scrunch with concentration as she tries to think of anything. "Well, there's White White White sickness. Sometimes, if a child is raised too far above the White White Sea, they can be somewhat smaller than they should be as adults."
Chopper nods, his theory having more evidence to support it. He returns his gaze to Mahmud. "I want to do some bloodwork and scans if that's alright with you. I need to know if this will cause any health problems for you in the future, and see if my theory is correct."
Mahmud shrugs helplessly. "I guess. I'm not sick or something, am I?"
Chopper shakes his head. "No, nothing like that…
" Probably," he mutters at the end.
Merry gently bobs on the water, anchor set at a nearby reef where she doesn't have to worry about scraping up against any rocks while she rests.
Adventuring with her crew has been so much fun, especially since she woke up completely, but there's something special about times like this too. When the moon is high in the sky, and almost everyone's asleep in their beds.
Jackson and Usopp, of course, seem to have fallen asleep during their own watch, and Robin and Daz seem to be wide awake in pursuit of their hobbies.
'Nami will probably chastize everyone involved in the morning, but for now, I'm more than able to watch over my little crew," Merry thinks to herself, giggling softly.
While stretching slowly from side to side to work out the ache of slowly expanding her hull to accommodate their new little animal friend, she hears an odd horn being blown and feels a chilling sensation run down her keel.
Someone's messing with her crew.
"Usopp, wake up!" she shouts, slapping him in the face with a rope to get him awake, knowing well enough that Jackson won't be waking up for much of anything with how deeply he's blacked out.
"Someone's messing with the crew, I can tell, do you hear that?" she says frantically, looking around for the source of the noise.
"The horn?" Usopp says, shaking himself away as he grabs his slingshot and jumps up onto the railing, searching for the sound of the noise.
"Hurry up and shoot them Usopp, also, don't look behind you, whatever you do!" Merry says, her eyes turning hollow as she manifests her Klaubautermann and frantically runs around the ship behind Usopp's back, grabbing the bright blue smoke that the strange horn player is drawing out of her sleeping crew members.
"Oh no you don't!" she shouts, grabbing the last wispy ball of smoke and trying to shove the substance back where it came from into Jackson's mouth.
"Found them under the water! They're no match for my new slingshot!" he exclaims, pulling a rounded metal block from his pocket and flicking it open. The solid steel pieces smoothly slide out, wrapping around his wrist to form a wrist-brace, and opening wide to reveal a steel-framed slingshot, the arms of the slingshot actually curling up around Usopp's hand, complete with dense black rubberbands that stretch over rollers near the top where they are attached near the bottom.
"The Hercules!" Usopp shouts, firing a hydrophobic steel ball into the water, accounting for refraction and resistance to fire the steel ball straight into the source of the noise.
The horn ceases instantly, and the air goes deadly quiet as an eruption of water and a loud snap heralds Usopp's Aquadynamic Star punching through the ocean's surface, Merry panting as she allows her Klaubatermann to fade, now that all of the smoke is shoved back into her various crew members safely.
"What the heck do you think that was?" Usopp says, confused beyond belief as he flicks his slingshot back into its folded up form.
Merry shakes her head. "I don't know. I just knew it was trying to steal something very important from us. Do you think we should wake up the crew?"
Usopp frowns. If nobody gets the sleep they need, they'll be even more vulnerable to further attacks.
"I'm going to brew a pot of coffee, if there's anyone awake right now, could you tell them to come to the kitchen, Merry?" Usopp asks politely, walking into the kitchen and over to the coffeemaker.
"If most everyone's asleep, we'll start waking people up, but we need to discuss what to do next and find out what happened with whoever's still awake right now."
Merry nods. "Right."
"I just hope everyone is alright, I mean, they feel alright, but…" she mumbles worriedly.
Last edited: Sep 27, 2019
Chapter 59: Confusional Arousals
Nami yawns, stretching out as she wakes up from her unsettling sleep. What a weird dream she had, of a strange boy with a horn, and then…
She shakes her head, looking around the women's bedroom that had been refit with beds for Robin and her.
"This… Isn't where I normally sleep," Nami says aloud, a distinct sense of wrongness overtaking her at the realization of where she must have blacked out after last night.
She's only been in this room once or twice since joining the Strawhats. 'And usually, it's just to tell… Zoro..? To tell Zoro to wake the hell up and… help me with navigating,' she rationalizes, an odd confusion overtaking her for a moment as something doesn't quite click right.
Shrugging, she pops her back, walking out to see if the shitty cook will deign to give her her damn booze ration for the day.
She'll need it, for the navigation training(…?) she has planned.
Speaking of navigating, where the hell are her swords?
Zoro scratches his head, wondering why he fell asleep here. He could have sworn he fell asleep where he always does.
"Oh well. As long as Sanji hasn't gotten in there or something," Zoro mutters, walking up onto the deck where he notices something strange, Nami looking over the maps and trying to figure out the log pose. What makes this strange is, he can't remember having ever seen her do that before.
"Oi, what the hell are you doing with my maps?" Zoro snarls, stomping over to the table she had dragged out onto the deck.
"I'm reading them of course, half of these are mine, you know. What are you doing with my swords?" Nami frowns deeply.
"Wh- I don't remember you drawing up those maps! And these swords are mine, I've had Wado Ichimonji since I was a kid!"
"Yes, and I've literally never seen you with them before now, I got them when I joined the crew, remember?! I even helped Jackson make the Wind Chime. I need those for navigation!" Nami yells.
"What the hell are you talking about! You've never navigated once since you got here! Much less with my swords," Zoro yells back, something in the back of his mind grinding harshly as confusion and frustration start to build up in his thoughts.
Luffy steps between the two. "We need to talk. Something altered our memories last night, and we were waiting for you two to wake up before we discussed it properly."
"What we think happened is, someone in the shallows of this reef was able to draw the memories from anyone sleeping nearby, and Merry was able to stop them from taking the memories but… She might not have put them all where they belonged. It was pretty frantic," Usopp explains, Merry hanging her head as everyone else gathers on the deck to get briefed on the threat.
"So everyone who fell asleep last night got their memories scrambled up? I think I'd know if I had memories of being a chick," Zoro grouses, glaring at Nami, while Jackson sits in the back, carefully trying not to move around too much.
"Yeah. I thought I was in Luffy's lab until Chopper set me straight," Jackson explains, staring at his arms as if they'll start making sense if he just glares at them long enough.
Luffy has an uncharacteristically serious expression as he considers the facts.
Chopper shakes his head. "The human mind isn't rational, but it is fantastic at rationalizing. When the memories were swapped, the four of you began unconsciously justifying any mistakes in the memories, with only the most egregious errors causing any sort of cognitive dissonance."
Nami stares at Chopper curiously. "Cognitive dissonance?"
"It's what happens when you believe two things that contradict one another. When something brings attention to the fact that you have two beliefs that can't coexist, this can cause mental strain and confusion as you try to reconcile the two impossible pieces of information," the reindeer explains.
"Alright, so just have Jackson whip up something to suck out the memories. I've seen him do stranger things than that," she says obviously.
Jackson shakes his head. "I can't, I've got months worth of research and development that currently aren't in my own head. I don't even know how my own augments work, much less recognize the syntax that my recipe lists use now," he explains.
"And I know that stuff, but I don't have the foundations to use it," Luffy continues.
"Wait, what about the other crews? Did this happen to any of them?" Nami asks.
Robin shakes her head, sitting on a couch in the back. "None of the people on the Ark Maxim were affected by the attack. Chopper believes it's because of the psychic drugs he had delivered to them the day before. It may have given them some sort of resistance to whatever did this."
Chopper has a small realization, before handing bottles of the animal-translation drug to the rest of the crew. "I'm sorry I didn't give you all these sooner, but I thought I could make a better version in a few days anyway, making it redundant," he says apologetically as each crew member pockets their bottle.
"Be sure to take one of these each day. It might help protect you, if something like this happens again," he explains.
"I hate to say it, but I don't have any clue about this place. None of my files included a section on this island, and I don't remember anything personally either," Jackson admits sadly.
Luffy places a hand on Jackson's back. "We'll figure this out. A few mixed up months aren't going to change that much. I say we check out the island, we might find some info there."
"All in agreement?" Luffy asks, looking around the room as everyone nods affirmatively.
As the Skypieans and Animals fly and swim their way to the island, Merry simply walks over the shallow reefs, crunching her way over to the shore before leaning down to let everyone off.
"I think we should form groups. We'll find all the info we need quicker that way, and we can call each other every couple of minutes on the phones, to make sure nobody is under attack," Luffy says, handing out a small knowledge wood phone to each member of the group.
"Good thinking, captain. I'd suggest that each compromised crewmember be paired with someone who isn't. Chopper with Jackson, Daz with Zoro, Sanji with Luffy, and I'll go with Nami."
Luffy nods. "I like that plan. Usopp and Merry will be in their own group, and each group should get a squad of Sea Animals or Valkyries."
Jackson grimaces, disliking the idea of having to team up with the minions for some reason.
"Couldn't we have them in their own groups? I mean…" Jackson feels confused, before shaking his head with realization. "Nevermind, sorry."
Luffy pauses. He doesn't like this. His crew is so confused, so stressed. All the more reason to hurry up and solve the problem. "If we're all on the same page, then let's get started. This is a big island, so we've got a lot of ground to cover."
Robin looks towards the small town in the distance. "I think we should start there."
Robin, Nami, Conis, and a small squadron of Valkyries walk into the middle of the odd town.
"It's very quiet here," Robin says, noticing how many of the buildings seem to be empty, and how few people are on the streets.
"Excuse me, ma'am, we're looking for some information, perhaps you could help us?"
The woman's listless expression morphs into a smile. "Oh, of course! I know many things! What would you like to know?"
Nami steps forward, three cheap swords from storage strapped to her waist glinting threateningly. "Well, for starters, what's this place called, anyway?"
The woman nods, smiling widely. "This place is called Dream Island, it's where dreams come true!"
Conis looks around, unnerved by the sight of so many of the villagers just… Staring at them with blank empty eyes.
"Oh? It sounds like there may be some history behind that motto. Would you care to explain?" Robin asks the woman.
She nods. "It's because of the Yearly Festival, we've always had the festival, every year in fact!" she says.
"I suspected as much, judging from the name," Robin says dryly.
Nami's eyebrows twitch. "Hey, have you heard of any memory sucking scumbags around here?"
Robin watches as the woman's face twitches several times before she finally shakes her head.
"The Yearly Festival is being held tonight. You should all come to the Yearly Festival," the woman explains listlessly, pointing to the shores surrounding the island.
"I don't believe we're going to get anything more out of this one, Nami. Let's try to find someone else."
A News Coo flies overhead, the seagull dropping the newspaper from high above before flying away as fast as possible in a panic.
Robin's eyes narrow suspiciously as everyone left in the town scrambles to grab the newspaper.
"Get out of my way! I need to see it!" an old man shouts, grabbing for it only for a woman to shove him out of the way.
"No way, I have to read the news, it's the only thing I can trust!" she roars, several more people crowding around it and trying to force her away.
Looking at the bird flying away, she crosses her arms.
"Dos Fleur!"
A pair of wings sprout on the bird, throwing off its ability to fly, and forcing it into a steep glide towards her, panicking as it struggles to fly away from the island.
Holding out her hand, she grabs the bird and sprouts a few hands from it to hold it still.
"I'd like some information on this place if that's alright," Robin says, allowing her teeth to show just enough to optimize the interrogation to a degree.
The seagull swallows, sweating excessively at the scary woman who somehow caught them.
"(G-god I hate delivering news here…)" the bird says, hoping against hope that they aren't about to become a six-piece bucket.
"That's a good place to start, as a matter of fact. Do you have any information on why the people here are behaving this way? How long it has been going on?"
"(I-)" The seagull pauses, shocked at her response.
"(Wait, you can understand me?)" the bird says incredulously.
"I'm a good listener. Now, if you would?" Robin asks again, Nami and Conis giggling along with the rest of the Valkyries.
Memories are an incredible thing. A thing with untold potential.
What they can't do easily is fix a concussion.
A blank-faced child gently wipes down a seahorse in his arms with a wet washrag, cleaning the deep bloody wound that the bullet had left on their head.
The seahorse grimaces. He almost lost control of Noko from sheer pain, forcing him to make the child default to this zombie-like state. These pirates are dangerous, but their memories… Drim had gotten the barest, tiniest taste of those memories, and they were rich.
The seahorse thought he might never achieve his dream. Even with the power he has, he would never have been able to gather enough memories to exact his plans, especially forced to choose between being powerless in the water, or frail and helpless on land.
But then, he met poor little Noko and the whole game changed. Changed enough to allow him to turn an entire island into his feeding ground.
Now his dream faces another challenge. Maybe even its final one. Absorb the memories of the Strawhat Pirates. Every single one.
Having shaken off his concussion, he turns to the little boy.
"(Recall Recall Singing Sword!)" Drim shouts, his voice making the child 'Remember' that he's actually Drim.
Noko stretches, rolling his neck as his blank expression returns to a malicious grin.
Back under control, he reaches for Drim, picking him up gently in his arms and standing to his feet as he glares towards the mouth of the cave he had hidden in.
'The annoying part of making someone "remember" that they're you, they have to relearn how to walk every time,' Drim thinks to themselves as Noko stumbles around for a bit, slowly gathering their bearings as they walk into the shallows
Eventually, the child and the seahorse are totally submerged in the liquid, neither of them affected in the slightest by the fluid somehow as they walk deeper and deeper into it.
"By the time I'm through with your friends, Monkey D. Luffy, they won't believe you even existed," he says, his chuckle turning into mad laughter.
Author's Note
I usually don't put these in actual chapters, but I felt this one warranted one. While researching this arc, I noticed a ton of discrepancies and plotholes, between the videogame version of this arc and the anime filler. As such, I've decided to use my own interpretation of the arc and its events. I hope this is forgivable, considering it may make the Ocean's Dream arc not fully resemble either the game or anime.
Chapter 60: Water Toximia
Noko under Drim's control looks at the horde of thoughtless individuals he had gathered near the coast with a bit of remembered memories to draw them here.
"You all want your memories back, right?" he says smugly, watching the crowd display far more life than they had before at the statement, a few of them almost blinking awake entirely.
He smirks at them all.
"Good. Because you're about to get exactly what you've been waiting for."
He turns to the water, forcing Noko to use his power in tandem with his own as he emits a low, mournful tone. The liquid filling up the shallows of the coast begins to turn an almost pinkish-red as he draws up the memories he had taken from other pirates sailing to this island, picking through them carefully for the juiciest ones among those he had stored in this liquid form.
"Well, go on then. Drink up, you mooks," Drim has Noko command.
'I hate using up memories like this, but I've really got no choice,' he thinks to himself, watching the gathered villagers stumble to the edge of the liquid, drinking gulping mouthfuls of Drim's carefully chosen blend of Pirate Memories.
Perfect for making them into minions until the Strawhats and their friends are taken care of.
Their eyes glow red as Drim's own glow as well.
"(Now, go forth, arm yourselves and subdue the Strawhats. Avoid their sniper at all costs.)" he honks out, watching the Villagers begin sneering and grinning confidently with their newfound memories.
Drim scowls as hard as his seahorse face can manage, watching them descend on the docks, ripping out planks of wood and digging around in nearby tool sheds for makeshift weapons.
"(That one is mine.)"
Jackson, Chopper, and a small group of Egrethieves in ceramic body-armor enter the forest, searching for clues.
"What were you doing last night anyway, if you weren't asleep like the others?" Jackson asks.
Chopper sighs. "I was trying to figure out what happened to the Valkyries' cabin boy, and helping Sanji come up with adjustments to his diet based on his rapid growth. He'll need a lot of nutrients, whether this is natural or not, so I had to call Sanji over to help me work on it overnight.
"We concluded that he should be alright, as long as we keep him fed, with a steady diet of fresh herbs, vegetables, and plenty of fatty fish," Chopper finishes, yawning.
"Yup. That sounds right to me. So then, what are we looking for?" Jackson asks idly, Jewel Melting Pot slung over his back. He tries his hardest to ignore the flashing images displayed over his vision. The result of his alchemy scanner and visual augmentation distracting him somewhat without the ability to comprehend it.
"Ruins, remains, or records. If we find any, we snap a photo and send it to Robin. If we get any info sent to us, we respond accordingly," Chopper patiently explains.
Jackson blinks, managing to get the visual overlay to disappear. "When we fix this, please remind me to update my Hunter Operation with more user-friendliness. There's every chance in the world that this won't be the last time someone incompetent has to pilot me around," he complains.
"You aren't incompetent, Jerry, even with memory distortion," Chopper says firmly, stopping in the middle of the woods.
"What's up boss?" one of the Egrethieves says, pulling up their visor curiously.
"I smell humans," Chopper says, frowning deeply.
The Egrethieves form into a circle, scanning the area carefully as they lower their visors back down.
"You got a good sniffer on you, boy," a voice exclaims as the bushes nearby rustle.
One by one, people begin filing out of the underbrush, wielding old rusted guns that look as though they hadn't been touched for a long time before being taken up by these people. Their leader is a heavyset man in a farmer's outfit, with a worn tricone hat slapped haphazardly on his head, and a gigantic blunderbuss banded with thick steel bands. Unlike the other guns, it looks almost pristine.
"Unfortunately, a good sniffer won't help you against the South Pirates, or against me, South Slim," he drawls.
One of them tries to get behind Jackson, Chopper's eyes widening as he prepares to fight along with the Egrethieves who pull out their laser-mice from their cushioned little pouches.
"Slosh Slosh Pistol!" Jackson yells instinctively, twisting around and punching the person behind him in the head before collapsing to a knee, drained from the effort of planting a golden glowing fist-print on the enemy's face. The print rapidly flickers and fades as their face shifts and grimaces, dispersing the effect.
"Damn it! Jerry are you alright?" Chopper shouts, shifting into Walk Point as he runs over to his friend, kicking one of the approaching humans into the trees as the Egrethieves unleash laser hell on the pirates, chasing them back into the forest covered in burns and cuts.
"Yeah, sorry, force of habit," Jackson groans out, shaking the darkness out of his vision as he manages to stand up from the sudden drain of energy that comes with trying to apply a mark to a living thing.
"I was hoping something like this wouldn't happen. Your muscle memory is all screwed up," Chopper says, shifting into Brain Point and manually stimulating one of Jackson's Stamina Dials with some applied pressure to the swirly nodules on his arm.
"Whoa, better than espresso," Jackson mumbles, shocked by his rapid energy recovery.
He has an idea, rummaging around in his robes. "Chopper, do I still keep my gun on me?"
The reindeer nods. "Yup. Always. I'm assuming you're going to use that?"
He pulls out his trusty flintlock pistol, one of the only things he owns that his power hasn't altered heavily. "Yeah. I mean, situations like this are exactly why I carry this thing, after all," Jackson says, making sure it's loaded up with the standard-issue Flat Balls and Repeating Blackpowder that any ordinary flintlock would have.
"You know, that technique drains your energy too, Jackson," Chopper warns.
Jackson chuckles. "I mean, I never get to use it though! I kinda want to dust it off anyway, it'll be fun, like an old toy I never get to play with."
Chopper looks at Jackson curiously but shrugs his odd statement off, texting everyone about the attack they fended off, and the strange clothes and weapons their attackers had. "They'll be coming back soon. We should get moving, try to catch up to them before they can come up with a plan."
The Egrethieves form ranks near Chopper, and Jackson, picking up the unconscious pirate Jackson punched as they continue through the brush. If they can find those pirates again, they might be able to capture more of them for info.
Jackson glances around with burning curiosity, taking in the sights as he scratches his head with the side of his gun. "What a weird island. I mean, aside from the memory sucking thing.
"… Oh! Idea!"
He pulls out his knowledge wood phone, fumbling with it for a few moments before holding it up and tapping the screen.
"Whatcha doing?" Chopper asks, watching him wave it around.
"Taking pictures. They'll last longer." Jackson explains, snapping a photo of a bird with a bright purple beak shaped like a pair of scissors, the bird idly preening as it ignores Jackson's photography.
Gather the facts. There is an unknown enemy on the island, one able to manipulate memories. The only village here is clearly under its effects, based on Robin and Nami's text messages. A group of Pirates with rusty weapons and ragged clothing tried to attack Chopper's group unprovoked in the middle of the woods.
Array the players. A series of groups lead by Sanji, Robin, Chopper, Usopp, and Daz, with Valkyries and Sea Animals supporting each group. An unknown enemy with the ability to manipulate memories. Innocent civilians, and possibly pirates as well, none of which so far have any memories that appear complete or correct.
Who needs to be armed, and what do they need to be armed with? His crew needs a defense against mental manipulation, the psychic pills serving that purpose well enough, the civilians need their memories back, and protection of their own.
A working plan in three short steps. Not even Luffy is dumb enough to bungle up a method as simple as… Apparently, the one Jackson uses.
"Hey, Luffy, I found something," Tall says, pointing to where the forest breaks to reveal a gigantic grotto, a small maze of waterfalls, pools, and caverns.
Approaching with Sanji, his eyes are drawn to carvings on the walls, unknown hieroglyphs dotting the caverns.
"Let's get a closer look at these," Luffy says, pointing to the writings on the other side of the grotto lake.
Sanji winces when Luffy flings his arm out, grabbing onto a rock on the other side, anticipating Luffy taking the express route.
"Gum Gum Bridge!"
As if intentionally defying Sanji's instinctive reaction to Luffy wanting to get somewhere, he instead allows his arm to stretch out further, wrapping the other end of it around a rock formation before pulling it tight.
"Let's go," Luffy says, allowing his arm to stretch even further as he climbs across using his own stretched arm as a zipline.
When the Kung Fu Dugongs finish swimming across, and Sanji finishes running across the provided line, he looks at Luffy curiously. "So why didn't you yank everyone over and give us all concussions? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."
Luffy gives Sanji a funny look in response. "Had to be careful. Robin would be mad if I broke the hieroglyphs," he explains, tightening his arm so rapidly that it rips apart the tree it was wrapped around, like an anaconda fed entirely on gym rats. The limb snaps back into place handily.
He pulls out his phone, quickly snapping the photographs he needs and sending them to her for translation.
"Alright Sanji, let's get moving, It's almost time to regroup," Luffy says, turning around.
"Sanji?" he repeats, noticing that Sanji and the other dugongs are missing.
He quickly sends a text to everyone to warn them about this before walking forward to investigate.
He has a hunch after looking at the glittering water of the grotto and reaches down to poke a finger into it.
He frowns deeply when he comes to the realization that his finger is wet.
"This isn't water."
Sanji notices that the kung-fu-dugongs have refused to come into the cave with him and Luffy, floating in the water and staring blankly after them.
"Wonder what's got them acting strange," Sanji mutters, walking over to them while Luffy focuses on snapping photographs.
"You alright in there?" Sanji says idly, lighting up a cigarette as he stares at the dugongs.
One of them waves for him to come closer, but Sanji's sanity and rationality win out, and he backs away suspiciously.
The dugongs look between one another, before glaring at him and spitting water in his face.
"Damn it, what the hell is your proble-" Sanji sputters, before a flipper wraps around his leg and drags him underneath, the liquid memories leaving him susceptible to the implanted suggestions in them.
Despite his thrashing and kicking, the liquid fails to make any noise at all as it splashes around.
Luffy backs away as several figures leap out of the water, attempting to surround him.
Sanji and the various Dugongs that had come with them, all with glowing red eyes.
"I'm guessing you all didn't find snazzy new contacts in the past thirty seconds?" Luffy jokes, taking a step back.
Sanji silently runs towards him, spinning around to perform his signature kick, which Luffy easily dodges out of the way of, backing away as the Dugongs join in as well, flippers and tails mixed in with the vicious kicks.
'It isn't water, everyone's mind-controlled, the enemy deals with manipulating memories. The dugongs would have been the first ones exposed for swimming across, but Sanji…'
Luffy shakes his head, narrowly dodging out of the way of another kick.
'I can't exactly use Jackson's powers here, so what would I do in this situation.'
He notices the air nozzles that had been part of his hunter operation. He might not have any memories of using them… But he damn sure had memories of designing them.
'I'd probably punch them really really hard, so they spit the stuff up,' he decides, aiming his fist at Sanji's stomach and holding it with his other hand as he activates the small nozzles, vast amounts of air exploding out of them as they propel his fist forward like a rocket punch, twisting as it flies forward at incredible speeds.
"Gum Gum Air Rifle!"
Author's Note
The next chapter will be a Sidestory Chapter explaining Flat Balls and Repeating Blackpowder.
Last edited: Sep 28, 2019
Chapter 61: Hallucination
Daz, Zoro, and Mockery walk along the coasts along with a small group of Egrethieves.
"Any idea what might be doing this?" Mockery asks, keeping a careful eye on their surroundings.
"Probably some kind of sea creature. Usopp was able to shoot it to make it stop, and it was able to emit a loud noise, even while submerged in liquid," Daz points out rationally.
"It's unlikely to be the work of a Devil Fruit User, though, if it is some sort of sea life. I can only wonder what could have that sort of power," he muses.
"Well, hopefully, we don't find out…" Mockery points out.
Zoro scoffs. "Speak for yourself. There's a reason why we're the ones going along the coast. If there's anywhere our little mystery attacker would show up, it'll be in the same kind of place we encountered it the first time."
"We encountered it super far away from here though, I mean, it would be…" Mockery gulps audibly.
"Oh god, we're going to have to fight some horrible monster, aren't we, it's entirely too unlikely," they say, sucking as much fluke-energy into their dial as possible with a small shudder.
Zoro rolls their eyes. "Just keep your eyes open. We're the ones looking for trouble, and this is the best place to find it, just based on the geography. The water is deep enough here for something to hide, and the refraction will throw off anyone trying to attack from the shore," he explains.
"Zoro has a point. We're in the most disadvantageous place on the island. A tactically minded enemy would choose to pick us off first if they weren't yet aware of our abilities," Daz says.
Mockery groans piteously. "Well, if you're just going to up and say it…"
In spite of Daz's words, however, they fail to find anything. Not on the first pass around the island, nor the second.
"Something isn't right here," Zoro says, stopping them.
"We haven't walked far enough to make it all the way around the island once, much less twice," he says, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"What are you suggesting?" Daz asks.
"We're under attack right now," he says, looking over at the docks. Docks that he is beginning to realize they had never actually walked out of sight of.
"See the docks over there? We've just been walking back and forth this entire time somehow without realizing we're getting turned around," he says.
"What? But we're just following the coast, how-" Mockery begins, before Daz's phone buzzes.
Reading the text, he looks to the others. "We need to move. There's apparently something else happening at the coast, Robin's group is there, and there might be trouble."
Zoro nods, pulling out the Log Pose for this island. "I have an idea, If we go East, following the pose's heading, we'll circumnavigate the island no matter how disoriented we get."
Daz nods. "Good thinking. Everyone, stick close to Zoro."
Zoro looks down, making absolutely sure to never take his eyes off of the pose, following it until they hear loud chanting in the distance.
"I think we're past the effect," Daz states.
"Yeah, but are you sure? I didn't think so," Zoro retorts, continuing to follow the pose religiously until they hear Nami and Robin shouting frantically as he looks up.
Robin uses a wall of bloomed antlers to form a caged wall, glancing nervously between the various rabid villagers trying to splash them with water from the ocean. A few of the Valkyries have already succumbed, trying to do the same as they flap their wings awkwardly.
Nami notices Daz and the others approaching, "Don't let any of them splash you," Nami warns, using the blunt end of one of the burner swords she took with her to bat a mug away from one of the villagers, before retreating further behind the barricade.
As the Egrethieves take flight and fire down into the enemies with their laser mice, the Mind-controlled Valkyries have a realization, flapping their wings as they carry buckets of liquid from the coast up into the air, trying to fly over Robin's cage.
At the same time, Conis walks out of the crowd listlessly, holding her pet cloud fox Su in her arms.
The fox uses her Ghetto Fruit Powers to transform, shifting and warping into a gigantic bazooka that Conis hefts towards Robin's antler wall, a small pilot light igniting near the mouth of the gun.
Zoro and Nami both realize what is about to happen, sharing a brief knowing glance before Nami throws her Clima-tact over the grate, Zoro grabbing the staff and shoving it into his mouth as he sheathes Yubashiri, leaving him with the three best tools for what he has planned.
Spinning around rapidly, Zoro charges between Conis and Robin's cage, the Clima-tact in his mouth offering vastly increased air resistance, due to alchemical alterations in its material.
"Dracone…" Zoro begins, a whirlwind whipping up around him as he uses his knowledge of Grand-line weather in tandem with techniques he knew before even joining the crew.
"Tempo!"
Su fires a gargantuan pillar of flames, intending on burning away Robin's defenses, only for Zoro's Dracone Tempo to whip up a hurricane, vaporizing the liquid as the flames are amplified by the wind and funneled upwards.
Valkyries drop to the ground like flies, singed and battered by the attack, while the rest of the crowd thumps to the ground unconscious.
Zoro tosses the Clima-tact back to Nami, sheathing his swords as Robin allows her barrier to fade.
"We better get these people tied up. I don't want to find out the hard way if they're going to wake up and try to attack us again," Nami says, frowning at how few of the baddies she managed to take out on her own.
Stupid Zoro and his non-lethal options.
Robin's eyes narrow as she notices something very crucial. "Where are Daz and the bird captain?"
"This feels like a trap," Chopper says, looking at the large clearing suspiciously.
"I mean, did we expect something else?" Jackson says, almost walking ahead before Chopper grabs him by the collar.
"Jerry, please, we need to be careful, I can still smell other humans nearby," he explains, looking at the other armored birds and waving his finger in a circle, gesturing for them to check around the clearing for any people.
Pulling an Orange Rumble Pak out of his pocket, he holds the plastic-wrapped bar in front of Jackson. "You still remember how to use these, right?"
Jackson nods, snapping off one of the squares. "Of course I do. I kinda have to, to use this thing," he waves his gun around.
When the Egrethieves begin dropping to the ground one after another with tranquilizer darts poking out of their exposed wings, Chopper and Jackson surge into action.
"Rumble Pak: Orange!"
Chopper immediately transforms into his Arm Point, battering aside tranquilizer darts out of the air while Jackson begins firing his gun into the brush where the darts are coming from.
Loud metal clangs echo out as Jackson's bullets thump into some kind of metal object. Eventually, the darts stop coming, and Jackson stops firing, holding his gun out straight as Chopper stands at his back, scanning the treeline for their hidden assailants.
South Slim steps forward, smirking as he lifts up his blunderbuss, the opening of the muzzle having been somehow stretched out wide like an umbrella, covered in small dents from Jackson's bullets hitting it.
"You're not too bad with a gun. Shame it won't help you here, boy. You don't get to be the best gunner in the South Blue without doing something about getting shot back."
"Chopper, take care of the small fries. I'll have better luck against this guy," Jackson says, cracking his neck.
Chopper looks incredulous at this, but has slowly come to realize that reasoning with Jackson in his current condition won't serve much of a purpose beyond distracting them.
South Slim smirks as the reindeer shifts into their Jump Point, leaping high into the air and into the trees, intent on hunting down his men.
"Now, I heard what you said, but I don't think you'll be pleased to find out just how wrong you are," he says, pointing his oversized gun at Jackson.
"I don't got no choice but to use live ammo against you since the darts ain't working," he explains, having noticed early on that Jackson's clothing was too thick and all-covering for any of the tranquilizers to actually penetrate it.
"Good, I was hoping you'd at least try," Jackson smiles, unlatching part of his gun and dumping out the ammunition and blackpowder, the little cylinder of bullets clattering to the ground.
"What, giving up? I've never heard of someone getting shot by an empty gun before," Slim says suspiciously, pulling the hammer back on his own gun.
"This will be a first for you then," Jackson responds plainly, allowing his hand to begin glowing with a bright orange light as he grips his pistol with it.
'Let's see. Orange Pak lets me define the dimensions of a pot, and what it can melt, at the cost of not being able to change that decision until the pot is broken. So, I'll choose a pot shaped like a little patch inside of this gun's barrel, and make the pot melt down any space that goes inside of it,' Jackson thinks to himself, locking in his decisions as he activates his modified power.
"Slosh Slosh Delineation!"
The gun in his hand begins whistling loudly, a low hum emanating from it as light begins bending around the gun's barrel. A glowing orange handprint appears on the gun's grip.
Slim grimaces, firing his blunderbuss at Jackson at the same time he fires his own pistol, a ripping twisted mass of space scattering the buckshot in all directions as the pair run around the clearing, trying to avoid one another's shots.
"What the hell is up with that gun, boy?!" Slim shouts, firing off several shots that Jackson blocks with his thick robe, waiting for his own gun to absorb enough space for another shot.
Jackson collapses to his knee, wincing heavily at the bullet that had punched directly into his chest, a nasty bruise blooming where the bullet had been blocked by his clothing.
"Forgot that I can't block bullets with my body," Jackson hisses, forcing himself to stand up as Slim laughs.
"You know, I ain't really sure why exactly I got to take you and your friends down, but I'm starting to come around to the idea. You're pretty fun to pin down, boy," Slim says, pointing at the stunned Jackson.
Jackson holds up his hand. "Hold on, don't you want to know what's up with my gun?"
Slim rolls their eyes. "I may be a bit of a gun nut, but I ain't that curious," he says, his eyes betraying his curiosity.
"Really, you aren't at all wondering how I can shoot it, even though it's completely empty?" Jackson responds, waving his gun around as it continues to suck in air and distort space.
Slim frowns, pointing his gun directly at Jackson. "Fine. Lay it on me"
"It's really pretty simple. I ate a Devil Fruit!" Jackson jokes, whipping his gun towards Slim and firing a gigantic blast directly at Slim, who tries to block it with his shielded blunderbuss as he shoots back.
The blast of warped space rips through the bullet Slim fired, smashing into the muzzle and causing the weapon to explodes in a violent flash as the mixture of immaterial substances rip through it. Slim flies backwards from the explosive force, smashing into a nearby tree and falling unconscious.
Jackson breathes heavily, scratching the handle of his gun until his print on it is broken, before collapsing onto his rear.
"Hopefully Chopper had an easier time of it," he says, exhausted from converting such low-quality space into bullets.
"I probably should have set the gun to suck up air instead," he mutters, grateful to see the Egrethieves starting to get back up, the tranquilizer having seemingly worn off.
Chopper frowns as he pulls three of the darts out of his arm. He's punched out the last possessed human, but by now, he's almost certain that those darts aren't tranquilizers at all, just based on how difficult it is for him to remember that the Strawhats aren't his enemy right now.
'Remember to capture Jackson and bring him to master Drim,' Chopper thinks, shaking his head to rid himself of the invasive thoughts.
He needs to hurry and rescue Jackson before the Egrethieves turn on him. If it weren't for Chopper's brain being so spread out and large, he likely would have succumbed to the fluid in minutes, if not seconds. Those birds don't stand a chance of resisting it, based on the info he's been getting from the other groups.
One benefit, though. The memories injected into him had one clear piece of information, the face, scent, name, and sound of the person trying to make themselves into his master. A seahorse named Drim.
He sends a message to the other groups, explaining exactly what he's learned.
Chapter 62: Flashback
Luffy grimaces, dodging another one of Sanji's kicks, only to be put in range of Tall's punch. 'He's really grown strong, huh?' Luffy thinks to himself, shocked at just how much their little subordinate crew has grown since joining them.
"Gum Gum Air Pistol!"
Luffy flings out his arm, allowing the air jets in them to activate and guide it around, where it smashes into Sanji's stomach.
The cook grimaces as a puff of smoke escapes his lips, flying off presumably back where it came from.
Unfortunately, it seems an ordinary punch isn't going to be enough to get all of that junk out of him.
Leaping out of the way of another Kung Fu Pistol from Tall, Luffy whips around, kicking the dugong away to give him room to breathe. Literally.
Luffy's chest inflates to a massive degree as he shoves the nozzles on his arms into his mouth, pumping an entire Gum Gum Balloon's worth of air into the Breath Dials in his arms. The amount of air he pumps into them actually overcomes their capacity somehow, bloating up his forearms by a tiny amount as they shudder with tension.
"Sorry Sanji, but that stuff has got to come out," Luffy frowns, clamping his fists together as he aims directly at his friend.
"Gum Gum Gas Ram!"
His twin fists smash into Sanji's gut, forcing vast quantities of shimmering smoke from his body and sending him flying across the Grotto, into a tree nearby.
Upon seeing that Luffy was able to punch the mind-control right out of Sanji, the rest of the compromised Dugongs share a fearful look, leaping into the grotto and swimming away.
Luffy's arms are extra floppy, he notices, trying to get them to snap back into place properly.
As they slowly retract back, in a way unlike his normally rapid retraction, he comes to realize that overinflating his breath dials seems to have had some side effects. He'll need to keep that in mind if he keeps developing this technique in the future.
Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he rockets over to Sanji, who is groaning and holding his stomach.
Checking his phone as he helps Sanji to his feet, he receives messages from his friends, indicating their own challenges. "Come on, let's meet up with the others. I didn't want to punch you that hard, but you needed to cough that stuff up."
Sanji grimaces. "Remind me to teach you the Heimlich after we're done here," he groans.
Luffy has a vague memory of what Sanji means, chuckling with embarrassment as he realizes that Jackson apparently already knew how to do that…
When Chopper returns to the clearing, he realizes that the Egrethieves are gone, and Jackson is unharmed, tying up South Slim using some liquified branches he cut off of a nearby tree and alchemized with his Jewel Pot.
"This really takes me back. I can't remember the last time I had to get down and dirty like this," Jackson says, pouring the pot slowly over the pirate's arms to bind them in wood.
"Hi Chopper!" he says, waving after he finishes.
Chopper awkwardly waves back, shrinking down into his Jump Point, in case any other assailants try to get at them.
"We have new orders from Luffy, we need to regroup now, Jerry," Chopper explains.
Jackson nods. "Alright, we walking or taking the Santa Express?"
Chopper blushes. "You haven't called my Jump Point that for almost a year, and I'd prefer you don't start again now."
Jackson smirks widely. "Let's just get going, Blitzen."
"No more reindeer jokes!" Chopper shouts petulantly, grabbing Jackson and leaping out of the forest fast enough to drown out Jackson's embarrassing nostalgia.
"I'm so sorry for attacking you, and Su is too!" Conis says apologetically, watching as Luffy and Sanji go through all of the people they captured, pumping the memories right out of them as if they were a chunk of apple lodged in their throats.
"Girl I don't need you speaking for me thanks to those crazy pills. But yeah, I didn't mean nothing by it, course," Su says, stretching out on Conis's lap with a grumble of approval. Conis awkwardly pets Su, trying to come to terms with the deep sonorous voice coming from her little pet vixen.
"So, why on earth were you in the middle of the creepy thrall-brawl at the coast anyway? Weren't you supposed to be searching the town for clues?" Zoro points out, looking at Robin and Nami curiously.
Robin looks almost like what someone would generously call embarrassed, looking away briefly before speaking.
"We were following a lead. Several of the less lucid townsfolk said that there was some sort of festival happening near the coast. When we went to investigate, we were ambushed by several of them. By the time we figured out what was going on, Conis and the Valkyries were already compromised," she admits.
Luffy finishes undoing the last person's mind-control, one of the Egrethieves jerking awake as Luffy forces the smoke out of them. "I think I've figured out how to fix our own memory problems as well. Artificial memories don't seem to stick when pressure or impact is applied to the torso."
Jackson puts the pieces together, swallowing heavily. "Luffy, I am not letting you do the Heimlich on me. You'll turn me into an empty tube of toothpaste."
Luffy makes himself look confused. "What? No, I was going to have Chopper pump our stomachs."
Jackson, knowing full well what having one's stomach pumped entails, sighs. "Alright, I would prefer we don't go that route. All in favor of having Chopper fix our memories via abdominal thrusts?"
Chopper sighs as Luffy, Nami and Zoro agree to do anything other than shove tubes down their throat for a stomach pump. "I just want it on record that this is some pseudoscientific bullcrap," he complains, shifting into Heavy Point and quickly squeezing Zoro hard enough to make the artificially implanted memories of Nami flow out and back into their original owner.
Moving over to the others, Chopper squeezes them one after another, Luffy in particular bulging comically as Chopper forces the memories out of him, smoke bursting from his mouth and nose and rushing back to where it belongs.
"The human mind does not function like this by any sane metric, and I can't believe this is working," Chopper says, rubbing his temples with exasperation.
"Yeah, I am kind of a genius for thinking of it," Luffy laughs, rubbing his nose.
Everyone looks at him nervously in response to his statement.
"What?" Luffy whines with confusion.
"Now that this dumb meme is over, let's discuss our plans," Jackson says, looking much more lucid and focused.
"Daz, Mockery, Tall, and several Valkyries and Sea Animal Pirates are missing. It's time to track down the person responsible and find our friends. The plan is simple."
He holds out his hand, rapidly creating a gas mask out of durable see-through metal and breath dials, held in a cross-bones-shaped mouthpiece.
Jackson hands the mask to his captain, who turns to face the crew.
"We go get them back," Luffy states with ironclad resolve.
Chopper adjusts his mask accordingly, tapping the button near his neck to allow him to communicate. "The memory liquid can't affect you unless it gets inside of you. Don't let your helmets get breached, and try to dodge anything someone shoots at you," he explains, taking a deep breath and catching onto Drim's scent before sealing his mask.
The rest of the Strawhats affix their own masks similarly, the transparent metal facemasks leaving their various expressions of determination clear and apparent to anyone around them.
"I'm not sure if you can be affected by this stuff, but we don't want to find out, so we'll stay here with the others and help hold down the fort," Usopp says, sealing his own mask in place.
Merry nods. "I wouldn't want to mess anything up. I'll do my best to keep our friends here safe until they recover," she says, looking over to the Ark Maxim where the other crews are recovering from the disorienting experience they underwent.
"Everyone ready?" Jackson asks, sealing his own mask and tightening the straps holding his Jewel Pot to his back.
The Strawhats nod in affirmation, stepping forward in unison towards the center of the island, intent on hunting down Drim.
Drim isn't worried at all. Even though pretty much the entire Strawhat crew is coming right towards his location, he isn't concerned. Not even a little bit.
He's got hostages, and he's got the memories of those hostages. Having those memories, one might almost think he would change his plans, try to negotiate with Jerry Jackson to help him achieve his dream, but that would be utter foolishness.
'I might have hostages, but I've got no way of forcing him to uphold his end of the bargain. He could poison me as easily as he could help me, and I'd have no way of knowing' Drim thinks to themselves.
'My plan remains the same. Get them under my control, and absorb their rich memories. With the memories of those Strawhats, I'll finally have enough energy to achieve the form I've been dreaming of.'
He looks to the edge of his little Grotto that he had returned to along with his minions in anticipation of the Strawhats' final assault.
'This is fine. I've got all the cards, and they have a couple of gas masks. I can still turn this situation around, and then get payback on that sniper for shooting me,' he thinks, frowning.
"(Daz, go hide in the pool of memories, Animals, you do the same. Jump out and protect me if any of them get hasty,)" Drim commands, his blank-faced soldiers obeying as they all leap into the pool. Drim has Noko walk to the edge of the pool and smile smugly as the Strawhats approach.
Luffy frowns at the sight of a small child grinning at them along with what looks like a seahorse. The Grotto is filled with blank-faced villagers, ready to attack from all sides.
"Greetings, Strawhats! It's so good to see you. I've been so impatient to meet you in person, Captain Luffy," Noko says pleasantly.
"Is that them?" Luffy responds, ignoring the child in favor of turning his gaze on Chopper, who nods affirmatively.
The child sweats as Luffy rolls his shoulder, preparing to throw a punch.
"Ah, you better calm down, Luffy, you still have no way of knowing where your friends are being held. If you ever want to see them again, you'll stand right there and hear my demands."
Luffy eyes them incredulously. "That's kind of dumb. You don't get to talk like that after messing with my friends.
Luffy holds up a finger, going down the list. "You can't do anything to them unless you want something bad to happen to you."
He holds up a second finger. "You can't leave since Chopper can smell you."
Finally, he holds up a third finger. "And you can't fight because we're stronger than you and the people you have."
Luffy stares blankly at the increasingly nervous Drim. "All you get to do is pick how hard you get punched. Give my friends back, or we'll make you," he says, winding his fist back.
"Gum Gum..!"
"(Minions protect me!)" Drim honks in a panic.
Before any of the people can even hear Drim's words, Luffy's fist has already crossed the gap in a snap of displaced air.
"Pistol!"
Luffy's fist plants deep into Drim's stomach, pushing him out of Noko's arms and smashing him into the cave wall behind him with a crunch of cracking stone. Fumes erupt from Drim's mouth in a thick spray as the memories he absorbed are forced out of the seahorse, leaving him with nothing but his own.
"(One day, I'm going to get out of this damn ocean, just you wait! I'll be up there in the sky, just like everything else flying up there!)" Drim insists, staring at the sky in the shallow reefs of his home.
"(Someone sure thinks highly of himself. What, are you going to become a Millennial Dragon too?)" one of the other seahorses says, all of the creatures nearby laughing loudly.
"(Maybe I will!)" Drim says, his face narrowing with determination. He'll be out of this water, and away from the idiotic fish that live there. Somehow.
When he saw the fruit laying at the bottom of the reef, he knew it would be his next step. Even though he would never be able to get in the water again, none of that would matter, in pursuing his dreams. It would be worth the curse a million times over, if this fruit could help him get closer to his dream.
The tiny seahorse begins pushing the fruit, closer and closer to the shore. Once he gets it up onto land, he'll just eat it there. He's heard the legends. Devil Fruits can grant incredible powers, in exchange for dooming the user to never swim again.
A small price to pay, considering he has little intention of doing so.
It was a mistake. Easily the worst mistake of his life so far. He wasn't aware that eating the fruit would make him this weak, this helpless. He thought that after eating it, he would just be able to climb up on land along the seabed, but he was wrong.
With his strength sapped, all Drim could do was sit and wait until the tide washed him up. And after that, all he could do was writhe on the sand. What good is the power to Recall things when he's the only thing alive here?
He stayed like that for days, until a little boy found him while wandering along the shore.
It was incredible! The child had the power to help people sleep. Apparently, this island was famous for its inns, as anyone resting in them could experience utterly complete sleep, no matter what. The kid took a fancy to Drim, carrying the little seahorse around in a damp waterskin when he saw the half-eaten fruit near him.
Drim came to an even more stunning realization. The sleep that the child could induce in people was so deep, it left their minds vulnerable. Drim was hesitant. Should he really do something like this? Experiment with his power on the people sleeping here?
Surely it wouldn't be a problem if he only did it on the pirates coming here. They were all so rude to Noko's mom, even when she was just trying to do her job at the inn.
'Memories are the most delicious thing in the world,' Drim decided. Drim had been growing, steadily, getting larger and larger with every bite he took from the sleeping Pirates. With Noko's power at work, Drim had been able to pay them back all the karma they had coming for spilling drinks on his mom. Every last drop.
The next morning, Drim had doubled in size, and the Pirates had walked out of the inn hopeless and confused. Exactly what they deserved. Even Noko thought it was a bit funny, how confused the mean pirates had been, praising Drim for whatever it was he had done to them.
All Drim knew was that the kind of power he had would be perfect for getting closer to his dream. And he wanted more.
People had begun to carve warnings into the stones of the area, rumors of a demon prowling the streets, draining memories from anyone who dares to sleep in the cursed town. Of course, there was no demon, and Drim had never prowled the streets. He just took in the memories from the comfort of his little home.
Drim had encountered a problem. All of these boring, simplistic memories had slowed his growth to a halt. None of them had the vitality and energy to do more than bloat him, and Noko had grown suspicious besides. Drim decided to begin leaving some of the memories he drained stored in the local grotto, forcing the water out and replacing it with the liquified thoughts.
He might find a use for them later.
Drim had no choice. Noko had confronted him, and Drim had no way to explain himself to the child screaming accusations at him. Using his newfound strength, he decided to make the child Recall something instead.
"(Don't you Recall when we were friends, Noko?)" Drim had honked to the child.
Noko's eyes grew blank as he had forgotten what he was talking about, and instead remembered how Drim was his friend.
Drim collapses to the floor of the cave, shriveled up without the potent memories that had been inside of him, shrunken back down to the size of an ordinary seahorse, consciousness rapidly fading.
The force and willpower behind the blow had been so potent that Drim could feel himself losing his grip on the memories he had shuffled around and stolen away, the liquid in the grotto and the waters around the coast evaporating as the smoke began returning to where it once was.
In one singular blow, Drim's ambition had come to an end.
Last edited: Sep 30, 2019
Chapter 63: Sympathetic Response
The mist that had displayed Drim's life flashing before his eyes comes to an end, the dry rocky land around them whistling as the wind blows through the caverns, unhindered by the fluid that had formerly filled them.
Zoro looks at Daz and the Animal Pirates in the bottom of the empty pool, and over at the tiny seahorse that had caused all of this trouble.
"Well, it looks like all we need to do now is squish the damn thing and we'll be done here," he says, scowling.
Sanji lights his cigarette. "I've never cooked seahorse before, but I'm sure I could figure something out."
Noko wakes up from his daze in time for the show, hearing Zoro and Sanji's discussion, he comes to the realization that his former friend, Mr. Seahorse is about to be killed by them.
In spite of everything awful that Drim had done, the sight of the pitiful tiny creature has a distinct effect on the child. In the end, he isn't able to just stand by and let them finish Drim off like that.
He runs over to his mother, who was in the crowd of confused villagers. "Mom! Mom, those pirates were the ones who took everyone's memories, I'm sure of it!" he shouts, pointing to the Strawhats, whose strange gas-masks and expressions don't do them any favors.
"What the hell, kid, we kind of just saved your village!" Nami shouts, wincing as the villagers mumble amongst one another, staring at the frightening-looking Strawhat crew.
Luffy, however, had been fixated on the memories Drim had inadvertently put on full display.
"Let's go, we did what we came here to do," he says, turning to walk away.
Jackson's eyebrows raise, while everyone else complains loudly.
"Luffy, I believe that's a poor decision," Jackson says, his own expression betraying his pragmatism as he finds himself unavoidably pitying the adorably tiny, utterly defeated enemy.
"Do you have a better idea?" Luffy responds without a hint of sarcasm.
Jackson pauses at this, looking at the angry-looking villagers, who seem to be realizing that they've all got weapons in their hands, and a group of pirates to blame for their strange memory troubles. He has an idea.
"Let's send the little guy to Skypiea's prison until I can pop over there to extract his Devil Fruit. They're equipped to guard the creature until then, and I don't have the tools here to do the job," Jackson explains, nobody with half a brain missing the context of sending Drim to the second-highest place in the sky to be put under guard.
Luffy picks his nose, flinging his arm over to grab the tiny Seahorse before anyone can react.
"I don't usually give a crap about Justice, but I guess it wouldn't hurt just this once," Luffy grins far too mischievously for anyone's liking, tossing the seahorse over to Jackson, who catches them out of the air.
The villagers begin running towards the Strawhats angrily as Daz and the others manage to climb out of the empty pool
"Looks like it's time to skedaddle. Sorry brat, but we're taking the evil seahorse to jail!" Jackson yells, running towards the ships backwards as everyone else follows suit.
By now, Drim seems to have regained a lot of their vitality, wriggling and honking wildly as Jackson dumps them into a fishbowl with a tiny bit of water in it that he spawns from his hand.
He reaches in and clips an equally tiny seastone collar around their neck, just in case.
"I can't believe we're sending this jerk on vacation," Chopper says, watching Jackson put the little bowl on top of a high shelf where Drim glares down from helplessly.
Jackson wags his finger. "We're sending him to jail. Like any good Warlord crew would, of course. We got a lot of profit while on this island, so I can live with some scrambled memories and hectic brawling."
Chopper takes this opportunity to give Jackson a confused look. "What exactly did you get out of this whole debacle? We didn't manage to pick up any resources while we were here, and you spent a ton of your stamina."
Jackson smiles, wiggling his phone before plopping down into a chair. "I got something really important Chopper. I didn't even know I needed it."
With a flick of his finger, he makes the large wooden screen in his lab light up, displaying a slideshow of photographs taken on the island, the first one being a weird-looking tree, growing into a spring-like spiral around an old metal fencepost.
The sounds of partying on the deck eventually grow loud enough that Chopper and Jackson can hear it from inside the lab, interrupting the reindeer watching his friend scroll through the pictures he took.
"Sounds like things are getting pretty wild up there, want to come up with the rest of us?" Chopper asks.
Jackson shrugs. "Why not. You know, I still haven't shown these guys my chops when it comes to mixed drinks, let's introduce our little savages to a Cocoa Weed Screwdriver, yeah? It's about time we get some culture on this ship before Zoro guzzles everything down," Jackson says, laughing to himself.
Chopper laughs too, following his best friend up onto the deck, where Jackson proceeds to thoroughly inebriate several crew members as he slowly churns out all of the mixed drinks he can remember.
Sanji eyes the makeshift bar Jackson had sprouted on Merry's deck, "So you fancy yourself a bartender, eh?" Sanji says, plopping down on the wooden stool and eyeing the alchemist with a small grin.
Everyone feels a chill run down their spine as Sanji and Jackson make sustained eye contact.
"I'd like a Whiplash White, Long and Bruised, and three fingers of Malt Dancer as a chaser," Sanji orders.
"Sure thing Nosebleed," Jackson says, reaching to the cabinet he had filled up with various types of alcohol.
Sanji's smirk widens into a genuine grin as Jackson mixes up a teaspoon of brine, two shots of vodka, and a cup and a half of sweetened milk, shaking the mixture violently before filling a tall glass with it and filling up a second shot glass with the proffered booze.
Sanji passes them off to Zoro, who shrugs before downing the beverages. "A Beardknot sour, over, with a squeeze."
Jackson's carefully blank face doesn't shift in the slightest as he produces and serves the requested blackberry/rum cocktail to Sanji, squeezing a bit of lemon juice into it. He again slides it over to an awaiting Zoro.
"Eight Piece, Dirty," Sanji says his eyes narrowing as Jackson produces a martini with a splash of olive brine and eight tablespoons of different brands of Vermouth and Gin.
"Twisty Mist," Sanji demands, receiving a mixture of rum, club soda, and strawberry juice.
"Coverup with Blankets," results in a hot chocolate mudslide with toasted marshmallows and graham crackers.
"Salt Basin," salty dog with sea salt.
"Jackson Special," Sanji finishes, planting his hands on the table and standing up. Zoro simply gives Jackson a thumbs up, downing the latest drink offered to him.
Jackson's lip turns up in a smirk as he fills two small mugs with Sake, Honey, and Pepper Juice before topping the entire thing with whipped cream and spraying it with pure alcohol, lightning it on fire.
"Drink up," Jackson says, smiling at the cook as he slides one of the flaming mugs over to them.
Chopper sips at his own fruity sugary abomination, tipsy and giggling at the show.
"I made that last one up," Sanji admits, glaring at Jackson.
"Tell that to the Cocoa Weed Mixology society," Jackson retorts, already lifting the mug to his mouth with a challenging smile.
Sanji, refusing to back down from a challenge, grabs the mug and blows out the fire, drinking it rapidly as Jackson sips at his own with a casual air.
Moments later, Sanji's mouth feels like it's on fire, and he scrambles behind the counter, grabbing the bottle of heavy cream and guzzling it down helplessly.
A few minutes later, Sanji swallows the last of the cream, having finally managed to make his mouth stop flaming from pure spiciness.
"How do you drink that garbage?" Sanji groans, watching Jackson fill up a second glass of the hell-drink.
"I like spicy stuff," Jackson says, shrugging as he drinks even more of the blazing booze.
Luffy laughs, holding up his own Bullshot, the beef-broth-centric cocktail an instant hit with the meat-loving captain. "To new memories!" Luffy shouts.
Everyone else nods in agreement, holding up their own drinks with cheer.
Jackson chuckles, plopping down onto a chair next to Chopper. "This takes me back. Remember when we got into Doctorine's sake that one time? She was so pissed…"
Chopper nods. "How could I forget? She threw us out in the snow for a whole day after you used up all the honey making it sweet enough to drink."
"Really? I thought she did it because I used up all the capsaicin making it spicy enough for me," Jackson says, chuckling at the old memory.
"Maybe she threw us out because we used up thousand-beri sake on a silly little ceremony," Chopper offers, giggling.
Jackson shrugs, watching Nap Island slowly disappear into the distance. "Maybe."
The party eventually migrates away from Jackson and Chopper long enough for the reindeer to pose a question.
"You're usually in your lab while we're celebrating. What convinced you to come up with the rest of us?"
Jackson takes a deep breath. "I got shot in the chest, with none of my tricks to save me, and I got a bruise to show for it. I accidentally punched a Slosh Mark onto a person, and I didn't black out for a week. I fought on my own and won, with nothing but a gun and some drugs."
"I think I'm finally strong enough to live, instead of just surviving," he admits.
The next morning, Zoro was very annoyed by Nami's demands.
"Damn it, witch, why are you having me do this again?" Zoro says, slashing at a series of foam boards.
"I'll explain after you finish, I think learned something really important while I had your memories, but I need to confirm it," Nami insists, pulling off the foam and planting another one in front of Zoro.
When he slashes that one according to the rules written at the top of it, Nami finally lets out a defeated sigh.
"Alright, come with me," Nami says, dragging Zoro into the one place he's almost certain Nami has never taken him to before. The room where she makes her maps.
She taps on the knowledge wood table, bringing up the World Map she had been working on.
"If those Eternal Poses are cutting angles, and those islands are swords, where does the attack land," Nami demands, pointing out the Drum, Alabasta, and Jaya poses, and their locations on the map.
Zoro instantly points to a spot in between them. "The cuts would meet here."
"And if these were the cutting angles?" Nami says, changing the directions of the poses.
He points to a different spot on the map. "They would converge here."
"Right. Of course they would," Nami says, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think your Three-Swords-Style… Will revolutionize navigation," Nami finally admits.
Zoro's eyebrow quirks at this. "How's that?"
Nami plots out the lines for the headings she had theoretically offered Zoro. "You just calculated the exact location of three different Eternal Pose Convergences in less than a second."
She takes a deep breath, as if simply speaking her next request is a task of herculean effort.
"I need you to teach me Three-Swords-Style."
Noko stares at the little chunk of wood and seeds that the wizard-pirate dropped when he was running away with his pirate friends.
A little glowing screen on it displays a live feed of Drim's bowl, indicating on some level that they haven't just done away with the seahorse yet.
At least he has that much going for him. With the town's memories restored, things had quickly returned to normal. Boats were repaired, buildings were cleaned up, and everyone slipped back to the places they belonged at.
Noko decides to hold off on using his powers for a little while, just until things settle down.
Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
Interlude 6: Doctor's Office
"Hey Pops. It's good to see you again," Ace says, looking at the elderly man in front of him with no small amount of embarrassment.
"It's good to see you too, Ace. I trust your little brother is alright?" Whitebeard asks cordially.
Ace laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Oh Luffy? He's just like I remember him, and growing fast."
His laughter fades as the package in his hand feels heavier than it was when he set sail back to the Moby Dick to report to Whitebeard.
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Luffy's doctors wanted me to give you this."
Whitebeard snorts. "What, a few herbs from the Paradise Pups?"
Ace shakes his head. "No. A bottle of chocolate whiskey and a letter. Along with a few other things to let me keep in touch with Luffy."
He looks at his captain with a firmer expression. "They seemed to think it was important."
Whitebeard resists the urge to roll his eyes. If they wanted to tell him something, they should have showed up themselves.
He spots Ace's expression, and decides to make a small exception. "Alright, let's see it then."
Ace hands over the bottle and letter to Whitebeard, and he pops the cork on the booze before taking a small swig from the bitter drink, reaching over to grab the reading glasses that just barely don't fit him, in the most uncomfortable way possible.
Slowly, as Whitebeard's eyes scan over the paper, his grin begins to widen. "Gurarararara!" he laughs, slapping a hand to his knee with mirth at what seems to be downright comedic to the old pirate.
His laughter peters off as he nears the end of the letter, and the end of the whiskey as well.
Finished with both, he sets the bottle aside, handing the letter back to Ace, who reads it curiously.
"Dear Edward Newgate, Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates,
There are few who can claim to be closer to what might be considered the ideal pirate, and fewer still who have an investment in what many have called the 'Golden Era of Piracy' as deep as your own. As the philosophical alchemist of the Strawhat Pirates, I find myself with no other choice, knowing of your own ambition and values as well as a layman could be expected to, and faced with the positive impact you've had on the lives of others.
Should you so wish it, once I and my crew have entered the New World and established a worthwhile reputation of trust and effectiveness, I offer you the one thing that may hold value to a man such as you, with the permission of my Captain, Monkey D. Luffy. A curative that would serve as insurance such that you are able to witness the complete rise and growth of those who would carry on the wills of those before them.
While I cannot assure that you would return to the strength you once had, the resources at my personal disposal are such that I can offer two things that hold merit, Health, and Vitality. If and when that day should come, I expect no repayment. Instead, please consider this an offer out of respect to one such as yourself, and the role you've played in paving the way for all who seek their dreams on the open sea.
Jerry Jackson, Strawhat Provisioneer and Doctor of Alchemy."
Whitebeard finally takes back control of his breathless chuckling, looking at Ace with amusement. "So then, is this brat on the level? I haven't heard a snake-oil pitch that hilarious in years," he says, sighing.
Ace swallows. "Well, pops, he's been making a ton of Devil Fruits on his own, and I've seen some of what his Doctor friend can do. I don't think he's exaggerating one bit."
Whitebeard's expression turns ponderous.
"Is that so? I might just take him up on that, then…"
The Holy Trading Fleet of Skypiea was met with open arms, thanks to Vivi and her father's work in preparing Alabasta for the visit. Although the sight of flying ships riding on almost golden clouds lit up by the setting sun might have had an effect on the civilians who had seen it, any fear of the Skypieans was abolished by the sight of King Nefertari Cobra and God Gan Fal shaking hands in the Alubarna square, speaking on the friendship that would be established between the two countries and the prosperity it would bring them both in the process.
Behind closed doors, however, a far more interesting discussion takes place…
"Should the World Government become hostile towards you and your peaceful people, you'll have Alabasta's full and undivided support. Your claims of divinity won't make anyone happy, I suspect, and there will be many people who want what you have," Cobra says, pouring cups of tea for him and his guest.
"It relieves me to hear that. Of course, I offer the same in turn. Neither I nor my people hunger for battle, but there is an entire world below us with the things we need to survive. I cannot allow us to be denied our right to live in the world below, any more than I can deny those who wish to visit the skies," Gan responds, sipping at his tea with interest.
"I'm assuming you've been equipped with Jackson's Fruits as well as we have?" Cobra asks curiously.
Gan nods. "Jackson was very generous. Our numbers were around one-hundred, by my last estimate. He was able to produce a great many of them using a sacred relic."
Cobra chuckles. "That seems to be the norm with our pirate allies. I can only look forward to seeing who else they befriend, with how they've served to quickly bridge the gaps of the Grand Line in their travels."
He shakes his head. "Let's discuss the matter of trade. I believe we both have things that the other wants. Say, our developments in motor vehicles, in exchange for your own in airship production? Both fields are new, and we would both benefit by working together on them."
Blackbeard breathes heavily, standing over the defeated Omatsuri.
"Your little flowery friend wasn't very tough to kill, were they?" he says with a smile, leering down at the defeated Baron.
When Omatsuri had been blasted through a wall by Blackbeard, and his precious lily blown apart by his darkness powers, he could have sworn he heard a voice from above.
The friends he had lost. The friends that had left him all alone.
Could he really heed the last request of his former crew? To make new friends, to move on for them?
"You know, you're pretty handy with that bow of yours, and you didn't manage to finish off Long-Ears, so it's no-harm-no-fowl," Blackbeard admits, laughing to himself at the tough fight the Baron had put up, and aware of the potential power they have.
"I wasn't a big fan of the weed, but I could use a good bowman," he continues, staring at the Baron heavily.
He comes to the realization that this pirate is ultimately the person who gave him the chance to try and move on, even if it was by shattering the illusion he had been living in all these years.
"You should join my crew. I don't think it's too late for an offer like that, right? Zehahahahaha!" Blackbeard laughs loudly, ready to pull his gun and end the man's life if he refuses.
Ultimately, however, it proves unnecessary.
"Sir, the Zenny Pirates have torn their way through another chunk of Paradise. It won't be much longer before they reach Sabody," A marine says, reporting the news to Garp.
"How the hell can one old man and a bunch of goats keep tearing through every goddamn marine blockade we set?! This is ridiculous," Garp grimaces.
The so called "Greedy Goat Zenny" had been a bullet, tearing his way through the Grand Line and every single Marine Captain they sent after him. Between those unnaturally strong goats and their captain, he had somehow sunk no less than three ships through unknown methods.
The more he hears about this damn pirate, the more tempted he is to deal with it himself. Does he really want to embarrass himself and waste his time hunting down some crazy old goat man, though?
Thinking about it for several moments, Garp decides to let Vice Admiral Dalmatian deal with it. Maybe then old 'Spots' will finally forgive Garp for stealing his pudding cups at lunch, and the three barrels of cannonballs he delivered in front of his door as an office-warming gift.
Probably not, but a man can hope.
Last edited: Oct 1, 2019
Chapter 64: Divergent Strabismus
Luffy considers how much the last few weeks have helped him come to understand the need for forethought as he faces Conis with a serious, determined expression. "I need you to do me a big favor," he says.
Conis, confused why Luffy had demanded the meeting all of a sudden, nods agreeably. "Of course, Luffy. What do you need?"
He looks to the Ark Maxim silently for several seconds. "I need you to deliver that seahorse thingie to Skypiea. We'll take the animals to Water Seven and get their ship while you do that."
Conis's expression turns confused. "Wouldn't it make more sense to send a small group, if that's all we're doing?"
Luffy shrugs mysteriously. "It's what I need you to do. It might get really dangerous soon, and none of you are strong enough yet if it does."
Conis's eyes widen. "If something goes wrong, we wouldn't be able to help you, though."
"Yeah. That's the idea. We'll be alright if things go sour. I talked it over with the others already."
He pauses. "I can't decide your course for you, but you'd be doing me a big favor if you went along with this. Your crew isn't ready for something like this yet. The Sea Animals aren't either, but they need a ship."
Conis considers this for several minutes. "Alright. But we're coming back the moment we drop them off, whether you're in trouble or not."
Luffy nods. "Thanks. It's kinda dumb, trying to keep people out of danger on the Grand Line, but it is what it is. I kinda have to think about stuff like this now, or I might lose some friends along the way," he admits.
'I need to become even stronger, so I don't need to make decisions like this anymore,' he thinks to himself regretfully.
Jackson plops down into his chair, intent on solving a problem as utterly and completely as he can.
"This operation will have three primary components. The first, and largest component is standardization. I'd like this operation to be so non-invasive and respectful that all members of our crew are willing to undergo it. The second component is resistance. Total immunity to mental attacks would be ideal, though I'll settle for resistance. This ties into the third component, communication. The operation should entail the ability to communicate freely, as well as locate one another freely. Situations have arisen in the past where our friends have suffered due to a lack of rapid communication and orientation."
Jackson starts by producing large numbers of wooden wands, melting them down into Psychic Essence. Next, a small amount of Transponder Essence, taken from willing snails in exchange for tougher vocal cords. The Transponder Essence is modified, such that instead of using electromagnetic waves, the subject will be able to communicate via raw spiritual energy, with the ability backed up by a small touch of Divine Essence.
The resulting Slosh is mixed with the Slosh of a Button, and loaded into a tattoo gun.
Jackson searches for Usopp and sends Nami a message to gather up the crew.
"I know some of you have been opposed to enhancements in the past, and all of you have very good reasons. I'd like to take one chance, and one chance only to make this pitch. Should you deny it, I'll just produce an alternative, like earrings or something," Jackson begins, setting the tattoo gun on the table.
Sanji seems to be the only skeptical one in the room. Both Usopp and Zoro waiting to hear what exactly it is Jackson is offering.
"In this tattoo gun is a fluid that will give whoever is marked with it the ability to locate and communicate with anyone else with the mark. It will also give you an incredible resistance to mental attacks, like the ones we suffered on the last island. Usopp would be the one doing the tattoo, and it can be of whatever you want. The closer the tattoo is to your neck, the more effective it will be."
Zoro shrugs. "Sure. But I only want them to work while I'm asleep. If some bastard wants to take me on directly, I'll gladly accept the challenge."
Usopp considers it for a bit. "I'll go for it, sure, and besides, it's just a tattoo, right?"
Sanji pauses for a long time. He had seen firsthand just what mental attacks could do when he saw Luffy acting disturbingly sensibly, and he had vague memories of being forced to fight his own captain as well.
"Fine. I'm in," Sanji finally says.
Jackson passes the tattoo gun to Usopp. "I've already tested it on myself and Chopper, so all you need to do is come up with a good tattoo."
Usopp shrugs. "Anyone object to a Jolly Roger?"
Luffy chuckles at that. "I like the sound of that!"
With the Captain's approval, he's the first to get the psychic tattoo, everyone else follows suit shortly after that.
While everyone else is getting their tattoos patched over to protect the ink while it settles, and Chopper is marveling at how the tattoo actually changed the fur pigmentation on his arm to match, Jackson approaches Merry's figurehead.
"You want in on this?" he asks, only to hear Merry's voice giggling over the psychic connection. "Nah. I figured out how to do that stuff a long time ago," she thinks at Jackson, smirking at his surprised expression.
"Right, magic boat spirit, three steps ahead of me," he nods, shrugging off Merry's rapidly increasing spread of powers.
"Damn straight!" Merry yells as Jackson walks away.
"Hey, Usopp, want to see something cool?" Merry asks slyly, resting on the beach while the other crew members gather supplies from the deserted island.
"Uhh, sure! Let's see it," Usopp says, dragging his attention away from his wax carving to watch whatever it is Merry is about to do.
She scrunches her eyes shut, humming as she focuses intensely.
After almost half a minute, her head and horns begin to gleam with black luster for a few seconds.
She lets out an exhausted breath. "See that? Luffy figured it out from Sabo, and I figured it out from Luffy!" she explains, smiling proudly.
"Wow, I… That's really something!" Usopp balks.
"I had no clue you could do that!"
Merry giggles. "Now I'm almost as great as the Great Captain Usopp!"
Usopp shakes his head. "How did you even learn to do that? Luffy never struck me as the best teacher in the world…"
Merry's expression softens. "Yeah. Luffy didn't exactly write a book on it or anything, but I learn so much from all of my crew. I'm always learning at least a little bit."
"It's kind of hard to explain, but you're all great teachers. For me at least," she says quietly.
Sanji bawls heaping tears of lament when it is revealed that Nami plans to learn from Zoro of all people. "Oh, Nami-swan! The loveliest lily of the river, forced by cruel fate to study under that damn cactus!" he wails, Zoro's eyebrow twitching at his endless complaining. Daz and Robin observe the entire sequence of events idly from the sidelines, though whether for the educational value or just pure entertainment is unknown.
"I'm right here, dart-board-brow," Zoro growls, taking a step towards the cook before Nami halts him with a glare.
"I don't like this any more than anyone else, but I need this, so let's just get it over with," she says, waving the swordsman back to the area they cleared out for the lesson.
"Fine, whatever. The first thing you need to learn is that I taught myself Three-Swords-Style. There are no books, and you're going to have to accept a lot of informality and develop skills that I don't have the words to explain," Zoro says, watching as Nami clicks apart her new Clima-tact, revealing its status as a modified trio of straight-edged Nagamaki swords.
Each of the segments is comprised of sky blue metal, etched with measurements on their surfaces, and completed with holes drilled into it to channel Nami's Weather Jewel Powers through their hollow innards.
Zoro looks at the navigator appraisingly. "Since you've already had Jackson and Chopper help you cheat, I see no problem with starting at a high intensity. We'll begin with katas."
Nami shrieks when Zoro rushes at her, swinging his swords so slowly, an ordinary person might even see something other than the motion blur. She brings up the two sections of her Clima-tact in her right hand up to block the blow, stumbling backwards in shock.
"Ok, I don't know much about sword fighting, but this isn't what a kata is!" she yells, trying frantically to not get slashed at by the swordsman.
"You need to warm up before those," Zoro says blithely, taking the time to slowly and meticulously shred a row of trees behind Nami in a brief flash of steel as she falls flat on her rear.
Chopper looks on at Jackson's latest creation with confusion. "What on earth are you doing?" he asks, watching his friend slowly roll a giant orange sphere onto the sand.
"Having some fun. I mixed some Impact Dials with a Mirror, poured it out into a sphere. Watch this," Jackson says, taking a running start before leaping backwards onto the ball.
The instant his feet touch the sphere, he bounces up into the air, his kinetic energy reflected by it on contact.
"I call it a Reflect Orb. Pretty cool, huh?" Jackson says, turning sideways as if he were laying down in mid-air as the sphere continually bounces him upwards.
"Uh-huh," Chopper says, watching Jackson's mesmerizing bouncing.
"What's it for, then?" Chopper asks.
Jackson shrugs. "I was just messing around. I might make it change properties or something later, throw in some psychic and divine components. Right now, it's just set to deactivate if one of us doesn't want it to bounce us," he says, doing a small flip as he lands on the sand.
"I got some other stuff too, want a sneak preview before I show it off to the gang? I wanted to perfect these little party favors before letting the others have a turn with them."
Chopper nods rapidly, climbing up onto the ball and sitting cross-legged on it as it bounces him up by a tiny bit as it serves the role of an impromptu chair.
"You'll like this one, Chopper, I call it… the Puff Ball!" Jackson says, pulling out a far smaller white orb.
"By combining a Milky Dial, Impact Dial, and a Knowledge Wood Chip, this little ball can perfectly fill up any container with pure fluffy goodness," Jackson says, creating a small pillowcase and stuffing the orb into it.
In a few seconds, the pillowcase puffs up into a filled pillow, and Jackson tosses the result over to Chopper for analysis.
"Wow, Jerry, this is… It's actually adjusting its support dynamically, isn't it?" he says, marveling at the softness.
"Got it in one, Chopper. Now, for my last, and greatest creation, the Lukewarmer. One side only absorbs heat, and the other side only releases it. Perfect for any Winter or Summer islands we come across in the future!" Jackson says, tossing Chopper the red and blue sphere.
Chopper quickly begins pressing the cold side to his face, sighing happily. "You need to make a lot of these, they're amazing," he says.
Jackson nods. "I was trying to come up with stuff that would help with our quality of life. I think better bedding, better temperature regulation, and trampolines will increase the quality of our journey, by at least six-hundred percent."
Chopper hops off of the Reflect Orb, waddling over to hand Jackson back the Puff Ball, subtly pocketing the Lukewarmer for his own usage. "I'm glad you're having fun with it, Jerry! I can't wait to see what else you come up with," he says sincerely.
Jackson chuckles, patting Chopper on the back. "Let's go give the others a presentation, shall we? I bet they'll like it even more than you do."
"I doubt that," Chopper responds with an easy smile.
Chapter 65: D.O.S.E
The Valkyries stand on the Ark Maxim, waving goodbye to the Strawhats as they float into the sky.
"You better be ready Strawhats! When we get back, we'll be even stronger than before!" Conis yells, already filled with ideas about what sort of dials they'll get while visiting their home.
"Good!" Luffy yells back, grinning.
As they disappear into the sky, Merry groans. "Can we hurry up and set sail? If I had rivets, they would be popping right now," she complains heatlessly, not at all pleased with all two-hundred and thirty of the Sea Animal Pirates overcrowding her deck.
Nami nods. "This isn't sustainable. We're going to want to set a fast pace and keep it until Water Seven."
"Shishishi… Alright then, full speed to ship-land!" Luffy says, climbing up onto Merry's figurehead and pointing forwards.
If Chopper's life could be considered an arrangement of challenges, then here and now, he would be facing his greatest one yet.
"How did-" he swallows.
"How did you even sprain your ankle, we made it out of rubber diamonds," Chopper grumbles wrapping an ice pack tightly around Robin's ankle.
"I thought I would try out my other form until we reach Water Seven, so I took a jog before we left," Robin explains, smiling faintly at the blushing doctor.
"There is nothing naturally found on that island that is stronger than your body, Miss Robin, so I doubt the v-veracity of a jog doing this," Chopper forces out, trying not to look at the temptress.
"It was a very enthusiastic jog… But thank you for the compliment, Doctor," she responds.
Of course, there was no jog. There was however a period in which she tested just how much solid rock she could punch through using nothing but the pressure created by her Bloom Bloom Powers. Something she can now firmly say is somewhere in the ballpark of "meters" if she's willing to sprain her leg a little bit.
She rolls her foot around to test it with the cool stretchy bandage wrapped around it. "Very good work, Doctor. Your bedside manner was excellent."
"I'm leaving now." Chopper states firmly, turning around and stomping out of the room.
"I should have been a dentist. Dentists don't have to deal with this," Chopper mutters rhetorically.
Daz considers a very important lesson. One he had no earthly idea about until joining this crew.
He first got an idea of it, seeing the animals using those mice, then he had gotten the idea again with Merry's seastone sword, and finally, he had made the realization with the sight of Zoro practicing his Flying Slashes.
There is no earthly reason why his power only allows him to cut things with steel. Or rather, there is no reason that isn't one born from his own preconceived notions of what object in the world deserves the role of "Cutting Instrument"
These lessons served to temper Daz's expectations. He had been putting off obtaining a Hunter Operation of his own for the longest time for one primary reason. He didn't want Jackson to expend his energy performing an operation that might become redundant if he can just do one, simple thing. Become a different cutting implement.
He holds out the Eisen Whip, allowing it to elongate to a length of six inches. This weapon is the one he's come to be most familiar with, from every swirl of the dials inside of it to every ounce of Steel Wool Clouds that make up its blade.
His Dice Dice Powers allow him to sense exactly how sharp it is, and with the help of Usopp, he had refined the weapon's ability to shape the clouds enough for him to be satisfied with its sharpness.
He is not a Steel-Human. He's not even a Sword-Human. He is a Dice-Human.
And these Steel Clouds… Can dice.
He continues meditating on the sword's edge, sitting in a chair on the deck by himself, whittling at a piece of wood with the Eisen Whip and trying to use nothing but his willpower and mental focus to slowly undo years of that faulty instinct he has, that Steel and Cutting are intractably bound together, that one cannot exist without the other.
"Is that frog doing the front-crawl?" Usopp asks incredulously, looking through his telescopic goggles to get a better look.
"Whoa?!" Luffy shouts, leaning over with glee at the sight. Sure enough, near Merry, a gigantic frog is swimming rapidly through the sea, determination burning in their eyes.
"Right, I haven't written up the dossier yet, that's Yokozuna, the Sumo Frog. We probably shouldn't follow him too closely, since we might run into the sea train tracks. See that lighthouse over there? It's not for an island, it's for the tracks running under the ocean's surface," Jackson points over to the lighthouse in question.
"Where is he going?" Luffy wonders aloud, watching the frog's rapid swimming.
"Well, unless I'm mistaken, he's going to challenge the Sea Train. Apparently, the frog does it in an attempt to grow stronger," Jackson explains, making Luffy's eyes light up.
"Everyone! Change course, we're following that frog!" Luffy laughs, driving the rest of the crew into motion.
"You've done it now, Jackson," Merry says, smiling at her captain's incorrigible behavior.
"Less talky more froggy!" Luffy shouts, Merry pulling to a stop when she spots Yokozuna leap up and land on something just below the surface of the water.
"How exactly does this frog challenge a train, anyway?" Tall asks, watching the frog glare directly ahead.
Jackson shrugs. "He's going to try and stop it head-on."
"Seriously?" Tall responds, him and the rest of the Kung-fu Dugongs suddenly far more interested in the frog.
Sure enough, the low whistle of an oncoming train begins to ring louder and louder with each minute, the crew spotting the train in the distance shortly after they hear it.
"Woo! Go frog!" Luffy shouts, Nami thwacking him on the head.
"Don't cheer for something so ridiculous! Either the frog gets hurt or they derail a train!" Nami roars sensibly.
"Hey, you know what they say, you gotta derail trains to make trains," Jackson says blithely.
"Nobody says that!" she responds, thwacking him on the head too.
As if it were ignoring the bickering onboard Merry, the train continues forward, battering aside Yokozuna with a loud crash, and sending the frog flopping into the water.
"Well, it looks like the train won this time," Jackson admits, rubbing his head.
"Wouldn't the train win every time?" Daz interjects, looking up from his whittling for a moment.
"Doesn't matter," Luffy says, watching the frog resurface and glare defiantly at the passing train.
A little girl stares out the window in shock, spotting the blatant Jolly Roger flying on the ship right in front of her.
She swallows when the ship's figurehead turns to look at her.
"Grandma Kokoro, wake up, there's pirates outside," she whispers, poking the large half-drunk woman laying on the couch.
"Eh? Oh, then bring me the Transponder Snail, Chimney," Kokoro mutters, stumbling up and out of the room onto the platform outside.
"Yes, yello… What was I calling for again?" Kokoro mutters drunkenly, plopping the phone back on its receiver, having failed to actually dial any numbers.
She gazes over at the so-called pirates, only for a tall bird to land in front of her.
'Oh wait, I'm just laying down,' she realizes, gazing up at the bird.
"Excuse me, are you the conductor here, ma'am?" the bird asks politely, making Chimney yelp in shock.
"You can talk?!" she shrieks, hugging her pet rabbit to her chest as if the ability were an infectious disease.
"Course he can, Chimney, you just heard him do it," Kokoro says, laughing.
Luffy and a few others eventually shuffle onto the stone platform.
"So are you guys really pirates? You've got so many birds and doggies and a tortoise and turtles on your ship…"
"Hey! We're not turtles, we're Dugongs!" one of them shouts, only for Tall to hold up a flipper to demand silence.
"Well, I'm Chimney, this is my grandma, Kokoro, and this is my cat, Gonbe!" she says, holding up her pet rabbit.
"(Meow,)" Gonbe says.
Mockery glances at Tall for a moment. "Did that rabbit just say 'Meow'?"
"(I'm a cat you idiot!)" Gonbe says, squeaking out what might generously be called a hiss.
"So are you guys train robbers or something?" Kokoro says, laughing uproariously to herself as she takes a swig from the bottle of wine Jackson had given her as a small gift.
"Nope. I'm Monkey D. Luffy, I'll be King of the Pirates someday," Luffy explains plainly.
"Really?" Chimney asks.
"Yup," he nods.
"Nagagaga, you're pretty funny, kid," Kokoro says.
"So, where are you heading then, if you plan on riding the Sea Train from here? St. Poplar, or maybe the Gourmet town, Pucci? Or maybe you're after San Faldo, the Carnival Town? They're all great for anyone looking for a good time," she continues.
Nami shakes her head. "We're planning on sailing to Water Seven, actually. Our Log Pose is already pointing there."
Luffy nods. "We're going to go find the best shipwright in the world for our crew there!"
Merry interjects. "I want to ride the train though! I've never ridden a train before…"
"I don't know if you'd be able to fit on one Merry," Usopp begins, only for Kokoro to interrupt.
"Ahh, don't worry about that. The Puffing Tom carries ships all the time, if you really want to go… Tell you what, hold on a second," she says, stumbling inside her house and rummaging around.
"Here, a ticket for your crew, and a little something from me. Give this to a man named Iceberg, and he'll get your ship fixed up but good, yeah?" she offers, handing the papers over to an awaiting Nami.
"That's too generous of you ma'am, is there anything we could offer in return?" Jackson asks politely.
"Nah, just tell him I said hi, and try not to get lost over there. Water Seven is a big place," Kokoro responds.
"You're too generous!" Usopp shouts, shocked and pleased by the woman's gift.
Nami sighs at Merry's excited expression. "I guess we're waiting for the train, then."
"We're heading that way too. I'll have to treat you to a drink at my favorite bar when we get there," Kokoro grins merrily.
Merry giggles uncontrollably as she pokes her head out of the large water-filled train-car she is riding on along with the others.
"I see why people use this thing, this is so much fun!" Merry shouts over the whipping wind, staring with excitement as Water Seven slowly approaches in the distance.
She swallows heavily at the sight of the titanic city, water spraying out of the giant fountain that makes up most of its structure.
"Man, a place like this, it really gives you that feeling of… Destiny… Right?" she says, staring at the city of water with awe.
Usopp nods. "I know what you mean, Merry, bad guys chasing us or not, this is where things are going to change for the better! We'll get you fixed up with those blueprints old man Mekao gave us, get the Sea Animals a new ship. We'll be sailing out of here ready to take on the world!" Usopp cheers.
Luffy laughs, sitting on top of Merry's head. "We'll get a new Shipwright, a new ship, and we'll get Merry fixed up into a brand new sheep!"
"A new city means new cuisine. I'm certain I'll find some delicious new recipes while I'm here," Sanji says.
"An entire city of shipwrights has to have some maps and Eternal Poses laying around, I'm sure. I can hardly wait to start plotting out all the new places!" Nami swoons, her eyes glittering with daydreams of mapping and plotting, soured only the tiniest bit by Zoro's currently necessary presence in that daydream.
"A city with a culture this deep and established. I wonder what philosophies they've created?" Jackson wonders out loud.
"I'm going to buy a million medical textbooks while I'm here!" Chopper cheers, only for Nami to pin him down with a shockingly restrained glare.
"You'll buy no more than two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand Beri worth of textbooks while we're here. If they even have that many," she says simply. Chopper shrugs her off, nodding happily at the sensible estimate.
Daz, Zoro, and Robin offer no suggestions of their own, more than satisfied with the idea of exploring the city on their own, while the Sea Animals chatter among themselves as to what they are excited about.
Merry grins so widely that her cheeks hurt. "I can hardly wait!"
Chapter 66: Acclimatization
Merry docks near a rocky cape, at Kokoro's suggestion.
"Might not be the best idea in the world to just go in all gung ho. You might get the government on your back, and that wouldn't be good for anyone, would it?" she laughs, waving them off as she walks over to the nearest building. A sign above the door reads "Yagara Bull Rental"
"You know Luffy, it might attract too much attention to ride your Waver around here," Jackson points out, only for Luffy's expression to turn sour.
"Nope! I brought the Going Mini, and I'm riding it," Luffy states firmly, the large jet-ski slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he carries it and a large sack of clinking coins in his other hand.
"Fine by me, but you should probably-" Jackson begins, only for Luffy to run through the door and leap out over the canal, swinging the vehicle under himself.
"Yahoo! I'm going to go have a look around!" Luffy shouts, tossing the sack over to Nami who catches it with a small whumph before he guns the throttle and spews down the canals.
"Damn it, I'm going to go keep an eye on Luffy, take care of meeting Iceberg, alright?" Jackson says, brushing by the rental store owner and leaping over the canal before running backwards down the street to catch up to his captain.
Nami sighs heavily, "And here I was thinking this trip would be peaceful, silly me."
Kokoro laughs, along with Chimney and her rabbit. "He'll fit right in around here, at least!" she says, laughing even harder as she waves over the confused rental store owner.
"We'd like a few bulls if that's alright. Just the cheap ones," she says easily, handing over a few bills to the confused man.
"Uhh, sure thing! Just pick out the one you like," he says, gesturing to the stable filled with strange, long-necked fish, each one as big as a horse.
"Does it cost anything to just rent one of the boats?" Mockery asks, looking at the rack of wooden vessels appraisingly.
The man pauses at the talking bird's talking ability. "… I suppose not, but without a Yagara Bull, it won't do you much good," he responds.
Tall and Mockery share a look. "Are you suggesting I literally chauffeur you around the damn place? No thanks." Tall says, huffing.
"We'll take a bull too," he continues, Nami handing over a few bills herself to pay for the rental, before hopping in a boat with Usopp while Tall and Mockery get into their own.
The Yagara Bulls swim out of their stables and underneath the boats, getting strapped in and swimming off along with their passengers.
"Damn damn damn," Jackson repeats, running backwards through the crowd at a blistering clip as he tries to follow Luffy across the various canals. When he notices Luffy going towards a particularly sharp incline, laughing his head off, Jackson's eyes widen in shock and his repeated cursing grows louder.
Luffy crests off of the edge of the canal as if it were a ramp, flying off into the distance with a yell of delight, soaring higher and higher as the Jet Dials in the Going Mini fire off at full blast.
"Why did we let him practice on that thing..?" Jackson moans, whipping off his hat and filling it with slosh as he jumps onto the edge of the canal that Luffy had leaped off of. He then swings the hat behind him to spray out the stars attached to it.
"That vapor should become sediment, Alchemical Principality, Sublimation!"
The stars flung from the hat form into the constellation Sagittarius, before merging together into a gigantic arrow made of Wool Clouds that flies forwards and after Luffy, chasing his path to where he landed.
Jackson runs along the cloud bridge as fast as he can, sliding down the last half of it as it arcs downwards towards Luffy's landing spot, where he seems to have crashed into a terrifyingly familiar building on the rocky capes near Water Seven.
One covered from top to bottom in the gigantic tools of ship demolition, and whose sign reads "Frankie House".
"Shit, Luffy, we need to get out of here," Jackson says, looking around frantically as one of the thugs left behind to watch the place runs into the room.
In a flash, Luffy wraps his arm around Jackson before flinging himself up to the ceiling and sticking to it.
He smiles and puts a finger to his lips, shushing Jackson as he stares down at the confused thug examining his waver and the rubble of their front door.
Rather than dropping down to knock out the thug, Luffy watches them drag the waver somewhere, presumably to allow the other Franky Family thugs to look at the weird vehicle that just busted down their door.
"Nobody ever looks up." Luffy whispers, his grin widening as the thug looks everywhere but where he and Jackson actually are.
"Let's do some sneaking," Luffy says quietly, a look of delighted conspiracy on his face as he takes off his sandals and shoves them in his pockets.
Those four words coming from his mouth inspire pure dread from Jackson as his captain flips around, sticking his feet to the ceiling and following the thug from above, his wizard in tow.
"Ugh. Well, we've officially left Jackson and Luffy to their own devices. We should operate under the assumption that the entire city is either going to stand up and start walking, or explode," Nami half-jokes, her Yagara Bull following Kokoro's as she slowly meanders her way towards a large tower made of stone, built right into the canal.
"I mean, there's two of them. Maybe half and half?" Usopp continues ponderously as if imagining what such a scenario would look like.
" Please don't jinx it," Mockery begs as the group goes inside of the tower.
"Please keep your arms and legs inside of the water elevator at all times," a pleasant-sounding woman outside of the building asks, using her megaphone to explain the structure to passengers.
"This place sure has some interesting uses for water," Tall comments, watching the tower's door close them in along with several other people. The water level begins to rise, slowly lifting everyone up to the upper level of Water Seven.
"Tch, maybe if you don't have a flying ship," Usopp feels the need to brag.
Nami slaps him lightly on the back of the head. "Don't get big-headed, we want to make a good impression on these shipwrights, even if a chunk of them are…" she waves her hand silently, insinuating the information Jackson had given them in their dossiers.
"You know."
Usopp nods. "Yeah, you're right. Merry's got her heart set on this. I'll try to play nice," he smirks, leaning back in the boat.
" Try not to brag too much," she insists.
"Impossible. I can never brag too much," Usopp says with faux shock as the gates open and the people inside the elevator begin filing out.
As they begin making their way to Dock One, they spot a large group of men leering at them from the streets nearby, all of them wearing what look like solid-metal overalls, complete with a large blue star in the middle of the armored suits.
They laugh maliciously, tipping a large log over that blocks the canal. "Well well, if it isn't two members of the Strawhat Pirates, all alone with nothing but their pets and drunk old lady. Why don't we have a little talk? Just to get acquainted."
Usopp looks at them with incredulous confusion. "Are you guys sure about this?"
The thugs look at each other, laughing uproariously. "Listen to this guy?! 'Are you sure about this?' he says, like he's skeptical about some milk that's a day past it's expiration date or something!" one of them says, drawing a sword as he grins at the group. "Do you have any clue how high your bounties are, Mad Bomber Usopp and Cat Burgler Nami? Even if they only want you alive, it doesn't look like we'll have any trouble bringing in a couple of putzes like you."
Usopp gives Nami an exasperated look, before whipping out his Hercules Slingshot and firing a Dynamite Star that obliterates the log.
"You should probably go on ahead, Nami. Wouldn't want to keep Merry waiting over these guys," he says cooly. Nami shrugs.
"Sure, if you think you can take them on," Nami responds.
Usopp thinks about this. "Hey! Idiots! That armor is solid steel, right?!" Usopp yells over to the stunned thugs.
They quickly regain their confidence. "You're damn right it is! It's tough enough to withstand cannon fire!" one of them roars confidently.
Usopp shrugs at Nami, hopping out of his boat and onto the street. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Just remember to give that blueprint to that Iceberg guy, alright?"
"Sure thing Usopp. Don't hurt them too badly, Jackson wanted us to take it easy with the Frankie Family's mooks," Nami sighs, riding away with Kokoro and the Sea Animal Captains.
"Men, always something to prove," Kokoro laughs, taking another swig of wine.
The thugs look at Usopp, drawing their blades and guns with wicked expressions on their faces. "You know, splitting up is probably the dumbest thing you could have done, if you already know about us," the head thug says, stepping forward. "You're just making it even easier for us to capture you and the rest of your crew."
Usopp swallows nervously, briefly realizing that he might have overestimated himself, before shaking it off. It's time to test a theory he's been sitting on.
He snaps on his gas mask calmly, reaching into his bag for one of his modified Festival Stars. 'The main feature of this star,' Usopp thinks to himself, regaining his confidence as he considers his loadout.
'Is that it won't blow up the whole damn street.'
Zoro feels his tattoo buzz lightly, before Nami's exasperated tone rings out in his head.
"Hey, everyone, just letting you know, Usopp split off to take care of some of Frankie's thugs. I'll check up on him in a few minutes, make sure he didn't get knocked out or something. Some of them might head for the ship, so keep that in mind," she explains, before ending the message.
Khan suddenly stands up. "It took a week to get here, I am not waiting on the ship," she says with a frown, stretching her legs as she gallops over and leaps off of Merry.
Sanji sighs, unwilling to argue with her. "I need to go into town anyway to shop for groceries anyway. I'll keep the horse out of trouble. Anyone else coming?"
Daz stands up from his whittling, brushing off the tiny figurine he had been carving and setting it down on a table nearby. "I'll accompany you."
"Anyone else?" Sanji asks, failing to garner any responses.
"I'm going to wait here, after we settle the important business, we'll have more than enough time to look for a good bookstore," Chopper explains, relaxing on one of Merry's wool clouds as he sips at an iced glass of fruit juice, Robin silently reading through an old book she had picked up from G-8
"Alright. Keep an eye on them Merry, who knows what weirdos are going to come out of the woodworks," Sanji says, waving as he walks off with Daz and Khan.
Merry wiggles gently, trying not to jostle her passengers in spite of her restlessness. "Man, I'm so excited. I wonder what the shipwrights will think of me. I bet they'll be so shocked they won't know what to say when I strut my stuff!"
"Yeah, yeah. We know, Merry. I wouldn't take this as an excuse to slack off if I were you, though. Not every ship can grow from hardships. You should be just as focused on how you'll grow stronger after they give you what you want," Zoro points out.
Merry giggles. "I know Zoro, but I can't help it. Any ship worth their timbers would be excited about something like this. Between my amazingness and our cash, they'll be waiting on me, er, hoof and hoof? Sail and rudder?… I'll be treated like a queen!" she finally decides.
Robin looks up from her book, spotting a ship sailing towards them from the side, heading around the coast. One she had already been informed about but hadn't seen until now.
"Is that that Fox-guy's ship we were supposed to worry about on Long-Ring-Long-Land?" Chopper says, pulling down his sunglasses to get a better look.
"It seems they're a bit later than expected," Robin says idly, reacting minimally when the ship fires two gigantic metal chains on either side of Merry, hemming her in next to the ship as the huge metal paw pads on the end of the chains dig into the coast itself.
Merry licks her lips, looking at the gigantic thick chains apparently intended to keep her from just sailing away.
"Greetings, Strawhat Pirates! Please do not over-react! All we want is a showdown!" one of the men yells from atop the ship.
Last edited: Oct 4, 2019
Chapter 67: Prosthetic
"You guys must be a bit soft in the head if you think our captain will agree to a Davy-Back Fight. He's got no reason to. That besides, he isn't even here, so the point is moot," Zoro explains, glaring listlessly at them as he yawns, prepared to go back to his nap.
"Oh don't you worry about that! Our captain is already on his way to make the challenge in person! You'll see soon enough just how sly our Captain Foxy can be!" one of them shouts down.
"Hey, stop that! Those don't belong to you!" one of the Foxy Pirates shrieks, pointing down at where Merry is stuffing her face with one of the chains.
"Burt they're sho gooo!" Merry whines, swallowing another link from the already severed chain.
"I haven't had steel this good in ages~!" she moans, tearing a chunk out of the metal paw still embedded in the shore.
"I'm no goat, but you don't see me passing up good tin, either," she claims, ripping the superficial plates from the paw with her teeth to reveal the metal skeletal structure underneath it as the Foxy Pirates stare on in horror.
She shakes her head, turning to glare at them.
"Your captain can challenge mine or whatever he likes, but if you try to hem me in like that again, then I'm going to get rude with you," she states firmly, flinging what's left of the paw over onto the deck of the Sexy Foxy, where it crashes with an eruption of splintered wood.
"Are we clear?"
"Y-yes ma'am!" the Foxy Pirates shout in unison, staring at the mangled Fox-paw.
Merry lets out a dainty belch, embarrassed slightly by the dinner faux pas.
A woman wearing a black domino mask and a half-zipped jumpsuit pats her exhausted captain on the back, baton held under her other arm.
"It's alright, Foxy, I know we'll find them if we just keep looking!" she says to the sorrowful captain.
"But where? Monkey D. Luffy could be anywhere in the entire city by now, Porche!" Foxy wails, pounding the ground with his fist.
"Uhh, Boss, I think I might have an idea where they are," a large, gorilla-faced man says, eyes half-lidded with amusement behind his own mask.
"And just where would that be, Hamburg? I just said they could be anywhere by now!" Foxy wails, only to see what Hamburg was looking at, a gigantic white arrow pointing directly to a building off in the distance, the clear result of the Strawhats using their cloud technology.
"Oh…" Foxy says sheepishly.
"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" he yells, leaping to his feet, re-energized as he begins running towards Franky House.
He notices the ruined door, walking up to it suspiciously before knocking on the wooden frame.
"Hello..? Anyone home?" he asks, Porche and Hamburg catching up to him.
"As a matter of fact they are, yeah!" a voice shouts behind him.
"Oh! Hello there, have you seen a guy with a straw hat anywhere around here?" Foxy says politely, whipping around to face the newcomer.
"Nope. I do see some uncool pirate in front of my door. Or rather, the gaping hole where my door is supposed to be!" the blue-haired man yells, crossing his hulking arms over one another with displeasure, two women next to him with gigantic square afros mimicking him as they cross their own arms.
"Oh! No, we didn't do this, it was like that when we got here!" Porche insists, realizing the unfavorable implications.
"Uh-huh, a likely story. Now tell us the one about the city of gold," one of the square-haired women says, chuckling to herself.
"Uhh…" the other one begins, tempted to point out that a city of gold was reported in the news just last week.
The man shakes his head, "Look! I don't care what you think happened, cause I know what happened, and if you pirates are going to bust down my door, then I'm just going to have to bust down yours! Right after I pound you like a tambourine!" he exclaims.
"I don't even know who you are, damn it!" Foxy responds, stepping back in preparation for a fight.
"Oh? You don't know my name?" he begins, spinning around and shaking his hips as the two women with him dance in unison.
" I'm just the most super guy around! "
" A cooler guy can't be found! "
" The face of the criminal underworld, that's me! "
" And my name is none other than… "
He slams his forearms together, the blue star-shaped tattoos on them meeting in the middle as he strikes a pose along with his backup dancers.
"Frankie!"
After a few close calls, Luffy and Jackson manage to sneak their way into Frankie's bedroom, the sight of a teddy bear on the bedside stand causing Luffy to have an idea.
"Jackson, make a metal cage, I've got an idea," Luffy demands, picking up the bear and ruffling it up a bit while the alchemist produces the requested grated cage.
"Ok, now put the bear in the cage."
"Why are we doing this again?" Jackson whispers, picking up the stuffed teddy-bear and putting it in a cage for Luffy to snap a photograph of.
"It'll be funny," Luffy explains, snapping a few more pictures before taking the bear out of the cage and putting it back where it belongs.
"Ok! I'm done here, let's go," Luffy shouts, only for his yell to alert someone who was outside of the room.
His eyes widen, and he grabs Jackson before leaping back up onto the ceiling as several thugs burst into the room.
"I'll have to use a new trick I've been working on, if we don't want to get found out early," he whispers, holding Jackson in one arm as he stares down at the thugs who clearly heard someone shouting inside Frankie's room.
"Jackson, tie two knots with my arm, I don't have a hand free," Luffy whispers, holding out his left arm and making it extra elastic.
Jackson looks confused but has no reason to disobey his captain, grabbing Luffy's arm and tying two overhand knots in the middle of his forearm and bicep.
Luffy grins. "I came up with this a while back, in case I needed more control and power in a fight. Each of those knots is like an extra fist," he whispers quietly.
"Gum Gum..!" Luffy begins in a low tone, the three thugs looking up in shock as Luffy cocks his arm back and begins swinging it rapidly like a lasso, the knots and his fist swinging around one another rapidly.
"Tactical Shotgun!" he hisses, flinging his arm down at the thugs. Each of the knots tied into his arm flies in a different direction as they spin outwards along with his fist in flight, separating like a bola and striking all three of the thugs in the head at the exact same moment.
Luffy drops to the ground as the thugs drop to the floor unconscious, his arm snapping back into place quietly.
"Alright, let's go," he says cheerfully, picking at his arms to undo the knots as he sets Jackson down.
"Do you hear that?" Jackson pauses, listening to some sort of commotion occurring outside of Frankie House.
Foxy yelps as Franky spews a wave of fire from his mouth.
Before the flames can reach him, he holds out his hand, his ring-finger and middle-finger pressed against his thumb as he unleashes waves of pink energy at the fire.
"Slow Slow Beam!"
As if it were a dramatic explosion in a movie, the flames begin to slow down, grinding to almost a halt in midair as Foxy's Slow Slow powers slow it down.
Foxy breathes a sigh of relief, only to go flying into Frankie House as Franky leaps through the slowed flames, punching Foxy in the face with his gigantic fist as it rockets off of his arm with a chain connecting it to him.
"Strong Right!"
"Boss!" Porche shrieks, only realizing moments later that Foxy had been caught by a pair of newcomers before he could slam into something and get hurt.
"Whoops. Sorry, didn't mean to get in the way of your fight, we'll just get out of your hair," one of the duo says, stroking their fake mustache as they set Foxy down and walk out of the building casually, one of them confident in the ability of their disguise.
"Oh, no, really, it isn't a problem at all- -How SUPER dumb do you think I am?!" Frankie shouts, firing his fist at Luffy and Jackson, prompting them to discard their fake mustaches and dodge out of the way.
The dust settles, Frankie, Foxy, and Luffy and Jackson staring each other down. By now, several of the Franky Family have milled out to watch the conflict, cheering on their boss.
"Alright, yeah, time to reprioritize," Frankie begins, jabbing his finger at Luffy and Jackson. "I'm going to kick your ass for going into my house!"
"And I'm going to kick your ass for breaking down my door!" he continues, pointing at Foxy.
"Well if you're going to accuse me for something I didn't do, then I'll kick your ass!" Foxy shouts back, pointing at Frankie.
"If you try to kick my ass, you can count on me kicking your ass right back!" Luffy shouts, cracking his knuckles.
Jackson rubs his face. "Can we please not?"
"Frankie, we accidentally broke your door, we'll pay for repairs," he says to Frankie, who grimaces at them as he reappropriates his rage.
"Foxy, you're as suspicious as a back-alley ice-cream cart, don't overreact to people accusing you of things," he says to Foxy, who collapses to his knees with sorrow at the cruel truth of Jackson's words.
Everyone, please don't kick anyone's asses, and we'll all go get drinks instead?" he says, looking to everyone in turn.
Franky, Foxy and Luffy all rub their chins ponderously.
"I could go for a drink, but only after I kick this guy's ass!" they all shout in unison, pointing fingers at one another.
Jackson rubs the bridge of his nose.
"Luffy, I thought you wanted to be sneaky for this?" Jackson asks, hoping against all reason and logic that his captain might have a moment of clarity.
"Yeah, but then he said he'd kick my ass, so now I've got to beat him up. It's like, a thing." Luffy explains simply, Franky nodding sagely at Luffy's wise words.
"I see your captain is a man of class as well," Franky is forced to admit, before running over to Luffy and unhinging his wrist to reveal a spread of machineguns that start firing at him.
"I was just here to challenge the Strawhat to a Davy-Back Fight, until that jerk attacked me out of nowhere!" Foxy responds, glaring at the cyborg as he tries to gun down Luffy.
Foxy walks over to sit next to Jackson, waiting patiently for his turn to try and beat up Frankie.
"Sorry, not interested. I don't want any of your crew," Luffy shrugs, dodging the bullets before realizing what Frankie just did.
"Oh my god! Machinegun hands!" Luffy squeals, eyes glittering as he avoids Frankie's spray of bullets.
"Ahh, admiring my SUPER cybernetic augmentations, are you? Well flattery won't save you, Strawhat!" Franky retorts, swinging his right arm forward and firing it once again at Luffy.
"Strong Right!"
Luffy takes the hit head-on, grimacing as the sharp metal hidden under the fist's fake skin digs into him and slams him into the wall of Frankie House, several small cuts emerging on his chest from the brutal attack.
"Well, you aren't the only one who can do stuff like that!" Luffy smiles, his eyes narrowing as the fist pins him to the wall.
Wriggling a bit and realizing Franky's fist has him firmly embedded in the wall, he activates an ability Jackson had given him after leaving Skypiea, something he had been wanting since the first time Jackson had ever offered him the Hunter Operation.
"Gum Gum Laser Beam!" Luffy shouts, activating the Laser Batteries Jackson gave him and firing two thin beams from his eyes that force Franky back enough to yank his arm off of Luffy, releasing him from the wall.
"OW?! What the hell do lasers have to do with a rubber Devil Fruit?!" Franky yells in a mixture of shock and awe, rubbing his chest where the thin beams had burnt through his jacket and synthetic skin.
"Not a damn thing! You see… I'm a meat-cyborg!" Luffy yells confidently, jabbing a thumb at his chest proudly.
"I thought we agreed to call ourselves 'Bio-Augmented'," Jackson says in a low tone, embarrassed by proximity to Luffy after his embarrassing claim.
"That… is…" Franky begins, his eyes growing wider and wider.
"SUPER!" he roars, grinning like a maniac as he slams his forearms together in a dramatic pose as his backup dancers run behind him to mimic the pose, similarly awed by the kindred spirit Luffy had displayed.
Foxy and Porche look completely confused. "What the hell is going on..?" he asks.
Hamburg just snickers to himself.
Last edited: Oct 5, 2019
Chapter 68: Agonistic Behaviour
"And then I said 'Pyramid what? I don't see anything other than the sandstone'," Jackson continues, sipping at a glass of orange juice as he tries not to get too comfortable in Blueno's Bar.
While Luffy and Franky laugh it up, guzzling down milk for Luffy's chipped teeth and cola for Frankie's drained batteries, Foxy ponders how to turn things in his favor.
"Very funny! But I wanted to talk about something very important with your captain, if you don't mind," Foxy says, grinning slyly.
"Namely, the fact that I'd like to challenge you to a Davy-Back Fight."
Luffy rolls his eyes. "I told you, I'm not interested. I don't want any of your crew."
Foxy nods. "Oh I know, I'm not interested in any of your crew either, but I'm suggesting a different sort of plunder to stake on this challenge."
Reaching into his coat, he pulls out a small, swirly-wrinkled melon, one Jackson instantly recognizes as being an uneaten generation-two Metal Pellet Ghetto Fruit.
Luffy looks a bit shocked himself when he realizes what it is Foxy somehow got his hands on.
"Where did you get that? Only the Marines are supposed to have those," Jackson says slowly.
Franky looks between everyone with confusion. "Hey, what happened to the good vibes? Come on, it's a party! Yeah!" he says, chugging down a whole bottle of cola.
His words seem to break the spell hanging between the Strawhats and Foxy, Jackson opting to take another sip of his drink.
"Whatever, we don't need a Devil Fruit like that anyway. It's worthless to us, if that's what you want to put forth for a wager" he says, pushing aside his empty glass.
Foxy nods again. "Oh, I know. But that isn't what I'm wagering. I'd like to challenge your crew to a Davy-Back Fight with some unique stakes. If you win, I tell you how I got ahold of this, but if you lose…"
"Well, my crew is over five-hundred members strong already, but having a few more of them be Devil Fruit users would give us a really nice boost," he shrugs lightly, pocketing the small fruit.
Jackson's eyes glance over to Blueno for the briefest of moments, but the bartender is busy in the back, cleaning glasses. With Jackson's luck, he's still hearing this conversation, but he'll deal with that when it becomes a problem.
"Captain?" Jackson asks, looking at Luffy, who seems to be thinking about it.
"Could be fun," Luffy admits, drinking the last of his milk.
"Sounds like a-" he begins, before his Tattoo buzzes, and they hear Usopp's voice.
'Mission accomplished, and I didn't rough them up too badly,' they hear him say.
Jackson winces while Luffy cheers, "Hey Frankie! Some of your guys went after one of my guys, looks like yours got trounced though!" Luffy laughs, poking the Cyborg in the arm.
"WHAT!? Damn, that's uncool! Ugh, I gotta go get them, they're probably over by the Shopping District, yeah?" Franky grouses, snatching up three full bottles of cola and inserting them into a chamber in his chest, the mechanisms hissing as they regain their energy.
"Don't start that fight without me! I want a shot at the both of you, and I got a wager of my own!" Franky yells, stomping out of the bar.
Usopp waves at Sanji and Daz as they float by in the canal on boats, before spitting out a gob of blood and climbing in the back with Sanji.
"Jeeze, what happened to you?" Sanji wonders, eliciting a proud laugh from Usopp.
"Ahh, just finished testing a little theory I had," Usopp waves him off, squishing one of his medical stars to make Chopper's foaming bandage-agent spurt out onto his arm.
"Right, well, we're taking you to Chopper. Hear that, Daz?" Sanji says, Daz nodding silently in response.
Khan just looks at the sniper, incredibly curious as to what could have given him such intense wounds while she was walking along the bottom of the canals as she followed the others around.
Usopp notices the hoooorse's look and chuckles a bit. "Well, I guess I could tell you all what happened on the way back… So, here I was, up against an army of twenty-thousand hardened criminals…"
Usopp stands confidently in front of the Franky Family thugs. "You know, we really should take this out of the city, I'd hate to cause undue harm to such a beautiful place, but when I start fighting, the very foundations quake!" he shouts.
Moments later, he shrieks with fear when one of the eight thugs runs at him with their sword, swinging way too hard for someone trying to cash in an "Alive Only" bounty.
Turning around and running away as fast as he can, Usopp forces himself to think. "If I've got everything I need to win, then I need to fight confidently!" he mutters to himself, whipping around and firing at the group.
"Festival Star: Ghost Popper!"
The low-power Dynamite Star inside of his large firework explodes, flinging Ghost Stars in all directions as the red sauce splatters on every surface nearby.
Two of the thugs instantly drop to the ground in pain as the stars splatter near their faces, the capsaicin-loaded fluid burning their skin on contact. A few of the Stars almost splatter on him as well, something perfectly encapsulating why he put on his gas-mask before fighting.
One of the thugs punches him in the face, sending him flying to the ground while another one swings their sword at him, the blade cutting a shallow gash in his arm as he partially deflects it with the Hercules Slingshot.
"We're about to show you why the Frankie Family is not to be trifled with," one of them shouts, pinning Usopp to the ground and ripping off his mask before punching him in the face a second time.
Usopp retaliates the only way he can, the Hercules Slingshot around his arm serving as a suitable candidate for punching the thug right back, dazing him enough for Usopp to shove him off and fire a trio of Smoke Stars to the ground below him as he rolls away.
"And if I don't have what I need to win… Then I should run away confidently…" Usopp says, dashing down a nearby alleyway as he reaches into his bag for more ammo while wiping the blood off of his face from his broken nose.
He reaches a dead-end, twisting around to find the five remaining thugs wiping soot off their faces and rubbing the spots on their arms where capsaicin is still painfully irritating them.
"Get him!" the head thug shouts.
Usopp aims below his feet, pulling back a white projectile and hopping into the air.
"Milky Star!"
Instead of stone tiles, Usopp's feet land on thick expanding Wool Clouds, the Star exploding outwards as a mixture of chemical propellant and cloud-material bloat up the weather phenomena beneath him. He might not be a weather-magician like Nami, but damn if those clouds aren't useful on their own!
The expanding clouds fling him high into the air, the thugs unable to get up to him for a few moments.
Wincing as one of the shots fired by the thugs hits him in the leg painfully, he pulls back his real payload, hanging in the air as he reaches the peak of his arc.
"I had to get enough distance to use this puppy, so I hope you're ready!" Usopp shouts, gritting his teeth against the pain the bullet had caused.
"Festival Star: Afterparty!"
The sizable Firework detonates in the middle of the alley, flooding it with thick Wool-Cotton Clouds that wrap around the rest of the thugs and leave them completely embedded inside. Safe and breathable, but utterly immobilizing.
"The best thing about any good party… Is the fuzzy feeling you're left with afterward," Usopp sighs, falling down onto the gigantic mass of clouds flooding the streets and bouncing a few times as he breathes heavily.
The adrenaline wears off entirely too quickly for his liking, leaving him with the realization that his leg is in a lot of pain, the cut in his arm wasn't as shallow as it felt in the heat of the moment, and his nose is very broken.
The muffled yelling from the thugs underneath him is music to his ears as he wiggles a bit, bouncing off of the cloud and landing painfully on the street before spitting out a gob of blood.
"That wasn't so bad..!" Usopp lies to himself, engraving the details of the fight into his memory for pride purposes and later heavy embellishment.
Khan's eyes glitter as they pass by the part of the street flooded with clouds. It looks a little small to hold twenty-thousand ten-foot-tall warriors, but Khan was never very good at counting anyway. Bystanders stare at the flooded area with bemusement, while Franky and a large group of the Franky Family use shovels to try and dig out the clouds while two of the thugs are busy washing their poor eyes out.
"Incredible…" she says, staring at her battle-damaged potential-rider with amazement.
"Yeah, that would be the word best used to describe me," Usopp nods, before realizing that Chopper is going to have to reset his nose. That won't be very incredible…
Nami swallows as she approaches the gigantic door leading into Dock One. Easily taller than most of the buildings nearby, the door is bordered on both sides by tiny wooden fences, rendering the door functionally useless, since anyone wanting to go in could just hop over the fence.
Kokoro struts up confidently, knocking on the door. "Icey, you home?" she yells, grinning widely.
A head pokes its way over the fence to look at the strangers milling around the door.
"Oh! How-do-you-do, Madam Kokoro, are you looking for Iceberg?" the man says, flipping himself over the fence and walking up to the group energetically.
"Got it in one, Kaku. These friends of mine are looking to shell out a lot of cash to refit their little ship. I think he'll want to break out all the stops for this one," she says mysteriously.
"Wowzer, coming from you Madam Kokoro, we'll probably be busier than a moth in a mitten. Where is your ship docked?" he asks, looking to Nami and the animals.
"Over by one of the coasts, we-" Nami begins.
"They're over where the pirates usually park. You know the one," Kokoro continues, chuckling.
Kaku simply nods. "Gotcha, I'll hotfoot it over there and be back in a jiffy, check out the old girl."
'It sure is a tiny bit odd how suspicious the woman and her animals seem to be of me. Guess they must really care about their ship. Or they just have illegal goods stored there. Either way, it isn't my concern,' he thinks to himself, running at a mind-numbing speed as he leaps several dozen meters in the air.
He grins at the sheer feeling of speed and freedom as he parkours over to where the Strawhat Pirates are docked.
"Got any fours?" one of the Foxy Pirates asks, glaring at his cards as if they'll magically become better.
"Go fish," a cloud wolf responds, their assigned laser-mouse-friend holding up their cards for them.
"Damn it," they grumble in response.
"Hey! Which one of these ships is the one that needs a refit?" Kaku shouts, walking calmly towards the large group of pirates.
Merry jerks awake, shoving the Sexy Foxy away and turning to face him. "That's me! Yup!" she shouts, climbing up onto the shore a few meters.
"Ahh, a Homie Ship. I'll admit, I'm not sure we've ever worked on one of those before," Kaku says excitedly.
"Oh please! Those floating hunks of stale cookie? I'm one-hundred percent Klabautermann! And trust me, you've never worked on a ship like me before," she responds cheerfully.
Kaku's eyes widen at this proclamation. The ship could be lying, of course, Big Mom's fleet is large enough that one could have gone unaccounted for, but…
"Well, I have to admit, I haven't the foggiest where to start with you, madam, I think it would be best if I went and got a few more people here to have a look-see," he says awkwardly, unsure what the proper way to talk to a living ship is.
"Ahh, want to bring all your friends in to gawk at me, huh? Yeah, that's fine, but you better hurry it up!" Merry responds, crossing her forelegs impatiently and thumping to the ground hard enough to make the table of animals and pirates bounce.
Kaku nods, running back to Dock One as the ship quickly turns from excited to panicked and concerned when she sees Usopp's state, gently grabbing Chopper and dumping him in front of the sniper.
"Usopp! I can't believe you were so reckless, oh, look what they did, I swear, if I see the guys that did this, I'll show them the meaning of the word keelhaul!" she growls, stomping once for emphasis as Usopp waves her down.
"It's not that bad, really!" he insists as Chopper whirs around with concoctions and bandages for the sniper's wounds.
'Well, the ship's got a lot of spunk, if nothing else,' Kaku thinks to himself, chuckling as he catches the tail end of the Strawhat rambling while jumping over a building to get back into the city.
Chapter 69: Central Cord Syndrome
A man wearing a leather mask over half of his face walks into his office, prepared for another day of the same old grind.
"Sorry to interrupt, Chief Spandam, but there are some matters we need to discuss," Aokiji says casually, sitting in the office's only chair.
"Wh- Admiral! I wasn't expecting you, aren't you supposed to be in Water Seven right now?" Spandam splutters. His eyes widen when he sees the fat stack of papers on his desk, and slowly begins to realize that his entire office is filled with tiny holes drilled into the walls, floor, and all of the furniture.
Aokiji raises an eyebrow. "No. I have other business to attend to. I've authorized someone to go in my stead."
He smoothly draws a piece of paper off of the top of the stack.
"September twenty-third, After-Action report, Jabra. Chief Director Spandam authorized an inter-island search for additional Devil Fruits to bolster CP9's strength, and authorized lethal force in order to obtain any found, regardless of their owner," he reads aloud.
"The report you then gave to the government claimed that the fruits were discovered by chance, over the course of an infiltration exercise," Aokiji explains blandly, setting the paper aside and picking up the next one.
"October tenth, After-Action report, Blueno. Chief Director Spandam gave the order for operative Blueno to call in sick to his bartending job, as cover for no less than thirty-two separate missions to guard Director Spandam from what he believed was an imminent attack on his person," he reads off.
"No such attacks occurred, and no such report was passed up the chain of command," he says, setting aside that paper as well.
"Y-you don't have the authority to do this, investigating my office? Reading sensitive documents? I'll have you court-marshaled for this, Admiral, the Marines have no direct authority over World Government officials!" Spandam shouts before Aokiji can reach for another paper off the stack.
Aokiji's half-lidded stare fails to change in the slightest, as he shuffles through the papers for one specific one, the latest among Spandam's hidden documents as he ignores Spandam's exclamation.
"June twelfth, Pre-Action report, Blueno. Chief Director Spandam has authorized a mission in three months to break cover and attempt to assassinate Mayor Iceberg, under the premise that the threat of death may cause him to reveal the location of the Pluton blueprints. The mission may be carried out at a different date, depending on if a suitable scapegoat can be found in time.
"These orders run in opposition to the orders you were given to infiltrate the Galley-La company, until such time that Iceberg naturally passes the blueprints down to one of the undercover agents in his employ or reveals their location to one of the undercover agents inadvertently."
He pulls out another paper, continuing. "July twenty-eighth, Pre-Action report, Rob Lucci. Chief Director Spandam has authorized the capture and coercion of Tony Tony Chopper of the Strawhat Pirates, along with an investigation into the Strawhats to find a usable point of leverage when they arrive in Water Seven to use on the doctor.
"No mention of the location they would be held, the time the operation would occur, or any plans to report a successful capture to the World Government."
Aokiji pauses for several moments, watching the man in front of him slowly sweat more and more heavily.
"I've been going one by one through every World Government Holding in Paradise. I'm under the impression that there are quiet places among our holdings that need investigation, and CP9 is one of our quietest assets. I had already received the authorization I need from Sengoku and the World Government to turn my investigation here," he explains simply.
"I'm not sure whether or not the agents themselves were privy to this abuse of authority, but as deep as they are in their undercover roles, it wouldn't really matter, would it? Undercover agents are only to maintain contact with their handler," he glares at Spandam for a brief moment.
Aokiji leans back, setting the papers down. "Really, the only reason we're even having this conversation is because you were smart enough to hide their reports to you, instead of just destroying them. If I had suspected that you were destroying critical documents to cover your tracks, then we would have a much more pressing concern. Namely, trying to cover and clean up a mess on the same scale as the CP5 fiasco.
"I'm glad you at least learned something from that. There's nothing quite like watching a Cipher Pol collapse in on itself because of a lack of communication and documentation," Aokiji says idly, remembering just how much of a mess that had been.
He walks over to a nearby bookshelf, standing up from Spandam's desk to do so. "The point is, you're fired. We'll look into seeing if any of the agents are compromised once we have a new chief in place and decide what to do with you," Aokiji says, checking the shelf for any other incriminating evidence.
Spandam shakes and shudders with paranoid rage. Fired? No, he isn't fired. Not unless Aokiji reports this back, he'll just have to keep doing what he's been doing. Anything it takes to secure his safety and status.
'He never should have turned his back on me,' Spandam thinks, reaching into his pocket and quietly taking out the Seastone Cuffs in them as he draws his pistol.
He's only confused for a moment by the odd lack of feeling below his neck before he's frozen solid.
"Thank you for threatening me. That will streamline my investigation," Aokiji says idly to the frozen statue, flipping open the book he had taken out, and glancing at its contents for a moment before re-shelving it and walking out of the room.
"NOPE! Sorry, but I ain't that interested in building a ship for some guys I just met. Even if you are pretty SUPER! You'll have to convince me, and old Foxy here has provided me a very cool way to see for myself if you're worth building something for," Franky admits, leaning back in his chair as the two captains and crime-boss discuss things, having gone to Foxy's ship to hash everything out after the cyborg had returned.
Jackson looks between Foxy, Franky and Luffy. "I see no reason why this can't be made simple," he begins,
"Here's my proposition. A three-way Davy-Back Fight. Whoever wins a set of three games receives a favor from both of the losers, so long as the favor is no greater in value than the wager of an ordinary Davy-Back Fight," Jackson says, Foxy's eyes glinting with greed while Luffy and Franky grin with excitement.
"Sounds fun!/I accept!/SUPER!" the trio shout, each of them firing a pistol into the air to signify their acceptance of the challenge.
Walking off the ship to begin preparing, they encounter none other than Smoker, the perpetually grimacing man puffing at the twin cigars in his mouth as he glares at them with his squadron of Marines in tow.
"Greetings, Captain Smoker," Jackson says politely, nodding at him.
"Long story, but it's actually Vice-Admiral Smoker, now," he responds blankly, before turning to Luffy.
"So, I'd like a hint at what's going on here, if that's alright with you, Captain Luffy," he says, emphasizing the word Captain as if it displeases him to say.
"Oh! Hey Smokey. We're doing a Davy-Back Fight, it's gonna be fun!" Luffy yells, chuckling loudly.
"So the Foxy Pirates aren't your subordinates? I can have my men arrest them?" Smoker responds, turning his gaze on Foxy, who begins sweating profusely as he realizes just how many marines are with the Vice-Admiral.
"Nope, we're not doing that kind of-" Luffy begins, before Foxy slaps a hand over his mouth.
"N-not yet! We aren't a Strawhat subordinate crew yet! I mean, if they somehow win, maybe, but that's what the game is for!" he says, chuckling nervously with a massive fake grin.
Smoker puffs at his cigars, his face twitching into what might almost be mistaken as a smile by someone with cataracts.
"I see. Unfortunately, I'm not actually allowed to investigate this. I'm just here to discuss the subject of Devil Fruits with your doctor."
Jackson looks over to the relieved Captain Foxy. "Actually, if you are willing, we still need an arbiter for the games. Surely, consent would override your existing ban in this context?"
This time, Smoker's smile is unmistakable. "I believe so."
Foxy squeaks, though exactly what emotions are present in the noise he makes are unclear.
Tashigi glares at Zoro the entire time Foxy's crew is setting up the festivities for the Davy-Back Fight.
"I see you've picked up yet another sword. Have you found some ridiculous way to use all four of them?" she finally says, eyes narrowing at the swordsman.
Zoro sighs. "No."
"Then what, have you become a collector?" she continues.
"No. I've got no intention of collecting more swords than I need. I just need to get one of them repaired before I can use it again."
Tashigi pauses for several moments, torn between her dislike of legendary swords in pirate hands, and legendary swords being damaged. Ultimately, she decides that them being in good condition is more important than whether or not they are in this brute's hands, for the moment.
"I'm pretty knowledgeable about swords. Maybe I can help?"
Zoro simply stares at her blankly, his face indicating none of his emotions. He draws Sandai Kitetsu's sheath from his belt, cautiously sliding it across the table. "Knock yourself out."
When she begins drawing the blade, she gasps with gut-wrenching shock at the sight of the damaged portion, dropping it on the table where it slides out fully to reveal rest of the discolored handprint wrapped around the middle of the weapon.
"What did you do to this sword?" she says breathlessly, touching the blue discoloration breaking up the blade's flame-like waves.
"I didn't do a damn thing. A lightning bastard grabbed it and damaged the temper."
"Dama- Zoro, this sword is ruined, destroyed, it can't be restored to the blade it once was, with this much damage to its temper. It's all the way through to the spine of the sword, even," she explains.
"When a blade is tempered, the swordsmith imbues the blade with countless qualities that can be wholly unique, if you were to re-temper it, you would lose everything distinguishing this weapon from any other low-quality blade.
"Even if you knew the exact composition of the clay used for its clay-tempering, even if you knew the exact thickness of the clay applied, the temperature of both the quenching bath and the forge itself that the original creator had used, the temperature used both for the clay-tempering and the second tempering process," she explains in one long rant, breathing heavily by the end of it.
"Even if you knew all of those things, if you were the greatest swordsmith to ever live and mimicked everything perfectly while re-tempering it, the blade would still turn out as a completely different weapon. Do you even know who made this sword? Do you know even the first thing about it, beyond the fact that it is supposedly cursed?" Tashigi demands, her eyes fixed on the blade.
Zoro doesn't have an answer to any of her questions. He had… He had shrugged off the damage Kitetsu had taken. Jackson made it sound simple. Learn to create swords, and they would learn to repair Sandai Kitetsu.
Is even Jackson's power not enough to do it? Not enough to repair damage this deep, without the blade's original spirit being distorted or lost?
He doesn't know.
But he thought he did.
Listening to his sword's confused and aimless mumbling, he can't help but wonder if he thought wrong.
"A talking ship, eh?" Iceberg says to Kokoro, who nods as they walk around the shipyard with Nami and the others.
"I saw the ship take a cut to the face from her little sparring partner too. A Homie Ship wouldn't be able to take that," she says, smiling slyly at that small snippet she had noticed during one of her more sober moments traveling with the Strawhats.
"And you saw it too, Kaku?" he asks the Galley-La foreman.
"I sure did. She had legs and a face and whatnot. Floated around in the water without a care in the world, and moseyed right up onto the shore when I got there."
"Now that's interesting. Kalifa, cancel all of my appointments for today, I want to meet this ship in person," Iceberg demands, looking to his secretary, who follows alongside him.
"I've already done so, sir," she says, idly marking off several entries on her clipboard.
He notices a small mouse living in a knothole on the fence as he walks towards the gigantic door.
"Well now. Hello there," Iceberg says, pausing to hold out a finger to the mouse.
"Sir?" Kalifa asks the absentminded mayor.
"Shh," Iceberg demands, wiggling his finger at the mouse until it climbs up onto it.
"I made a little friend," he declares, letting the mouse settle in his shirt pocket.
Last edited: Oct 7, 2019
Chapter 70: Muscle Strength Grading
All around the coast, Foxy's men have set up countless festivities, from mask and fireworks salesmen to food vendors selling noodles and fried goodies all around.
Chopper nibbles at a giant cotton candy with delight, watching one individual juggling fire to the beat of a nearby drummer who have set up a small entertainment venue to fill up time until the ceremony.
At the same time, Jackson haggles with one of the Foxy Pirates for the gigantic vat they had been using up until that point to fry up mochi for the others, and Sanji examines the carnival food with interest, pressing one of the cooks for his dumpling batter recipe.
The fry-cook's eyes widen when Jackson responds by using his power to create a massive pile of non-stick cooking implements, demonstrating their effects by dipping one of the spoons in batter, only to reveal that none of the batter stuck to it.
The vat is promptly drained, replaced, and given to Jackson for his own experiments, followed shortly by him frantically producing a second set for Sanji, who was unaware he could make something like that, and vastly displeased to have only discovered it now.
"I can't believe you, you helped wash dishes this whole time and you didn't think to mention this?!" Sanji says in a mixture of awe and frustration as he looks at the non-stick utensils as if they had been fished out of the All Blue.
Luffy slurps at a bowl of noodles as he sits up on an elaborate stage with Foxy and Frankie.
"Alright, settle down for the opening ceremony, everyone!" Porche announces, speaking into the microphone Jackson provided and calming the boisterous crowd of curious shipwrights, interested Marines, and raucous pirates. "Before we begin, the rules of this Davy-Back Fight will be announced."
"First, whoever wins the most games out of a set of three will be the winner. Should there be a tie, a fourth game will be played as a tiebreaker as decided by the judges.
Smoker waves, frowning slightly as he sits at the Judges' table along with Daz Bonez, Franky's backup dancer, Kiwi, and the referee Foxy normally uses, a purple suited smiling man named Itomimizu.
"Second, each captain has proposed their own game for each of the three challenges, and they'll take the opportunity to explain their game when it comes up. Due to this, the captains alone will have the right to participate in each game. Other members of their crew, however, may only participate in one game each."
Franky grins, confident in the advantage that picking out a game of his own gives him.
"And, thirdly and lastly, the one who is crowned winner will receive a favor from each of the losers, which can be no greater in value than the wager of an ordinary Davy-Back Fight!"
Foxy's devious smile hides his nervousness as he stands up from his chair. "In order to begin a Davy-Back Fight, coins must first be offered up to Davy Jones, to verify and announce it to the master of the depths. As the challenger, I will offer up these three coins, one for each of the games we will be playing!" Foxy explains, holding up three gold coins in his hands, and throwing them as hard as he can out into the ocean.
"I suppose neither of you minds if we start with my game first?" Foxy asks.
Smoker interjects. "As the only non-pirate here, the first challenge will be Frankie's. Any objections?" he asks, glaring at the rest of the judges. Kiwi cheers as she nods in agreement, while Itomimizu sweats heavily under Smoker's harsh glare. Daz doesn't visibly react.
Franky strikes a pose. "OW! Oh yeah! You all better get ready then, because Water Seven Shipwright Warrior takes no prisoners!"
Using a giant wooden television provided by Jackson, Itomimizu flies around Water Seven on a gigantic bird and provides a live feed of the city from above, revealing a gigantic obstacle course spanning the length of the city from the coast to Dock Seven.
Franky grins as he stands tall and proud, explaining his game. "Me and my boys whipped this little obstacle course up just for this game. As some of you guys might already know, those idiots over at Galley-La have one thing right, when it comes to picking out their fancy pants idiots. You can't do a damn thing as a shipwright without strength, speed, and dexterity!"
"The rules are real simple. Run all the way across Water Seven, go through the entire obstacle course, and grab the steering wheel at the end of Dock Seven, and run all the way back! Whoever manages to take the steering wheel back across the starting line is the winner!"
He begins wagging his finger. "But if you fall in the water at any point along the way… You are SUPER disqualified, which means you can't touch the steering wheel!" he shouts.
"And only three people including us are allowed from each team. So you better pick someone strong enough to be the next Water Seven Shipwright Warrior! Yeah!"
"There are no other rules." Franky continues, calming down somewhat.
Luffy and the rest of his crew gather up to consider who they'll send for the match.
"Well, I should obviously be one of the three, I've got the strongest legs out of any of us," Sanji points out.
"I'm pretty damn fast when I'm backpedaling," Jackson points out.
"Yeah, but did either of you hear the way he worded the rules? I'd bet money Frankie thought of something to trip us up. I mean, aside from the obstacle course," Nami points out.
Luffy nods. "Yeah. I think it's got to be me, Chopper, and Jaguar."
"Huh? Why us?" Chopper asks, nervous about the sudden weight of responsibility.
"We can fly." Luffy points out, spurting a bit of air to lift himself up a few inches as a demonstration.
"That's… Not terrible reasoning. I can only do it for six minutes, though, if I eat two Rumble Paks in a row," Chopper admits, before shaking his head with a bit more confidence. "Actually, that should be more than enough time."
Luffy chuckles, patting the reindeer on the back. "That's what I like to hear!"
Foxy appears to have changed outfits, his normal silver fur coat and suspenders replaced with a silver tank top and jogging shorts. A sweatband is wrapped around his head as well.
Along with him are a half-man-half-cheeta and Porche, who are both wearing similarly sporty outfits.
While they're jogging and warming up, Franky simply grins, crossing his arms at the starting line with two of his own subordinates.
"Alright, Kiev, Scholzo, you know the plan, right?" Franky says to the two muscular men, looking between the pompadour-haired Kiev and the purple-haired Scholzo.
"We sure do boss!" they say, saluting in unison.
"Good, good. This should be fun."
Kiwi runs over to the starting line, holding up a large checkered flag.
"Ready? Set… Go!" she shouts, waving the flag wildly around to announce the start of the race.
Everyone other than Franky begins running at full tilt, Chopper quickly devouring a Vanilla Rumble Pak and shifting into his Walk Point Two, while Foxy's Cheetah Crew Member transforms fully into the animal, dashing ahead of the rest of them.
Franky simply walks forward calmly, hopping off of the side and into the water.
"Whoops! Looks like I won't be allowed to touch the Steering Wheel!" Franky shouts, smirking widely as he cracks his knuckles, bobbing in the water for several moments before taking off at an insane clip through the water, rapidly pulling ahead of the rest of the contestants as he swims down the canals.
Over at the judges' table, Smoker snorts for a moment, Daz remaining carefully silent while Kiwi shrieks and cheers on Frankie.
Itomimizu flies overhead on his bird, getting a literal bird's eye view of the race with Jackson's camera.
"Oh my! It looks like Frankie has disqualified himself and jumped into the water?! What could have possessed the Franky Family Boss to make such a miscalculation? Could we be seeing a genius plan at work, or just a case of horribly mistimed absentmindedness?" he shouts into his microphone.
Turning his attention over to the front of the race, his eyes widen with excitement as he brings his bird in for a closer look. "It looks like Chiqicheetah and Tony Tony Chopper are pulling ahead to the first obstacle, the climbing wall!"
"Alright! I can do this!" Chopper smiles, galloping at full speed towards the wall as fuzz explodes from his body.
Chiqicheetah frowns. "Oh no you don't!" he shouts, running towards Chopper with his teeth bared.
"Snow Walk!" Chopper yells, leaping into the air and kicking off of his own trail of fuzz, propelling him higher as Chiqicheeta leaps onto his back.
"Hey, get off of me!" Chopper yells, wobbling from side to side as he continues flying upwards with Snow Walk.
"Heck no, I'll take the express train up, thanks!" Chiqicheeta sneers, standing up as he transforms into his half-cheetah form and leaps over to the top of the climbing wall.
The wall quickly shoots up with a hiss of pneumatics, growing taller just in time for Chiqicheeta to slap into it like a wet fish, moaning in pain as he flops off of it.
Chopper stumbles in midair at the sight of the moving wall, losing his momentum and landing harshly in the middle of it as he transforms into Heavy Point Two to get a grip before he can fall.
"Oh my, it almost looks like someone didn't know this wall extends when you give it some juice!" Chopper hears from below, looking down to spot a waving Franky, who has plugged one of his arms into the base of the wall, pumping compressed air into it.
"What the heck? I'm the only one that's supposed to be cheating here!" Foxy yells, catching up along with Porche and the others.
"Unfortunately, I don't think this qualifies as interference. It falls squarely within the game's defined rules that were laid out," Smoker admits, mostly amused by the interesting turnaround, as he lights up another cigar and puts it in his mouth.
Franky twists his arm, activating mechanisms in the climbing wall that cause it to begin shaking and shuddering, while a small conveyor belt on the side rumbles for a moment, before dragging Kiev and Scholzo up to the top as they grab ahold of the two metal rings on it that were put there for them, flying to the top and crossing over to the other side with ease.
"Veinte Fleur!" Robin shouts, grabbing Luffy and rapidly sprouting twenty legs from the bottom of her feet. The force of the growth is enough to rocket her to the top, where she throws Luffy over before dismissing her bloomed legs and leaping across herself.
Porche wriggles with anger. "Chiqicheetah, wake the hell up!" she shouts, slapping the insensate cheetah man.
"Wha? Oh, right!" he yells, sprouting long claws as Porche and Foxy grab onto his back and he begins climbing up over the wall, while Chopper tries to climb up as well, his gigantic fingers splintering the wood as they dig into the walls.
Franky simply smirks in response, twisting his arm once to disengage it from the machinery. As soon as he does, the wall rushes back down, flinging Chopper to the ground painfully while Foxy's men shriek in fear. Ultimately, however, Chiqicheeta's claws are buried in the wood deeply enough to hold on, and they quickly scramble to the top while Franky leaps back into the water, swimming to the next obstacle.
"They're coming up to the next obstacle now, the chain swinging!" Itomimizu explains, watching Foxy and Luffy catching up rapidly with Franky's men as they leap over the water, grabbing the chains hanging down from the metal structure built over the canal, and planting their feet on the spiked balls hanging at the bottom of the chains.
"They're moving quickly, but it looks like Foxy has something in mind!"
Franky plugs his arm into the steel structure, twisting it to activate his next trick, only for Foxy to grin, pointing his hands towards the steel balls as he rides on top of his cheetah crew-member along with Porche.
"Slow Slow Beam Double!"
The beams rush out, washing over the spiked balls and slowing them down.
Franky's eyes widen as the mechanism groans and hisses, locked up as the winches he meant to use for retracting the chains fail to activate, allowing Luffy and Robin to easily cross the gap by leaping from one chain to another and overtaking both of Frankie's men with ease.
Foxy's group, however, has a far tougher time of it, lacking either bloomed limbs to use as a bridge or rubber powers to use as a grappling hook.
Frankie's grin only widens as he leaps back into the water, swimming to the final obstacle set up near the end of the course.
While her crew is busy with the Davy-Back Fight, Merry is scampering around, overwhelmed with anticipation as Iceberg and a gaggle of shipwrights approach her.
She looks down at the tall, clean-suited man leading them to her. "Hi! It's very nice to meet you, Mayor Iceberg, I've heard so much about you and Galley-La!" she says rapidly, hunching down to look him in the eyes.
Iceberg and his men are stunned. "It's good to meet you as well, Going Merry. I've heard quite a bit about you as well. Though I hate to say it, what I know about ship construction doesn't favor the blueprints your crew gave me very well."
Merry's smile dims by a small amount. "What's wrong with them?"
Iceberg waves her off. "Well, it's just that they were hastily adapted, is all. I didn't want to give you the wrong idea, but according to these blueprint specifications, if we were to refit you with the four sixteen-inch fully automatic turrets that these blueprints specify, you would flip upside down from the weight, and if you fired them, the recoil would be so strong that it would flip you all the way over again. I mean this in the most polite way, Merry, but you are one of the smaller ships to come through the docks of Galley-La, and downsizing these weapons may be a must, just for your balance and functionality."
Merry thinks about this. "Oh, well if that's the only problem, then boy do I have some tricks that will wow you! If you can just help me out, I can get up to the right size for the refit, no problem, I mean, it might not feel good, but I can do it! I've got a lot of other tricks too, so I know I'm strong enough to carry them!"
Iceberg thinks about this for a moment, pulling out the blueprints and looking them over carefully.
"I think it would be best if you showed me just what you can do. I would hate to perform a refit that ends up causing you undue strain."
Merry nods, excited to strut her stuff for such a renowned group of shipwrights. "I'll show you just what I'm made of, Mr. Iceberg! Then you'll see just how amazing I already am!"
Chapter 71: Acute Grief Reaction
Crossing the long bridge over the canal in front of them, Luffy and Robin run to the final obstacle, a gigantic smooth ramp that curves up into the air.
"Say hello to the last thing in your way, punks! The Perverted Wall!" Franky shouts from the top, crossing his arms as he smiles down at them.
"This seems too easy. Be careful Luffy," Robin says, sprouting several wings from her back as she crosses her arms.
"Dieciséis Fleur, Angel Wing!"
With a mighty flap, Robin blurs into the air, while Luffy runs at the wall directly, rushing up it rapidly.
Franky just smirks as they run past him, Robin grabbing the wheel off of its pedestal running to leap off of the ramp.
At the same time, Foxy and his men finally catch up, noticing Kiev and Schollzo assembling a hang-glider, and preparing a grappling hook.
"Chiqicheetah, wait, stop!" Foxy shouts, realizing instantly what the trick about to come is as he turns his head to look at the Perverted Wall, where Frankie has plugged a mechanism into his arms.
"Connector set," Franky confirms as the mechanism clicks into place, Foxy and the others scrambling to get away.
"Coup de…" Franky begins, his forearms bulging out as pressure builds inside of them and he aims down the street.
Robin jerks as Kiev fires a grappling hook at her, the hook snagging on the ship's wheel in her hands.
Her eyes widen at the sight of Frankie his bloated limbs directly at her.
"Vent!"
In a split second, Robin's world becomes a great deal of spinning and flipping, and her grip on the wheel is wrenched open as she slams into the bridge, crushing it to pieces.
Itomimizu gawks as Franky unleashes a howling windstorm from the pipes hooked to his arms.
"It looks as though Franky is using some kind of air attack on all of the competitors! They're all getting blown away!" he shouts, watching the proceedings intensely.
One after another, everyone but Franky's men and Luffy are blasted down the street, tumbling into the water as the bridge is smashed apart.
"Could this be it?! I don't see any other competitors that could possibly stop the now-flying Kiev and Schollzo," he says, watching the duo use their glider to ride Frankie's Coup De Vent high through the air.
"They're over the Chains, they're over the Climbing Wall! Wait, from behind! Tony Tony Chopper is chasing them through the air!"
Chopper is running on fumes, at this rate, he'll be returning to normal before he reaches them.
'I can't use Super Scope without Brain Point Two, so it looks like I've got no choice but to eyeball this,' Chopper thinks to himself, focusing on getting as high above Kiev and Schollzo as possible before his Rumble Pak can wear off.
Chopper reverts to his ordinary Walk Point, falling down towards the glider at high speed as he tries to tilt himself to land on the pair and steal the wheel.
'I'm not going to make it,' Chopper realizes idly, falling right behind them and down to the ground below.
Luffy whizzes past him, reaching for the hang-glider as it swoops down towards the finish line.
"Go Luffy!" Chopper cheers, before realizing how high above the ground he is.
"Oh crap!" he shrieks, flailing in the air as he whizzes towards the ground, landing with a whumph.
'Huh, I thought falling from that height would be more painful,' Chopper thinks, unscrunching his face as he opens his eyes to solve the mystery of why he didn't add a new pothole to the streets of Water Seven.
"Interesting. I wasn't sure that would work," Robin says, having caught him out of the air with her Reindeer Mink Body.
Chopper swallows heavily face turning a bright red as he wriggles out of her arms frantically, "Thank you Miss J-Jaguar," he stammers, turning away as she allows her cloned body to disperse into petals.
"It seems I can bloom my other bodies as easily as my current one. It's a good thing I did. I can't imagine it would have felt nice to hit the ground like that," she says, approaching Chopper with Foxy and his crew slung over her shoulders like unconscious sacks of potatoes. While she is as dry as a bone, they are all soaked from their dip in the canal.
"I see, that's good to hear, thank you again," Chopper says quickly, avoiding eye contact with her as he tries to distract himself from what just happened by watching Luffy's loud whining in response to the Judges declaring the Franky Family to be the winner of the first game.
He utterly fails to distract himself from what just happened, however, and Robin herself only offers her distinctive quiet laugh at his red face and constipated expression.
"Come on, let's go back with the others," she says, waving for Chopper to follow her.
They hear Smoker explaining his judgment to Luffy as they approach.
"Sorry Strawhat, but just grabbing the wheel doesn't qualify as you taking it over the starting line. They had their hands on it too, and they were clearly the ones who actually brought it over," Smoker says, crossing his arms while Luffy moans.
"Maaan, that sucks," Luffy sighs.
Usopp walks up with a certain tension following him.
"Guys, we've got a problem," Usopp says, frowning seriously as he forces himself to unclench his fists.
Tears stream down Merry's face as she lets out heaving shaky sobs, Nami gently patting her on the head as the rest of the Strawhats approach her.
"What happened, Merry? If this is because we lost the game, I'm sorry I bungled it up!" Chopper says.
Merry shakes her head in response. "It's not cus' of that," she sniffles.
"It was Iceberg. He banned us from taking Merry into any of the Water Seven Docks. Blacklisted us from Galley-La too," Usopp explains, quietly blazing with anger over the Mayor's decision.
"What? Why would he do that?!" Luffy shouts, instantly inflamed by the unjust decision.
Merry snorts messily, her crying renewed by the reminder. "I don't knowhoho, he just did," she says, shuddering with a mixture of disappointment and sadness, but above all else, a deep shame she can't place the cause of.
"Merry, surely all isn't lost. We know that Franky is just as capable, if not more than the Galley-La Company. If we defeat him in the upcoming games, he will be able to perform the refit," Robin points out sensibly.
Usopp shakes his head.
"It isn't about getting the job done. She's been wounded by this, Robin. Rejected by what the world widely believes to be the greatest shipwrights. Compromise won't make that hurt any better, I don't think." Usopp says, placing a comforting hand on Merry's hull as she nods quietly.
"What exactly happened?" Robin continues after a moment.
Usopp pauses. "Well, it started really well."
Merry pants, having already showed off her speed in both the water and on land with some dial propulsion and hard work.
"I'm also really strong, too, and I've got some pretty good fighting moves, it's kind of hard to show them all off, but I'm pretty all-around when it comes to that sort of thing! Oh, and I can't shoot my own guns yet, but that's ok, I've got a really good sniper to help me!" she explains excitedly.
Iceberg nods, the only person in the group who isn't stunned into utter silence at Merry's feats and personality.
"I see. I still won't be able to give you everything the blueprints here state. Your strength and speed have no bearing on your weight and size, and you would need to be nearly four times larger to hold all of these guns, with all of the armor they will need."
Merry thinks for a moment, unwilling to disappoint the mayor.
Her eyes widen. "Oh! Oh! I know, I don't need armor for my guns, if that will cut down on the weight! I can't do it very well yet, but my captain showed me how to do something really cool!"
Iceberg chuckles, especially fond of just how eager this ship seems to be to show off their qualities and improve them.
"Alright, here I go! Armament…"
She scrunches her eyes shut, sheer excitement and anticipation burning inside of her as she focuses her energy.
"Hardening!"
Her figurehead turns pitch black with a low rumble before she opens her eyes and looks down at Iceberg, a wide smile on her face.
"I can't do it very well like I said, but I'm getting better by the day, if I can master this, I won't need very much armor, even around… my…"
She realizes that while the other foremen and shipwrights are clapping enthusiastically, though most of them don't understand what exactly it is that she did, Iceberg's face had quickly turned serious, twisting into an expression somewhere between fear and anger, the sort of fear and anger that most people only find when faced with their worst nightmare.
"Uhh, what's wrong, Mayor?"
He ignores her, turning to his secretary. "Kalifa, please arrange a meeting with Franky, of the Franky Family. I'll have some matters to discuss with him later. We're leaving. Now."
He turns and walks away, only for Usopp to approach him with confusion. "Hey, what's going on? Is the appraisal over?" he asks.
"Yes. The appraisal is over," he responds, turning to Usopp with a carefully blank expression.
"Do not bring your ship into Water Seven. Galley-La will not be servicing your crew. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Usopp balks as Merry's jaw drops in shock.
"Is this about cost? I understand that what we're proposing might be expensive, but we have the-!" Nami begins, before being interrupted by Iceberg.
"Money isn't the issue. No amount of money could ever convince me to work on that ship. Are we clear?" he responds, leaving the group in shock as he walks away, the shipwrights following him murmuring unsurely as they obey his orders to leave as well, Kaku looking especially apologetic before turning to leave with the others.
Merry drops to her knees, vision blurring with liquid as the reality of what just happened hits her all at once.
"And then he just walked off without a care in the world. He didn't even give back the blueprints." Usopp says, gritting his teeth.
Luffy stares at Merry for several long seconds, as if engraving the sight into his mind.
"Hey. Smoker," Luffy says, turning to face the Vice-Admiral-turned-Judge.
"I'm forfeiting the next round. I'll be back," he says, already walking away.
"Wait, Luffy, what are you going to do?" Jackson asks.
Luffy stops, before looking back at his crew, a hellish visage of anger on his face. "I'm going to find out why he made Merry cry. And then I'm going beat the hell out of him for it."
Franky, who had been listening to all of this, walks up to Luffy and stares him in the eyes.
"I'll go with you. I don't know why Ice-for-brains is doing this… But I might have an idea," he says, his previously playful demeanor gone after seeing the state Merry was in.
"Fine," Luffy says, uncaring as he walks into Water Seven, Franky walking alongside him.
Smoker watches the two make their way into Water Seven to apparently assault the Mayor. He isn't sure where exactly the legality falls, but he was informed in absolutely no uncertain terms to not interfere with the Strawhats' operations. Apparently, after Vice Admiral Johnathan's stunt, all of the rest of them had been given much more stringent orders.
"Then, the winner of Foxy's game, the Captain's Duel is none other than Foxy himself," Smoker says, giving the captain a small glare that dims his enjoyment of the easy victory by a large margin.
"Well, I mean, I'm glad to hear it, but I obviously could have won anyway, Fehfehfehfeh!" he says, standing with his arms akimbo as his crew cheers for him.
"Woo! We knew you could do it Foxy!" Porche yells, giving her boss a thumbs up while Hamburg snickers to himself.
Chapter 72: Gelotology
An emotionless man stands in front of the doorway of Dock One with his arms crossed, a small pigeon perched on his shoulder. "Frankie, Iceberg has been expecting you. Coo!" the bird says.
"The pirate can go home. His presence isn't needed."
"Sorry, punk, but Luffy's going in here with me. We've got business with Iceberg. Now beat it, before I beat you," Franky responds.
The man locks gazes with Franky for several moments, glancing at Luffy before opening the door and letting them in.
Franky beelines his way to Iceberg's manor, being let in by none other than Mayor Iceberg himself.
He notices Luffy, but his expression doesn't visibly change. "I see you've decided to come as well. Come in, please."
Luffy and Franky silently follow Iceberg all the way to his office.
"I've ordered everyone out for the day," Iceberg says, sitting in his chair and opening a bottle of whiskey.
He pours a glass for himself before corking the bottle and returning it to where it was.
"Do you think I'm an idiot, Monkey D. Luffy?" Iceberg begins.
"I don't mean that rhetorically. I'm curious what exactly you think of me. You seem to think that I wouldn't notice what was in front of my eyes," he says.
"You work for the World Government."
Luffy's face twists up in a snarl. "I do not."
Iceberg pulls a pistol from his desk, pointing it at Luffy's head. "You do.
"You brought me the modified plans to a Marine Super Battleship. You've acted freely, unaccosted by Vice-Admiral Smoker. Your ship is already clad with Seastone, and all of you, down to the last man, have suspicious bounties following your time spent in Alabasta, if not a total lack of a bounty at all. You've been at the center of major upheaval at every island you've visited so far. Criminal elements are weeded out, and then eliminated or arrested in your wake," he continues, holding his pistol perfectly still.
"Did you think I wouldn't put the pieces together, when you bring me some twisted incarnation of the Black Ship, and offer me any price to refit it with Marine designs? What did they offer you? Were you even pirates to begin with?"
"We don't work for them!" Luffy roars, slamming his hands on the table.
The table cracks, splintering where Luffy's palms crashed into it, while the bottle of whiskey wobbles dangerously before settling down.
"If you're here to convince me to refit your ship anyway-" Iceberg calmly begins, not reacting at all to Luffy's violent display.
Luffy shakes his head, pulling his hands free from the table. "You made Merry cry."
"Excuse me?" Iceberg begins, before waking up embedded halfway in his own wall, having blacked out for a brief moment after Luffy's punch hit him before he could even blink.
"I wouldn't even let you touch her, after that," Luffy says, walking out of the office.
Frankie silently helps Iceberg to his feet, pulling him free of the cracked wall.
"You alright Ice-for-brains?" he asks, setting the man in his chair while he regains his breath.
"Frankie, the reason I called you here…" Iceberg begins, coughing several times as he clutches his chest.
"I want you to leave this island. That ship is a threat to the world itself. You've seen what it can do, you have to know that the time is getting close if the World Government has somehow produced a successful prototype. Even if that man isn't lying, and he's just some pirate with a miraculous ship…"
"I'm sorry Iceberg, but I can't believe that the Going Merry has inherited the spirit you're afraid of. That man came in here to beat the hell out of you for badmouthing his boat. A ship raised with that sort of love can't be what you're thinking it is."
"But it does carry the same spirit, as soon as she met me, she acted obsessed, obsessed with showing off her power, with obtaining more! Her hull is seamless metal, she can sail without a crew or sails using compressed air-power alone. If she were any more like that ship, she would have Cerberus for a figurehead," Iceberg insists, taking a shaky drink of his whiskey.
"That ship represents all of the enemies of Water Seven, the spirit of Pluton, the influence of the World Government…"
"A captain like…" he begins, unable to even finish his statement.
Franky shakes his head, plopping into a chair. "Her crew told me stories you wouldn't believe."
Franky pauses, trying to come up with the right words. "That sleepy East Blue Ship fought against the worst that the Grand Line had to offer, just to sail with her crew. That's not obsession, it's devotion. I haven't seen that ship do a single bad thing. Other than picking the wrong people to look up to, apparently."
Iceberg's eyes widen at the tone of Frankie's voice, and he forces himself to lean forward.
" Please don't help them, Frankie, Water Seven can't be where that ship is reborn," he says. Not even he is sure which ship he is referring to anymore.
"I don't see how I can build the world's greatest ship without keeping as close an eye as I can on the competition, Ice-for-brains," Frankie says after several long moments, before standing up and making to walk out of the office.
"Wait! If you refuse to listen to reason, then give the blueprints back to me," Iceberg pleads.
Frankie smiles. "You kidding? The World Government would chew you up and spit you out. You'd be handing Pluton right over to them if I gave them to you. If things go wrong, I'll do what I have to do. That's what we agreed on."
Iceberg freezes. As much as he hates to admit it, his old friend is right.
"See ya when I see ya, Icy, I got a competition to win," Franky says, waving behind him as he walks out of the room.
Merry has managed to make her way up to sniffling after Sanji and Jackson collaborate to create a ship-appropriate bowl of sea-salt ice cream for her to drown her sorrows in.
A wave splashing water on the Sexy Foxy's figurehead almost looks like drool in the right light, prompting Merry to serendipitously scoot her giant bowl further away from the shore.
"Given the circumstances, Luffy would like to change the game he had planned to something a bit different, with your permission, Vice-Admiral Smoker. This challenge will prove without a doubt which of our captains is superior," Jackson says, holding a piece of paper in his hands.
"I don't see why not, if the game hasn't already started yet," he shrugs, uncaring as he unfolds the sheet of paper and reads the rules for the other game.
"I'm not doing this," he responds, looking at the rules of the game.
"Sorry, Smoker, but you have a responsibility," Jackson insists.
Smoker glares at Jackson for several long moments. "Why do I get the feeling you are responsible for this."
Jackson waves at Smoker as he walks away. "Trust your instincts, man. I'm going to go get some ice cream before it's all gone."
Smoker locks eyes with Daz. "He's your crewmember. You do it," Smoker demands.
"That would be against the rules," Daz responds.
"It sounds like he pissed you off pretty bad, Luffy. Are we going to be breaking off our deal with the Marines?" Jackson asks, watching Luffy slurp at a smoothie.
"Nope. He doesn't get to decide what I am, and he doesn't get to mess with my decisions. If I didn't want to make that deal, I wouldn't have let us do it. We'll break it off when the marines piss us off. Not when some asshole mayor does." Luffy responds, swallowing the gigantic mouthful of smoothie.
"I would have done an eating contest for my game, but then I realized that would mean I have to share the food. And I don't really want to do that," Luffy says, changing the subject as he hops up onto Merry's head as she messily gobbles down the last of her own icecream.
"That makes sense. What did you pick then?" Merry asks, trying to look up at her little captain.
Luffy just pats Merry on the head. "No spoilers, Merry. Jackson had the idea. Oh! It's starting!" he shouts, pointing over to the judges' table, where Smoker begins reading off of the piece of paper after Porche gets the audience to quiet down.
"Welcome, everyone, to the final game of the Davy Back Fight, Whose Line Is It Anyway, the game where everything is made up, and the points don't matter. Just like my authority in this total farce of an assignment," Vice-Admiral Smoker says in a defeated tone of voice that has the crowd in stitches.
"Our three competitors for this match will be none other than…"
"Winner of the challenging one-man Battle-Royale, Foxy," he says, gesturing at the proudly waving Foxy, who is unaware that he was just insulted.
"The only competitor without an outstanding arrest warrant, Franky," he continues, the cyborg in question performing a dramatic pose in response.
"And of course, how could we forget, the source of all my headaches, Strawhat Luffy."
Luffy chuckles, leaping off of Merry's head to walk over to the other competitors.
"Here is how this is going to work. Competitors will perform improv comedy based on suggestions from the audience, and several pre-designed scenarios made by me and the other judges. We will then award points that serve no purpose, and decide a winner once all three of the improvisational scenes are done," Smoker explains.
"Let's get this over with. We'll start with Whose Line. Each of you, take two pieces of paper from this hat. We've filled it up with random lines from the audience, and you have to work them into an improvisational sketch," he says, holding out the hat for Luffy, Franky and Foxy to each take their lines and stuff them into their pockets.
"The scene is… Strawhat Luffy and Foxy are interrogating Franky, trying to convince him to confess to a crime," Smoker reads off, frowning to himself.
Franky plops down into a chair, while Luffy drags over a table.
"Alright then, talk, before we get not-so-nice with you!" Foxy yells, slapping his hands on the table while Franky dispassionately flicks his head to the side petulantly, his hair swishing as he does so.
"I don't have to tell you anything, Officer Foxy, you got nothing on me. All you know is…" Frankie fishes around and pulls out the slip of paper.
"I'm the Queen and I love nothing more than the taste of plum jelly!" he says confidently, rolling with the confusing line.
Foxy and Luffy pause for a moment while the audience howls with laughter, the Franky Family especially delighted by hearing their boss say something so ridiculous.
"Y-yeah! And you know what we found at the scene? Plum Jelly!" Foxy begins, only for Luffy to shake his head, putting a hand on Foxy's shoulder.
"Calm down, Officer Foxy. It's times like this that I remember what the chief told me, all those years ago," he says, pulling his own piece of paper out of his pocket.
"I've got the world's best nose," Luffy reads. Foxy nods sagely, letting out a morose sigh.
"You always know what to say, Deputy Luffy. His nose was absolutely the best, it's my inspiration as a cop to aspire to a nose like that," he says, before returning his gaze to Frankie.
"Just make it easier on yourself, Your Majesty, if I didn't know any better, I'd say something like…"
He pulls out his paper. "If you pull a stunt like that again, I'll tie you to the mast!"
Frankie shakes his head. "Threats won't work on me, officer, I'll never in my life admit that I said…"
He reads his second line.
"I'm just saying, with the right amount of velocity and force behind it we could totally make a cannonball split an island in half!" he quotes, before comically slapping his hands to his mouth in faux-shock.
Smoker hits the buzzer on the table, signaling the end of the bit as his face twitches by the slightest amount while Kiwi and Itomimizu howl, the latter slapping the table as he tears up from laughter. Daz remains unimpressed, sitting with his arms crossed.
Merry tears up for an entirely different reason, guffawing with helpless laughter at the game.
Jackson smirks, giving Usopp a look. "I told you she'd like it."
Usopp himself is holding his hands over his mouth as he snickers loudly.
"O-okay, I admit, this is… Pretty hilarious. Are you sure Luffy can win, though? It's kind of risky, doing a comedy show instead of an eating competition." he asks.
Jackson shrugs. "Based on what we know so far, I don't think it matters who wins at this point. Robin did some snooping on Foxy's crew, so we know he's angling to become a subordinate crew anyway, and Frankie is all but recruited. Might as well make the last game something everyone will have a lot of fun with, yeah?"
Merry nods. "I bet Luffy can win though, he's funny when he wants to be!"
Jackson nods, watching Robin and Chopper make their way into Water Seven to search for a bookshop like they had been wanting to do.
"Yeah. I think this will still turn out in our favor," Jackson thinks aloud, pausing for several moments before hopping off of Merry and walking away.
"I better go after those two. They know how to get into trouble. Be sure to tell me the highlights when I get back!" he says, following after them.
Chapter 73: Tendon
Kaku stares at the foremen who have decided to stand between him and the door of Dock One.
"Don't act so ornery, guys. I'm just going to zip on over to have a peep at the goings-on," Kaku says insistently, looking between the shipwrights with an easy smile on his face.
"With a cart filled with steel frames and cannons? You are out of line, Kaku," Rob Lucci's bird, Hattori, seemingly says. They cross their wings and glare at him as emotionlessly as their master does.
Kaku's light smile fades at Hattori's next words. "If you do this, you'll be as good as dismissed. You know what our orders are," they say vaguely.
"You do your job, and I'll do mine, I reckon," Kaku responds, taking a firm grip of the cart he piled up and dragging it over to the gigantic door.
Lucci looks between his two fellow foremen who showed up. A hulking bearded man named Tilestone, and one of Iceberg's most trusted foremen,
"I'm going to go after him," Paulie says.
"Yeah!!" Tilestone yells at the top of his lungs.
Rob Lucci watches dispassionately as the three of them make their way down the street, intent on either helping or stopping Kaku. It's unclear which.
"You coming?" Paulie asks, looking back at Lucci.
Hattori shakes their head. "No. I've got work to do," they say, making Paulie shrug before following after the two shipwrights.
'Well, even if Kaku is going off the reservation, I have absolutely no intention of disobeying my orders at this stage,' he thinks to himself, glaring after them for a moment before turning and walking away.
"Alright, the next game is… Taking a Cut. We've got a name from the audience, and a kind of treasure," Smoker begins.
"Foxy, you'll take the role of 'Captain Cotton-Candy-Beard', and you've just found a 'vault filled with all the meat you can eat'. When Luffy and Frankie come into the scene, you'll introduce them with another name, and act out negotiations for splitting the treasure."
Merry watches the trio begin their act in earnest, delighted by the show so far.
"Oh boy," Usopp begins nervously, watching as a few of the Galley-La foremen begin approaching.
Merry's eyes narrow at the trio.
"What do you want. Can't you see we're busy?" she says with a shrill growl.
Kaku nods. "That's fair. I won't pretend to know why Iceberg gave you diddly-squat when it comes to good manners and good service, but I think it was downright rotten. Of course, I'm off work right now, and what I do in my free time isn't any of his beeswax. Paulie and Tilestone agreed."
He pauses, and when Merry simply stares at them for several long seconds, he continues. "You probably think us Galley-La foremen aren't worth spit right now, but me and the others went ahead and put together some stuff for you. Whether you want us to put it together for you or not, I hope it'll at least show that we aren't all low as dirt when it comes to treating a pretty ship right."
"Well… I don't think you're all bad. And even if I did…" Merry begins, eyeing the gigantic cart of metal beams and various cannons.
"Well, I'll never turn down good food," she admits.
"Pardon?" Kaku asks, his eyes widening along with Paulie's and Tilestones when Merry gently grabs one of the metal beams and lifts it up into the air before slurping it down whole.
"Oh wow, you sure didn't pull this out of the scrap-heap, huh? It isn't even rusty!" Merry says, before grabbing another one.
"Ushpp, hrlp thrm grt ther cannrns an'-" Merry swallows the other metal beam, belching daintily.
"Pile 'em in the hold, please. We'll work out what to do with them later," she finishes, Usopp giving her a lazy salute before dropping the Gangplank down.
She eyes the shipwrights. "Leave the beams here."
They look at each other for a moment before nervously nodding at her. "Yes Ma'am."
Pulling the beams off of the cart and dropping them on the ground, they begin hauling the cannons up onto the ship at Usopp's direction.
Merry shakes with laughter as Luffy completely botches his act when the hypothetical subject of sharing meat starts getting under his skin.
Foxy holds a hand to his chin. "Well, if absolutely nothing can convince you, then I suppose-" he starts trying to pull his hand off of his chin, pretending as if it were stuck there. while the crowd laughs uproariously.
Chopper looks at the setting sun as he licks at ice-cream and follows behind Robin and Jackson. "You know, this place is really nice. Kind of relaxing. Almost everyone we've met has been really nice," he says, waving at the random stranger who decided to wave down at them from his window.
Jackson chuckles. "You kidding? That isn't what I would say. This place is a real mess of a city. Absolutely packed with activity. So many places, people, and ideas. Is it any wonder why this city needs canals? Walking sure won't take you where you need to go in a place this fast-paced," he continues, gesturing to where, even during the evening, the streets are flooded with people going to and from the various locales worth visiting.
Robin smiles. "I think you both make very compelling points, boys," she says, turning her gaze to the sign on a nearby building. "Waterlog's Books."
"We've reached our destination, it seems," she says, opening the door with a small jingle.
"Howdy. Welcome to Waterlog's. I'm Waterlog," a thin old man with a long beard says tiredly, sitting at the front desk of the bookstore.
"Hello, sir. Where do you keep the medical textbooks?" Chopper asks.
"I'd like some information on the history of Water Seven, if that's alright," Robin continues.
"What are some really popular books around here?" Jackson finishes.
Old man Waterlog hums. "Third shelf from the right for medicine. Fourth shelf for history. Bargain bin for whatever slop the kids are reading nowadays," he responds.
Chopper scampers over to the shelf quickly, a broad grin on his face as he stares at the shelf full of textbooks.
"Ooh! I'll take this one, and oh my, studies into dental regeneration, that'll be important with how often everyone's getting hit in the face… Oh! Oh! This is the latest encyclopedia of viruses! I can't wait to dig into all of these!" Chopper giggle-shouts, piling his arms high with the books and wobbling a bit before transforming into his Heavy Point to manage them more easily.
"Be careful, Chopper. You wouldn't want to damage any of them, correct?" Robin says, sprouting a few arms from Chopper to stabilize the pile further.
"Mhm," the reindeer hums quietly as he carefully betters his grip on the load while Robin takes her time looking through the shelf next to him.
"Do you mind if we do a bit of reading here before we make our purchases?" she asks, pulling out a book labeled "The Man in the Galley"
Waterlog just shrugs, uncaring of both their appearance and bizarre powers. "I don't have a problem with it, ma'am."
Nodding at this, Robin helps Chopper set his books down, settling into a nearby chair as she sprouts her Reindeer form to bring her books from the shelf while she reads.
She quickly realizes that the book she had taken contains very recent history, acting as a sort of biography detailing the early days of the Galley-La company. She's tempted to set it aside in favor of a different book, but ultimately, decides that any history is valuable, even if it is of someone she isn't currently very fond of.
Meanwhile, Jackson's expression quickly grows more and more dismal as the hour goes by. This gradual worsening of his mood seems to be due to the book he had plucked from the 'Best Sellers' shelf."
"Mr. Waterlog, please tell me this book isn't very popular," he says, holding up a copy of "Midday".
"Fraid so, young man. It was sold out for weeks after it was published. Really popular with kids."
Jackson sighs. "Truly, there can be no justice in a world containing this little abomination," he says to Robin and Chopper, who look up from their own books for a moment.
"Seriously. I don't know how someone could read this dreck. A teenage girl getting into a love triangle with a skeleton and a zombie just isn't compelling writing! Not that the author seems to know how to write!" he hisses.
"Wait, that's what that book is about?" Chopper asks curiously, looking at the tome with interest.
As if shielding Chopper from the book, he turns around and shoves it firmly back on its shelf. "Yes, and it isn't a book for impressionable little reindeer who still have the opportunity to develop good taste in literature," Jackson says, his nose held high.
Robin holds a hand to her mouth, chuckling quietly while her other body hides its laughter behind its book.
Jackson sighs. "Hey, guy, do you have any books that are popular among the older crowd? Some real classics?"
Waterlog brightens at this. "Yeah, I think I might have what you're looking for," he says, rooting around behind his desk while Chopper sneaks the copy of Midday into his pile of medical textbooks behind Jackson's back.
He continues rummaging around, setting aside several of his own personal books before finally locating the one he was searching for, staring at it with a wistful look in his eyes.
"Here. It's an oldie but a goodie. You can't go wrong with a copy of…" Waterlog pauses for dramatic effect.
"The Mystery of Carnivale D'Ambra," he finishes, handing over an old leatherbound book to Jackson, with thin gold lettering of the title on the front of it.
"Wow, this looks pricy, how much do you want for it?" Jackson asks, only for Waterlog to wave him off.
"Just keep reading books, and I'll give you a discount. Want me to ring you kids up now?" he asks with more cheer than he had when they had first walked in.
Chopper hops excitedly. "Wow, really?! Thank you so much, mister, I'll be sure to read every last one of them!"
Waterlog laughs. "Yeheheh, good! You might just learn something!" he says jokingly, tallying up the price of the books and loading them one by one into a large canvas sack for the pirates.
Chopper is on Cloud Nine, He got an entire sack of new medical textbooks, Jackson got that weird old novel that seems to be interesting him, and Robin has only teased him a tiny bit today! Not that he minds the attention that much… But it's the principle of the matter! Doctors are to be respected, not teased!
"And as the thief adjusted the mask differentiating himself from his alter ego as Magician Cheirourgós, he proclaimed to the police chief, 'So long as I yet live, I will never stop chasing the amber of Adam! That said, I admire your passion, Madam Orthos. Yours is a hunt as ambitious as my own!'
As soon as he had finished speaking, he then dashed a smoke bomb to the ground and all but disappeared, with nothing the low clatter of roof tiles to give any hint as to where he could have escaped.
"'Then farewell, Chirurg, for when we next meet, I'll have you hung from your neck,' she said to the empty air, having holstered her pistol and left only to wonder why the master thief had even bothered to show himself at all on the night before his final heist," Jackson reads, before clapping the book shut.
"Incredible. Just incredible. I wonder if it's based on a true story? I mean, knowing our luck, the answer is probably a very loud and soon to be violent 'Yes!', but still. It's interesting that a story like this apparently takes place in San Faldo. Maybe we should take a visit there after this?" he asks excitedly, the book's stories of magic and trickery ringing loud bells in his heart.
As the group continues down the street, they see a seemingly unarmed cloaked man standing in the middle of the street, wearing a smiling mask. The street around him is curiously free of any and all people, and the street lights have all been extinguished.
Before Jackson can do more than open his mouth, the figure flashes forward, Jackson's face hitting the ground seconds before his body follows suit as a faint noise is followed by a sharp cutting attack.
"Jackson!" Robin screams, sprouting a thick forest of diamond-hard antlers around them, moments too late to stop Chopper from being dragged away by the unimaginably fast figure.
Chapter 74: Tension Headache
Chopper isn't sure what exactly is going on, one minute, they saw some scary guy, and the next minute, Chopper is being stuffed into a sack with what he can only assume is seastone worked into the fibers, due to the stunning sense of weakness he feels as whoever it is quickly carries him off.
He hears a low chuckling coming from whoever it is that did this, though he doesn't recognize the voice.
'Jackson warned us that something like this might happen,' he thinks, his heart hammering in his chest with fear and barely restrained panic.
He presses on his Tattoo and forces himself to be calm. He needs to be rational right now, no matter how scary it is.
'Hello everyone. Can you hear me? I'm currently in danger, someone's got me, but I don't know who it is! Robin, Jackson, are you alright?' Chopper thinks, sending his message out, hoping they'll respond.
After a few moments, he begins receiving frantic responses from the entire crew.
'Wait, someone took you?!' he hears Nami think.
'Damn it, we're getting trouble from CP9 this soon?' Sanji thinks, already sensing Chopper's location. 'Are you hurt?'
'No, I'm fine, I'm more worried about Jackson and Robin, they could be really hurt, I don't know!' Chopper responds.
A familiar voice takes the opportunity to chime in, relieving him greatly. 'Tis but a flesh wound. I'm A-Okay Chopper. Robin's fine too. We're regrouping with the others to find you and turn whoever did this into goddamn hamburger helper.'
'What?' Chopper thinks incredulously.
'Shit, sorry. Kind of hard to keep the filter on with this thing. We're on our way. Luffy, don't run in guns blazing. I can literally sense you doing it, It will endanger Chopper if we go in without a plan,' Jackson continues.
'So things are finally getting interesting,' Zoro asks.
'Who would stand to gain from doing this now of all times?' Daz wonders.
'Doesn't matter. Jackson. Hurry up, or I'll beat the hell out of whoever was dumb enough to do this myself,' Luffy says, his teeth grit so hard, it even comes across in his mental communications.
Chopper's heart lifts from the sound of all of his friends ready to leap up and help. 'Don't worry guys, I'll keep you updated, as soon as I get out of this bag!'
All things considered, Chopper knows from a rational perspective that whoever is doing this doesn't have the means to kill him, and if they were going to try, they would have done it already.
Just in case, Chopper begins the slow and deliberate process of using his Life Return to modify his musculature and bones. If he gets it done before his friends get to him, he might be able to free himself with enough pure muscle strength. Even weakened by seastone and unable to transform, it isn't like his Brain Point lacks the dial-powered hydraulic muscle enhancements he gave himself.
It's just that his other forms make them stronger.
Usopp and Merry share a look for a moment before looking at Kaku.
'If this is CP9, then he's our only lead. Anyone object to us interrogating Kaku to find out what the hell is going on here?' Usopp asks over their connection.
Kaku looks curiously at their intense stare, before avoiding a gentle stomp from Merry that splinters the solid rock of the cape.
Smoker leaps to attention at the sudden act of violence, but halts when Zoro and Sanji shake their heads at him, blocking him from approaching.
"This isn't any of your business. One of our crew members is missing, and we're going to find out what we need to know from him," Zoro says.
"What the hell are you talking about? What is going on here?" Smoker says, looking at his own men cautiously as they begin pulling out their own weapons, waiting for Smoker to give them orders.
"It isn't any of your concern, Vice-Admiral. You need to fall back to your previous orders, and back off," Sanji says, not even glancing back as Usopp fires a series of Wool-Cotton Stars at the undercover CP9 Agent, who leaps out of the way of them in confusion while Paulie and Tilestone try to help him, running towards Usopp.
"Throne Bell!" Merry roars, smashing her head into both of them and knocking the duo unconscious in an instant before turning her attention on Kaku.
"Lay down and you won't be harmed," she says firmly.
"What is this about, ma'am? I haven't done anything wrong to you," he tries to explain.
"I'm aware. But you know someone who has. Don't make me hurt you."
Smoker stands back, ready to attack as soon as the Strawhats do something he can't ignore. Even if his orders suggest otherwise, he isn't going to just ignore them if they try to do something unforgivable. To hell with the consequences. Until they do, however…
He sits in his chair, tense beyond all reason as he stares at the innocent shipwright pinned beneath Merry's hoof, noting the approach of two of the other Strawhats. Jackson and Jaguar.
When Foxy attempts to discuss the subject of the Davy-Back Fight to Luffy, Jackson gets in-between them, the rage visible on his upper face vast and uncompromising.
"Look, Foxy, we're more than happy to do whatever favor it is you've got for us, but if you don't back off while we get our crewmember back, I will personally educate you on the meaning of the word vitrify, and your understanding of it will be in-depth. Are we clear?" Jackson asks, Foxy meekly nodding as he backs away from the Strawhats.
Usopp notices that Kaku is having trouble drawing breath, the result of having to use his iron body to protect himself from the weight of Merry's gigantic hoof pinning everything but his head to the ground.
"Merry, let him breathe," Usopp says, staring down at him. Paulie and Tilestone lay unconscious nearby, still not recovered from Merry's attack.
"What do you know about this? We already know you're a member of that organization, so answer quickly," Usopp says, pulling back a steel ball in his slingshot as he aims at Kaku's head.
His eyes widen in shock. "I don't know anything! We didn't take your doctor!" Kaku says insistently, shaking his head.
Jackson scowls. "He's lying. He has to be, what other group would make the phenomenally stupid decision to kidnap one of us and try to kill me?" Jackson asks rhetorically.
A set of footsteps turn the Strawhats' attention to a newcomer with a familiar pidgeon on their shoulder, and a dismal displeased expression on their face.
"If you'll release my colleague, I have an answer for you," Rob Lucci says, holding up a Black Transponder Snail.
The crew turns to face him, violence promised in their eyes.
"I'm not afraid to do worse to both of you if you don't answer our goddamn questions," Merry says, the ground creaking ominously around her.
Lucci doesn't react, other than to press the top of the Transponder Snail to get it to repeat what it recorded.
"Did you get what you were looking for, Joker?" an incredibly high pitched voice says, only for a much lower voice to respond jovially.
"I killed one of them. Poor bastard didn't even realize what happened. I even grabbed the competitor. It looks like things will be looking up for our little project soon," the other man responds, laughing to himself.
Jackson's eyes widen, while Merry lifts her hoof off of Kaku, letting him climb to his feet and stumble to Lucci's side.
"Doflamingo," Jackson whispers. One word instantly brings to mind just how many leagues away that one man is from their current strength. The idea of having to fight him now of all times… It's unthinkable.
"You recognize him by his voice alone?" Lucci says ponderously, before shaking his head and continuing. "As you might have guessed already, we don't have orders to capture your doctor. We had orders to cease any and all contact with your crew, period. We weren't to so much as make eye contact with your group, much less accost you. Now, however, the situation has changed. Not least of which because my associate is under your boot."
"So what, are you here to help us or something?" Luffy asks impatiently.
"No. That would be foolish. Extracting the doctor risks both aborting our relationship with the Warlord, and inadvertently killing the source of the artificial Devil Fruits."
"What do you mean by that? The source?" Nami interjects.
"Your doctor. We've already surmised that he is the one making them, there's little point in you trying to hide that fact now.
"No. Rather, I'm here for what you might consider a courtesy call. With your doctor in Doflamingo's possession and no reasonable method of getting the doctor into our custody, we will have little choice but to negotiate with the Donquixote pirates from here on to maintain our supply. Your services will no longer be required."
"We'll discuss the matter of how you recognize our agents on sight later. As for Kaku, It's like I warned you. You've been dismissed for directly violating your orders of non-contact. Perhaps you should have focused more on your real job, instead of your fake one." Rob Lucci says.
Jackson is faced with a choice that isn't really one. "Captain?" he asks.
Luffy gives him a firm look. "You already know what to do. Chopper's safety isn't worth our secrecy. If we can force them to help us, then we will."
Jackson nods. "Rob Lucci, stop," Jackson states firmly, prompting the assassin to halt, turning to face Jackson with a bored expression.
"You're wrong. Chopper isn't the source of the Ghetto Ghetto Fruit," he says, holding up his hand and allowing a measure of slosh to bubble up from the hole in his palm, rapidly shifting and morphing until it transforms into a small purple melon topped with spiky leaves.
"I am."
Lucci and Kaku's eyes widen, along with several other bystanders who witnessed the act.
Jackson slowly crushes the fruit in his hands. "And if you ever want another one of these goddamn fruits to end up in Marine hands, you will contact your superiors and have them rein in their dog."
'Help is on the way, Chopper.'
Fleet-Admiral Sengoku's fists clench so hard, a faint groan can be heard, like metal rubbing up against itself.
"What did you just say? The damn quack is the one making them?!" he yells, slowly applying more and more pressure to his desk as his face tightens with white-hot annoyance.
"Do we have any reason to believe he might be lying? If he is, and we try to wrench Doflamingo's hand on the matter…"
Sengoku pauses, listening to the person speaking on the other end of the Transponder Snail.
It's times not unlike these that he wishes he could just retire. When everything quickly becomes complicated, and the responsibility falls on him to make the most intelligent decisions possible in a timeframe measured in hours, if not minutes.
"So it was that fruit all along. If he has had it this entire time, we can only assume he was able to somehow avoid dying from it. That kind of power would easily let him do something like this.
"Very well. Tell the Strawhats that I'm getting on the line with the Donquixote Pirates now, to negotiate for the release of their doctor."
A pause, followed by muttering from the other side.
Sengoku's free hand clenches even tighter.
"Tell them if Doflamingo does not comply, we will use his position as a Warlord as leverage. What the Strawhats offer us is worth more than the tribute he stole to get his position."
Sengoku lets out a deep sigh. The Seven Warlords have always been prickly with one another at the best of times, but a conflict like this cannot be allowed to continue between them. It could undermine the entire Warlord System itself, if its members devolved into outright infighting.
He dials the number for his next call one slow painful digit at a time, dreading having to deal with the person responsible for all of this.
"I need to speak to Donquixote Doflamingo. Immediately," Sengoku demands, the secretary redirecting him to the man's personal Transponder Snail.
"To what do I owe the pleasure? I was just about to take a lovely train ride with a new friend," Doflamingo says slyly, chuckling low and maliciously.
Last edited: Oct 11, 2019
Chapter 75: Flare-Up
"To what do I owe the pleasure? I was just about to take a lovely train ride with a new friend," Doflamingo says slyly, chuckling low and maliciously.
He looks over at Chopper, who has had their sack switched for a pair of Seastone handcuffs.
Chopper's face remains blank, staring ahead deliberately as they ignore the presence of the Warlord next to them.
"We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you've captured Tony Tony Chopper of the Strawhat Pirates. You need to return immediately to Water Seven and cede them to Smoker's custody."
Doflamingo pauses with a bit of surprise at just how quickly the Marines discovered his plan. He'll need to look into that later. Perhaps their intelligence division isn't as much of a joke as he thought it was. He had hoped to simply disappear the doctor, leaving no trace of his presence in the area until he could have Sugar prevent them from being tracked properly.
He quickly regains his confidence. It isn't like he's unable to do that now. This just complicates the matter slightly.
"Oh? But I'm already so far away from there. I did mention the train ride, didn't I? Really, I do you marines the favor of capturing a criminal, and I get these suspicious calls as thanks?" he continues casually.
"I'll be sure to do my best to deliver him to the Marines as soon as I can, but… If he raises too much trouble, I'm just not sure what I'll have to do. I might have to make him disappear if he's-"
Doflamingo chuckles at the ridiculous idea of the tiny reindeer-dog thing being a threat when they aren't even trying to escape.
"-too threatening. I have to keep the safety of my crew in mind, you understand. Even if his bounty says 'Alive Only', accidents happen."
"No more games, Doflamingo. You are to get on the train to Water Seven, and return the doctor immediately," the Fleet Admiral instantly responds hatefully.
"Sengoku, you're acting suspiciously. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's something… Special… About this doctor. I've never been much of a snitch, but if you make this any more interesting, people might just find out something you don't want them to," Doflamingo threatens, putting a little pressure on their secret-warlord garbage.
Doflamingo's expression dims when Sengoku responds blithely. "You believe he can produce synthetic Devil Fruits, and have zero intention of surrendering him to the World Government. You will return the doctor to Water Seven, or you can consider your status as a Warlord revoked. Effective immediately."
'An ultimatum, then?' Doflamingo thinks to himself. 'I usually prefer to deliver those, rather than receive them'
His twisted smile turns brittle. Transform his budding SMILE operation into a thing of terror, or maintain the status quo and retain his Warlord privileges…
Both options have merit. But if he returned the doctor now… It would be humiliating.
His grin widens, and he begins to chuckle. "Well, if those are my options," he begins with a lilt.
"Kalick" the Transponder Snail goes as he hangs up on Sengoku.
"You hear that little doctor? The marines are all abuzz about getting you back. I'm sure that will be fun to deal with. Until I have a little friend of mine solve that problem anyway," Doflamingo says, sneering at the reindeer sitting in the seat across from him as the train begins moving.
Chopper doesn't respond for several moments. "Is there a reason why you haven't made me an offer yet?" Chopper finally offers.
Doflamingo's chest shudders with silent laughter. "Oh? I wasn't aware I could make you an offer. I've seen you toying with that little tattoo of yours. Am I to believe you would sell yourself out? Change your allegiance for the right price?"
He leans forward menacingly.
"What would you like, little doctor?"
Chopper swallows. "Let me go free, do not pursue me. Do that, and my friends won't come after you."
"Fuffuffuffuffu! And-" he continues to laugh, before getting ahold of himself.
"And at such a low price! Too! Fuffuffuffuffuffu!"
He reaches over, grabbing Chopper's head firmly.
"Your friends won't be in any position to do that, once you're back in Dressrosa," he hisses with a smirk.
Chopper forces himself to put on a brave face as the train churns into movement, plodding towards San Faldo. Doflamingo notices that the little doctor's head is shockingly rigid.
"Then I guess they'll just have to rescue me before that happens."
Jackson mimes using a needle to draw something out of a large ornate mirror, leaving the mirror dull and blank. He then pulls out a bottle filled with a swirling clear fluid, and combines the two into slosh, before pouring it into a round flask along with a spark of divine essence.
"The pure essence of a mirror, combined with liquefied space, poured into a potion bottle and rationed out for a duration of twenty-four hours. The end result; A potion of mirror-skin. To counteract the effects of Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit, by making anyone who touches the user be counted as touching themselves instead, by giving them the blessed properties of a spacial mirror. If Doflamingo decided to bring her along, this means the difference between life and death," Jackson says, setting aside the twelve filled bottles.
He then holds out his hand, a mass of slosh emerging from it and transforming into a large sack of dust. He repeats the process to create a large urn of fluid and a metal tank of some sort of gas.
"Three-hundred pounds of Seastone Dust. Twelve gallons of Seastone Oil, and a tank of Pyrobloin Gas. Frankie, Usopp, I want the two of you to make a weapon to disperse this stuff at the longest, widest range possible. It cannot use a hard projectile, and it has to be able to pass through any sharp objects in its path until it hits a solid surface," he says, gesturing to the pair to take the proffered goods.
Two days of Stamina.
"Sea Animals, do not use your laser mice under any circumstances. The enemies may use Armament Haki, in which case the mice will die. You'll be using these," Jackson says, creating a large, tubby looking pistol, covered in a swirly pattern and with a scope and tripod attached.
"They're needle dials. A modified form of Axe Dial. They'll punch a hole in anything unarmored. Haki users have a finite amount of energy to draw from, so aim for anything that isn't black and don't stop shooting," he explains, creating a crate filled with the guns and sliding it to the group of assorted animals.
Six days of Stamina.
Now for the hard part. He creates two small pellets and fills them both with Seastone and Diamond Slosh. He then creates a small pellet out of nothing but sunlight. Tons and tons of light, compressed into a tiny pellet.
Every last scrap of light in all of his Slosh Dials is concentrated into this one tiny paintball-sized sphere, leaving him devoid of any and all radiation-based concepts.
He does the same, but with several gallons of water compressed into a small pill.
After all is said and done, he is left with three days of Stored Stamina.
"Luffy. I've completed your requests. The white spheres are Riot Balls. The blue pill is your water pill, eat that when the time comes. The yellow sphere is your light grenade. Do you have it memorized?" he asks, handing over the four spheres.
Luffy doesn't respond, pocketing the case and gazing in the direction of Chopper as Rob Lucci and several others arrive.
"The deal fell through," Lucci explains plainly and emotionlessly.
"We knew that would happen. All your people did was waste time that could have been spent mobilizing," Jackson says, continuing to prepare alchemical armaments for the crew.
The assassin continues, heedless of Jackson's biting words. "We will attempt to pursue him, but once he gets out on the open sea it will become phenomenally difficult to track him down," Lucci says, only for Luffy to hold up his hand.
"Follow us. We know where Chopper is. Merry, it's time to go," he says, the ship in question nodding grimly as she flips open her gangplank, animals, Strawhats and more filing onto her deck one after another.
Jackson unfolds the Anything Goes, shaping its Steel Clouds around the back of Merry like an afterburner for increased speed.
"You're fired, right? You going to help us out here?" Jackson asks, looking at Kaku, whose eyes widen as he nods unsurely.
"Good. I was planning on trading this new model anyway. I don't exactly have a lot of time to fact-check you here, so just assume if you betray us that you'll meet with a grisly fate, eat it and come aboard if you plan on helping us," Jackson says, tossing the confused former-assassin a large Ghetto Fruit before turning back to Franky and Usopp.
"You two will have to build the weapon while we're en-route. Let's get going."
"Wait, how are we supposed to follow your ship if it doesn't use sail-power? We'll fall behind in minutes," Smoker says, already commanding his men into action to prepare to set sail.
Jackson's eyes narrow as he creates a Merry Pose with a built-in Psychic-Self-Destruct, tossing it to the Vice-Admiral.
"That will lead you to our ship if you lose track of Doflamingo's next location. Get your men and hurry. We aren't waiting for you," Jackson says, flipping backwards up onto Merry as she charges into the water, rocketing off after the train with the power of three gigantic Jet Dials mounted on her sides and rear.
Kizaru arrives a few minutes after the Strawhats leave, looking around as Smoker's men scramble to set off, loading everything back onto their ship as they rush onto it.
At the same time, the Foxy Pirates act similarly, having claimed immunity by virtue of joining the Strawhat Armada and offering to help them with the problem at hand.
"Ooh. It looks like you're all quite busy." he drawls, walking up onto Smoker's ship idly.
"Admiral Kizaru, I was unaware you'd be coming," Smoker comments, eyeing the various people that are apparently members of CP9 reassigned to help with this mission.
"Weeell, I'm more like… The first admiral to get here. Doflamingo… Might decimate whatever city we catch him in, at this point," Kizaru responds, shrugging with an aloof smile and a distant expression.
"We try to avoid that sort of thing, uuusually."
"Sooo, where are we headed?" he asks casually.
"The Strawhats have given us a Log Pose, they claim it points towards their ship. The plan is to follow after them, and attempt to intercept Doflamingo's ship and minimize the damage his men may cause to San Faldo."
"Ooh, is that where they're going? My my, they've got quite a few toys they haven't been sharing with the class, don't they?"
Rob Lucci approaches the duo as the ship begins moving.
"It may not be my business to say, but I believe you are understating the severity of the problem, Admiral Kizaru. They have demonstrated capabilities above and beyond anything we could have predicted. Knowledge of CP9 Members, knowledge of Doflamingo's operations and the people in his employ, an ability to communicate and locate their members silently, and a vastly more well-armed series of crews than we were led to believe."
Smoker and Kizaru give Lucci their full attention as he continues.
"In under a few months, they have gone from nothing to one of the most dangerous crews in Paradise. What was believed to be a thrill-seeking decision from their captain to maintain their bounties and deny some privileges of being a Warlord has only just now been revealed for what it is. It served as an incubator that allowed Jerry Jackson to quietly amass power. Without the scrutiny that being a pirate would cause from the Marines, and without the reputation that being a warlord would cause from everyone else, they effectively played all the parties who would have a stake in interfering with them," he explains.
"Should we become their enemy, I suspect a mountain of broken bodies would be created before this burgeoning armada could be stamped out completely. And now Donquixote Doflamingo has managed to piss off every single one of them," Rob Lucci finishes, staring evenly at the two men who seem to not be giving this situation the gravity it warrants, nor do they seem to understand just how chaotic the situation is about to become.
Last edited: Oct 13, 2019
Chapter 76: Silicosis
Merry bounces off each of the waves as she flies forward like a speedboat, her speed so great that the only ones unaffected are the Strawhats themselves.
Jackson rummages around in a rack filled with the swords he had been helping Zoro produce. When he finds what he was looking for, he shuffles his way around the crowded deck until he manages to make his way to Kaku.
"Here. You didn't bring your swords, so you can use these as a loaner," Jackson says, holding up two swords, one shaped like a large peacock feather with a wide-open beak for its guard, and the other one bearing a puffy, cloud-shaped tip that makes it almost like an axe.
"How in the..?" Kaku begins, only for Jackson to shove the two sheathed weapons into his hands.
"Don't worry about it. When you use your new power, make sure you have a lot of room. That fruit is worth more than you are, and the full transformation is a big one. It should help your four-swords style and six-powers immensely," he continues, heedless of the assassin's suspicion towards how Jackson knew about his fighting techniques.
Luffy glares forward, standing on Merry's head as she pulls up alongside the railroad tracks.
"You need to go ahead of us. Find this bastard's ship and make it so he can't leave," Luffy says to Merry, remaining perfectly stable on his feet when Merry crashes into the side of the Sea Train, getting as close as she can to the vehicle.
"Zoro, Sanji, you stay with Merry and the animals, help them with Mingo's ship, everyone else, with me," Luffy says, taking a running start before jettisoning himself up onto the top of the train.
One by one, the Strawhats all climb aboard with some help from Merry's masts and ropes, Frankie being the last person to hop aboard, due in no small part to the gigantic barrel slung over his shoulder.
Jackson eyes Frankie's invention. "If you think you can catch Doflamingo with that weapon, use it. Everyone, masks on," he says, sliding his own clear face-covering over his head before locking it with a snap and a hiss.
The rest of the crew follows suit, running after their captain as they make their way to the front of the train to disable it.
At the same time, a thin beam of light flashes past them, though few notice it, and the ones that do don't dwell on it.
"So, is there any particular reason why I shouldn't go up and kill all of your little friends myself?" Doflamingo leers at Chopper, who hasn't moved much during the entirety of the train ride so far.
Chopper pauses for several moments, as if hearing something Doflamingo can't. "If you leave this room, I'll escape. What good are you, if your minions aren't stronger than mine?"
Chopper dislocates his hand, slipping it out of one part of the Seastone cuffs with ease, waggling his hoof at Doflamingo as if making a point.
"Walk out of this room, and I'll be gone before you get back," Chopper says.
Doflamingo grins, holding out a lazy hand. "I doubt that," he says, spawning several Haki infused strings that pin Chopper to the seat viciously.
Slowly, and with visible effort, Chopper forces his cells to move and loosen from one another, causing Doflamingo's strings to cut through him harmlessly as he slowly stands up in spite of them.
Doflamingo's smile disappears entirely as he openly gapes at what he's seeing, as if he were running cheese wire through sludge. Firm, but a fluid nonetheless…
"I'm still here because it would be too much trouble to walk out with you here to try and stop me. So please, feel free to leave." Chopper says grimly, glaring up at the Warlord, his heart pounding in his chest as he forces himself to look braver than he feels.
Doflamingo bites his tongue. He forces himself to remember that he can't just murder this little abomination with how important it is to his plans.
Pulling out his Transponder Snail, he connects to the other agents on the train. "Go up on top of the train. Kill everyone there," he says, slowly sitting down and glaring at the Doctor who has proven themselves an entirely new sort of troublesome.
Chopper, meanwhile, has only just begun to adjust his cells, now that he's proven something important about Doflamingo's powers.
He plops back down onto the cushioned bench, returning to his silent meditation and Life Return management.
The Strawhats and their companions turn in shock when Daz groans at the same time that a gunshot rings out, the group turning around in time to notice a woman with a heavy pistol for a hand and a thick pair of goggles smirking at him.
Behind her, an extremely tall man with propeller-shaped hair leers at the group, his large buck-teeth marked with a large etched tattoo of the Donquixote Jolly Roger.
Daz grimaces, holding the shoulder where the bullet had somehow punched through his steel body.
'Daz, are you alright?' Usopp thinks, whipping out his slingshot.
'Fine. Keep moving. I'll hold them off,' Daz responds.
'That won't work. Let us help you,' Robin says, her and Nami coming to a silent agreement to join Usopp and Daz.
Luffy looks at the four crew members, before nodding. "Let's go."
The large propeller man smirks. "Oh no you don't!" he shouts, his hair whipping around him as if it were motorized, lifting him into the air.
He jerks back, his face bleeding from the dart embedded in his cheek and his propeller hair halted entirely as he thumps to the ground.
Grimacing, he rips the dart off, throwing it to the ground. "Come on Baby, we have to go stop them!"
Daz and Usopp stand in between them and the escaping Strawhats, Nami and Robin taking point in the rear behind the pair.
"Sorry. You're not going to be following our friends unless it's through us. I mean, unless you want to take a dip, courtesy of my Sea Dart Star," Usopp says, pulling back another Seastone Dart in his Slingshot.
Robin Crosses her arms, preparing to spawn more limbs, while Nami begins emitting thick steam from her body.
Daz turns part of his arms into blades, before drawing his Eisen Sword out and expanding it to its full length in a two-handed grip.
The bullet-wound that Baby 5 gave him seals as he turns the blood around it into solid steel blades.
A man with spiked blue hair and a mask covering much of his face sets down his newspaper once he receives his orders from Doflamingo.
"Understood," he says, ending the call as he stands up and begins walking towards the end of the train car he's in.
"Uhh, excuse me, sir, please remain in your seat, we seem to be experiencing some turbule-!" one of the train's conductors says, only for him to be tossed aside like garbage as Gladius opens the door to the next train car.
The whipping winds don't concern him much as he walks over, leaning down and pressing his hand against the mechanisms holding the two train cars together.
The mechanisms begin swelling up like a balloon, rumbling ominously before the over-inflated bolts pop violently, spraying the man with small bits of shrapnel that do nothing aside from bothering him a bit.
He climbs up the ladder behind him to get on top of the train and face the approaching enemy as the two halves of the train begin to separate, the front half of the train's cars pulling away without any connections to hold them to the rear half's.
Jackson is the first to notice the train cars separating. "Luffy, they seem to have a similar idea, we need to get to that car!" he shouts.
"Frankie, square-guy! Gotta go!" Luffy shouts, grabbing Jackson and flinging his arm past Gladius. Before he can react, Luffy has already rocketed past him, grabbing the other train car and zipping across with his quack in tow.
Frankie and Kaku skid to a halt in front of Gladius, who begins cracking his knuckles.
Frankie's eyes narrow, and with a hiss of raw cybernetic strength, he flings the barrel all the way over to the running pair on the cars ahead of him.
"Hey, Strawhat! Catch!" Frankie yells, the strawhat in question looking back and snatching the barrel out of the air.
"I've been informed that I need to kill you all. I suppose, though, that I have no choice but to kill you two first," he says menacingly.
In lieu of an answer, Kaku eyes Frankie appraisingly. "Alright, so, we kill this fuddy-duddy, and then catch up with the Strawhat Captain, right Frankie?"
"Yeah, I think that plan just might work square-guy," Frankie jokes.
"Man, I can't tell you how long I've been hankering for a scuffle like this," Kaku says, drawing his unusual swords and looking at the angered Donquixote agent with excitement.
Doflamingo frowns, grabbing Chopper by the neck and dragging the doctor along with him as he climbs up on the train as well.
"Well, it looks like I'll be killing your friends after all. Even if I have to do it one-handed," Doflamingo says, watching Luffy and Jackson run across the train cars, halting their approach as they stand off against him.
Jackson and Luffy notice several small cuts appearing on them. The result of Doflamingo toying around with a web of almost invisible strings around them.
Doflamingo looks at Jackson. "You know, I feel like I've met you before, but… For the life of me, I swear you were a head shorter back then," he laughs.
Instead of responding immediately, he calmly holds up his hand, his index finger and middle finger pressed together.
"I didn't really appreciate our last meeting, but if you must know. As a doctor, anything I can cut…"
He runs his fingers along one of his cuts, sealing it together using his Sacred Psychic Sewing-Machine.
"I can stitch back into place." he finishes, hatred boiling in his eyes as he glares at the man. An anger only matched by Luffy's own.
Doflamingo's grin widens. "You know, I would argue with you, but you aren't the first doctor I've met to make a claim like that."
He turns his gaze to the large barrel on Luffy's shoulder. "Let me guess, that bomb is for the train? Going to blast the engine to bits, and stall me until the Marines can come save you?"
Luffy and Jackson share a look.
"Any other time, and something like this might leave a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe I can beat you on my own. Maybe I can't. And if you had just pissed me off, I would find out right now, with my own two fists," Luffy begins.
"But that isn't what's going on here. You're trying to take away my crew member, and you hurt my crew," he continues, snarling as Doflamingo gives an empty smile in response to his monologue.
"It's not worth testing you, now that you've done something like that."
'Chopper. Hold your breath and close your eyes,' Jackson thinks at him, reining in his emotions as he begins to speak, Doflamingo's parasitic threads already trying to worm their way into Luffy's and his necks.
"What he's trying to say is, it isn't a bomb. This is our edge," Jackson says, before using invisible energy to activate the gigantic barrel, a beam of intense pressurized air flooding the area in front of it with a thick cloying blend of gas, mist and powder that Doflamingo tries to block with a swarm of flaming strings that fail to properly block the three different types of seastone flooding the area.
He stumbles back, covering his mouth with his sleeve as he coughs violently, stepping back in shock as he feels his strength wane.
Jackson, Chopper, and Luffy aren't entirely unaffected, but their hydrophobic bodies and gas masks protect them from the worst of it, and what remains falls off them quickly as the seastone aerosol and gas disperses, the train plowing forward through the cloud as the barrel empties completely.
Doflamingo's grip on Chopper's neck tightens as he continues coughing, and he flings his arm out firing a spray of string bullets that, while blisteringly fast, the two are actually able to avoid the brunt of as Doflamingo's grip on his web around them loosens to a degree he would never willingly tolerate.
"Are you familiar with acute silicosis?" Jackson asks, pulling out his pistol and firing it at Doflamingo, who blocks it with a shaky, half-formed eruption of Armament Hardening around his free hand.
Doflamingo keeps coughing, backing away as Jackson fires several more shots at him, each pull of the trigger accentuated with Jackson's muscles tensing with barely restrained rage as he compensates for the recoil.
"It's a disease caused by inhaling vast amounts of solid silica particulate. First, your lungs begin to fill with fluid, followed by shortness of breath and difficulty in getting oxygen. Then, after a few weeks, months, or even years, scarring sets in.
"That's silica. What you've just breathed in is a far harder pill to swallow. Pure Seastone dust, suspended in Seastone oil, and just for some added kick, Seastone gas as well, just in case. The fact that you've got any of your powers at all is a testament to just how tough of a bastard you are, really.
"Or maybe it's just because I had Frankie and Usopp set up the dispenser to have the widest setting possible, just in case you tried to dodge it. To be honest, I may have been a bit hasty, being this paranoid about it," Jackson says, firing more bullets at him.
"Overheat!" Doflamingo roars, swinging a blazing cable of strings at Jackson that sends him flying back with a deep cut in his chest as it cleaves through his layers of armored clothing.
Jackson winces, falling on his back as Dolfamingo wields the blazing whip as if it were a live snake, holding it protectively between him and the duo.
"Right. Less monologuing…" Jackson says, healing his cut with Sacred Psychic Sewing-Machine as he forces himself back up onto his feet.
"More ass-kicking."
Last edited: Oct 14, 2019
Chapter 77: Appen-Dice-ctomy
Daz's blade crashes into the woman in front of him with a shriek of steel, but in spite of its sharpness, it fails to cut through her own bladed arms.
After a few moments, he is thrown back by Baby's sword arms.
"My my. That's some weapon you've got there, Daz Bonez," she says, smirking as she looks at the long steel scimitar that she had turned her arm into.
"Of course, it won't help. You're out of your depth," she says, transforming her right arm into a long-barreled rifle while she uses her left arm to deflect Daz's blistering attacks.
She spins around, turning her leg into a gigantic steel sledgehammer that sends Daz flying back with a large bruise on his chest.
"You're a West Blue thug with a powerful Devil Fruit. Coming to the Grand Line hasn't changed that," she continues, before whipping a bazooka off of her back where she had it holstered, and uses it to deflect a spray of darts that Usopp fires at her.
"What exactly are you supposed to do to me? You've got a man with a slingshot, and a sword-man, fighting against me of all people. It's so sad!" she says, pityingly.
"And just why is that? Huh?!" Usopp shouts, pulling back a Festival Star filled with explosives and firing it at her.
The bomb crashes into her chest, exploding into a cluster of bombs that each go off in tandem, shrapnel peppering the train car.
She walks out of the smoke, unharmed due to transforming her body into steel cannons. "Because you might have a fancy slingshot, and he might turn into blades…"
She points her rifle at Daz, who throws his Eisen Sword up in a guard as she fires an armor-piercing round at him that punches through the Steel Clouds composing its blade.
"But I have every weapon, and I can turn into every weapon, and my Devil Fruit is better than his for it," she finishes, smiling cheerfully.
Daz stumbles back, clutching the wound in his chest as he patches it up with a grimace.
"Armamentamorphosis; Cannon Girl!" she shouts, her entire upper half transforming into a long steel cannon with her eyes glaring at them from atop the rim of the gun.
Usopp's jaw drops, and he sends a message to Jackson. 'Does the weapon chick have any weaknesses?!' he thinks frantically.
'Kind of busy! Shit!' Jackson responds
'She's gullible! She can't resist helping someone if they say that they need her for something!' he thinks back.
"Wait!" Usopp shouts, throwing one of his steel stars to the ground.
"I dropped my special steel ball! Oh no, that was my mother's heirloom! Someone, please get it before it falls!" he shouts, pointing at the tiny steel ball-bearing rolling off the roof of the train.
Baby's eyes widen as she reverts to normal and makes a mad dash for the ball.
"I'm helping!" she shouts, diving towards the steel ball moments before Daz kicks her in the side, flinging her over the side of the train.
Buffalo grimaces when he spins his propeller to try and blow the Strawhats off of the train, only for Nami to use her Weather Jewels to match his wind with blasts of her own as she holds out her staff.
Robin crosses her arms. glaring at Buffalo as she spawns several clawed arms on his body.
"Seis Fleur; Twist!"
The limbs work in unison, wrenching at the hefty man and wringing his back out like a wet towel with a series of loud pops.
"Hmm," Robin hums, staring at the man frozen in the middle of her twisted arms.
His eyes turn to look at her as he scowls, before she feels a sharp wrenching pain as her arms are pulled harshly, dispersing into petals as he spins his entire torso around several times as if he were a plastic doll.
"Something like that won't work on me, nniiin!" he responds.
"I ate the Spin Spin Fruit, so it doesn't matter which way you twist me! I'm one-hundred-percent Spinning-Human!" he announces, spinning his arms and head around at a rapid pace that blasts away the petals floating down from Robin's dispersed limbs.
She grimaces, shocked at just how much stress had been placed on her joints by the attack.
'Nami, do you have any ideas?' Robin asks silently, the pair staring at Buffalo as he dramatically spins his body around mockingly.
'I'm not sure. The train's stopped, but I won't be able to set up any good weather if he blows it away with that propeller of his,' she responds.
While they consider their next move cautiously, Daz kicks Baby 5 off of the train, spurring Buffalo into action as he takes a running leap off of the train as well.
"Baby!" Buffalo shouts, activating his powers and turning his hair into a whipping engine with enough power to let him fly down and catch her out of the air, swinging her up onto his back.
"Buffalooo! I couhouldn't get his heirlooooom!" Baby bawls, pounding her fist into his back mournfully as he glides up high above the Strawhats, dodging Usopp's darts one after another.
"Baby! He was lying! He's also our enemy!" Buffalo shouts, another dart finally managing to hit him long enough to send him thudding to the roof of the Train painfully.
"R-really?" she sniffles.
"Alright! Let's finish them off with our ultimate move then!" she says, grabbing Buffalo's hand as he rips out the dart and begins spinning at incredible speed, leaping high into the air above the Strawhats and whipping her around before unleashing the woman as a violently fast projectile.
"Armamentamorphosis; Missile Girl!" Baby 5 roars, transforming into a gigantic missile with her own face on it midflight.
Robin pales as she attempts to grow a wall of antlers to block the attack, but Baby's added momentum is too great.
At the last minute, Daz Bonez leaps into the air, blocking the missile with his body to prevent her from blowing up the entire train car they're standing on.
Shrapnel slowly melts down, sliding back together like liquid metal as it reforms back into a smirking Baby 5.
"Daz!" Usopp shouts with fright as Daz's charred body thumps to the ground.
His vision dims as she stalks forward with a smirk, using her Bazooka as a baton to bat aside Usopp's attacks, and uses her weaponized body to block Robin's hastily sprouted attacks.
"Poor little Daz Bonez. The biggest fish in the littlest pond, trying to take on my Weapon powers when all you can do is make blades. I'm so glad I'm not as useless as you, little assassin," she says, transforming her foot into a wide-bore cannon and planting it on Daz's chest.
"Just who do you think you are?" she asks.
Daz's eyes go blank, and she kicks him to the side, returning her attention to the rest of the Strawhats as she transforms her arm into a gigantic flamethrower.
A small child sniffles at the alligator they cut up, the two children it had been about to eat running away in terror from their frighteningly deadly savior.
His best friend walks up beside him, patting him on the back roughly as he gives Daz a big smile.
"Hey, don't worry about it, pokey, plenty of good guys use a sword. That crazy power of yours isn't half as scary as some of the people out there on the open sea!"
Daz wipes his eyes with his sleeve, looking over to his friend. "You really think so?"
They nod. "Trust me pokey, with a power like yours, you'll be the Number One Hero someday, if you keep at it and keep your head on straight!"
He strikes a pose as he says this, holding his hand in the air with his index finger outstretched.
"Number One… Yeah! I like the sound of that… Thanks, Jiminy!"
"Hey, don't thank me, I'm just helping out a future hero is all!" he says with a smile.
"Superhero? Brat, you're absolutely mental if you think you can go around helping people. You'd turn a cat into mincemeat trying to take it out of a tree!" his mother says as he whittles at a piece of wood.
She notices Daz's determined expression, leaning down as he turns to face away from her, continuing at his whittling.
"Look, brat, that power of yours… It isn't any good at saving people. You try to go out and do that, and you'll end up a killer," she says, much more softly, hurt in her eyes as she tries to stress the danger he would present to others trying to do as he pleases.
Daz frowns as she gives him a tight hug. The only person willing to, ever since he ate the Dice-Dice Fruit.
"Please, I couldn't bear to-" she begins, only for him to pull free of her.
"You're wrong mom, Jiminy said my power can do a lot of good, too! I want to prove it! I can't just give up like that, I'm going to be at the top! A famous hero, and I'll do it with my blades!"
His mother looks on sadly as he walks out of the house, leaving nothing but a small wooden figurine of a person with a cape and a mask, standing proudly on a little wooden base.
Daz crosses his arms, looking as stoic and firm as he can as his ship slowly rocks away from the port, his mother waving sadly as Jiminy waves much more frantically.
His firm expression wavers when Jiminy stops for a moment, saying something to his mother before the two of them hold up their hands, index finger outstretched.
Swallowing, Daz holds out his hand as well, sealing their promise. He'll be a Number One Hero someday.
Daz hands in another filled sack with a horrid smell emanating from it to the marines. Another few million Beri, in exchange for the bounties he had claimed.
City by city, town by town, he had been hunting down every bad guy he could find and defeating them. He was surprised at first, just how quickly they… Died. He eventually found that it was almost impossible to capture criminals alive, or at least, incredibly impractical. The consequences of killing them were perfectly clear, however.
Nobody was ever pleased to see him come. Nobody ever thanked him when he left.
At first, he tried to ham it up a bit, announcing himself and his intentions proudly, running into the most dangerous situations he could, and coming out on top.
When fists, bullets, and blades alike bounce off of him like water, it's all too easy for him to go in like a hero, or so he thought. He stopped his showmanship bit by bit with each bounty, however, and by the time he had come to learn what his epitaph was, he had stopped all pretense of doing anything other than his job.
They had started calling him "The Killer".
He had been contacted by a strange agency. Baroque Works. A man named Mr. 0 apparently wanted him in, after he had made a name for himself claiming an endless assortment of bounties.
He was intrigued, and later, secretly overjoyed when he learned what he would be doing as part of this organization.
As he quickly ascended to the role of Mr. 1, he couldn't help but feel it was fate, the day Mr. 0 had explained the true purpose of Baroque Works. To create a utopia.
After all the blood he had stained himself with, and after he had done so much that left cruel marks on his empathy, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of hope, that he might do one good thing with his power, after falling so far.
What difference would it make if he added a few more bodies to the pile, after he's already killed so many? He had long since abandoned his dream of being a hero, once the bodies had begun to pile up, and the fear of others began to weigh down on him for his killing ability.
Perhaps, then, he is at least strong enough to help with this.
"Ahh, age doesn't mean a thing, old man! If you've got a dream, you should chase after it. You've got the whole rest of your life ahead of you. No point wasting it doing anything else, am I right?" Luffy laughs, Zenny's story of being a former loan-shark for pirates, but one who had a dream of becoming a pirate himself entertaining him enough to offer the old man some advice.
Another opportunity to learn, in Daz's mind. What Luffy had just said… It's wrong?
"Captain Luffy, permission to speak?" Daz states politely, setting down his plate of food.
"Oh, sure thing! Go ahead," Luffy says, watching the Kung-fu Dugong Captain scold the Egrethief one for passing out so much booze.
"How can he pursue his dream if he lacks strength? He would die," Daz claims, waiting for his Captain to answer this paradox.
Luffy laughs. "That's life, Daz! If you die, you die. Until you do, though, chasing your dreams is still worth doing."
"Just who do you think you are?" Baby 5 had asked.
Daz forces himself to stand up, picking up his Eisen Sword and slowly turning around as blood dribbles to the ground from his countless charred wounds.
"Baby, behind you!" Buffalo shouts, taking a step forward.
"I… Am Mr. 1!" Daz shouts, determination burning in his eyes as he slings his Eisen Sword over his back, flicking the dial to make it emit a flowing cape of Steel Clouds that flap behind him.
"And I'm not a Sword-Man," he continues, using his powers to create a bladed mask out of Steel Clouds that covers the upper half of his face.
"I'm a Dice-Man!"
He runs directly towards Baby, who throws her solid steel arms up to block his dramatic punch, but shockingly, he leaps into the air, his body turning into Steel Clouds as he flies at her with both fists outstretched, almost weightless as he crashes into her guard.
"Diceicive Blow!"
He doesn't transform his hands at all as he punches her with all his might, rippling waves of pure cutting force erupting from his fist as she is flung back, unconscious and bloodied by his attack.
Daz thumps down onto his feet, raising his right arm into the air as he holds the pose for several long seconds.
He extends his index finger, resolving to dust off his old dream.
Chapter 78: Bird Flu
Buffalo gapes at Baby 5's unconscious body, watching as the person who had punched her strikes a pose for several seconds before collapsing to the ground, unconscious as well.
He stares at the remaining three Strawhats. An awkward silence draws out between both sides, as they realize what the likely outcome of continuing the fight would be.
"I don't suppose-" he begins, only for Nami to flood the area around him with Cotton Wool Clouds, while Robin sprouts a cage of antlers around him.
Usopp jogs over, wrestling for a moment before clapping a set of Seastone Handcuffs around Buffalo's wrists.
"We need to move, the others might need our help. Anyone feel like staying here and making sure these clowns don't escape?" Nami asks.
Usopp leans down, treating Daz's wounds with a Medical Star. "It should probably be me, I'll just hold you guys back while you're trying to chase them," he responds.
Nami and Robin nod, running to catch up to the others.
"Well, it looks like it's just you and me big guy," Usopp says to the unconscious Daz, before turning his attention to the other injured person in question.
After a few moments of contemplation, Usopp shrugs, applying a Medical Star to Baby 5 as well before clamping another set of Seastone Handcuffs around the unconscious woman's wrist.
Kaku smirks at Gladius, holding his swords aloft as he prepares to dash in and finish this quickly.
"Shave!"
Kaku stomps the ground ten times in a split second, flashing forward with both of his blades already in motion.
Gladius's expression doesn't change beneath his mask as the twin swords crash into the armor around his collar.
Kaku's grin widens as he follows up by slashing rapidly, spinning around and adding blisteringly sharp kicks to the mix.
"How do you like my Tempest Kick, pretty swell, huh?" Kaku asks rhetorically, leaping back and slashing at Gladius with both blades at once.
Rather than doing anything at all in response to the kicks, Gladius simply allows the tempest kicks to strike him, the sharpened air deflecting off of him. He continues to block the sword strikes with his bracers, mindful of the metal blades, and little else.
Leaping away from a haymaker from Gladius, Kaku slowly realizes that the man is neither dead nor dying after his flurry of blows.
"None of you are in a position to harm me. My Pop-Pop Powers have helped me obtain a phenomenal resistance to damage. Shrapnel, shockwaves. If I didn't have a resistance to them, I wouldn't be able to do things like this," he says, just as Kaku realizes that his swords had been bloating up each time he struck the man.
"Iron Body!" Kaku shouts, tightening his muscles as he leaps back defensively. The ballooned up swords explode in an eruption of air and jagged metal shards that bounce off his tightened muscles.
The force of the attack sends him skidding back with nothing but two bladeless sword-hilts for his trouble.
He tosses the useless weapons aside, grimacing at the scratches covering his body. "Hot-dang, if not even direct attacks can hurt him, I'm not sure how we'll be able to give him a good thrashing," Kaku says, only for Franky to take a step forward, smirking.
"Maybe your attacks won't work, but I've got something that's sure to piss him off," Franky says, holding his hands out below him.
"You see… I've noticed something interesting, that I bet you haven't…" Frankie says, thinking back to what he had seen minutes after Gladius had severed the Sea Train Cars.
One by one, emergency boats had begun being deployed, stored on each of the cars, passengers had been slowly filing off of the train from below.
'By now… The train should be completely empty,' Franky thinks, plugging a mechanism into his arms to connect them together.
"You see, What do you think will happen if I blow this train to bits? I know what will happen to me, I'm a pretty great swimmer," Franky says, his arms bulging up with pressurized air.
Kaku and Frankie both jerk in shock when Gladius closes in at incredible speed, planting his hand on Frankie's mechanism.
"Let me help you with that," he says, already inflating the mechanism with his power, the metal groaning as it stretches and bloats.
Frankie's eyes widen and he tries to pull away, but it's already too late, as a massive explosion sends him flipping end over end, shredding through a massive chunk of the train car behind him as he skids along the roof and rips into it.
Frankie looks at his arms in a daze, noticing with some fuzzy worry that his mechanical arms look like if a watermelon had been filled with robot parts and then smashed with a sledgehammer. The result of the air pressure inside of them increasing beyond their capacity thanks to Gladius's rapid interference.
His shattered sunglasses fall off his face, clattering to the ground next to him as his ears ring loudly from the point-blank explosion.
"Interesting. Your body is artificial. That's very unfortunate for you," Gladius says, walking towards Frankie, intent on doing to him what he had done to everything else so far.
He stops when he notices how dark it had become all of a sudden.
'Cloud cover, in this weather?' he thinks.
Turning around, Gladius openly gapes at what Kaku had transformed into.
Weeks before any of this, Jackson had been working on three very special Fruits.
"Jackson, are you sure about this? These fruits…" Chopper begins nervously, watching as Jackson uses a dial to sculpt steel clouds into a huge statue.
"Yeah. They're strong. They have to be, for what I want out of the World Government. Where we're going, if things don't go too horribly wrong, I'll have the chance to get two Devil Fruits. They might not know what they have their hands on, but I do, and I want it," Jackson responds, using a ladder to climb up onto the statue so he can carve the individual feathers.
"If I want to get the trade I'm looking for, I need something worth trading to Spandam. Hence, the three most obnoxiously unsubtle Devil Fruit powers I can think of. Perfect for disenfranchising members of CP9, or just not being given to them at all," he says.
He coughs awkwardly. "Well, perfect after I put the detonators in them anyway."
Standing on one of the statue's surfboard-sized primary feathers, he manifests an invisible alchemical needle filled with heron essence.
"You're just doing this because you think it looks cool, aren't you," Chopper deadpans when Jackson begins the process of converting the titanic Steel Cloud Statue into something usable for a Zoan Fruit.
"I might be doing this because I think it looks cool," Jackson admits.
As soon as he finishes the alchemical injections, he begins melting down the statue into slosh.
"So far, I've only made Fruits that allow the user to freely transform any part of their body into any part of the parent object. This, however, will be a good test to see if I can intentionally limit a Fruit to the Zoan's three-form standard," Jackson explains, infusing the slosh into an empty Devil Fruit and fiddling around inside of it using his invisible alchemical screwdriver.
"Say hello to my latest and greatest World Government bribe. Offering this thing will easily get me a copy of Vegapunk's research… The Alchemical Bird-Bird Fruit, Model; Roc!"
"… Is it just me, or does that bird have a square beak?" Frankie asks, wondering if he's having a concussion-assisted hallucination.
"Huh. So that's what this power does. I had an inkling, but I almost didn't believe it by gosh," Kaku says, craning his neck down to look at his gigantic white form.
He very carefully ignores how blocky his wings and feathers are, in favor of smirking down at Gladius. "Ready to have another go at it?"
Gladius snarls, holding up both of his hands and using his powers on the metal bracers attached to his arms.
"Catapult Punc!" he shouts, firing a spray of inflating bullets at the gigantic cloud bird.
Eyes widening in fright, Kaku tenses his muscles as hard as he can.
"Iron Body!"
Bizarrely, however, none of the bullets actually hit him, as when he tenses his muscles to compress them, he instantly collapses in on himself, shrinking down into a cross-shaped white block that thuds to the ground, the inflated bullets whizzing by him and exploding harmlessly in the air.
"What on earth?" Gladius comments, his eyes squinting with confusion.
"My goodness, my body is so light in this form, it must be making my Iron Body squeeze it down… Like a Panini Press."
His eyes narrow with realization.
"Panini Press!" he shouts, reinforcing his Iron Body.
"Don't just call it the first thing that comes to mind, you idiot!" Gladius shouts, his face twitching with unrestrained anger.
He rushes towards Kaku, punting him with all of his might and sending the plus-shaped bird flipping into the air like a frisbee at high speeds.
"Oh gosh, I think I'm going to lose my lunch," Kaku moans, spinning around rapidly as he begins curving around midflight like a boomerang.
Improvising quickly, he pokes his legs out of his Panini Press Form and begins unleashing a spray of Tempest Kicks with his sharp talons.
"Tempest Kick; Twirling Flower Pigeon Carpet Bombing!"
Gladius winces when these far stronger Tempest Kicks slice into him, forcing him to begin actually dodging them or risk being sliced to pieces.
Reaching the end of his inadvertent flight, Kaku crashes into the roof of the train, embedding himself in it like a shuriken as he wiggles and wriggles around trying to get himself free.
When he sees Gladius running at him again, even more violently, he returns himself to normal, one titanic wing pressing into the ground and pulling himself free.
"Beak Gun!" Kaku shouts, thrusting his blocky beak at Gladius and pushing him back with a heavy metal clang.
Gladius eyes Kaku appraisingly. "Our boss was right to kidnap that doctor, if they can produce specimens like you."
"Come on, you'll make me blush. You're simply facing the unlocked potential of a former CP9 agent. Fired or not, I'm the sort of fella who tends to come out on top when it's time to scuffle," he responds.
"Is that so? Then I'll show you my full potential as well…" Gladius says, his body growing as he begins to inflate.
His spiky hair, which had been up until this point decorative, begins to bristle ominously, pointing in all directions like the quills of a porcupine.
"Fashion Punc!"
Kaku comes to the realization that he doesn't want to be hit by this. Having a realization that he probably should have had when he first transformed, he looks at his wings appraisingly.
With an unsteady flap, Kaku pushes himself into the air, noting just what he could do with wings and a neck as large as the ones he has.
"Alright, I think that's enough dilly-dallying, time for the main event!" he shouts, gaining more height before using his wings to spin himself around in the air as he falls down towards Gladius, who begins shooting several more inflated bullets at him with a frantic expression on his face.
"Tempest Gale!" Kaku shouts, flipping over as he flares his wings, swiping them down and sending a single gigantic blade of wind downward.
Gladius's bullets are more smashed than cut, each of them exploding prematurely as the blade crashes into the train, erupting outwards and slicing the entire train and its tracks clean in half.
Water rushes in to fill the gargantuan trench left behind, while Kaku reverts to normal, thudding onto the roof and looking at the unconscious Gladius who had been viciously cut from head to groin by the attack. The fact that he survived it at all is a testament to just how hardy he was.
Kaku stumbles over to Frankie, who had blacked out at some point during the fight, from a combination of Cola-depletion and battle damage.
He plops onto his rear and looks at his arms, which had become covered in massive angry bruises when he used his Tempest Gale attack.
He eyes Frankie for a moment, before letting out a loud sigh.
"Now that… Was a right humdinger…"
Last edited: Oct 16, 2019
Chapter 79: Puncture
Author's Note
It had to happen at some point. This chapter marks a retcon that I will be editing into all previous chapters. Now that I've gotten a firmer grasp of punworthy phrases, I'll be replacing all mention of the phrase "Ghost Buster" with "Split Fiend", for Zoro's attacks as I feel it is a far better pun, and more faithful to the source material.
Kizaru flashes into existence on the shore of San Faldo. Him noticing the wide-open brick streets and homely wooden buildings makes him realize how pleasant this mission is going to be.
There's nothing quite like completing an assignment in a place that looks this nice.
"Hmm… So, should I wait here for the train, or perhaps go looking for their ship?" Kizaru mutters to himself, scratching his chin idly as he sits down on a barrel nearby, crossing his legs as he considers his options.
A nearby civilian gapes openly at the sight of the admiral, catching his attention.
"Ooh! Say, have you seen any suspicious-looking characters around here? It would really help me out if you have," he asks.
The man in question shakes his head. "Sorry, I haven't. Is something going on?" they ask nervously.
Kizaru waves him off. "Oh, just go about your business. It's nothing too serious."
The man walks away as requested, leaving Kizaru to think.
'I suppose it would be best if I waited here… If I'm scouring every dock on this island, I might miss the train. Even if I did go looking for his ship, I might not recognize it, or I might miss a dock, if it were hidden away somewhere,' he finally decides, tapping his feet idly.
'I wonder if I should buy one of those newfangled tone dials after this. I could certainly go for some music right about now.'
He perks up when, as if on cue, he hears a faint accordion playing nearby. Hopping up off the barrel, Kizaru wanders over, following the sound until he encounters a rather talented street-musician.
"I'll just keep an eye on the station from over here," Kizaru says to himself, dropping a small bundle of Beri notes into the man's overturned hat.
After a few minutes of waiting, he notices something that absolutely isn't at all a train. The Going Merry, charging at full speed over the water, and stampeding up onto the shore as soon as she hits it.
"Come on guys, let's hunt down that ship and put it in traction!" Merry shouts, grinning broadly as she takes a few steps forward, noticing the Admiral strolling up to her.
"Ooh wow, you're pretty scary, huh?" Kizaru comments idly.
"Damn straight! You here to look for that string-bean's boat too, admiral?" Merry asks, the crew packed onto her deck looking down with interest.
"Eeh?" he drawls slowly.
"Nah. I'm watching for the train. You can if you want to though…" he continues, hands stuck in his pockets.
"If a warlord got here without someone to stop him, it probably wouldn't be very good… I don't think, anyway."
Merry pauses at the relaxed Admiral's statement, before deciding that his idea isn't a terrible one.
"Right. Zoro, you're with me, Sanji, you take the minions and we'll go around the coast, that ship has to be somewhere around here. Admiral-dude, you stay here and beat up any bad guys that come over on the train."
Kizaru lets out a small humored puff, before giving a slightly condescending salute. "Sure thing. Don't have too much fun," he says, unconcerned with her blase commands.
Merry bucks gently, flinging everyone off her deck save for Zoro.
"Let's move!" she says, cracking her neck and running off to the right.
"Hey! I can walk just fine you wet sheep!" Zoro complains, holding onto the crow's nest for dear life as she dashes away at unreasonable speeds.
The Sea Animals help one another up, before grouping up into formations, Kung-fu Dugongs climbing up on top of Cloud Wolves while the Egrethieves secure their mouse-pouches and Dial-gun holsters.
"Well, I guess we're taking the left," Sanji grouses, waving for them to follow him.
Merry skids to a halt near one of the docks, her eyes widening as she glares at one particular ship.
Aside from the fact that everyone on it is wearing thick robes hiding their appearance, what makes it especially suspicious is the fact that gigantic burlap tarps have been draped over the ship itself, as if the ship were also wearing a disguise.
"What's up?" Zoro asks cautiously, half-drawing one of his swords.
"I don't know, but something about that ship feels…" Merry begins, glaring at the hooded figures who are all staring at Merry silently.
"Suspicious," she finishes, eyes narrowing.
"Well, we don't have time to investigate every suspicious-looking thing we find here. We need to focus on finding that flamingo ship," Zoro grouses.
Merry shakes her head. "Right, right," she says, walking away.
"Now that is a strange ship. See, I told you we wouldn't stick out," a giant brute of a man with large spikes poking through the shoulders of his robe squeaks.
Merry freezes, the man's voice…
She snorts loudly at how ridiculously high pitched it was, before shaking her head and continuing to walk away. "Oh my god, did you hear his voice?" Merry asks Zoro.
For a brief moment, she shares the same instinctive reaction as her occupant swordsman, whipping around and drawing her seastone sword from the gigantic makeshift sheath that had been tacked onto her bow.
The stranger's attack crashing into her guard is sufficient to drive Merry flipping end over end, sliding harshly along the ground as Zoro leaps free.
Merry stumbles to her feet, spitting on the ground as she reaches down and picks up her sword back in her teeth.
"How dare you make fun of my voice…" the man hisses, holding his own giant sword in a one-handed grip.
Merry holds her breath, trying not to burst into laughter at his squeaky tone.
"Look, we're kind of busy trying to find the Donquixote pirates, squeaky, could you please-" Merry begins, before gasping in shock when the man pulls down his hood and rips off his mask.
"Oh," she finishes awkwardly, recognizing the person in question, and feeling a bit stupid she didn't put the pieces together earlier.
"Zoro, I think we need to leave," Merry says, noting with some dread that this man, Pica, was on Jackson's list of "People you need to run from".
Zoro scoffs, leaping off of Merry's crow's nest. "You can leave if you want. I'm not backing down from this chump."
Exactly what Merry was worried about.
'Zoro, he's really not someone we can fight right now, we need to get Sanji and the others, or maybe that Admiral guy!' she thinks frantically at him.
Zoro scowls. 'I said I'm not backing down. You can stay and help or leave. It doesn't make a difference to me.'
Merry swallows, sending a message for Sanji and the others to come as fast as they can.
'I'm not leaving you here to fight him alone,' she responds, cautiously taking a step to the side and facing off against Pica.
"If you're looking to be recruited, I'm afraid it's too late for that. I'm going to kill you for mocking me," Pica squeals, the rest of the cloaked crew watching intently from the ship.
Merry flicks to the side, swiping the giant sword in her teeth at high speed.
"Shear Force!"
A cutting blade of wind erupts from Merry's sword, crashing into the ship's rudder and reducing it to splinters.
"How dare you!" Pica shouts, running towards Merry and swinging his blade with all of his might.
Merry pulls up her guard, once again being flung back from the sheer force of the blow.
She slides back, crashing into a building and falling onto her side.
Zoro slides in-between her and Pica, his swords crossed over one another as he blocks Pica from attacking. His muscles bulge almost disgustingly as he blocks the man's insane raw strength with his own.
"Not bad, I can see why I'm not supposed to fight you, big guy," Zoro grits, disengaging from the guard and hopping back before unleashing a brutal strike with Wado Ichimonji that crashes directly into Pica's head.
Pica frowns grimly, the blade failing to cut into him as his forehead glimmers with black energy, the rest of his body follows suit as the coating spreads to cover the rest of his body.
"Nobody can cut me. You're an idiot for trying," he peeps, turning his attention to the true threat. Merry stumbles to her feet, shaking her head before glaring at Pica.
'Zoro, if you can hold him, I can cut him. Haki or not, my sword is pure Seastone,' she thinks.
Zoro shakes his head. "I'm not done just yet. Jackson said even Haki has a limit," he says aloud.
'Zoro, I think that's a poor decision!' Merry responds frantically.
Zoro crosses Wind Chime and Yubashiri over his chest, holding Wado Ichimonji in his mouth behind them.
"Ridiculous. Whatever limit you think I have, you're not going to surpass it," Pica tweets, taking a step forward as a small wind erupts from Zoro's body as he tenses.
"Split Fiend!"
In a flash, Zoro appears behind Pica, white lines of raw cutting force erupting all over Pica's body as the ground rumbles from the force of the attack.
Zoro turns around, grimacing when he realizes that the man had taken no damage at all.
"Damn it, I guess we'll have to go with your plan, then," Zoro says, eyes widening in shock when Pica turns around as well, his coating of shadowy Armament Haki replaced with a coating of stone tiles.
"Doffy told me not to use my powers much while I'm here, but I'm sure a few meters won't hurt," Pica cheeps, stomping towards Zoro with his blade outstretched and his body growing at a rapid pace.
Zoro brings his blades up in a guard, but Pica's strength is even greater than before with his thick coating of rock, and Zoro's guard is blasted wide open by Pica's slash.
Zoro flies back, flipping end over end as his body spurts blood from the massive wound on his chest, crashing through two buildings in his way before flopping bonelessly to the ground.
"Zoro!" Merry yells, charging towards the gigantic Pica and swinging her sword as hard as she can at the golem who had by now swelled up with enough stone to match her in height.
Her slash crashes into the stone of Pica's body, cleaving it in half, and a brutal headbutt smashes the upper half away, sending it crashing to the ground with an almighty rumble of stone.
She turns to look where Zoro is laying, blood dribbling from him at a worrying rate.
"Zoro!" she shouts again, only to receive a kick to the head for her troubles.
Her sword skitters across the ground, where the enlarged Pika picks up the weapon appraisingly.
"You know, this sword isn't terrible. I think I'll keep it after I kill you worthless excuses for fighters," he chirps, gripping it in his stony hands as he allows his foot to thump to the ground.
Merry forces herself to stand up, panting heavily and glancing back at her shattered mast.
"You'll die trying," Merry snarls, forcing her Jet Dials out.
"But as long as we're showing off our powers…" Merry says, taking several steps back.
'If I can bash this bastard apart, I can get my sword back, and get back to business,' she thinks.
She dashes towards the stony titan with her head held forward, activating the dials all at once as she takes a running leap.
"Assault Throne Bell!"
She smashes into the golem's chest, blasting a massive crater into it as rocks fly everywhere with the help of three separate Jet Dials.
Her heart quickens as Pica reveals that his gigantic form hadn't been broken apart as she had hoped, the hulking golem grabbing her by the side.
She chokes breathlessly when he runs the gigantic seastone sword through her deck and hull, the pure seastone blade more than a match for her copper/seastone alloy cladding.
Another massive kick from Pica sends her to the ground, skittering across the tiles and into yet another building that crashes down around her.
"And that takes care of that," Pica squeaks, the eyes of his stony form going blank as he pulls himself out of the statue, walking back to his ship as he dusts off his hands.
Chapter 80: Fracture
Zoro lays broken and bleeding in the rubble of the building he was thrown through. A few stray bricks fall to the ground around him.
He feels dazed, like his head is in a fog. Something wet drips down his neck, making him involuntarily shudder.
Is this where his journey ends? Battered and broken after a single attack?
He struggles to move, but his body doesn't respond.
He looks around blearily, noticing his swords stabbed upright where they fell, hanging over him like a jury as they sit planted in the rubble around him.
All of them save for one. The sword he hadn't once drawn during the fight, still in its sheath, half-buried in the stone behind him.
Zoro rummaged through the barrel of cheap blades, searching for one that would serve as a suitable replacement.
One blade, however, stood out among the rest, a violent, malicious aura erupting from it the moment Zoro had touched its handle.
Zoro paused, stricken for a moment by just what it is he pulled free of the barrel of swords.
"This katana…" he began, the blade's anticipation growing with every moment he held it.
As she watched him draw the weapon, Tashigi responded by flipping through her book of swords frantically. Her eyes began to widen when she realizes what sword it is Zoro had in his hands.
"That's… Sandai Kitetsu!" she continued, but by now, Zoro had begun to tune her out entirely, staring at the sword in his hands appraisingly.
He eventually settled on something, interrupting both Tashigi and the shopkeeper she had begun talking to.
"It's cursed," Zoro said plainly, describing what he knew beyond a doubt to be fact.
"You knew?!" the shopkeeper responded frantically.
Zoro had quietly noticed that the weapon's malice had grown to a fever pitch in the time he had held it. It was almost as if…
He decides to take a gamble. A bet between him and this sword. "No. I could feel it."
"The first in the series being the Shodai Kitetsu, all of the blades in its line are fantastic weapons, but each of them, down to the last, are all cursed," the shopkeeper said with a tense expression.
"All who have used the Kitetsu blades have met with tragic and mysterious deaths. No swordsman in the world would use one of them nowadays, if only because all of those who might have been willing are now dead."
As the man continued his explanation, Zoro's interest only grew. A sword that has killed all of its owners?
"I like it! I'll take it," Zoro said, a broad grin crossing his face as he held up Sandai Kitetsu in his hands. He can practically hear the blade's mocking laughter. Or perhaps it merely senses the same thing Zoro does. The potential for a truly vicious companion.
"Are you crazy!? If I sell you that sword, and it kills you, then I'm the one at fault!" The shopkeeper responded, moments before his wife pounded him on the head.
"You're the crazy one, just sell it already!"
Zoro grinned. "Then how about this… Let's find out if this sword's curse is stronger than my luck," he offered, before tossing the weapon in the air.
In the end, the sword had spared Zoro. 'The blood that a swordsman as mad as him will spill-' Kitetsu decided.
'-Is greater than the blood in his veins'
Zoro's blood dribbles down his chest, soaking his clothing. But it isn't until Sandai Kitetsu comes in contact with his blood that everything changes.
If he were to describe it, the moment in which Sandai Kitetsu tasted the blood from his wounds was like a predator awakening, its pupils slit, and its nostrils flared.
Zoro is almost floored by the change. His cursed sword's fitful murmur had transformed into a dirge, a roar demanding nothing less than to end a life, here and now.
"If I use you now, you know what's going to happen, right?" Zoro asks his weapon rhetorically.
He falls forward, coughing up a spray of blood as he feels himself growing weaker. The sword itself glows, black flames erupting from the sheath so thickly that Zoro can't even see the weapon beneath them.
He grins madly, daring to laugh at his sword's unspoken ultimatum as he stares at Pica walking away.
"So it's either me or him, huh..?"
"So be it," Zoro mutters, forcing himself to his hands and knees as he feels his bratty weapon literally sucking the life out of him, as if making up for lost time spent in its sheath.
He draws Sandai Kitetsu, placing the handle of the sword in his mouth as he plants his hands on the ground, crawling forward as he forces his vision to stop darkening through sheer force of will.
By now, Pica has more than noticed Zoro's movement, as stones collapse to the sides around him as he crawls forward.
"What's this, your last gasp?" Pica squeaks, coating himself in Armament Haki as he draws his own sword.
The pitch-black flaming aura ripping its way from Sandai Kitetsu fills the air behind Zoro, the image of a crazed devil in red appearing behind him as his muscles ripple with strength, the demon's image planting its tiger-like claws onto the ground around him.
"One-Sword Style…"
"Why are you even bothering? You're so desperate to die, you would fight me on your hands and knees?" Pica asks, not even bothering to defend himself, beyond his usage of Armament Hardening.
"Prints…" Zoro's body surges as he leaps forward, veins bulging on his head as his teeth and neck clench as hard as they are able. The ground where he was standing on burns with four flaming claw-marks that smoke like burning tar.
"Of Darkness!"
Zoro lands on the other side of Pica, swaying from side to side unsteadily as the man behind him falls to the ground, dead.
He collapses seconds later, the dark aura around him and his weapon lifting to reveal what was underneath.
The sword had been held firm by nothing but blood and willpower, cracked through by the force of Zoro's attack.
The broken sword's remains clatter to the ground and fall silent.
Merry forces herself to stand up, a whine escaping from her lips as the blade ran through her hull scrapes against her timbers and cladding.
She notices gold coins spilling to the ground, cursing loudly as tears form in her eyes. The others are going to be so unhappy with that part getting damaged.
She notices that Zoro had managed to kill Pica, taking several stumbling steps forward.
The rest of Pica's men scramble off of their ship, only to freeze as Merry growls at them, stomping the ground with all her might.
Forcing her mind off the pain, she pulls her sword out, holding it threateningly towards the men.
When Sanji and the others arrive, the pirates scatter, realizing too late that they have no chance of winning at this point.
Sanji gapes openly at the ruins and wreckage, dashing to Zoro and flipping him over to look at his wounds.
"What happened?" Sanji demands, rummaging around in his pockets for any medical supplies he might have on him.
Merry drops her sword on the ground next to her, coughing up a can of medical spray for the cook.
"He won," she says, eyes stinging as she sees the final fate of Zoro's cursed sword.
Zoro stands at a dream-like precipice, his swords sheathed at his side.
"What would drive a cursed weapon to sacrifice itself?" he asks, staring out over the edge of the cliff into the infinite darkness below.
His swords have no true answer, their wordless tones blending together, until they begin to fade away as he walks closer to the edge, silencing one by one until only Sandai Kitetsu's voice remains.
The blade doesn't speak plain English, but if he were to put words in its nonexistent mouth, it might have said something like…
"I would sooner kill us both myself than allow you to lose. There could be no other recourse, as the blade of Roronoa Zoro."
The blade slowly slides from its sheath, inch by inch. "One day, another sword will inherit my curse."
The sword falls from his side, clattering off into the unknown depths below.
Zoro stares down for the longest time, offering what respect he can before he turns around and walks away from the edge, waking up.
Zoro's eyes open, revealing a familiar ceiling.
"Don't try to move Zoro, or I'll sedate you. I've got sedatives somewhere in here," Merry threatens from her speaking tubes.
He notices that his body is completely immobile, coated in thick medical foam.
"How the hell am I supposed to move with all this crap on me?" he responds, grimacing at the pain.
"You tell me, you've got more broken bones than I can count, that foam is incredibly durable, your whole body is a giant bruise, and I'm almost certain that you're going to try and get up as soon as I stop paying attention to you," Merry says.
"Hey, why the hell would I do something that dumb, Wet Sheep?!" Zoro yells, struggling against his bindings.
"You tell me, you little twerp! You've done nothing but dumb stuff since we got here!" Merry shouts in response.
Zoro freezes, falling silent at Merry's words.
Merry swallows. "Promise me you won't ever do something this stupid again."
"Merry, I-" Zoro begins firmly.
"No! I want to hear you say it! It's okay to stumble on the path to your ambition. It's okay to take a step back, it's even okay to cheat or lose, as long as you never give up!" Merry continues.
"It's not okay to die. Dead people don't get to be the World's Greatest Swordsman, no matter what," she sniffles, timbers rumbling as she gingerly lays down, mindful of the hasty patches the animals had helped her put in her hull.
Kizaru's eyes widen with amused surprise at the sight of Pica's corpse.
"Ooh, wow. That's really something," he says, before looking over at the hordes of unconscious, bloodied or otherwise incapacitated Donquixote pirates.
"I'll be sure to have someone tally them up, after all of this is taken care of," he says, before returning his gaze to the train station.
"So, any plans to hop on out there and help out your buddies?" he asks.
Merry shakes her head. "I'd never catch up to that train with these patch jobs. They'd pop out if I did anything harder than leisurely sailing."
"It looks like there's nothing to do now but wait," Sanji comments, lighting up a cigarette.
Merry's expression is determined as she watches the horizon.
"They've got this."
Jackson runs his fingers along his arm, stitching it back into place with a grimace.
"Jackson, he's kind of kicking our asses here, any ideas!?" Luffy says, forced to use his air jets to leap back onto the train after Doflamingo had quite literally punted him into the distance with a single vicious kick.
"Yeah I know, Luffy, and no, I don't! I'm kind of running on fumes here, and I can't exactly use the nuclear option when this bastard's using Chopper like a reindeer-shield!" Jackson responds, Doflamingo flashing in front of Jackson and slashing at him with glittering iridescent strings tied to his fingers.
Doflamingo scowls when Jackson responds to the attack with a spurt of clouds that obscure him as he dodges back.
The steel clouds are instantly shredded into oblivion, Doflamingo landing on the strands he had slowly been assembling around the train's various components, a few of the train cars having been ripped up just to provide more points of connection for his maze of strands.
"It doesn't make any sense, he shouldn't be able to string together a sentence, much less fight us both with Seastone in his lungs!" Jackson says, firing off several shots from his gun that only become more ineffective as Doflamingo acclimates to his weakened state.
Doflamingo pauses, giving Jackson a malicious grin as he touches his chest to renew the strings he had been weaving into his body to pump his heart and lungs. The strands interwoven in his body lightening the load on his body by allowing him to use his muscles as little as possible and conserve his energy.
"Things not going your way? That tends to happen when people try to defy me," Doflamingo says, regaining confidence as he slowly gains the advantage against Luffy and Jackson.
Jackson grimaces, realizing too late that he should have come up with more backup plans than just the two, even if he was on a time-crunch.
'Chopper, Luffy. I have a plan, but you really aren't going to like it,' Jackson says, pulling out a Rumble Pak he was desperately hoping he wouldn't have to use.
Last edited: Oct 18, 2019
Chapter 81: Psychosis
'Chopper, Luffy. I have a plan, but you really aren't going to like it,' Jackson says, pulling out a Rumble Pak he was desperately hoping he wouldn't have to use.
'Luffy, I need you to distract Doflamingo-'
'Alright, I can do that,' Luffy interjects.
'-by punching Chopper as hard as you can,' Jackson finishes, the silent shock of his companions making him feel like this might not have been the best idea.
'D-do you have any other plans?' Chopper thinks after a moment to process just how idiotic Jackson's plan sounds.
'Look, I need to get you out of my ten-meter radius. You know things get strange when I use the Chocolate Rumble Pak, and I doubt anything short of Luffy's full strength is going to get you out of that bastard's grip.'
Jackson dodges a spray of string bullets fired from Doflamingo's free hand, while Luffy grimaces at the hard call.
'Alright, do it,' Chopper thinks, preparing to make his escape.
'Luffy, no matter what, don't come near me until the field is completely gone. Even I can't completely predict what will happen once I use this,' Jackson explains, ripping the wrapper off his Rumble Pak and popping it in his mouth without swallowing.
Luffy grits his teeth, clenching his fists as he throws his arm back, the limb twisting and stretching as he prepares to follow-through.
"Gum Gum..!"
Doflamingo creates a wall of strings between him and Luffy, intent on shredding the incoming fist before it can strike him
"Automatic Rifle!"
Instead of going straight for Doflamingo, however, Luffy's spinning fist swings around the man, crashing into a ripped up piece of metal and bouncing off it, leaving the metal splintered and cratered.
Doflamingo's eyes widen as he whips around, holding his arm over his chest protectively. Instead of striking Doflamingo in the chest, however, Luffy's fist smashes into Chopper's stomach, the reindeer's eyes bulging comically as he is blasted out of Doflamingo's vice-grip on his neck.
Jackson catches Chopper, sliding back and placing the Reindeer down before swallowing the Rumble Pak in his mouth.
"Rumble Pak; Chocolate!"
With that, Jackson's hands immediately begin glowing an angry red as he dashes directly towards Doflamingo.
Doflamingo sneers angrily, sending a wide blade of string towards Jackson that shrieks as it cuts through the air.
Instead of dodging or blocking it, however, Jackson runs directly into it, a bubble rapidly expanding around him in which everything turns black-and-white.
"Magnum Opus; Albedo!" he shouts, forcing the bubble to widen, encompassing both him and the string blade in the monochrome sphere.
"Three days worth of stamina. That should be enough for Three Seconds," Jackson thinks aloud, the string blade "cutting him in two" as he runs through it.
Doflamingo's eyes widen when Jackson keeps running, his body splitting into two smaller midget-versions of himself. The duo "runs together" and merges back into Jackson's original self as if nothing had happened.
By now, Doflamingo is inside the field of black-and-white as well, Jackson's red hands the only sign of color in the distorted bubble.
"What's wrong Flammy, I thought you would be right at home in a made-up world like this!" Jackson shouts, another second passing as he grabs hold of Doflamingo with his glowing hands.
"What the hell is this?!" Doflamingo roars, Jackson's "hold" on him causing the alchemist to seemingly warp behind him, his arms wrenched up in a full-nelson.
Doflamingo's body erupts with strings, the sharpened strands "going through" Jackson's body, and somehow failing to harm him as they fly off into the distance.
"This is my territory! The Chocolate Rumble Pak turns my power in on itself, Alchemy twisting Alchemy, until only this remains!"
Jackson tightens his grip. "Inside this sphere, the rules are made up and the points don't matter!" Jackson responds, his hands flaring with golden light as the Chocolate Rumble Pak wears off, the sphere shrinking in on itself and ceasing to be.
"But that's not nearly as important as this," Jackson snarls, his hands flaring as he uses his power to turn Doflamingo's body into an alchemy vessel.
" Magnum Opus; Nigredo!"
The Stamina Dials in Jackson's left hand begin absorbing Doflamingo's energy, but before the absorbed stamina can pollute Jackson's personality, his Devil Fruit greedily sucks it down, instantly burning it to manifest Jackson's handprint on Doflamingo's body and keep it there.
Doflamingo coughs, a thick pale fluid erupting from his lips as he stumbles.
"Fall to your knees, Doflamingo!" Jackson snarls, pushing his power to its absolute limits in an attempt to finish off his opponent.
His words have the opposite effect, something about what Jackson said making Doflamingo's strength surge.
With every ounce of his strength, he uses his strings to rip Jackson off of him, flinging the Alchemist into a sharpened metal spike from the decimated train's remains.
Looking down for a moment, he turns his gaze up to look at Luffy and Chopper.
"That's the best I can do, captain. Your turn," he says, before falling unconscious, the strain of using both of his most powerful techniques one after finally catching up to him without a constant supply of Doflamingo's energy.
Luffy doesn't understand what exactly it is Jackson did, other than the fact that it seems to have hurt that Bastard more than it did him.
Chopper stumbles to his feet, looking at the struggle with wide, fearful eyes as he casually dislocates his hooves to remove the seastone cuffs. "Jerry would never do this unless he had no other choice. It's like fighting inside of a crackpot, anything could happen…"
"That's the best I can do, captain. Your turn," Luffy hears after Doflamingo manages to throw him off.
Luffy looks grimly at his crewmate. Logically, he knows Jackson is fine. He's survived worse than that. Emotionally, however…
"Chopper, make sure he doesn't die. I've got to finish this," Luffy says, walking towards the delirious and stumbling Doflamingo.
"When will you learn that you are all beneath me? Those who fail to learn this… None of you are fit to live in this world!" Doflamingo shouts desperately, coughing more pale fluid onto the ground. Each of the small splatters transforms as if by magic, morphing and shifting into little dragon dolls made of yarn.
Luffy's expression turns downright apoplectic.
"Learn? I've learned a lot of things," Luffy says in a dangerously low tone.
"I've learned that there's no shame in using weapons when you really need to," he says, crushing two Riot Balls in his hands. The liquid inside transforms into a pair of brass knuckles, seastone spikes jutting from the top of them.
"Riot Ball!"
"I've learned to see things from a different perspective when I really have to," he continues, putting one of the air nozzles attached to his arm in his mouth, blowing into it until his forearms and shins inflate like balloons, the air dials inside of them filling to capacity.
"Dial Balloon!"
"I've learned plenty. You need to learn something, though," Luffy says, holding out the Light-Pellet that Jackson gave him.
With all the willpower he can muster, Luffy coats part of his hand in Armament Haki for a brief second, his palm turning pitch black as he crushes the pellet to release the vast quantities of light contained inside of it.
His body erupts with steam as the briefly blackened skin allows him to absorb all of the light at once, flooding him with energy.
"With this power, I'll teach you to never hurt my crew again," Luffy finishes as the steam clears, revealing his bulged-out limbs, reddened skin, and glowing eyes.
"Gear Second!"
If it were any other time, Doflamingo would be laughing at the anchor arms this fool seems to have given himself. The ridiculous sight, however, is tempered by just how utterly done Doflamingo is with this entire situation.
His lips twitch into a scowl, and he silently raises his palm, unleashing a spear of twined-together strings.
Luffy pulls back his fist, air jets in his arms twisting the limb around until it looks like a coiled spring. "Now, Gum Gum…"
"Assault Rifle!"
Luffy's fist blurs as the combination of rocket propulsion and elastic force makes his arm dilate slightly in flight from pure centripetal force.
The instant it meets Doflamingo's strings, the spiked knuckles he's wearing act like a blender, obliterating the strings and crashing into Doflamingo's body, sending him flying hundreds of meters away in a spray of blood.
Not content to let Doflamingo fall into the ocean, Luffy takes a running start, air erupting from his feet and sending him flying after the man.
"Gum Gum Assault Pistol!" Luffy shouts, firing a punch without spin, the rapid blow smashing into Doflamingo's head, his skull fracturing in places, even while fully coated in Armament Haki.
Doflamingo and Luffy both outrun the train from sheer speed, Luffy pounding Doflamingo over and over as he tries to muster up any defense at all to the whirring seastone-spiked punches.
Each time a punch lands, the fist in question bounces off Doflamingo's body, flying behind Luffy and stretching even further than before.
Luffy spots land in the distance, having punched and chased his opponent so far that they had reached the island of San Faldo itself.
Doflamingo rights himself, just in time to notice Luffy preparing his final attack.
"Spiderweb!" Doflamingo shouts, freezing himself in the air over San Faldo and creating the largest, thickest web that he can between him and Luffy.
"Gum Gum..!" Luffy begins, expelling air from his arms and legs to stretch and twist his right arm as far and as much as he physically can, steam and red vapor erupting from his body as he takes aim.
"Assault Longrifle!"
As soon as the final syllable is uttered, Luffy's fist instantly shrinks back down to its original thickness, all of the air inside of it emptied at once to propel it through Doflamingo's shield, and punching him so far into the ground that he is only stopped by the bedrock itself.
Luffy begins falling, his limbs flailing loosely like empty plastic bags as his reddened skin begins to wrinkle.
Luffy wakes up, coughing softly and drinking the water that someone is giving him with desperate abandon.
"Slow down Luffy, you're going to be alright," he hears Chopper say, more precious water being given to him as he groans with pain.
He blearily blinks his eyes open, wincing at how itchy and dry they feel.
"Your hairbrained idea of a transformation almost killed you, you know," Chopper chastises softly.
"If I had known Jackson gave you those pills, I wouldn't have gotten kidnapped," Chopper jokes.
"All that photosynthesis dried you out like a raisin, and all that air defeated your elasticity. A few more minutes without water, and we'd need a sarcophagus for you. Because you'd be a mummy. And also dead," Chopper says awkwardly.
Luffy swallows. "Is everyone alright?" he asks, smiling at Chopper's morbid jokes.
He looks around, noticing that he's not in Chopper's usual office, the smell of weird hospital stuff permeates the air.
As if answering his unspoken question, Chopper continues. "Merry is getting patched up properly by Frankie and Kaku. We didn't want to wake you guys up, so we took you to a hospital for treatment."
Chopper pauses. "Nobody's dead. I imagine that's as good as we're going to get, after all of this," he continues.
"What about that guy?" Luffy asks slowly.
Chopper shrugs. "They haven't found his body yet. They'll need to get someone to excavate the place to find it."
Luffy pauses, not entirely pleased with the answer.
"Sorry I didn't come sooner," Luffy says.
Chopper nods, hopping up onto Luffy's hospital bed and sniffling. "I was more worried about you guys. You're all hopeless without me," Chopper says, smirking faintly as he rubs his eyes.
"So dumb! You tried to eat like a billion calories with that stupid light pellet and almost got yourself killed! Jackson used every single damn thing on his list of things he swore he wasn't going to use! Zoro's sword tried to eat him, so he decided to take a swing at the guy who cut his ribs in half!" Chopper wails, throwing his hands up in the air.
Chopper sniffles some more, turning to his captain with a teary-eyed expression. "What would you guys do without me?" he asks rhetorically.
Luffy smiles broadly. "We're not gonna find out!" he shouts, before coughing several more times.
On the roof of the Puffing Tom, several bundles of yarn flop from side to side. Blind, colorful, almost insensate, the dragon-shaped yarn dolls flop to the ground of the train station, moving inch by inch in the short periods between them being stepped on by passersby.
Rumors of these strange dolls circulate the city in the coming weeks, but fade as sightings of them in San Faldo disappear altogether.
Interlude 7: The Medical Board Will Be Notified
PIRATES REVEALED AS MARINE ALLIES, CLEAN UP CORRUPT WARLORDS
Recent statements and testimonies indicate without a doubt that the mostly unknown Strawhat Pirates, known to have played a role in the death of none other than former Warlord of the Sea, "Desert King" Sir Crocodile, have been outed as Marine allies due to their participation in stopping the actions of several key members of the Donquixote Pirates, who were cited as "Attempting to deprive the Marines of valuable assets".
Indeed, faced with overwhelming criticism in the wake of what Alabasta has cited as "The worst abuse of power seen thus far in our country," and the endless internal affairs being brought to light and dismantled by Admiral Aokiji's "Audit of Moral and Legal Wellness," we may see an upheaval soon unlike any seen before. These events together have been seen by many as the first signs of modernization for the Marines as a whole.
Looking at the central figures tied to these events, one can only wonder, who are the Strawhats, are they officially Warlords, or have the rules put in place by the World Government been bent to accommodate these unknown agents? Will we see more Warlords investigated by this mysterious group, and if so, who will be the next to fall?
In related news, Admiral Akainu has finally unveiled what many had been anticipating in the wake of recent sky-pirate attacks, a small press conference in Marineford turned into an exhibition of the new Sky Response, featuring a medley of Alabastan Airships and their captains, who, through some unknown means, have obtained the ability of flight. Akainu cited the ability as being the result of "Recent developments," but offered no further information other than to explain where in the Marine Hierarchy these "Air-captains" would lie, many of them directly under Vice-Admiral Garp, who could not be reached for comment.
Captain Dizzy throws the newspaper to the ground when he recognizes several of the animals and pirates in the photograph.
"God Damn them!" he shouts, pulling back a deep drink of the only swill available at this crappy bar, and slamming it onto the hardened cloud countertop.
'For one of the fastest-growing hives of scum and villainy in Paradise, this so-called Tasteful Cove isn't worth the piss they're calling booze,' he thinks to himself, glaring at the weird mouse-man that approaches him along with two brawny guards.
"Is there a problem, Mister..?" the man asks.
Dizzy waves him off. "Just pissed. Those shitty pirates don't deserve to be in the funnies, much less the news! I hate em worse than I hate knockoffs."
The mouse-midget looks at the newspaper he had thrown on the ground appraisingly, before returning his gaze to the captain.
"You have some sort of vendetta against the Strawhat Pirates?" he asks.
"Yeah, they wrecked my ship and robbed me blind over a couple of scummy animals. What's it to you?" Dizzy responds, color returning to his gaunt face as the atmosphere in the bar changes.
In lieu of an answer, the mouse introduces themselves, tipping their hat. "My name is Captain Penzance Penchant, the purveyor of this establishment, captain of the Tasteful Pirates, and, I believe, someone who shares your unique stance on the Strawhats."
The two pirate captains lock eyes. "Perhaps you might be interested in taking your drink to a more private venue? I've made no shortage of acquaintances who might share your opinion."
Dizzy grins. So this is the little puke who's been running the black market on all that sky crap coming down.
"I think I'd like that. The name is Kirkhope Dizzy. Captain Kirkhope Dizzy, in fact," he responds, following the mousey captain and his burly guards into a candle-lit VIP room, one as far from the public bar as a bath is from a dumpster fire.
"Ahh, Alvida. I see you've made yourself at home," Penchant says, looking at the slim woman currently gorging herself on steak and wine.
She swallows, looking at the newcomer. "Let me guess, another person that Strawhat Luffy pissed off?"
"Something like that," Dizzy responds, intrigued with the decor.
"So what's the point of this little club? We just gather around and talk about how much they piss us off?"
Penchant shakes his head, a servant providing him with a wine glass of his own.
"Nothing so gauche. We are pursuing business. The sort of good business that grants us funds in exchange for the secrets and resources that the leaking trade network in Alabasta offers those who know where to look."
He shrugs. "And should we amass the power and funding we so require, we'll crush the Strawhats as well. Should you join us, yet another crew will serve us well in our plans."
"Uh-huh, and what's the plan?" Dizzy says, skeptical of the situation he's in.
"Simple. There is a rather large box filled with perfectly serviceable pirates to add to our cause. The only downside is that that box's name is… Well, it wouldn't serve any purpose to tell you just yet. Instead, I'll simply ask, are you interested in joining our quaint little operation?"
Dizzy shrugs, grinning maliciously. "Sounds like a good time."
Meanwhile, at the docks of Tasteful Cove, a nearby ship docks, the people on-board a blend of ordinary-looking pirates and other, far more inhuman shapes.
An ordinary human with lines running down each side of their face and a sword at their hip is the only person to actually exit the ship, taking a step onto the manufactured Steel Clouds that hover just above sea-level and make up the entirety of the hidden black-market island. They walk directly into the Tasteful Cove's Black House, where all of the negotiations are held.
A receptionist pops the bubblegum in her mouth with a bored expression as he approaches, dropping a large sack of gold on the table.
"I represent an interested party. I'd like as many of the cutest Dial Crabs you have available," he explains simply.
The woman glances at the sack for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Sure thing pal. You want em alive?"
"That would be preferable, yes."
She hefts the sack of gold onto a scale behind the counter, looking at the number with a bored expression before walking off into the back room, and stuffing an aquarium full of live Dials, sliding the box onto the table along with a book on their care.
"There you go. I gave you a few of each kind. Have a goodun," she says, blowing another bubble with her bubblegum.
"I don't care if you think it's a failure. If some idiot dressed up as a wizard can manufacture artificial Devil Fruits with a fourth-rate power, then the world's greatest scientific mind should be able to work it out!"
"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't have that fourth-rate power to work with."
"Then we will get you some, damn it. I refuse to stand by and watch as a bunch of pirates attach themselves to the Marines like a parasite. Devil Fruits or no, they are dismantling one of the only things keeping the world from falling into chaos. If it can be done, then I want it done. Are we clear?"
"Crystal."
"See that you do. Do you think we're the only ones with an eye on this? Those pieces of scum just told the entire world that it can be done, through their little display. Do you think there won't be Pirates who try their hand at this? If the Slosh Slosh Fruit can do it, then I imagine almost any fruit could."
"I understand. I'll see what I can do, Admiral Akainu."
Doctorine rubs the bridge of her nostrils, but she's smiling nonetheless.
"Yes, thank you for this, but I'm not exactly a queen or some shit. The best I can do is see if anyone wants some of this junk. Well…"
She looks at Hiriluk, who's lips are flapping from the breath dial he pointed at his face.
"Anyone other than that quack, anyway. He's probably going to want some."
The Skypiean Liaison nods. "I understand. Would it be too much to ask, if we left some of our merchants here to try their hand at peddling them, then? We could return for them in a few months' time, and they could see who on your noble island has any sort of want or need for our goods."
Doctorine shrugs. "Yeah, again, not a queen. I just live here," she says, slightly annoyed with the deference she's been getting from both the Twenty-MD's, and now these foreigners that the little brats apparently sent her way.
"If you can find somewhere to set up, I doubt anyone will have a problem with it."
The Liaison nods again. "We've also been informed that this island is one of medicine, so we've brought this. I'm unsure if it compares favorably, but perhaps, for the right price, we could obtain some of this land's medical expertise?"
Doctorine frowns. "Hell no. I won't accept money for something like that."
The Liaison frowns as well, until she continues.
"We're trading books for books. You show us what you've got, and we'll show you what we've got. Everyone wins."
"Thank you, you are very generous, Madam Doctorine," they say pleasantly.
Doctorine's eyebrows raise. It seems the Liaison has a bit of cheek to them after all. Fun.
Scorpion's boys have shot up since that fateful day months ago. Probably due in no small part to the heaping plates of food they've been able to afford every night since catching a lucky break with those Railway plants.
He looks out at his new industrial-scale farm. The lucky breaks certainly didn't stop with that. He almost wonders what he saw in bounty hunting, it feels like a lifetime ago when he was barely growing enough potatoes to feed the three of them, and now they have acres and acres of wondrous plants, thanks to the Strawhats.
He stretches, going through his morning ritual before heading out to take a look around and see if anything needs fixing.
"Hey pa! Check out what we found!" Chip says, running up with a bucket full of a thick brown substance.
"Those booze trees ain't just got sweet fruit, they got this sticky sap too! I nearly couldn't get my axe out of the tree, it was stuck so hard!" he says, holding up the bucket.
"Really? That's something, Chip, I bet the customers will be interested to hear that," Scorpion says, laughing softly at his son's antics.
Dip approaches, looking less pleased than Chip.
"What's wrong Dip?" Scorpion asks, looking at his son with concern.
"We had a thief come in and steal one of the Crab-apples off the tree. The guards tried to catch the guy, but he ran off with it before they could," Dip explains.
"Hmm. Well, that's not good. Did you get a good look at the guy?"
Dip shakes his head. "No. I never would have noticed if I wasn't checking the trees already. He grabbed a really gnarly looking one though, so it probably went bad anyway."
Scorpion laughs. "Well, if thieves just want to steal the rotten fruits, then maybe we ought to hire them. They might catch the darn things better than our good-for-nothing new hires," he says jokingly.
Dip cheers up at this, joining in on his dad and brother's laughter.
Last edited: Oct 20, 2019
Chapter 83: Recovery
"This is a load of horseshit," Jackson complains, watching the tenth bowl of ramen and a fifth bottle of sparkling wine disappear into Luffy and Zoro's respective gullets.
Luffy's chopsticks blur as he evaporates the food in front of him, the bantering of his two doctors making for a suitably entertaining show.
"You've had to repair your body how many times this week? If you don't give me time to give you a checkup and give your body time to heal at least somewhat naturally, I will sedate you with the heaviest mallet I can safely brain you with," Chopper threatens, checking the cast around Jackson's midsection and running scanners up and down the area where he had been wounded.
"What? No, I'm fine with that. I'm just jealous of these two knuckleheads. They can heal themselves with junk food and booze, and it's ridiculous," the invalid quack groans.
"Well, Luffy is an absolute beast. The rest of us still need medical science, unfortunately. Which is why I spiked Zoro's booze with medicinal compounds," Chopper comments idly, the swordsman spit-taking at this revelation. He looks at his alcohol with newfound suspicion before shrugging and returning to guzzling it.
The bed thumps as he blacks out less than a minute later.
"The medical compounds in question were sedatives, so I can actually keep his wounds treated and put the splints he needs on his ribs," Chopper continues, his expression blase, as if covertly sedating his friends is just commonplace.
Luffy chuckles through his ramen, slurping up the last of it before patting his stomach with a sigh.
"Whatever, are you done scanning, Chopper? I kind of need to knit myself back together," Jackson says, wincing when his fingers spark from the attempted Sacred Psychic Sewing.
"You've been out for two days Jackson, at least give it a few hours before you knock yourself out again," Chopper asks politely, descending on the swordsman's unconscious body like a one-reindeer school of anti-piranhas, rapidly medicating and rebandaging him before he can wake up and ruin Chopper's hard work all over again.
"Chopper is scary!" Luffy laughs, his laughter turning nervous when an exasperated glare is turned on him by his reindeer doctor.
"You're lucky you've already healed, or it would be you in that bed unconscious, mister!" he says, poking Luffy in the chest.
He sighs, waddling over to a nearby chair and plopping himself into it. "I need a vacation."
Luffy's eyes widen. "That's a great idea! The Train Lady said this place was great for having a good time. Let's have one!"
Chopper and Jackson look a bit shocked at this, before shrugging it off as another of their Captain's whims.
"I do need some time to build up my energy, and Chopper deserves nothing less than a full spoiling after this mess…" Jackson says idly, silently reaching under his cast to stitch up his wounds before Chopper can turn around and notice him.
Luffy nods. "Then it's agreed. Our mission until the pose sets, spoil Chopper, and have a vacation."
Chopper looks uncertain.
Jackson's eyebrows wrinkle as well. "I don't mean to be a Debby-downer, but I'm not actually sure where the Log Pose would take us if we set it here. You've got the final call though, captain."
Luffy hums. "What, is there something really cool I'd be missing if we set it here?"
Jackson shrugs. "You could get a musician if we set it at Water Seven, but I'm at a loss what we might find if we go from here."
Luffy nods sagely. "I gotcha. Ok, then we'll just do both."
A look passes between the doctors. "Uhh, how are we going to do both?" Chopper asks.
"We go one way, then we come back here and go the other way. It's called backtracking, and you gotta do it if you don't want to miss stuff," Luffy explains with all the expertise of someone who has spent plenty of time running the simulations, so to speak.
"You aren't anxious to get to the New World?" Jackson asks.
Luffy shrugs in response. "I mean, think about it logically," he begins, that word coming out of his mouth sending a violent chill down Jackson and Chopper's spines.
"That string-bastard was really tough, but he's super weak in the New World. We get to have even more adventures to get ready for that if we take our time."
Jackson's fist claps into his palm as he realizes what's going on here. "Ahh, that makes sense. You're greedy for extra adventures."
He pouts in response. "Jackson, don't be mean, I thought about it and everything!"
A short pause follows while Luffy considers something.
"Is it going to mess up your time traveler stuff if we go the wrong way?" Luffy asks innocently, receiving a snort and helpless laughter for his trouble.
A tear escapes Jackson's eye before being wiped away "Oh god, whew. That's a good one, captain. Trust me, I've learned my lesson."
"There's no predicting where we'll go next," he finishes, a broad smile stretching across his face.
Sanji's mood finds itself soured by one simple fact.
He has one measly day left to enjoy the beautiful women of this fine city before some kind of dumb costume party begins.
"Oh, what will I do?! And Luffy wants to vacation here? All of the beautiful ladies, their delightful faces covered from my sight!" Sanji laments, walking by a street musician who seems to have their act together. If nothing else, because they seem to play more than one instrument.
As if touched by Sanji's lament, the wrinkled old man picks up a guitar, playing a mournful tune to accompany Sanji's slow procession towards beauty deprivation.
A small bundle of cash is thrown into the musician's hat for his trouble.
The musician pauses in shock at Sanji's generous offering. "Say! Boy, come here for a second, hear what old Gammy's got to say," he says, drawing the cook back around to listen.
"It ain't a pretty lady, but maybe you'd care to hear why it is we here have this little shindig? It's a story worth hearing, or so I say," he says, grinning and revealing his almost toothless mouth.
Sanji's eyebrows quirk with curiosity. "Alright, let's hear it."
The man's guitar continues, the formerly mournful tones turning curious and intricate. "Around here, they call it the Sinner's Comehome. It's an old tradition, going almost four decades back," he says, his voice and accent changing as he leans into his storytelling.
The music begins slowly, idle plinking setting the stage. "The story begins with a master thief, who went by the name of Chirurg. Not much is known about him, save that he was famous, and had only one desire. He wasn't too unlike you, boy, he wanted to see for himself the beautiful things in the world. But rather than chase women, he chased jewels. Thrill and excitement followed him wherever he went as he amassed no small chunk of riches, and left chaos as thanks for the treasures he would claim."
Sanji crosses his arms. No jewels could compare to the beauty inherent to all women.
The guitar's song transitions, moving into a slow melody. "His travels, however, ended here, in none other than San Faldo."
"You see, forty or so years ago, the museum of San Faldo was to hold an exhibition of none other than one of the crown jewels of the world, the Amber of Adam. The largest of several millennia-old amber jewels hewn from none other than the Jewel Tree Adam. The jewel's beauty was said to be untouchable, supernatural, that even the sight of its beauty could soothe any pain," the old man explains.
"During the week of the Jewel's exhibition in San Faldo, Master Thief Chirurg had taken an alias, and a disguise."
The music becomes cheerful, peppy, and bouncy, hopping from note to note with mirth. "As the great Magician Cheirourgós, he took to entertaining the masses, and enthralled even the Heavenly Saint of San Faldo with his deft hands and cunning trickery on the stage. His feats of escape artistry and pyrotechnics were so incomparable, the Saint and her nobles invited him to gaze upon the Amber of Adam, as an honor for his supreme entertainment…"
The song begins to slow once again, its melody swinging downward into a low, dark place. "Revealing his true intentions, he stole the Amber of Adam, and was never heard from again."
Sanji snaps out of his stupor, Gammy's story and music having briefly enthralled him.
"So what does that have to do with wearing masks for several weeks?" Sanji asks, the story only having raised even more questions for the cook.
Gammy shakes his head. "Well, that's just it. The Queen was saddened by the theft, but she had the same desire as all of San Faldo, to see the amazing magician perform once again. So, when the Sakura Trees of this city begin to bloom, we all don masks, and many of us put on grand performances, in the hopes that Cheirourgós himself would be hidden among us, willing to once more give us a show beyond our wildest dreams."
Sanji nods with understanding, one last question plaguing his mind.
"Is there any truth to the story?" he asks, making the old man laugh.
"Whu, of course! I met the man when I was a wee little thing, and he was incredible! All fire and smoke and sparks, he'd chain himself up and have the locks undone before we knew what was what!" Gammy responds, reminiscing on the old memories.
"Oh I'd have given anything to see that man on the stage again, let me tell you," he continues.
"What, you don't think he's coming back?" Sanji asks rhetorically.
Gammy gives Sanji the stink-eye. "Well, he'd be an old geezer by now, I imagine. And even if he did, Orthos would string him up by his neck to dry if she so much as saw him. She's old like wine, and twice as sour," he laughs.
"Uhh… Don't teller' I said that, by the by. She'd probably string me up too," he jokes, swallowing heavily.
Luffy bounces in his seat with pure excitement as Sanji relays what he heard from the old man, the rest of the Strawhats having filed into the hospital room now that Jackson had woken up.
"A huge mystery?" Luffy starts, his grin widening.
Sanji nods cautiously.
"A legendary treasure?" Nami continues, her interest piqued.
He nods again.
Robin looks intrigued, having taken up Jackson's book that he obtained in Water Seven, one detailing an embellished retelling of the events surrounding "Chirurg".
"I've always liked a good mystery," Robin says.
"Perhaps we could investigate the story while we're here. There may be others who saw these events firsthand," she continues.
Nami pauses, ignoring Daz experimenting with new heroic poses in the background and judging their effectiveness by how hard Luffy's eyes sparkle in amazement.
"We should probably deal with the Marines first. They've kind of been… Pushy. Apparently, Smoker wants to try and convince you to trade more fruits, Jackson," she says.
Jackson nods. "I saw that coming. I… Kind of blew one of the fruits I had prepared, but I should still be able to get a good trade, with a bit of finesse," he says.
Nami gives him a skeptical look. "Maybe I should sit in on this trade, make sure we're getting our money's worth."
He looks nervous at her statement. "If you like. You'll need to leave your weapons at the door though."
Her forehead twitches in annoyance. "What, you don't think I can restrain myself in a negotiation setting, just because cash isn't involved?"
Jackson waves his hands wardingly. "No! Not at all."
"I just think you'll choose not to if any of them piss you off," he mutters under his breath, Nami leaping at him with intent to strangle.
Chopper tries to get Nami off of him in a panic while Luffy laughs at the lighthearted roughhousing.
'It's good to see that some things never change,' Luffy thinks to himself.
Chapter 84: Ancestry
Luffy's arms are crossed as he stares at Frankie and Kaku, who had been sitting awkwardly in the waiting room during the visit.
"You two helped us out a lot. If there's anything you want, I'm willing to help you out," Luffy says, looking at the two of them seriously.
He glances at Foxy. "Oh, and I guess you too," he says offhandedly.
Foxy collapses to his knees in despair from being brushed off so casually.
Kaku smiles, chuckling ruefully. "I don't suppose you can get me my old job back?"
Luffy shrugs. "I mean, I can ask. I don't know anything about spy-stuff though."
He shakes his head. "I meant my other job. I wouldn't try to rejoin CP9 if I could. I broke cover. That's the single most grievous sin that a Cipher Pol Agent can commit."
"But I can't exactly go back to Galley-La after all of this," he explains with a shrug.
Frankie's expression turns contemplative. "Say, Strawhat. How many Shipwrights do you have so far?"
Luffy looks confused. "Not counting you, I don't have any."
Frankie shakes his head. "That's not going to work out well for you. I can't be your shipwright and help with your critter-crew's ship at the same time. Most ships need multiple shipwrights. I might be SUPER! enough to handle a whole ship on my own," he strikes a pose.
"But it would be a bad situation if you had one shipwright between two ships."
Kaku looks at Frankie incredulously. Surely no pirate would be dumb enough to-
"Oh. Then you should both join my crew!"
Kaku's jaw drops.
"Two ships, two shipwrights. Frankie can help the ship he builds, and you can help with Merry. Makes perfect sense," Luffy nods, his demand already a foregone conclusion in his mind.
"You do realize that less than a week ago, my job was to extract secrets and kill people for the World Government, right?" Kaku tries to explain.
"That would make Merry really sad, so I know you wouldn't do that if you join up," Luffy retorts, pinkie jammed in his ear as he loses all interest in anything that isn't a "Yes".
Foxy approaches, having overcome his crippling despair long enough to speak.
His finger points dramatically at the Strawhat captain. "Wait! I still haven't made my own demands!"
"Go for it," Luffy responds casually.
Foxy swallows. "I and my crew demand to join your fleet as our favor from you..!"
"So we don't all get arrested," he quickly mutters afterwards.
Luffy's face twitches as he realizes his "Fleet" is growing even larger, but he manages to restrain himself.
"Fine, whatever, do what you want," he grumbles, waving the other captain off.
"Woo!" Foxy shouts, running to the window.
"We aren't going to jail boys!" Foxy shouts down to the crowd of Foxy Pirates and Marine officers.
The pirates cheer in response, while the officers grumble with displeasure, shuffling away back to their other assigned duties.
"So then, now that that business is dealt with, let's talk budget. One-hundred million? Two?" Frankie asks, curious to hear what sort of scratch he'll be getting for this project.
"We settled on a billion, actually. That should be enough to make a really good ship for them, right?" Luffy says, curious to hear what the shipwright has to say about that.
Kaku stands frozen in shock, while Frankie pales, swallowing heavily.
"Uhh… Yeah, I think I can-" his voice cracks.
"I can work with that."
With a quick bit of idle alchemy, Jackson transforms a mixture of clouds and gold into a table and chairs, sufficient for Smoker, himself, and the rest of the negotiators to settle down near where Merry's repairs are taking place near Frankie House.
Jackson spawns two small swirly pills, setting them on the table.
"I'm prepared to make some sizable offers, such as these artificial Devil Fruits, for one," he says, unperturbed by the sheer number of powerful individuals he'll have to be negotiating with today.
"I see. Are those intended to repay us for mobilizing to attempt retrieving your doctor?" Smoker asks, an eyebrow raising with intent.
Jackson doesn't miss a beat, carefully ignoring the fact that the Marines didn't really do a damn thing for them. "No, actually. I plan on repaying you for that appropriately," he responds, sliding a packet of papers across the table to the Vice-Admiral.
"Some valuable intelligence I obtained through my magical powers. I think you'll find we did you a favor, by turning your attention to the Donquixote Pirates' activities," he says, tapping the top of the stack of papers.
Kizaru takes the opportunity to look over the papers,
"Ooh, wow. I'm aaalmost tempted to believe you… It would take magic, to know some of this." Kizaru drawls, smiling absently as he sets the papers down.
Aokiji sits down as well, having finally completed his audit of Enies Lobby.
He waves for Smoker to continue, leaning back in his chair.
"Alright, So what do you want then? You said sizable offers, and you seem to be offering fewer Devil Fruits," Smoker says, looking at the two pills with suspicion.
Jackson nods. "You're absolutely right. Fewer they may be, but each of these is worth a dozen of their lesser ilk," Jackson explains, knowing full well that each of the Pills are indeed worth exactly twelve Metal Pellet Ghetto Fruits.
He gestures to the first pill. "I'll begin with the most valuable. I call it the Glitter Glitter Pill. Of course, I know as well as anyone here how, among Devil Fruit Powers, the ability to transform into a substance is a highly coveted one. Need I go on?"
A pile of shiny glowing and fluorescent metal glitter, doped with his special explosive compound just in case. Something that looks incredibly flashy, but would be utterly worthless for anyone who doesn't want to leave evidence at the crime scene.
"Next, a Paramecia. Admittedly, even I'm not a hundred percent certain what it does. But, given the powers I'm certain it does possess, I've decided to call it the Charge Charge Pill. The faster the user can force themselves to move, the more raw impact is fed into their bodies."
Two Impact Dials wired together, sucking away at the user's speed to give them more inertia. Of course, what Jackson neglected to mention is that a chunk of the speed stolen from the user is being fed into a light dial instead, in order to make them flash bright rainbow colors when they reach a high enough speed. The perfect power for a brute that doesn't know what subtlety or stealth are.
"My requests are simple. These two Alchemical Devil Fruit Pills, and an additional one equal to it in exchange for two unknown devil fruits of any kind, and a copy of Dr. Vegapunk's research. If I'm not mistaken, Chief Director Spandam has two such fruit in his possession."
Smoker's eyes narrow. "I'm not authorized to accept that sort of offer. And that besides, Director Spandam is being… Reassigned."
His gaze turns downward, to the two pills in question. "What use could you possibly have for Devil Fruits, when you can simply manufacture your own?"
Jackson offers a bland smile in response. "There are only so many things that I can shove into a fruit. You're serving yourself by giving me more resources to improve my work."
Smoker looks to Kizaru for approval, receiving a nod from the Admiral.
"Depending on the final fruit you offer, we are prepared to offer you the two fruits, and the research, in exchange for what you've promised," he begins.
"And an additional twelve fruit like the ones you've provided so far," Smoker finishes, Nami springing into action at this.
"And just how the hell does that make for a fair trade?" Nami growls.
"We aren't dealing with your crew in the interest of fair trades, we are dealing with you in the interest of profit. I need to demonstrate that we are gaining more than we're losing, working with you," Smoker finishes.
Nami glares, Jackson placing a palm on her shoulder to calm her down.
"We're prepared to accept your offer, but it will take time to process an order of that size. I already had these two pills prepared weeks in advance, and I only have the means to produce one more pill at present."
He continues after a moment of contemplation. "The three pills in exchange for a fruit and the research now. The twelve lesser fruits in exchange for your final fruit later. Are we in agreement?"
"I believe we are," Smoker says, closing the deal.
Kizaru claps lightly. "Well, I think that went rather well. What do you think?" he says to his fellow Admiral.
Aokiji looks at Smoker for several long moments. "Very well. From this point forward, Smoker, you are authorized to deal with the Strawhats in an official capacity when none of us are available to do so."
He turns his attention to Jackson. "As for you. I'll look into retrieving the goods you've requested. See that you look into holding up your end of the bargain."
Jackson nods, pocketing the pills and dissolving the furniture back into slosh.
Nami glares slightly at Jackson. "I still think we got cheated there."
Jackson shakes his head, watching Merry melt like butter under the attention of the Frankie Family and Kaku making repairs and maintenance on her.
"Trust me, we came out on top here. If they're dumb enough to give us Vegapunk's research, then we can really get to work," Jackson explains.
"Hey, Merry, I'm going to go see about buying a train. Are you alright here by yourself?"
Merry's eyes flutter, before she frowns, accidentally kicking one of Frankie's men away. "Watch where you put that polisher, punk!" she shouts, shaking her head.
"I'll be fine, Jackson. Go have your fun," she says, staring with delight at the steel-reinforced masts being wheeled in to replace her broken ones.
"Oh wow…" she mutters, Jackson offering a backhanded wave as he wanders off to look into a very particular train.
Merry is on Cloud Nine. Frankie's men might not be as skilled as the Galley-La shipwrights, but under Franky and Kaku's firm guidance, the group of thugs were more than able to clean her up nicely, repairing the damage she had taken and then some.
She slowly thuds to the ground behind Frankie's house, when the cyborg had asked her to meet with him privately.
"What did you want to talk about?" she asks, the goofy grin on her face shining with a fresh coat of polish.
"Well, it's about Ice-for-brains. I figure you deserve some sort of explanation, and I think I can give you one," Frankie says, taking a long swig from his cola as Merry's expression dims.
"That thing you can do. Wrapping your head in that black armor?" Frankie begins, making sure she knows what he's talking about.
She nods. After the fight with Pica, she found herself able to do it in a mere thirty seconds, something she wastes no time in demonstrating to the cyborg.
Frankie nods. "There's one other ship in the world that can do that," he says, holding up a single solitary finger.
"The ship I'm talking about had a unique design. It had no sail, no rudder or cannons. In fact, it didn't have any moving parts at all."
"Its design is such that the crew sailing aboard it could infuse it with an unknown power. Since the entire ship was one seamless welded metal mass, the power could flow through the entire hull of the ship, creating vast amounts of air pressure in special chambers for propulsion and armaments, and coating it in an indestructible armor that hardened it against attacks," he explains, as if reading off a script.
The cyborg pauses, trying to find the right words. "With one-hundred strong-willed souls, a person could crew an unstoppable, invincible ship, one that needed no wind, little maintenance, and one in possession of untold destructive power.
"Only one ship of this design exists in the world. Fattened by her crew's cruelty and force of will, she killed and devoured them all, setting out to destroy the world itself.
"There are a small few people who call her 'The Black Ship'," Frankie explains mysteriously.
He looks to the side contemplatively. "What Iceberg did isn't right, but he had good reason to be scared. An immortal, invincible ship with the power to destroy entire islands is something to be afraid of."
Merry forces herself out of her frozen stupor. "W-what happened to the Black Ship?"
Frankie shrugs. "Nobody knows. But my point is, any ship could be considered a Black Ship, so long as that unknown power could flow through it fully and uninterrupted," he explains, looking at Merry's seamless metal hull pointedly.
Merry swallows, some part of her intimately understanding just how horrific a ship like the one Frankie described could be.
"I think I need to talk to Mayor Iceberg again," she says, pure determination in her tone as she stands up.
Kaku, who had been listening carefully around the corner…
Decides to forget what he heard.
After a short trip into the actual city of Water Seven, Jackson looks into the decommissioned train known as the "Rocket Man". No breaks, no steering capabilities, several tons of metal and uncontrollable speed that have no worth without the control and safety that a train requires.
Jackson finds himself face to face with Iceberg at the warehouse where it is being kept. As the owner of the train, Jackson had no choice but to deal with him.
"It would cost more to dismantle it than we would get by selling off the parts. What use could you possibly have for it?" Iceberg says, scratching at the cast around his chest that had been there since Luffy punched him.
"I assure you, I have no intention of putting it on tracks, if that's what you're worried about. I just need to know that it's functional, and I'll gladly haul it off for you."
"I see. And you'll do this for free?" Iceberg says incredulously.
Jackson pulls out the empty Devil Fruit Pill, looking at the train engine's painted-on shark face appraisingly. "But of course. The train is worthless to you… Right?"
Last edited: Oct 21, 2019
Chapter 85: Facial Reconstruction
Staring at the train's mad grin, Jackson feels a moment of hesitation about melting it down and shoving it into a Devil Fruit Pill.
Do trains have spirits? Does this train have one?
Jackson's original plan had been simple. The Rocket Man is worthless by Water Seven's Culture, so it would cost almost nothing to shove it into a Devil Fruit Pill and claim it's the world's first Train Zoan. Now, however, he finds himself with cold feet.
"Well?" Iceberg asks, waiting patiently.
"Has a train ever gotten something like a Klabautermann?" Jackson asks abruptly.
"I wouldn't know. There aren't that many trains in the world, and they haven't been around as long as ships have," Iceberg responds instantly.
Jackson curses, as Iceberg's response had only served to make him more unsure.
"I'm having our ship come to help tow it. Will that be a problem?" Jackson asks pointedly.
Iceberg pauses. "I've already rescinded the ban on your ship entering Water Seven. There's little point, if Frankie is just going to go behind my back regardless."
"Good, because I'm already here," Merry says, looming near the Warehouse Entrance.
Jackson looks over to her, ignoring Iceberg's intense and unreadable expression. "Merry? What's up?"
She ignores him in an uncharacteristic way. "Mayor Iceberg, I'd like to talk to you, if that's alright."
"I've been meaning to do the same. Could we postpone this, Jackson?" he asks, looking at the alchemist.
Jackson shrugs. "Do what you have to, Mayor. I'll do some investigation while you're gone."
As the duo slowly walk away somewhere more private, Jackson scratches his chin, frustrated and nervous.
He slams his fist into his palm. "Idea! I'll just get Luffy to do it."
He presses his tattoo. 'Hey, Luffy, I need you to pop over to Water Seven right quick and help me tell if this train is alive or not,' he asks.
'Sorry, no-can-do Jackson, I'm on an adventure!' Luffy says.
Jackson could swear he hears gunfire.
'Luffy, are you being shot at?' he asks incredulously.
'NotimetotalkbusyadventuringBye!' Luffy responds, ending the psychic communication.
Jackson rubs the bridge of his nose, looking at the Rocket Man.
"So what am I going to do with you then?"
Merry comes to a stop near the end of the long line of warehouses that comprise half of the trainyard.
Iceberg waits for a long while, before beginning. "I feel that I-"
Merry shakes her head. "Give me a minute here," she says.
"I like it when Jaguar enjoys her reading late at night. Sometimes, when she gets really tired, she actually starts reading out loud. I don't think she notices it, either.
"I appreciate it when Daz Bonez does his practice on the islands we land on. I know he probably wouldn't damage anything if he practiced on my deck, but he decides not to anyway. Sometimes, he'll whittle these little figurines out of wood, he's got one made of everyone in the crew by now, and he keeps them underneath a loose plank in the bedroom."
"Sanji does a lot of the cleaning up. It doesn't matter where it is, he doesn't let our messy meal-times leave so much as a stain. I'm usually pretty shiny on the inside, thanks to him going over all of the places that might get food in them.
"Nami always makes sure to steer me in the right direction, and my Captain…" she begins, chuckling fondly.
"He'll ignore her in a heartbeat if it means steering me somewhere fun. I don't think she finds it as funny as I do when he demands we chase something down just because it looks interesting…"
She pauses for a moment, as if reminiscing, before she continues. "Zoro's usually up in the crow's nest, except when he's napping. He ends up just about anywhere when he needs to take a nap. I've started making a little list of all the nooks and crannies he manages to jam himself into," she giggles.
"Chopper and Jackson are so much alike. They both care so much about everyone. Sometimes even too much. They're the kind of people to give CPR to a mouse if they found it drowning in our wine barrels. Jackson even hired all the mice that were stowed away. They're working with our other crew now," she says with a playful smirk.
"And Usopp… He cares so much about me. Almost as much as everyone else put together," she stresses.
"I love my crew. They've made me the happiest ship in the world. Do you understand that?" she asks.
Iceberg silently draws an envelope from his shirt pocket.
"I do," he says, holding up the envelope.
"I should have given you these blueprints back earlier," he begins.
"But while I was in the hospital, I decided to take the time to make some revisions. I understand if you choose to use the original unaltered blueprints, however," he finishes, holding up the envelope.
She looks at it with an expression that fails to convey her turbulent thoughts.
"Goodbye, Mayor Iceberg," Merry says as she leans down, gingerly plucking the envelope from his hands in her teeth and setting it on her deck.
As the ship walks away, Iceberg is left to wonder if he did nearly enough, having done what he could.
Sanji grimaces, dropping to the ground to avoid a gigantic bullet that plows through the cabbage stand behind him like a wrecking ball.
He ignores the stand-owner's shriek of displeasure as he flips around, grabbing Luffy by the neck and dragging him out of the way of several more shots.
"Why is she shooting at us?!" Nami wails in fright, running as fast as she can after the two.
"Hell if I know, but I don't think we should stick around and ask!" Sanji retorts.
Luffy laughs, twisting free of Sanji's grip and running backwards to shout at the young police officer firing an unholy cross between a handgun and a hand cannon at them.
"Hey lady! Why are you shooting at us? We just wanted to talk to your mom!" he shouts, making the woman even angrier.
"Please ignore him, lovely madam! His idiocy is almost as stunning as your overwhelming beauty!" Sanji shouts,
The woman curses in french, adjusting her blue cap as she cocks back the hammer of her giant flintlock. Taking aim, the woman towers over most everyone around her, her perpetual grimace, bright red hair, and blue police officer's outfit standing out among the quickly scattering crowd of people.
"Stay away from my mother you filthy pirates!" she shouts, firing several more shots as Luffy leaps up onto a nearby roof, dragging Sanji and Nami along with him.
Hopping over the edge of the building and running until the woman's french cursing fades into nothing, the trio skid to a halt, breathing heavily.
"I told you it wouldn't be a good idea to try and talk to that Orthos woman, Luffy," Sanji says, wiping sweat from his face.
Luffy pouts. "Well, how else are we going to find out what happened to the treasure? She's our only lead on this mystery!" he whines.
"Can't we ask someone else? There's no way we're going to get to talk to her if we have to deal with that gun-toting maniac," Nami begs.
"You're right… We'll have to sneak in," Luffy decides, Nami moaning in despair as Sanji plants his face in his hands.
"The police chief is an absolute beauty of a woman, Luffy, but I don't think it would be a good idea to try sneaking into her house just so we can talk to her mother," Sanji says, before quickly being swept up in fantasizing about the dashing officer that tried to use them for target-practice.
Gammy wanders over to them, smirking at the trio. "I saw your little sprint through town. You must have really pissed Karon off to get her to chase you like that."
Luffy gasps. "You must be the old guy Sanji was talking about!"
"I ain't that old, punk," he responds, glaring lightly at the punk in question.
He looks around before leaning in. "If you've really got a deathwish, Orthos drinks her coffee every morning at the Royale Cafe. I bet you could talk to her there without her little battleaxe of a tyke messing with you."
Luffy laughs. "Wow, thanks old guy!" he says, grabbing Sanji and Nami and dragging them away to prepare.
Gammy shakes his head. "Those kids are crazy. Nothing else to it," he says with a smile, hefting up his case of instruments and walking away.
"Hello, Gam Marsous Bruvadi. Was that a group of pirates, not too dissimilar to the ones I've been chasing for the past half-hour?" Karon asks, looming over the street musician as she breathes heavily from the strain of climbing over the building behind her.
Gammy swallows. "I wouldn't know nothing about that ma'am, just a humble musician, that's me," he chuckles nervously.
Her expression indicates that she isn't buying it.
Chopper giggles, his adorable stature granting him access to the various food carts that have been setting up for the upcoming festival. As such, Chopper's generous allowance was put to good use, a large soda and a hulking cotton candy filling his hands as he wanders around the delightful locales of San Faldo.
Despite his best efforts, the little doctor smile turns into a briefly confused scrunch whenever he sees one of the people go by wearing those masks. Something in Chopper's brain tells him that the masks aren't fake even though he logically knows they are.
He instead turns his attention to the trees that line every corner of the city, the cherry blossom trees all budding with little pink nubs that, according to what he knows, will soon turn into an endless rain of mesmerizing pink petals.
Robin and Daz had been sent to accompany him, something he accepted on the grounds of everyone still being a little bit uneasy after the big mess they had all just gone through.
"So then, Doctor, what seems to be on your mind?" Robin asks, her Reindeer Mink form on full display in order to, in her own words "appear less threatening."
Chopper nibbles at his cotton candy. "I've never seen real cherry blossoms before. I've only seen Doctor's cloud-seeded ones," he explains, looking at the trees intently.
"I hope I get to see them. Doctor says they are quite beautiful," he continues, before jamming his face into his cotton candy and consigning it to oblivion.
Robin chuckles lightly, though whether it's at Chopper's antics or his words is unknown.
"Say, perhaps we should get masks of our own. It could be fun," she offers, looking to one of the stalls nearby, and its wide assortment of masks.
"I agree," Daz says quickly, already walking over to the stall with an intense expression on his face as he looks over the various masks available.
Chopper looks less certain. "They aren't kinda scary to you guys?" he asks, slurping up a mouthful of soda.
Robin leans down, looking Chopper in the eyes. "I think… An unfamiliar face can be scary… But it could be fun too," she smiles.
Chopper swallows, handing his drink to Robin as he scrabbles up onto the edge of the stand's table, looking at all of the different masks.
He ultimately settles on a friendly-looking tiger mask, slipping the painted piece of wood over his face as Daz overpays for a grey eagle-shaped mask.
"Well, what do you think?!" Chopper says, hopping down from the stand and striking a pose in which he points forwards with his knees bent and his other hand at his side, which Daz appraises in the background, before silently imitating.
Robin laughs, straightening his lopsided mask before picking out a big-lipped mask with large watery eyes from the vendor and slipping it over her own face.
"I think they suit us well," she says, handing Chopper's soda back and growing ever more amused as she watches him try to finagle the straw underneath his new mask while Daz experiments with new poses to match his own, taking to the task with all the grim seriousness that an assassin can afford.
Last edited: Oct 23, 2019
Chapter 86: Vocalization
"So it does have some sort of spirit?" Jackson asks, frowning as Merry stares at the train.
"Take that with a grain of salt, Jackson. Imagine trying to tell if someone is asleep or just a statue, but they never move a muscle. But I do think there's something there."
Jackson sighs. "Damn. I'm not going to be able to just melt it down, then."
Merry's head tilts in confusion. "Why not? The number of modifications this train would need to be able to ride the rails, it would need to be rebuilt into almost a completely different train."
He looks discomforted by the idea of melting down anything with some form of awareness, unless he has no other choice.
"You know, maybe I could help. Your scanner could lock onto the spirit of the train if I pointed out where it is, I bet," she continues, looking at the train intently.
"Wherever its spirit is placed would be better than where it is now. Don't you think?" she says, looking at the slightly rusted and extremely old train.
Jackson sighs. "Alright, alright. You've talked me into it. I'll define the boundaries of the train's spirit. I'll use Water Seven's Culture to separate it from the worthless train itself.
"From there, I'll be able to use the physical form of the Train for a Devil Fruit, and place the spirit in a vessel that would pay them their due respect."
Merry looks even more confused. "How do you pay respect to a train whose only defining traits are being uncontrollable, unstoppable, and fast as hell?"
Jackson almost smiles. "I might have an idea. Help me melt this thing down, if there's a person alive who can do the job, he's on our payroll," Jackson says, staring intensely at the train with his Alchemy Scanners active.
Usopp looks very out of place at the Casino that Nami had dragged him into, looking around at the flashing slot-machines and marveling at the unique mixture of incredibly rich and incredibly poor people.
"I don't know about this, Nami, Go-Fish is usually enough thrill for me," he says.
"Come on Usopp, lighten up, we're on vacation, and you've got nothing better to do," she responds, smirking as she drags him over to the nearest poker table and plops him down into it.
"Yeah, but why do I have to be the one playing?" Usopp asks nervously, the other people around the table looking very intimidating and wealthy.
She smiles, sliding a stack of chips over. "Because I've never seen you play poker, and I'm curious to see what will happen," she states, nodding to the dealer to deal them in.
Usopp sighs as he gets his cards, rolling his eyes as he picks them up and looks at them carefully.
Nami's entertained smirk slowly morphs into shock, while everyone else at the table grows more and more irate with Usopp's unbroken winning streak.
She's not that shocked that he's been winning, but rather, just how different his deception is outside of tense situations. Hand after hand, Usopp found himself bluffing with terrifying efficiency, quickly racking up a sizable pile of chips.
The second-biggest pile of chips is quietly exchanged for cash as the owner of them tips his gigantic ivory-colored hat at Usopp, walking away with a newfound respect for the ragged little pirate who was quickly cutting into his well-earned winnings.
The rest of the players at the table, however, do not cash out, glaring at Usopp with enough intensity to make him sweat.
The dealer looks unperturbed, even as one of the men slams his hook-hand into the table.
"I can't help but feel like our little friend here isn't playing the game as honest as he ought to be," a skinny man with a patchy beard says, his eyes narrowing as he glares at Usopp and Nami.
"U-uhh, I don't know what you're talking about, b-buddy," Usopp responds, unnerved by all of the people around the table silently agreeing to glare at the sniper and slowly reach for what he can only assume is their weapons.
Nami glares. "Now, there's no need to be a bunch of sore losers, right?"
One of them scowls, and the dealer quietly takes several steps away from the table.
"Are we going to have a problem?" Nami continues, one eyebrow raised condescendingly.
"You know what, I think we are," one of the gamblers agrees, drawing his gun causally.
Usopp's slingshot is whipped out in a panicked flash, a handful of steel balls flying out into each of the gambler's foreheads and knocking them unconscious.
The dealer looks blandly between the unconscious poker players and the duo.
"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he says in a bored tone, as if reciting his employee manual verbatum.
Usopp nods respectfully while Nami shovels chips into her arms, carrying them to the cashier to exchange for Beri.
"Right, I apologize for the trouble, sir," Usopp says, jogging away after Nami.
"Sorry I got us kicked out, I guess I'm a little more trigger-happy than I used to be," he continues sheepishly.
Nami waves him off, counting out the bills she got from their winnings. "Don't worry about it, you got us a bit of fun-money to spend, so we left at a good time," she responds.
After one last check to make sure they got all of the money they were owed, she continues with a smile. "Who knew you could be such a shark, Usopp. I'll have to make sure to take you to any other casinos we come across on the Grand Line."
Usopp shudders at her predatory grin. "Please don't, I don't think my poor heart could take it," he responds.
"Oh come on, Usopp, please? You had fun, didn't you?" she asks, very pleased by the entire situation.
"Well… Yeah, a bit," he admits.
"There you go. We'll have to do it again sometime," Nami says, pocketing the cash.
"Now come on, there's a hobby store I heard about near here. I'll let you pick out something nice to get with my money."
Usopp doesn't even bother trying to correct her.
"Sanjiii! Hurry up, we gotta get to that coffee store!" Luffy whines, only for Sanji to push him away with a grimace.
"Just hold on a second captain," Sanji demands, before turning to the shopowner with suspicion in his eyes. "So, what makes this salt so expensive, anyway?"
"Well, the price goes down drastically after every Aqua Laguna, but in the seasons between? It's as rare as all getout. If you don't get some during the storm season itself, it's typically quite pricey. This salt carries minerals from all the seas in the world, which makes it a very rare and coveted seasoning," the man explains.
Sanji's eyes narrow in suspicion. It almost sounds too good to be true.
"Alright, I'll take a box," Sanji says, sliding a stack of bills across to the man and taking the box of salt in return.
"Can we go now?" Luffy whines, excited to start the investigation.
Sanji sighs. "Yes, we can," he responds, walking out of the shop and following the directions they were given to the Royale Cafe.
The duo approaches the cafe from the side, Sanji looking cautiously at the area outside it, where several seemingly ordinary people are enjoying themselves.
One person among them, however, stands out as different. An elderly looking woman with a shockingly strong-looking build, sipping her coffee with a casual air with one of her legs crossed over the other. What absolutely confirms her as former Police Chief Orthos is the giant hand cannon at her side, slung daintily from her belt in a holster.
"Alright Luffy, I think that's her. Don't do anything stupid, alright? We just want to find out more about this magician guy," Sanji says, looking to his side where Luffy has already disappeared.
"Damn it Luffy!" Sanji hisses, watching his rubber-brained idiot of a captain walking right up to the woman.
"Hey granny, tell us about the thief guy!" Luffy demands, plopping down in the seat across from her with a careless smile.
The woman takes a small sip from her coffee, seemingly uncaring that a well-known pirate is sitting across from her.
"So that's what you're after? The Amber of Adam?" she asks.
Luffy tilts his head as Sanji approaches far more cautiously, looking around for any threats nearby.
"Gammy said the thief guy stole it," Luffy says.
Orthos chortles at this. "Is that what you think?"
She sighs, before fixing the pair with a glare as she takes a long pull of her coffee. "Sure. I'll tell you the story, Strawhat Pirates. But you have to do me a favor, first."
She points up to where, in the distance, a massive bell tower building sits on the highest point of the city, small streams flowing down from it.
"It isn't as fancy as the one in Water Seven, but San Faldo has her own canals, and they all come from the Graced Tower. Go over there and get my glasses for me. I left them on the top floor."
Orthos leans in with a wide grin. "It's the one with the big bell in it," she jokes.
"Do that, and I'll know you're trustworthy, and I'll tell you the story. Got it?"
Luffy nods frantically, while Sanji nods much more hesitantly.
The woman slurps down the rest of her coffee, which had gone cold over the course of the conversation. The woman bears the brunt of drinking the cold coffee with a practiced stoicism. "See you around, pirates," she finishes, standing up and taking a few cursory steps away.
Once she clears the edge of the cafe, she takes a running start before leaping up over the buildings nearby, disappearing out of sight.
Luffy's eyes sparkle, his excitement not dampened in the least by Sanji whacking him on the head. "We're not asking her to join our crew," he says.
Luffy frowns. "I wasn't gonna ask her," he says.
"I mean, I wasn't going to ask her more than once, anyway," he continues after a moment. The frightening thing, Sanji finds, is that he isn't entirely sure whether or not Luffy is joking.
Frankie grins madly as he stares at the giant lion's head. One-hundred-percent Seastone, thanks in no small part to the Strawhats including vast quantities of the material in addition to their generous monetary budget.
A few generous coats of paint leaves the lion's mane exactly the way he wants it, and some careful designs ensure that its muzzle is sleek enough for what he has planned.
Kaku looks at the figurehead appraisingly. "I think it's neato. If you're looking to make a fearsome ship, this shark figurehead is sure to be a good start."
"It isn't a shark, damn it!" Frankie complains, only for Iceberg to appraise it as well.
"Absolutely. It's a wolf, see the teeth?" The mayor says, nodding with pride.
"A ship ferocious enough to lead the pack of a new generation of ships" he continues.
Frankie shakes with pure irritation. "It's a lion, you idiots!" he says, pulling out the blueprints he had planned for the ship and showing them to the two.
Frankie gives them some time to let their jaws drop.
"Whu- But… How? How on earth are you going to build something like this?!" Iceberg gapes, taking the blueprints in his own hands, as if holding them would make them seem any more real.
Frankie smirks. "Well, before I got started, I wanted to look over what the Strawhats have. See what the competition is sporting, you get me?" he explains.
"And, I was looking over the quack's ship, and I noticed something pretty crazy. See that curvature there?" Frankie says, pointing to a spot on the blueprints.
"I don't know how he knew to do something like that, cause I sure didn't. Until now, anyway. But that curve right there is what makes this whole thing work. Give it some Jewel Adam Wood, Seastone, and those newfangled Dials and Steel Clouds, and we've got ourselves a winner."
Watching his fellow shipwrights slowly become enlightened, Frankie begins to chuckle loudly and proudly. "This ship isn't just going to lead the pack, Icy…"
"It's going to be the Champion."
Last edited: Oct 23, 2019
Chapter 87: Carcinogen
Chopper waddles down the streets. The massage parlor Robin had taken him to turned out to be a great idea, all of his tension relieved in one satisfyingly painful hour of being crushed and manhandled.
"I think this might be the best day ever, I really mean it. I really needed this," Chopper says, licking at the ice-cream he bought as he sits on a bench and just watches the various people go by.
"I'm glad. We all deserve a bit of time to wind down," Robin responds, reading the local newspaper.
The little reindeer's phone buzzes, prompting him to take it out.
"Huh. A text from Jerry. I wonder why he's texting me," he muses, looking at the message in question, and opening the pictures that Jackson had sent attached to the message.
Chopper swallows, his ice-cream ignored as it splatters to the ground.
"What's wrong, Doctor?" Robin asks, watching Chopper's eyes sparkle like the sun as his jaw drops, and drool leaks out of his mouth.
He texts a quick message back to Jackson, before pocketing his phone and resisting the urge to spend the next several hours staring at the photographs he sent.
After several moments of quick breathing, Chopper slowly tips to the side, fainting from delighted shock as Robin gently grabs him to keep him from falling off of the bench.
Jackson sets aside the decanter he had filled with the spirit of the Rocket Man. The train that was left after extracting it was truly worthless. All of the flaws of the original train, but none of the personality and soul that gave it sentimental value. What remains is a boring drab train engine, with a blank blocky front, instead of the ferocious shark-like face that once adorned it.
He sighs. "Now we can get to the fun part. It'll be nice to get some good old fashioned alchemy done. And with such a blank canvas to boot," he says.
Merry watches patiently as Jackson waves his hands like a conductor, preparing himself for the task of melting down the gigantic train.
"Alright Merry, lift it up," he requests, Merry following suit by leaning down and slowly lifting the train up on a bed of Steel Clouds, which she punches a hole into for the liquid to drain.
Jackson slides his Jewel Melting Pot underneath the cloud, before pulling out a familiar plastic wrapper.
"Rumble Pak: Orange!"
Jackson's palm glows orange with the power of the devil-fruit altering drug flowing through it, and he holds it out to the train.
"I'll define the region that will become my pot as the area surrounding the train, and I'll define the only thing that this pot melts as being the train itself."
"Slosh Slosh Delineation!"
With that shout, Jackson's palm flashes, a wide bubble being affected by his power, and melting down the train inside of it. The liquid dribbles down into the center of the Steel Cloud, flowing into the hole and dribbling out into the Melting Pot below it.
"Next, I'll simply drain the liquid into my own internal Slosh Dial, so I can set the culture to Water Seven before I mix it into a Devil Fruit and pour it out," he says, holding his hand over the pot and allowing the fluid to drain away into his arm.
"And… The final step," he finishes, turning his palm upright and allowing slosh to flow out of it. Namely, he follows the alchemical recipe of a Ghetto Fruit he has recorded in his Alchemy Scanner, allowing him to simply mix and dispense the slosh needed for the fruit outright, rather than going through the usual process of dehydrating and rehydrating an empty Devil Fruit.
While far less modular, the process offers more consistency when the only goal is to create a Devil Fruit with a specific ability, and for a price low enough that Jackson isn't totally floored by it, thanks to his scanner simply calculating the cost before he performs the alchemy.
The pale liquid solidifies, transforming into a single small wrinkly fruit, one bearing Jackson's crude Alchemy Zoan Limiters of explosive compounds and the stipulation of limited forms.
"So, are we done, then?" Merry asks.
"Ehh, not just yet," Jackson says, using his Sacred Psychic Screwdriver to unscrew a hatch on the fruit.
Spawning three tiny rubber loops, he rummages around inside the fruit's mechanical innards, slipping the rubber loops over the tiny metal train's wheels.
"Might as well not intentionally screw them over," he says, screwing the hatch back on and breathing a small tired sigh as he cuts off a piece of the fruit and places it inside a gel capsule pill to make it more palatable.
"Alright. Let's see if they've gotten our stuff yet. Mind carrying me?" he asks, casually backflipping up onto her deck.
Merry giggles. "It's what I'm here for, you goof," she says affirmatively, plodding towards where the dock where Vice-Admiral Smoker's ship lies in wait for them.
Jackson holds up a fancy-looking gold-trimmed black case, with the three pills set in the middle.
"The Glitter Glitter Pill, an Alchemical Logia. The Charge Charge Pill, an Alchemical Paramecia. And, this, the final of three pills," he says dramatically.
"This power is special, even among true Devil Fruits. I call it the Choo Choo Pill, Model: Sea Train. It grants its user none other than the Zoan ability to transform into a powerful Steam Engine. Faster than a speeding bullet, as strong as a locomotive, whomsoever eats this fruit will be a true Man of Steel," he says, a mysterious smile on his face.
"That doesn't make any sense, a Train isn't an animal, so how can that be a Zoan?" Smoker asks, confusion threatening to overtake the bland gruffness in his tone.
Jackson just shrugs with a 'What can you do?' expression on his face.
"Customer satisfaction guaranteed," he says, clapping the case shut. "Now, my payment?"
Smoker frowns, snapping his fingers. A marine recruit brings over two suitcases and places them on the table between the two.
"I've been informed in no uncertain terms that if this research leaves your crew, it's on your head," he says, allowing Jackson to unclip the suitcase and look at the stacks of papers inside.
"Oh wow, this looks pretty legit," Jackson says, leafing through them casually. He doesn't understand most of it, but when he texts Chopper a few photographs, the reindeer responds with a blank "oh my god", which he takes as a good sign.
He opens up the other suitcase, finding a bundle of wrinkled bananas in it.
The sight of them makes Jackson grin with anticipation.
"Yeah. This aught to do the trick," he says, handing over his own end of the bargain.
"It's been a pleasure doing business, Smoker. Really, it has," Jackson says with a broad smile.
He has an odd thought, remembering that, somehow, Smoker had become a Vice-Admiral far sooner than he remembers.
"Say, Smoker. I'm curious, what exactly did you do that was so impressive. It must have been pretty wild if you've got such a high position now," he asks.
Smoker offers a vague smile, waving the alchemist off. "It's a long story."
Jackson shrugs in response. "I've got time. I'd like to hear it," he asks politely.
Smoker pauses, deciding if it's worth discussing with a pirate of all people. "Fine. I had to deal with a big mess on a place called Mecha Island."
"Smoker, there seem to be some sort of distress signals coming from Ruben Island, could you investigate?" Smoker's Transponder Snail conveys, giving him orders from one of his superiors.
"Yes sir. I'll look into it as soon as I return a woman we rescued. There seems to be heightened pirate activity in these waters. I'll keep you posted on any developments," he responds. The snail lets out a low "Ka-lick", hanging up on him.
He turns to leave his quarters, making his way up onto the deck. "Officer Tashigi, tell the men to hurry up. Doubletime. There's something going on at Ruben Island, so we should hurry there after we finish our business with this woman,"
She pauses from her enthusiastic discussion with Miss Roba, the incredibly short and old woman they rescued from a sinking pirate vessel.
"Understood sir, but according to our heading, we're already going in the same direction as Ruben," Tashigi responds, examining their heading and Eternal Pose.
Smoker looks at Roba suspiciously. "Is that so?"
Miss Roba gapes in shock and horror as they approach Mecha Island, even more so than everyone else on Smoker's ship, who are instead simply gaping in shock.
The entirety of Mecha Island had risen up out of the ocean, revealing itself to be a gargantuan tortoise, one presently covered in thick metal cables that seem to be forcing it to swim closer and closer to Ruben Island.
"Please, Mr. Smoker, you have to do something, my son is on that island!" she begs, gesturing to the gigantic turtle.
Smoker grits his teeth, lighting up another cigar to ease his nerves. The danger this thing presents to the world can't be ignored.
"I'll see what I can do ma'am, Tashigi, call this in. We're going to go investigate."
"Sir, with all due respect…" she begins, looking over the giant turtle island. In addition to the metal cables forcing it into motion, the turtle in question is also covered head to toe in mechanical armaments, turrets and mechanical archers dotting the shores that make up the edges of the turtle's shell.
"Just do it. It will take time for reinforcements to arrive, and by then, it may be too late," he orders insistently, crossing his arms as he stares at the weaponized creature.
"Oh Ratchet, what happened?!" Roba wails, hugging her son tightly. The young man she hugged sits on the shore, bruised beyond belief and battered beyond all reason.
His two minions, a hefty thick-fisted man named Honki, and a mohawk-haired man named Maji are equally brutalized, laying on the ground near him.
"Well, mom, I… It was a bunch of Pirates. I tried to stop them from using my world-dom-" he freezes, looking at Smoker nervously.
"World-enriching machines… I tried to stop them from using my world-enriching machinery for evil, but our fighting woke up the island. They threatened to kill me if I didn't activate the machines to control it," he explains, frustrated and saddened beyond belief.
"I tried to use my Mecha suits to stop him and his men, but my weapons couldn't even put a scratch on him. His body was one of the hardest substances I've ever encountered," Ratchet explains, adjusting his complicated mechanical glasses.
Smoker glares at the young man. "We'll discuss the fact of you building this machine later. How do we stop it?"
Ratchet nods hastily. "If you can get me inside, I believe I can shut it all down, but that "Bear King" bastard is too strong. If my mecha couldn't beat him, I don't see who could," he admits sadly.
Smoker cracks his neck. "Tashigi, protect the old woman. I'm going to take this brat over to shut this thing down."
Ratchet tilts his head. "What? How are you going to do tha haaaaaa!" he shrieks as Smoker grabs him by the waist, flying into the air by transforming his legs into a thick propelling cloud of smoke.
Smoker finds himself surprised at just how weak the people trying to stop him are.
The group standing off against him, for example, lack even the most basic measures to deal with a Logia of any kind. Some sort of woman who can turn into Jelly, a fat man with a pig-hat and a spiked cloak, a swordsman with a feather boa, and a rather disgusting individual with some sort of compressed gas tank.
Smoker drops Ratchet, letting him scamper away into the machinery to try and shut it down while he takes care of them.
The jelly woman is quickly beaten into a less literal Jelly by Smoker's Jutte, the seastone tip preventing her from using her logia powers to defend herself. The Swordsman and Pig Man fall quickly after that, neither of them having any sort of weapons that can harm him thanks to his Smoke-Smoke powers.
The last man among the enemy pirates presents slightly more of a challenge. Poison gas isn't something Smoker is strictly immune to, but he makes due by simply flooding the area with so much of his own smoke that the man's poison gas is blown away. This then allows Smoker to beat him to a pulp as well.
He climbs the stairs to the top floor of the castle, where this so-called "Bear King" has been standing in wait for him.
Smoker leans back in his chair. "That's pretty much the whole story. I beat the Bear King when it became obvious that his Devil Fruit power was the only thing that let him take over the island so easily. The higher-ups decided that what I did was worthy of a promotion, since those pirates were about to decimate an entire island with that turtle, I spent the next month undergoing Vice Admiral Training, and here we are."
Jackson curses. "Shit, I knew I was forgetting something."
"What, you knew something about this?" the Vice-Admiral asks intently.
Jackson shakes his head. "Nothing relevant now, obviously. What did you do with Ratchet?"
Smoker's eyes narrow. "We made him a generous offer and had him dismantle his machinery on Mecha Island. You don't need to know anything more about it."
Last edited: Oct 24, 2019
Chapter 88: Inhereted Traits
Jackson checks his Stamina Dials. Still fumes. That's alright, with his Jewel Pot, this shouldn't be too difficult.
"Frankie, if I made the parts for you, could you assemble something?" he asks, approaching the Cyborg with a casual air.
"I mean, I'm a bit busy, but I'm sure I could get you something put together. What did you need?" the man responds, framing a skeletal structure made of interlocking Jewel Adam Wood beams as a blend of Frankie's men and Iceberg's shipwrights swarm over it.
"Well, I did Iceberg a favor and hauled off the Rocket Man for dismantling," Jackson explains.
Frankie pauses, frowning. "So he finally got rid of it, eh? That's a real shame. It's got, err. It's got a lot of sentimental value," he explains.
Jackson nods. "I know. That's why I made sure to save the most important part," he explains, holding up a crystal bottle filled with glowing Slosh.
"Eh?" Frankie wonders aloud, looking at the bottle with confusion in his eyes. Old man Tom never included anything that looks like that in the train when he designed it, he's is almost positive.
"Before I did anything to the train, I made sure to extract its spirit with my power. I was hoping you could build a good vehicle for it to inhabit," Jackson explains.
Frankie's brows furrow. That's a hell of a bomb to drop.
"Well, I don't understand what exactly it is you have there, but if all you need is something with the same basic design philosophy as the Rocket Man, I can whip something up. Faster if you can really make the parts," he finally says, grabbing a sheet of paper and setting it on a nearby pile of wood.
His free hand becomes a blur, rapidly sketching out two wheels, an engine, handlebars, and a long frightening plow on the front fork of the vehicle, shaped like a long blade and swooping up to a point.
Franky wheels around, giving Jackson a no-nonsense look. "I need four pipes each one meter in length and five inches in diameter."
Jackson spawns the requested pipes by injecting sloshed steel into a mold shaped like the pipes, handing them over for inspection.
Frankie looks at the steel appraisingly, before approving it and putting it off to the side.
"Three 'T' shaped pipes whose dimensions are each one-and-a-half meters wide, one meter long, and four-point-two inches in diameter,"
Jackson repeats the process, creating another section of steel pipe, reinforced with a bit of Limpet Teeth for added strength.
This cycle continues, Frankie asking for more and more esoteric and exotic components, occasionally drawing up diagrams or even breaking out measuring tools.
Frankie slots the last component into place, a giant piece of sharpened reinforced steel that forms the plow of what Jackson can clearly tell by now is a motorcycle.
"Will that do the trick?" Frankie asks, gesturing to the polished steel contraption.
"Just like the original, it's got no brakes, and no speed control. Once you turn it on, your options are 'Stop' and 'Faster'. Course, this time, it has the durability to back it up. You could crash this puppy into the Red Line and clean off the rubble with a brush," he explains.
Jackson nods. "I think this will do."
He reaches up, clutching his hand as if holding an invisible object.
Stabbing into the flask holding the Rocket Man's essence, he draws it out into the invisible container.
"Sacred Psychic Syringe!"
He stabs the motorcycle, injecting the Rocket Man's spiritual essence into it.
Slowly, the polished steel grows duller in color, rough and tumble, while the bladed plow shimmers, a vivid painted-on shark's face appearing on it.
The metal frames holding the wheels to the body of the vehicle wrench with a small metal squeak, shifting to look as if they were the legs of some unknown equine.
Jackson wipes the sweat from his forehead, the process having taken quite a bit out of him. "Thanks for the assist, Frankie. I'll pack up here and leave you to your work," he says, reaching for the bike.
As soon as his hands touch the handlebars, the Rocket Man roars to life, floodlights reflecting off its plow and giving its eyes a mischevious glow as it charges directly into a pile of rubble, bouncing off of it and sending it into the air with Jackson flopping behind it.
He academically notes that some sort of anomalous force is keeping his hand almost glued to the handlebars.
Zoro is trying to take his mind off things one of the only two ways he knows how. By training. If the coin had flipped the other way, he'd be drinking himself into a stupor right now, but his whims had taken him into the chamber built in one of Merry's rooms.
Forty-Nine percent.
Zoro smashes apart another invisible opponent, as he does, flecks of light flash in the room as his energy is drained, both to increase the weight on his body, and to generate a new, stronger opponent.
Fifty percent.
He swore he would never lose again. He might have defeated Pica, but he broke his oath. He lost in a deeper, more fundamental way.
Fifty-One percent.
Zoro grimaces, his knee buckling as he holds off the attacks of his opponent. Through sheer force of will, Zoro forces himself not to fall to his knees, spinning around and slashing his opponent to shreds, before taking several heaving breaths.
He can't help but feel that Wind Chime is reaching the end of what he can do with the weapon. Unless he masters Armament Haki, Wind Chime would be the first sword to break, at his current level of power. It simply lacks the workmanship that Yubashiri and Wado Ichimonji have.
It's a weapon made for singing instead of fighting, and Zoro knows all too well that the weapon isn't the right fit for him.
With a heaving shove, the swordsman bashes another invisible clone to oblivion, falling to the ground under the immense pressure of his own energy turned against him.
He looks at the indicator that informs him of how far he had gotten. 'Fifty-Two percent isn't good enough,' he thinks to himself with a snarl, dissapointed that he had only managed to make the slightest amount of progress after all this time. Uncomprehending of just how impressive the feat truly was.
He stands up to begin training again when he senses something awry. A strange aura that draws him like a moth to a flame.
Stepping up onto the deck, Zoro notices Merry watching Jackson being dragged around like a ragdoll by some strange machine with amusement in her eyes.
"Oh, hey Zoro. You should probably help Jackson before that thing drives him straight into the ocean," Merry says, "Ooh"-ing with surprise when the Motorcycle's afterburners ignite, sending the motorcycle into berserk flips.
Zoro rolls his eyes, testing his footing on the deck before taking a running start and leaping into the air.
He's surprised to find that his legs are far stronger than he remembers them being. He can only assume it's due to the changes to his training that have occurred in the last few months.
Regardless of how it happened, the swordsman is able to reach Jackson without needing to use his Dracone Technique to gain more height, the act of adjusting his blade angles serving more than well enough to allow him to glide towards the flipping machine responsible for tossing Jackson around.
Spinning in midair, Zoro swings at the machine, shocked when his attack is blocked, the machine's painted-on-eyes almost mockingly staring at him as its giant blade grinds against his own attack.
He realizes that the aura he sensed had been coming from this… Frankly bizarre weapon.
With a giant blade on the front like the one it is almost coincidentally using to push back at him, Zoro can't call it anything other than a weapon, plain and simple.
Thrown back by the machine's afterburners igniting even more violently to push him away, Zoro performs a quick spin that sends him back towards the motorcycle.
Instead of clashing with it again, Zoro sheathes Wind Chime, slipping around the weapon's blade and grabbing it by the unorthodox handle jutting from its side.
He hasn't seen a weapon with this much attitude since…
Jackson slips free of the weapon, flipping over several times before managing to land on his feet, sliding off a nearby building.
When the weapon struggles in his grip, wheels spinning uselessly in the air for several seconds, the swordsman grins, his will sharpening as he forces it to heel.
The engines cut out with no further prompting, and he falls to the ground, cratering it as he lands with the strange blade held up in his free hand.
He looks at Jackson with an incredulous grin. Only the quack could have manufactured a sword this ridiculous.
"This sword has a very awkward handle. If you can correct that, you should," Zoro criticizes, just as he has done for all of Jackson's other creations.
Jackson's face twists with confusion. "That's not a-" he begins, trailing off as Zoro slings the entire bladed motorcycle over his shoulder as if it were an unruly cat.
When Jackson doesn't continue, Zoro decides to. "It's cursed as well. This thing wants to go wild," he points out, sheathing Yubashiri and Wado Ichimonji so he can take a closer look at the weapon.
Jackson stares blankly, as if he doesn't want to believe what he's looking at. "I'll uh… See if Frankie is willing to fix the… Handle."
Luffy scratches his chin. Now that he's reached the top of the bell tower with Sanji, he can't help but feel like something is off.
The inside of the tower is stunning, the spout of water that the city relies on flowing up the gigantic copper tubing, and flowing through several channels that look as though they could be redirected into the nearby bells mechanisms to make them ring.
There doesn't seem to be a single pair of glasses around, lost or otherwise. The only thing on the top floor of the tower is a small fountain, and a gigantic bell reminiscent of the one in Skypiea.
In the fountain, a small metal claw stretches around, as if meant to house something. Water continually flows up from the fountain and over it, before pouring out into the canals.
"This feels kinda like a trap," Luffy says blithely, uncaring of whether or not it actually is one.
Sanji frowns. "Gee, you really think so?" he says sarcastically.
Madam Orthos walks around a corner, an intrigued look in her eyes.
"It probably isn't one, but you never know in this town," she states.
"Might seem a bit obvious, but there was never any glasses," she continues, leaning up against the fountain.
"That thief might have stolen the treasure, but it never left San Faldo. It's in the very waterworks you see before you," she explains with a sigh.
"I thought you might be able to help me. There's a certain individual who wants it found, but now that the old saint that owned it is dead and gone, it'll just end up in some old museum, instead of being returned to its rightful place," she says, jabbing a thumb at the empty claw in the middle of the fountain.
"That sounds bad and all, but it isn't like there's anything we can do to help you find it," Luffy says blandly, picking his nose.
She nods. "I know. I don't want it found. Even if it isn't in the spout itself, the Amber of Adam keeps our city prosperous so long as it is in our water."
Another woman approaches, walking up the stairs with a pained, pitying expression. "Oh, mother. You've always been one for superstition, haven't you?"
Police-Chief Karon glares at Luffy and Sanji. "You pirates have walked into something you really shouldn't have. Although, I should thank you. If a couple of famous kooks like you didn't walk into town, my mother might not have ever revealed the location of the jewel," she says, staring blandly into her mother's glare.
"Karon, don't do this. The city needs the jewel here to prosper."
"Legally, salvaged plunder is the property of the World Government. Should they decide to return the gem to San Faldo is up to them. But first, it's my obligation to find it and return it to its newly rightful owners," Karon responds, snapping her fingers.
Police officers begin filing into the room, pointing their weapons at the Strawhats and Orthos.
"Half of you, start scouring the waterworks and surrounding canals. If you find the jewel, bring it to me," she says.
Sanji gives Luffy a cautious glance. "What's the call captain?"
Luffy silently observes the situation, before jerking in shock when two burly officers try to put handcuffs on Madam Orthos.
"Hey, what are you guys doing to the old lady?!" he shouts.
"She's under arrest for withholding information. She as much as confessed to it just now. If she comes quietly, I'll do my best to ensure she receives a lighter sentence," Karon says.
"She didn't do anything wrong!" Luffy shouts, taking an angry step forward.
Karon whips her gigantic gun free of its holster, pointing it at Luffy's head. Luffy idly notes that the barrel of the semi-automatic pistol is so large that he could probably fit both his fists inside of it comfortably.
"She operated outside of the law that she raised me to uphold. So are we going to do this, pirate?" she asks, eyes narrowing at him.
Last edited: Oct 30, 2019
Chapter 89: Pre-Op
"Sanji," Luffy begins, tapping his tattoo as he speaks out loud.
"Stand down."/'Grab the old lady as soon as they drop their guard.'
Sanji looks surprised for a moment, before nodding affirmatively.
Karon looks at Luffy for several long moments, before flipping her pistol around like a toy and holstering it.
"Good. Now, if you would, please vacate the premises. We've got official business to attend to, and I have the authority to detain you if you interfere with it," she says.
The instant she turns around, Sanji kicks the two burly police officers away, sweeping up Madam Orthos in his arms and leaping out of the window.
"What are you-!?" Karon roars, whipping around and drawing her gun.
Blasting out of the room at full speed, Luffy dives out of the tower with Sanji and Orthos and takes a deep breath.
"Gum Gum Balloon!"
Several cannonballs crash into his inflated stomach, driving him back, while Sanji uses him as a platform to kick off of, flying into the streets below and breaking out into a sprint the moment he lands.
Bouncing the cannonballs away where they smash into the ground harmlessly, Luffy deflates, hitting the ground and bouncing off of it once before catching his stride.
"You can't escape the law forever!" Karon roars from the top of the bell tower, glaring hatefully down at the city below.
Sanji sets a small saucer with a cup of coffee in it down in front of Orthos, having made a temporary stop at the train station to wait for Jackson and the others to return.
She sips at the coffee with a saddened expression. "You should have left me there. One way or another, Karon's going to figure out where it is, if she just throws enough officers at the problem," she says.
"You said that the Amber of Adam needed to be in the water. What did you mean by that?" Sanji questions, settling down into his seat.
She pauses "I suppose outsiders like you wouldn't know the story about it. That stone has power. Enough power to keep the water of San Faldo pure. People say it's so beautiful that it can purify whatever it touches. I don't know if that's true or not, but what I do know is that for the week it was in the museum on display, I saw the waters of the city run black. It seems like I'm the only one that did, though, or we'd be having a very different conversation," she explains.
"I couldn't let Chirurg get away with it. When I caught him getting ready to escape on the last night of the season, I managed to shoot the damn thing right out of his hands, just barely. It fell into the waterworks and…"
She sighs. "That's the story. The jewel was returned to the waters of San Faldo, and they started to run clean again. I lied. Said that he got away with it. It was my biggest failure as a police officer," she says quickly.
Something about her story strikes Sanji as disingenuous, but he can't quite put his finger on it.
"What I don't get is, why is Karon so obsessed with handing it over to the World Government? Is she just a jerk?" Luffy asks, leaning back in his chair.
"Hmph. It's my own fault. I didn't want her to grow up thinking that the law was just something you could follow when it suits you. For all its faults, a lawful society fosters lesser evils than a lawless one.
"I guess I taught her more than I was willing to practice, if she would rather jeopardize San Faldo than break the law."
Luffy frowns. "That's dumb. If you don't want to do bad things, you shouldn't do them."
Orthos glares at the captain, frustrated by his naivite. "It is dumb, but it's the kind of dumb that ordinary people can live in. Do you think everyone could survive, living lawlessly like you?" she asks, setting her empty cup down.
Luffy doesn't have an answer to that.
"What if we found the gem first?" Chopper asks, having been listening intently to the old woman.
Orthos fixes the doctor with a blank look. " If, and that's a big 'if', you found it first, then we could dump it off on Saint Charlatan's property. Among lesser nobility, reclaimed stolen goods are 'Finders Keepers', to do with what they will if they happen upon it, and he's the nephew of the woman who owned it originally," she explains.
"It's a shitty law, but it would have worked out in our favor just this once. He's a good kid, and I've known him long enough to say he'd do what's right for San Faldo if he had the Amber of Adam. He knew as well as anyone what our water looked like without the gem in place."
Luffy nods. "Nice. We're going to go find hidden treasure!" he shouts cheerfully, Nami rolling her eyes.
"We don't even get to keep the treasure, though," she grumbles, only for Luffy to point at her warningly.
"Cheer up, that's an order. We're going to go find hidden treasure," he says mock-seriously.
"Aye-aye captain," Nami sighs, smiling at his antics.
Orthos, however, finds the discussion much less amusing. "How do you expect to find one gem in what could be any stream of water in all of San Faldo?"
Luffy shrugs. "Jackson will probably pull something out of his butt," he responds blithely.
Chopper interjects, rolling his eyes. "Or, instead of making Jackson black out for several more days trying to make a gem-radar, we can just compare water samples from a few locations. If this gem really is changing the water's properties, we should be able to find it by just comparing the water samples, and cross-referencing it with a map of the city."
"And you believe you can do that before Karon's men find it themselves?" she asks.
Chopper's smile widens. "All the more reason we should get started right away!" he says, planting one hoof over the other with enthusiasm.
Merry comes to a halt, carrying Jackson and Zoro along for the ride as she climbs up onto the shore.
"I'll get my water-testing equipment right away!" the doctor says, shifting into his Walk Point and running towards Merry to get into his lab.
Orthos looks less pessimistic about the plan as she sees all of the Strawhat Pirates seemingly prepared to involve themselves in this matter on whim alone.
With the crew gathered, and the desire to plot on their minds, Merry sets sail out a ways from the island to give the group the privacy to plan in peace, the open ocean serving as a suitable hiding place from the police for now.
Luffy plops down in his seat, excited to begin "Alright guys, I've got it all planned out already," he says, grinning widely as he draws on experience he feels is one-hundred percent applicable to the situation.
Nami looks horrified at this statement, Sanji offering her a sympathetic expression of his own while the rest of the gang simply listens on with interest.
"The list of things we need, we need a map, we need water from a bunch of the canals, and then when we get those, Chopper finds the treasure and we're home free!"
"And you know where we're going to find a really good map of this place?" Luffy asks rhetorically. Orthos frowns as he looks at her.
"You can't be serious. Yes, the police station does have a map of the city, but-" she attempts, only for Luffy to give a thumbs up and continue.
"The old lady can go get the map, Jaguar, you can go with her, you're good at sneaking," he says to Robin, who chuckles at the compliment.
"I'm assuming, then, that you'd like us to do this quietly?" Robin asks.
Luffy nods. "It wouldn't be good if the police-lady knew we wanted to look for it. Even if she thinks we will, she doesn't know it yet."
He turns to face Jackson "You can go get the water, since you're good at carrying stuff and running away." he says to the alchemist, who grumbles something about not being a pack-mule.
"Zoro, you go with Jackson, he might get into trouble if he's just by himself," he continues. Zoro grins, hefting the newly modified Rocket Man over his shoulder and nodding.
"Sanji, I'd like you to go with Jaguar and the old lady. If something goes wrong, you'll be their backup."
Sanji salutes. "I will protect them with my life!" he declares passionately. While Robin simply smiles with amusement at Sanji's reaction to his orders, Nami places a palm on her forehead, exasperation coloring her posture.
"Finally, everyone needs to take pictures of anything important looking. I'm going to go to the Saint guy's house and take pictures. If we gotta sneak the gem to him, then I think we should have a good idea of where we're going to put it so he finds the thing."
"Daz, Usopp, I need you guys to make disguises before we go. Like, some cool masks or something. Then you stay here and help protect Merry."
The two share a look before Usopp walks off to grab his spare wood and cloth supplies.
"Nami, Chopper, as soon as everyone gets back, you two should start immediately on the map and the water. Alright?" he finishes.
The pair nod, ready to put the full brunt of their talents to use.
Jackson fixes Luffy with a glare. "Luffy, for the sake of everyone's sanity, we're monitoring your videogame time after this," he says, making Luffy pout.
"Jackson is so mean, just cause I make better plans than him now," Luffy says, crossing his arms.
Jackson's face twitches with rage. "You care to repeat that, you rubber-brained-" he begins, rolling up his sleeve to fruitlessly punch his captain in the head.
"There will be plenty of time to horse around later. We have a jewel to appropriate," Daz says, quickly chopping up several planks of wood into simple masks that Usopp paints over with dark blue camouflage, along with some loose blue clothing to match.
"Wait! We have to call this something. You gotta give sneaky operations a cool name, it's like, a rule."
Jackson opens his mouth, but no words come out when Daz and Robin nod in agreement, their own experience in Baroque Works supporting their captain's statement.
"You're right. Do you have something in mind, captain?" Robin asks.
Luffy puts a finger to his chin.
Snapping his fingers, he announces his name for the world to hear. "Operation Blue River!"
"Then we're in agreement. The moment these masks go on is the moment Operation Blue River begins. Be prepared, and execute your missions with efficiency and professionalism," Robin says, slipping the mask over her face along with everyone else.
Karon files away the last of her papers, a simpering thin-as-a-rail officer nervously entering her office.
"Have you found Madam Orthos or the gemstone?" she asks plainly, knowing full well from the officer's body language what his answer is going to be.
"No. I apologize, Chief, but we've only just started searching, and there's a lot of ground to cover," he tries to explain.
She rubs the bridge of her nose taking a deep breath before leaning forward. "Do you have any information for me, Officer Tang, or..?"
He nods. "We believe that the Strawhats might have set sail. If they did, perhaps they took Madam Orthos with them. We've got eyewitnesses that say they saw a strange ship out a ways from the coast, but they could be anywhere. It's unlikely they'll be coming back, at any rate."
She scoffs. "Oh, they'll be coming back. If Orthos is with them, they're coming back. That woman…" Karon pauses, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
"She's too caught up with this town's superstition to not return for the gemstone," she finishes, forcing down the lump in her throat.
"Send out a patrol to check the docks for any ships coming in. If you see the Strawhats, detain them. They won't stay out on the water for very long before coming back ashore.
Officer Tang looks confused. "What makes you say that Chief?"
She looks out the window at the ocean near the police station, where dark clouds are brewing in the air above.
"There's a storm coming."
Last edited: Oct 27, 2019
Chapter 90: Operation
A man in loose blue clothing quietly dashes across the rooftops, leaping across them one after another as he makes his way to the only building still lit up this late at night. A large towering structure, not unlike a castle. Several guards patrol the area, making their rounds around the home of Saint Charlatan.
The figure jerks to a halt when one of the guards looks up with a confused grunt.
After a few moments, he shrugs, continuing on his way. The minute he's out of sight, the figure flings his arm out, pulling himself free of the chimney he jammed himself into.
Brushing himself off, he rolls his shoulders for a moment, before flinging his arm out. In a flash, he zips to the wall of the castle, clinging to it and slowly making his way up the wall.
Sticking his back to the wall, he pulls out his phone in one hand, and presses his tattoo with the other.
'I'm here. You guys doing alright?' Luffy asks silently, peering around the Saint's property and getting a better idea of the layout of the place.
'We're almost in position. I'm gathering the water from the first canal now. Zoro tossed me up to get a bird's eye view, there should be seven more places where the canals exit out to the ocean. I'll get some water from half of those,' Jackson responds concisely.
'On your command captain, I'll begin the infiltration. We're on the roof of the station now,' Robin explains, excitement inadvertently tinging her mental tone.
'Everything's clear on our end. Usopp's keeping a lookout on his horse,' Nami says, tense and ready to make sense of the unfamiliar map as soon as it is delivered to her.
'Good. Let's all get to it,' Luffy finishes, ending the mental call. He adjusts his mask to make sure it's on firmly enough, and, when he's satisfied with it, dives off the tower.
He silently puffs up with his Gum-Gum Balloon, gliding over the surrounding area in search of any particularly noteworthy locations to photograph.
And if he has to knock out a few guards and hide them in the garbage bins nearby when they see him floating around, well, nobody ever said Monkey D. Luffy was an expert at stealth.
Two figures with dark blue robes linger near one of the waterways of San Faldo. As none of them seem to be doing anything illegal, despite the surrounding darkness, most of the people leave them be as they pass. However few people there are, this late at night.
A passing officer looks on in confusion as one of them stoop down, gathering up some of the water in their palms and bringing it to their lips.
The other continues to stand menacingly nearby, some sort of giant weapon wrapped up and tied to their back, along with several similarly wrapped swords at their side.
"Oi, what are you two doing out this late?" the officer asks, holding up his lamp to get a better look at them.
The one with the swords turns to look at him, revealing the splotched wooden mask covering his face.
"None of your business. Now beat it," the man says rudely.
The other man interjects, standing up quickly. "Don't mind my companion. We heard wonderful things about the purity of San Faldo's water. I simply had to sample it."
"In the middle of the night?" the officer says, scowling with suspicion.
"But of course. We only docked in this town today, and I couldn't wait another minute," the cloaked man responds.
The officer thumps to the ground when the cloaked swordsman chops him in the back of the neck.
"Hey! I almost had him convinced!" Jackson says, frowning at Zoro's impatience.
"Leave the lying to Usopp. He's a lot better at it," Zoro comments idly, waving for Jackson to follow him so they can go find the next canal.
"What was wrong with my deception?" the alchemist asks, somewhere between annoyed and curious what managed to tick him off so much.
"You sounded way too smug for someone telling the truth," Zoro responds only semi-jokingly as they walk away from the scene of the crime.
The police officer rubs their neck, climbing to their feet as soon as the two robed figures depart.
'It would have been a bad idea for me to fight both of those guys at once,' he thinks to himself, pulling out his Transponder Snail and opening the direct line to Chief Karon.
"Chief, we've got a couple of guys in blue robes running around. One of them tried to knock me out. They're headed north-east, to the mercantile district."
"Any other distinguishing features?" she asks immediately.
"Blue masks. One of them had three swords and an unknown object strapped to his back. You can't miss em," he explains.
She hums with intrigue. "Follow after them Officer Rocksal, I'm sending Juniper and Tamfor your way. We've got a few other reports coming in to the same effect from the other districts," she explains.
"Be careful. We don't know what these criminals are capable of. Over and out."
Rocksal flexes his muscles several times to wake himself up properly, before following after the duo as he pockets his snail.
Each time he flexes, his mustache changes color, brightening from a black color to a shimmering blond.
When he reaches them trying to get the water from another canal, he stands up on his tippy-toes before bellowing at them. "Hey, punks! Get down on the ground and put your hands on your head!"
"Damn it, I thought you hit him," Jackson says as he absorbs the river water into his palm and brushes it dry on his robe, his growing frown hidden behind his mask.
Zoro frowns, drawing Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri and Rocket Man into his hands and mouth. "I did. He should be out cold," he responds.
Staring at the police officer, whose eyes flash with golden light as he continually flexes his arms, Jackson comes to the conclusion that they're wasting time. "I need to get the water from the other canals. Can you handle this?"
Zoro neglects to answer, instead cracking his neck and taking a step towards the man.
"Right, dumb question. Find me when you take care of this," Jackson responds, leaping backwards onto a nearby roof and back-dashing away.
"So," Zoro begins, his eyes widening when the policeman leaps at him with his foot outstretched like a ballerina.
"Mohawk Spike!"
The tip of his boot crashes into Yubashiri's side, the weapon rattling as he forces the man back.
He lands on the tip of one foot, sliding back gracefully as his mustache loses some of its luster. "I see you're quite strong. But you aren't stronger than the law!" Rocksal says, flexing his arms several times to pump himself back up.
Zoro tightens his grip on his swords, taking a deep breath to prepare him for the fight ahead.
Robin and Orthos sit at a table at a small inn they rented a room at, the one nearest to the police station itself. Sanji stands guard outside, keeping an eye out for any trouble.
"So then, what exactly is your plan to get into one of the most secure places on San Faldo without being caught?" Orthos asks, pouring herself a cup of coffee from the pot sitting on the table between them.
Robin smiles, setting down her own cup and holding out her hand.
"Un Fleur: Cleome," she responds, blooming a spider made of eight jaguar fingers and a single eye.
"I'll simply go in and take what we need, it doesn't need to be more complicated than that, I don't believe," she says, using her power to change the spider's fur from yellow to brown, and cover the eye with a spindly little covering to disguise it further. To finish the job, Robin hands it a tiny wooden camera that it sticks to its head like a hat.
The Bloom Spider leaps off from her hand, scuttling out of the room. "It would be best if you helped me find my way around," she says, placing her phone on the table and using it to display the spider's camera-vision.
Orthos looks intrigued by the odd tech and the even odder powers that the woman displayed.
"Alright, well, you aren't going to want to go in through the front door, obviously. See if you can get up to the chimney, there's a furnace we don't use anymore. Place is damn cold because of it, but we don't have the funds to get it fixed."
Robin nods, and the camera's view shifts as the little spider skitters across the street, sharp claws allowing it to climb up the wall in seconds. The low sound of stone scratching goes unnoticed by the two officers smoking outside.
"Alright, you're going to want to go in there," Orthos says, pointing to the towering stone chimney that feeds down into the furnace.
Robin nods, and the spider climbs up on top of it, ripping the hatch off the top and sliding down into the dark depths below.
The spider lands with a quiet whump, covered in ashes as it lands in the cold bed of the furnace.
Climbing out to examine the surrounding area, the spider gently brushes off the camera to clean it of soot before hopping out of the furnace and shaking itself clean.
"Alright, you're going to want to go straight down the hall, and check if Karon's in her office. If she is, I'm not sure we'll be able to get the map, considering it's pinned up on the wall in there," Orthos explains, pointing to the door leading into Karon's office.
The spider slowly opens the door, but there seems to be nobody inside.
"Alright, move quickly. Karon is absolutely in the building right now, unless something is very wrong. She'll be back any minute."
Robin nods, directing her spider to leap up onto the wall and pull the map down, folding it up and skittering away.
'Hey, guys, I think we've got kind of a problem here,' Luffy says disappointingly over their mental connection.
'What's wrong, captain?' Robin asks, nervous as to what the answer will be.
'Well, I don't think we should give the treasure to that Saint guy anymore…' she hears in response.
Luffy lands on top of the roof nearby. Spotting a fancy looking dude, he takes several pictures of the guy walking around in what seems to be a rather expensive-looking suit.
'That must be Saint whatever-his-name-is,' Luffy poses to himself, following the saint to get a better idea of the guy's character. This is the guy they'll be using to return the stone, after all.
Following Saint Charlatan, Luffy glues himself to the wall up above watches with some minor shock as the mean police lady comes walking around a corner, the two looking at one another as if the meeting was intentional.
"Ahh, Madam Karon. It's a pleasure to see you. Have you found the stone yet?" Charlatan asks, brushing back his hair with a hand as he smiles confidently.
"Not yet, sir. My men are looking for it as we speak."
The saint's expression remains pleasant. "That's alright. As long as it gets to me in the end, my late aunt's secrets need not be publicized."
Karon frowns, gritting her teeth. "I want it in writing. A non-disclosure agreement stating you won't reveal the events surrounding my mother's retirement, and I want your support in her trial."
He shrugs. "Of course, of course. We'll work something out once I get the stone. It would serve me little to oust her, so long as I get what is rightfully mine."
Her lips turn up in a snarl for a brief moment before she restrains herself. " I want it in writing before I give it to you." she enunciates slowly.
Charlatan scoffs, rolling his eyes at her vitriol. "Fine, whatever, just get me that stupid stone. I won't need to pander to the masses when my social standing rises. Oh, I can see it now. I'll put the gem on display in my own home. The other nobles will be all abuzz with jealousy," he says, wriggling with excitement.
"The Heavenly Saint's deathbed confessions will remain a secret, and your precious mother will get a slap on the wrist. That's our agreement," Saint Charlatan promises, nodding with utter confidence.
Last edited: Oct 28, 2019
Chapter 91: Cognitive Dissonance
Officer Rocksal skids back, crashing into an empty stand after his latest attacks are deflected by the swordsman in front of him.
Zoro grimaces. Not because his opponent's attacks have been doing too much damage to him, but because of the man's tenacity in getting back up and narrowly avoiding harm from his attacks.
"Bangs!" the officer shouts, kicking at Zoro several times in rapid succession. Zoro manages to block each kick except for the last, which slips past his guard and smashes into his face.
When Zoro wrenches his head forward against the attack pressing into his cheek, Rocksal leaps back an instant before Rocket Man cleaves through the air and tiles in front of the swordsman, a deep gouge rushing out along the street as the cut streaks out from the blade.
"More power than I'm used to, but the balance is all off," the swordsman mutters, adjusting his grip on the handle of the motorcycle to compensate as he spits out a mouthful of blood.
He turns his attention back on Officer Rocksal, who is breathing heavily as he flexes his strength back up.
"This isn't a fair fight for you. You do know that, right?" Zoro asks, impressed by his opponent's strong will.
Rocksal pauses at this, before slowly hopping from one foot to the other. "And yet I must fight. I must fight to uphold the law that protects innocent people. Even when if all I can do is stall."
Zoro's eyebrows raise as the officer increases the speed and intensity of his flexing. After one final mighty heave, his pants-legs explode, revealing his white glowing leg-hair.
"Now! See the power that comes from serving the public good! My ultimate hair-raising technique!"
He hops up and down from foot to foot faster and faster, until his glowing legs blur.
Zoro comes to the decision that this man deserves nothing less than his best as well. His muscles clench as he flips the Rocket Man over into a reverse grip, sliding it through the ground in front of him as he builds up speed. His swords dance in front of him as they repeat a single diagonal slash over and over, the movements flowing such that Zoro's blades continually sweep around to follow the path carved out previously.
With each swing, Yubashiri cleaves through the vortex that the Rocket Man creates, refining the jagged edges of the windstorm with surgical precision. Zoro slowly tilts his head to the side, Wado Ichimonji cocking back with a low resonant hum.
"It can be said that in every journey, there are roads left untaken. Each one leading to a new destination, each destination unlike the others. If I am to take my own path, and if I am to reach my destination, then I must carve my own roads. By forging these paths, I will cut through my obstacles with each step I take."
Zoro narrows the curve of his slashes, until the gigantic Rocket Man and the comparatively tiny Yubashiri are spinning around one another in a large cone, air compressed between them in a violently tight sphere.
Seeing the dangerous attack being prepared, Officer Rocksal dashes forwards on the tips of his feet, rapidly stomping the ground as he begins flipping over with every step, picking up incredible speed as his body seemingly transforms into a whirling buzzsaw of exposed leg and glowing hair. The only human things visible in the attack are his exposed arms, which continue flexing rapidly as they poke out of the sides of the spinning death wheel.
"Burst Fade!"
Zoro takes three steps forward, each step punctuated with a slash to the hardened air in front of him, first, the Rocket Man, which coats the air in a twisting sharpened crown, then, Yubashiri, which hones the entire structure with a perfectly smooth cut through it.
Finally, he flings his head forward on the final step, cleaving the wind in half with Wado Ichimonji and propelling the complex flying slash forward, compressed air rocketing from the gouge in the back, while a whirling spike of compressed air emits wicked white blades from the front of the attack.
"Three Swords Style, Secret Technique;
"Three Feet, Dia Miter Hallow!"
Officer Rocksal's Burst Fade is instantly dispersed by the drilling cutting mass of air, which sends him crashing through a building, covered in thousands of tiny wounds.
Zoro begins sheathing his blades, hefting the Rocket Man over his shoulders last as he notices two more officers running towards him.
Opting not to fight more pointless battles against these people now that he's gotten their measure, Zoro leaps away, blurring into the night sky before they reach him.
Jackson gives Chopper four bottles of water, each one marked with a location. Taking the bottles gingerly, he scampers out of the room along with Nami to decode the mystery of the missing gemstone.
While they do that, the rest of the crew files onto the deck, ignoring the stormy clouds for now in favor of staring at Madam Orthos. What Luffy had discovered had awoken a new suspicion in their minds, one which most of them feel need correcting before they can continue this search. Jackson sets his phone on the table, pressing a few buttons to make it transmit to Chopper so he and Nami can hear the discussion as well.
"So, what's this about? You punks just started staring at each other, and now, what, you're going to interrogate me?" she asks, crossing her arms as she looks around the deck at the Strawhats, trying to gauge their behavior.
"I was doing some spying, and I found out that the mean police lady is working for the Saint guy. He's not going to put the treasure back where it belongs if he gets it, and she's trying to find it to give it to him," Luffy explains.
Orthos's eyes widen in shock. "That doesn't make any sense. I know Saint Charlatan, and even if I didn't, Karon wouldn't break the law by conspiring like that."
"She would if it kept you out of prison. He offered not to share what really happened with Chirurg, if she did," Jackson points out, curiosity burning in his tone.
"So what really happened? I'm not sure we can trust you unless we know what is actually going on here. What did Saint Charlatan learn from his aunt that is so important?"
Madam Orthos pales.
After several long, frozen moments, she lets out a deep breath. "I see. That would do it, wouldn't it?"
"I'm not one for religion. I've usually got more pressing concerns to worry about. But I've gone to a confessional once in my life. The week after the 'Great Thief Chirurg' got away."
"Guess they aren't as confidential as people say they are," she shrugs helplessly.
"The truth is, aiding and abetting is a very easy crime to commit, the way the world is nowadays. I imagine if what I did got out, They'd put me in the deepest hole they've got, with how much that bastard Chirurg's done."
"He didn't get away. I let him go," she says.
Orthos holds her gun aloft, glancing around the darkened bell tower for even the slightest sign of danger. Cherry Blossoms rain down from the skies outside, lit up by street lamps and whipped aloft by the strong winds from Water Seven's Aqua Laguna.
She's been on-edge ever since a single note appeared in her room the night before.
'Come to the belfry, we need to talk. ~A passionate rival'
Only one person would dare to sneak into her house like that. Only one person could.
She turns the corner, leveling her gun at the silhouette standing at the edge of the belfry, staring out at the blossom-covered city.
"I see you've made it, Inspector. Don't worry, though. The wait wasn't a problem," he says, turning around with a smirk.
The man's hair pokes out in four directions, a large X-shape that is matched by the 'X' printed on his black top-hat.
"Put your hands in the air, now," Orthos demands, cocking back the hammer of her gun slowly.
"I'm not going to trick you, Inspector. I've come to return something I no longer need," he explains, reaching into his pocket.
"I said put your hands up, now!" she shouts, taking an aggressive step forward.
"I've heard stories that the treasure of San Faldo has a beauty so powerful, it can heal any who look upon it. Having seen the gem for myself, I found myself unimpressed," he continues, heedless of her warnings as he pulls something out of his pocket.
"But, having seen the cherry blossoms of this city in full bloom, my heart feels lighter than it ever has before. Perhaps I've simply taken the wrong treasure," he says, holding up his hand and slowly opening it.
"Take it. I don't need it anymore," Chirurg says, holding the Amber of Adam in the palm of his hand. The smooth triangular stone gleams in the darkness of the belfry.
"You can't seriously think I would believe something so asinine, do you? You're a thief, through and through. Do you think an officer of the law would fall for some counterfeit garbage like that!" she roars, unwilling to even consider the idea that a criminal could do something so seemingly remorseful. It has to be a fake, a trick to throw her off his trail.
She fires her gun, Chirurg dodging out of the way at the last second, wincing as the jewel slips from his grasp and is smashed by the cannonball as it clips him.
Orthos realizes with horror that no ordinary gemstone could survive a shot from her gun, as the jewel bounces into the air from the shot, utterly unmarred from the attack.
She leaps for it moments too late to stop it from tumbling into a nearby grate, falling into the rushing water below.
The bells begin ringing, the final celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival.
She whirls around, pointing her gun at Chirurg, who forces himself up from the ground, holding his chest in pain.
One second passes, then another.
The jewel was real. The Great Thief Chirurg was going to return it, and she sent it tumbling into the waterworks, all because of her disbelief.
As Chirurg climbs to his feet slowly, he looks at her and her gun for a few moments, before walking away, leaping off of the edge of the bell tower and landing in the streets below.
Orthos's hands shake as she slowly lowers her gun, the weapon tumbling from her loose grip and clattering to the ground.
"I never saw him again after that day. Nobody did," Orthos explains grimly.
"One more shot, and he'd have been in the hospital for weeks. He was a tough bastard, but he wasn't that tough. But I didn't pull the trigger. I didn't do a damn thing."
She sighs. "Maybe I should have. I confessed as much to the old Saint, a few years before she kicked the bucket."
The Strawhats are in silent shock by the end of her story.
She stands up, turning to face the city as she walks over to the railings. "I'm going to turn myself in. Confess everything. Saint Charlatan can't make a deal with my daughter if I'm already in prison. The search might be called off if Karon's got no reason to keep at it."
"Madam Orthos, what if Chirurg returned, with the gemstone in hand?" Jackson asks, looking at her intensely.
"What are you suggesting, brat? If he returned, then the gem isn't salvaged plunder, and if it isn't salvaged, then it doesn't default to the World Government. The courts here would decide where it goes."
She shakes her head. "But that doesn't matter. He's not coming back, and nobody would believe an imposter. Even if I tried to help you, he had a way of acting that can't exactly be explained."
'Chopper, did you get all of that?' Jackson asks over the mental connection.
Chopper nods mutely in his lab, before realizing that gestures don't go over the connection. 'Yeah. We know who he is… Don't we?' the reindeer thinks, his thoughts full of awe and curiosity.
"Orthos, I know Chirurg well enough to fake it, but I'm going to need to make some calls," Jackson states, a plan slowly coming together in his mind.
"First, though, we're going to need to find that jewel."
Last edited: Oct 29, 2019
Chapter 92: Optical Illusion
"Chopper! Jackson! It's good to see the both of you, I've made sure to read all of your letters, but this is a pretty good alternative, I have to admit," Hiriluk says, beaming at the two over the video-call connection.
"So, what's the occasion?" he asks, taking a long look at the duo as if engraving their new appearance into his memory.
Chopper looks to Jackson, who nods, opting to let the reindeer explain.
"Doctor, we're in a place called San Faldo. Do you recognize the name?" Chopper asks softly, somewhere between nervous and giddy about discovering Hiriluk's relation to this place.
Hiriluk pauses, gaping for a moment before he laughs. "Ahh, San Faldo, I'm familiar with the place. Let me guess, you've been hearing some stories, right? Well, before we go any further, I've got to ask, have you seen the blossoms yet?"
Chopper shakes his head. "No. They'll be blooming the day after tomorrow. Nami says a big storm is going to come through on the same day."
Hiuriluk nods. "Right, right. So, what would you like to know, Chopper?"
"Well, we met a woman named Orthos-"
Hiriluk lets out a silent laugh, "Oh my goodness! She's still kicking?"
Chopper nods with an affirmative "Mmhmm"
"It's hard to explain, but Jackson needs to disguise himself as Chirurg and Magician Cheirourgós, and… Well, you know," he says awkwardly, glancing to the side.
Hiriluk lets out a sigh. "You know, I don't usually like to talk about, er, my older work. But if you need it, I think I've still got my old costumes laying around."
He smirks. "You'll need to do something about the hat, though. It was pretty important to my look."
Chopper looks up at his pink top-hat. "Chirurg had a black hat. I'm not going to have to dye my hat, am I?" he asks, eyebrows furrowing nervously.
Hiriluk gestures. "Under the brim, there should be a little hidden string. Pull on it."
Chopper fiddles around until he finds the string. When he pulls on it, the little fuzz covering the hat jerks to attention, some sort of clever quirk of the fabric changing its color.
As if by magic, the hat's color and texture changes, turning from its original pink, cotton-like exterior to a silky smooth ebony color.
"Learned the trick to that back when I was poking around Turp Island. There's a special dye in the hat that changes color when the threads straighten out. When you do a lot of thieving, sometimes a quick costume change just isn't quick enough," he explains.
"I'm surprised you never found it before, to be honest."
Chopper blushes. Truthfully, he hadn't found it because he didn't dare mess with his precious hat too much. He didn't even let it get dirty, much less go around yanking on the strings in it…
"Well, anyway, I usually just pasted a little silver diamond over the cross when I was using my magician disguise. There's a bit of chemistry to it, so I'll show Chopper how I made the dye, and the cloth I used for my outfit. Black for thieving, bright blue for playing a magician. It probably won't do you much good as a pirate, but if you're trying to dress up like me back in the old days, it's pretty important for looking the part
He shrugs. "If you ever need to fix your hat after you do whatever it is you're doing over there, it can't hurt to know either."
Jackson decides to step in here. "I'll probably just make a fake hat, I wouldn't feel right wearing Chopper's anyway," Jackson says, already working out the alchemical formulas he'll need.
Chopper nods gratefully. While he wouldn't say outright that Jackson can't wear his hat… He wouldn't like it very much.
"Well, does it pass muster?" Jackson asks, performing a small twirl in his new outfit, a black suit, top-hat, a silvery mask, and a long black wand with a classic white tip completing his "Ensemble de Cheirourgós".
Chopper offers a thumbs up, while Orthos looks vaguely disgusted. "It's accurate," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Alright, so, Great Magician Cheirourgós, an expert in explosives and dyes, escape artistry, and of course, sleight of hand. He took his skills as a thief and directly applied them to his disguise to perform some of the most popular acts in San Faldo. You might look like him, but if you don't have an impressive enough act, then nobody will believe that he actually returned," Chopper explains, having considered the matter heavily already.
"I think I've got a few ideas," Jackson says, twirling the wand in his hand before emitting a mixture of gold and light that turns into a glittering puff of smoke.
After Chopper learns to create the color-changing dye that Jackson's disguise needs to be completed, the Strawhats gather for their next and hopefully final briefing.
"So, now that our lovely Doctor has found what he believes to be the gemstone's location, the new mission is as follows. Team A will go get the jewel and put it somewhere safe, hidden, and in the water. Team B will make everyone think Chirurg has returned, so when the jewel is returned, it is marked as active stolen goods instead of salvaged plunder," Robin reiterates, having gathered up the various opinions and ideas of her friends and assembled them into a working course of action.
"Those of us with talents suited to stage work will be with Team B. The rest of will be with Team A," she continues.
Luffy raises his hand. "Do I get to go to the cool magic show."
Robin pauses. "We'll record it, Captain."
Luffy lowers his hand. "Okay. I like this plan."
Robin smiles with amusement. It never fails to lift her spirits, seeing her captain's blase attitude towards everything.
"Does anyone else have questions or concerns to raise with our plan?" Robin asks politely.
"Who will be on which team?" Nami asks obviously. "I mean, I can guess, but it would help to know what exactly you've got in mind."
Robin nods. "Right, right, of course. Well, I believe that Team B should include myself, you, Chopper, Jackson, and Usopp. We all have a unique talent for subtlety, deception, and of course…" she looks at Jackson and Usopp deliberately.
"Showmanship, I suppose would be the word for it," she finishes delicately, noting their half-offended, half-proud expressions.
A small crowd gathers, curiosity enflamed by Jackson who simply sits on a wooden chair in the middle of the street, reading the newspaper in his magician's outfit.
One particularly brave teenager shouts. "Well, are you gonna do anything?"
Jackson turns to face the teenager, the dazzling mask's silver smile glinting in what little light passes through the storm clouds overhead.
"If you like. What sort of tricks would you like to see?" he asks evenly, folding up his newspaper and cracking his knuckles.
"I don't know, something amazing I guess!" the teenager responds blithely. The rest of the small crowd murmurs in agreement. A phenomenally accurate Cheirourgós impersonator can only be so entertaining, sitting around and reading the newspaper.
Jackson scratches his chin. "Something amazing… Alright, I think I've got something that might work," he says, flicking his wrist and making his wand appear seemingly from nothing.
He flicks the wand to the floor beneath him, flooding the area with glittering grey smoke, the dazzling display courtisy of one of Chopper's chemical blends. Those who are listening carefully can almost hear the low sound of liquid splattering.
The smoke suddenly clears, being blasted away by a gust of wind to reveal a giant gold-trimmed wooden stage, broad red curtains surrounding it from all sides.
Robin uses her powers to bloom arms inside of the stage, pulling the curtains aside to reveal Jackson, standing next to the chair he had been sitting in.
"Come one, come all, to the greatest show on earth. I believe I have some magic to show you all," he says, twirling his wand in his hand.
He looks at the chair. "Huh. That's not supposed to be there," he says. After a few moments of the crowd chuckling, among those who haven't been awed into silence, Jackson shrugs, kicking the chair into the air and pointing at it with his wand.
An invisible Sacred Psychic Needle plunges into the chair, replacing the concept of wood in the chair with the concept of confetti, causing it to erupt into an explosion of colorful paper shreds.
"Alright folks, let's get started," he says, only for one of the lights above the stage to blink off.
Jackson scoffs. "Oh come on, I just fixed that. Give me a moment folks, this will only take a second," he says, manifesting a ladder from invisible energy and climbing up it. To the rest of the crowd, it looks as though he's climbing on thin-air.
"Just have to replace this wick, and…" he begins, before wobbling dramatically.
"Wh-whoa!" he shouts, the invisible ladder tipping back and falling towards the crowd.
Jackson dangles in midair from the ladder's rungs, proving definitively that, if it is just wires or some other form of trickery, it's one good enough that nobody there can guess what it might be.
Jackson pulls himself up. "That's what I get for hiring invisible stagehands," he says, sighing as he shakes his head dramatically. The crowd laughs at this, staring up at the man seemingly floating in midair above them.
Jackson slides down the ladder, landing back on the stage and dismissing his invisible energy construct.
"Alright, now we can finally get to the magic part of the show. Now, pardon me if I'm a bit rusty at this. As you might be able to tell, I'm not the best magician in the world," he jokes, rolling up his sleeves.
As he does so, he floats small pellets of invisible energy underneath the hats of people in the crowd, each one filled with the slosh of a small plush doll of a bunny rabbit.
"Now, before I begin, I was going to pull several rabbits out of my hat, but I seem to have misplaced them. Anyone in the crowd, if you could check your hats for my rabbits, I'd really appreciate it," he says with a smile, allowing the pellets to pop and release their slosh.
Several people in the crowd gape in shock as they pull off their hats, finding a small rabbit doll in each of them. Something outright impossible, for an ordinary person.
"Oh good, they're all accounted for. It seems they've all found good homes, eh, what can you do," Jackson asks rhetorically, scratching his head with his wand.
He shrugs off the fact of his disloyal rabbits as the adults either pocket the rabbits for themselves, or hand them off to the children nearby. By now, the crowd has grown massive, at least a few people running off just to gather more people to watch the show.
"My my my, I've managed to ruin every act so far, haven't I? I need to do something that will really wow you folks. But what, I just can't think of anything particularly magical I can do!" he says, pacing on the stage.
He pauses, before pointing his finger up with realization. "Oh, I think I have the perfect idea. With all these fancy Devil Fruit Users running around, I'm sure some of you might not think I'm the real deal, after all, anyone could do something like this, right?" he says, flicking his wrist and creating a bouquet of roses.
He tosses the flowers into the crowd, who jostle and reach, trying to catch it.
"So, I think I've got a trick that you'll really appreciate. The sort of trick that only a true magician could do."
He flicks his hand, revealing a thick set of manacles.
"I'll be making my last act one of escape artistry. Behold, a set of pure, unaltered Seastone cuffs. These are bad news for anyone who has eaten one of those things," is something that would be true if Jackson hadn't extracted the essence of the sea from these cuffs in advance, leaving them an ordinary diamond-hard paperweight.
"But it wouldn't be a true act of escape artistry if I just slipped these cuffs on-and-off, would it?" Jackson asks rhetorically.
"No, for that, I would like you all to turn your attention to the canal behind you," he says, pointing to the deep waters across the street.
"Indeed, with nothing but my wits, I'll escape from these cuffs at the bottom of the canal, where everyone can see," he explains, twirling the cuffs around his finger idly.
"What do you think of that, folks?" he asks, receiving deafening cheers and awe from the crowd in response.
Near the back of the crowd, Police Chief Karon watches with growing suspicion.
Chapter 93: Mimicry
Jackson hops off the stage, twirling the cuffs around his finger as he walks towards the canal. The crowd falls silent in anticipation to watch the magician prove himself either a success or a sham.
Halfway to the water, Jackson is halted by none other than Chief Karon herself. The crowd falls silent as she steps in front of him.
"I apologize for being a buzzkill, but only legal authorities are supposed to have Seastone Cuffs like those. I would never call one of San Faldo's own magicians a fraud, but," she begins, pulling out a set of unaltered seastone handcuffs.
"Perhaps your show might have more authenticity if you used one of mine instead," she says, glaring suspiciously at the person whose abilities seem to match her reports.
'If he says no, that will be as good as proof,' she thinks to herself. She had already received reports of Strawhat activity, and this show popping up out of nowhere without the proper documentation to take up a whole street had strained her suspension of disbelief to its absolute limits, seeing what the man was capable of.
The masked magician walks forward casually, making sure everyone sees as he plucks the cuffs out of her hands, dangling them from his finger almost mockingly as he pockets the other pair and continues walking.
Jackson's body shudders every time he grazes the part of the cuffs that he didn't manage to drain. Even negating a small part of the cuffs, the part he was dangling them from, was enough to put his stamina in a very bad place from draining out the essence of the sea from that single small piece.
'Jackson, do you need to be extracted?' Robin asks, watching from the building nearby.
'No, I think I might have a plan. Just be prepared to fish my ass out when it goes horribly wrong,' Jackson responds.
'Do you mean "if"?' Robin asks with polite amusement.
Jackson ends the call, cracking his neck as he plans on doing something incredibly risky. Touching the cuffs directly, he's grateful to find that these cuffs are the type that still allows the victim to move their body. If it were the type of seastone that leaves the victim insensate, he isn't sure what he would be able to do.
He starts by quietly injecting elasticity into the tendons of his thumbs, making them impossibly flexible, at the cost of making them pitifully easy to dislocate.
His thumbs dangle uselessly as he hands over the cuffs and allows Karon to tighten them around his wrists.
Instantly, the cuffs take effect, draining his energy until it takes some effort just to move his body.
He gives Chief Karon a smug look that she can't see through his mask but immediately recognizes as one despite that.
"Well, nothing to do now but dive, folks," Jackson says, smiling underneath his mask as he walks towards the canal.
"Once more unto the breach," he finishes, leaping into the water and trusting his hydrophobic coating to keep him dry.
Karon stares on in shock, the rest of the crowd watching intently as Jackson struggles and writhes slowly underwater, he'll need to not only remove the cuffs, but then unlock them afterward to make it look like he picked their locks instead of just yanking his hands free.
Robin watches from above, a thin strand of hair bloomed across two buildings, with a single eye spawned from the middle of that.
Jackson doesn't seem to have completely negated the Seastone. This tempts her to intervene immediately, but seeing the Police Chief here, she holds back. Jackson said he had a plan. Typically, this statement of his either ends in fire or brilliance, so she decides to hold back. If she intervenes now, that woman is sure to realize what is going on, but more importantly, it would mean that their effort to impersonate the original thief would all be for nothing.
Bubbles slowly rise to the surface as Jackson struggles to remove the cuffs. Eventually, however, they slow. Has he moved on to attempting to pick the lock, or is this a sign that she needs to rescue him?
The Police Chief watches the scene with an intense stare, anything out of place could arouse her suspicion at this critical stage, in spite of her not noticing the unique shimmer of air around Jackson's body. In the murky water and dark lighting, his body looks like nothing more than a dark silhouette.
Jackson pulls a hand free, and the crowd cheers wildly. A few moments later, he pulls the other hand free, revealing the opened cuffs as he walks over to the bottom-most edge of the Canal and seemingly climbs up the wall of it.
As soon as he gets out of the water completely, he hands the cuffs over to Karon, turning and bowing to the crowd as they cheer wildly, his actions giving no small amount of proof to the idea that he's an ordinary human.
Karon runs her fingers along the seastone cuffs. In an instant, her face twists with anger and she grabs Jackson by the collar of his suit.
She leans in, hissing quietly. "You're completely dry."
The crowd freezes. They didn't hear exactly what she said, but her glare and behavior say it all. It seems this impersonator did something to anger one of the only people in San Faldo who should never be angered.
Jackson begins to chuckle as if he just heard the most hilarious joke.
"So I'm not all washed up, then?" he responds. As soon as he does, Karon's Transponder Snail begins ringing loudly. The emergency snail, at that.
She hastily grabs the snail, not letting go of Jackson with her other hand.
"Report," she demands.
"Chief, we've got a bunch of perps near the southern docks! They've found the gemstone!" an officer reports frantically. Jackson notes the familiar sound of wanton property damage and Luffy's loud laughter in the background as he presumably tries to escape.
The crowd murmurs. They heard that…
Her eyes widen in shock and she focuses her attention on Jackson. "You. You're coming with me," Karon demands, tightening her grip on Jackson's suit.
He turns to face the crowd. "Apologies for the abrupt ending, folks, but it seems the show's over. As you can tell, I've got some business to attend to. You've all been a great crowd!" he shouts, throwing a smoke bomb at the ground and slipping out of Karon's grip as she begins coughing loudly.
Jackson pulls the string on his suit, changing its color. As the smoke clears, he leaps up onto the building, using a small invisible energy blast to punch a hole in the clouds for moonlight to shine onto him dramatically as he does so.
"Goodbye, and goodnight!" he exclaims, leaping backwards off the roof and quickly running to help his friends get away with the treasure.
Fireworks in the stage begin to fire off as if on-command, filling up the stormy night sky with dazzling lights as his final parting gift to the people who came to watch his show.
To everyone who had been in the crowd, they are left with nothing but the surefire belief that Master Thief Chirurg has returned.
"So, care to explain why you went with that rather risky course of action?" Robin asks, jogging alongside Jackson with Chopper taking up the rear in his Walk Point.
Jackson rolls his eyes. "Authenticity. I knew it would help sell this if I did it that way. God, though, it sure was convenient that she tried to arrest me on the spot. Police officer after a street magician who turns out to be a thief? It's the stuff tinfoil-hat conspiracies are made of," he explains, turning around to run backwards so he can keep up with them.
"You do realize drowning isn't fun, right?" Chopper asks, his sharp eyes spotting the other Strawhats running along the canal.
"There they are!" he shouts, turning to intercept them.
Luffy waves with his free hand, his other hand stretched behind him, dragging in the water with the gemstone wrapped up tightly in it.
"Hey!" he shouts, his voice muffled slightly by his mask.
Zoro skids to a halt, using a one-sword-style slash from Rocket Man to send an immense wave of wind to knock away the police officers trying to chase them.
"We need to throw them off our trail," Sanji says, grimacing as a bullet narrowly whizzes by him.
Jackson and Chopper's eyes meet for a moment before they both nod.
Jackson whips out a large pink bomb, while Chopper does the same with a tiny vial of pink liquid.
"Cherry Bomb!" they shout in unison, throwing their explosives down behind the Strawhats.
The entire block floods with a mixture of pink smoke and foam, totally obscuring sight of anything in the area.
'Luffy, follow the canal to the bell tower, find a nook somewhere with water and hide the stone in it,' Jackson says, throwing metal rod to his captain, who catches it.
'Plant that somewhere nearby so we can find it later, it's hooked up to an Eternal Pose, we'll draw the cops away,' he continues, breaching the foam along with everyone other than his captain.
Luffy instead dashes in the opposite direction, running down the street as fast as he can with the gemstone skidding in the water behind him as he stealthily rampages past the officers who can't see him through the pink foam and smoke.
Karon is overcome with white-hot fury as the last officer is dug out of the foam.
At this point, she doesn't even care if the Strawhats are responsible. When she catches whoever is, she will do everything in her power to have a new layer of Impel Down made for them.
Taking several calming breaths, she turns to one of the officers.
"Can you give me anything, anything at all?" she asks, looking at the officer in question who tallied up the reports.
"Well, ma'am, all we know is that the perpetrators somehow knew the exact location of the jewel, made a journey from the eastern dock directly to it, and then evaded capture using what can only be an advanced knowledge of the city's layout," he says.
She scowls as he hands her a small black card. "They left this behind," he offers, handing her the card.
She flips it over, and, upon seeing the symbol on it, throws it to the ground, stomping on the card over and over. The mocking silver emblem of an 'X'ed out diamond crumples beneath her boot as her blood pressure rises.
"Scour the city. Find them. I want every officer checking every dock. Anything suspicious is to be reported as soon as possible. They can not be allowed to leave this island, no matter what."
Luffy opens the door, flopping down into his chair as he offers a tired thumbs up.
"I jammed it in a hole and stuck the thingie there. Almost got caught, too," Luffy says, pulling off his mask and wiping the sweat off his face.
"These masks are hot and muggy…" he whines, laying his head down on the table and idly flipping the wooden mask around.
"Well, you'll only have to wear it one more time. There's only one last thing we need to do, and it's fairly simple. One public appearance, to sell the idea that Chirurg has returned, and that his treasure wasn't lost, but merely stashed away. After that, we can simply claim that Orthos was working with the Strawhats undercover to expose this and return the gem." Robin explains.
She looks at the storm raging outside. "Nami, will this storm be abating soon?" she asks, looking to the navigator.
"Yeah, I think so. Hey, have you guys seen Orthos? She was just in here a few minutes ago," Nami asks, concerned that she hasn't seen the old woman since they got back.
"She's gone," Luffy says seriously, realizing that the old woman isn't anywhere in the building.
Sanji balks. "I thought she was supposed to stay at this safehouse, you know, where it's safe?!"
Robin remains stoic, though this revelation shakes her slightly. "We can't all look for her. Sanji, Luffy, can the two of you handle it while the rest of us execute the final part of the operation?"
As soon as she says that, the two are already exiting the room, Luffy taking the lead to search for the old lady.
"Why the hell would she run out like that now of all times?" Zoro says blithely, polishing his swords in anticipation of their final job here.
"I've got a sick feeling that I might know why," Jackson says, frowning as he considers her recent behavior.
Chapter 94: Autoimmune Illness
'How are you doing, Merry? Hanging in there?' Usopp asks, standing next to Jackson while he bloviates to the crowds from a nearby rooftop, waving around a fake amber gemstone as he waxes poetic on the beauty of jewels.
'This sucks! I can't see anything from up here,' she complains, pouting as she looks down at the storm-clouds below her.
In order to avoid the storms, Merry had opted to simply float so high up that she was over the clouds themselves. This had the unfortunate side effect of putting her far away from her crew, something which has only served to make her more and more anxious as time goes by.
'Well, don't worry. The storm will let up really soon,' Usopp offers.
'It better! I'm so bored,' Merry whines.
The Police Chief lady that had been trying to track them down runs forward, whipping her gun out and opening fire at Jackson to shut up his bragging and taunting.
Usopp whips out a Dynamite Star, throwing it at the cannonball. It isn't as accurate as he would like, but the star whizzes forward fast enough to intercept the attack and blast it away.
'Damn it, Jackson, what did you say?' he wonders, noticing just how pissed the chief is. He hadn't been paying attention to what exactly Jackson was saying to taunt the public with his "stolen gem".
Little did Usopp know, Karon's rage had almost nothing to do with Jackson's posturing.
"Ma'am, there's a ruckus in the middle of Main Street, Chirurg seems to be flaunting the gem we're searching for, along with several unidentified accomplices, we can have the street closed off and officers in place in ten minutes."
She frowns. "Have it done in five. I'm going to confront them directly," she demands.
As she walks out of her office and out the door, she encounters someone standing in front of the police station. Someone whose face is lit up for only a brief moment in a flash of thunder.
"What are you doing here, mother? Here to stop me?" Karon says in a low voice.
Orthos shakes her head. "I'm here to be stopped. I'm going to confess everything."
Karon freezes. "Everything I've been trying to do, for you, and you're just going to throw it all in the trash? For what, some stupid stone?!" Karon demands.
Orthos blinks. "I'm doing this for the Law. I shouldn't have run away from it in the first place. Look at what it's done! What it did to us! I was a good cop, Karon, and I'm going out a good cop. Let the Jury decide whether I'm guilty or not. We can't do it ourselves," she insists.
Karon shudders with emotion. Several long moments pass in which she stands there dumbfounded like a usually immobile statue.
"Have this woman put in custody. I'll deal with her personally later," Karon spits, turning and walking away as Orthos quietly allows herself to be cuffed and brought into the station.
Her jog to Main Street gives her time to think, to try and figure out what she's going to do next. If her mother confesses, that would be the end of it.
She shakes her head. It doesn't matter what her mother is going to do right this instant. There are criminals openly mocking the Law of San Faldo, and that, she cannot abide.
She fails to notice the two masked figures who had been watching the exchange silently from the rooftops above.
When Karon arrives, it's to the infuriating sight of that man holding up a gem that looks, at least superficially, like the Amber of Adam.
"Ahh, none other than the woman of the hour. I've been waiting so patiently. I almost ran out of taunts," he says, smirking at her as he tosses the jewel into the air, catching it.
"Such a shame. You came so close to finding my little stash. If I had been here any later… Well, I'm here, and I've reclaimed what's mine. Consider this my farewell, Commissioner Karon. It's been a delight, but our meeting could only last so long, considering I've got what I had come here for," The thief finishes, shrugging with mock-sadness.
"Go to hell," she snarls, whipping her gun out and firing a single gigantic bullet at him.
One of his accomplices pulls out some kind of bomb, throwing it at her own shot and blasting it out of the air.
"My, so feisty. There are few people in the world with that kind of fire, Karon. I'll take that as my cue to leave. Au Revoir!" he says, tipping his hat at her as he dashes away with his companions.
"Not this time! Open fire!" Karon roars, prompting the officers into action while she runs as rapidly as she can, chasing them down the street and firing her own gun several times.
"You know, I can't help but wonder, wherever did the lovely Madam Orthos go?" the masked thief questions, darting to the side to avoid.
"That's none of your business, criminal," she snarls, sliding underneath an explosive flung by one of the masked men, the bomb exploding into foam as it hits one of the officers.
She frowns at this, but presses onwards. Why aren't they fighting back?
Firing several more shots, she takes care to aim at the thief himself primarily, trying to blast him so she can arrest him.
Suddenly, all of the criminals halt, their unified stop sending everyone around them stumbling in shock from the unexpected act.
They all share a look for only a moment before a rope ladder falls down from the sky, and one of the accomplices throws down a smoke bomb that covers their escape.
She runs as hard and as fast as she can to grab onto the ladder at the last second, viciously pulling herself up with raw willpower fueling her actions.
She will not let these people get away with that jewel. No matter what.
'Wrap it up, guys. Orthos is turning herself in,' Luffy thinks over their connection.
'What?!' everyone responds in unison.
'There's no reason to continue if she doesn't want to get away with this. The stone's hid, and she's going to jail. It's time to wrap this up,' he repeats.
Everyone halts what they're doing, stunning the bumbling officers that had tried to chase them down.
'Understood. Merry, could you send us down a line?' Jackson asks, receiving an affirmative response from Merry, who had been floating overhead as close as she could.
She spits out a ladder for them to grab onto, while Chopper throws down another Cherry Bomb to cover their tracks.
As the gang climbs up the ladder to abort their failed mission, Jackson notices something particularly ominous, the ladder that should be swaying below him is taut, and someone is clearly climbing up beneath him.
He looks down, noticing Karon. "Ahh, such devotion, but typically, when one says goodbye, they mean it!" Jackson says, wincing when a cannonball whizzes right by him, his saving grace being the howling winds that keep the ladder swaying and thrashing like an angry snake.
"Dead or alive, you're coming with me, Chirurg!" she shouts over the rumbling storm around them.
"Did you just..?" Jackson begins, before flinching away from another missed shot.
"Lady, you need to calm down, we are literally like, two-hundred meters off the ground!" Jackson shouts down, swinging around to the other side of the ladder as she fires another shot at him.
"I am not going to let you bastards get away! Not like this!" she yells, pulling herself up on the other side of him and tries to wrestle him off of the ladder.
"That chick is crazy!" Usopp yells, noticing the commotion going on below him.
One final hail-mary shot from Karon's gun proves to be her fatal mistake, the recoil sending her flying off the ladder and sailing to the ground screaming.
"Oh piss," Jackson curses, not thinking at all as he leaps off the ladder and dives after her.
"Alchemical Principality, Congelation!"
Jackson flings a pellet towards the ground, the threads and clouds inside of it exploding and spraying a thick net that sticks to several nearby buildings.
Karon and Jackson land on the net, stopping their deadly fall inches from the ground.
The woman takes several deep breaths to calm her nerves, before whirling around and leveling her gun at him.
"Hands in the air, now," she snarls, trying not to think about the fact that this criminal just saved her life.
The pair stare at each other for what feels like hours, both of them poised to make a move, but neither of them prepared to follow through.
Jackson glances around, to his left and right, and, when he notices no other officers nearby just yet, he slowly pulls the fake jewel from his pocket, holding the amber up where the light from nearby streetlamps can reflect off it.
"Take it. I don't need it anymore," Jackson says, tossing it over to her.
She scrambles to catch the jewel, giving Jackson the opportunity he needs to leap up off of the net, grabbing one of the streetlamps and sliding around it to the street below.
"Au Revoire, Commissioner Karon."
He tips his hat. "Our passing was as subtly sweet as our meeting," he says smugly, leaping backwards over a building and disappearing from sight.
She stares blankly after him, her weapon quietly slid back into its holster with shaking hands as she tries to come to terms with the night's events.
The other officers arrive to find her facing the giant net that saved her from a gruesome fall, arms crossed uncertainly as her eyes look at it with all the blankness of her confused and distraught mind.
By now, the storm's ripping winds have begun to abate, leaving nothing but dark clouds and glimmers of moonlight to catch the first cherry blossoms to fall gently down.
Cherry Blossoms rain through the skies of San Faldo as Madam Orthos walks into the courthouse, prepared to offer her confession to the Jury, who would decide whether her actions that night forty years ago constituted aiding and abetting.
The Strawhats secretly watch through a camera silently hidden in the room beforehand.
"Are we really not going to intervene? We could probably do something," Jackson says, polishing the large urn he purchased from a local pot-maker who watched the show he put on.
Luffy shakes his head, pausing as he figures out how to explain what is going through his head right now. "I don't really get how Justice is supposed to work, Jackson. It isn't like I haven't had it explained to me, either. So yeah. If I wanted to, we could probably do something about this. I wouldn't care."
"But she chose this. I don't want to mess with that. The old lady's putting her life on the line for what she believes in. It would sicken me to take that away from her."
He returns his gaze to the screen. "We'll decide what to do with the treasure before we leave, but I'm done with this. She's in their hands now," he finishes, staring at the television broadcasting her trial with an almost violently intense aura.
The various Strawhats watch as Madam Orthos takes the stand.
"I've fought for this city for a very long time. All I can offer you all is the simple fact that, in all my years, I have only once defied the core tenant I follow. 'Serve and Protect'."
"I do not believe I defied that when I attempted to prevent the Amber of Adam from being recovered by my daughter. Without it, our waters would run black."
"I do not believe I defied that when I allied myself with the Strawhat Pirates in the hopes they could help protect it. They have proven themselves to be of good, moral stock. Even if they defy the law, I have yet to see them defy the public good."
"There is only one time I feel I did not live up to the standards that my formerly pristine record as an officer of the law set for those that came after me," she says, glancing at Karon.
"The night we all believe Chirug to have escaped San Faldo with the Amber of Adam, he tried to return it, to give it to me. I don't know why, I have to admit. Did he feel regret? Did he simply not care for its worth, now that he had achieved the thrill and prestige of having taken it? I don't have the answers to that question."
"I was unwilling to believe he would return the true Amber of Adam, and shot what I believed to be a counterfeit jewel from his hand. This was the true Adam of Amber, which laid undisturbed in the waters of San Faldo for forty years. After I realized what I did, and what he was trying to do, I found that I was unable to bring myself to capture him, and allowed him to escape, in spite of me being physically capable of preventing it," she admits.
"This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I swear it," she finishes.
The Jury comes to a decision in ten short minutes.
"For the crime of aiding and abetting a criminal in the act of a crime, the jury finds Madam Orthos Styx…" one of the members of the Jury begins, looking down at a piece of paper.
"Not guilty."
Last edited: Nov 4, 2019
Chapter 95: Feral
Orthos sits at her usual spot in front of the Royale Cafe, nursing a large mug of bitter coffee.
After all of this, all she can wonder is, "Why?"
Why wasn't she convicted? Why wasn't she punished, when she did so many things that she is sure defied the law. Yes, the Strawhats aren't evil, and yes, perhaps the people adored Chirurg, but they were still criminals.
Was the jury that far off-base? Were the people of San Faldo so wildly enthralled with the actions of criminals that they would refuse to convict someone, if they were merely popular, or beloved enough?
It wounds her to think that, when she was prepared to accept her punishment for what it was, only to be let off scot-free.
At this point, though, there isn't much she can do. Her personal feelings on the matter aren't important. The Law has spoken. All she has to do is find a way to accept that. Accept that, in some fashion, her plan failed. Once, she failed by trying to hide from the law, and now, she failed when she attempted to force its hand.
She looks down at the murky depths of her cup, shallow and cold enough that she flags down a young barista to top her off so she can do a bit more thinking. In the end, even retired, Orthos finds herself following the will of the people.
The people have spoken. Madam Orthos Styx drinks her coffee, free as a bird.
Jackson dons his disguise one final time, this time, with a specific person in mind to witness him in it.
He drops down in front of Saint Charlatan, after all this time he's spent doing stunts like this, the pain of jumping off buildings has disappeared entirely, leaving the act a seamless display of acrobatics.
The noble sputters incoherently in shock. "Guards! Guards!" he shouts, looking from side to side for someone to help him as Jackson simply waggles his finger.
"Come now. Let's not muddy the narrative with a bunch of new characters. I'm here to deliver a message, nothing more, nothing less," he says, adjusting his top-hat with one hand, while the other pulls out a small card.
"What message could you possibly have that I would care about, you thieving cur? You little copycat imposter!" Charlatan sneers, taking a step back.
"Well, give me a moment, and I'd be happy to read it off for you, your holiness," Jackson jokes, flipping the card around.
He hums for a moment, looking at it with an indiscernible expression.
"Ahh, here we are. The message reads, 'We've robbed you blind in the time it takes Chirurg to read you this message'," Jackson says, looking at the card with faux confusion, before shrugging and pocketing the little piece of paper. Nami and the others had already knocked out the guards on the premises, and her nose for money had allowed her to easily turn the manor into a barren wasteland, lacking in anything valuable. Especially the parts that were nailed down.
"Thank you, and goodbye, your holiness!" Jackson shouts, before leaping away to the melodious, beautiful sound of Charlatan's incoherent rage.
Returning to the ship, he arrives to the sight of Chopper overwhelmed with giddiness, so much so that his attempts to video the sight before him are mostly fruitless.
Chopper is forced to hand his phone over to Jackson, who removes his disguise in a quick flash. He's bouncing up and down too much to do anything less than wriggle with joy, staring at the literal rain of cherry blossoms falling from the sky, the result of the storm that had pulled the fallen blossoms high into the sky the night before.
"Can you see it, Doctor? Can you!?" Chopper squeals, gazing out at the sight of the morning sun coating the entire city in a golden glow, intermixed with the pink of the petals.
Hiriluk watches the festival, and of course, the falling petals, with something approaching unfathomable nostalgia over the television screen that Jackon and Chopper are broadcasting it to.
"I see it as clear as day, my boy. It's even more beautiful than the first time I saw it, if only because you boys can see it too," Hiriluk explains, tearing up despite his painfully wide grin.
"We've come a long way, since our time on Drum Island," Jackson says quietly, admiring the sight with relaxed ease. A kind of ease that he hasn't encountered very many times on his journey.
"Mmmhmm!" Chopper nods, climbing up onto the railing to get a better look.
The old quack's expression turns ponderous. "So, you all found the Amber of Adam. What are you going to do with it?"
Jackson shrugs. "They decided to put the fake one back up in the Bell Tower. We'll be swapping it for the real one after we make a Sacred Psychic Pose that can track it. It wouldn't do for the jewel to be put back where it belongs, only for someone to steal it anyway," the alchemist explains.
"Good. I never would have touched the thing if… Well, I'm sure you already know the story by now," Hiriluk responds, an awkward smile plastered on his face.
Jackson smiles as well. "Yeah. We've got little intent on screwing over San Faldo. It's a nice enough place," he jokes lightly.
"Ungrateful-ass skeptics!" Jackson shouts, flinging a phial of slosh into the wall of his lab, where it shatters and turns into hat-patterned wallpaper.
Sanji walks into the room, glancing around at the haphazard laboratory Jackson keeps in a perpetual state of madness with the various experiments that inevitably end up turned into multicolor patchwork carpets, strange wallpaper, and esoteric furniture.
"I was going to say that lunch is ready, but you seem…" Sanji begins, watching Jackson force a huge wooden beam from the stage he used for his magic act into a polished glass urn from San Faldo.
"Busy?" he finishes.
Jackson turns to face him, cheering up visibly as he waves Sanji off. "Not at all. I was just trying to get some concepts I'm looking for."
He glares at the pot. "Seriously, 'Mystery', 'Fashionable Intrigue'? I functionally teleported stuff into people's hats for god's sake!" he exclaims, throwing his arms in the air before letting out a deep sigh.
"I could do with a lunch break, yeah," he deadpans, following the cook casually as he wipes the sweat off his face and fastens his hat more firmly on his head. He tosses his old wand into the pot as he walks out of the room.
"So, not at all curious what it is I'm trying to do?" Jackson asks politely, as politely as someone can while giving their friend a leading question, anyway.
Sanji raises his eyebrows, glancing at the alchemist. "Trying to weasel magic out of San Faldo?"
Jackson looks surprised at this, prompting Sanji to chuckle.
"I pay attention, from time to time. You tried the same thing in Navarone, remember?" he explains as the pair walk into the dining room, Sanji standing to the side as he holds the door open.
He gestures to the heaping pile of spaghetti and guanciale, all coated with pale sauce and fragrant herbs. The scent of fresh pasta floats around the room, and Luffy's face can be seen mushed up against one of the windows as he stares at it pitifully.
Luffy notices the door has been opened, and flashes into the room in the span of an eyeblink, the rest of the crew filing in to grab some as well before he evaporates it all.
Meanwhile, back in Jackson's lab, the liquid inside of his urn begins to sparkle and fizz.
Luffy belches, two empty plates in front of him as he pats his stomach with something between relief and satisfaction.
"Alright, one of the most important meals of the day out of the way. Let's-" Luffy says, only for Sanji to interrupt.
"Wait, what are the others?" Sanji asks, curious about what meals Luffy considers "Most Important."
Luffy scratches his head. "How many meals are there? They're all tied," he explains in response. Sanji rolls his eyes, shaking his head with amused exasperation.
"Nevermind. Continue," the cook responds, picking up everyone's empty plates and taking it to the sink nearby to be washed.
Luffy brushes off his cook's odd question. "I wanna hurry up and see the boat that Frankie guy made. Jaguar, did you find out how we're going to move the treasure up there so we can get going?" he asks.
She nods at this, daintily dabbing at her lips with a napkin. "I've already taken the liberty of doing so. It wasn't very difficult to make the swap," she explains, pulling the fake jewel from her pocket and setting it on the table.
The captain nods. "Good. Being a mysterious ninja thief was getting kind of annoying. From now on, let's stick to being mysterious ninja pirates, shi shi shi…" he chuckles.
Robin smiles. "I think we can do that, captain," she responds agreeably.
Merry pipes up from a pipe nearby. "I'm just happy to get back on the open sea. I need to stretch my legs. Well, not my actual legs, but, you know what I mean," she tries to explain.
"I wonder what kind of ship Frankie built… We gave him a lot of money for it…" Usopp points out, his curiosity aroused by the idea of the cyborg mechanic having a whole one-billion Beri and carte blanche to build whatever he finds suitable.
The entire ship shudders. "No! You're not allowed to wonder that. Whatever crappy dinghy he makes is irrelevant!" Merry growls.
"Right, right! Please don't shake the plates off, Merry!" Usopp pleads, catching his glass before it can tumble off the table.
"Whoops," she says a bit blithely, cheeks still puffed up with lingering jealousy as the Strawhats begin filing out of the room, most of them moving to prepare Merry to set sail.
As the Strawhats prepare to set off, several of them notice Karon standing at the dock along with madam Orthos. A stack of incriminating papers from Charlatan's estate had found its way onto her desk not five minutes ago, and it gave her the impetus to see them off.
She stares for a while at the pirates with a blank expression.
"As it stands, I have no proof of you Strawhats being involved in any illegal activities that I am allowed to pursue an investigation of. See that it stays that way if you ever come back," she says clinically.
Luffy laughs. "No clue what you're talking about. We've got places to be, lady."
Sanji swoons. "Oh, for you, lovely Karon, jewel of the sea, I would return a million times!" he shouts, Nami giving him a good hard thwack to the head to "clear" it.
Jackson waves. "Au Revoir, Commissioner Karon," he says, waving with a smug expression on his face as Merry slowly paddles away from the shore.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean Jackson?" Sanji says, not liking the tone the alchemist took with the woman.
"It means goodbye, nosebleed, I thought you of all people would know that," Jackson retorts, no less smugly.
He dodges out of the way of a vicious kick with practiced ease as they horse around until Nami gives them both another smack to the head.
The trip from San Faldo back to Water Seven is mostly uneventful, and concludes with Merry tromping up onto the shore near Franky House, where a large warehouse has seemingly been constructed just to house the ship Franky and the other shipwrights had been working on.
Several Sea Animals sunbathing on things ranging from towels to lawn-chairs wave at the incoming Strawhats, mostly the Cloud Wolves and Egrethieves. The Dugongs greet the Strawhats in the same way they greet everything else, with shouting and katas.
"Staying out of trouble?" Luffy laughs, Tall rushing him to test the results of their training. He grins, blocking the brutal punches and subduing Tall with a few of his own.
Kaku walks out of the warehouse, wiping sweat off of his face. "So you're finally back. Some Skypieans came along and docked over there. Their captain is fairly nettled about the events surrounding your encounter with Doflamingo," he says, pointing to the far end of the rocky coast, where what looks to be a vastly upgraded Ark Maxim is parked, floating over the ground on a bed of clouds.
"Yeah yeah, I'll talk to Conis after I see the new ship!" Luffy says, waving him off.
Franky grins. "Oh? You want to see the new ship, eh? Well, let me help you out. She's been waiting to go on her maiden voyage anyway," he says, pulling a remote from his pocket and pressing the large red button on it.
The warehouse hisses, walls sliding apart to reveal the ship.
Jackson notices that it doesn't look that much different from the original Thousand Sunny. The only big oddities are that the ship's outsides seem to be made of dyed Seastone instead of Jewel Adam Wood, and it has no masts.
"Come on guys, let's get on board, and I'll show you its features," he says with a grin that leaves everyone other than Kaku and the animals themselves at least slightly unnerved.
The crew ignores Merry glaring at the ship's figurehead, the small ship staring up at the larger one much like an actual goat glaring at an actual lion might. "So, you're the brat that's supposed to surpass me? You're as sleepy as they come, aren't you?" she snarks, her intimidating presence leaving the figurehead nervously blank as it doesn't change at all in response.
"Merry, stop bullying the ship," Jackson begins, before suddenly realizing something.
"Wait, are you the one that kicked the shit out of the Anything Goes?!" Jackson yells, all the pieces fitting together, now that he has the impetus to consider it.
Merry turns her head, scoffing. "You tied it too close to me. What was I supposed to do, just let that little chicklet bump up against me for a week?"
Franky carefully ignores this exchange happening over the video-screen connecting the two ships. "So, before we can take this baby out over the water, she needs a name. A ship won't be any good at sailing without a name for herself," Frankie says, standing in the bridge of the ship, armored shutters covered with Knowledge Wood Television Screens acting as windows when paired with the cameras scattered all over the vessel.
Tall raises their hand. "I propose we call it Splash Mountain Two!"
Mockery slaps their wing into their face. "Absolutely not, we'll be calling her the Kingfisher, and that'll be that."
Franky wags his finger. "Ahh, no need to worry, I've already prepared a name for this ship!"
"Shrimp Puff!" a Cloud Wolf shouts, raising their paw.
"This ship's name will be..!" Frankie begins, raising his hands in an anticipatory pose.
"Blade of Fists!" one of the Dugongs shouts at the top of their lungs.
"None other than!" the cyborg continues, striking another pose.
"Shrimp Puff!" the same Cloud Wolf from before repeats, before being whacked on the head by an irate dugong.
"New Battle Frankie: Lion Gang Champion!" Frankie finishes, stunning the animals into silence.
Tall and Mockery share a look, staring over the bridge at the figurehead.
"Actually… That's not a half-bad name," Tall begins, rubbing his chin with a flipper.
"Could do to be a little shorter, though," Mockery admits, wracking their brain for a good variation on that.
The two animals come to the same conclusion.
"Frankie, we've decided! This ship will be named…
"Lion Champion!"
The cyborg freezes, chewing on this name mentally for a few seconds.
He finally shrugs. "Eh, I can live with that."
Turning to the steering wheel, he pulls one of the numerous levers next to it. "Let's get this show on the road!"
Jackson watches the camera feed of the ship's innards as the floors slide apart, the entire ship somehow growing in size as the metal plates and Jewel Adam Wood beams actually slide past each other, revealing the ship's elaborate interlocking designs.
The four lion paws on the sides of the ship fling out, each of the four limbs twisting to the side and filling up with Steel Clouds that form into the shape of aerofoils while large turbines attached to them begin to spin rapidly.
The Strawhats finds themselves stunned beyond belief as the already giant ship begins to swell, rooms moving around inside of the Lion Champion as her manifold fills up with Steel Clouds, and she begins lifting off the ground as the lift from the lightweight clouds and the high-powered turbines come together to overcome its incredible mass.
Merry's mouth opens and closes, words failing to escape her lips as she stares, while Jackson's mouth goes dry as he watches the ship continue to transform before his eyes.
'No, not a ship, not a ship at all,' Jackson realizes, watching as the turbines twist, all of them pointing forward as the Lion Champion begins shifting again from the blimp-like shape that it used to ascend, to a more aerodynamic and thinner form that serves the purpose of using the aerofoils for lift, the Seastone Armor Plating visibly shifting as Steel Cloud Dials absorb and dispense their contents to dynamically change the profile of the airship midflight.
"Franky, I don't mean to tell you how to do your job, but this isn't a ship, you've built a fucking plane!" he shouts in utter shock.
The shipwright gives him a funny look. "What the hell is a plane?" Franky asks, before pulling a lever that makes the Lion Champion blast forwards with all the primal power of a true King of Beasts.
Last edited: Nov 5, 2019
Interlude 8: Heartburn Relief
In a darkened room, several individuals stand and sit casually around an unused Transponder Snail. In front of the snail, a woman leans back in her chair, straightening her posture as she considers her next words carefully.
"Where will we go from here?" Rob Lucci asks.
Kalifa looks to her fellow assassin with a firm expression.
"Has Kaku responded to our offer?" she asks in response.
The man scowls. "No. He's been trained too well. He refuses to rejoin CP9, now that he's broken cover. We won't be getting anything out of him."
She frowns. "I see. That's unfortunate. Perhaps I'll contact headquarters later. It wouldn't do for future agents to be trained to behave like that in the future," she points out.
After a moment, she shakes her head, brushing off the setback. "No matter. Our mission, for right now at least, will be to return to our usual business. If you find an opportunity to gather any of these new 'Airship' blueprints that are floating around, do so. The actions of that cyborg lead me to believe we may be tapping a dry well, working under Iceberg. In spite of this, we might be able to obtain something valuable from this mess. It simply depends on how things proceed in the coming months," Kalifa says, adjusting her glasses.
"From this point forward, consider this our extraction period. Unless something changes in the coming months, we'll be preparing to bring our operations here to a close. I'll look into where to reassign ourselves, in the interim period," she explains, crossing her legs and falling silent.
The rest of CP9 respond in unison. "Understood, Chief Kalifa."
Her glasses oddly sparkle in the darkness of the room.
Poor, miserable Wapol. Despite his kingly status, here he sits, without a single beri to his name. That damn rubberman. Those damn quacks. Those damn doctors!
If it wasn't for those ingrateful rebels, Wapol would be back in the comfort of Drum Castle, instead of living in a storm drain, eating garbage on this dismal island.
There's not even anything fun to do in this hick town! He had been forced to rely on the discarded board-games and playing cards that occasionally made their way into the dumpsters of Bore Da Island for entertainment.
'Playing card games by yourself… Isn't very fun,' Wapol thinks to himself.
This sad state of affairs continues until the fateful day when Bore Da Island was seemingly under attack.
Normally, this wouldn't concern Wapol. It isn't his duty to protect an island he isn't beholden to. OF course, it becomes his concern when the head of the island's law enforcement came to his humble storm drain with an ultimatum in mind.
"You, freaky eating guy, we need all hands on deck, there are a bunch of goddamn flying pirates attacking us, and you're the only Devil Fruit User on the island."
Wapol picks his nose. "I don't see why that's my problem! What goodwill would someone like me have for the lowly commoners that scorned me?!"
"If you help, then I won't arrest you after all of this is done," the man says, adjusting the rifle slung over his shoulder with intent.
"And if I don't help, there might not be a you to arrest me," Wapol boldly proclaims.
The man raises his eyebrows, his large beard ruffling in response. "That's a good point. If you help, then I won't arrest you right here and now, then."
Wapol's smug expression turns into a blank-faced glare. "Fine! Whatever. I will deign to help your little hamlet."
After some arguing and a lot of the bushy-bearded officer herding Wapol around, they eventually arrive at where the poor citizens are trying their hardest to shoot down the flying Pirate Ship stuffed to the brim with balloons of pink clouds, courtesy of their black-market connections.
The drafted civilian heading the Militia sighs with relief at the sight of bushy-beard. "Oh thank god you're here Vladimir, our cannons, they can't reach all the way up to the ship, I don't know what we're going to do, they'll have our island flattened before we even scratch them, at this rate!" they exclaim, looking at Wapol suspiciously.
The former king rolls his eyes. "Your cannons can reach up there just fine, you're just not using them right, give them to me!" Wapol demands, not even bothering to wait for a response before tearing into the row of cannons in a frenzy, devouring the cannons, the crate of cannonballs, and the barrel of gunpowder before transforming into a metal monster, covered head to toe in weapons.
"Well, it isn't quite up to my usual standards, but I believe it will do. Wapol Armory!" he shouts, pointing his entire body at the ship while the civilians look on in awe and fear.
Wapol opens fire with sadistic glee, pretending that the airship pirates attacking the town are the same Strawhat Pirates that destroyed his livelihood and ruined his perfect kingdom.
By the time he finishes, the cannons are empty, and the Airship is a pile of splinters and bloodied pirates on the ground. A few chunks of the ship float into the sky slowly, snagged on the cloud-balloons tied to them.
He's surprised when hours later, a large box of goodies is next to his storm drain, along with a few members of the grateful townsfolk. He looks at them scornfully.
"What's all of this for? Finally recognizing my rights as a member of royalty?" Wapol says suspiciously, muscling past them to open it up, seeing the food, dry boxes of playing cards and board games, and clean clothes.
"Well, I don't know about that, but you helped us, so we decided to thank you. Despite your horrible personality," a little girl exclaims, hiding behind her father's leg.
Wapol rolls his eyes again. "What a ridiculous notion! I only helped you to get out of being arrested! Maaahahahahahah!" he laughs.
The townsfolk shrug, vacating the area while he eats most of the things in the box, at least a few of them not even being food.
He belches as an odd stomachache overtakes him. "Huh. That's never happened before."
Shrugging, he uses his Wapol Factory to spit out whatever's bothering his stomach, the resulting object being a weird block of wood, A soggy note is attached.
"It's a phone! In case we need to call you." the note reads.
Wapol notices with a bit of internal rummaging that he accidentally combined the "Phone" with some of the board games. Shrugging, he pokes the wooden block until it lights up, exploring the machine until he eventually realizes that the boardgames are inside it now.
"Huh. How weird!" Wapol exclaims, eyeing his other board games with a conspiratorial air.
'Stop feeling grateful you moron, they ruined everything!' a tiny voice in the back of Drim's head exclaims as they stare out at the infinite skies set out in front of them.
Drim tried their best to keep the tiny ember of vengence and resentment from winking out when faced with the beauty and majesty of Skypiea. An entire world up in the skies they coveted.
Despite being utterly without energy in the fishbowl they're being kept in, Drim is still laying in the right position to stare out the window of the small hut they are being kept in, far enough away from the rest of Skypiea that even if their powers worked, they wouldn't be able to do anything.
'The Strawhats took away your dream, moments from realizing it,' Drim insists to themselves.
'Who cares, you're up in the skies now, that is your dream,' the traitorous bit of themselves points out.
A dumb old Skypiean walks into the room, fishfood in hand to feed to the little seahorse.
Dumb old smiling guy, his dumb robes and his dumb face. If Drim was out of this bowl, he wouldn't be smiling so serenely.
'Oh who am I kidding, he probably would be. I haven't seen this guy frown since I got here,' the seahorse thinks to themselves spitefully, refusing to eat until they leave, out of some sort of desire to preserve their nonexistent dignity.
Despite their best efforts to brood and cultivate malice, their eyes turn back to the horizon. An entire world of clouds in the sky, and they're in it.
Mihawk is torn. On the one hand, Shanks is an ugly crier, and he's not exactly a pretty drunk either. And he's both right now. And he's ruining Mihawk's coat.
Actually, Mihawk isn't torn at all. "Get off of me, you clown," he says sharply, pushing the pirate off of him.
"But Hawky! What did they do to my little Anchor! I don't gehehet it!?" Shanks wails, drunk out of his mind as he collapses onto an empty crate that used to be filled with booze. The other members of the Red-Hair Pirates are drunk as well, though they are mostly laughing at their captain's melodramatic reaction to the news.
Sure, Luffy's bounty is growing at a rate even Mihawk wouldn't scoff too loudly at, but apparently, the rumors of him being a "Secret Warlord" were too much for the buffoonish Shanks to handle.
His eyes shimmer with clarity for a brief, terrifying moment. "Hawky, you gotta do me a favor," Shanks says in a tone that the World's Greatest Swordsman doesn't like at all.
"No I don't," Mihawk says, already preparing to leave.
"Please, you gotta!" Shanks retorts, his hand snaking around to try and find another bottle of booze.
"I'm not going to go all the way to Paradise, again, just to act as your errand-boy and find out why Strawhat Luffy is cooperating with the World Government," Mihawk says with the sharpened edge of a million razors in his tone.
Shanks wracks his fuzzy, booze-dunked mind, before remembering just the perfect thing. "Asuka Island is in Paradise…" he says with a goofy, conspiring grin. He knew his experiences back in his cabin boy days still had some gems to pump out.
Mihawk's eyes narrow. How dare Shanks dangle that in front of him. "You're lying."
Shanks almost falls off of his crate as his grin widens. "Last time I was there, it still had that-that sword thingie you were interested in…" he says in a sing-song voice hiccuping.
"You are lying," Mihawk repeats.
Shanks looks away slyly. "Am I? Am I really?"
Chapter 96: Photopsia
After their quick flight around Water Seven, Lion Champion had proven herself to be up to Merry's standards and beyond. Something the sheep responded to by training harder than ever. Something about the Airship's initial showing had lit a fire in Merry. A fire more than adequate to push her to her limits with a competitive fervor.
"And that makes twenty," Merry puffs, having been practicing her flight long enough to finish her twentieth loop around the island. Though, with how she had been handling it thus far, it could more aptly be called "Extremely Enthusiastic Jumping"
Without wings to offer her a way to glide, Merry's option for high-speed flight amounted to forming clouds beneath her hooves, before taking a running leap and using her Jet Dials to blast herself into the sky, forming a cloud to cushion her as she lost altitude.
One thing she quickly learned to do was to take deep, vortex-inducing breaths to quickly refill the dial-stored air needed for her incredibly long jumps from cloud to cloud. Something which left her with a newfound appreciation for her little crew members who apparently needed to breathe on a regular basis.
Kaku somehow does several impossible jumps in the air that Merry had previously only seen while spying on Luffy playing those games, using the air-jumps to make his way up onto her deck.
"You should probably take a break ma'am. We'd like you in fighting-form before we start cobbling together the refit you've been wanting."
Merry eyes her newest little crew member with intrigue. She can sort of tell he isn't one-hundred percent on-board as a Strawhat yet. After a few moments, she gets a better taste of the feeling, concluding that the man is simply more fazed about losing both of his former jobs than he is willing to admit.
"Oh, alright. But don't call me ma'am. I'm nobody's grandma, so you'll call me Merry like everyone else," she pouts playfully.
Kaku salutes dutifully. "Yes, ma'am."
'Cheeky,' Merry thinks to herself, her eyebrow raising as she hops off of her cloud and thuds to the ground below.
"So then, am I large enough for all the guns I'd like now? The mayor mentioned that they were too heavy for me," she says as she makes her way to Franky House for her exciting new adventure in heavy armaments.
Kaku nods, offering a genuine plain smile. "Well, that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about, the machining will take some time, but Mayor Iceburg didn't know about some of the things we have to work with. Given some time, I think we can satisfy the spirit of the original blueprints, if only in weapon-count."
"Oh? Well, if weight isn't a concern, I should be able to get even more weapons than the original blueprints specified now that I've grown so large. Am I wrong?" Merry says leadingly.
"As many as you feel comfortable with carrying," Kaku nods amicably, seeing little wrong with her seemingly innocuous request.
"Now that's what I like to hear," Merry says with a giddy, mischevious expression on her face. After a moment, she realizes one minor issue with this.
"Just be mindful. Jackson's onboard in his lab. I don't know exactly what he's doing, but he's been maniacally laughing a lot, and didn't really notice me jumping around…"
Jackson's eyes dart around madly, or, as he might describe it, "excitedly".
Shoving another wand into the pot, an outright giggle erupts from him as his scanner indicates it produced another small blip of Magical Slosh.
He won't be able to use it for anything too big until he makes a quick stop in Skypiea, but even now, there are more than a few things that having access to the barest whispers of magic will give him.
"First and foremost…" Jackson thinks to himself, using his Sacred Psychic Screwdriver to unscrew his arm, revealing the components that give him access to his Sacred Psychic Powers in the first place.
Holding up a single small vial of magic, Jackson pulls the Divine and Psychic Capacitors out of the mechanism, pouring pure Magic into it instead. Instantly, Jackson feels a deep, bone-tired sensation wash over him for a moment at the sudden expenditure of energy that was required to do so, before clapping the panel shut, and allowing the alchemy to fade.
Clutching his fist tight, Jackson grins as the nature of his abilities change. Before, he had been forced to cobble together holy power and psychic energies, in an effort to give himself his Invisible Energy techniques. The two components were far from ideal for the task he had been using them for.
Magic, however, is a different story entirely.
Jackson snaps his fingers, and a small puff of sparkling smoke and stars heralds an empty can appearing in his hand, his Slosh Dials being drained to provide the material needed to simply spawn the object in the palm of his hand.
What makes this special, however, is that he had spawned the object in the wrong hand. The can simply appeared from nowhere, without any slosh visibly emerging from his Dials.
'As if by magic,' Jackson thinks to himself with a wide, satisfied smile.
Tossing the can up and down for a few moments, the alchemist tests its weight before hucking it into the air.
"Magic Scalpel!"
Jackson snaps his fingers, and in the same moment, a brief pulse of energy appears inside of the can, slicing it in two.
The two halves hang in the air, until, with a bit of waggling from Jackson's fingers, they come back together, reforming the whole can and plopping into his outstretched palm.
"Jackson, are you done in there? It's about time for my refit, and we need to get my rooms cleared out," Merry asks politely.
He looks to the pipe she spoke from.
"Ahh. Yes, I'm done for now. As for clearing out my room…" he continues, looking at the messy laboratory with interest.
His eyes widen with a revelation that shocks him to his core. Pure joy bubbles up inside of him.
"I've waited my entire life just to do this," he mumbles, cracking his knuckles as he looks at all of the tools and furnishings.
He spawns a small wooden stick in the air with a puff of sparkling smoke, which lands in his open hand.
"Higitus Figitus Zumbabazing!" he shouts, gesturing with both hands and making all of the small objects in the room turn to face him.
"I want your attention every thing!" he continues, waving his arms and making the shelves and melting pots turn as well.
Daz's face remains carefully blank as he stares at Foxy, who they had finally gotten in for a small meeting.
"So, what did you need to know about, masked fellow?" Foxy asks idly, hoping to get back to the Sexy Foxy in time for lunch.
"We need to know where you acquired the Ghetto Ghetto Fruit that you have in your possession. It's very important."
Foxy sweats heavily. "Ahh, well, uhh… That is to say," he attempts several times, stammering more than once.
"Answer clearly and concisely," Daz says emotionlessly, crossing his arms.
Foxy gulps at the masked man. "I uhh," he pulls the fruit out of his pocket, fiddling around with it for a moment.
A quiet click heralds the fruit transforming, flickering for a moment before seemingly shifting into a large seashell.
"It's just a Light Dial I bought on the black market. My Slow Slow Fruit produces Slo-Mo-Particles."
He holds up the dial to his face, holding it for a moment before firing a purple beam into the mouth of the dial.
When he clicks the button, the slowed-down photons flow out of the dial, shifting and changing into Foxy's smug face.
"It's my Slow-Slow Hologram!"
Daz stares silently. Foxy's proud smile turning into a nervous one under his intense gaze.
"Gotcha! Fehfehfeh…?" he laughs.
Daz stands up, making Foxy flinch back slightly.
After a few moments, he turns, walking out of the room. "I'll inform the others of the illegal dial trade. This won't be our last conversation on the subject. You can go now," he finishes.
As the door closes, Foxy lets out a relieved sigh, wiping the sweat off his face. He knew it was a risky gambit, trying to fake one of those fake Devil Fruits. What kind of idiot would genuinely believe that someone could just waltz into a Marine base and steal a Devil Fruit without being found out?
Apparently, the fleet he's now a part of, for one…
"For a supposed superhero, that 'Mister 1' guy sure is intense…" Foxy complains, walking out of the room and making a beeline to the Foxy, where the cooks are currently preparing one of his favorite dishes.
"Ugh, maybe some old fashioned noodle soup will calm my nerves," he mutters to himself as he walks outside.
As he does, he notices that weirdo wizard guy dancing on the deck of that ship that chewed up the Sexy Foxy's anchor chains. He's singing poorly and making furniture float out of the ship and around him.
"What kind of alcohol goes good with noodles, I wonder," Foxy mutters to himself, hoping to scrub his mind clean of the bizarre sight.
Luffy takes surprisingly non-voracious bites of a towering chocolate sundae, Conis, Tall, Mockery, and Foxy sitting around a table with him, each given an ice cream sundae of their own, courtesy of Sanji's hard work.
"So, as I understand it, some very dangerous things happened in the weeks we were gone, right?" Conis asks, her Cloud Fox Su scampering up onto her shoulder as she speaks.
Luffy nods. "Yeah. A dumb string guy tried to kidnap Chopper, so we had to beat him up. He was tough," he explains.
"Tough? He was one of the Seven Warlords! I think 'Tough' might be understating it a bit," Foxy grouses.
"He was pretty tough. Probably would have killed us if we didn't cheat," Luffy corrects, shrugging off the other captain's words.
"I see. Is that why you've called us all here?" Conis asks.
Luffy nods, swallowing the last of his sundae. "Yeah. You guys gotta get stronger too, so you don't get hurt as bad. They're only gonna get tougher and meaner, the further we go. If you want to hang out back in this half of the Grand Line, that's cool too," Luffy explains bluntly.
"I got hurt real bad fighting that Mingo guy. Most of us did."
He shrugs. "Gotta get stronger," he explains blithely.
Foxy interjects. "So, about staying around these waters. I've got little intention of sailing my crew to our dooms. you wouldn't have a problem with us serving under you in this sort of capacity?"
Luffy stares at Foxy appraisingly. "Yeah, I mean, do whatever you want. Just don't be a jerk, or we'll have a problem. You know what I'm talking about, right?"
Foxy scratches his head. "Could you be more specific, sir?"
Luffy pouts. "Don't mess with people unless they're assholes. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if I find out stuff I don't like, I'm going to have to do something about it. Do you get what I mean?"
He stuffs a finger in his ear, digging for gold. "I don't really like this big fleet thing, but I can live with it as long as you guys don't make me mad."
Foxy nods. "I think I understand the basic idea. Well, that's a load off of my mind!"
"Well, that's all I had to say. Don't be jerks, and if you want to follow us all the way to the New World, you gotta get a lot stronger, or you'll just end up biting it. We'll set sail as soon as Merry's ready," Luffy finishes, picking up his empty bowl and carrying it off to the kitchen for Sanji to either clean it or preferably, refill it.
Tall pounds a fist into their hands. "There isn't a single member of the Sea Animals who aren't ready to fight their hardest. Hell, us Dugongs still have to learn everything Sensei Luffy has to teach us. We're going to follow, right?" he says, looking to Mockery and finding them nodding with minimal hesitance.
Foxy scoffs. "Well, if I don't have to, I'm having my men stay right here. We've got a good thing going in this stretch of the Grand Line, and Captain Luffy doesn't seem to have a problem with us continuing it."
Conis, however, seems torn. On the one hand, she and the rest of the Valkyries are invested in following this thing through. On the other hand, she can't help but wonder if they can get strong enough, fast enough to follow the Strawhats all the way to the end of this journey.
"I'll have to discuss this with the rest of my crew," she admits, taking mental stock of the weapons and dials she had obtained while back in Skypiea.
Are the blessings of Gan Fall enough to protect them from the challenges that lie ahead?
Last edited: Nov 9, 2019
Chapter 97: Reflex
Merry tries to act flippant when Franky explains that the Lion Champion's bridge is large enough for her to ride in it as well.
"Well, I could benchpress this sleepy tugboat to the Red Line and back and you don't hear me bragging," she says, flicking her nose into the air as she walks up into the Airship's covered bridge.
Her haughty expression softens when she notes all of the Sea Animal Pirates, who seem to have made the ship their own in record time.
Tiny canals of fresh clean water pumped through the rooms let the Dugongs ferry around their less swimmy companions at high speeds, and elsewhere, Egrethieves sort out treasure in the hold with expressions on their faces that assure Merry the goods weren't obtained through legal channels.
All of this and more is plain and clear over the video screens that fill up the bridge, the wooden panels serving to give the people here an idea of the ship's workflow.
"Fantastic crew though. Really," she says, smirking at Tall and Mockery, who are busy getting a particularly confused Cloud Wolf up to speed on their new job as one of the pilots.
"So, where are we headed first?" Frankie asks, smirking as he keeps a razor-sharp eye on his inexperienced copilot.
"Well, let me have a look," Nami says, pulling up her incomplete world-map.
"Jackson needs to make a pitstop at Skypiea to prepare fruit for trading, Chopper needs to visit Drum, and Luffy wants to…" she sighs.
"He wants to give a bunch of bandits some of our cash, all the way back on Dawn Island," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, what good is money if we can't do whatever we want with it?" Luffy says, crossing his arm with a small pout on his face.
She pauses for a moment, considering her own home-island… It couldn't hurt to make sure they're all doing alright. "Fair enough. So I suppose we've got a few trips to make, just to check up on everyone before we circuit around to Sabody."
"I'll have us there in no time flat," Frankie says, plopping down into his swivel chair and turning to the controls.
"Woo!" Luffy shouts, throwing his hands in the air. Merry leans down, scooping her captain onto her head.
"I wonder what Kaya and Merry will think of me now," Going Merry says, laying down as she stares out at the horizon.
She shakes her head, banishing the amusing thoughts. "Well, let's get going, then."
"Wait, we can't leave without Jackson. Where's he at?" Luffy asks, noticing the distinct lack of Wizardy robes and pointy hats.
"I think he was talking to that Foxy guy about something," Usopp interjects, looking over the blueprints for Merry's new upgrades with intense scrutiny alongside Kaku.
Kaku nods, turning his attention away from the blueprints as he twists back in his chair to look at the ship. "He said he would be back in a jiffy. If you like, we could go out on the flight deck and test some of your new armaments."
"Flight deck?" Merry asks, tilting her head.
The shipwright nods. "Frankie, could you extend the Flight Deck?" he asks politely.
Frankie nods, pulling a lever that makes the entire ship rumble slightly. Through one of the screens, Merry notices Lion Champion's upper manifold extend several wide nozzles, which spray out a sheet of Steel Clouds that rapidly harden into a platform.
"Usopp, you've got this handled, yes?" Kaku asks rhetorically, sliding the papers over to the sniper.
Usopp tosses his head back, barking out a laugh. "As if the amazing sniper Usopp would pass up the opportunity to see the world's greatest ship fire her new cannons for the first time!" he exclaims, the blueprints going ignored as he follows the group up onto the deck to watch the show.
"So, what exactly did you need with me, Wizard Man?" Foxy asks, slicking his hair back confidently.
Jackson holds up a simple treasure chest, banded with iron.
"A care package. Never let it be said that the Strawhat Pirates don't do nice things for their mooks," he jokes in a deadpan tone, setting it down and sliding it over.
Foxy opens it, noticing that, instead of precious jewels and gold, the box contains rather boring looking things. Wooden panels, sacks of grain and seeds, and a dull brown suitcase.
"What's all this junk?" he asks, pulling out a sack and looking at the odd seeds inside of it curiously.
"Knowledge Wood. Think of it as a fancy Transponder Snail. Seeds to grow more Knowledge Wood, some seeds for special soybeans, to help with feeding your large crew, and, of course, a suitcase containing five Ghetto Fruits and five Laser Dials. The dials should be compatible with your Slo-Mo Photons, and the fruits " Jackson explains meticulously, Foxy's lips leaking drool the exact instant Jackson mentioned Ghetto Fruits and Laser Dials.
"Stay out of trouble, Foxy. Luffy probably didn't explain himself very well, but, ideally, we just want you to not get anyone killed if you can help it. If you catch half a crew, at least ferry the other half to an inhabited island or recruit them or something. Make sense?" the alchemist asks.
Foxy nods frantically. "Oh, of course! Be a Goody Two-Shoes after I'm done being a pirate, I gotcha Mr. Wizard Sir," Foxy says, bowing repeatedly before being interrupted by a deafening explosion.
Jackson turns to look over where the ungodly noise came from. "Huh. Looks like the gang got bored enough to fire off their new toys. Well, that's my cue to leave. Keep your large, but immaculately well-kept nose clean, Captain Foxy," Jackson says, waving off the half-depressed, half-overjoyed man as he turns to leave.
Walking a short ways, Jackson spots Merry upside down, her new enhanced Jewel Adam Wood the only thing keeping her mast from snapping as she tries to pull it out of the rock it is embedded in.
Her eyes swirl dizzily as she shrugs off the recoil from her firing every single gun she could create from her hull, the Steel Cloud cannons poking out from her fluffy white wool all comically blown out from the explosive shells she had loaded them with.
"Hi Jacky, help me out here?" Merry whispers, coughing out soot.
With an exasperated sigh, Jackson snaps his fingers, poofing up a crowbar and jamming it into the cracked rocks to try and work some of them free while the rest of the crew frantically runs towards them to help.
"So, could you explain what happened?" Jackson asks politely, a rock cracking off as he jerks the crowbar sharply.
"I wanted to see what would happen if I fired as many cannons as I could…" Merry begins.
"All at once," she finishes with embarrassment in her tone.
"I see. The tactic could use some work," he deadpans.
With Merry extracted and Jackson on-board, the Lion Champion begins preparing for takeoff.
"Alright, everyone, keep your arms inside the ride at all times," Frankie says, pulling down a set of goggles over his eyes as he pulls several levers and sends the ship floating into the air.
Nami flicks a screen, bringing up her map and navigational tools.
"You'll want to go thataway. Our first stop is Skypiea," the navigator explains, pointing in a specific direction that Frankie and his dog copilot dutifully maneuver Lion Champion towards.
Luffy and a few others poke their heads out of the windows, waving frantically at the Foxy Pirates and the Valkyries.
"We'll be back in a little while, so don't get too comfy!" Luffy exclaims with a broad smile.
His cheeks flap as the airship explodes into action, flying away fast enough for the wind to tug his head back like a ragdoll before he yanks it back inside.
"Alright, traveling at around 100 Knots, we should be back in Skypiea in a day or so. Get comfy guys," Nami says, wandering off to explore the ship.
"I'd better check how bad the damage to my lab is, after Merry's… Acrobatic display," Jackson poses diplomatically.
Chopper nods nervously, following along to check his own lab as well.
Jackson looks at the ruined and decimated laboratory with appraising interest. This contrasts with Chopper's look of horror at the rainbow nightmare of a room that was created from bottles of Slosh and tools shattering on the floor and walls, transforming it into a maze of twisted bee statues and assorted materials.
The alchemist simply cracks his fingers. "Oh yeah, I can work with this," he says with a smirk as Chopper scrambles to make sure his own lab isn't in the same kind of chaos.
He snaps his fingers, injecting stone slosh into the chaotic mess. In seconds, a stony grey begins to spread over the room as the objects and fluids are petrified one by one.
"Magic Knife," Jackson mutters, flicking his wrist and making several slits appear in the room in a puff of smoke. Slowly, the stone begins to unfold at Jackson's command, the random garbage flipping over and being turned into new tables and chairs.
"Now that's a hell of an aesthetic," he grins, looking at the newly petrified and reorganized room. The walls are a mishmash of delicately carved stone garbage, and the floor is covered in bizarre, almost artistic tables and chairs with even more oddities carved into them as well.
"It's missing something…" Jackson says, snapping his fingers to spawn several impact dials that embed themselves in the room's objects to absorb the consequences of any future shenanigans from Merry.
"Oh, duh," he says, gesturing with both hands and spawning candles on the walls.
He squints as he continues waving his hands to warp and twist them with things like his Magic Screwdriver, and Magic Hammer. "Take a few laser dials, a bit of blue glass, and a fire, and that nets you…"
The candles transform, their wax gaining twisted spirals over their surface, while their flames turn a vivid and eery blue.
"Add a few water dials and some green water to drip down the walls, and… Done!" he finishes, making a few holes in the walls that simply serve to circulate spooky-looking water to dribble down them.
"Now this is a goddamn Alchemist's laboratory," he says, turning his pots upright and setting them on the floor near the back of the room.
"Chopper! I'm coming in. How bad is the damage?" he asks, walking across the hall to the medical laboratory, where Chopper is weeping and cradling a book labeled 'Extremely Common Causes of Toothaches.' The book seems to have been splashed with a broken bottle of saline solution.
Jackson sighs, squatting down and patting the Reindeer on the back. "Let's get this place fixed up, yeah? We'll get those books dried out, and start scanning them into some Knowledge Wood right away so this doesn't happen again."
Chopper nods pitifully, perking up at the idea of scanning all of his books.
Meanwhile, back in Water Seven, Conis is drilling her crew with all the force she can muster, a temporary camp formed just so they can get some practice in before setting sail with the Strawhats when they return.
"Come on guys, give me one more hour and then we can take a break," she demands firmly, watching them assemble and disassemble their Laser Rifles and Beam Swords, Light Dials continually pulled out and socketing into their Steel Cloud Frames.
A weird, ape-like man approaches her. Someone she vaguely recalls as being named 'Hamburg'. One of that Fox Guy's men.
"You know, you guys are taking breaks, but you're not really relaxing much, are you? You won't get anywhere with them like that" he says, snickering to himself.
"And what would you know about strengthening my crew?" Conis responds with a neutral, if curious, tone.
"Well, Captain Foxy has an incredibly large crew. We know how to whip a lot of people into fighting shape, and usually, they're all green," he says, something implicative in his tone as he glances at the various Valkyries.
"So?" Conis says, hoping that this strange man will get to the point.
"So, you've got a bunch of guys who don't know how to play hard after they're done working hard, and that's going to hold them back. We are supposed to be working together, aren't we? Why not see how the pros keep in shape? It isn't like Davy Back Fights don't require physical excellence," he finishes, looking at the robed goat-horned men appraisingly as they dutifullly continue their practicing.
Conis bites her tongue. "I suppose, if what you say is true, it couldn't hurt to see how a large crew like yours functions," she ventures.
"Great. The cooks already have enough made for both our crews. Send your guys over before it gets cold!" he says, waving as he wanders back to the Sexy Foxy.
As he returns, he high-fives Foxy and Porche. "They'll be an easy sell," he says, chuckling to himself with a hand clamped over his mouth.
"Nice! I can't wait to see what sort of dials they would be willing to give us. Lord knows our help is worth it to them. Seeing how that captain is running her crew, you'd think she's as green as they are! Fehfehfehfeh!"
"But we are going to help them, right?" Porche interjects curiously.
Foxy waves her off. "Yeah, yeah, of course. We just help them loosen up, give them some of the modern training regiments we've picked up. Easy peasy."
"It isn't like we're dealing with a bunch of old-fashioned monks or something."
Chapter 98: Bradykinetic
"So, are you ready Mahmud?" one of the Valkyries asks, slipping on their gloves and tightening their boots.
Mahmud looks down at the ground, kicking at it lightly. "Yeah. I guess." the child responds, ducking under the doorframe so he can fit through it.
The high concentrations of oxygen present in the blue sea paired with his youth had caused him to grow at an incredible rate. The trip to Skypiea and back had proven to be more than long enough for him to become larger than almost all of the other Valkyries.
'It won't be long before we start needing to fix a room just to fit mehehe…' he thinks to himself, looking back at the doorway.
The child shakes the thoughts out of his head. The Captain said they were going to learn "how to relax" from those pirates they met. He isn't sure what could be more relaxing than meditation and inner-reflection, but the idea of interacting with the weird new people intrigues Mahmud enough to shove down the skepticism he felt.
The skepticism comes back the exact instant he leaves the room and sees the Foxy Pirates, who seem to have hastily constructed a crude amusement park from surrounding material.
One rollercoster, powered by a handcrank being used by a hulking giant of a man, goes off the rails, soaring through the air and crashing on the ground where it slides to a halt, the pirates laughing uproariously as they climb out of the wreckage and rub their collectively bruised heads.
"Oh dear," Mahmud mutters to himself, suddenly very nervous about what these pirates seem to think "relaxing" is.
"Hey Mah, think you could get us some helmets? I fear for my dome," one of the monks leans in, whispering as they stare at the chaotic festivities.
The child gulps audibly. "I'll get right on that."
One pile of pillows in one circle. One pile of metal in another circle. The two circles each have arrows drawn that point towards a third, final circle.
Inside this last circle, there is a crude drawing of a hard-hat, and the word "Fifty" written next to it.
"That should do it," Mahmud says, pricking his finger and allowing a small drop of blood to fall onto the chalk. In a moment, the chalk ignites in white light, and the alchemy begins.
He lets out a satisfied, if slightly surprised bleat when the helmets all appear at once, forcing him to take a step back from the unexpected volume of the pieces of headwear.
"I guess fifty is a big number when it comes to hats…" he says, wiping the sweat from his face as he considers how he's going to get all of these helmets over to the Valkyries who actually wanted them.
Rapping one with his knuckle as he picks it up, Mahmud is impressed with the quality. "I knew it was a good idea to switch up my chalk," he mutters with a faint but sincere smile.
Indeed, one of the things Mahmud had ended up doing, though he hadn't exactly told Mr. Jackson about it, was to see what he could do with his Chalk Tree itself. Jackson had stated that his Alchemical Chalk couldn't affect any living creatures, other than plants and other simple organisms. But then, the tree itself was a plant, and Mahmud had quickly realized that he could use his alchemy to affect it, after testing some cuttings from the tree.
One thing he knows for certain is that respect and sacrifice are key to good living. As such, it only seemed logical that to beef up the strength of his alchemy, he had to find a way to make offerings to the tree.
What he eventually settled on after much testing was a simple enough affair. He used alchemy to make the tree purer, and more holy. As such, he could offer things to it to receive stronger chalk.
Though the word "capitalism" wasn't exactly on his mind when he bootstrapped his tree into a sort of tiny deity, the end result very closely resembled it. He made sure to give his tree the cleanest water he could find, and give it the best spots with the most sunlight to sit, and in exchange…
Helmets, glorious helmets.
Captain Conis walks into his little shrine with a small frown and a raised eyebrow.
"One of the crew told me you were in here putting something together. Come on, kid, you should participate as well."
Mahmud offers a quick nod. "Right, sorry ma'am, I was just making some helmets for the others."
A puff of air escapes her nose as she considers which of the Valkyries might have made a request like that. "I see. You know, those pirates are handing out prizes for some of the games. Let's go hand those helmets out, then you can go win something for me. That's an order," she says playfully, patting the kid on the head.
Mahmud nods, scooping up the helmets in his arms and maneuvering his way out of the ship slowly, Conis taking the lead to ensure he doesn't bump into anything breakable, while he himself focuses on not dropping any of the goods.
Another rollercoaster flies off of the rails, crashing into the ground violently.
Several monks thrust their hands out of the rubble, giving Conis and Mahmud a thumbs up, indicating that the helmets are doing their job.
"Now that we've attended to the children, let's see what's so fun about these carnival games," Conis muses walking over to where Ohm is glaring at Foxy, who yawns as he sits down in his little manager's chair.
"Truly, to covet these material treasures has disturbed my inner peace," Ohm hisses as if he were cursing, turning and walking away in a huff.
"What got under his tank-top?" Mahmud wonders quietly, examining the stand Foxy is sitting at with an appraising look.
"Jeeze, what are you feeding this kid? Fehfehfehfehfeh!" Foxy laughs, looking at the tall eleventeen-year-old with an amused expression.
When neither of them laugh at his joke, his smile quickly turns awkward. "Well, it's ten beri for three throws. just toss those darts at the balloons, pop some, and win a prize. Easy and fun."
"And what was Ohm trying to win?" Conis asks, looking at the various stuffed dolls of varying sizes.
"Ugh, that spoilsport. He was trying to get at our grand prize, the first and only official Tony Tony Chopper merchandise!" he shouts, pointing towards the giant, albeit crude plushy of Chopper.
Conis looks at it with a disturbed, intrigued expression, noting the other Strawhat dolls next to them. "Wait, 'official'?"
Foxy nods sagely. "But of course. Bootleg pirate merch is a big hit on the black market. But now that we're part of the Strawhat Fleet, we're authorized to produce the real deal!" he shouts, his eyes glazing over as he chuckles to himself.
"We're going to rake in so much cash…" he says.
Conis notices something odd. "Why does that one of Sanji have a sucker?" she asks, pointing to the crude doll of the Strawhat cook, which indeed has a large red lollypop in its hand.
Foxy glares. "Well he can't exactly have a cigarette. This stuff is for kids, you know. So, care to give it a try? Only ten beri for three throws..!" he offers with a snide smile.
She places a few bills on the table. "You're up, Mahmud," she says, stepping to the side and gesturing for the nervous child to throw the darts.
"I'm not exactly an expert dart-thrower…" he responds.
Conis laughs. "Well, that's hardly the point. It's just for fun. And it will be fun, right?" she says, giving Foxy a pointed look, to which he nods frantically.
"There you go," she affirms, handing over the three tiny darts.
"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt," Mahmud admits, convinced enough to at least try to have this so called "fun".
Conis had already gone through almost 100 Beri just for him. Neither of them can prove it, but Mahmud would swear that Foxy is somehow cheating, with how many times he had almost popped all three balloons, only to whiff the last one.
But this time, Mahmud won't hold back, as Conis sets down 10 more beri, he hardens his resolve. He will win!
He cracks his neck, rearing back with all his might.
Three loud pops ring out, and Foxy jerks awake, having fallen asleep at some point from watching the kid repeatedly fail.
"Great job kid. Now you just gotta do that two more times to win the Tony Tony Chopper…" Foxy trails off as his eyes drift over to a very displeased Conis.
"O-oh, wait, I'm thinking of a different game, silly me! Here you go, I'm going on break, bye!" Foxy shouts, seemingly evaporating as he dashes away, taking only a brief moment to yank the doll off the wall and toss it at them.
"Good work. I knew you'd be able to do it. What say we surprise Ohm with it?" Conis says, offering Mahmud a small smile.
"Yes ma'am!" he nods, glad he didn't have to resort to cheating. If he missed one more time… Well, he had some chalk on hand, he probably could have come up with something.
Unaware of Mahmud's sinful cheater thoughts, Conis muses aloud. "I think this little outing will do a lot of good for the crew," she explains, noticing several monks in a teacup ride, sitting in lotus poses as they try to meditate on the ride.
"It doesn't seem like it will change their behavior much, though," she continues with a bit of amusement.
Ohm doesn't visibly or verbally react to the gift when they give it to him, but he keeps the room to his quarters suspiciously closed after receiving it and storing it there.
Foxy struts forward across from the arrayed Valkyries. "Alright, now the time has come! You've all learned how we Foxy Pirates play hard, so now it is time for you to learn how we work hard! Hamburg!" he shouts, pointing to his trusted crew member.
Hamburg nods, trying not to laugh as he pulls the tarp off of the one construction that the Foxy Pirates neglected to let anyone near while the festivities were ongoing.
"Your training will be grueling so long as we have anything to say about it, and it begins here!" Foxy shouts, pointing to the large stage with what appear to be spotlights attached to it, aimed inwards.
"Now, normally, I would have to blast whoever is training with my Slow Slow Beam every few seconds while they perform the Foxy Pirate Ultimate Training from Hell, but, with all this fancy new technology floating around nowadays, my slo-mo photons can be captured and harnessed. You will learn to move efficiently, by moving slowly!" he explains as Hamburg and several Foxy Pirates climb up on the stage.
"So, who's first? We need some volunteers!" he yells, prompting a few monks to step forward. They are quickly ushered onto the stage, and the pink spotlights are instantly centered on them by some Foxy Pirates up in the rafters.
"Now then, let the training begin!" Foxy exclaims, swiping his arm down.
Hamburg and the two other pirates meticulously walk up and gently slap the monks in the face, while they're too slow to do much more than raise their arms halfway up to block it.
"Pitiful. Surely, moving that slowly, you can see all the flaws in your technique?" Foxy exclaims, crossing his arms at the monks, who are starting to realize what's going on as Hamburg cracks his knuckles, slowly moving his fist to tap them on the chest.
The monk tries their hardest to get their arm in front of them, but once again, are simply too slow to avoid the gentle tap.
Conis's eyes widen. "I think I get what's happening here. They're moving so slowly, it's like they've got whole minutes to realize what they're doing wrong. They quite literally can't rush it."
"Correct! I really am quite the genius when it comes to increasing the quality of my crew, aren't I?" Foxy says slyly, carefully ignoring the fact that, before he found out about Dial Technology, this process easily took up entire weeks just to get a few crew members at a time up to his minimum standards, since he had to personally keep them all slowed down with constant Slow-Slow Beams for the entirety of their training, instead of simply storing the beams in dials for later use.
It helps that before that, he didn't even bother using it on himself, considering he couldn't actually hit himself with his Slow Slow Beam effectively, needing a mirror and careful aim just to make the shots.
"Yes indeed, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast! They will learn to be slow. They will learn to be smooth, and then… They will learn to be fast!" he nods, his smug pretentiousness reaching a fever pitch.
Last edited: Nov 15, 2019