AN:

Ok, so we're back and I'm gonna be going over a few things here in the author's note, so feel free to skip it if you don't really care.

I wanted this chapter to be moved further along but I like the way it turned out. Robin was fun to write and I always love writing the Straw Hats interactions so this was a fun one. That being said, it's definitely a slow chapter so don't be too mad at me.

Firstly, I just want to get one thing straightened out. There was a comment about Luffy's charms being "magic" and I just want to make sure it's understood that that's not the case. Without spoiling anything, Luffy's necklace was made from a devil fruit power. It doesn't change the fact that the charms are still just devil fruits. The talking aspect is something that comes from his ability to hear The Voice of All Things. They aren't magic. They are devil fruits, nothing more, nothing less. And please don't take this as me being upset. I'm actually glad to have a chance to clear things up if they don't come across the way I intended, so thanks. Also, just to clear it up the necklace has its place in this story and will be expanded upon but for now it will be mostly background so don't worry about it too much... Unless you want to.

Another comment was about haki and giving it to people who didn't have it in canon and the only thing I'll say in response is not everyone is going to be given haki. Some people will but only those I think could have maybe had it in canon due to their pasts or where they come from etc. I also think your view of haki in this story might be slightly one-dimensional. I think that even if I gave everyone haki, it would still be special because of how it's cultivated. I try to write in a way that makes it so you can see Luffy's haki grow alongside him which, in my opinion, makes it special regardless of who has it or who doesn't because we get to see the experiences that have made him stronger. And say what you will about the whole Haki Exhaustion stent, I still think it made the story better as a whole. But, as always, I'm the author so I'm probably a little biased.

Another question was if Luffy would be eating his Devil Fruits or staying a Haki Man and I can definitively say he will not be losing his ability to swim any time soon. Eventually?... Maybe, but that's a question for far far down the road.

The last thing I wanted to touch on was scheduling. As I've said before, this is a passion project that I write when I have the time and energy so I can't give you a specific time for when to check back in to see if a new chapter is up. The best I can do is say check in every two weeks or so. However, there might be chapters that come earlier than that and there might be some that come later. So, just keep that in mind.

As always, thank you guys for the love and support and I love reading what everyone has to say. So, with that being said, dive into the chapter and let me know what you think.

Chapter 51: Smooth Sailing

"And that's it for basics.", Nami finished, hands behind her head as she lay out on her favorite chair, "It's really not that hard once you do it enough times.".

Ms. Sun took in the words and mulled over the conversation she'd been having with the orange-haired girl, "Well you might be right about the less artistic aspects but I'm sure it takes quite a bit of natural talent to be able to draw the way you do.". Over the past few days of travel, she'd gotten the chance to look over some of the maps the girl had drawn and she was impressed, to say the least. If she wasn't a pirate, she could definitely make it as a topographer or something of the sort. She was talented.

The orangette preened at the compliment and turned toward their hostage for lack of a better word, a smile rising to her face. "Why thank you, Ms. Sun. Those words mean a lot coming from a scholar such as yourself.", she lightly teased, laying back down to look at the sky from underneath her sunglasses. It was strange how she felt so comfortable talking to the woman and could only assume it was due to her charm. Not only was she beautiful but she was smart and an incredible conversationalist. There had even been times when she'd almost forgotten she was supposed to be a prisoner…

The black-haired woman laughed lightly at the words and faced the sky the same as the girl next to her. "Less of a scholar and more of a historian, I would say.", she replied, a sigh leaving her lips when she looked down at her bound hands, "And as much as it pains me to say so, as I liked being tied up just as much as the next girl, this historian is getting tired of the rope…".

Another laugh left the navigator's lips, "And as much as we like having you around, I don't think you're gonna be walking around unbound any time soon.". A loud sigh followed her words before a comfortable silence fell between the two and she closed her eyes, drinking in the sunlight beating against her skin.

While it may have looked like Ms. Sun was doing the same, in actuality she was thinking back on her short journey with the Straw Hat Pirates so far, a small smile rising to her lips at the memory of her first night on the Merry.

Ms. Sun stepped out onto the deck with a sigh, rubbing her raw wrists together to find some kind of relief. The captain of the ship had done a great job of making sure she wouldn't be getting out of her restraints on her own… Whether he meant to or not… She sighed to herself again and softly closed the storage room door behind her.

After the Princess's absolute refusal to sleep in the same room as her, Luffy made the suggestion that they all sleep together and it seemed to be enough to satisfy the girl. However, as much as she tried, not only was she in an unfamiliar place, it was also quite difficult to sleep with her hands tied behind her back... It also made her very aware of how vulnerable she was at the moment. Without her hands, there wasn't much she could do to defend herself if she ever needed to. So, now she found herself looking to pass the time until she was tired enough that it didn't matter how uncomfortable she was.

The woman shook her head and looked up to the cloudless sky, the night being lit by silver moonlight, when her eyes passed over a form sitting cross-legged on the ship's figurehead. She paused for a moment trying to think on who she hadn't seen in the room below before she remembered that Luffy had never come down for the night. Her steps resumed and she moved toward the stairs leading up to the front deck. "Couldn't sleep?", she asked, the soles of her feet softly pushing her up to her destination.

The words surprised the boy but he made no move to turn in the direction they'd come from, eyes still locked to the glowing crescent shape in the sky. "Nope. Just not ready yet.", he replied wistfully. He continued to stare up at the moon and couldn't help the small smile that rose to his face. Sometimes it was nice to sit and take in its beauty. Plus, it was a wonderful reminder of the friend he'd left on East Lodestone, as well as the island itself.

"Then may I ask why you're out here all by your lonesome?", Ms. Sun asked, leaning over the front rail and looking up to what he was staring at.

The question made Luffy sigh and he turned toward the woman to look at her from over his shoulder, "Just looking at the moon.". He turned back and his hand rose to softly grasp the black charm on his necklace, eyes gleaming at the memory of finding it. He hoped he got to go back there someday.

The captured bounty hunter watched the pirate captain play with one of the charms on his necklace and couldn't help it when curiosity got the better of her. "I know I've asked you about that necklace before but our conversation was a bit rushed back then.", she started, catching his eyes once again, "Mind telling me a bit more?".

Silence accompanied the woman's words and for a moment she thought she'd said something wrong, "You certainly don't have to if you don't want to. I just find myself curious about it, as well as that new charm of yours.". She let her gaze drop to the golden lighting bolt melded into the braided leather, "It's quite beautiful.".

"Thanks.", Luffy eventually replied, fingering the charm in question, "Nami gave it to me.". He thought on the woman's query for a moment before sighing, "I honestly don't remember a ton about how it got made, if that's what you're asking.". He looked back over at her and shrugged, "Shanks said a bunch of complicated things about it that I didn't understand, like awakenings and some other stuff.".

"Shanks?", Ms. Sun questioned, her curiosity rising intensely as the rest of what he'd said floated in one ear and out the other. He couldn't mean that Shanks?… Right? "… As in Red-Haired Shanks?", she asked in slight disbelief.

Luffy laughed at the wide-eyed look she was sending him and made to stand, stretching out the soreness that'd come with sitting for so long, "That's the one.". He pointed to the hat resting on his head, "He gave me this too.".

The words immediately registered as truth but the woman still couldn't believe it… He knew an Emperor of the Sea?… It took her a moment but she eventually came out of her shock, a coy smile rising to her lips, "You've got friends in high places, Mr. Luffy.".

A groan left the pirate captain's lips as he stepped down from his place, "I told you to call me Luffy. Mr just sounds weird.".

Ms. Sun's smile became more genuine and if she could have she would have raised her hands in surrender, "Fine. Fine. You win, Luffy. Still, Red-Haired Shanks is quite the acquaintance to have.". The words seemed to satisfy him and he shot her a curious eye, ignoring her comment in favor of asking a question of his own.

"What're you doin' up so late?", the straw-hatted teen queried, making to step in the direction of the stairs.

The woman immediately turned her back to him and wiggled her fingers, "It's a little hard to sleep with your hands tied behind your back.".

A laugh rose from Luffy's throat and he stopped next to her, "Yeah. That doesn't sound too fun.". He glanced around the deck for a moment checking to see if anyone else was around before taking a good look at her bound wrists. "Lemme see those.", he said before he could think on it any further.

Ms. Sun glanced over her shoulder curiously and found him messing with the rope that was keeping her from using her Devil Fruit, "I promise you did a wonderful job. No reason to make them any tigh-". She stopped herself in shock when she felt the cord loosen and her hands drop to her sides, immediately making to turn.

"Try anything and you go over the railing.", Luffy warned. He was pretty sure she wouldn't but it never hurt to make sure. He watched her nod and motioned to turn the rest of the way toward him, to which she complied. "Hopefully, this'll help you sleep a little easier.", he said as he pulled her hands together. It only took a moment before he stepped back, her arms now secured in what he assumed was a much more comfortable position, "That should do it.".

The woman looked at her hands now bound in front of her before looking back up at the smiling boy… He did know this would make it much easier for her to escape, right?…

Luffy continued to grin at the woman and sent her a knowing look before turning to make his way down the stairs, "Try and escape if you want but with Nala liking Levi as much as she does, I hope you've got another way of getting back to wherever it is you would want to go.". He looked back over his shoulder and gave her his final parting words, "And if you try to hurt my friends…". A silence hung in the air for a moment before he continued toward the storage room door, "Well. Just don't do that… I'll get mad.".

Ms. Sun was brought out of her thoughts by others entering her head. It was strange how comfortable she'd become in the span of the last week or so. As she'd gotten to know the members of the Straw Hat Pirates from the conversations they'd had over her time as a prisoner she'd felt her walls beginning to drop little by little. She couldn't lie… She liked them.

Mr. Swordsman had been quite prickly at the start but after a few nights of drinking with him, the woman felt as if she'd gotten to know a part of him a little bit through their mostly innocuous conversations. Ms. Navigator had been much the same at first but by being genuinely interested in her hobby, she'd warmed up to her eventually. She'd even been kind enough to lend her the bathing suit she was currently wearing, as well as a few different outfits so she didn't have to put on the same thing every day. It also came as a surprise that everything fit. The thought made her laugh and she looked over at the orangette's curvy body… In the words of the girl herself, she was quite stacked.

Mr. Sniper still gave her a wide berth after their, by his standards, tense meeting but they'd shared a few words and she could see his fear of her slowly but surely beginning to wane. Mr. Chef was a strange one. From his initial reaction to her, Ms. Sun assumed he would be just as prickly as the swordsman but it turned out to be the opposite. He'd been nothing but kind since she'd boarded. Not overly so but kind nonetheless. He was quite charming actually. However, there was a small bit of… Something… In his eyes every time they talked to each other. Even so, she could see that slowly dissipating the same as Mr. Sniper's fear.

That left the captain of the crew. Luffy. He was such an interesting person to be around and the woman found herself constantly smiling at his carefree attitude. There were just so many curious things that made her want to talk with him more and more. His necklace. His hat. The D in his name. The black-colored fist in his bounty poster. It was actually quite infuriating how he seemed to effortlessly give her answers that only made her more curious.

Also, his joy was so infectious that, if not for her bound hands, Ms. Sun was sure she could have forgotten she was technically a prisoner because she really didn't feel like one… As crazy as it was, for the first time in what was probably years, she felt herself slowly relaxing in the company of these people and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about it… Not to say she felt safe amongst them but it was definitely getting… Comfortable.

The woman was brought out of her musings by the sound of the galley door opening and she turned to find Mr. Chef making his way in her and Nami's direction with a round platter balanced on one of his hands.

"Two tangerine parfaits for the two beautiful ladies.", Sanji announced as he stepped up to the front deck, finding his way in between the two. He knelt, handing one over to Nami who thanked him and dove into the sweet snack, before he turned to the woman on his left. He went to hand over her cup but stopped when he remembered her bound hands, a small frown taking residence on his face.

"You could always feed me, you know.", Ms. Sun teased when she caught him looking at her bindings. A laugh bubbled from the blond's throat as he rose from his place beside her and, even though he hadn't missed a beat, she still thought she saw some sort of something in his eyes that she couldn't quite describe.

"I'm sure Nami could handle that.", the chef said with a look over at the other girl, making to hand over the second drink. It wasn't that he didn't want to. Ms. Sun was absolutely beautiful after all and the thought of being able to feed her sent shivers down to his toes, but he now found himself to be just a little less trusting of women he didn't know. Not to the point of antagonism but just less of how much he used to be.

Nami paused in her eating and nodded down to the wood beside her, "Yeah, I can do that. Just lemme finish first.". It only took moments for her to hound the rest of the parfait and she sighed in bliss, rubbing her happy stomach in ecstasy, "You really are something, Sanji. That was delicious.".

Sanji just barely held onto his cool exterior and bowed, setting the glass on the ground next to her, "Thank you, Nami-Swan.". He straightened out and turned back toward the room he'd only just left. "I'm gonna go get lunch started, Luffy'll probably be hungry soon.", he said, looking over his shoulder as he stepped down to the main deck, "Holler if you need anything.".

The storage room door opened just as the chef began to make his way back up to the galley and Vivi walked out stretching her arms over her head, a large yawn leaving her mouth. "Nice of you to finally join us, Princess.", he teased before making his way up the steps, "Hope you got enough sleep.".

The blue-haired girl blushed and looked down to her feet, letting the chef disappear through the door above without giving a reply. It wasn't her fault… Ms. All Sunday was sleeping in the same room as her and it made it extremely difficult to get through the night without waking up in a panic multiple times… There was also the fact that her country was under attack from a Warlord of the Sea… She shook her head, looking up to find the only other women on the ship lying out on the front deck, and made to approach, eyes glaring holes into the back of the black-haired one on the left.

Ms. Sun turned to look over the back of her chair at the sound of approaching footsteps and her gaze landed on Vivi making her way in their direction. "Nice of you to finally join us Princess.", she said, a teasing smile finding its way onto her lips.

Vivi stopped behind the two bikini-clad women and let her glare meet the woman's blue eyes. She went to say something snide but stopped when she heard the splashing of water coming from the port side of the ship.

"Alright, Karoo! On the count of three!", Luffy exclaimed, holding the duck tightly in his arm as he stood on Levi's nose, Usopp watching intently from atop their new turtle friend.

The long-nosed teen gently patted the hard surface he sat on, eyes eagerly awaiting the coming spectacle, "C'mon, Karoo! I know you can do it! Me and Nala are rooting for you!". He nodded over his shoulder at the prone figure behind him and sent the bird a big smile, "Zoro too!"

The swordsman scoffed from his place laid out on Nala's large shell, not even sparing the panicking animal a glance, "… You're a bird… What's the point of those wings if you can't fly?".

The quacks of a panicked duck hit the deck just as Vivi made to speak up again and she searched for her companion in confusion, eyes passing over the empty deck… Where was Karoo?…

"One!".

"I think what you're looking for is down below, Princess.", Ms. Sun commented, turning away to lay her head back down. Her bound hands lifted and she pointed over the side railing. She could feel the scowl sent at the back of her head but made no move to turn, setting her arms down and making to resume the conversation she'd been caught up in. She'd never expected herself to be interested in maps and drawing them but somehow Ms. Navigator made it sound intriguing and she wanted to know more.

"Two!".

Nami sat up from her long chair before the woman beside her could get a word out and pulled her sunglasses down to rest on the bridge of her nose, "Better be quick, Vivi. I don't know if Karoo's gonna make it otherwise…".

Vivi frowned at the words and quickly stepped to the side rail to peer over at the water below. What was Karoo doing down there?…

"Three!".

Just as her eyes peeked down to the ocean, the loud panicked squawk of her duck rushed by the princess's face as his body flew toward the clouds all the while he uselessly flapped his wings as hard as he could.

"Flap those wings, Karoo!", Luffy screamed through his cupped hands, excited gaze locked to the ascending ball of feathers, "If I can do it, you can do it too!".

Zoro opened his closed eyelids and sat up, looking at his captain with a raised brow, "I'm pretty sure you're just a freak of nature, Luffy…". He lightly laughed at the large smile the words brought to his captain's face and laid back down. Levi and Nala had worn him out. It was honestly surprising how fast she could swim. Don't even get him started on Luffy… It was freakish how good he was at swimming…

"To be fair, Karoo's a giant duck and I'm pretty sure that's not normal.", Usopp interjected, "Besides, regular ducks are supposed to be able to fly so I don't see why he wouldn't.".

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!", Vivi screamed down to the water, eyes shifting between the boys below and her somehow still ascending pet, "KAROO CAN'T FLY!".

Luffy looked up at the girl and smiled, "We know! We're trying to help him learn how!". He shifted his head between his crew mates looking for some support, "Right guys?".

Usopp glanced at the swordsman resting behind him before looking up to the deck of the Merry and sending Vivi a shrug, "I was just here to hang out with Nala and it looks like Zoro wanted a nap after swimming for so long.".

A deep rumble came from the beast Luffy stood on and the long-nosed teen rose his hands in surrender, "You too, Levi! I'm here to hang out with you t-". Before he could finish, a wave of water appeared in front of him and he sighed, accepting his fate. He should have known better… He'd learned over his time around him that Levi was surprisingly easy to offend…

Zoro's eyes peeled open when he heard a loud splash along with the movement of a large amount of water and groaned, shutting them once again in annoyance, "Damn it, Uso-". The wave crashed over Nala's form and the two residing atop her shell were immediately pushed into the surrounding blue liquid, a grunt leaving both the boy's mouths as the weight of the ocean slammed into them.

"Luffy…", Vivi growled, eyes shadowed by the blue hair hanging over them, "If Karoo gets hurt…". She looked up and sent the pirate captain her most menacing glare, "I'll kill you.".

A moment of silence passed as the two stared at each other before Luffy just couldn't take it anymore, loud laughter bursting from his lips. "You can definitely try if you want but I promise it won't be you that kills me.", he giggled, more laughter leaving him at the red rising to the girl's cheeks. He looked away from her when his laughs began to simmer and lifted his gaze back to the sky, sharp eyes catching Karoo still madly struggling in the air as he began his descent.

The straw-hatted boy sighed to himself. Maybe the little guy could use some help. "Hey, Levi?", he asked, looking down into his friend's large red orbs, "Gimme a boost?". A loud rumble came from the beast and he smiled widely, barely getting his final words out before he was launched into the sky, "Thanks, buddy!".

Wind rushed by Luffy's face while he sailed ever higher and with a single extension of his legs he easily overshot his target, a bewildered quack leaving the falling bird's beak. He turned in the air, flipping so he faced the water, and a leg kicked out behind him, a boom reverberating from the sole of his sandal. With his arms wide, he slammed into Karoo and wrapped them around his middle. "Alright, Karoo! Let's do this together!", he yelled over the quacks sounding right next to his ear.

"I know that but that's why we're doing this! So you can learn!", the pirate captain shouted in response. He looked down to the water, Karoo beginning to settle now that he felt some semblance of safety, and turned the two of them in the air so his eyes met the sky once again, "Hang on, Karoo. This might be a little rough.". His legs shot out just before they would have impacted the ocean and the liquid parted from the shockwave that shot the two back up into the sky.

Karoo's face seemed to slump from the reversal of their momentum and, for a moment, Luffy thought he looked ready to vomit. "Alright. I'm not a very good teacher but I do have one piece of advice.", he yelled over the wind whipping around their figures. Another boom sounded and the two continued to fly higher, "Sometimes flying isn't about being able to keep yourself in the air.". His movement stopped and when their ascent began to come to a halt, for a moment, the two seemed to still in the air, "Sometimes it's just about how you fall.".

Luffy released the creature and its panic almost immediately started once again, wings desperately flapping to try and stop itself in the sky. Laughter bubbled from his chest as he went into a dive, "Stop freaking out, Karoo!". He shifted himself so he was falling next to him, "If those things can't help you stay up…". He grabbed one of the bird's wings and stopped it from flapping anymore, "… Then let them help you get down!".

Karoo's form suddenly slowed as the air caught the underside of his extended wing and Luffy let go, turning to watch the avian extend his other feathery appendage, "That's it!". With his back faced toward the water, he watched the creature's descent turn from a plummet into… Less of a plummet. That being said, he was still moving pretty fast…

"Fall, Karoo! Fall!", the pirate captain encouraged, clothing rippling wildly from the passing wind. Slowly but surely he watched as the bird's descent became less and less of a plummet and something more like a glide… An extremely fast glide but a glide nonetheless. He was even pointing his lower body backward to make himself more aerodynemplic… That was how you said that, right?…

Luffy shook his head and smiled proudly up at the duck. "Atta boy, Karoo! I knew you could do it!", he shouted, turning toward the water at the last second and diving straight into it like a hot knife through butter.

All the onlookers of the little lesson watched as Karoo majestically descended until he was moving almost parallel to the water. With one last mighty quack leaving his beak, he touched down and let his chest hit the liquid, momentum carrying him forward while the rest of his lower body joined. He eventually slowed to a stop and turned back toward the ship just a little ways away, his wide beady eyes catching his blue-haired companion as if to say, 'Did you just see that?'.

A slow clap brought the group back to their senses as Zoro's congratulations sounded into the air, "I knew those wings weren't useless.". He looked back down at the turtle below him and patted her shell just as Luffy broke through the surface of the water, Karoo swimming in from the opposite direction. "Thanks for letting me nap on you, Nala.", he said, making to jump back up to the deck. He needed to change before his skin started wrinkling. Then maybe a quick workout.

A purr erupted from the turtle's chest just as his feet left her shell and Luffy looked at her in disgust, "That's gross, Nala… Plus, I don't even think it would work…". Maybe he'd tell Zoro to nap somewhere else from now on… Then again, maybe not. A thought rose to his mind and he had to hold in his laughter. No wonder she and Nami got along so well…

"That was amazing, Karoo!", Vivi yelled down to the water excitedly, the sound of the swordsman's feet slamming into the deck coming from behind her, "You actually flew!". She'd honestly never thought it possible with the way he was built…

Something poked into Luffy's back and he turned to find Karoo looking at him with a pair of determined eyes, a quack leaving his beak before he looked up to the sky. "You wanna go again?", he asked brightly. The laughter finally left his lips at the rapid nod of the duck's head and he hopped onto his back so he could swim them over to Levi, "Hey, buddy. Can you give us a lift?".

Ms. Sun stared at the approaching island with a slight bit of apprehension, eyes drinking in the sight of the massive foliage that covered the coast. She didn't know everything about this place but she knew a lot… And it was enough to make her nervous.

"C'mon, Levi, faster!", Luffy yelled excitedly, "You too, Nala!". The two ropes wrapped around his arms tightened and the ship jerked forward slightly at his words, the Merry picking up speed by a good margin. He couldn't wait to go exploring! The island looked awesome! An itch he couldn't quite scratch that'd been present since they'd left Whiskey Peak began to fester as he practically vibrated in anticipation. He hoped there was something big for him to fight.

"Toward that cove, Luffy.", Nami said, pointing her finger toward a small cove along the left coast of the landform. She turned away when the ship began to sail in the direction she'd indicated and addressed the rest of those on the deck while she stepped down to the main deck. "I don't know how long it will take for the log pose to set here, so...", she looked toward Zoro and Sanji, "Sanji, can I assume that we need to restock the food storage?".

The chef sighed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Yeah… Luffy eats a ton.". He'd been worked to the bone ever since he'd boarded this ship…

"Then you two are in charge of finding enough food to get us to the next island.", the orangette ordered, turning to Usopp standing just off to the side of them. "You've got the best eyesight, Usopp, so you're in charge of making sure Luffy doesn't do anything too stupid when he eventually goes flying off somewhere.".

"I heard that!", Luffy shouted over his shoulder, laughing at the scoff that came from his navigator's mouth.

"How the hell am I supposed to keep up with someone that can fly?!", Usopp groaned. He had a feeling he was going to be constantly on his toes for the next however long they would be there…

"Figure it out.", the orange-haired girl countered, waving away his pout as she turned to the other two women on the deck. "You, me, Karoo, and Ms. Sun are going to look for a town or someone who can tell us how long it will take for the log pose to set while Levi and Nala stay here to protect the ship.", she said pointing at Vivi, Karoo, and Ms. Sun respectively.

Ms. Sun cleared her throat, "If I may, Ms. Navigator.".

A groan left the orangette's lips, "I told you it's Nami.".

A small giggle rose from the woman's chest and she corrected herself, "Nami it is then.".

"Yeah. You can cool it with all the Mr stuff.", Zoro commented as he stepped past them and up to the front deck, "It's just Zoro.".

"If you wouldn't mind, Ms. Sun. I think I would prefer it if you called me Sanji.", the chef said with a smile before making to follow the swordsman up the steps.

Usopp sighed to himself. She really wasn't that bad other than the weird hands… "I'm not gonna be the only one left out. Just call me Usopp.", he conceded, following in the footsteps of the other two.

Ms. Sun nodded to the three as they passed her before turning to the others, "As I was saying.". She looked over at the large island now only a small distance away from them, "There's no point in looking for a town or anything of the like because, as far as I'm aware, there are none.".

"… Damn.", Nami huffed to herself after a moment of silence. If there was no one to tell them how long it would take the log pose to set they had no idea how long they would be on the island…

"The reason I told you to use the eternal pose to Alabasta is because this place is dangerous.", the black-haired woman warned, "Not only is it home to a multitude of things that could tear your body limb from limb, but the fact that it takes the log pose a year to set only makes them more dangerous.".

Complete silence accompanied the woman's words before it was shattered by a screech of distraught, Vivi growling as she stalked in Ms. Sun's direction. "Why the hell are you just telling us this now?!", she yelled angrily, making to tackle her to the ground. Before she could make it, however, she slid to a stop when Nami stepped in front of her.

"Calm down, Vivi.", the orangette frowned, "We don't know if that's true.". She had a feeling it was because… Why would she lie about that? However, she really didn't need Vivi attacking her… If it came down to it, she could always use the eternal pose she'd stolen from that woman… It wouldn't get them to Alabasta but at least if they were able to get far enough away from the island maybe the log pose would lock onto a new one.

The words seemed to keep the princess at bay for the time being and Nami turned toward the woman behind her, "Regardless of if you're telling the truth or not, we're going. So, we'll just have to figure something out. Besides…". She grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face the bow of the ship, "You really think you could change his mind now?".

Ms. Sun's gaze landed on Luffy and she sighed at his excited laughter, the ship beginning to slow as it glided into the cove where they would be dropping anchor. She looked past him, to the dense forest now towering over them, and steeled her nerves before looking back to Nami, "Well then… Welcome to Little Garden I guess.".