Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Kim Possible.
A/N: Updates might be slow for the time being as no email/alerts make it harder to get ahold of my betas.
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Beta: ANUBIS the god king
Chapter LVII.
Last Time
There, he extended an invitation to Sanji, the third son of the Vinsmoke Family, revealing that he was set to marry Pudding of the Charlotte Family, which was ruled by Big Mom. A shocked Sanji refused, but Bege threatened him and his crewmates, and Bege's crewmate Vito whispered something in Sanji's ear, which shocked him.
"Hey, what did he mean by his 'castle'?"
Luffy asked them.
"Weren't you listening?!" Gina explained from her spot.
Bege is a castle human who ate the Shiro Shiro no Mi. (Castle-Castle Fruit.) OK?" Zoro spoke from his pot on the tail
"So you guys got into his body?"
"Yes."
"Really?! How?!"
"By slicing through his stomach, maybe?" Robin mused as the others turned to her
"Stop it, Robin!"
"Super disgusting..."
"That's not it!"
"An entrance appeared around his chest," Brook spoke. "We were in chains so we had no choice but to obey."
Meanwhile, Naruto stared up at the sky as he listened.
Now.
Brook continues his story, revealing that they were brought into Bege's body fortress in chains, except for Sanji, who sat at a long banquet table. Bege then appeared in his fortress as a purple liquid before solidifying into his normal body and offered Sanji some wine as he sat at the other end of the table. As Vito lit his cigar, Bege revealed that the Big Mom Pirates' intentions had changed since the two crews fought a week ago, and he tossed Sanji an invitation to Big Mom's Tea Party.
Sanji was confused, but Bege read the contents, revealing that Sanji, as the third son of the Vinsmoke Family, was arranged to marry Pudding of the Charlotte Family. Sanji and his crewmates were appalled.
Sanji's cigarette fell to the floor in shock and caught on fire, causing an angry Bege to quickly stamp it out. Bege called Sanji ill-bred, and Brook stated that the name Vinsmoke sent chills down his spine. Gina, Nami, Brook, and Chopper struggled to process the revelation about Sanji, and Nami recalled how Sanji revealed that he was from the North Blue, though grew up in the East Blue when they read Liar Noland on Jaya.
Brook was surprised to hear this, as the North Blue and the East Blue are separated by the Red Line, which very few people could travel across. Caesar then revealed to them that Pudding was Big Mom's daughter, meaning that they would likely become Big Mom's subordinates if Sanji got married, which scared them.
Sanji refused to go to the tea party and get married, but Bege replied that the invitation was for him to see, not for him to respond to. The pirate then revealed that his body was moving with them inside it and that he had full control over it. He manipulated the chandeliers and rugs into knives and cannons pointed at Sanji as he caused Nami and Gina to sink into the ground, displaying his unlimited power over his fortress.
Sanji shouted at him to stop, and Bege did, stating that Big Mom's invitation could not be refused no matter what. Vito then walked over to Sanji and reiterated his captain's point, saying even the demons of Hell would come to Big Mom's tea parties if they were invited. Vito then whispered something into Sanji's ear which shocked him, and Sanji asked how they knew that, which Bege called a silly question.
He explains that Big Mom possesses unfathomable power and influence, allowing her to find out and do anything she wants. Sanji took more puffs from his cigarette as Nami, Chopper, and Brook asked what Vito had told him, and he asked Bege for a pen and paper. Bege obliged, and Sanji wrote a note on the paper before handing it to Nami.
He told his chained crewmates that he never expected to deal with this part of his heritage and that he needed to go and sort things out by himself. As his crewmates got confused, Sanji asked them if they were ready before hurling them out of Bege's body.
As Gina, Nami, Chopper, and Brook returned to normal size and hit the ground, an appalled Caesar Clown wondered why Sanji did not free him as Sanji started attacking the panicked Fire Tank Pirates. Vito warned his crewmates that they could not harm the Straw Hat, and Sanji kicked one pirate's gun into the air.
He then grabbed the gun and slammed Caesar's head into the floor with his foot, pointing the gun at the scientist. As Caesar writhed in anger and the Fire Tank Pirates aimed, Sanji shouted at them that he knew they could not touch him, as he had figured out that the person who changed the condition of his bounty to "Only Alive" was the same person arranging the wedding.
Thus, the person did not want the Fire Tank Pirates to harm him in any way. Sanji agreed to go to the wedding with the pirates as long as his crewmates were spared, and Bege ordered his men to stand back as he noticed Nekomamushi standing behind his real body.
Bege grew nervous to see the monstrous mink, and Nekomamushi asked about Pekoms' body. Bege claimed that the two of them were crewmates and that Pekoms had been taken out by remnants of Jack's forces. Nami then came and contested his story, which Bege denied as she, Chopper, and Brook looked inside Bege's body to see Sanji.
Sanji turned toward them and promised to come back as Bege closed the openings in his body. The pirate captain then leaped away and manifested tank treads around his legs, allowing him to speed away. Nami raced after him but failed to catch up, and Sanji's note flew off of Nami, coming unfolded as it landed on the ground.
Wanda then arrived to help the Straw Hats, but Nekomamushi stopped her. Brook realized that Sanji would likely not come back as the contents of his note were revealed, which stated that he was going to meet a woman and would be back. As the Guardians tended to the Straw Hats and removed their chains, Nekomamushi told Wanda to let the Straw Hats keep the details of the incident to themselves, as it was what they wanted.
He also had his soldiers transport the injured Pekoms to medical care before leaping into a bush of silver vine.
Brook strummed his guitar as Luffy looked at the note. "Then, "gotta go see a woman" means… He's gonna get married?"
"That's not necessarily the case but… It seemed like he was determined." Nami explained as Luffy grinned.
"Oh, maybe he'll return with his wife."
"What?!"
"In that case, we'll get a new member!"
"No, Luffy," Naruto said opening his eyes. "It would be similar to what happened after we came back to Sky Island, we would become her crew instead."
"What?! No!"
"Of course, Sanji-san doesn't want that either," Naruto said sitting up. He refused it firmly right there. And may have left the crew in case he couldn't get out of it
"You mean Sanji will quit this group?!" Luffy asked punching the gator on the head "That's even more unacceptable!"
"He possibly didn't want to leave just made it to where we could do something about it if it happened before we finished in Dressrosa."
"When he tossed us out, he could've gotten away too," Gina said as Naruto sighed.
"If this is Sanji's family he probably doesn't want anything to happen to them by not showing up."
"Now we know everything. You've been through a lot." Robin looked over at them.
"Big Mom's daughter, huh? He got a pretty troublesome offer of marriage." Franky mused as Usopp crossed his arms.
"And did you say Vinsmoke? I guess that family is the key. It could be Sanji's father or mother or brother… They once lived in the North Blue and then moved to the East Blue and now, they're in the New World. Unbelievable!"
"Vinsmoke..."
"Do you know of them?" Franky asked Robin who looked up.
"I think I've heard of them before… I'm sorry. I can't remember."
"We're sorry. I wish we could've stopped him at least until you guys arrived…" Nami said as Robin looked over.
"Sanji wouldn't let you stop him. It's not your fault, guys."
"But, Robin, what if we never get to see him again?!" Chopper cried as Zoro looked over.
"Nothing wrong with that."
"Huh?! What are you saying, Zoro?!"
"I mean, if he was leaving for good, he should've said 'Thank you for everything.' And 'I'm sorry for causing so much trouble.'"
"No, that's not the point!" Chopper bit back at the swordsman.
"That is the point. Think about it. We're on an unstoppable train now. Remember what Caesar said? The biggest customer of SMILEs, the artificial Devil Fruits, is Kaido. We pissed Doflamingo off by destroying the lab on Punk Hazard, we destroyed the SMILE factory in Dressrosa, and the man who's gonna go nuts next is… Emperor Kaido! He's not some distant threat anymore. We've already fought with his subordinates, the Beast Pirates."
"Jack who ruined this country, and others will come after us in a matter of time!" Zoro explained before continuing. "We're allying with Tra-guy for upcoming battles. I don't know why but it seems like Kin'emon and the others are targeted by Kaido too. We'll face Kaido very soon! How stupid can he be to get involved with another Emperor, Big Mom, now?! That twirly-eyebrowed fool!"
"Don't say it like that!" Nami spoke pushing Brook back. "You boorish son of a gun! Those things are unrelated!"
"N-Nami- san..."
"First of all, how could he get wrapped up in such a thing as marriage?! It's such a small deal!" Zoro sighed as she glared.
"What did you say?! It is a big deal! You can't say someone else's problem is big or small!"
"Alright! We don't know what's on his mind so let's go ask him!" Luffy exclaimed getting their attention.
"What?!"
"Hey! Forget it, Luffy!" Zoro yelled as Usopp spoke up next.
"Don't tell me we're gonna head for Big Mom!"
"We have no choice."
"Did you forget that you picked a fight with her?! Without a strategy or reinforcements, we'll just get beaten and that'll be it!"
"She's an Emperor. Luffy! Don't forget. She's on a different level than any of our past enemies." Robin explained as Luffy grinned.
"Then, we'll go quietly."
"How do we find them?!" Usopp asked before Chopper spoke.
"Well, there is a way to go after them but..."
"He's right. Sanji-san has gone because of the Big Mom Pirates but they left something big behind instead. If that person is awake now, there should be something he can tell us." Brook said fixing himself.
"That person?" Robin asked as Brook looked ahead.
"Let's just keep going. That person, Pekoms-san feels indebted to us because we saved his people, the Minks. That's why he tried to go against Big Mom's order and let us get away. But that only brought tragedy upon him. But now, to find out where Sanji-san has gone, the only thing we can do is ask him since he is a member of the Big Mom Pirates."
"Okay! I'll get Sanji's whereabouts out of Lion Viper! We won't get any answers unless we talk to Sanji himself!" Luffy exclaimed as Usopp looked at Chopper.
"Chopper. This guy, Pekoms, will he be well enough to talk?"
"I hope he's come around. That's quite a lot." He replied before the Minks ears picked up a noise with Chopper.
Suddenly large wasps flew toward them before Wanda looked over
"Carrot!"
"Okay!"
"What is that?!" Usopp asked as Naruto stood and created his gold cloak and had his balls fly around them to hit any.
"A swarm of bugs?! Those are Sutchies." Carrot explained as they ran.
"Sutchies?!"
"Giant insects that suck blood!"
"You-teia Lesser Minks have less hair so they can suck all your blood and kill you in an instant!" Carrot explained scaring Usopp.
After Naruto took care of the bugs, they continued on their way. "Thanks to you all, we cleared the Sutchies. You-teia guys have been helping us a lot."
"Don't mention it," Naruto said lying back down.
"Thank you."
"Anyway, Cat Viper's place, are we there yet?" Luffy asked as Carrot looked over.
"Just a bit more. We'll get to the Guardians' Dwelling soon so..."
"Master Cat Viper, huh?" Usopp mused looking up as Robin placed a hand on her chin.
"I wonder what kind of person he is."
"He is heavily injured. I hope he is resting in bed quietly." Chopper sighed as Brook strummed
"Master Cat Viper. He's a wonderful person! I like him so much so I wrote a song about him."
Let's go and meet Master Cat Viper Let's go and meet Master Cat Viper
Let's go and meet Master Cat Viper Let's go and meet Master Cat Viper
Let's go and meet Master Cat Viper Let's go and meet Master Cat Viper
"Is that it?" Luffy asked as Nami looked over.
"You were just repeating the same phrase over and over."
"Yes, because this song is called "Let's Go and Meet Master Cat Viper.'"
"Is it just repeating the same line throughout the song?" Robin asked him having Brook shake his head.
"No, it'll get a little more complex from here."
Cat Viper, Cat Viper Cat Viper, let's go and meet the Master
Master Cat Viper gets lonely easily
When I think of him like that it makes my heart twinge
When he is bathed in the moonlight his face looks innocent
He gazes up at it with his sparkling eyes but he tries to act tough under the sun
He does his best and lives his life on his own
"I like that song. Is Master Cat Viper really like that?" Robin smiled at Brook.
"Not at all."
"He's not?!"
"It's just a song inspired by him," Brook said finishing his strumming.
"OK, we're here," Wanda said as they got to a beast-up house surrounded by smaller ones. "It's the Guardians' Dwelling."
"This place has been wrecked." Franky looked around at the damage.
"The Whale Tree… Looks even bigger up close!" Luffy mused looking up at the tree.
"Hey, guys!"
"It's the Straw Hats!"
"Chopper is here!"
They looked at the Minks that ran out to greet them. "Straw Hat Luffy! It's us! Sorry for what we did in the forest." Luffy looked at the Minks he fought with and greeted him.
"Doesn't matter who it is, we can't let any invader get by!"
"Oh, it's you guys! Well, never mind! Um, where's Cat Viper?" Luffy asked before hearing a voice above him.
"I'm glad to see you! Our saviors and their friends! Let me say it once again. Thank you!
"Who is this?!" Luffy turned to see the Mink above him.
He is a large, male feline mink with spotted fur, white ears, and long, wavy blonde hair. He has his hair covering his left eye and a torn left ear. He's wearing a green cape, a shirt with a belt over it, dark green pants, boots, brown gloves, and a sword on his waist.
Treetop Pedro, (A Jaguar Mink) Captain, The Guardians of the Whale Forest.
"Sorry for my subordinates' action in the forest. They were too wary of invaders."
"Were you there?" Luffy asked Pedro who nodded as he lit a cigarette.
"Yes, I was up in a tree. Bepo and the others are waiting for you-gara guys back there."
"We can see them later. We wanna see Cat Viper and Lion Viper the lion first.
"Garchu!" Pedro pressed up against Luffy and whispered. "If you're talking about Pekoms, he's up now. He's in the building at the back. We kept the whole incident secret from everybody. Sanji is a nice guy. I hope we can help you in some way."
"Luffy! I'm worried about Cat Viper not just about his condition though, so I'll go see him first!" Chopper spoke as Luffy nodded.
"Okay!"
"Then, let me lead the way, Dr. Chopper."
Naruto saw a female reindeer mink of average height with brown eyes and long, blonde hair kneel and rub up against Chopper's face. She's wearing a green cloak draped around her back, a long, white laced dress that exposes her cleavage, long furry legs, and long, pink boots with high heels.
Milky.
Chopper jumped back as she stood and smiled as he gained a nosebleed and hearts for eyes. "Hey, Chopper! Why are you frozen?" Usopp asked as Chopper smiled
"I-I-I'm not frozen."
"You're acting strange."
"It's this way."
"O-Okay!" Chopper nodded before she spoke again.
"Master Cat Viper is taking a bath now."
"A bath?!" That snapped Chopper awake before they ran in to see a large cat mink taking a bath and eating lasagna.
He is a large, yellow feline mink with dark brown stripes, sharp teeth, claws, and a very thick striped tail. He has wild, bushy blonde hair resembling a lion's mane running around his neck and down his back, and there is a scar running from the left side of his forehead down to his cheek. He's missing his left hand and part of his forearm.
Lasagna-meow!
It's good-meow! Yeah!
"Hey, Cat Viper! You shouldn't take a bath! Your wound's gonna reopen! And you should eat light meals! Why are you using your left hand?!" Chopper asked seeing a fork tapped to his cast. "Are you listening to me?!"
"Oh, Chopper! No problem. No problem. I'm a freedom-loving man!" Cat Viper smiled at him.
"You have to listen to your doctor!"
"He's larger than I expected," Usopp said as he, Naruto, Brook, and Robin came with him as Viper got out of the bath.
"I'm sorry but even if it's a doctor's instruction... I don't care! I still can't get used to not having a left hand! I can't even clap my hands like this! So you-gara people are the Straw Hats!" He hugged the three as he ran over at that. "You saved me! Thank you! I'll repay my debt to you someday! I may not look it but I have a strong sense of obligation and compassion!"
"Oh, a ball," Usopp said as Viper went after a red ball
"Yeah! A ball!"
"I told you to rest!" Chopper yelled before Viper yelled. See! The wound reopened!"
Later, Viper was in bed as Chopper held a syringe. "Listen, I… I got into bed because I wanted to."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay. Whatever the case, just stay still! I'm gonna give you a shot." Viper glanced at Chopper before looking at Robin and gesturing at a fox-tail plant.
"Hey, you-gara! Show me that fox tail right there."
She got it and held it up over him. "Like this?"
Viper started playing with it before glancing back. "Chopper! Hurry up while I'm distracted and enjoying myself!"
"I said 'Stay still'!" Chopper struck his arm at that.
"It's completely cured now."
"There's no wonder drug like that so keep quiet!" Chopper hit him with the plant.
"Don't hit an injured person."
Meanwhile, Luffy, Nami, Wanda, Carrot, and Pedro meet with Pekoms, who reveals that he survived by absorbing many of Bege's bullets with his Devil Fruit power. He apologizes for not being able to keep Sanji out of captivity, and Luffy asks him who is arranging the wedding. Pekoms replies that it is Big Mom and Sanji's father, the patriarch of the Vinsmoke Family.
And that his father is an infamous man in the Underworld, and leads an army known as Germa 66. Nami is shocked to hear this, thinking Germa 66 is a mythical army, but Pekoms affirms its reality, stating that Sanji comes from a family of killers.
Luffy replies that he does not care, and only wants to know if Sanji will come back or not. He states that although he is fine with Sanji getting married, he does not want to serve Big Mom, and so the Big Mom Pirates will have to serve him instead. The audacious statement causes Pekoms to go hysterical and bump his head on the wall, causing him to bounce and fall out of bed, which inflames his wounds.
Luffy and Carrot laugh at Pekoms' display, and as Pekoms gets back into bed, he reveals that Sanji has no choice about attending the wedding, as anyone who refuses Tea Party invitations will receive a gruesome present: the decapitated head of someone close to them. Big Mom could easily give Sanji the head of one of his crewmates, or one of his fellow cooks from Baratie, or even someone from the Kamabakka Kingdom, as her status as an Emperor allows her enough power to do anything she wants.
Nami notes that this may have been what Vito whispered to Sanji two days ago, and Pekoms reveals to Luffy that the marriage will not force the Straw Hats to serve Big Mom, as the Emperor is only interested in Sanji's family. However, Pekoms says that the marriage will mean Sanji will no longer be part of the Straw Hats, which causes an angry Luffy to throttle him by his shirt collar.
Luffy refuses to accept the possibility of Sanji leaving, and as he forces Pekoms onto the floor, he asks the mink what he is going to do. Pekoms replies that he will head back to Big Mom after he recovers to get back at Capone Bege for attacking him, and Luffy tells the mink to take him along. Nami protests and Luffy tells her that he will be going alone to better infiltrate Big Mom's territory.
Pekoms tries to dissuade Luffy as well, and Carrot gets excited at Luffy's plan, causing Wanda to reprimand her. Pekoms' protests fall on deaf ears, and Luffy runs off to get Chopper so Pekoms can feel better sooner, causing the mink to fall off his bed once again.
Luffy runs out to the porch, where he sees Zoro sitting on a bench. He asks if Zoro heard the conversation, and Zoro replies that he just barely did. Luffy grins, wondering if Zoro is concerned about Sanji, causing Zoro to get mad.
"Hey! Luffy! Zoro! How's Pekoms doing?!"
Luffy turned to see the others walk up. "Oh, Chopper! He's crying from pain banging his head against a wall and yelling! Cure him now!"
"Those are crazy symptoms! I'll check him right away!" Chopper ran inside at that.
"Well, he can move around which means he's fine, I guess." Brook laughed at that.
"You're right."
"Garchu! Baron Corpse!"
"What? Hey!" Brook screamed as a dog bit his leg before being tackled by a group. "Hey, stop! No! Hay! Help me! I'm in a bigger state of emergency than anyone else! No, don't just watch and laugh!"
"Oh! You- gara are Straw Hat Luffy, aren't you?! I couldn't wait to meet you!" Viper spoke walking up and waving.
"What?! Why did you follow us?! Get rest!" Chopper yelled at him.
"I just got better!"
"No, you didn't!"
"He's huge! Is that Cat Viper?! He's a cat monster!" Luffy asked looking at Viper
"A Garchu of thanks!" Viper ran over and crashed into Zoro and Luffy before blood came off him.
"Cat Viper's spouting blood!"
"Hey, what are you doing, cat monster!?" Zoro yelled as Luffy laughed.
"Stay with me! Cat Viper!" Chopper yelled running over.
"He's really big! And so fluffy, too! The cat monster!" Luffy jumped onto him having Chopper yell.
"Get off of him, Luffy! He may not look it but he's heavily injured!"
"What's going on?"
Naruto turned to see Law walking up.
"I'm out of blood! Bring me some blood quick!"
"Okay, Dr. Chopper." Milky smiled getting Chopper to gain hearts in his eyes.
"Th-Th-Th-Thank..."
"What's wrong, Chopper?!"
"Cat monster, stand up! I'll cut you up!" Zoro yelled holding his swords.
"Whoa-whoa, he's injured," Usopp yelled at Zoro who turned.
"Who cares! I'll run him through all nine of his lives!"
"No, don't!"
"Oh, Tra-guy! Oh! Are they your friends?!" Luffy jumped down and talked to Law with his crew behind him.
"Yeah, I came to introduce them to you. They're my crew, 20 in total!"
"It's nice to make your acquaintance! Straw Hat!"
Naruto noticed the tallest member was one of the slaves from two years ago with one woman in the group all wearing white jumpsuits
"Yeah!"
"We need to talk," Law said getting the crew to give him a thumbs down.
"What?! Is that it?! Slighted! Slighted!"
"Slighted! Slighted! Slighted!"
"We feel slighted, Captain!"
"We're pirate allies, aren't we?!" Law asked his crew.
"Introduce us to the Straw Hats properly!"
"He's right, Captain! We're just allies. We don't necessarily have to get friendly."
Later, they explained the situation to Law. "What?! Black-Foot-ya went to see Big Mom?!"
"Uh-huh." Usopp nodded at that.
"How in the world could that happen?!"
"It happened before we got here!" Naruto bit back at him.
"Don't worry! I'm gonna go take him back! So could you wait to fight Kaido a little bit?!"
"That's not my call! It's only a matter of time before Kaido comes after us! I thought we could hide ourselves here in Zou for a while but they know where it is. Even if their target is us next, what do you think will happen to this country if it's attacked again?!" Law asked getting the Minks to cry at that
"How kind of you!"
"Since when were they there?!" Gina and Nami spoke up seeing them
"You- gara guys, are you pirates?!"
"Thank you for caring about us on top of saving us!"
"Thank you! Garchu!"
"Garchu, Baron Corpse!"
"I can't take it anymore…" Brook spoke as he was jumped on again.
"Oh, Pekoms, are you hurt?" One asked Pekoms who nodded.
"Yeah…"
"Okay, let's have a banquet! Bring drinks and food!" Viper spoke getting up.
"Why, Cat Viper?!"
"I'm in!"
"No!" Chopper hit Luffy at that before bonfires were built.
They throw a party for the two pirate crews, and everyone feasts as Nekomamushi unveils the main dish, lasagna. As the party rages on, Luffy wonders if he has forgotten something, but cannot remember anything and continues partying. Meanwhile, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Bariete ride a creature up Zunesha's leg.
The next morning, they are all sound asleep as Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Bariete reach Zunesha's back on a rotund tiger named Torasaburo. The samurai celebrate as Kanjuro turns Torasaburo back into a drawing again. They then turn to Bariete to ask him for information, revealing they are comrades of Raizo. This causes Bariete to panic and run from them in tears, intent on alerting the other minks to the presence of the samurai.
"Listen, everyone!"
Shishilian yelled to those in front of him with Wanda and Carrot standing in front of the group. "Do as you've been told!"
"Shishilian-dono, what have we been told?!"
"We haven't been told anything!" Wanda said to him.
"All able-bodied people in the fortress, go into action! Follow Duke-sama along with me, Shishilian! Of course, at full speed! Let's go!" Shishilian yelled and turned to run followed by most of the minks.
Meanwhile, Nekomamushi and the Guardians run out to Kurau City, with Nekomamushi stating that this is a serious incident and telling everyone to not fall behind.
The Guardians run around the sleeping Straw Hat Pirates, and as Nami wakes up she overhears one of them revealing that two samurai have appeared. A shocked Nami tries to wake Luffy up but struggles to do so. Meanwhile, Kin'emon and Kanjuro walk through the forest and hear the bell, and they wonder if it is welcoming them.
Suddenly, they hear a rustling in the bushes, and Momonosuke emerges, happily reuniting with his father and Kanjuro. He reveals that no one was around when he woke up, and so he went looking for people. Nearby, the Straw Hats run through the woods, and a half-asleep Luffy wonders why they are running right now.
Nami reveals that the samurai have entered Zou, and Luffy gets excited at the prospect of another party to welcome them.
"It's alright. They're just here for Raizo." Naruto yawned as he stood.
The Musketeers and Guardians race into Kurau City, and Pedro leaps up a tall building to see the entire city. However, he sees Inuarashi walking nearby and tries to warn Nekomamushi, but the ruler cannot hear him. Inuarashi appears at the intersection directly behind Nekomamushi, and one of the Guardians sees him in shock, but they try their best to prevent the two rulers from seeing each other.
However, when Shishilian enters the intersection, he sees Nekomamushi and gasps, causing the two rulers to turn around and see each other. The two rulers approach each other despite their underlings trying to stop them, and a short distance away stands the samurai, who have reached Kurau City and wonder what is going on.
"How many years has it been, cat monster? You've become even more monstrous." Duke said to Viper who huffed.
"What about you-gara? You've lost one of your legs."
"What should we do?!"
"Somebody, please stop them!"
"You-gara got your hand chopped off. You can't fight anymore. The most you can do is eat lasagna." Duke said to Viper who narrowed his eyes.
"It's a shame that you- gara have only lost one of your legs! I wouldn't mind if you were dead. One king is enough for the country!"
"Please stop, both of you!" Wanda yelled up at them.
"Then let's send one of us to kingdom come! You-gara must die!"
They clashed weapons before Kin'emon walked out and yelled for them to stop the attack.
To verify his claim of being a retainer of the Kozuki Family, Kin'emon removes his kimono, revealing the crest of the family on his back. Behind him, the Straw Hats ponder in shock about this sudden turn of events, but understand why the samurai kept their allegiance a secret from them. Nekomamushi interrupts Inuarashi as the latter talks to the samurai, causing Inuarashi to shout at him and the two to trade insults once again.
However, as they start fighting and prepare to physically clash again, Momonosuke shouts at them to stop, expressing disappointment at the two's enmity and saying it would make his father sad. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi then bow down to Momonosuke, and the Straw Hats are confused, as they thought Kin'emon was Momonosuke's father and just heard Kin'emon refer to Momonosuke with the suffix -sama.
Kin'emon reveals that Momonosuke is actually not his son, and instead is Kozuki Momonosuke, the son and heir of the Daimyo of Kuri, Kozuki Oden. Kin'emon apologizes for lying to the Straw Hats, as he and Momonosuke had pretended to be father and son to protect themselves. The Straw Hats' bewilderment just keeps growing, and Momonosuke approaches the Straw Hats to apologize to them himself.
However, Luffy does not care about Momonosuke's heritage, causing the two of them to get into a fight.
"It's only been a few months since…" Viper trailed off as Duke nodded.
"Their-gara cheeriness must be helping him. Let's make a truce, cat. If we keep dwelling in the past, we'll make Momonosuke-sama suffer."
"Okay, for the sake of our lord! I'll communicate with you-gara but won't connect with you-gara!
"That's a deal!" They shook hands at that shocking the minks before they celebrated as water flew over them creating a rainbow.
Later, the group started climbing the Whale Tree. "So Raizo's here?!" Luffy asked Viper who nodded
"Yeah."
As they walked, Momonosuke told Kin'emon that he was still not feeling well, saying that he heard a voice calling out to him from within; Kin'emon replied that Oden had the same ability. They reach a hidden entrance in the back of the Whale Tree. The Straw Hats run down to see the ninja, and they hear Raizo cry out from inside.
As Inuarashi and Nekomamushi come down to the cave, a tearful Raizo asks what happened, as he notices that the minks giving him food are all injured. The Straw Hats then arrive and see a man chained to a Red Poneglyph.
Raizo is a very large man, standing at 10 ft tall. He is also quite disproportionately wide, with his head being nearly the same width as the rest of his body. He has exceptionally pronounced cheekbones and a long, square jaw with rounded teeth. He also has thick and lightning-shaped black eyebrows as well as a crescent moon-shaped scar on his forehead.
He looks rather old and ugly, with short black hair that includes a small spike at the top of his head; the hair is also partitioned into six tendrils on the sides shaped like antennae. For clothing, Raizo's wearing a light blue kimono whose inner edges are lined by orange stripes dotted with dark blue polka dots. He also wears a green obi tied in a bowtie around his waist, a dark yellow-scaled undershirt and pants under his kimono, a purple nio-dasuki on his back, and a pair of sandals on his feet.
He also has two diamond-shaped appendages on his back whose colors alternate between light and dark blue.
"Fuck that." Naruto cursed seeing the ninja.
"Hey! What in the world has happened, Cat Viper?!" Raizo yelled at them.
"Forgive me, Raizo. We had no choice." Viper replied looking at the ninja.
"That's a disappointment."
"His face is huge!"
"Doesn't seem like a fast runner!"
"Is that Raizo?"
"I can't accept a ninja like that!"
"I don't think you guys are from this country! Who are you?!" Raizo yelled at the Straw Hats before seeing the other samurai.
"Kin'emon! Kanjuro! Momonosuke-sama! I'm glad that you're okay!"
"We're glad you're okay too!"
"Raizo!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Raizo! I'll unchain you now!" Kin'emon said unchaining him
"Thanks! What's your problem, you bastards?" Raizo said before Robin looked at the Poneglyph as well as the crest above it.
"That's… The crest of the Kozuki Family! The same as Kin'emon's!"
"That crest has existed for centuries," Duke explained looking at her.
"And that stone is… I've never seen it in such a color. Deep red..."
"Yeah, it's a Poneglyph. We know you-gara, Nico Robin." Viper spoke up sitting down
"I heard the Ohara people can read those letters," Duke spoke up as Naruto looked back.
"So you two know about Ohara. Why is that Poneglyph red? None of the Poneglyphs I've ever seen were that color."
"It has a different purpose."
"Can you read it?"
"Yes, may I?" She asked as Duke nodded.
"Of course, you may."
"What's wrong with you guys? Why are you staring hard at me like that?" Raizo said as Robin was reading the stone.
"Raizo, they're the Straw Hats. They're pirates."
The three Straw Hats tell him to perform various ninja arts and act like a stereotypical ninja. Raizo is confused as to why they want to see that, and Franky replies that all men love ninjas. Raizo is smitten by this praise, and Franky, Zoro, and Law join in on asking him to perform ninja arts, but he tells them that ninjas do not act like the pirates have imagined and they do not perform their skills for show.
This causes the Straw Hats to sulk in disappointment, and Raizo is eventually moved, causing him to use Enton no Jutsu and disappear before reappearing behind Usopp. Raizo then uses Bunshin no Jutsu to make clones of himself, and Kawarimi to escape from Luffy's grasp. He runs on the ceiling and uses his Hana Shuriken to form the kanji for shinobi on the wall, and he concludes his performance, causing the male Straw Hats to be in glee and awe.
Afterward, the male Straw Hats and the samurai take Raizo outside, where they see the destroyed Kurau City from atop the Whale Tree. Raizo and the samurai burst into tears for the destroyed city, with Raizo remembering it as a bustling town before the attack. Raizo curses the minks for taking rash actions to protect him and vows to avenge them as best he can before Cat Viper calls them in.
"Hey, you-gara guys! Seems like the deciphering of the stone is done! Come back into the whale!"
"What do you think, Nami?" Robin asked as Nami looked at a paper.
"Is this what's written on the Poneglyph? Yeah, I can draw a nautical chart based on this! We can pinpoint the location of something, Robin!"
"That red stone is called a Rōdo Pōnegurifu (Road Poneglyph!)" Duke said getting their attention. All the tough guys of the sea are searching for the end of the Grand Line, and that stone is a guide to get there!"
"The Whale Forest is considered sacred because of it so it needs to be protected by us Guardians!" Viper spoke up after.
"The end of the Grand Line..."
"You mean, a guide to the last island Raftel?!" Robin asked shocking them.
"That's right!"
"What?!"
"However…" Duke stopped as the crew yelled out.
"Raftel?!"
"That's the goal! To become King of the Pirates!
"Finally, we can get there! The last island Raftel!"
"That's the island the flower pops mentioned! Does it say where Raftel is?!" Luffy asked as Dule raised a hand.
"Wait, wait, don't jump to conclusions! Hear me out. You see… There are four of those red stones the Road Poneglyphs in the world!
"What?! Does it mean there are four Raftels?!"
"No Luffy it means you gotta put the information on all four down to find it. They're like a map that's been cut up into pieces." Naruto explained looking at the stone
"That stone must indicate the location of some unknown spot but it's not Raftel. The other three Road Poneglyphs all indicate different locations in the same manner. When you learn where those locations are and connect those four points on a map, those lines will cross at the center! That's where the last island is. Only the King of the Pirates and his crew have reached it in all these centuries! And that's Raftel!" Duke explained as Luffy smiled.
"The last island, Raftel!"
To Be Continued.
A/N: Thanks for reading and let me know of any mistakes!
Beta: ANBUUBIS the god king.
Updates might be slow for the time being as no email/alerts make it harder to get ahold of my betas.
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Next to be updated will be Ninja in the Web.
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Lone Wolf Out.🐺