IT DOES EXIST! HEAD FOR THE SKY! PART 1
Sky Island Saga - Jaya Arc- Episode 144 - 147 (Beginning of Saga)
The next day, Dakota seemed fine, as if nothing had happened; Zoro explained that she didn't want pity or sad looks, and everyone understood; they all had each other's back, no matter what.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
DAKOTA'S POV:
Luffy sits on his favourite seat, the figurehead of the Going Merry as Chopper, Sanji, and Usopp stand on his right, and Nami, Robin and I, in my striped black and white short jumpsuit and sandals, stand on his left as we look at our Captain, who stares ahead at the horizon as Zoro stands on the other side of the ship by the kitchen, lifting weight. "Anyway, that sure was an interesting place," Luffy states as if we all enjoyed it.
"Really? I've had enough of that ship graveyard." Nami tells him.
"Well, it's not like I wanna live there, but I wanna visit from time to time." He argues lightly.
"Was it really that nice?" Chopper asks him.
"Hm? Rain?" Zoro questions as he stops, and I look up as small pieces seem to fall around us.
"It's… not rain…" Sanji says as we move down to the main deck.
"Hail?" Usopp wonders, and I see something colossal heading straight for us.
"No… something's falling!" I shout as I point up to the sky as a large ship comes crashing towards us.
"What?!" They all shout as it comes crashing into the water next to us, causing large waves from the impact; the ship rocks on the waves as more pieces continue to shower down on us.
"Hang on! Hold on to the ship!" Zoro shouts over the loud noise as the waves crash around us.
"What?! What is it?! What is it?!" Nami cries out as pieces of debris keep falling from the sky.
"Dream! Yeah, this must be a dream!" Usopp deludes himself as he and Chopper fly around and smacks their heads together.
"Hey! More stuff's falling! Be careful!" Sanji shouts, and I look up, too, seeing the smaller pieces of wood keep falling, but it seems to be thinning out.
"Turn the rudder! The rudder!" Nami yells up at Zoro as he holds onto the mast.
"No way that'll work in these waves!" Zoro snaps back at her.
"Luffy, protect the ship! It can't take this any longer!" Sanji orders Luffy.
"Got it!" Luffy agrees.
"Hang on! I might be able to!" I shout and thrust my hands up into the air, feeling my eyes turn white.
"Hm? Usopp?" Luffy asks the sniper, and I stop, looking over to see him sitting, trying to stay calm.
"Cast aside your worries. Calmly close your eyes… when you open your eyes, a quiet morning lies before you…" He opens his eyes and faces a skeleton; he screams as it lands on him and throws it away in fear. "Bones!"
"You idiot! Don't throw it this way!" Nami screams, my eyes turn white, and a gust of wind shoots out of my hand, pushing the debris away from the ship and soon settling, and the waves calm.
"Why the heck did a ship fall from the sky?!" Luffy questions, and I remember something from one of my Father's stories as I was growing up.
"How weird…" Usopp shivers.
"There's nothing in the sky." Zoro notices.
"Oh man, the Grand Line is a crazy place! First, we see a ship graveyard inside a rainbow mist, and then a ship falls from the sky!" Usopp shivers as he and Chopper cling to each other.
"Ahh," Nami mutters and looks down at my old Log Pose.
"What's wrong, Nami?" Sanji asks her.
What're we gonna do?! Our Log Pose is broken! It's stuck pointing upwards." Nami complains, and I look up, thinking about the stories.
"That's not it. It was updated by an island with stronger magnetism. If the Log Pose needle is pointing upwards, that means the log has been caught by Sky Island." Robin concludes and looks up.
"Sky Island?!" The others all exclaim, and I gasp, remembering the stories from my childhood.
"What's that?" Nami asks.
"A floating island?!" Luffy beams.
"D-did that ship and those bones fall from there?" Usopp asks in fright.
"But I can't see anything like an island in the sky," Zoro argues as he looks up at the sky full of smaller clouds.
"That's not how it works." I point out, and the others all look at me. "It's more like an ocean that's floating above our heads."
"A sea?" Nami questions in disbelief but Luffy, Usopp and Chopper seem thrilled about the next adventure.
"I'm getting more and more confused." Sanji comments.
"Yaay! There's a sea with an island floating in the sky?! Alright! Let's head there right away!" Luffy cheers as he points up to the sky.
"Hey, guys! Turn the rudder upwards! Upwards rudder full!" Usopp joins in, and Robin covers Luffy's mouth to stop them from spouting nonsense.
"In any case, you can't turn upwards, Captain." Sanji points out.
"To be honest, I've never seen the sky island, nor do I know much about it," Robin confesses.
"Same; my Dad used to tell me stories as a kid," I tell them.
"Yeah! It's impossible for an island or a sea to float in the air! So the Log Pose really must be broken." Nami argues, and I shake my head.
"No, Navigator. Our concern right now should not be the Log Pose, it should be how we get to the sky. No matter what weird situations this ship gets caught up in, or how panicked we get, we must not doubt the Log Pose. This is an ironclad rule." Robin tells her, and she looks at my old Log Pose. "What we should doubt is rather the common sense in our heads. There's definitely an island where it's pointing."
"Sis, did Shanks really tell you stories about an island in the sky?" Luffy asks, and I nod; he cheers with the others.
"Yeah, Dad used to say he went when he and Mum were younger. If I remember right, he called it Skypiea," I tell him, and he runs off with Usopp, up to no good, as Robin goes to the coffin, opening up.
"What's that woman doing, opening the coffin?!" Chopper gasps as he hides behind the mast with Nami, who keeps pouting at the Log Pose, and Robin pieces the skull back together.
"Can you learn something from that?" Zoro asks her as he stands with his arm around my waist as we watch.
"I don't know." She answers.
"You've got strange interests!" Nami exclaims from her hiding spot.
"A pretty woman and the dead now that's an interesting combination." Sanji comments.
"You would," I mutter as I watch him crouch by the wooden coffin's side.
"Hm? Where's Luffy and Usopp?" Zoro asks, and I point at the broken ship to the two morons.
"Jump, Luffy!" I hear Usopp tell him, and Luffy jumps over to the other party of the ship.
"Okay!" Luffy yells back.
"What're they doing now?" Zoro asks, scratching the back of their head.
"Exploration, they said." Chopper answers, still hiding.
"Oh, restoration complete!" Sanji announces, and I look over at the skull.
"The holes here are man-made," Robin says.
"I see, then this guy was pierced there and died, huh?" Sanji guesses.
"No, these are indications of medical treatment. It's craterisation, isn't it, Doctor?" She asks the little reindeer.
"Yeah, in the past, they made holes in the skull in order to constrain a brain tumour. But that's a medical technique from very long ago." He confirms.
"That's right. It's been at least 200 years since he died. He was in his early 30s. He fell sick while travelling on the sea and died. The reason his teeth remained in good condition compared to his other bones is… because tar was rubbed onto them. This custom is characteristic of some areas in the South Blue. so considering history, that was a ship for an exploration party from the past." Robin explains, gets the book she brought, and flips to one of the pages. "Here it is. The 'St. Briss' of Briss, a Kingdom in the South Blue. It set sail 208 years ago." She shows us the picture, and it's almost the same.
"That's the same ship as the one that fell," Nami confirms.
"Come to think of it, it has a symbol like that." Zoro agrees.
"This ship probably wandered in the sky for at least 200 years," I comment as I look at the picture. "It reminds me of one of the stories Dad used to tell me."
"You can find out all that just by looking at bones?" Nami asks Robin.
"Dead people may not speak, but they do hold information. If the ship was for an exploration party, it should still hold various records and evidence." Robin points out.
"Yeah… but the ship sank in the sea," Nami says and looks over at the sinking ship; she rushes to the side, and I see why, Luffy sinking into the water, with Usopp standing on a submerging piece of wood. "What're you guys doing?!"
"Luffy! Hang in there!" Usopp cries out.
"Help me!" Luffy shouts, and Usopp jumps in and drags him back towards the ship, and Zoro pulls him up with a rope; once he gets onto the boat, he has a massive grin. "Hey, everyone! I did it! I found something incredible! Look at this!" He unrolls the piece of paper, which seems old as it has tears around the edges; though it looks crudely drawn, I remember something similar, but I can't remember where.
"A map of the Sky Island?!" We all gasp in surprise, and Luffy hands it over to Nami, who looks over the map.
"Skypiea... " She reads over.
"See? See?" Luffy grins.
"Dakota, it means your Dad's stories are true; there is an island in the sky." She confirms, and the boys cheer and start doing a little dance.
"Alright! The Sky Island exists! It's a dream island! We can go to a dream island! A dream island!" They cheer as they dance around the deck.
"Don't get so carried away! This only means it exists, nothing else." She tells them, and their mood dampens. "Stop with that look! We still need to find a way up there!" She punches into the side of the beaten mast angrily. "Listen, Luffy! I'm telling you, we don't know how to get there!"
"Um, Nami, please treat the ship with care," Usopp mutters over her, shouting.
"You're the Navigator! Figure something out!" Luffy shouts at her.
"Nami's cute when she's angry, too." Sanji coos as we watch the two argue.
"There are some things, you can't just 'figure out,' you know!" She snaps right back.
"I don't care! We're going to the sky!" Luffy shouts, and she smacks him over the head onto the floor.
"This is getting us nowhere. In any case, we can't move the ship forward this way! What we need now is information as Robin said. If a huge ship like that really went to the sky, then they're definitely a way for this ship to go there as well. Let's somehow pull out whatever records remain in the ship!" She announces.
"But the ship has completely sunk." Usopp points out.
"If it sank, then we'll salvage it!" She grins, and I shake my head.
"Alright!" Usopp and Luffy cheer.
"As if we could!" Zoro snaps at them.
"What's salvage?" Chopper asks Robin as he stands next to her as she sits on the steps.
"It means to pull up a sunken ship. But it won't work since that ship is too big." Robin tells him with a smile, but it seems Usopp has an idea as he starts tinkering with some of the barrels, making them into diving suits, and Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy get into one each.
"Well, well… you really make us do reckless things," Luffy smirks from inside the makeshift diving suits.
"Nami! I'll be sure to find a clue to the sky!" Sanji exclaims.
"I'm counting on you!" Nami winks at him.
"Worry not, there are no defects in my design." Usopp boasts, and a giant fish jumps out of the sea, eating one of the birds.
"Then, I wish you… good luck!" Nami waves them off, and they jump off the side into the water, diving down with air hoses wired up onto a reel as they go down further.
"Oh, boy…" I hear Luffy mutter through the hose.
"This is Chopper. Everyone, please respond." He says as he holds onto the brake to keep it steady.
"This is Luffy. There're tons of monsters down here, over." He sounds off.
"Is this a giant sea snakes' nest?" Zoro asks next.
"This is Sanji. Whoa! They looked this way!" He adds in.
"Okay…" Nami replies as I sit on the railing, kicking my legs back and forth.
"Okay?!" Usopp gulps.
"Stop being a baby, they'll be fine," I tell him as I look over my shoulder.
"Chopper, hold the brake tight, okay," Nami warns him.
"Okay!" He replies.
"Phew… I'm glad I didn't go." Usopp sighs as he wipes sweat from his brow.
"I wish I could, but you ran out of those barrels." I sigh, and they all look at me in surprise.
"I thought you could swim in water?" Nami asks, and I shake my head.
"One of my Demons can, but because, of course, it's one of my weaknesses, I can only last a few seconds to a minute at most," I explain.
"Seems useful." Robin comments.
"I suppose, but it ain't half a pain when I was trying to train; my Grandmother kept throwing me into the ocean, and I drowned 12 times," I reply, thinking of my training with a shudder.
"Salvage, salvage!" I hear shouting, and it comes closer as we all look around to look as a more giant ship coming towards us.
"What the heck is that?" Usopp asks as he looks through one of his goggles as they come closer, still shouting and smacking together cymbal getting louder when a final whistle goes longer as they come to a halt.
"Aye, aye, sir!" I hear men shouting from the ship.
"Is this the area where a ship sank?" A voice asks from the other ship, which looks ridiculous with a monkey figurehead.
"Aye, aye, sir! Boss!" The men reply, and an ape-like man stands on the ship's side facing away from up, all dramatic.
"By Boss… they mean me!" He turns around, shouting. "Prepare to salvage the ship! The sunken ship belongs to me, the king of salvagers: and the boss of the Masira Pirates!" He yells again, with his men cheering him on.
"Dummies," I mutter as I watch them.
"Oh, boy… weirdos at a time like this…" Nami mutters.
"Hey, you! What're you guys doing there?! This is my turf!" He demands.
"Your turf?" Nami asks him.
"That's right. Every ship that sinks in this territory belongs to me. You haven't touched anything that's mine, have you, huh?" He asks us; it seems we're in for it now.
"Looks like… he's going to salvage the ship," Robin concludes, seeming calm.
"Yeah, that's what it sounds like," Usopp mumbles as he cowers behind the reel.
"Then what? Doesn't this work for us?" Nami questions, and I shake my head.
"Quit mumbling! Answer my question!" Masira orders us, and I smirk as an idea comes to mind.
"Excuse me! Can I ask you a question?!" I ask him in the most innocent voice I can muster.
"You're asking me a question?! That's fine. Ask me anything!" He replies quickly, seems a little simple-minded.
"It looks like you're going to salvage the ship. Is that right?" I ask him with a fake smile.
"'Looks'?" He repeats and whistles, clearly getting the wrong idea, which I wanted as he throws us a smile. "Hey… do you find me that 'monkeyful'?" He asks me.
"'Monkeyful'?" I repeat the word.
"That means 'handsome'. Do you think I am?" He asks me, and I grin.
"Yeah!" I answer, and he gets a goofy look on his face.
"Oh, come on, stop it!" He blushes, clearly falling for it.
"But there isn't such a word, is there?" Usopp asks quietly. "So, are you gonna salvage it?!" He asks the monkey man.
"Of course! If there's a sunken ship in front of me, I'll salvage it! I'm that kind of man! If it's on the water, I'll sink it and salvage it! I'm that kind of man! There's no ship that we can't salvage!" He boasts.
"Then… is it okay if we watch you do it?" I ask him, pattering my eyes at them.
"Hm? Oh. I see, is salvaging work new to you?" He chuckles. "Okay, go ahead and observe it!"
"Alright! Well done, Dakota! Let's see how things go, for now, everyone." Nami tells us that men come up from the water, poorly beaten.
"Be… be careful!" I hear faint voices from the ship.
"Boss! There's trouble!" One of the crew warns Masira.
"What's wrong?!" Masira asks as he looks over his shoulder.
"The members who went into the sea to set the cradle are…!" One of the crew tries to tell him.
"Did they get hurt by Sea Kings?" He asks, but I know who it is.
"Well… it looks like they were beaten up by someone." He replies, and I sigh at those morons.
"What?!" Masira shouts and turns around, facing away from us. "Are you saying there's someone down there in the sea?"
"Those idiots…!" Nami mutters.
"This isn't good." Usopp quivers in fear as Masira turns around, facing us, looking angry.
"Then… hey, you guys! There's someone in the sea! Be careful!" Masira warns us as Nami and Usopp shake, thinking we were found out.
"Thanks!" I wave at him calmly.
"Guys! Hurry up and set the cradle! Let's start salvaging!" He shouts his orders, raising his arms in the air.
"Aye. aye, sir!" His men shout back, and he grows goofy again as he keeps waving at us, though Nami doesn't help as she waves back.
"He's waving at us… don't let him notice the air supply, Usopp." Nami warns him as he stays pumping air for the boys.
"I know." He mutters, and I jump down behind the railing walking over to Nami.
"Hey, you guys, imagine that they're pumpkins! Don't get nervous… just because people are watching, okay?" He tells his men, and I frown, not liking the thought of being looked at as a pumpkin.
"Aye, aye, sir!" His men seem to like the idea as they get to work happily.
"Drop the cradle!" He orders them.
"Aye, aye, sir!" They reply and start lowering it down into the water, and men in suits start dropping it down after it into the water.
"Watch out for the mysterious enemy!" Masira warns his men as they begin to dive.
"I wonder if they're doing this out of pride or something." Usopp muses as we watch their little show.
"They're trying to give us a show, I guess…" Nami looks over at me, and I smile back at her.
"Get moving!" Masira orders his men as they move around.
"Aye, aye, sir!" They reply back, getting ready.
"Cradle set, confirmed!" I hear from the ship; it seems the divers are watching.
"What's going on?!" Luffy yells, and Usopp and Nami cover, trying to stop them from blowing our covers as Masira looks over at us, and there's a tense silence for a moment.
"What's that monkey?! What's that monkey for?!" Usopp asks him as he points at the figurehead.
"Oh, this one?" He giggles. "You have a discerning eye. You're right. This is no ordinary prow." They all sigh in relief as he doesn't seem to suspect anything. "Launch Barco-hunter!" Ropes begin to attach, and they lever the figurehead into the air and then down into the water.
"Whoa!" Usopp gasps as it all goes on.
"Wow! Amazing!" Chopper marvels at it.
"It really is amazing!" Usopp agrees with the reindeer.
"What is?" Nami and I ask them, not seeing it.
"40 meters to the target! 30 meters! 20… 10… Barco-hunter joint… completed!" His divers say from the speaker.
"Alright, then! I'll start blowing air!" Masira says back as he picks up a hose.
"Aye, aye, sir!" His men cheer.
"What? No way…" Nami mutters as he takes a deep breath. "Is he going to breathe into that and lift the ship up?! That's crazy!" He blows into the hose, forming a giant air bubble that travels down.
"The body of the ship has risen!" One of the divers confirms, and Masira stops.
"Now! Pull it up!" He orders his men.
"Aye, aye, sir!" They reply.
"Send more air! On the double!" He orders, and there's a cry from one of the speakers.
"Boss! The crew that's in the water…!" One of the men shouts.
"What's the matter?! What happened, guys?!" Masira shouts.
"There's someone in the ship!" The diver cries out, and there seems to be a fight on the ship; Masira jumps up onto the railing shouting.
"How dare they hurt my guys?! Who the hell are they?!" He shouts and poses with his men holding a background of flames.
"Well, we're not taking pictures or anything, so…" I tell him.
"What?!" He yells, stopping the pose.
"Oh, he posed for us to take pictures…" Usopp mutters.
"Boss! Help!" More cries come from the divers.
"I'm coming! Keep on working on the salvaging operation!" Masira orders them and jumps off, diving down.
"Aye, aye, sir!" His men reply, and he swims down; I walk off up the stairs towards the kitchen, about to open the door when there's shaking like an earthquake; I run towards the side to look down to see a large shadow moving below us.
"Hey, underneath the ship…" Nami gulps at the colossal shadow.
"Y-yeah… there's something down there." Usopp shivers as the shadow grows closer to the surface before bursting up, rocking the ships a little as a giant tortoise bursts out of the water.
"What's this?! What is this thing?!" Nami shrieks, and I walk down to see in its mouth the air hoses and the ship in its mouth.
"Boss! Boss!" Masira's men scream from their ship.
"What is this?! What is it?! What?! A continent?!" Nami shrieks, and I walk over, placing my arm around her shoulder for comfort.
"I don't know! I don't know! I can't see anything! I can't see anything! This is a dream!" Usopp cries as he covers his eyes.
"A dream?! Really?!" Chopper beams with disbelief.
"Phew! It's just a dream…" The three cowards sigh and go to walk away.
"Oh? Were they all… eaten along with the ship?" Robin questions as I watch the giant tortoise munch on the ship.
"Ahh! You don't have to spell it out!" Usopp exclaims as he jumps over to her.
"Yep, definitely were eaten," I confirm.
"Stop… saying… that…" Usopp cries out.
"Yes, I see the air supply hoses going into its mouth." Robin agrees, making Chopper start running around the deck, screaming.
"Luffy and the others were really eaten!" Chopper screams, and I sit on the railing, watching him, ensuring he doesn't hurt himself.
"It was you who made them go to the Grand Line's seabed! You said it'd be okay even though you really didn't have any idea that's why they…!" Usopp scolds Nami, and Chopper seems to calm down as he walks over and holds onto my leg; I pat him on his hat in comfort.
"You're right." Nami agrees and looks over at the situation. "I'm sorry!" She says, and I shake my head at her.
"You've got the right idea, but…" Usopp weeps, and it all goes terrible again as the giant tortoise starts to leave, pulling the air supply hoses and moving the ship; I jolt a little, gripping onto the railing to keep myself from falling overboard.
"Unless we cut the hoses, we'll be dragged into the depths of the ocean with the ship," Robin warns us.
"No! Dakota! You're strong, aren't you?! Do something!" Usopp orders, and I get out my knife and cut the hoses, but Nami and Usopp pull me back. "I meant the giant turtle!"
"Well, it's giant!" I snap back, taking steps towards the reel, but they keep trying to stop me as they pull me back as the tortoise drags us along with the Marisa Pirates.
"Okay, you guys, pull those ropes and save our boss! Show your pride and honour as Masira Pirates!" One of the men shouts, and they start making monkey noises. "Our boss is still alive!"
"That's right! Our unity is tested at a time like this!" Usopp smiles, and I shake my head as they let me go.
"Dakota!" Nami calls out my name.
"Yeah?" I ask her.
"Cut the hoses to ensure our safety!" Nami orders, and I laugh at her.
"Are you a Devil?!" Usopp shrieks.
"She's a Devil!" Chopper shrieks.
"If that's the case, we're practically Sisters." I joke when suddenly it's like someone blew out the sun, as it turns almost as dark as night.
"What?! What's going on?!" Usopp whimpers, and I look around at the dark clouds blocking out the sun; it all feels familiar, like the stories my Dad told me, but almost different, like I've read it somewhere.
"It became night?!" Chopper shrieks and runs over to me, holding onto my leg, shivering a little.
"Can't be! it's not that late yet!" Nami says in shock as she looks at her pocket watch.
"Then, what's going on! Luffy! Zoro! Sanji!" Usopp shouts as he cowers on the floor.
"How ominous…! This sudden night is a sign that monsters will appear! They'll sink our ship! Hurry up and save our boss!" The men on the other ship say, and I grow nervous at the eerie similarities when suddenly Luffy comes shooting out of the water with something on his back.
"Luffy!" We call out as he lands on the deck behind us; Nami runs over to him, crouching down and smacks him, trying to wake him.
"Luffy! What happened?! Are you dead?!" She asks him as she slaps him, and Zoro and Sanji jump onto the deck.
"Zoro! Sanji!" We call out, and I run over to Zoro, hugging him, seeing they're struggling for breath.
"Set sail! Hurry up and get out of here!" Zoro tells us as they try controlling their breath, and I kiss Zoro on the cheek, glad he's okay.
"He's crazy…" Sanji mutters.
"I'm glad you were safe! Yeah, let's get away from that turtle anyway!" Usopp quivers with tears falling down along with Chopper.
"Turtle? No, there was a monkey in the sea!" Zoro argues.
"He must be one of the sea animals." Sanji agrees with the swordsman.
"He was getting along with Luffy for a while," Zoro says, and I nod, seeing that happening.
"They are both monkeys." Sanji agrees.
"But when he saw this stuff that we got from the ship, he suddenly started going on a rampage," Zoro tells us.
"He went on a rampage like a gorilla!" Sanji adds.
"His name's Masira, he's a salvager. But it's amazing that you guys could escape from that turtle's mouth!" Usopp tells them.
"Turtle! What turtle?" Zoro asks, and I turn his head around, and Sanji looks over his shoulder at the giant tortoise.
"Hm? Something's wrong with the turtle. His mouth's staying open… oh, that's why you could escape!" Usopp points out as we look over at the tortoise with its mouth hanging open, and they get to their feet in shock.
"Whoa! What the hell is that?!" They exclaim.
"Hey! Get a clue! That thing ate you and the ship!" Usopp snaps at them, and they get moving, dropping the sacks of goodies from the ship and finally, Luffy wakes up.
"Whoa! Why's it, nighttime?" Luffy asks as he looks around.
"Luffy! Give us a hand! We're gonna set sail!" I tell him as I pull on the rope with Zoro pulling the other when suddenly Masira comes jumping out of the water, yelling before landing on the side.
"Don't think you can get away after stealing treasure from my turf!" Masira shouts at us.
"Treasure?! There was treasure?!" Nami asks Luffy, all giddy.
"Yeah, there was a lot." Luffy grins, and Masira seems to notice that it's turned dark and looks over to his ship with his quivering men.
"B-Boss...! Behind you!" They shout.
"Hm? What is it?" He asks and looks over at the giant shadows of people with what appear to be wings on their backs, I look in shock as I remember where I know about this, and I feel the tears falling down my cheeks, and I fall to the floor remembering the words written in the book I used to read every night for years.
"Monsters!" Masira and Luffy scream, and the boys all run to the oars, rowing for their lives as I try to calm myself down, but the memories of the stories my Dad told me and the words written in my Mother's journal she chronicled as a pirate apprentice.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
We make it out of the dark sky into the light, the boys drop down, and I wipe away my tears as I collect myself and get to my feet before anyone sees them. "No way…" Zoro huffs as he tries to catch his breath.
"No way can someone be that big…" Usopp moans, and Sanji lights another cigarette.
"Man, the Grand Line is just one mystery after another! Today, too!" Sanji comments.
"We saw a huge Gallen fall from the sky." Zoro states, and I move over to him, kneeling in front of him; he opens his arms, and I curl up on his lap, wrapping my arms around his chest.
"The needle of the Log Pose is now pointing to the sky," Nami adds.
"A weird monkey appeared and salvaged the ship." Usopp joins in.
"Then, we saw a huge turtle that ate the whole ship." Chopper adds.
"Then, night came." Robin even joins in.
"And, at the end, we saw huge monsters who were dozens of times larger than the Giants!" Luffy gasps.
"Yeah, those guys scared even me." Masira agrees, and the others finally notice him, and the boys kick him off the ship.
"Beat it!" They shout, and he goes flying, so we start moving again.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
"In any case, those monsters were huge," Usopp says.
"Yeah… I don't ever wanna see them again." Chopper says.
"You know, Chopper… if I went all out, I would've been able to beat them." Usopp boasts a big old lie.
"Really?!" Chopper buys into it as I walk past them.
"Yeah, right." I scoff as the boys show their treasure to Nami, who doesn't seem too happy with the haul.
"What on earth did you guys go into the water for?" Nami complains as Luffy walks around in some rusty armour and holds a sword in his hands. I look over some of the stuff; some seem valuable, and some seem a little like junk though Nami still seems upset at the objects. "This stuff is all junk, and I don't see any clues on how to get to the sky!"
"Like I said, there was nothing!" Zoro argues.
"Well.. that's the truth, Nami. It was clear that the ship had already been plundered. Or perhaps that there was some sort of mutiny, and they killed each other." Sanji explains and the stories of the Shandorians are even more accurate.
"Then, all the more reason that we need information! You see, if we are to go to the sky, that means what happened to that ship could happen to us! We need the information to stay alive, and what'd you get?! Rusty swords dishes, and a live octopus?!" Nami complains and starts trying to kick the pile of objects, but I pull her away. "We need stuff like a 'journal' or a 'sea chart'!" Luffy chooses this time to walk over as I let go of her a little around the waist. "What's that, Luffy?" She asks him, and he opens the helmet.
"Armour!" Luffy answers happily, with a gleam in his eye, but Nami is not in the mood, and she punches him; he crashes to the floor with the rusty armour breaking into pieces.
"Whoa! She crushed the armour!" I gape at her feet of strength.
"I got pretty seashells for you, Nami!" Sanji coos at her as he holds up the shells as she walks over.
"I don't need them, you big dummy!" She snaps at him.
"Nami's cute when she's mad, too!" He swoons with hearts in his eyes.
"You'd better keep your distance from her right now," Usopp warns him as she walks up the steps towards Robin.
"Having a tough time?" Robin asks her.
"It's only gonna get worse! Really, they're all a bunch of idiots! Now we can't get to our destination!" She snaps again.
"I resent that! Don't lug me in with these morons! Anyway, I know where we can go." I tell her, and everyone looks over to me; I hold out my hands with red bolts of lightning sparking before dark black smoke appears, and one of my Mother's journals appears in my hands; the pages move on their own to the page I want, and I hand it over to our navigator as she reads the delicate handwriting.
"This says they witnessed the day turn to night and the giant shadows, so they headed to the nearest island, named Jaya," Nami says, and I take the book back, letting it disappear back into the bookcase in our room hidden amongst them. "I see; we'll have to get there, but where is it? Any clue?" She asks, and I shrug and point out in front of me as I see Robin holding an Eternal Pose.
"Here…" Robin hands it over to the strawberry blond.
"What?! An Eternal Pose… this…" Nami stutters, and I grin as she accepts the gift.
"I took it from those monkey peoples' ship earlier… just in case." She replies, and Nami seems to tear up a little.
"You're the only ones on my side!" She beams at us, and I pat her on the back.
"Hey, we've got an octopus! Let's make some takoyaki!" Luffy announces as he holds the octopus by its legs.
"It must be quite tough for you." Robin comments, and Nami looks at the Eternal Pose.
"Jaya. It must be their headquarters." I comment. "Lucky us."
"Jaya? Are we going there?" Luffy asks as he stuffs his face with takoyaki, and I pinch one, popping it into my mouth.
"That's your decision, you idiot!" Nami snaps at our Captain, who jumps down from the railing.
"Alright! Jaya rudder full! Jaya rudder full!" Luffy orders but stops. "Nami, which direction would that be?"
"Starboard!" She tells him.
"Chopper, give me a hand!" Luffy says as Chopper runs over.
"Right!" Chopper beams.
"Jaya speed ahead!" Luffy exclaims with glee.
"Hey, hold on a second… if we go to that Jaya place, won't the log be updated there again? In other words,… we won't be able to go to the sky island." Usopp makes a good point.
"What?!" Chopper exclaims.
"Stop Jaya rudder!" Luffy shouts. "Hey, Nami! What's the deal?!" He steps up to her.
"What?! You're the one who decided to go to Jaya." Nami replies calmly.
"Oh, yeah… but I didn't think this'd happen!" He argues.
"It's your fault that you didn't think of it! The Log Pose has always worked like this, right?" She points out.
"Anyway, it takes a few days for the Log to reset, that's plenty of time." I jump in.
"Yeah? Hey, listen up! Since I'm the Captain, I'll decide where we're going! We're heading for Jaya!" Luffy orders, and I shake my head as they stuff their faces.
"I wonder what kind of place Jaya is." Chopper ponders, and I cock my head thinking of the lawless place for pirates and keep it to myself, not wanting to scare them.
"Nami! Dakota! Robin! Your 'Unprecedented takoyaki just for ladies' are ready!" Sanji swoons as he runs towards us with three plates as we eat.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
It's been a day since we set out for Jaya. I grow more nervous because the last time I was there, I may have destroyed half of Mock Town when I got drunk and angry, which can be deadly, and I've been banned from the town. "I wonder what kind of place Jaya is." Chopper ponders again as they eat more takoyaki.
"I heard it's called the Land of Meat!" Luffy says as he eats.
"But you just wish it was, right? Well, it's true that I'm tired of eating takoyaki…" Usopp complains as Sanji walks over to them and takes their food away.
"Then, don't eat them. Those were for the ladies!" Sanji snaps at them, and they run after him.
"They said they wouldn't eat them, so what's the problem?!" Luffy yells as they chase after the Cook down the stairs and around the mast.
"Give them back! Give us back the takoyaki!" The boys shout as they chase after Sanji.
"Shut up!" He keeps saying back, and I look at Zoro as he stands next to me in my black and white striped long-sleeved jumpsuit, hat holding my hair in place and white wedged heel sandals, and I place my chin on his shoulder, seeing he's deep in thought.
"In any case, Is there really an island in the sky?" He wonders aloud.
"We've experienced enough to know by now that no matter how illogical things seem, it's not strange because it's this sea's logic," Robin says. I smile, knowing she's not wrong; I look down to see Sanji give the boys back their food which calms them down before Luffy and Usopp run off to look out for the island though we're hours away at least by now.
"Still don't see it, Usopp?" Luffy asks him.
"No, I don't see it yet." He answers as he looks through his binoculars.
"This Jaya island isn't that far, right?" Zoro asks me.
"Yeah, we're not far off, since the weather's been stable for a while now," I answer as I walk down the steps with him as they try spotting the island.
"Then, Jaya must be a spring island," Luffy comments as he lies on the figurehead with Chopper sitting on the railing beside him.
"It feels nice and warm. Spring weather's nice. It looks like the seagulls are enjoying it, too." Chopper comments when I feel something heading towards us fast, and suddenly one of the seagulls falls onto the deck along with the other two. "Ahhhh! They were shot!" He cries out and jumps down; I saunter up the steps to see the three birds twitching on the floor and feel like someone is watching me.
"Oh, let's make yakitori!" Luffy cheers as Chopper kneels over the birds who are still alive.
"Shot? I didn't hear any gunfire, did you, Dakota?" Usopp asks, and I shake my head, but I still can't shake the feeling of being watched.
"Look, I found a bullet!" Chopper exclaims as he holds up his tweezers with a bullet. "Considering the direction that they were flying, the bullet came from the direction the ship's facing!" He points over in the direction of Jaya, which makes some sense if the marksmen are skilled enough and a powerful rifle is used; I can see them making the shot.
"Are you saying that shots came from an island that we can't even see yet? That's impossible, Chopper." Nami denies it as she joins us.
"But I was watching them the whole time." Chopper argues.
"Then what kind of eyesight, snipping skills and rifle do you think this sniper has?" Usopp asks with a chuckle.
"Most likely perfect eyesight with some help from a scoop of some kind and their snipping skills is perfect with some of the greatest though they didn't kill the birds with direct hits, I'd say it was a test run at best, and the rifle would have to be powerful long-range and high quality," I answer as I look out into the water.
"Wait, you really think someone shot them?" Nami asks me, and I nod.
"I do, and I think they're about to shoot again, move to the right," I tell her, and she steps to the side away from me when a bullet skims past me grazing my cheek, making it bleed, but it quickly heals. "Seems someone wants me dead on Jaya, but I'm not sure who."
"Ahhh! That's all you can say when you get shot at!" Chopper screams, and Zoro runs up, joined by Sanji and Robin.
"But I'm fine; it was only a graze, and it's healed; they're giving me a warning shot, that's all. I have a lot of enemies, both from my work as an Assassin and being the Daughter of a Pirate. I'm okay; I'll just stay on the ship or something when we get there." I assure them as I wipe the blood from my cheek, and Zoro cups my cheeks, checking for anything. "I'm okay, really," I assure him, placing my hands over his, and we kiss quickly.
"Okay, I'll buy that for now." He replies, and I smile at him; his protectiveness is very sexy.
"Sanji, we got seagulls!" Luffy picks up the dead birds handing them over to the Cook, who seems worried about me, but I smile to assure him.
"I could do with something to eat," I tell him, and he quickly picks them up, running off towards the kitchen. "Works every time." I joke. "Come on, seriously, I'm okay, and anyway I wasn't going to go into town anyway, well, I do want my tattoos touched up and some new ones I've been planning, but I can always go in disguise, no one would know."
"Why would someone on Jaya want to kill you?" Robin asks, and I shrug.
"Lots of reasons; I've done Assassin jobs there a few times, started fights, stole from a few people, gambling debts, there's not mine, I always win and a few other reasons." I count them off with my fingers, and they all look at me strangely. "Jaya is a hot spot for Pirates; it's practically lawless."
"Sounds fun." Zoro grins as he takes my hands in his.
"It is." I grin, biting my lip, teasing him a little, and the groan he lets out says I'm doing a grand job.
"Wow! Cool! I see a neat-looking town!" Luffy exclaims as we get close enough to see Mock Town.
"Hey, hey doesn't it look kinda like a resort!" Usopp exclaims as he runs over with Chopper.
"Resort!" Chopper exclaims, joining in.
"Hurry up, Merry!" Luffy cheers as he taps the figurehead.
"Yeah, it makes me feel like I want to stick around a bit." Nami agrees with the boys, and Usopp seems to notice the pirate ships docked at the port.
"But is it my imagination, or do the ships lined up in the harbour look like Pirate ships?" Usopp questions as he looks over the ship, and Nami slaps his shoulder playfully.
"Silly Usopp, since when can Pirate ships just openly line up in a harbour?!" Nami points out.
"Y-you're right!" Usopp chuckles nervously.
"Help me! He's gonna kill me!" Someone shouts from the town, scaring the cowardly trio.
"What's with this town?!" They cry out.
"I did warn you; it's a Pirate hot spot," I tell them calmly as we dock in the port. "Zoro, Luffy and Nami should go into town, find what they can," I suggest, and Nami looks close to tears. "Zoro, Luffy, protect Nami, this place is dangerous."
"Okay, go it, Sis!" Luffy agrees with a grin, and Zoro nods in agreement.
"And Nami you keep them from starting fights," I tell her, and she nods as the two boys jump off, walking into town.
"Hey! Zoro! Luffy! Wait up!" She runs after them leaving us behind.
"She went…" Chopper whispers sadly.
"Well, she'll probably be okay since those two are with her." Usopp comforts the reindeer as Sanji walks over.
"What? If Nami's going, then I'm…" Sanji says, about to jump over the railing, but they stop him, pushing him away.
"Don't you go!" They shout.
"If you go, wh-what'll happen I-I-If this ship is attacked…?!" Usopp cries, and I shake my head at their antics.
"Please don't go!" Chopper begs him, tearing up.
"Fine! Let me go!" Sanji gives in and turns towards me though Robin made her escape before I could, but I decide to go anyway.
"Teleport," I mutter as I disappear from the ship.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
I pop up in an abandoned alleyway in the town and shake my hair out as it turns black as the night before, wiping my face as I feel it change. "Demonic Shapeshift." I groan as I walk out of the alleyway seeing people trying to fight the fire in one of the buildings, and I walk further into town towards the tattoo parlour, tying my hair up into a bun before placing my hat back on my head.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
I knock on the black wooden door, mindful of the glass; I look over the tiny little tattoo studio and how the building doesn't fit in with the rest of the town, with its dark, gritty look instead of the rest of the buildings. But it suits the owner just right as she walks over to the lock and deadbolt door; she stands behind the glass with a lit cigarette, looking me over. "Sorry, we're closed, pretty girl." She spits, I flash my eyes red, and she grins back at me as she unlocks the door, allowing me inside the dark, stylish studio.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
"Sorry Gina, I couldn't let you know I was on my way, I wasn't sure if I was or not and I couldn't come as myself, considering there are still people here who want me dead," I tell her as I sit in the chair. She pulls down the blinds allowing me to change back as she sits on her stool, getting the tattoo needle and touching up my right shoulder tattoo.
"It's fine, I was surprised you changed your appearance so much, but I liked it, so staying long or only here for a few days?" She asks.
"Not sure, we're trying to find a way to Sky Island," I tell her, and she giggles, clearly thinking I'm joking.
"I never picked you for someone who believed in that rubbish." She comments, and I look at her as she finishes up.
"It's real, both my parents went there along with their old crew," I tell her, and she stops, taking the old ink and replacing it.
"I see, are you sure it wasn't just a story they used to tell you?" She asks, and I shake my head as she stands to her feet, about to do my star tattoos.
"No, I read it in my Mother's journal when she was learning to be a chronicler on the ship; it mentioned Jaya before Skypiea and all those omens," I tell her, and she stops finishing, and I pull out three pieces of paper with the tattoo ideas, and she looks them over.
"Nicely done, so where do you want this one?" She asks, holding up the dreamcatcher I drew as I thought of my Brother Ace, and I shift onto my front, having put my hair up into a bun this morning.
"Back of the neck, I want it big enough to see," I tell her, and I feel the needle's prick on my skin.
I groan as I stand from the chair, having my last tattoo finished, and walk over with Gina as she stands behind the counter, I pull out some cash, and she takes it, counting. "Come now, Gina, I'd never swindle you." I joke as she puts the money in her safe box.
"Do I have to remind you that you stole me? From my ex-girlfriend?" She points out, and I shrug my shoulders.
"Hey, she was a dick, who kept cheating on you, I was doing you a favour," I reply, and she shakes her head laughing.
"You did, anyway; I hope you find this Sky Island." She says, and I smile.
"Me too." She walks with me to the door unlocking it for me; she pulls me into a friendly kiss on the lips as I change my appearance again. "It was good seeing you again, Gina."
"You too, Dakota, good luck." She waves me off as she locks the doors again.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
I walk down the street, heading back for the ship, when I spot Robin coming out of one of the clothing shops, and I jog over to join her. "Robin, that's not going to fit in our wardrobe." I point out, and she looks at me strangely but seems to notice my tattoos and finally sees that it's me.
"When you said you would go in disguise I didn't realise it would be as a completely different person." She remarks as she looks at me from my black hair, porcelain skin, red lips and bright blue eyes almost like hers.
"What can I say, I'm a very wanted woman." I joke and take some of the bags as we walk towards our ship, hearing Nami shouting.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
We walk up to see Usopp on the floor pretending to be dead and Chopper in Guard Point. "It's quite lively up there. Why are you so upset?" Robin asks as we board the ship, and I change back.
"Oh! Welcome back, Robin! Dakota! Would you like to eat first, or shall I prepare your bath?" Sanji asks us.
"Oh, Robin, Dakota, did you go somewhere?" Luffy asks us.
"Yeah, I got some clothes and information about the Sky Island," Robin tells them.
"That's right! You, Robin! You too, Dakota! This all happened because you started talking about that sky island!" Nami rages at us, and Chopper jumps overboard in fright. "If it doesn't exist, I'll send you to a watery grave!" Zoro jumps after Chopper as I place the bags on the floor.
"Ahh, leave her alone for now! Or rather, you'd better not get close to her. Just don't rock the boat." Usopp warns us, and Robin walks off but gives over a map to Luffy.
"Here, Captain." She says as she hands over the island's map; she shows me our way back.
"Oh! It's a treasure map!" Luffy exclaims, and he unfolds the map getting a look.
"Hm? Isn't it just an ordinary map? Where is it?" Usopp asks as he looks over Luffy's shoulder.
"It's this island," I answer them. "The town drawn on the left is Monk Town, where we are now. And you see an X on the other side, right?"
"I heard that a man who doesn't blend in, in Jaya lives there," Robin tells them.
"Doesn't blend in?" They ask.
"His name is Montblanc Cricket. A man who talked about dreams and was driven out of this town. You might have something in common to discuss." Robin tells them as she goes into the storage room to put her things in our room.
"Then, why don't we try going there?" Luffy asks as he looks at the map.
"Hey, wait a sec, Luffy. I'm not sure if we should go now because… hey, Chopper, you saw it earlier, too, didn't you?" Usopp asks, and I walk up to see Chopper on the floor, breathing heavily as Zoro has his shirt off, trying to rig out the water from his rescue of the Devil Fruit Eater. "What're you guys doing?"
"I thought I was a goner!" Chopper gasps as he lies immobilised by the seawater.
"Geez, you're such a pain," Zoro complains, and I walk over to them, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.
"But Nami was…" He replies, and Nami hears him.
"What?! What about me?! You tryin' to say I'm some simple-minded idiot?!" Nami bites at him.
"What happened in town?" I ask them, and Zoro shakes his head; then I notice the minor cuts on his face; I cup his chin, turning him to face me, seeing the minor bruises. "Who did this to you?"
"His name was Bellamy and his crew." Nami answers, and I look over to see Luffy has a blaster on his cheek.
"Never heard of him, and why did you get into a fight with them?" I ask, and Nami goes on a rampage as she explains how she asked them about Sky Island, which made them all laugh at her, and then Bellamy beat them up though they left Nami alone. "Well, I must say, my Dad would be very proud of you, Luffy, but I don't like the fact that they hurt you."
"But we're okay, really, Sis, don't worry about it," Luffy assures me, and I nod, but if I run into him, he'll be a dead man and his crew.
"Hey, is that a new tattoo?" Nami asks and points to her neck as I look over at her.
"Oh, yeah, I went to get my other ones touched up, and I thought, why not get some new ones, too," I tell her and show the others as Robin comes over. "I got it for Ace since we saw him." I touch the tattoo, a dreamcatcher with yellow ink specs around it, Ace's favourite colour.
"Hey! What about me?!" Luffy complains with a little whiney voice.
"This what, you're whining about?" I ask and hold out my left arm showing off the anchor with splashes of different shades of red around it, going with Luffy's favourite colour.
"Cool!" Luffy exclaims and runs his hand over the tattoo. "Hey!" He complains again.
"Come on, Anchor, don't be so whiney today." I joke as he pouts.
"Anchor?" Usopp asks as he looks over the tattoo.
"It was the nickname my Dad gave him when we were staying in the village; I thought it was funny," I reply with a smirk and show off the other tattoo on my right wrist.
"That's really sweet." Nami comments, and I smile as I run my fingers over the tattoo dedicated to my Dad; it's a silhouette of my Dad and me as a kid, with 'Love You Dad' written above the image.
"Thanks, I thought about it for a while, and I thought it was time." I smile with nostalgia as we head off towards the other side of the island to find this Cricket guy.
ONE PIECE - JAYA ARC
We sail around the island, close enough to the shore to not sail away when we come across another ship that looks awfully familiar to the Masira Pirates. "Didn't take long for us to come across something weird… but it doesn't look like the same guys from before, Usopp." Luffy questions, and I walk down the steps.
"Well, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is another story," Sanji remarks.
"In any case, we did see them! Right," Usopp asks the cowering reindeer behind him.
"Yeah. as we thought, that salvager is from this island! We saw his ship coming back!" Chopper replies.
"I see… but I don't mind seeing him again." Luffy comments.
"Hey, hey, you guys! Quit mumbling over there!" A voice shouts from the ship. "Ha! Honestly, I got all worked up wondering who you guys were!"
"That's quite a reckless face you've got! What species are you?" Luffy asks him, and I look over to see the crew all in diving suits with a man behind them in green.
"I'm human, you moron!" He shouts back at him.
"You punks! Don't you know Shojo! He's the big boss of the Shojo Pirates and the King of underwater search!" One of the monkey men shouts.
"Don't make our big Boss angry!" Another one warns us.
"Now, now… looks like your Pirates. Did you know that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was defeated? When you consider my abilities, that post may come to me. So I've been getting all worked up waiting to be contacted." He tells us, and I roll my eyes at him.
"I see… then you want to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?" Luffy asks him but is ignored.
"Well, in any case, the great part about me is that I haven't had my hair cut in all my 25 years of life. Now, aren't you surprised?" Shojo asks, and I look down at the hair around my waist; I have something in common with this weirdo and cringe a little inside.
"Sounds stupid," Luffy replies honestly.
"Whoa! I'm surprised!" Shojo exclaims.
"Hey, watch your mouth!" His subordinates snap at us.
"Now, now… what you say really gets me all worked up. Listen, you will come out of the tunnel that is my anger ino a sea of blood." He threatens us.
"Okay, whatever… but there's a place we wanna go. So move aside!" Luffy orders him.
"Idiot! This area is my turf! If you wanna pass through, pay the toll!" Shojo yells.
"What's he mean by his turf! He's talking like Masira." Usopp remarks, and I nod in agreement.
"Huh? Did Masira say stuff like that?" Luffy asks him.
"What? Masira?! What about Masira?" Shojo asks, and I know Luffy's gonna answer honestly again, which will get us into trouble.
"We kicked him off our boat, but…" Luffy tries to answer, but Shojo cuts him off in his anger.
"K-kicked… kicked…?!" Shojo shouts in surprise.
"Big Boss!" His men shout in worry for their Captain.
"Kicked? How dare you do that to my brother?! This is revenge for Masira!"
"Hey, hold on a sec. We kicked him, but he's still alive!" Luffy tries to stop him, but it doesn't do anything as he gets a microphone.
"Sound Waves! Havoc Sonar!" Shojo shouts and breathes before yelling into the microphone, creating sound waves ripping up their ship.
"The ship is…!" Luffy gasps, and the sound carries towards us.
"So… what're they doing," Sanji asks calmly as he lights his cigarette.
"Big Boss!" His subordinates cry out.
"Who knows? But it's amazing." Luffy comments, and I cover my ears as it starts getting louder.
"If you use that technique on the ship, it'll…!" His men cry out.
"He's destroying their ship with his voice." Luffy points out.
"Oh, no! He's blinded by anger!" The men cry out.
"Now, everyone! Stop gawking and let's get through here while we can!" Nami suggests, seeming to be back to normal.
"Okay!" Sanji swoons at her.
"Hey, Nami's not a Demon anymore." Luffy jokes, and I tap his shoulder.
"Hey, I'm the only Demon here." I joke back.
"Really?!" Chopper asks as he rushes over with Usopp.
"Yeah, she should be calmer after letting off that much steam." Usopp points out, and he stops; I see the soundwaves moving closer, trying to rip apart our ship. "H-hey… hold on! This isn't good! The waves made it to this ship, after all! The ship's starting to fall apart, particularly the repaired areas! The ship's body is worn out enough as it is! If we stay here, the ship will be torn apart!" Usopp shouts, and the sound starts to increase, and I hold my hands over my ears as I cringe in pain as the others run around, trying to get us away.
"Full speed ahead! To someplace out of his voice's reach!" Nami shouts, and we sail away, away from his screaming and heading for Cricket again, and I remove my hands from my ears to see a little blood from the intense screaming coming from that monkey man.
"Hey, you okay?" Zoro asks me as he looks down at my hands, seeing the blood, and I nod, feeling the healing already start.
"I'm okay, really," I assure him as we come out into calm waters.
TO BE CONTINUED….