"...So Luffy wasn't kidding when he said he could grow size." Vivi commented, staring in awe as Mario used his glove power-up to make himself huge and proceeded to heal Dorry and Broggy.
Sure, he was only as tall as their hips, but still, very impressive.
"Gyehehehehe! To think you can make yourself bigger! Even if it's just a bit!" Broggy said as Mario finished wrapping his hurt hand in a bandage. "You sure you aren't part giant?"
"Nope." Mario denied.
As that happened, the rest are resting after the intense day, having Luffy tell what had happened to meet with DK, who was eating bananas, and-
Listen to this…
'Sharing' with Luffy his banana.
"So…Mr. 3 was trying to kill you by making wax duplicates of himself. You managed to identify him and give him a good old boot to the face, and he miraculous stood awake, only for him to accidentally step on a banana, magically making big guy here to appeared behind him like Death, and proceeded to beat the living shit out of him, ending by sending the guy flying into the air where you swear you saw a twinky star sound." Zoro summarizes.
"Yes."
"...Well, considering that Mario could take on a giant Arlong, I will believe it." Nami said.
"Ook!" DK spoke, but nobody understood him.
"He asked if he was a friend." Luffy translates. "And no DK. That weirdo was a bad guy! He tried to kill my nakamas by covering them in wax!" DK nodded, understanding.
"Okay!" Mario proclaimed as he finished his treatment. "You two! I-a know you have your battles for-a honor, so instead of trying to stop you, I want you both to get five minutes of rest before starting!"
"You got it, little giant doc!" Dorry replied, just as Mario's time went off and he shrunk to his original size.
"...I can't even comprehend how he does it." Vivi sweatdrop.
"Now then," Mario quickly went up to the group. "I think is-a time we all decided what to-"
"NAMI-SWAN! VIVI-CHAN!"
And at that moment, the last member of the crew appeared, going full love mode. "I've been looking for you-Holy shit! Is that Mr. 3?! And it's that Gorilla with a tie?!"
"WHY IS EVERYONE FOCUSING ON THE TIE!?"
"It's called having class." Usopp sagely explained. Somehow, all the men nodded at this.
"WELL YOU ALL CAN-Hold on." Vivi's outburst vanished when she realized what Sanji said. "How do you know Mr. 3?"
"Oh yeah." Sanji began explaining that he had found a weird home and explored the inside. During that, he found a transport snail (Mario and DK raised an eyebrow at that) and got a call from Crocodile himself asking 'Mr. 3' about killing the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi, and the collection of the shiny star from Red Cap. "I managed to convince him that we all are dead and have the star in possession." He then took an item from his pocket, "And I received this so we can get to Alabasta."
"An Eternal Pose?!" Vivi stared in disbelief before jumping onto Sanji and hugging him. "Sanji! Thank you so much!"
"It was nothing, my dear!~" He replied with heart eyes.
"So is that the log pose-a that will always point-a to one island?" Mario asked.
"Yes!" Vivi stopped hugging Sanji, much to his displeasure, and held the Eternal Log Pose. "With this, we can go straight to Alabasta!"
"Then what are we waiting for!?"
Without much to say, they went to prepare themselves to leave. Dorry and Broggy said that they would do something before seeing them off. Zoro and Sanji left to get some provisions(they were in the middle of a hunting game). Nami, Vivi, and Carue left for the Merry, while Mario, Luffy, and Usopp accompanied DK.
"Holy shit!" Usopp gasped in amazement at seeing the land of yellow. "He collected all this himself?! Where did he even find this much?!"
"That's DK for ya." Mario chuckled as DK scratched the back of his head embarrassingly. "He has the habit and luck of-a just finding the food he-a needs." He then went to Stuffwell and made him open. "Alright. Let's-a get started." He then took out a small marble ball and threw it-
"WOOOOOOOW!" Luffy and Usopp exclaimed when they saw a bunch of toys that resembled Mario, all looking robotic and having a big toy valve behind them.
Mario clapped his hands and immediately, all the toys woke up to pay attention. "Okie dokie, Mini Marios! We must collect all these bananas into these bags for DK!" He explained while showing three empty sacks. "We are in a hurry! So, Let's-a Go!"
"Wahooo~!" All the toys saluted before turning around and began to work.
"Holy shit, Mario! You didn't say you had an army of yourself!" Usopp said.
"Yep! I have-a company that helps create these toys. They are built to help with moving stuff." Mario explained as the Mini Mario's move bananas in a human chain. "Okie-dokie! DK?"
"Ook?" The gorilla himself was already picking his bananas when he turned to him.
"Tell me how you got here."
"Ook!" And so began the tale.
( Much later, at the Merry)
"See! My lizard is bigger!"
"Huh?! Are you blind? It's clear that my rhino is bigger!"
Nami and Vivi sigh for the tenth time as they watch Zoro and Sanji fight over who hunts big. "Can you both stop and cut the provisions already?"
"Huh? Why would we do that? Can't we just ask Mario to put them in his bag?" Zoro asked.
"He's what?" Vivi blinked.
"Yeah, but surely you don't plan to have him put it all in, right? I mean, if we need it, he would need to take it out and the Merry won't probably hold its size." Nami explained.
Sanji hummed and nodded. "That's true. We must think of our ship." He grinned at Zoro in superiority. "So how about you be useful with those swords and cut them?"
The swordsman's eye twitched. "...You know what? You are right." He breathed out with a smirk. "I should do what you are incapable of doing. So be ready to put them away, housewife."
*CRACK!*
"WHAT YOU SAID YOU STOWAWAY MOSSHEAD?!"
"YOU HEARD ME, PRINCESS DARTBOARD!"
*BONK! BONK!*
"ENOUGH YOU TWO! JUST START CUTTING!" Nami yelled as she threw a cannonball at their heads, making huge bumps appear.
"N-Nami is scary!" Vivi mutters in fear as she and Carue hug each other.
"Hey guys! We are back!"
"Finally!" Nami huffed as she turned to the side where Luffy and the rest were coming. "Can Mario please start-aaaaaaaaaa! Why are there mini Mario's with you?!" She yelled when she saw the toys, three lines of ten carrying big bags.
"It's Mario's toys!" Luffy yelled in excitement. "He had an army of these little ones inside his talking bag! Aren't they cool?!"
"...Yeah." Nami simply smiled tiredly as the little toys began to get aboard. "They…are cool indeed."
"What else does he have?" Vivi asked, staring at the tiny toys as they dropped the bag on the Merry, tilting the ship a bit. She then blinked when one of the toys saw her and marched to her.
"Hello!~" It greeted her.
"...Ah~ So cute!" Its cuteness caught Vivi as she picked him up and hugged him.
"I'm glad you like them." Mario said as he and DK went aboard, "But please be-a careful. They are very fragile." He looked at his gorilla friend, who rolled his eyes. "Super fragile."
"But they are so useful!" Usopp said as he had picked one and showed it to him. "If I had, like, ten of these, I could improve my time in carrying stuff and help around to maintain Merry until we get a Shipwright!"
"Hmmm, that's not a bad idea…except that they aren't waterproof." Mario said.
"Oh…what a let down." Usopp pout.
Once everyone had loaded in, the Merry began to sail. As they followed the canal, Mario brought everyone's attention as the Minis began entering the Item Bag. "Okie dokie! So allow me to explain. DK here was somehow transported from his island by-a the same portal that brought me here. He's been here for a week."
"He managed to make a mountain of bananas in under a week?!"
"If I'm honest? I think the mountain was made in eight hours on the first day." Mario deadpanned.
"Awesome!" Luffy looked at the gorilla in excitement, making DK grin sheepishly.
"That being said, DK didn't come alone. Most-a of his family members got sucked through it as well." The gorilla nodded, looking concerned. "He was collecting-a resources and planning to build a raft to go search for them before we came along."
"Let me guess? You want to help him." Nami deduces.
"I do. While DK is capable of handing himself in, he is my friend and his friends are also mine." Mario turned to DK, smiling. "And I'm not planning to abandon my friends."
"Ook!" DK grunted and gave a thumbs up before looking at the crew, and surprised them when he bowed to them. "Hoooh…"
"Hey! Don't bow!" Luffy quickly said, grinning. "Mario is my nakama! So anyone he considers a friend is my friend too! If he wants to help you, so will we!" He stretched his hand at him, "Welcome aboard my ship, DK!"
"Ook! Ook!" DK beat on his chest before bringing Luffy to a strong hug, which the pirate laughed and accepted.
"Well, not that I'm against it, but can we know how he can help out? We can't exactly have stowaways here." Sanji asked.
"But Vivi is the same." Usopp said.
"She's the precious cargo that we are delivering!"
"It's the same damn thing, moron!"
"Oh don't worry!" Mario said, "He might-a not show it but DK can handle the steering wheel. He is also very powerful, since he's a Star Child."
"...Star Child?" Everyone asked, but before Mario could explain further-
"Fellow human friends!"
Everyone looked forward, seeing Dorry and Broggy at the end of the path, where the ocean lies. They both had their backs on them. "You all have saved us and fought for our honor! To that, we are thankful!" Dorry said.
"For that, we wish to warn you; go forward and a threat will appear in front of you!" Broggy said. "We ask of you; trust us when we say to sail forward and never back! We promise your journey will be safe and fast!"
"Donkey Kong!" The gorilla looked at the giants. "We only knew for a short time, but we could tell that you were on a journey! Whatever it is, we wish you Elbaf's blessing that you reach your goal!"
"Ooooook!" DK beat on his chest, which was translated to 'Thank you!' to them.
"Listen up!" Dorry began to point forward, "Whatever you do, don't stop sailing forward!"
As the Merry exited and sailed, a vibration began to occur under the sea. "W-Woah! What's happening?!"
"Look!" Someone shouted as they pointed forward, where something was rising…and was very big.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"Hahahahaha! There it is! The Island Eater!"
"WOOOOOOOOOW! So big!" Luffy screamed.
"That's the largest goldfish I have ever seen." Mario hummed, very intrigued by its size.
"Ook." DK nodded, unfazed by its size.
"Of course you three would act normal to this!" Vivi yelled at him as she and Nami hugged each other for dear life. "Is there anything that can surprise you at all?!"
"We are going to die!" Usopp yelled in fear, "BUT WE MUST CONTINUE SAIL FORWARD!"
"It's amazing how he can maintain fear and courage in one face!" Sanji screamed.
"Zzzzzzzz."
"DID ZORO FELL ASLEEP?!"
*CHOMP!*
Faster than anyone could know, the giant fish opened its mouth and swallowed the Going Merry.
"Gabagabagaba! Shall we, old pal?!" Broggy readies his ax.
"We shall, old friend!" Dorry replied as he prepared his sword.
They swung their weapons together, and a massive gust of power shot out, " HAKOKU SOVEREIGNTY!"
The beam pierced the fish without problem, leaving a decent hole in which the Going Merry was flying out through the air.
"GO FORWARD! AND MAY THE GOD'S BLESSED YOUR JOURNEY!" Both giants shouted at the flying ship.
…
…
…
"...No damage to the ship!" Mario informed the crew as he had finished inspecting the Merry.
"Well, that's a relief!" Usopp breathed out. "I know and trust both Master Dorry and Broggy, but a man can doubt at times."
"We did land very hard," Sanji said, patting the mast. "If Mario says she's fine, then she is."
"Shishishishi! That's Merry for ya'!" Luffy laughs from his special spot. "Great job, Merry! Now, let's go to-"
*Thud!*
"Y-You guys!"
Everyone turned to the railing, where the voice of a scared Vivi came. "Nami is sick!"
In an instant, everyone was already in her position, where they found a heavy-breathing and skin-red-turning Nami resting on Vivi's lap, while Carue was running around like a chicken without its head.
"Nami!" Sanji shouted in fear as he was about to be by her side before Mario stopped him.
"Don't get close!" He said as he suddenly grabbed his outfit and ripped it off, revealing a doctor's outfit while Cappy swapped its bandana into his doctor's headwear. "We don't know if it's contagious!" He puts on a surgical mask and moves close to Vivi, starting to inspect Nami. "Vivi! I'm going to move her off you. Once done, I want you to follow me. I don't want you close to anyone until I confirm you didn't get whatever Nami has."
"O-Okay!"
"You all! Wait outside!" Mario quickly grabbed Nami and picked her up like a princess before taking her to her room, Vivi right behind him.
"...You know…it's weird." Usopp said.
"What is?" Sanji asked, having lit a cigarette to calm his worry(and jealousy).
"Like, it is weird seeing him carrying a girl like that."
"Huh? Why?" Luffy asked.
"Dudes! Not to mock him or anything, but he's the size of a dwarf! And that's not even his race!"
"What's a dwarf?"
"WHAT YOU DO MEAN 'WHAT'S A DWARF'?! HAVE YOU NEVER READ FAIRY TALE STORIES?!"
"Nope! My grandpa said that reading is for morons who can't dream big!"
"HUH? Is he dumb?! Does he know that stories are why we pirates are sailing the Grand Line in the first place?!"
"I think so. Gramps is a demon."
"Feh! The old coot was one too, so I believe it- Why am I talking about that?! My dear Nami is sick!" Sanji went full worried husband(even though he wasn't one) and went to the door, looking through the window, which- "Oh come on! When did we have curtains?!"
"Nami said-"
"Uhooooooooo! Why, my love?!"
All this happened and DK couldn't help but smile. They all act like his family; one chaotic mess.
The simple thought made the gorilla look over the horizon, having a worried yet determined look in his eyes. ('You guys…wait for me.') He thought in his native language as the faces of his friends appeared.
"...You're thinking of your friends, big guy?" DK turned to Zoro, who was still on the floor and had his eyes closed. "You should stop worrying too much. If you are as capable as Mario implies, then those who accompany you should be the same." Zoro cracked one eye open, "Trust that they will be okay until we find them."
"...Ook!" DK nodded. The green-haired swordsman is correct.
His friends are capable. They will be okay until he finds them.
That being said, there's one thing that he needs to do now…
(Later)
"...Are you serious?" Sanji asked as his eyebrow twitched at incalculable speed.
The entire deck was covered in a huge amount of banana peels, all while DK was sleeping close to Zoro.
"Woohoo! Check it out!" Luffy exclaimed in amazement as he tried to not step on a peel.
*Sweep!* "Ack!"
Keyword being 'tried to'.
"It hasn't even been an hour! How did he get this much of a mess?!" Usopp was disgusted, amazed, and scared.
"Alright everyone-" Mario came out of the room, only to be welcomed by a lot of glares and peels scattered around. "...Damn, this gorilla." He sighs in defeat, knowing how lazy DK is. "I will-a speak to him later, but for now, I have good news and bad news!" In an instant, all three boys were in front of him. "The good news is that the virus is not contagious, Vivi is healthy and well."
"Uhooooooooo! That's one worry off my back!"
"Quack!" Carue sighs in relief.
"But the bad news is…" Mario motions everyone inside. Once done, they saw Nami in the bed with a heavy towel on her head and Vivi looking at a newspaper in horror. "It's one of the reasons you all will need a doctor in your crew," Mario began saying as he went to Nami and moved her shirt, showing a black mark. "This is what caused her to be sick, whatever bit her, I have never seen it before."
"What?! But aren't you a doctor-"
"A doctor from another world."
"...Fair enough."
"But then, comes the worst news."
"What?!"
"How…" Vivi spoke up, "How could this happen…?" Her fearful tone made everyone concerned as the paper fell from her hand, landing on the floor and showing everyone what was in it.
"A total of 3,000 Royal Guards of Alabasta switched sides with the Rebels! Will the war end soon?!"
"...Before passing out, Nami told us about this." Mario sighs while the rest look in shock. "This paper is three days old."
"...Dammit!" Usopp cursed. "Just what we need! More headaches!"
"Mario!" Luffy turned to the plumber, a look of fear and seriousness in his eyes. "Is there nothing you can do to help Nami?!"
The red plumber simply took a deep breath. "...There's something, but…" he put his hand on his coat and pulled out a mushroom, this one was green. "This is a 1-Up Mushroom. This mushroom is to heal up anyone. Giving them an extra life."
"...Why the fuck do you have a miracle fungus and not use it?" Sanji twitch.
"Because…for it to work, Nami has to die or be near death."
…
…
…
"...OH HELL NO!"
"Thank you-a for understanding my concern." Mario put it away, "If I am to use this, I want it to-a be my last resort."
"THAT'S IT!" Luffy suddenly spoke up, "We need to find a doctor! One that can be worthy of this crew!"
"But what about Vivi?!" Usopp pointed at the princess, "It's clear that we need to get her home now!"
"Shit! You're right!"
"Ahhhhh! How can you do this to me, fate!? On one hand, my dear Nami needs a doctor from this God-forsaken world! On the other hand, my sweet Vivi needs to get home!" Sanji dramatically screamed. "What should I focus on?!"
"QUAAAAAAACK!" Carue began to rub around like a chicken without his head.
"...Can…you all…be quiet?"
Everyone stopped as they looked at Nami, who had woken up and immediately tried to stand up.
"Nami!" Mario quickly went and pushed her down. "Don't get up!"
"Guys, look!" She forced a smile. "I'm okay-"
"Young lady." Mario brought out his Ultra Hammer. "If you think I will not use this to knock you out, you-are so dead wrong." The poor navigator flinched in fear.
"What?! You dare hit a lady?!"
"If it means her sake, I will."
"Ghk! Damn it!" Sanji wiggled his hands in annoyance. "I hate that I can't kick you for it because you're right!"
"But…you guys…can't navigate-"
"But forcing yourself isn't going to help anyone either." Mario said as he gently pushed her back to bed. "Please, stay in bed and sleep. We will do our best to get you some help."
"...Nami!" The navigator turned to Luffy, who had a serious look on his face, surprising her. "Take a break. We will handle it until we find a doctor. That's an order."
"L-Luffy-" Anything else she wanted to say stopped when her body went into sleep mode. Mario quickly made her comfortable on the bed before taking everyone out of the room so she could have a bit of peace.
"...I need to get home." Vivi spoke up after a long silence.
"Vivi-"
"And Nami is the fastest way to, right?" Everyone blinks at her in surprise, the princess smiling. "We'll get there faster with Nami healed, right?"
"...Shishi! That's right!" Luffy grinned, followed by everyone. "Let's find a doctor-"
"Uhm, guys!" Starlow appeared from the sky, looking forward with horror. "Not to break the scenery, but we have TORNADO IN COMING!"
Everyone snapped forward and, surely enough, saw a massive cyclone they were getting close to.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"That's huge!"
"We need to move!" Everyone quickly went to their position to sail Merry out-
"Everyone! Calm down!" Mario shouted, causing the three of them to stop. "I know how to fix this!"
"You do?!"
Mario went to where the sleeping gorilla was and patted his back, waking him up. "Ook?"
"Donkey Kong, we have-a problem." Mario pointed at the cyclone.
The gorilla followed and widened his eyes as he jumped to his feet. Nodding at his friend, DK pulled out…a big barrel with an exclamation drawing on it.
"What the fu-?!"
"Where was he hiding that?!"
"His butt, duh!"
"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick of the image…"
"Quack!"
DK gave the barrel to Mario, who picked it up. The gorilla jumped and entered it. Mario spun around and aimed at the cyclone, where the barrel shot DK, whose barrel rolled through the air at blinding speed, making the crew gasp in shock. In a matter of seconds, DK was swallowed by the cyclone completely. A few seconds pass before-
*CLAP!*BOOOM!*
A gigantic clap sound echoed in the air and the cyclone…vanished. The bad weather was no more and the ocean was calm once again.
*Thud!*
The ship shook and creaked when DK landed. "Hooooooooh!" He beat on his chest triumphantly before posing in victory.
"Excellent job, DK!" Mario congratulated him, high-five in his palm. "How about I make you that banana smoothie you like?"
"Okie!" DK eyes shine in delight as he and Mario leave.
All while leaving the Straw Hat Crew stare with jaws already on the floor, even Merry's head figure was shocked.
"Close your mouths, guys~" Starlow teases as she goes after the duo.
…
…
…
"...Y-You know what?" Usopp began to speak. "I-I think it is for the best to just not piss him off!"
"...For once, I must agree." Sanji agreed.
"I HAVE THE COOLEST CREW MEMBERS IN THE WORLD!" Luffy screams in excitement.
Vivi simply stared forward at where the cyclone was…and couldn't help but feel a spark in her. ('If…If this is their strength…then taking Crocodile down won't be a problem!')
"Uhaaaaaa~" At that moment, Zoro woke up, yawing. "Ugh…morning already?"
"A CYCLONE HAPPENED, A GORILLA CLAP IT OUT OF EXISTENCE AND THIS MOTHERFUCKER WAKES UP AFTER ALL THE RUCKUS AS IF IT WAS THE NEXT DAY?!"
"...So it's not morning?"
*Insert muffled screams, yanking hair and metal throwing/hitting Zoro with him yelping*
Two days have passed, and everyone is doing their best to find an Island, even as the weather turns into a snowy climate. Mario had done the best to treat Nami's condition; making sure Sanji made manageable food for her and having everyone switch around. Right now it was Mario, Vivi, and Sanji looking after Nami.
"Hey guys!" Zoro, who was in the nest, asked, "Do people usually walk on water?"
"Not unless you are talking about Jesus. Why?" Usopp asked.
"Cause a guy is walking on water."
…
…
…
Everyone on the deck, Luffy and Usopp, looked at the ocean where, sure enough, a man in a blue jester outfit was standing in the water.
"Boy, sure it is cold today!" The man said.
"...I mean, we are in the middle of the ocean with snow falling, so yeah."
"Really? Can't notice."
"...Is he dumb?"
*Bwoooom!*
A massive noise and movement that shook the Merry caused the door below the deck to open, with an angry Sanji coming out. "What the hell are you idiots doing?!"
…
…
…
He calmly breathed, took a cigarette out, placed it in his mouth, and lit up, before puffing smoke out. "...So, what's going on?"
Click*
"Oh, we are being robbed." Luffy casually replied as they all had several gunmen pointing their muskets at them.
"Yeah, I see that." Sanji deadpanned, not even bothered by the guns at his face.
"Mwahahahahaha!" *chomp*" From out of nowhere, probably the giant ship that's next to them, came a man that resembled a tin can, munching on a meat stick on a sword. "Hmmm, only four of you? Not much of a crew, but meh. I have a question for you hippos." He said while biting the meat…and the sword.
That doesn't look healthy!
"Do you peasants know or have an Eternal Pose to Drum Kingdom?" He asked.
"What the heck is Drum Kingdom?"
"Huh?! How do you fools don't know the greatest kingdom in all the Grand Line?!"
"Cause we don't know."
"...Tch! This is why I hate peasants; useless." He scoffed. "This was a waste of time, so we'll just take your valuables-"
"HOLY SHIT! IT'S A MONSTER!" One of the invading men shouted as he moved back in fear when Donkey Kong came out of the kitchen with a banana in hand, shocking and scaring all the invaders.
"Ook?"
"AH!"
*BANG!*
A bullet was shot.
DK yelped in surprise at the sudden action…before feeling something wrong. He slowly looked at his hand, where his banana was now destroyed, having a hole through it.
"...How did you miss-"
"You bastard!" A stretching fist hit the man who fired. "Don't shoot at my Nakama!"
"Hey!"
*PUNCH!*
Whatever the man wanted to say was…gone as DK's giant fist punched his entire face and sent him flying into the sky…
With horrified expressions at where the poor man was sent, all members slowly turned to the pirates, as Luffy, DK, Zoro, and Sanji now sported evil auras.
"So…What was that about taking our valuables?" Zoro asked.
"Y-You bastards!" The fat man yelled although he, himself, was scared now. "Do you have any idea who I am?! I'm King Wapol! Ruler of-"
"Gum-Gum…!"
"Ook! Ook!" Luffy and DK appeared in front of Wapol, Luffy with his arm stretched again and DK with his arm twisting.
"Eh?! Wait-"
"Pistol!"
"Hehooo!"
The Gum-Gum Pistol and the Giant Punch smashed into Wapol, the bastard could only whine in pain as he was sent flying into the sky as well.
"KING WAPOL!!!!!" The jester and some sort of afro man shouted in horror before ordering everyone to retreat. "You pirates!!! You all will pay for this!" That was their last statement as the ship sailed away fast.
"...Well, that was anticlimactic." Sanji deadpanned.
"Shishishishi!
"Hihihihihi!"
Both monkeys laugh before fist-bumping each other.
The door down below opens up, revealing Mario in his doctor's outfit. "What's the ruckus about?"
"Oh, we just got some uninvited guests aboard. But Luffy and DK took care of them, thanks to my brilliant strategy." Usopp explained.
"But didn't you run into-" Zoro was saying.
"They ran away in fear!"
"Oh, okay. Just try to not-a cause too much ruckus." Mario said before going back inside.
"...Again, so anticlimactic."
An hour later, the crew managed to locate an island. Sailing to it, the crew only reached the dock area, or what it could be called one when multiple people appeared and aimed their guns at them.
"You pirates aren't welcome here! Leave!" One of the gunners said.
"W-Wait!" Vivi said, "We don't want to cause any problems! We just want a doctor! One of our own is sick and we don't know what it is!"
"Liar!" One of them shouted. "Turn around this instant!"
"We are not lying, we-"
*Bang!*
A shot was fired and everyone froze…
"Mama-Mia! That was close!"
Mario blew a relieved breath away, having a premonition that someone was jittery and would pull the trigger on Vivi since she was the voice of the group right now. So he quickly intercepted the bullet heading to her and caught it.
"H-Huh?! He caught the bullet?!"
"You bastards!" But doing that infuriates the crew as Luffy gets ready. "You want to shoot my nakamas-"
"Luffy! Calm down!" Mario quickly said as he looked at everyone, "Everyone! Don't do anything rash!" He then walked to the front of the ship…where he quickly kneeled and bowed to the villagers. "Please, we-a beg of you."
"Mario?!" His action shocked everyone, including DK as he had never seen him like this.
"Our friend is close to dying. We don't know what she has. We beg of you all, let us see a doctor!" He exclaimed.
"...Please!" And joining him, Vivi followed his example.
"We beg of you!" Luffy did the same, realizing he couldn't act rashly right now.
…
…
…
"...To bow your heads and swallow your pride for the sake of one of you," Someone began to speak from the crowd of people, a man in green winter clothing and sporting a leadership aura around him. "This must be serious if you three are willing to go this far…Very well, I will guide you to a doctor."
"We thank you so much!"
( Later)
"So…just out of curiosity," The man, who named himself Dalton, turned to the group (minus Zoro as he was guarding the ship with Carue), especially to DK, who was carrying the unconscious Nami to maintain her warmth. "That's not a Devil Fruit, but an actual Gorilla with a tie?"
"...Am I missing something today? Why is everyone pointing out the least important thing?" Vivi asked, having given up on getting angry at it.
"Nope. Donkey Kong is an actual Gorilla. No devil fruit power." Mario explained.
"...You guys are just going to ignore me. got it."
"I see." Dalton said as they entered inside his hut, allowing DK to enter first and place Nami in the bed.
"Now, Dalton. You said that there's only one doctor in this country?" Mario asked, having been told by the man of their situation; which involves a cowardly and selfish king abandoning his country and taking the best doctors with him to the sea after a pirate attack.
"That's correct." Dalton nodded before turning to the window, where a tall mountain with three peaks was. "You see that mountain? Dr. Kureha lives in a castle on the center mountain."
"...Let me guess," Sanji spoke up, "She lives up there and you guys have no way to communicate with her."
"Correct. She comes down whenever she pleases."
"Is there really no other way?"
"Not since all the Lift carriers' batteries were removed by our traitorous king."
"Mario?" Everyone turned to the plumber.
"Hmm, I think I can fix it." He said.
"You can?" Dalton looked surprised at the statement.
"If you take me to one of them, I can see it and see what I must fix."
"Then what are we waiting for!?"
A quick decision later, it was decided that the team split, one to stay at Dalton's house to look after Nami while the other group would go to Gyasta Village, the closest with a lift. Sanji, Vivi, and Usopp would stay, while Mario, Luffy, DK, and Dalton would leave. Mario had given Sanji a capsule, the cook was confused by it but the plumber explained everything to him, leaving him with a tired sigh but a grateful smile as he nodded.
As they exit, Dalton suggests waiting for him as he gets the sled, only for Mario to stop him. "There's no need." Dalton blinked in confusion as Mario and DK nodded at each other and brought out a capsule each.
"Oh!? Is something cool again!" Luffy said.
Both Mushrooms Kingdom citizens threw the capsules and two strange vehicles came out. One looked like a miniature snowmobile, but looked more like a car with red and blue colors, alongside a standing platform on the back. The other was more like a combination of a miniature train and a cart mine, only that it looked made of a barrel with the same performance as the first car.
"What the hell?!" Dalton shouted in surprise, having never seen this kind of technology before.
"We'll get there faster with this," Mario explained as he and DK got on their vehicles. "Come on!"
Luffy eagerly quickly went to Mario and stood on the handle. "This is so cool!"
"Glad you like it," Mario said.
"Ook!" DK shouted to Dalton to get on, who was unsure but got too curious to ignore as he went behind and did the same as Luffy.
"Please hang on tight!" Mario informed them as he and DK started the engines, and a booming sound echoed.
"What the heck are…WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE?!" Usopp, who had come out when he heard the sound, shouted as his eyes flew in amazement and shock. Sanji and Vivi are right behind him doing the same.
"Just getting ready!" Mario said as he stepped on the pedal and drove off, DK behind him. "Let's-a Go!"
"Wooooooooo!"
"Hyuhooooo!"
Luffy and DK shouted as the two cars drove off, Dalton having put on some goggles for protection and directing them.
…
…
…
Usopp proceeded to fall to his knees and slam the ground while crying. "Dammit! It should have been me! Not Luffy! It's not fair!"