Aratis is a large magical island composed of five dreamy realms.
Sylvan Land: A country primarily made up of forests and caves. The trees possess magical properties, and the name of this realm is derived from them. The inhabitants of Sylvan Land usually do not leave their villages and are self-sufficient.
Aetheris Land: This name evokes a sense of the ethereal and heavenly, perfectly encapsulating a mystical realm of clouds that surround the entire region. The inhabitants of this realm mostly have wings. Aetheris features colorful springs with various properties, and the clouds have a soft and pleasant texture.
Luffy and his friends currently find themselves in the realm of Aetheris after successfully leaving Sylvan Land.
Can a sky-like realm transform into hell? Is it really a good idea to return to a populated village, knowing that the queen's guards are searching for them? Of course not. Fortunately, each realm has several villages, so they didn't have to return to the one from which they recently escaped, Cloud Village. Bean Village was definitely smaller and less populated, which was advantageous for them, and most importantly, they had an herbalist. This person knows all the fruits and plants in the area. Alice had been very interested in this topic when she lived with Alfredo, but each realm has its quirks, and each is unique in its own way. Even if she had knowledge about the vegetation in Sylvan Land, it meant little here.
„Everyone around knows that the Minamu fruit needs to be processed first. If you eat the whole fruit along with the skin, it alters hormonal states, and testosterone levels rise immediately, affecting the behavior of a young man like him," said the herbalist, pointing at Luffy and commenting on his condition.
„We didn't know that! Besides, he ate the fruit despite us warning him!" shouted Alice, pacing around the room in anger.
„It's obvious; you humans don't know many things. You're not the first ones to feel the consequences of ignorance."
„Alice..." began Luffy, who was tied to a wooden chair and writhing uncomfortably. If he could, he would have tried to grab Alice.
„Shut up, Luffy!" shouted Alice, standing in front of a large mirror. She had a white cream on her hands that she was applying to her neck and arms. After eating the fruit, Luffy had begun to act strangely and kept pushing against Alice. He hugged her and bit her on the arm and neck because, to him, she smelled good, like meat or some food.
The herbalist, known as Mr. Short. In reality, his name is Mr. Frank but the people from the village and the surrounding area gave him the nickname „Mr. Short" because he is a very short old deer without antlers. Deer are usually tall, but he is an exception.
„How did you end up so short?"
Luffy asked foolishly, without thinking, as if it were the most important question at the moment.
„I don't remember. It's always been like this," replied Mr. Short, checking to see if Luffy was securely fastened to his chair before approaching the shelf lined with injections, boxes, and jars filled with medications, herbs, and ointments.
„Don't you think that's strange?" said Mikey, who was comfortably seated in a chair that was more suited for customers. They themselves didn't know if they could be considered customers. Luffy was a patient lacking self-preservation skills, while they were his friends—essentially his poor caregivers, who could only shake their heads in disbelief every time Luffy did something reckless. „I also don't remember when I became what I am now," Mikey added sadly.
„Everyone here feels the same way, but why bother pondering it? Overthinking about it is a bad omen. The queen said that a long time ago, and she still repeats it." After a moment of reflection, he added, „And it's not that I believe in it, but in my opinion, it makes no sense to dwell on it."
„She knows something we don't," Alice said bitterly. Fortunately, the herbalist added that he didn't believe the queen's words, as she might think he was just another minion of the queen, who is trying to threaten them.
Mr. Frank didn't respond; he simply filled a syringe and expelled the air from it. He approached Luffy, who was still squirming in his seat, moaning, his face red from elevated blood pressure, and looked at him.
„A long time ago, I belonged to a group of rebels that has been trying to overthrow the queen for many years," Frank suddenly said as he plunged the needle into Luffy's arm.
„Ow! That hurt, Mr. Deer without antlers!" Luffy yelled indignantly at the treatment.
„Be grateful, young man, that I treated you so gently," Mr. Frank replied tersely, cleaning the syringe. „I only gave you one painful injection instead of three that would have been gentler, but still painful."
"Tell us more about this group of rebels," Mikey pressed, adjusting himself in his seat, ignoring Luffy's cries of pain.
„What to say? The name says it all. It's a society that has members in every land here. They plot, spy, and attempt to infiltrate the queen's ranks to overthrow her, but after all these years of trying, they have never succeeded. Recently, the queen discovered one of the rebels in her ranks, and as you've probably heard—everyone has heard, the queen has sent her people throughout the land of Aratis to track down humans and rebels."
„Those people who almost caught us," Alice said bitterly, closing a medical ointment on her wounds and scratches.
„Why did you leave them?" Mikey asked, curious why anyone would leave a group of rebels.
"Being a rebel comes with risks. The queen deliberately gets rid of such individuals because she considers them unnecessary," Frank replied, confident that there were more rebels than ever before, though he admitted his knowledge on the topic was limited.
"How does she get rid of them?" Mikey asked, trying to understand the queen's power or learn as much as possible.
"I have no idea. All I know is that they never came back, and I knew many of them whom I valued," Frank said sadly, sighing as dark memories invaded his mind. He could still hear about his friends disappearing, one after another. Ultimately, he decided he didn't want to dwell on it any longer and leave the group.
"As humans, you face greater challenges because you are so different from the inhabitants here, and you will always be recognizable." Most inhabitants were talking animals or other beings, while humans were few in number.
"We, as permanent residents, can easily blend into the crowd," he added at the end.
"Do you know what happens to humans who are caught by the queen?" Alice asked, shivering at the mere thought of facing the same fate. The uncertainty was deeply unsettling. How was it possible that for so long, no one knew exactly what was going on? It's not like someone could just disappear without a trace. Alice was aware that many messages never reached the realm of Sylvan because it was located the farthest from the palace. Alfred had told her this, and yet, people in Sylvan seemed to live in relative peace, blissfully unaware of the queen's actions. She assumed that the fewest rebels came from there, or perhaps they were hiding in large numbers over there.
"Surely nothing good. They vanish just like my friends and never return. I don't know what methods the queen uses, but they've been effective for many years. No one outside the palace knows about her abilities, but it's said she possesses some. The closer you get to the palace, the more you'll learn."
Mr. Frank grabbed the reins that were tied to Luffy.
„As I mentioned, I left the rebel group a long time ago, but they are still active. It would be best if you find them, although it won't be easy since they are secretive and not everyone will admit who they are because they fear the consequences."
„That doesn't surprise me," Mikey replied, jumping off the chair and pacing back and forth in the room. „If the consequences are that serious."
„The easiest way to reach the queen is to track down the rebels and gather the knowledge they have accumulated over the years," Mr. Short added, untying Luffy, who had fallen asleep during this time, sedated by medication.
„When will he wake up?" Alice asked, observing Luffy snoring in a sitting position.
„He'll wake up soon. It's just a side effect," Mr. Short responded.
-'
Nami, Zoro, and Franky slowly peeked out from upstairs, secretly watching. A middle-aged man, graying at the temples with shoulder-length hair and a slightly unkempt and rough appearance, entered. Suddenly, they were ambushed from behind by the blue slime they had discovered in the mysterious room. They were so startled by the harmless creature that they tumbled down the stairs, landing in a heap on the ground floor. They found themselves caught red-handed by the homeowner.
„Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" the man asked, his tone gruff and slightly surprised.
„It's not what you think," Nami quickly said, raising her hands in surrender and glancing at Zoro, who, without hesitation, began to draw one of his swords from its sheath. „Zoro, put that sword away for God's sake!"
„We're here because we were told that the owner of a certain book lives here," Franky said calmly, trying to diffuse the uncomfortable situation.
The man raised an eyebrow, not fully trusting them but also appearing curious. „What book?"
The crew exchanged glances before Nami answered, „The Book of Dreams, Aratis."
The man's face displayed a multitude of emotions simultaneously. It seemed the topic was either sensitive for him or he was simply surprised that someone had taken an interest. Franky suspected it was the latter, as it was clear that this man did not often encounter anyone who would specifically break into his home for that purpose.
„Well, this certainly changes things a bit. But surely you've heard from the locals. I find it hard to believe that you want my autograph or something like that," said the man, glancing at the stairs from which a blue slime was slowly sliding down, its black pupils gleaming with satisfaction.
„I see you've already met my pet, my companion," he pointed at the goo, which was approaching him.
„He surprised us. We don't have fond memories of creatures with such a consistency," Zoro said, crossing his arms and leaning against the opposite wall, clearly fatigued.
„What intrigues us more is its origin," Franky suddenly added, genuinely curious. Meanwhile, Nami looked at the calm slime with a mix of confusion and concern, staying close to Franky.
„It was created by accident during one of my experiments. Well, one of many, but I don't regret how it turned out," he said, petting the slime on its head.
According to the story of Christoph, a man who authored fairy tales about the world of Aratis—where he supposedly spent his childhood during a coma, he became fascinated with dreams and pursued a career in science. Of course, he didn't only study dreams but also human physiology and its workings. The blue slime, known as Mou, is the result of one of Christoph's experiments that he carried out alone without supervision, which ultimately led to him being dismissed from his research position and returning to his home island. He believed that the people he had worked with were holding him back in terms of experimentation and research. To that end, he used a secret chamber located in the basement of his family home. This was the real reason he came back. An concealed passage hidden beneath the floor, an old, heavy lid that had seen better days. Upon opening it, one would see wooden stairs leading downwards. Inside the basement, there was a large hospital or laboratory bed, white furniture adorned with various medical devices, lamps, vials, and a table that clearly had been recently used for something—perhaps concoctions? Experiments?
„So, you're working here illegally?" Franky started, grabbing one of the filled vials and smelling it. In the corner of the room, he noticed something concealed under plastic.
„What's under there?"
Christoph was not one to explain his actions or boast about having a lab under his house. However, his unexpected guests already knew too much. „I used most of my savings to create my own laboratory. Even though I was dismissed, I still feel a strong urge to experiment and discover new things. Of course, it would be best if you kept what you've seen to yourselves."
Christoph glanced toward where Franky was pointing. It had been a long time since he had revealed that machine, as evidenced by the visible dust covering the plastic, but that didn't mean it didn't work. „That machine," Christoph began proudly. He approached the hidden treasure he had created in hopes of finally uncovering the truth about a world that had fascinated him for so many years—a world that had consumed his childhood imagination entirely. It had been like a prison, yet simultaneously a dream, a vision shared by countless children, filled with unreal fantasies and imaginations. Despite how many years had passed, he had not forgotten it. He didn't know if he would ever be able to. What troubled him more was whether he would never discover the truth or if the people who had branded him a madman when he spoke about it were the real issue.
„This machine can induce artificial coma in humans. This is the solution I've been searching for all these years." He approached, grasped the old plastic cover in his hands, and with a swift motion, uncovered the machine. It was a contraption with strange lenses connected to various points on a person's body. The shock, the impulse caused by the machine would put a person in a state akin to post-traumatic coma. During his time in the lab, Christoph had studied individuals receiving special anesthesia that would lead them into a coma, but when those people awakened, they found nothing unusual. That wasn't it. People enter the world of Aratis while in a state of post-accident coma, a coma from which it is uncertain if they will ever awaken.
„This machine brings a person to a comatose state. Naturally, I tried to build a machine that would also wake them up from it. As you can imagine, this isn't exactly a moral endeavor. The authorities would have locked me up a long time ago if they found out," Christoph said succinctly, wiping the machine with a cloth and briefly scanning his guests' reactions. After a moment's thought, Nami spoke up.
„We were looking for you because our friend fell into a coma after a certain *accident*. It's hard for us to believe that he might be in some unreal world of dreams described in your book, but here we are, as we have no other options."
„Hmm... that sounds intriguing, but I must warn you that my machine might not be able to awaken him, or it could come with consequences. This machine artificially induces a state of traumatic coma, where a person experiences a loss of consciousness. I can awaken such a person by restoring their consciousness and brain activity, but for someone who has fallen into this state due to a genuine injury, there is a risk of unwanted symptoms, or some part of their body might sustain damage. I don't want this to result in a vegetative state." Christoph began to explain to them.
„My goal was to return to this world, uncover its truth, and study it as extensively as possible without disrupting the mental and physical condition of the individual. As you can imagine, many people regarded this as a dry joke, but I didn't care. What I witnessed was no joke."
Christoph said sincerely, anticipating laughter from the newcomers, but nothing of the sort happened. They were serious. Only Zoro looked as if he were ready to draw his sword and slice Christoph in half if necessary, or if he turned out to be just another storyteller, like those selling golden apples at market stalls while promising immortality.
Before anyone could add anything, the sound of the front door being opened could be heard. It was opened rather abruptly, unlike typical behavior.
„Why did you break down the door?!" Usopp shouted as quietly as he could, his face pale. He looked as if he were already being throttled by the homeowner, even though nobody was present yet.
„It was locked. Your lockpicking skills were not effective," Sanji replied with a smirk. His kicks weren't only useful for beating opponents; they also worked well for breaking down doors.
„Huhu, if there's trouble, Franky can fix the door," Brook added, completely unconcerned about the chaos.
Robin entered first, and Sanji immediately followed, ready to protect her. Usopp squeezed in behind Sanji, hoping to be defended as well. Brook came in last, hoping for a nice cup of tea from the homeowner, despite the broken door and their unwarranted intrusion. Of course, they were unaware of the secret gathering of the rest of the crew and the scientist in the basement.
Usopp screamed and jumped onto Sanji when he spotted a harmless blue blob near them.
„What the hell is that?!" Usopp yelled, almost strangling Sanji. Meanwhile, Robin crouched down in front of the blue slime, smiling as she examined it.
„It doesn't look harmful," she said, gazing at the adorable creature and began to pet its head, causing the blue blob to amusingly change shape.
„Let go of me, idiot! I need to protect Robin-san! That thing is going to jump on her any moment!" Sanji exclaimed, trying to shake Usopp off him.
„You don't need to do anything," Zoro suddenly said, arms crossed, leaning against the wall with a satisfied smirk.
„Huh? What are you doing here, mosshead? Did you get lost again?" Sanji started, irritated that Zoro was already here before them. Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud.
A vein appeared on Zoro's forehead, nearly bursting.
„What do you mean *again*? How long did it take you to get here? This was to be expected, cook," Zoro pointed an accusatory finger at Sanji, yawning.
„What did you just say? We were gathering valuable information—something you can't do aside from swinging swords," Sanji retorted, taking a drag from his cigarette, satisfied to once more tease Zoro.
Before Zoro could respond, Christoph commented on the broken door.
„Well, I wanted to comment on this in a typical scientific way, but nothing comes to mind when I see the state of that door," Christoph said, holding his head in contemplation, perhaps with a hint of irritation. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised, annoyed, or shocked by this bizarre gathering in his home. He had planned to spend the day quietly in the laboratory, possibly engaging in a conversation without much interaction with Mou. Mou didn't speak human language, but he understood what was being said to him.
„I'll fix that door for you later; wood is my specialty," Franky said proudly as he entered the living room, considering that his previous door was rather laughable anyway.
The whole group somehow managed to put up the broken door to ensure that no one felt the need to enter unannounced, and they returned together to the basement.
„Call Chopper and let him know we're okay," Sanji said, believing that Chopper had everything under control.
Nami pulled out the snail phone and began calling Chopper.
„So this machine will allow someone to enter that whole Aratis world?" Robin asked, tilting her head to the side.
„Looks like it. One of us has to volunteer and see what happens," Franky replied, not eager to put himself forward, considering that half his body was no longer entirely human.
„You guys must be crazy! What if something goes wrong? We've never used this machine!" Usopp exclaimed, hoping they might reconsider.
„I'll do it," Nami said after a moment of thought, raising her hand. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Usopp's jaw dropped.
„Nami?!" Usopp grabbed her by the head, checking to see if she had a fever. „You must be feverish, poor thing."
Nami smacked him on the head, leaving a lasting memory of the bump.
„I'm the navigator! I'm the best suited for a new environment. I'm the perfect person to find Luffy and bring him back!" Nami proclaimed confidently. The entire crew was worried that Nami might not wake up or that she wouldn't be able to find Luffy. Was it worth the risk? One thing was certain; they would definitely need to discuss this seriously.
„Why doesn't he try it first?" Usopp began, looking nervously at the machine, which was gradually powering up with sounds like a generator starting.
„Only he knows how to operate that machine, Usopp. Besides, we have to trust Nami," Franky said, feeling uncertain himself.
„Don't worry, my dear friends. I will explain every process and function of this machine to you," Christoph said proudly to reassure his anxious guests.
„Alice... I'm sorry..." Luffy stammered as they walked through streams of blue light and clouds soared around them. He stretched out his arms and grabbed Alice, who was walking far ahead and ignoring him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, hugging her from behind. In truth, Luffy didn't understand why Alice was making such a big deal out of it. To him, it was just a small mistake like many others; he had just eaten something he shouldn't have. Yet, he realized that he didn't like it when she was mad at him. He didn't even know why. He probably would feel the same about any friend... maybe.
„Let me go. You don't actually feel sorry for me. Look at what I have on my neck!" She pointed to the bite mark on her neck. She felt both comfortable and uncomfortable in his embrace, but... she would rather he not hug her right now.
„Um... well...but it looks... nice?" Luffy said thoughtlessly, believing that Alice was concerned about her appearance. He thought it would be a good idea to tell her she looked good.
„What?... damn it, Luffy! This isn't about how it looks; it's about what you did and that it's visible!" She replied in an accusatory tone, her face flushed with embarrassment at the fact that she even had to explain this to him. To be honest, she didn't really know why she was so worked up over it. „If anyone asks what bit me, I'll just say it was some animal..." Alice began, and Luffy unknowingly tightened his grip on her.
„Why? I did it," Luffy said in a neutral, confused tone.
„Because she doesn't want everyone to know about it," Mikey explained on her behalf. The whole situation seemed ridiculous. Luffy often fretted over things that were trivial compared to others.
„And what's wrong with that? It's just a bite!" Luffy yelled.
„A bite can mean many things. For many, it's like a mark," Mikey tried to explain as thoroughly as possible, trying not to worsen the situation or make it more uncomfortable.
„Mikey, we don't need to explain this..." Alice started, but Luffy interrupted her.
„What mark? What do you mean, Mikey?" Luffy pressed, unwilling to change the subject.
„Umm..." Mikey was no longer so sure, and he didn't know if it was a good idea to explain to someone like Luffy why Alice felt uncomfortable... „It's like sticking a sticker with your name on her neck. Often... often a partner leaves a mark on their partner like this... to..."
„Damn it!" Alice wriggled free from Luffy's grip, and he wasn't sure if he understood correctly.
„Mikey! But I... I didn't mean it like that! Damn, I really didn't want to do that!" Luffy began waving his arms around, feeling strangely. It's not like he wanted to bite her! He had no control over himself then...but when he looks at Alice now, he feels like he hasn't really done anything wrong. It was almost as if he didn't regret what he had done at all. But what if someone else did it and not him?
„I know... I mean, we know that you didn't do it intentionally. Just understand that Alice feels uncomfortable right now," Mikey said, stepping closer to Luffy so only he could hear him.
An awkward silence fell, but the atmosphere between Alice and Luffy was slightly tense. Luffy found himself glancing at her neck a bit too often, while Alice tried to avoid looking at him and kept her distance. It's just temporary, Mikey thought. Everyone has fights and then makes up; that's what friendship is all about, right?