THE GRAND LINE CAN WAIT: PART 1
East Blue Saga - Warship Island Arc - Episodes 54 - 55
Dakota's POV:
It's been two days since we escaped Loguetown with hopefully everything we need for the Grand Line, and the storm has for now blown over, but once we get closer to Reverse Mountain, it'll start up again. Everyone is outside now, enjoying the sun at the front of the ship, apart from Usopp. He's in the crow's nest on the lookout while I'm in the cabin at the top in the kitchen, along with the helm as I steer the ship though I can still hear the others. I pull at my sleeve of the navy blue floral short jumpsuit as it slips again, and I move some of my scarlet hair from my shoulder, falling down my back, still half up and down with a braid, keeping most of it out of my face.
I keep thinking of our time in Loguetown and glad that we made it out of there, but I know Smoker, he won't let us get away. He'll catch up with us sooner or later, but for now, I'm glad we're heading for the Grand Line. "Nami! Aren't we at the Grand Line yet?" Luffy questions from his new favourite seat on the figurehead at the bow of the ship while Sanji stands in my sight, and I can see Zoro snoozing again on the railing and Nami looking at the map she stole from Buggy before Usopp; Sanji and I joined the crew.
"We just left Loguetown two days ago. It's gonna take a few more days to get there. Just be patient." Nami tells him, and I laugh under my breath at Luffy's antics as he gives her a big grin.
"Okay!" Luffy agrees with a laugh.
"What a beautiful day! It's like that storm never happened." Sanji comments, but he's looking at Nami, and I shake my head as I tilt the steering to the left slightly to keep on course.
"Hey! I can see a big flock of birds off to starboard!" Usopp shouts out; I move away and walk over to the window facing over the left side of the ship and see the flock of birds.
"Birds?" Luffy questions, looking up towards Usopp.
"Yeah, and in the water, I can sort of make out a pretty big… ah, I can't tell. What do you think? Maybe a fish?" Usopp calls down.
"Akuma-Akuma no Human-Demon Form: Eyes From Hell," I whisper and close my eyes, then open them as they shift into a yellow tone. I focus on the flock of birds and see a small rowboat half in the sea.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
"What on a rowboat?" I ask as I walk out of the cabin.
"Well, it does kinda look like a big fish…" Usopp replies as he tries to get a closer look, and I shrug my shoulders in response; I close my eyes, deactivating the cat's eyes.
"I hear that when sea birds flock over the ocean, it's usually because there's a school of fish around." Sanji comments, and I walk down the stairs and towards the bow.
"FISH!" Luffy exclaims with a big grin as I climb up the stairs, as he moves over to the side, crouching.
"Luffy, catch us some lunch," Sanji tells him, and I walk over, standing next to the sleeping Zoro.
"Gotcha!" Luffy agrees, standing on the railing and swinging his arm back. "Gum-Gum... Net-Catch!" His arm stretches far out before he turns it towards the sinking boat and flock of birds.
"Whoo! Nice stretching!" Usopp cheers.
"What a handy guy." Sanji comments with a smile as Luffy's arm stretches out towards the rowboat, grabbing the object and it and his arm coming back fast.
"Got it!" Luffy confirms, and it gets closer, looking less like a fish to me. "It's a huge one!"
"Nice Luffy!" Nami praises him, but it's coming in closer.
"H-Hold on!" Sanji warns him as his arm, still slightly stretched, comes around. "What about when it comes back -." He begins to say, and we dive out of the way, but Zoro is unlucky as the tiny human body smacks into him with force sending him flying. I get to my feet, watching as Zoro cries out in shock as he sails through the air before splashing down in the ocean; I giggle before grabbing some rope from the side, making it into a lasso, and swinging it around my head.
"Ah, sorry, Zoro." Luffy gives an offhand apology as I let the lasso go, and it lands around Zoro.
"YOU DAMN MORON!" Sanji curses him, and I reel Zoro in from around his waist up the ship's side.
"One day… I am… going to kill him…" Zoro vows, and I laugh as I pull him over the railing and look at the little girl Luffy saved.
"Hey, look this ain't a fish at all!" Sanji says as Usopp, Nami, and he crowd around her unconscious body.
"It's a little girl," Nami states the obvious observation, and Luffy walks over, seeming curious.
"Eh? A mermaid? Where's her webbing?" Luffy asks, and I shake my head and give Zoro a towel to dry himself.
"Gimme a break." Usopp snaps at him. "How the heck does she look like a mermaid?"
"But why would this girl be out on that tiny rowboat?" Nami questions, and I walk over to see the poor unconscious little girl; she looks dehydrated and soaking, meaning she is in the storm.
"It doesn't matter, for now, we should get her dry and comfortable," I tell them and push past them and gently pick the girl up, she doesn't weigh much, and I walk back down the stairs. "It's about lunchtime, isn't it? Sanji, I'm feeling a little peckish." I tell him and look behind over my shoulder, fluttering my eyes as I say this; he gives me the proper reaction as he looks at me with a lovesick look in his eyes.
"Of course, My Love!" Sanji exclaims and dashes off down the other stairs across the deck to the cabin with the kitchen.
"You have to show me how you do that." Nami comments, and I look at her doing the same movements causing a blush to creep onto her cheeks.
"Sure, I've got time tonight," I reply and walk down the rest of the steps onto the deck, but Luffy beats me to the top of the next set of steps as he runs over, smelling Sanji's cooking.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
Inside the cabin, Sanji stands over the stove as I gently place the girl onto the makeshift bed and pull out a blanket to cover her up. "Hell Fire: Comfort Flame," I whisper under my breath, feeling my hands warm up and spark into life; the dark blue surrounds my hands as I move them over the girl's body to dry her clothes. The others all walk in behind me and sit down, awaiting Sanji's food, and I double-check if she's okay and move over to sit between Luffy and Nami.
"Seem like a natural with little kids." Usopp comments, looking over at the kid.
"I mean, I am the oldest here, and I had to look over my Baby Brothers," I tell them, but they don't seem to catch the last part, and I look to my left at Luffy as he grins at me.
"You were always looking after me." He replies and laughs.
"Well, you were always getting into trouble," I laugh, "remember how you got that scar." I look at him, and he looks as if he's remembering. "You were so upset my Dad wouldn't take you seriously and stabbed yourself, then cried as Makino fixed you up." I laugh, and the others all join in, but Luffy as he sulks. "Come on, Luf. Remember when we bet Yassop that he couldn't hit that tree about a mile away, and we jumped him as he made the shot?" I ask him, and he looks at me before laughing, and Usopp leans in as I mention his Dad.
"Yeah, he got so angry with you, refused to talk to you for about a day, but you just said that you would hold your breath if he didn't stop. You went blue in the face." Luffy laughs, and I join in.
"Never worked on Benn." I pout and laugh but stop as I get up, walking over to the girl and feeling her forehead; it's hot; I walk over to the sink, take a fresh towel, soak it with lukewarm water and place it on her forehead. "I wonder why she was out there during the storm," I comment as I sit down.
"What makes you think she was?" Zoro asks as he looks at me.
"She's soaking wet, and the rowboat she was in was sinking," I tell him, looking over my shoulder at the unconscious girl as she lies there still.
"I'll change the press," Usopp tells me and gets up from his seat across from us, walking over; he takes the old towel off and walks over to the sink, replacing it before he can. The girl sits right up, smacking Usopp's head.
"Ouch!" The girl cries out, touching her head in pain.
"So you're awake. And even more lively than I expected." Nami comments, and the girl looks over at us.
"You hurt anywhere?" I ask her and stand up, walking over to her. "You must be hungry?"
"I'm whipping up some soup now," Sanji tells her, and she looks up at the ceiling in wonder, sussing out where she is.
"Lucky." She cheers, and I giggle; she looks over at me, blushing at herself.
"Were you in some shipwreck or something? You were really in trouble out there. What's your name?" Nami asks her, and the girl looks at her as I help Usopp sit up.
"When you ask someone's name, you're supposed to say your own first." She replies, and I smile at her cheeky behaviour.
"Okay, my name is Nami. the guy making the soup in the kitchen is Sanji." She says and points over to him as he greets her. "The guy with a mean face and haramaki is Zoro."
"Shut up." He growls from his spot, and I giggle to myself.
"And the guy seeming unconscious over there is Usopp. And the lady helping him out is Dakota." Nami does the introductions, and I wave at the girl, who smiles back at me.
"I'm Luffy. The Captain of this here pirate ship." Luffy introduces himself too openly and puts the poor girl in shock.
"PIRATES!?" She exclaims with her mouth wide open; I get up, smacking Luffy on the back of the head for his stupidity.
"We're heading to the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaims, not realising what he's saying.
"What's wrong?" Nami asks the poor girl.
"She ain't moving," Luffy comments as they stare at her.
"What're you gonna do with that kid?" Zoro asks our Captain.
"Well, now that you mention it… what should we do…?" Luffy ponders but seems to give up. "I'll think about it tomorrow." Sanji serves up the food and an extra bowl for the girl, I take it over to her, but she doesn't take a sip of the soup; I sigh and sit across from Nami, watching the kid. Sanji sits down next to me, meaning I'm between him and Zoro, and I eat, making sure Luffy doesn't take any of my food, and Usopp eagerly joins us at the table.
"Who's going on watch tonight? I did last night." I bring it up, and Zoro looks away as if he hasn't had all the naps he needs, but I know he had the night before me. "I say we take a rotation, it'll be easier, and we kind of do anyway though Luffy has avoided doing it for the last two weeks," I comment, and he pouts. "It was me last night, before that it was Zoro, Usopp and Nami, either Luffy or Sanji should do it tonight."
"I'll do it tonight. I can keep an eye on the kitchen." Sanji volunteers, and we all agree.
"That means it's Luffy tomorrow night," I explain, and we continue to eat, and still, the kid won't take a bite.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
I change into my pyjamas as Nami finishes off her charts and take the braid out of my hair, letting it fall in waves around my face; I tug down the navy blue nightdress when we hear a crash from across the deck. I look at Nami, and she looks back at me. "Luffy." We say together and walk out of our room along with Zoro and Usopp from their room.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
We all walk over to the cabin across the deck and look inside to see both Luffy and the girl sitting at the table enjoying some of Sanji's food with him standing over them; the girl drinks right from the bowl hungrily and puts it down. "Oh, it's delicious!" She gushes.
"Of course it is, I personally picked Sanji as our chef." Luffy boasts a little.
"I've never had something this delicious!" She says.
"So she's finally come around." Nami comments, and the three look at us all at the door.
"Nami-san! Dakota, My Love!" As always, Sanji greets us with a lovesick look, and a blush creeps up his cheeks like Usopp and Zoro as I'm in my revealing nightgown.
"Luffy are you eating again?" Nami asks the obvious, and I walk further into the room and sit next to the girl, who looks up at me with a blush of embarrassment.
"But I didn't have enough at lunch…" Luffy tries to argue.
"You had two whole pots full," I argue back.
"Did I?" Luffy questions, scratching at his head, feigning forgetfulness.
"You got scared when you heard we were pirates, didn't you?" I ask her; she looks at me as Nami and the others walk inside.
"Well…" She tries to explain.
"Well, I guess that's just the natural reaction nowadays." Nami comments, and she looks ahead-looking as if she feels guilty.
"You won't sell me off?" She asks us.
"You thought we would?" Usopp asks her in shock, but it isn't uncommon among some pirates.
"Everyone must've seemed pretty scary, eh?" Zoro asks, and Usopp pulls at his cheek, irritating Zoro.
"With this face, you think you're one to talk? What are you hitting me for?" Usopp asks as they hit each other, and we all watch their squabble.
"Would you two cut it out?" Nami asks them as Luffy laughs, and the little girl giggles a little.
"There's more if you would like, little lady?" Sanji asks her, moving a little closer to Luffy won't overhear.
"At the very least, this isn't the kind of pirate ship you thought it was. Relax." I tell her, and she looks at me with a bright smile.
"More, please!" She exclaims, raising her bowl.
"Right away, madam." Sanji agrees and walks over to the stove.
"Me too!" Luffy joins in.
"DO IT YOURSELF, BASTARD!" Sanji curses at Luffy.
"Meanie…" Luffy sulks, but Sanji gives in, placing more food in front of them, and I get up from my seat, walking over to the fighting Usopp and Zoro; I pull them apart.
"Knock it off you two." I scold them and walk back over, sitting next to the little girl
Soon enough, the little girl seems sleepy and falls onto my side, I gently pick her up and place her back on the makeshift bed pulling the blanket over her before turning the light out, and everyone walks out, and we head to be minus Sanji as he's still on watch.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
Morning follows soon, and we all awake ready to set sail; Luffy brings up the anchor by himself this time, with Zoro placing it on the railing safely as Sanji and Usopp unfold the sails again while Nami and I get dressed; I button up the last of them on the side of my white long summer dress when the ship seems to shake. "W-What?!" Nami exclaims as she stands, looking over at me in shock, trying to put her shirt on; I walk outside with Nami; the girl is standing outside the kitchen door, seeming rather happy with black clouds of smoke billowing out from behind her.
"I don't like the look of this," I mutter, and we walk to the kitchen.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
We all sit at the table inside; I sit between Nami and Zoro. In front of us is a charred mass of something; we look at it wary and nervous, while Sanji looks at us as we all know how he feels about wasting food and the girl grinning happily. "Ehehe… you made it all by yourself?" Nami asks her sheepishly.
"It has a rather… unique appearance," Usopp comments, not wanting to offend the small girl.
"Time to eat!" Luffy exclaims happily, not bothered, and I knew why some of the food when we were younger was questionable.
"On top of saving me, you're even feeding me. So, from now on, I'll do anything I can to help!" She tells us with a grin.
"That's great to hear." Nami comments, "Thank you."
"Are you sure this is edible?" Zoro asks, getting a closer look; I glare his way and stomp on his foot; he yells out in pain; I grab my plate and tilt the contents into his wide-open mouth.
"Quit being such a baby and eat it!" I snap at him as I push his mouth closed.
"But you really think it's okay to eat?" Usopp questions, looking at the mass on his plate.
"Whaddya talking about? It's great." Luffy states as he chews on the food, but I hold my breath.
"There you have it," Sanji says as he leans over the table. "I'm sure it only looks bad." He takes a fork full of the mass along with Nami, and I wait.
"You sure about this?" Usopp asks and puts it in his mouth, and they all turn red and purple in the face, and I giggle, looking next to me at Zoro as he turns blue, and they all yelp, and I get them all a glass of water; I place them on the table, they gulp it down hastily.
"Was it really that terrible?" The girl asks us and tries a piece for herself; her face, too, turns red and purple from the heat. "TOO SPICY!" She yells. "What happened? Did I use too much seasoning?" I hand her a glass that she drinks from.
"Well, everyone makes that mistake. Just make sure to watch for it next time." He tells her, and I pick her up, moving Luffy over; she clings to me as I sit beside him. "Hey, this girl put her heart and soul into that food, don't leave a crumb." He tells us, and both Usopp and Zoro try to protest. "Shut up! You'll hurt her feelings, this girl- come to think of it, what is your name anyway?"
"Apis! My name is Apis!" She introduces herself with a smile and looks up at me as I keep her in my lap.
"Apis-chan's feelings are at stake! I'll beat the hell out of anyone who leaves a scrap of food!" Sanji warns us, and I take my plate from across the table and take a bite; it reminds me of my Dad's cooking after my Mother died. "I'll make you a little something later, Nami-san, Dakota, My Love." He whispers.
"Thanks." Nami smiles with relief.
"I'm sorry, cooking isn't really what I'm best at… but if there's anything at all, I can help with…!" Apis apologises, hanging her head.
"Oh, don't worry about it. It's enough if you're enjoying yourself." I assure her, circling my arms around her and hugging her; she leans back into my body.
"If it's anything to do with food, you can leave it to me. There's a bunch of other stuff you can help with." Sanji tells her, and she nods, making a sound of agreement.
"You sure? I love this stuff!" Luffy asks, chewing more of Apis' food.
"You would… " Usopp replies, looking at our Captain sceptically.
"You'll get used to it y' know. Just try and eat some," Luffy says, and I shake my head, but everyone eats small bites, but we finish it off and continue sitting in the kitchen as Sanji does the washing up.
"Now that I think of it… Apis, why were you out on the ocean in that rowboat?" I ask her as she sits on my lap, holding onto my arm securely.
"I was running away from a Marine ship…" Apis confesses, hanging her head.
"A Marine ship?" Luffy echoes.
"At night, during the storm three days ago." She says, and I look up at Nami with a know-it-all smirk; she shakes her head.
"You were out in the storm in that tiny rowboat? You've been through a lot, huh?" Nami asks her with sympathy.
"Now tell us what you were there for," Zoro asks her; she looks up, making a sound of confusion. "The fact that you had to run away means… you weren't riding on that battleship as a guest, right? And the Marines don't waste their time on just anybody."
"Well… I mean…" Apis tries to explain, hanging her head.
"What, so you're a criminal?" Luffy asks her with no tact.
"Of course not!" Apis snaps, "How could someone like me have done anything wrong!? I didn't do anything, but… I can't really… tell you the reason…"
"What's up with that?" Usopp asks in curiosity and annoyance.
"Just leave her alone. She must have her reasons. If she doesn't want to say, you shouldn't ask." Sanji argues, and I squeeze Apis lightly in my arms.
"I guess you're right." I agree; looking down at her with a smile, she looks up, smiling. "But would you at least tell us where you're from?"
"Eh? Sure. I'm from Warship Island!" Apis answers. Happily, I had heard of the island but never been.
"Warship Island?" I echo, looking down at her.
"You know it?" Usopp asks me and turns to Nami.
"Nope, lemme check," Nami says and gets out her map.
"Sort of, never been, never needed to," I reply offhandedly.
"Why do they call it Warship Island?" Luffy asks her.
"They call it that because the silhouette of the island looks just like a battleship," Apis explains.
"Hey, cool!" Luffy exclaims in glee.
"Ah, here it is," Nami exclaims in joy as she points to a small island near the calm belt.
"It's right next to the Grand Line." Usopp points out.
"Right, now we're somewhere over here, so… we're not that far away," Nami says, pointing to the ocean's middle.
"What do you wanna do? Wanna go home to Warship Island? We were planning on going straight into the Grand Line but…" I ask her, and she looks down at her hands in her lap.
"Me? You went through the trouble of saving me, and I know it will be a burden but, I want to go home to my island! I'm sorry, that sounds selfish. If you let me get on any ship, we meet along the way. I'll manage somehow." Apis tells us, and I stroke her hair, feeling the guilt seeping through her.
"Honestly, you really are trouble! There's no way a pirate ship can go around approaching other ships!" Nami argues, seeming stuck up.
"That's true…" Apis agrees, hanging her head again.
"But ya know, the island's not that far out of our way. And it's not like we have to start our journey right away. Guess we have no choice." I tell her, and she looks up at me with a huge smile. "I'm good to go."
"I'm fine either way." Nami agrees, "What do you think, Captain?"
"Heh, it's cool with me." Luffy agrees with a big grin.
"We'll get to the Grand Line soon enough." Usopp agrees, also.
"So, ya say the island looks like a battleship?" Luffy asks her.
"And there you have it." Sanji comments.
"Really? You'll really take me back to Warship Island?" Apis asks excitedly and jumps out of my lap, standing at the table's edge.
"Yup!" Luffy answers her.
"Great! Thank you, Luffy!" Apis cheers as she jumps up and down on the stop waving her arms around. "Yay! Yay! I'm so happy! Thank you so much! Thank you! Everyone, thank you so much! To thank you, I'll make breakfast every day!"
"Oh, please don't…" We tell her, and I pick her up; she hugs me happily.
"Why not?" Luffy asks, and I sigh as Apis bounces on my lap. I hug her back as she beams with happiness.
"We should get moving," Nami says, and we all get up, with Usopp back to the crow's nest.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
I walk outside with Nami; when she stops looking around, I look at her curiously. "Oi! There's some ships off the aft bow! Ohmigod! That's a Marine ship!" Usopp announces suddenly, and we all go on alert.
"The Marines!?" Nami shrieks.
"A-And we're not talking about one or two here!" Usopp calls out; I dash to the ship's side to see at least half a dozen within view.
"You're right. But what is a fleet that size doing here?" I question as Nami and I look at the vessels not far from us.
"What's going on? What's happening?" Luffy asks as he pops up from behind us. "I bet they've come for mine and Dakota's head!"
"Even so, why that many?" Nami asks, and I must say that may be enough for just one of us but two heavyweights?
"They just know about how tough I am to beat! I'm just too strong! I mean Dakota's super strong even without her abilities!" Luffy points out, but he seems too carefree.
"You're too careless!" Nami snaps at our Captain.
"What's wrong?" Sanji asks as I look around to see the fearful look on Apis' face.
"Those ships are from the 8th Division. Those are the Marines I ran away from! Oh no…" Apis panics, and I walk over to her and sit down on the ground, allowing my dress to flow around me as I place Apis on my lap, trying to comfort her; she settles slightly, and I stroke her hair, soothing her when I hear the sounds of cannon fire.
"Ahh! They've started shooting!" Usopp shouts, and three cannons come crashing down around the ship; I hold Apis tightly as the ship shakes, and everyone braces themselves as the vessel settles.
"Attention pirate vessel! Stop your ship immediately! You've had your warning shots; the next round will not miss!" A Marine shouts through the comms at us, and I shake my head, shifting Apis in my lap, keeping her covered.
"Like hell, we're gonna stop!" Usopp snaps as he hangs from the rig by the foot and holds onto the side.
"What do we do, Luffy? If you're gonna fight them, do it now!" Zoro tells him.
"Ya, let's fight." Luffy agrees, not even thinking about it.
"H-Hey, hold it! Why do you guys always do this!? How do you plan to take on that whole fleet?" Usopp interjects, sharing his panic.
"Apis, you should get inside," I tell her, worried about her getting hurt in the crossfire.
"We'll raid them," Zoro says, not even caring.
"What the hell will raiding them do?!" Usopp yells, and I let Apis off my lap, but she doesn't move and looks over my shoulder.
"It'll do something!" Luffy jumps in again, neither of them really thinking it through.
"WHAT?!" Usopp yells.
"It's not like we're telling you to come. Just shoot the cannon to cover us." Zoro tells him, and he seems to calm down.
"Really?! I get to stay on the ship? Great leave it to me! And just in case we have to get away, I'll be ready to do that too!" Usopp assures them, which I have no doubt, and I look down to see Apis still hasn't moved back inside.
"Hey Apis, what's wrong?" I ask her as she stares up.
"A wind is coming." Apis states with certainty. "A big wind."
"Zoro, face the sails south! Usopp, Sanji-Kun, turn us hard to starboard! NOW!" Nami instructs them, and they seem a little hesitant.
"O-Okay…!" Usopp agrees with Sanji, and they walk back into the cabin to the helm.
"What's up?" Luffy asks our navigator.
"A squall is coming." Nami answers, "We'll catch it, and getaway. There's no way we could take them head-on with what we have."
"We'd be fine…" Luffy pouts wanting to fight, and the wind comes out of nowhere and catches in the sails just in time, and we speed off, but then I look around and feel a tingling in the back of my neck. That can't be good. "Hey! We're going pretty fast! This winds fun."
"Check it out, Luffy, we're losing the Marines! Haha, just try and catch us now~!" Usopp cheers, but I still have that terrible feeling, and I pick Apis up into my arms, holding her so she leans on my hip, and she hugs my neck. I walk over to Zoro as he looks around. "Those Marines can't follow us now! Another victory for the great Captain Usopp!"
"Awesome! Cool! That's my Navigator!" Luffy cheers.
"Nami-san is so wonderful~! She can even predict the winds~!" Sanji swoons at her, and I shake my head. Seeing Zoro look up, I follow and see all the seagulls staying in the crow's nest, a bad sign.
"Well, I just had a feeling." She replies.
"Ah~ Nami-san is splendid when she's humble~!" Sanji swoons some more.
"So let's get going to Warship Island," Luffy exclaims glee.
"You mean it!" Apis cheers in my ear, making me cringe, and she whispers an apology, but I smile at her, glad she's happy.
"Of course, I mean it!" Luffy tells her.
"Alright, to Warship Island!" Usopp cheers.
"GO!" They both shout though Apis whispers.
"What's wrong, Zoro, Dakota?" Nami asks us from next to me. "You've been looking real serious for a while now."
"Nah, it's just something weird," Zoro comments, still looking up.
"What?" She asks.
"It seems like… the ship hasn't moved for a long time," Zoro says, and everything clicks into place.
"Come to think of it… there isn't any wind in the sails at all…" Nami says, and it dawns on her, too, as she shrieks, causing everyone to look at her.
"What's up, Nami?" Luffy asks our panicking navigator.
"Nami… san?" Sanji asks, looking confused,
"Oh no…" Nami mutters.
"Yep," I pop the 'p', and she lets out another shriek of panic, gaining everyone's attention; they all look up at her. "We've entered the Calm Belt."
"Charm Belt?" Usopp asks, getting the name wrong.
"What the heck is that?" Luffy asks.
"Calm Belt! A region of calm water!" Nami snaps at him, not remaining calm.
"Nami's superhuman strength?!" He exclaims in glee, not getting it at all.
"IDIOT!" Nami yells at him, and the ship shakes slightly; I pull Apis closer to me.
"Eh? An earthquake?" He asks, completely oblivious.
"Earthquake? On the ocean?" Sanji questions looking at our Captain in disbelief.
"You guys, stop talking like we're fine! Hurry! Take in the sails and start rowing! Get us back to where we were!" Nami instructs them with urgency.
"Right away, Nami-san!" Sanji immediately agrees.
"What are you so worked up for? Why do we need to row? This is a sailing ship." Zoro says, and I look behind me as he stands there, utterly oblivious to our situation.
"Yeah, he's right! Why would we go back there when we just ran away from the Marines?" Usopp asks, and I lose it.
"Would you just listen to us! We're in real deep trouble here!" I snap at the boys.
"But the sea so quiet." Luffy points out, and Usopp nods in agreement.
"Fine! I'll explain it to you! Listen! We took the ship out of there in a hurry, and we ended up a lot farther south of where we're going." I try to explain without worrying Apis about the danger of this place.
"So we're in the Grand Line?" Luffy asks, and Usopp begins celebrating.
"IF IT WAS THAT EASY TO GET INTO, EVERYONE WOULD GO!" Nami shouts at them aggressively and pulls out the map for everyone. "Now look! Our destination, The Grand Line, runs between two strips of ocean, okay? Both of these regions are called the 'Calm Belt'. No one knows why, but these regions never have winds or ocean currents. It's quite simply a permanently 'calm' region. For ships that depend on wind power, it's an extremely dangerous place to travel! Luffy? Do you understand?" Nami gives a long-winded explanation.
"Yeah. just that it's bad." Luffy answers.
"Yes, that's right. I'm glad you got it." I remark, and I let Apis down on her feet.
"So when the old fart said it was dangerous, is this what he meant...?" Sanji wonders, but he's not far off.
"That's why there hasn't been any wind." Zoro finally gets it.
"Well, if the ship won't move, there isn't much we can do, right?" Usopp asks.
"We'll just wait until the wind starts up again!" Luffy suggests the impossible.
"Like I said! Once you enter this region, there won't be any wind, no matter how long you wait! And that isn't all… there's another reason why this region is known to be so dangerous. This place is…" Nami says, and the ship shakes again; I place my hands on Apis' shoulders to keep her steady.
"What's going on?" Usopp questions as the ship continue to shake.
"Something's coming!" Apis shouts, and the water around us waves as something big comes to the surface; the ship moves up into the air, with more mounds of water shooting around us.
"They're here!" I shout as more pop up around us.
"What's that?" Luffy asks, and the waterfalls away, revealing giant Sea Kings of all kinds; we move up as we're on one of their snouts. "Wow! They're huge! HUGE!" He shouts, and I pull Apis towards me as the others look entirely in shock and horror at the school of Sea Kings.
"The Calm Belt is a Sea King breeding ground. And for the big ones, too… the reason you can't cross the Calm Belt because of these things." I explain, remaining calm, unlike the others, as Nami hugs the mast with tears running down her face.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Sanji asks in worry.
"For now, everyone… don't move! We'll be back in the water soon. And then.., we're gonna row like hell!" Zoro says in a hush-like tone.
"YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" Usopp yells in fear, and Nami covers his mouth, stopping his screams.
"Idiot…!" Nami mutters, which seems to get the Sea King's attention.
"Why~!" Usopp mutters, and the frog Sea King hops towards us.
"THE FROG'S COMING!" Luffy screams as it gets closer.
"W-Why… w-what the?!" Usopp cries, and Apis slips from my grasp; she falls towards the open mouth of the Sea King.
"Apis!" I shout as I hang onto the mast as the ship tilts.
"Look out!" Luffy shouts, stretches his arm out, catching Apis before the Sea King can swallow her, and falls back into the water. Apis hangs in the air; Luffy swings her high up, and she panics.
"His arm's stretching! Luffy, have you eaten a Devil's Fruit?" She shouts down as Luffy's arm begins to spring back.
"Yup." He answers.
"Luffy! Stretch down to the bottom again!" She shouts, and he complies; she goes soaring towards the Sea King we're standing on.
"Oi, oi Luffy!" Usopp shouts at him.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I demand with worry for Apis.
"I dunno," Luffy answers, and I move to the side to watch Apis move towards the Sea King.
"Apis!" Nami yells out.
"Watch out!" Usopp also yells out.
"Okay, now…" Apis yells, and I watch her move towards the Sea King's nostril and pull out a hair from inside.
"What did she do?!" Zoro asks.
"Pulled out a nose hair," Luffy answers as the Sea King makes noises as it gets ready to sneeze.
"Wait a damn second~" Usopp freaks out.
"If you do that…" Nami panics.
"The thing's gonna sneeze!" Sanji yells, and Apis comes sailing towards us; she falls into Zoro's arms, who falls back a little from the force, and she lets go of the nose hair.
"That's a HUGE nose hair!" Luffy exclaims, and Apis in Zoro's arms gives him a thumbs up. "Alright! Here we go!" With that said, the Sea King sneezes loudly and violently; we go flying into the air.
"WHAT!?" We shout as the ship bumps away from the school of Sea Kings. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO CAREFREE ABOUT THIS?!" We yell at our Captain.
"AWESOME! It feels like we're flying!" Luffy cheers from the air.
"We really are flying!" Usopp shouts as we continue to soar over the school of Sea Kings and land harshly back into the water.
"Looks like we're back to where we were before." Nami sighs in relief.
"And no sign of those Marines." Zoro points out.
"I thought I was gonna die…" Usopp whines, looking green in the face.
"Right on!" Luffy exclaims to Apis.
"Thanks!" She replies with a thumbs up.
"Alright full sail! Our heading? Of course! Warship Island!" Luffy exclaims, and I turn the helm, and the sails catch the wind, and we head off.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
We sail into some fog sometime later, "Can't see a damn thing." Usopp comments.
"You can see the fog~!" Luffy teases him.
"Apis, are you sure it's around here?" Sanji asks her.
"Dunno." She answers, and I don't blame her; she's only a kid.
"How can you say 'Dunno'?" Usopp asks her in annoyance; I elbow him in the stomach, and he bends over, wincing in pain.
"It should be somewhere nearby…" Nami says, trying to be assuring.
"You're so great, Nami-san!" Sanji swoons at her.
"I don't really get you…" Luffy says to Sanji, but Apis moves forward over the railing.
"Oh,… over there!" Apis shouts and points to the right of us, and I try to look through the thick fog, and in the distance, a silhouette of something big comes into view.
"Ooh, a ship! It's HUGE!" Luffy exclaims, getting all excited.
"Come on now…" Sanji sighs to himself.
"Is there anything you won't call huge?" Zoro asks him.
"So, should I say that it's super-duper huge?" Luffy asks as if that's the problem.
"NO!" Nami yells at him.
"That's Warship Island! It looks like a battleship, so we call it Warship Island," Apis explains gleefully.
"Hey, cool!" Luffy exclaims as we sail into the port; I turn the helm to the side, and the ship moves on its side towards the land; Zoro pulls the anchor loose and drops it into the bay; Sanji gets Jacob's ladder and unrolls it as Apis stands at the top.
"Yo! I'm back!" Apis greets them, and they all seem happy and surprised to see her again; I pick her up, and we climb the ladder onto the ground.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
Once on the ground, Apis waves at the villagers and her friends. "Apis!?" They all exclaim in surprise at her reappearance.
"Why did you… on a pirate ship…? What's going on here?" A villager asks her as the others all climb down behind us.
"Hey, you there," Luffy asks, seeming serious.
"W-What do you want?" The villager asks in fear shielding himself from an attack.
"Is there a smoked meat store on this island!?" Luffy asks, and I shake my head with Apis giggling to herself.
"W-Who are these guys...?" The villager questions seeming sceptical.
"Well, you see… even though their pirates, they're good pirates," Apis explains.
"Is there even such a thing as a good pirate?" Another villager questions.
"But weren't you taken away by the Marines?" Asks the one next to the other.
"That's right. But I ran away! Then… Luffy and his crew saved me, right?" Apis explains and circles her arms around my neck as Luffy stands beside me.
"Yup!" Luffy agrees.
"Apis, what have you done? I don't know why, but the Marines were looking for you. You shouldn't go back to your house. They're still around here." The villagers explain, frightening the poor girl.
"Oh no…" Apis mutters and hides her face in the crook of my neck; I rub her back, trying to comfort her.
"We'd like to help you out, but… these guys are pirate!" A villager explains.
"Ah, what a fix…" Apis mumbles to herself.
"But she said we're GOOD pirates," Usopp mutters, trying to defend Apis and us.
"Apis! Come here this instant." An old man tells her, and she seems shocked and happy about the appearance of this old man.
"Who's that?" I ask her, but the others hear me.
"Dunno." Luffy answers. I look at him with a frown, and Apis jumps from my arms and runs towards the old man.
"Grandpa Bokuden!" Apis greets him as she runs over to him. She attacks him in a hug around the waist.
"I'm glad you're safe. I thank you for saving Apis. How about it? I'd like to give you a warm welcome at my house." He asks us.
"Is your house… a smoked meat store?" Luffy asks. I elbow him in the back, and he yelps in pain.
"It's not a smoked meat store, but… Grandpa Bokuden makes the best pork buns on the island!" Apis boasts, and that's all Luffy needs.
"Yes! Let's do it!" Luffy agrees loudly.
"Sure, let's go." Zoro also agrees.
"Apis, please introduce your friends." Grandpa Bokuden asks her, and she pulls away, pointing at Zoro.
"This is Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, and Dakota!" She introduces us as she points at us, and we all give a form of greeting.
"Very nice to meet you all; let us head back to our home." He says, and Apis moves to his side, and they walk through the group of villagers and us walking behind them.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
We made it to the house; it's a lovely wooden cabin and a stone hut at the back, which we sat in waiting for the pork buns as Grandpa Bokuden put them in to cook. "All set. Everything is prepared; now we just have to wait." He announces.
"Wow!"
"Smells good!" Luffy and Usopp exclaim in greed.
"Oh, this is old fashioned. Gramps, how long's this gonna take?" Sanji asks from over the ancient stove.
"Hmm? Oh, yes… about 4 or 5 hours, I'd guess." He answers, and Luffy and Usopp yell out in surprise, but I settle them down.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
Everyone sits around the cabin; I sit by the window next to Luffy as my assassination instincts are in overdrive, as something doesn't sit right with me. "I'm so hungry.~" Luffy whines as he looks out the window at a butterfly that flutters past.
"Bokuden-san, why was Apis kidnapped by the Marines? Any ideas?" Nami asks him, also curious.
"Apis, do you have any idea?" He asks, seemingly clueless as the rest of us.
"None!" Apis answers all too quickly, and I look at her; she does know but is unwilling to share.
"But you told us there was a reason you couldn't say anything!" Nami argues.
"Oh, that was a lie." Apis replies, and I shake my head at her antics.
"Well… there is something." Bokuden adds in.
"But she just said there wasn't!" Usopp snaps, slamming his hands on the coffee table.
"There really isn't much on this island, but if there's something it does have, it's our… ancient legend." Bokuden remarks.
"Legend?" Zoro echoes in surprise.
"The people of this island are known as the descendants of Lost Island that sank thousands of years ago at the peak of its prosperity. Lost Island is home to dragons called Millenium Dragons. The bones of those dragons are called Dragon Bones… and are believed to be an elixir that grants eternal youth." Bokuden tells the tale.
"Interesting…" Sanji comments as he puts a cigarette in his mouth. "But the legend is no reason for the Marines to get involved."
"Yeah. Where do the Marines fit in?" Usopp asks the vital question.
"That's something I don't get either." I join in from my seat.
"Shouldn't there be some sort of hint in the legend?" Zoro asks, and I think back to what Bokuden had already said, 'an elixir that grants eternal youth'?
"To begin, Lost Island's first king was Iskandaq…" Bokuden begins.
"There he goes," Apis mutters under her breath in annoyance, obviously hearing it before.
"Now, Pokepo soon had three sons. The eldest was Bokehontasu. The second son was Bokebonbon. And the third son was Bokebokepon." Bokuden continues, and Apis sneaks right past Luffy and me; we look at her, and she motions for us to stay quiet, and I listen to the legend told in boring detail. "One day, the king told them this: 'Listen, you three, go find the tree that bears stars as its fruit in the Valley of Dragons.' and so, Bokehontasu and Bokebokepon bravely set off to find the Valley… and then, in the 317th Generation, Igrimori III's son Yugirmori became a great ruler. He went on to have 18 children. Those 18 children... " Bokuden continues. It's been a long time since he started, and of course, Zoro is fast asleep along with Luffy, the two having no attention span, Nami and Usopp complain, but I keep listening, not wanting to be totally rude. "As King, he implemented a great revolution. But that King sure had a lot of children! By the time his grandchildren were born, he ended up with 65!" Luffy excuses himself getting up sluggishly and leaving the cabin. "They said if you threw a rock into the kingdom, you'd hit one of the princes, hehe." I watch as Luffy leave, moving towards the hut, but I continue to listen even though I really don't see how this is a legend. "And then, in the 1111th generation, no, it was the 1121st generation, it was Hokeehontasu. Thereupon, Nemenmetasu entered the Civil Service and began to think, 'How shall I protect this man?' then!" Nami crawls past Usopp's back, stops as they talk about Luffy, and continues crawling out of the cabin. "Before the other countries could invade, he ordered for the preparation of the kingdom to commence." I hear Nami shriek and get up from my seat by the window; I sneak outside unnoticed by the others.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
I walk outside towards the hut to see Luffy standing behind a crouching Nami as they both look at the ground; I walk over to see drag marks in the dirt, indicating something heavy was being dragged. "Where's it go?" Nami questions and looks up; she looks right at me.
"I guess we follow it," I tell her, and she nods in agreement; she gets to her feet, and we walk around the hut, following the trail around the back of the cabin to the mountain area and some bushes.
"It just disappears?" Luffy questions as we look at the mountain.
"What's going on?" Nami wonders, and Luffy walks over to the bush, kneeling before sticking his head in.
"Hey, Luffy what are you doing?" I ask him.
"A hole." He replies, and Nami and I get onto our knees beside him and see the drag mark continues towards a dark hole in the rock face, and we crawl through the bushes towards the spot.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
We crawl through the cramped, dark hole through the mountain face and out the other side to a hidden path going up the side of the mountain, and we begin to trek up the way to the top, where the drag marks jump onto the other side of a cavern. "It seems it got across here somehow." Nami points out. "Luffy!"
"Okay. Gum-Gum... suspension bridge." Luffy yells and stretches his arms out to the other side of the gap, which makes his legs stretch and Nami, and I walk over him to the other side and walk down further.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
We continue through the trees, still following the drag marks on the ground. "We're behind the mountain. Where's it going?" I wonder aloud.
"Ah… what's that?" Nami inquiries as in front of us is a cave, and we walk towards the cave and inside.
ONE PIECE - WARSHIP ISLAND ARC
We walk further into the cave the sound of Apis' voice grows closer, "I'm trying hard to find out, but I still don't have any clues." Apis says to someone out of view.
"Apis… who is she talking to?" I wonder, and Luffy steps forward, waving his arm in the air.
"Yo, Apis! Who ya talkin' to?" Luffy asks her loudly.
"Don't shout out suddenly like that!" Nami scolds him, and Apis sits to her feet and backs away, arms stretching out as if trying to use herself as a barrier between us and something worth protecting.
"No, stay back!" Apis shouts, and Luffy walks over as Nami, and I stay back when he looks in shock, gasping.
"Luffy, what's up?" I ask as we walk forward to get a better look, I stare at the figure in front of us as Nami gasps in shock, and I can't help but stare with my mouth hanging open as in front of us is a Dragon. My surprise changes into excitement at the sight of this rare creature, but Luffy decides to try climbing it, and Apis tries stopping him.
"Cool! This is so cool!" Luffy exclaims in pure joy.
"Stop! Please stop!" Apis pleads with him, and I step forward slowly, not wanting to startle the Dragon.
"Wait, Luffy!" Nami gasps, and I walk over to Luffy, pulling him from the head of the Dragon as he leans into it, and Apis tries pulling him off.
"It's real! It's alive!" Luffy gushes.
"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Apis yells at him as I pull him off by the back of his vest.
"Awesome! Where'd you come from?" Luffy asks the Dragon, and in response, it opens its eye staring into Luffy's, and for a long moment, they stare at each other. "I see… you want to go back to your home." Apis gasps in shock, stepping back, and I drop Luffy to his feet, and he crouches in front of the Dragon.
"Grandpa Ryu says it's okay to be friends with you Luffy. He knows you're a good person." Apis says, and I step over, placing my hand on Apis' shoulder; she looks over at Luffy as he smiles. "Luffy, how did you understand Grandpa Ryu?"
"Just somehow." He answers, and I shake my head in disbelief.
"Somehow?" Apis echoes more in annoyance in his answer than anything.
"You can understand him too, huh?" Luffy asks her.
"No… actually… I…" Apis tries to say, but I know already.
"Could it be a Devil's Fruit? You have the ability of the Devil's Fruit, don't you?" I ask her, and she nods in agreement, holding my hand still on her shoulder.
"Yes, I ate the Hiso Hiso no Mi. After that, I could understand the heart of any animal." Apis explains her abilities.
"So that's why back then you knew that strong wind was coming." Nami points out.
"Yep! The seagulls told me. Meeting Grandpa Ryu was also thanks to the Hiso Hiso no Mi…" Apis says, and she begins explaining how she met the ancient Dragon one day on the island. "Grandpa Ryu had lost all of his strength and had gotten separated from his friends. He was searching all alone for the location of the Dragon's Nest, Lost Island."
"Lost Island? The island that sank thousands of years ago?" Nami asks, still keeping her distance.
"Grandpa Ryu says the island is going to rise again. 'It should be about time,' he says, but he doesn't remember the location anymore. He's lost all his strength and the ability to fly, but he keeps saying 'I want to go home!' I want to do something to help, but I have no idea where the island is. That old legend didn't have any clues… so I accidentally asked some Marines passing by the island. But that was a mistake. They were looking for the Dragonite." Apis explains some more.
"Dragonite? The ones that grants eternal youth? They kidnapped you because they were after those, Apis?" I ask her.
"Yes, they told me that I had to tell them everything and kidnapped me. Probably because I was wearing the claw pendant Grandpa Ryu gave me." She replies.
"So that's why you were out in the storm. You're pushing yourself too far!" I scold her, and she nods her head, agreeing with me.
"I know, that's why I'm keeping it a secret from the villagers and Bokuden-san. I can't burden them with this. But, I want to get Grandpa Ryu back to his birthplace no matter what! Grandpa Ryu, you always say that, right? If you return to the Dragon's Nest, you'll surely regain your strength. No matter how long it takes, I'll find it for you. Absolutely, no matter what happens. I'll find it for you." Apis says with so much emotion; I crouch down and circle my arms around her neck in a hug feeling her strong emotions.
"Yosh! Then I'll take you there!" Luffy announces with no hesitation.
"Luffy!? Were you listening? She said Lost Island sunk into the sea!" Nami snaps at him.
"But the Legendary Millennium Dragon said so! This Lost Island has to be somewhere!" Luffy argues lightly.
"An island that isn't on any map?" Nami questions him.
"Yeah! That's why we're going!" Luffy announces with complete optimism.
"To an island that isn't on any map. Well if you say so. Let's do it!" Nami changes her tune, snapping her fingers with a grin.
"Yosh! Dakota coming?" Luffy asks, and I look at Apis and Grandpa Ryu.
"Of course." I agree.
"Really? You really mean it?!" Apis asks, turning around in my arms.
"Yeah!" Luffy confirms, and Apis hugs me back.
"Thank you!" She exclaims in pure happiness.
"Now that that's decided have some more!" Luffy says, picking up a pork bun from the ground and holding it to Grandpa Ryu.
"Ah, Luffy, I forgot to tell you before but…" Apis tries to warm him, but Grandpa Ryu opens his mouth before she can, taking half of Luffy into his mouth, leaving just his legs kicking about. "Grandpa Ryu's a little bit senile." Nami stands in shock, but I can't help but laugh as I watch my Baby Brother try to wiggle out of the Millennium Dragon's mouth.