BIG JUNGLE STUCK IN THE JURRASIC PERIOD PART 1
Alabasta Saga - Diary of Coby-Meppo & Little Garden Arc - Episodes 68 - 74
DAKOTA'S POV:
"For now, it looks like our next destination is set." Zoro comments.
"Little Garden, huh…" Sanji repeats the name of our next Island.
"H-Hey, now! Will we be alright there?!" Usopp gulps with nervousness and looks over at me.
"Who knows! Let's go, man!" Luffy cheers.
"Yeah!" We all agree, and Usopp still looks scared.
"It's a misnomer, Little Garden is more like a giant jungle island," I tell them and walk off with Usopp screaming about death as I walk down the steps.
"Dakota! No! Tell me you're lying! Is it dangerous! Dakota!" Nami and Usopp cry after me, and I walk into my room to get changed.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
I finish tying up my heeled boots that go over my black jeans and tuck in my baby blue shirt, and put a black leather jacket over it as I want to stay covered up as best I can since I've heard the rumours about Little Garden and the blizzard weather. I put the book I let Nami borrow from our shared collection on the top shelf. "Man, what are they doing out there." I sigh as I hear the boys yelling at Luffy again; I grab one of my hair bands and put it into a difficult plait before putting my leather jacket on and opening the bedroom door.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
I walk out to see Sanji, Usopp and Luffy chasing after Karoo around the mast; I watch them and feel stupid for it and walk up the stairs to the girls. "W-Wait!" "Wait, come back!" The boys shout at the duck.
"Dammit, you guys! Knock it off!" Zoro loses it and screams at them; I try not to laugh at the boys below.
"But can't you guys be a little worried, at least!" Nami loses it as well and shouts at the boys.
"Worried about what?" Luffy asks her, clueless.
"Oh! Nami-san is lovely when she's angry, too!" Sanji swoons at our Navigator, as always.
"Honestly, now!" She sighs in annoyance at our crewmates.
"But it's strange. For someone with a 30 million Berry Bounty, he doesn't seem that terrible of a person at all," Vivi comments as she looks at my goofy baby brother.
"Yeah, it might be hard to imagine, but he's beaten many big names. Arlong, the Fishman who was bent on ruling the East Blue..." Nami starts the list.
"Manipulating, evil and cruel. Total loser." I comment under my breath, but the others still hear me and giggle.
"Pirate Fleet Commodore, Don Krieg..." Nami adds that fool.
"Loser couldn't take a week in the Grand Line," I remark, and the others giggle.
"Captain Kuro, an unknown pirate notorious for his cunning methods." She says, trying to stop her giggles.
"Trickster who turned on his crew to kill them and a girl for-profit and got beaten by a 17-year-old." I grin as the others laugh.
"You forgot one." Zoro cuts in, and we all look at him. "A Marine freak who wields a huge axe-hand."
"Ah, Axe-Hand Morgan!" Nami nods, seeming to remember as it was before the rest of us.
"Axe-Hand Morgan? I've heard of him before. I heard he's a Marine Captain who's feared in the East Blue for his overwhelming domination. You're saying he beat even him?!" Vivi questions as she looks at my brother as he tries to help Sanji and Usopp put around Karoo, seeming to want to use him as bait.
"Oh! The old axe-hand guy? That reminds me, I wonder what that guy with him is up to now..." Luffy wonders, and Usopp lets go of the oversized duck, and it escapes. "I wonder if he's still at that Marine base…"
"Who's 'he'?" I ask him.
"Yeah!" He answers as if that explains it. "His name's Coby! He's my friend!"
"So, tell us about this friend of yours," I ask him, and he goes on to tell us about when he left the Island and punched the Sea King, that took my Father's arm. "Fun, isn't it?" I smirk as the others look at us in shock. "What? It's a right of passage. So how'd you meet this Coby?" I ask him, and he tells us how he met the boy; we laugh and enjoy the story. "So, did you tell him about me?" I ask him, but he shakes his head and laughs. "What?! Why not!"
"You sound just like your Dad!" He laughs, and I whine a little but stop.
"Oh, god, I do!" I cringe, and the others laugh as well.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
3RD POV:
Back in the East Blue on the Island called Yotsuba in Shells Town, a boy with pale pink hair sits in the restaurant called Food Foo with his other chore mate Helmeppo both beaten up badly by each other and the fall from the roof. The two chore boys sit at the table with Ririka, the restaurant owner, and her young daughter as they tell them what happened at the Marine 153rd Branch Base. "Eh? That explosion earlier was you guys doing?" Rika asks the young boys after they finish explaining.
"Did they kick you out of the Marines after that?" Ririka asks them with worry as she places a plate full of rice balls.
"Thank you for the food," Coby says as he bows in thanks, still sullen about messing up but tries perking up. "No, we just managed to avoid being kicked out." He takes a bite.
"We had to agree to work for free for 50 years, though," Helmeppo complains as he eats unhappily. "Being kicked out would've been much better."
"Cheer up, you two," Ririka tells them with a big smile she shares with her daughter.
"Oh, Yeah! Look at this!" Rika says and grabs the morning newspaper that shows a picture of Luffy being chased by Smoker, and next to it is a picture of Dakota punching a group of Marines towards the camera. "'Straw Hat Luffy And Red Devil Dakota Wreak Havoc In Loguetown! Manages a Baffling Escape From Captain Smoker's Cloud!'" She quotes the title of the article.
"Luffy!" Coby cheers up, getting to his feet in glee at seeing his first real friend. "This means Luffy headed for the Grand Line!" He grins happily for his friend to get closer to his dream.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
DAKOTA'S POV:
Still sailing towards Little Garden, I walk out onto the deck to hear Usopp shouting after Zoro, and I shake my head at them as I take out my journal from my jacket pocket and start writing down the names of all the Bounty Hunters I took down in Whisky Peak. I walk up the stairs towards the kitchen and smack Usopp's flailing legs, making him fall to the floor behind me as I open the door and walk in.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
"...but it's easy to hit reefs due to the elevated coral," Vivi explains as she and Nami go over one of the island drawings, and I sit down opposite them as I continue to write the names down.
"I see…" Nami says as she looks over the drawing. "Thanks. That was helpful."
"You're welcome. Wow, it smells good." She replies, and I stop to see Sanji walking towards us with two trays, one with desserts and the other a tea set.
"Yeah." I agree as he walks over.
"Thanks for waiting. This is today's dessert, Tarte aux Poires. Bon Appétit." He says as he puts it before us, and Usopp appears next to me.
"Wow! It looks delicious!" We compliment the chef.
"Yours is over there!" Sanji snaps at the other male, pointing behind him, but he gets up anyway.
"Hmm… okay!" He cheers and heads for his dessert.
"Geez… hmm? Where's Luffy?" Sanji asks as it's quiet for once on the Going Merry.
"Oh, I asked him to go draw water earlier. I want to take a shower. I think he's at the water drawing machine." Nami explains, and I cringe, knowing something terrible will happen.
"No wonder he's been quiet." He replies when a crash comes from outside.
"Spoke too soon," I remark as we race out to have a look.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
We see Luffy climbing from under the stairs where the water drawing machine resides. "What? What happened?" I ask him as Usopp climbs under the railing at the broken appliance.
"Ahh! Luffy! Why'd you have to break it?!" Usopp cries, jumps down beside our Captain, and assesses the damage.
"I was just trying to draw the water faster," Luffy explains.
"Oh boy… the belt's been burned and broken!" Usopp announces, and Nami jumps down behind our rubber idiot.
"Yeah. I wonder how that happened." He plays the dumb card, and Nami punches him on the head.
"It's because of your ridiculous strength! Geez…" Nami snaps at our Captain.
"Can it be fixed?" Vivi asks him next to me.
"Well, we have to get materials from somewhere." Usopp answers, at least it's not so bad.
"In any case, I probably shouldn't ask him to do anything. Usopp, could you get water from the other water-drawing machine for me?" Nami demands as she goes towards the stairs.
"Yeah…" Usopp agrees, clearly distracted, but soon realises what he said. "What? Nami! Have you ever considered doing it yourself?!"
"I smell food!" Luffy says, and I shake my head at my brother's usual behaviour as Usopp yells at Nami, then turns on Luffy.
"And you, show a little more remorse!"
"I'm sorry. But there's another one so what's the big deal?" Luffy questions.
"Luffy, just say you're sorry," I tell him, and he looks up at me and then back at Usopp.
"I'm sorry." He repeats.
"Nami, look," Vivi says, and I follow her gaze to see the newspaper courier bird.
"Oh, the newspaper courier." Nami smiles, recognising the familiar bird.
"Shut up! I can't sleep!" Zoro complains from the other side of the ship at the two arguing boys as we walk back inside with the others as Usopp uses the water-drawing machine.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
I sit at the table, enjoy my Tarte, flip to the next page, write the names down, and let Nami read the newspaper. "At any rate, I can't believe they deliver the morning paper at noon." She complains, and the others come inside, except Usopp, to have their desserts, Zoro and Luffy sitting on either side of me.
"It can't be helped, we are travelling in this part of the Grand Line." I point out as I smack Luffy's hand away. "Feel a little lucky that you get the news at all."
"I guess you're right." Nami agrees with a smile, but she seems startled by something.
"Did something catch your eye?" Vivi asks her as she feeds Karoo.
"What? Ah, no, not really…" She lies and turns to the next page.
"I see." Vivi dismisses it and returns to attending to the duck; though I see the look she gives the Princess, it must be about her home.
"Ah!" Luffy gasps and slams his hands on the table, his mouth still full.
"Wh-What is it?" Nami asks him as he looks over her shoulder, bumping me into Zoro.
"Here! Zoro, look!" He exclaims.
"What? This is just a picture of the Marines." I point out as I look at the image.
"Yeah, but the guy in this picture isn't just anyone." He says, pointing at the picture in the corner of the two huddling on the ship.
"Hm? Hey, it's Coby!" Zoro remarks in surprise.
"See?!" Luffy exclaims in glee.
"Coby…? That friend you were talking about the other day?" Nami asks him.
"Yep! So what does it say? What does it say? Let's see-!" He asks her as he leans over, bumping me again, I push back, and he falls to the floor. "Ah!"
"Luffy, stop pushing into me." I snap as I drink my tea calmly, and he returns to his seat.
"Sorry, Sis." He apologises, and I nod, accepting the apology.
"'Vice-Admiral Garp's warship has arrived at Marine Headquarters.'" Nami reads aloud, and I look up at the mention of the old man who kept cussing out my Dad and threw me into the forest a few times for 'training'. "'The picture was taken right after they crossed over Reverse Mountain. Just as expected, Vice-Admiral Garp had a relaxed, imposing look. However, there were some young Marines whose faces froze with fear.'" I look at Luffy, who doesn't even recognise his Grandfather's name.
"Whoa… so Coby has entered the Grand Line." He beams with happiness for his friend.
"It said Marine Headquarters. Not so bad." Zoro comments, seeming pleased with his friend's success.
"No matter what people say, he's a man who'll be a Marine Mayor," Luffy replies with a grin.
"Why would he want to become a Mayor? Officer! A Marine Officer!" Zoro corrects him.
"Yeah, that's the one. I see… so he's trying hard, too." Luffy nods along as Nami turns the page continuing to read the paper.
"Hey, Nami, can I have the newspaper after you?" I ask her, and she nods.
"Sure," She answers, and it goes quiet as we all sit in silence enjoying ourselves, and Nami finishes the paper and passes it over to me, and I flip through the pages to find the one about Garp. Then I see what Nami is worried about. I look at Vivi and fold up the newspaper putting it into my inner jacket pocket, sharing a look with Nami, who nods.
ONE PIECE - DIARY OF COBY-MEPPO SHORT STORY
Night finally falls, and I sit in the crow's nest looking up into the night sky with twinkling stars; trying to think of other things, I hear a door open and close below and look over to see Nami walking out. "Dakota, give me the newspaper." Nami whisper-yells up to me, and I get the newspaper out before dropping it down for her to catch. "Thanks!"
"No problem, sleep tight," I whisper back as she goes back into our room with Vivi sleeping none the wiser, hopefully.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
I lean against the railing, feeling my eyes close as I fight sleep after being on night watch; I lean my head on Zoro's shoulder, falling asleep a little as they talk. "I wonder if it's not gonna snow anymore," Luffy comments above my head.
"There's no way it would." Zoro denies it in my ear.
"Does too. You don't know since you slept through it last time, sis tell him! Sis!" Luffy exclaims, then there's a smack as Zoro shuffles a little, and then a yelp comes from my brother.
"Shh! She's sleeping." Zoro snaps at him.
"Hey, do you think it'll snow again?" He asks Vivi instead.
"It could snow, but the sea we were in first is special since the seven magnetic forces from Reverse Mountain messes everything up," Vivi replies. "That doesn't mean you can relax your attention here, though. It'd be rare for this sea to be wild like the first journey, but it's still true that this sea is a lot more difficult than ordinary ones. Never underestimate this sea. That's the ironclad rule."
"Hey, guys!" Sanji calls out, and I open my eyes, feeling a little better, smelling the sweet scent in the air. "Wanna have my special drink?" I jump to my feet and race down the stairs with Karoo as Luffy and Zoro jump over the railing, and we sit in a circle with Usopp and Sanji, who pass me the drink. I sip the sweet drink through the straw with glee.
"Thanks." We all say to Sanji happily as we drink our drinks.
"Say, Usopp. Make a fishing tackle for me." Luffy requests our handy Sniper
"Fishing, huh? That's a good idea!" Zoro agrees.
"Okay. then I'll make an artistic fishing rod for you." Usopp accepts, and Karoo seems to be struggling with the straw.
"Hey, it goes like this," Sanji says as he helps the oversized duck who drinks it whole. "Wow, you sure can drink. Hey, is it good?" He passes round after round as Karoo seems to enjoy the drink.
"Whoa! Amazing!" Luffy cheers, and Usopp joins in as the bird continues to drink.
"Attaboy, go, go, go, go…" Usopp cheers, but Karoo seems to have sugar overload as he grows dizzy, crying before falling on his back and spitting up the drink. Luffy laughs with the rest of us, enjoying the moment because that's just the kind of crew we are. There's a splash from the starboard side of the ship, the boys get up to have a look, and I join them to see a dolphin jumping towards us.
"Hey, everyone, look! It's a dolphin!" Sanji announces as we watch.
"Whoa! He's cute!" Nami comments as he comes closer and jumps into the air, towering over the ship.
"It's huge!" We all cry out as it jumps over our heads and splashes into the water, creating a giant wave heading towards us.
"Get out of here!" Luffy orders, and we get to work, drop our drinks on the floor, startling Karoo awake as we run around the deck, Sanji tightens the rigging as Usopp, and I fix the sails, and Zoro goes to the helm to steer us away. Usopp jumps down onto the deck as Sanji runs over.
"Take that side!" Usopp yells at the cook as he runs over.
"Got it!" He nods and goes over to the other side of the sails as I continue to make sure the sails are secure.
"Completely unfurl the sails!" Luffy orders, and we pick up a strong wind, helping to move us further, but it seems the giant dolphin is enjoying chasing after us as it jumps into the air after us. "Okay! Ride the wave and shake him off!" The dolphin lands behind us with a huge splash, and creating another wave, we brace ourselves and ride out the tide away from the aquatic mammal. "Nami! Which direction should the ship take?" He asks our Navigator, and I jump down behind him, startling the straw hat wearer.
"Hold on a sec. Let me check." She tells him and looks down at the Log Pose on her wrist. "Turn to port, full!" She orders us, and we follow through and turn left, heading closer to our next Island. We all stand now that it's quiet towards the ship's bow to better see our heading.
"Whoa!" Luffy giggles as he sits on the figurehead, as the rest of us look at the Island before us.
"There's no mistake. That Island and Cactus Island are pulling against each other. Our next stop is… that Island!" She announces and points at the Island ahead,
"So that's the one! Our second Island in the Grand Line!" Luffy cheers from the figurehead, and I laugh at his happily grinning face as we sail towards the Island and the mainland. As we look at the wild jungle, Luffy jumps off the figurehead and runs to the port side. "So this is Little Garden."
"What's 'little' about it?!" Zoro comments as we look at the Island.
"This place doesn't quite fit its cute name; guess you were right, Dakota," Nami says, looking over at me as I stand beside her.
"Ahh… it's like a terra incognita. It's a thick jungle!" Usopp cries out in fear as he steps away as if it'll protect him.
"We should be careful. I'm worried about what Miss All Sunday was saying." Vivi worries, and it freaks our resident coward even more.
"A-A-Are you saying a monster may appear?!" Usopp stutters.
"Who knows?" Luffy laughs, not bothered either way.
"Let's go to our next destination without going ashore on this one!" He begs and runs to Nami.
"But the Log can't be stored so quickly." She tells him.
"Also, we have to stock up on food soon," Sanji tells him. "We didn't get enough in the last town we were in."
"There's a river mouth there." Zoro cuts in as he points over; we all look in the same direction to see what he means.
"What? Really?" Usopp cries a little, and we sail steady on the river up into the Island.
"I hope there's a BBQ restaurant in here," Luffy says, thinking about his stomach.
"As if there'd be one!" Sanji snaps at our Captain.
"But you said we were going to stock up on food." He reasons as if that's the same thing.
"We'll collect food to cook later! Geez, what're you thinking?" Sanji sighs at the rubber boy's behaviour.
"But it's dangerous to go ashore." Nami points out into the jungle. "Just take a look at the plants here to start with. I've never seen anything like them, even in encyclopedias."
"I have, one of my books has a reference about Little Garden," I tell her, and a bird cries out at high volume; I cover my ears at the noise.
"How cute!" Sanji coos as he looks at Nami and me.
"You mean me?" Usopp jokes, and Sanji turns vicious on the Sniper.
"Obviously, I meant Nami-san and Dakota, My Love!" He yells at Usopp.
"What was it I just heard?" I wonder, though; it sounded like a bird of some kind.
"It's all right. It's just a bird." Sanji assures them, but I look behind him to see an Archaeopteryx coming towards the cook. "And this is just a jungle. Don't worry."
"Sanji, behind you!" I call out and jump to knock him to the floor as the prehistoric bird tries to swoop him up in its talons.
"What was that for, you damn bird?!" He yells after it as it flies away, and we return to our feet.
"A lizard… I wonder if it tastes good." Luffy thinks with his stomach as usual.
"Luffy, it's not -." I try to tell him, but suddenly a loud boom echoes around us, and smoke enters the jungle.
"Is that a kind of noise you hear from just any jungle?" Nami cowers in fear.
"That sounded like a volcano erupted!" Usopp cries out as we sail up the river and come across a giant tiger.
"A tiger?!" "It's too huge!" Nami and Usopp shriek as they cower on the other side of the ship, and the feline follows us along the shoreline. Abruptly the giant tiger stops letting out wails of pain and spitting up blood before falling dead with a pool of blood on its side. "What?! What happened?!" Nami demands as she comes over, still hiding, using my body as a shield this time. "This isn't normal! This is definitely not normal!" She cries and turns to her fellow coward. "Why does a tiger, king of the jungle, fall covered in blood?!"
"It's not the king of this jungle," I comment as I look around.
"Ah! Don't say that! It's decided that we're not gonna go ashore on this Island!" Usopp decides for the coward duo.
"We'll quietly wait on the ship until the Log is stored." Nami agrees, and Usopp nods in agreement. "And leave this island as soon as possible."
"Right!" Usopp keeps repeating in agreement with the plan.
"W-we have to go to Alabasta quickly..." Nami says, and I shake my head as Zoro throws the anchor off the ship, as we stop. I go quickly into my room to grab my bag as I walk around and pack one of my books and some weapons. I return to see Luffy and Sanji talking; our Captain has a big goofy grin.
"A 'pirate lunch' with lots of meat and no veggies!" Luffy tells the cook. "I can smell adventure in the air!"
"Sanji, hide the vegetables, please," I ask him, and he nods as Nami approaches Luffy.
"W-Wait a sec! Where're you going?!" She demands, but with the look on his face, she's not gonna like it.
"Adventure!" He answers. "Wanna come along? Adventure! Adventure!" He cheers, but the cowardly duo doesn't look too happy.
"It's not like you have to go with him." I point out as I put my bag around my shoulders.
"Sanji! Make lunch for me!" Luffy cheers again.
"Okay. Hold on a bit." Sanji tells him, and Luffy giggles to himself.
"Say, can I come with you?" Viv asks him, and I look at her with a raised eyebrow, not expecting her to ask something like that.
"Sure! Come, come!" He agrees, and I shake my head at him.
"Not you too!" Nami cries out.
"Sanji, can you make two extra for Vivi and me," I ask him, and Nami cries out again.
"Yeah… if I just sit around here, I may start thinking about all sorts of things. I'll go out to take my mind off things until the Log is stored." Vivi tells the Navigator.
"I want to look around, see what's up with this island," I answer her.
"No way! It may be okay for Luffy and Dakota, but it's too dangerous for you!" Nami tries reasoning with the Princess.
"I'll be fine since Karoo will be with me," Vivi assures her, but the bird hears this and is shocked.
"He's too shocked to say a word, otherwise." I joke as I look at the poor duck.
"Could you prepare something to drink for Karoo?" She asks our fabulous cook.
"Of course! Please leave it to me!" He assures her and closes the door, working on our lunches.
Sanji hands over my lunchbox and gives Luffy a bag to hold his and Vivi's lunchboxes before placing Karoo's drink holder around his neck. "Now you're all set. Three pirate lunches and a special drink for Karoo." Sanji announces as he stands.
"Okay!" Luffy cheers and jumps off the ship onto the land along with Vivi on Karoo, and I join them on the shore.
"Well. Then. See you later!" Vivi calls back to the others.
"All right! Let's go!" Luffy cheers as he runs off with Karoo and Vivi chasing him, and I stroll behind them.
"We'll be back in a little while!" Vivi assures them as they disappear into the jungle, and Zoro jumps down from the ship behind me.
"Ah! Hey, Zoro!" Sanji calls out to the swordsman. "Wait! We're short of food. If you see animals that appear edible, bring them back."
"Okay, got it. I'll bring back one that you can't possibly capture." Zoro replies, getting a rise out of the cook, and I continue to walk off into the jungle away from the pissing contest the two always seem to have over the simplest things; they sort of remind me of Ace and Luffy when they were younger.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
I keep walking around the jungle, between the overgrown trees, looking down at my book I brought with me that shows all the different kinds of trees and plant life there around the Island; I left the reference book back on the ship just in case Nami wanted to read it, knowing her. I stop in my tracks and hear thunderous footsteps moving past me and a strange laugh; I turn around, hearing cries similar to Nami and Usopp. "Man, what scared them this time" I wonder aloud to myself and start heading the way I came back towards the ship, then another strange call goes through the trees. I stop, looking around as it sounds off for a few more seconds, then it stops as a herd of what appear to be brontosaurus racing in the other direction. I wait for the pack to pass before setting off again, then, another strange laugh sounds through the jungle, but I continue towards the ship.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
I finally reach the ship, but it's empty, I look around, but Usopp and Nami are nowhere to be seen; I shrug my shoulders as I put the book back on the shelf that was left on the floor and leave when the sound of one of the volcanoes erupting sounds out twice and head back onto the shore going up the river to check out our way out once the log resets.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
The eruption continues for a few more, then comes to a stop. There's a crashing sound from further within the jungle coming from each side before meeting in the middle and clashing sounds, I hold my hands to my ears from the intense sounds, but it soon stops though whatever it is, makes a fierce backlash and I head into the trees again in search of the noise.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
I walk into the trees, and whatever is happening within the Island's centre, it's terrible as strong winds rock the plant life around me as I go through, and more clashes and crashes surround the Island. I pull out my water canteen, take a sip and come across some berries I remember reading about that are edible and get out my lunch and start eating, glad for Sanji's cooking. I finish it quickly as the strong winds and clashing and crashing sounds come around, and I put the berries into the box, packing a fair few before sealing it up. "Teleport," I whisper, and the box disappears as I think of the kitchen table back on the Going Merry; I put my backpack around my shoulders again and continue walking along when I hear a familiar shrill voice from above and see a woman floating in the air. I groan as I slowly and carefully approach the yellow woman and see Mr 5 below.
"They'll find you, Miss Valentine. Come down already!" He warns her a little too late as I hide behind one of the trees, listening in.
"Don't worry, Mr 5… after all, they're absorbed in the fight. They won't notice." Miss Valentine assures him, and I tilt my head a little, thinking about her words, but I guess it makes sense to put the sounds together.
"Just come down!" He yells at her.
"Okay, okay." She begrudgingly agrees and lands before him, twirling her umbrella around.
"Hey, do you really get it? This is a big job for 200 million Berries." He tells her, and I look around the tree at them in surprise at the amount and wonder who they're after.
"Of course… although I feel reluctant to do as Mr 3 tells us…" She replies to him, and I sigh at the fact that they're more Officer Agents around on this Island.
"I know… let's go." He says and walks off with her following him with more crashes coming from behind them and wondering where they're going but shrugs off, needing to find the others to warn them about the Officer Agents.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
I speed walk through the trees and come to a clearing with Luffy, Vivi and Karoo standing watching something; I turn to look and see two giants punching each other in the face with their shields before they fall on their backs and laugh. Guess that was some of the strange noises I kept hearing on my walk and ran over to the little group and tackled Luffy to the ground, tickling him as he shrieked with laughter. Glad to see the goofball again. "My, Dakota, you gave me a fright," Vivi complains as she holds a hand over her chest, and Karoo gets back to his feet as I finish my assault on my baby brother, missing my other brother.
"Yeah, sorry, I was missing my kid brother a little." I joke as I take his hat as he gets to his feet and place it on my head.
"I wanted to ask you before, but you say he's your brother, but you don't share the same name or looks. I don't mean to sound rude, but it's been puzzling me for a while." She says, and I laugh as I look at my goofy, sworn brother.
"We met when my father and his crew came to his island for a 'holiday'." I use quotation marks, as every other day aboard the Red Force for me felt like paradise. "Dad left me on the island after a year to stay with Luffy."
"Yeah, and I told her Dad that I'd become the King of the Pirates one day and she vowed to kill the person who murdered her mother. We grew really close." Luffy adds in, and we share a grin.
"I see, that's sweet, so your father, who is it?" She asks, and I give Luffy his hat back.
"Why, 'Red-Haired Shanks', Captain of the Red-Haired Pirates," I tell her, and she looks in shock as the giant with the long brown beard returns to this side of the Island. "Hey, nice fighting," I compliment him as he sits down with two barrels between his finger and laughs strangely.
"Why, thank you, who is your red-haired friend?" He asks my brother.
"This is my big sister, Dakota, sis this is Dorry, he's a giant." Luffy introduces us, and I laugh at him.
"Nice to meet you, I've not met a giant in a long time, you Elbaf Giants are quite amazing." I compliment him again, and he laughs as he raises the barrels.
"I got these from my friend Brogy, he has two more humans with him." He informs us.
"They must be from our crew." Luffy comments.
"I see. His guests are your friends, huh?" Dorry remarks in his thunderous voice. "I saw a man with a long nose and a woman.
"That's Nami and Usopp, I was wondering where they'd gone," I comment. "They weren't on the ship when I returned."
"Then you could also say that I got this alcohol from you." He remarks, and I frown a little, thinking back, not remembering any more barrels of alcohol aboard the ship when I returned; it must have been Nami and Usopp's doing.
"By the way, Dorry, does it really take a year for the Log to be stored?" Vivi asks the warrior giant.
"Didn't you notice the human skulls lying around?" He questions, and I look inside behind him, following his gaze to see what he means, mountains of human skills piling up behind him. "Those who come to this Island die before the Log is stored in most cases. Some become dinosaurs' food, some suffer from the heat and starvation. Some others are killed because they attack us. They all die… it seems that one year on this Island is too long for humans. " He explains, seems reasonable seeing the wildlife around us.
"What're we gonna do? Even if we could survive for a year, if that much time passes, I don't know what will happen to my country by then." Vivi worries she has too much on her shoulders for one person.
"Yeah. I'd get bored, too, if we stay here for a year." Luffy remarks.
"Luffy, that's not what she meant." I sigh as I awkwardly pat her back, trying to comfort her. "Isn't there another way?" I ask the giant as he drinks the first barrel.
"We do have an Eternal Pose, but it's to our hometown, Elbaf. In other words, we're fighting for this Eternal Pose. do you wanna try taking it by force?" He asks us, but I shake my head as it's all over the New World.
"That's no good that's not where we wanna go." Luffy declines. "We just wanna go to the Island after this one. Right?" He asks as he turns to the Princess.
"Yes… If we lose the route to Alabasta, there's no point in moving forward." She tells them, and I nod along, knowing what she means.
"Then why don't you move forward randomly?" Dorry suggests, and I look at him in surprise. "If you're lucky, you'll get there." Luffy looks at him blankly before bursting out in laughter, and I shake my head at the goofball.
"Maybe we'll do that!" He laughs. "We may actually get there, huh?" He laughs, and Dorry joins in.
"Come to think of it, there was someone who left before the Log was stored." Dorry brings up.
"What happened to him?" Luffy asks him.
"How should I know?" Dorry laughs, and Luffy joins in again. Even Karoo looks like he wants to laugh.
"He must've gotten to the next island." Luffy giggles.
"That must be it." Dorry laughs, and they both laugh; I can't help laughing as well, feeling Vivi's grumpiness when suddenly, Dorry seems to explode from the inside as flames spark out of his mouth, and he falls on his back with smoke billowing out of his mouth.
"Old giant guy! What's going on?! Why did the alcohol explode?! That was the alcohol we had on our ship, right?!" Luffy questions as he climbs on his chest.
"It exploded in his stomach," I announce as I look worried.
"His opponent must've laid the explosive!" Vivi suggests, and Luffy looks at her angrily as he jumps down in front of her.
"What the hell were you watching?! They've been fighting for 100 years! No way they'd do something like this!" He growls at her.
"Then who on earth-" She questions us, and I can only think of one person on this Island.
"You bastards did…" Dorry growls at us angrily, and I look at him in worry. "It wasn't Brogy. We're proud warriors of Elbaf. Who else besides you should I be suspicious of?" Karoo lets out a shriek and runs away, leaving the Princess behind.
"Let's get out of here for now! It's probably no use saying anything to him!" Vivi warns him, and she's not wrong; giants are stubborn, but still, this means that Mr 5 must have something to do with this, but why would he target Dorry?
"It's probably no use even if we run." Luffy reasons takes his hat off, and passes it to me. "Hold this and stay back."
"Don't tell me! Are you going to fight?" She asks him.
"I feel bad to do this to the old guy, but I'll quiet him down." He reasons both of them are ready for a fight.
"Both of you stop! Please!" She begs them, but it won't go through to either of them, both seemingly as stubborn as the other. "Dorry, please listen! We really don't know anything about it! Anything about the alcohol that exploded! So please don't fight! You have to stay calm! Your insides are in bad shape right now!"
"Why should I believe you, liars!" He snaps back at her, too worked up to listen to reason and lifts his sword with a struggle; Luffy jumps up, running along the dull blade towards him and goes to punch him, but Dorry knocks him down with his shield. Luffy gets back up and stretches his arms into the jungle as Dorry goes to swing at him, and Luffy comes back as Dorry coughs up blood. Luffy rockets into the injured giant's stomach, which spits up more blood, and both fall; Dorry seems angrier and stomps on the rubber idiot; Vivi shrieks, calling out his name.
"So he has… the powers of a Devil Fruit… I underestimated… him…" Dorry groans before falling face-first into the ground, and Luffy gets up from the indent his body made. Vivi and I jog over to check on the rubber boy, who seems okay now.
"Luffy! Are you all right?" She asks him.
"How's the old guy?" He asks her back, ignoring her question.
"He's okay," I answer him.
"This is actually good. Otherwise, he wouldn't have calmed down." She points out,
"I'm angry!" He announces as I give him his hat back on his head. "Like the old guy said, this alcohol explosion isn't the act of the other giant, and my friends would never do a stupid thing like that."
"Then who on earth…" She wonders.
"There's someone else on this island," I announce, and they both look at me in surprise. "I saw them before I went looking for you, it's Miss Valentine and Mr 5, it explains the explosive alcohol." They look at each other as I explain.
"That does make sense, they must have followed up here after what happened in Whisky Peak." Vivi agrees.
"Yeah, but they don't seem like the type to do things behind the scenes; they're more the upfront type, so who's pulling their strings?" I wonder when one of the volcanoes will erupt again, shaking the Island.
"That volcano is… if I'm not mistaken…" Vivi whispers as we look at the volcano continue to spark, meaning the two giants will become giants again. Dorry seems to wake from the sound of the eruption and tries getting to his feet, but he's too badly injured.
"Hey! Wait, old guy! Don't go!" Luffy yells up at him, but it won't work.
"You can't go, Dorry! You need to keep still! You'll die if you push yourself too hard!" Vivi tries reasoning with the giant, but it doesn't work again.
"I, Warrior Dorry, am here… at the very least-" He coughs up more blood, still injured. "-I will fight to uphold the name of Elbaf!" He gets up, walks over to the holy rock face, and lifts it slightly off the ground heading towards us.
"Awesome! He picked up that gigantic rock!" Luffy exclaims, not seeing the danger.
"Luffy!" Vivi and I call out to him as the giant places the rock on top of him; the dust settles as we watch him struggle to free himself.
"What're you doing, old guy?! Move this rock! Hey!" Luffy yells as he smacks his hands down on the ground in protest.
"It can't be stopped…" Dorry tells him. "It was over a hundred years ago… when we started the battle. But running from a battle you've started… is the same as running from the title of 'warrior.' if I am no longer a warrior… I will no longer be me. I'm sorry I suspected you. This is the judgement given by… Elbaf, the god of war. I didn't have his divine protection. That's all." Dorry says as he catches his breath each time he stops, still too injured to stand but willing to fight.
"Gods and divine protection and all that have nothing to do with this! If a god told you to die, would you?! This duel has been interfered with! A duel that's been interfered with isn't a duel anymore! Isn't that right?!" Luffy yells from the ground to the brave giant.
"Be quiet!" Dorry snaps at him, not wanting to hear reason. "You've lived only a mere 10 or 20 years… you wouldn't understand the grand words of Elbaf!" He walks off to face his friend in an unfair duel with a clear winner, but I hope the blades on their weapons are dull enough for him to survive.
"Who gives a crap about that?! Hey! Move this thing! Hey! Old guy! Hey! Old guy! Hey! Dammit! I can't move this!" Luffy continues to yell and punch the rock face trapping him. "Dakota, move this!"
"No," I answer his request, and he looks at me angrily. "It won't do any good; a giant's duel is deadly for humans, especially when they come from Elbaf," I warn him and return the glare. "Getting in their way will be like crushing their spirits and spitting on everything they believe in. I can't let you interfere because I have faith that Dorry will come back alive."
"How can you have such faith?" Vivi asks me as we hear the clashing of the giant's weapons.
"Because I've seen giants fighting before, they're true warriors, and they've never waived even in 100 years, and well, weapons don't usually stay the same after such a long time," I reply as Luffy continues to punch at the rock, trapping him in place.
"Move, you stupid thing! Come on!" He yells as he punches and seems to give up a little. "Just when It seemed like I met an awesome warrior!"
"Luffy…" Vivi whispers as she watches him, and I sit beside him, placing my hand on his hat.
"Why would they tamper with the giant's fight?!" He growls. "I'll kill them!"
"Come to think of it… Karoo is gone!" Vivi announces, and I see the bird hasn't returned.
"I'm sure he's fine, Princess," I assure her as she looks into the trees worrying for the duck.
"He could be lost or worse!" She panics.
"He's probably gone back to the ship." I try again, but it doesn't seem to be working when I hear screaming coming towards us; I get to my feet as a blur comes sailing through the air slamming into one of the rocks and bouncing off into another. I watch Usopp fall to the ground, shaking my head as he groans in pain but stops bouncing to his feet and runs over to us.
"Terrible news! A dinosaur ate Nami!" He announces in horror.
"Seriously?!" Luffy yells, and I raise an eyebrow looking at him.
"We were running through the jungle to get away from it, and then suddenly she was gone! Oh! What do I do now?! I let my friend get killed!" Usopp panics, probably worrying about what Sanji will do to him.
"H-hold on! Calm down, you two!" Vivi snaps at the boys as they freak out. "If she suddenly disappeared, does that mean you don't know for sure?"
"Are you crazy?! I was too terrified to check and make sure! If it wasn't a dinosaur, it was a wild beast! What else could it have been?!" Usopp yells at her.
"I don't know." She admits, but I cough, and they look at me.
"We have a guess, Mr 5 and Miss Valentine followed us from Whisky Peak to this Island, so that's another possibility. They know about Nami and not you so they would have targeted her, Zoro, Luffy, Vivi and me as that otter informed Mr 0 about us." I tell them, and Usopp gasps dramatically.
"Eh?! Baroque Works is on the Island?! But… why wouldn't they target me?" He asks us.
"Because you're most likely not on Baroque Works' assassination list," Vivi explains.
"Oh, I see!" He agrees, nodding his head.
"Plus, that alcohol might've been meant for us, too!" She points out, and I nod at the possibility.
"Alcohol?! What about alcohol?!" He asks her.
"Brogy brought your alcohol to Dorry. And when Dorry drank it. It exploded inside his stomach." She explains a little more.
"What?! Alcohol exploded inside his stomach?!" He exclaims and turns to look over at the battling giants. "You're saying he went to the battlefield all busted up like that?!"
"I tried to stop him, but I wound up like this instead! And Dakota won't move it!" Luffy jumps in and throws a glare my way, which I return.
"You can't be serious! Those two've fought evenly for 100 years with all their might! It's probably the most pride-filled battle in the entire world!" He yells, and Luffy agrees with him. "They can't settle the fight like this now!" There's a sudden cry out, and we all look towards the fighting giants to see a spurt of blood rise high into the air, meaning Dorry is hit, and he's crying out in pain, followed by a thunderous crash. I close my eyes and hang my head, and Luffy growls; I turn to see him smacking his head into the ground in anger.
"Luffy! Stop it!" We yell at him.
"Show yourself!" He screams and continues to struggle free.
"Alright, Luffy! I dunno who we're dealing with, but I'll go take care of them myself!" Usopp snaps, his legs shaking.
"We'll come too, Usopp," I tell him and point to the Princess and myself.
"Yes! Please come with me! That'd be reassuring!" He begs, still shaking,
"There's no need for that!" Mr 5 announces, and I see him, his partner Miss Valentine, and Karoo.
"You guys!" Luffy growls as we look at the Baroque Works Officer Agents; Mr 5 throws Karoo to the ground, and Vivi gasps and runs to her precious bird.
"You can have him back. We don't need him." Mr 5 says, and Miss Valentine laughs as Vivi reaches Karoo, seeing the beaten-up bird thanks to the Agents.
"Karoo!" She gasps in shock at the statue of the oversized duck.
"Why, you…!" Usopp growls but stops and looks at me, pointing to the two Officer Agents. "Hey, who are they?"
"They're Mr 5 and Miss Valentine, we met them back in Whisky Peak," I tell him.
"What are you doing here?! Karoo has nothing to do with this!" Vivi demands an answer from them.
"That's right. This bird has absolutely nothing to do with this." He agrees with her. "The only ones we consider dangerous are that 'Straw Hat' man and 'Red Devil' woman. We were planning to lure you three out by having this bird squawk, but he was just too obstinate. But then we saw Straw Hat already took himself out of the picture. So we have no use for that thing anymore."
"Karoo…" Vivi whispers as she looks down at the bird, who lets out a small cry as she holds his head in her hands.
"What a stupid bird." Miss Valentine giggles in her shrill voice.
"Why, you…!" Vivi growls at the Baroque Works agents.
"Are you the ones who put a bm in the alcohol?!" Usopp demands, pointing at them.
"Yes, that was us. Who are you? Is he on the list?" Mr 5 asks his partner.
"No. He must be their friend. But let's make him disappear, too!" She suggests as if we can't hear them.
"So you interfered with the giants' duel!" Usopp snaps; I hold onto his arm to stop him from moving.
"It was them! I'll kick their asses!" Luffy yells as he tries to pull himself from under the rock.
"You're the ones who are going to disappear!" Vivi snaps as she gets to her feet and gets out her weapons, spinning them around.
"Oh? You're going to try struggling, Miss Wednesday?" Mt 5 mocks her as his partner stands behind him, giggling again.
"Do you stand a chance against us, Officer Agents?" Miss Valentine giggles as Vivi breaks out into a run towards them.
"Peacock Slasher!" She yells, and Usopp breaks out of my hold and runs after her with his slingshot.
"Take this! Special Attack: Exploding Star!" He yells and launches it at them, exploding on impact; a dark cloud of smoke covers them. "Yes!" He cheers too soon as Miss Valentine floats out of the clouds, laughing.
"What a nice explosive blast!" She giggles, and a hand comes out of the smoke.
"Nose Fancy Cannon!" Mr 5 yells and aims at Usopp, shooting at the Sniper, and it explodes on impact; Miss Valentine hovers above him.
"What a pity!" She giggles, and I run towards him.
"Usopp!" Luffy shouts out to our crewmate; I reach him as she begins her descent, already unconscious from the direct hit from the bomb.
"10,000 Kilogram Press!" She yells, and at the last minute, I push him out of the way; I feel her hit my head and knock me to the ground, cracking the surface at the force; I look through the smoke to see Usopp unconscious in the dirt in front of me as I feel myself losing consciousness.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
I open my eyes slowly, seeing a blurry vision as I blink, trying to focus my eyes as I gain consciousness, but my anger at being taken down so easily by that blond shrieking Officer Agent. "D-Dakota… U-Usopp…" I hear Luffy call out to us. "Dakota… Usopp… Can you let them get away with this?"
"No… I can't…" Usopp replies, both of them straining to talk.
"Not… a chance…" I agree as I try getting to my feet.
"Can you… not stand this?" Luffy asks, and I turn my head to see Karoo trying to dig him out from under the rock and let out a sort of war cry, which seems to perk Luffy up. "Alright! Let's all four of us go beat them senseless!" I get to my feet on shaking legs, trying to find my footing.
"We need to find out where they are and take them down quickly," I warn them as I crush off the dirt on my leather jacket and pick Usopp on his feet. "Move out of the way, Karoo," I order the bird, dig deep, and punch the ground in front of Luffy's head, allowing it to crack, and Luffy squirms free. "Let's get these losers!"
"YEAH!" They scream and run off without me; I sigh as I watch them run off and jog behind them as they continue to run ahead of me.
ONE PIECE - LITTLE GARDEN ARC
3RD POV:
The boys sail through the jungle as Dakota jogs close behind them, and they jump into the air and spin a little as they fly through a small clearing straight across to the other end, crashing into a set of trees. "Hey, you guys! I'm gonna kick your asses just so you know!" Luffy yells as he goes flying, leaving the others all in shock.
"What?" Mr 3 questions as he looks over at the cloud of dust that clears, showing the Sniper, Captain and Duck ready to fight.
"Let's do it, Usopp!" Luffy yells at his crewmate beside him as he fixes his hat.
"Yeah!" He yells in agreement.
"Bird!" He yells, and the duck lets out a squawk of agreement.
"Dakota!" He yells, and she grins with determination.
"Of course, Captain!" She yells, and the others look back and forth, seeing them both looking at the Officer Agents with the determination to get their friends back and take them down.
"Luffy! Usopp! Dakota!" Nami calls out to her crewmates.
"Karoo!" Vivi calls out in relief at seeing her long-time friend and companion.
"Master Brogy! We've taken on your frustration!" Usopp growls as they begin to walk towards the others.
"Usopp…" Brogy mutters but is still audible.
"Beat those guys up so much they lose their original forms and send them flying far off somewhere!" Nami yells at her saviours.
"Yeah! I will!" Luffy yells back as he cracks his knuckles angrily. "These guys spoiled the old giant guys' duel!"
"So you're the one with the highest bounty in the East Blue?" Mr 3 questions as he looks at the straw hat wearer and turns to Dakota as she snarls at him. "And the youngest female to have a bounty put on her head and such a high one too." He comments with a grin. "My, how Marine Headquarters' standards have fallen!"
"Whoa! What a weird head!" Luffy gasps in shock as he looks at his enemy.
"Quiet, you!" Mr 3 snaps at the rubber boy.
"It's the number 3, and it's on fire!" He stares in awe, easily distracted.
"Shut up!"
"Break this pillar first, Luffy! We're about to turn into wax figures!" Nami shouts over at her Captain.
"Oh? You're in trouble?" He asks them, seeming to just notice the three stuck in wax atop the candle set.
"No, there was no problem at all," Zoro assures them, but Dakota rolls her eyes at his bravado.
"Hey! Your legs!" Nami yells, alerting the redhead, who snaps her head in their direction, smelling the blood.
"Yeah. I went about halfway through, I'd say." He replies, feeling the pain but working through it as the blood pool around his feet and drips down the side of the candle set.
"How is that no problem at all?!" Nami demands in anger at the swordsman.
"For now, could you bust this pillar for us, Luffy? I leave the rest to you." He tells her, and Dakota shakes her head at the swordsman.
"Alright, no problem!" Luffy agrees easily.
"Men, I might stick to just women from now on," Dakota grumbles.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Mr 3 mutters to himself with a grin.
"Dunno what it is, but let's break that thing!" He exclaims as he looks up at the spinning pumpkin with lit candles atop.
"Alright! Got it!" Usopp agrees as they stare up at the candle set. "I'm a bit of a different person today!"
"Break the pillar, Luffy!" Nami cries out at her Captain, Dakota sinks back into the dense jungle as the Baroque Works agents aren't looking to give a surprise attack and to control herself at the scene of blood.
TO BE CONTINUED…...