"Who…Who are you?" Gray wanted to know, clasping his hands back, ready to attack the newcomers at the slightest hostile gesture.
"Hey, what are you planning on doing?" Franky questioned, putting his arm forward, ready to take out the artillery. "Did you bring us here?"
"Huh? What are you talking about, tin can?" Carla questioned him. "Tell us instead where we are."
"Hey, did you see? That white cat really talked." Chopper remarked. " It's strange. "
"You're in no position to make that kind of criticism, raccoon." She retorted.
"I'm a reindeer."
"Who are you?" Juvia asked.
She froze at that moment, when a pair of hands grabbed hers.
"If you want to know everything, I'm a victim." Sanji affirmed. "Yes, I have just been a victim of your incredible beauty! Therefore, I will at least ask to know the name of the divine creature who has just capsized my heart."
"What…?" Juvia wondered.
A kick to the face caused the cook to recoil as Gray grew annoyed.
"Don't come near her."
"Hey, what's wrong with you…?" Sanji began, before getting his lip pulled by Nami.
"Stay here! Now is not the time to get us into more trouble."
"Help me ! They're pirates." Suddenly the head shouted.
"How does that head talk?" Carla wanted to know.
"You…you beheaded him?" Wendy asked.
"Huh... No, we found him like that." Affirmed Franky. "Besides, his head was even in pieces."
" What ? "
"Here are the intruders." A voice shouted, as about thirty people in jumpsuits rushed towards them.
"Damn it, here's another one." Gray growled.
"Huh? Who are these guys?" Nami wanted to know.
" I don't know but it's better to leave. " Affirmed Chopper. "Let's get out of here and try to find Luffy and the others."
"Stop them." Someone ordered, shooting them.
" WATER NEBULA ! " Shouted Juvia.
Immediately, a column of water came out of his hand and stopped the bullets of the aggressors in order to hit them against the walls.
"That… What was that?" Chopper wanted to know.
"A devil fruit." Nami affirmed.
"Attack her." A guard shouted, pointing his gun at Juvia.
Seeing him doing so, when he fired, Franky positioned himself in such a way as to block the bullets fired without the projectiles doing him the slightest damage. Seeing his ammunition ricochet off his skin, the shooter felt snot dripping from his nose as he asked.
" But how ? "
"Why don't you attack someone of your level?" " The cyborg asked, opening his upper arm. " WEAPONS LEFT! "
Dozens of bullets were then fired, hitting his opponents. Taking advantage of this, his comrades began to run, followed by the mages of Fairy Tail.
"Damn it, who are you?" Gray wanted to know. "Enemies?"
"If we were enemies, do you really think we wouldn't be running?" Asked Sanji. "If you're also wanted, it's because you're intruders, right? What did you come here to do?"
"We're looking for a man named Teru, working under a certain Kaido! Do you know him?"
"Kaido?" The four pirates repeated, almost falling over in shock.
"Do you know who he is?" Wendy asked them.
"Of course we know him." Nami affirmed. "He's one of the four Yonkos! He's a living legend! No one knows if he's a real human. "
"I think we'll have to." Juvia retorted.
"That's suicide." Chopper retorted.
"Let go of me!" The decapitated head suddenly ordered. "I, Kin'emon, command you to release me."
"Damn it, are you still holding that thing?" Carla wondered, flying close to Sanji. "Why did you take him? He's a friend of yours?"
"Don't talk nonsense, silly girl." Kin'emon cried. "He just kidnapped me against my will."
"And what were you planning to do all alone against them?" the cook questioned. "Beat them by biting them?"
"I would have done just fine." Retorted Kin'emon. "Anyway, I'll do anything to find my son."
" Your son ? "
"Yes! Those men took Momonosuke and I came to this island to find him! Those scoundrels got in my way and I didn't hesitate to fight against them to continue my journey! Nevertheless, this thug who cut me up managed to separate my body parts and stopped me from continuing."
"And you're still alive after that?" Grey wondered. "Damn it, are you really human?"
"Of course I am! I am a noble samurai."
"Samurai?" Juvia repeated. " And you, who are you ? "
"We're pirates." Franky asserted, running after them.
"Pirates?" Wendy repeated.
"And you?" Nami wanted to know.
"We're mages from Fairy Tail." Gray told her.
"Fairy Tail's wizards?"
"Hey, there's a door straight ahead." Carla remarked.
Indeed, facing them, another metal door where ''Biscuit Room'' was written seemed to be the only exit offered to them to leave this corridor. Having no other choice, Franky opened it wide, wanting to surprise potential enemies behind this door.
"Come fight if you're men." He began, pretending to ready his laser beam.
Nevertheless, he stopped, seeing the people who were in the room.
Children. A whole group of children faced the small group, as they all seemed to be having fun in a huge playroom. Here and there lay all sorts of toys and books, while slides and swings could also be seen.
"Wha…Wha…?" Grey wondered.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, examining the size of some children. Some, or even more than half, had abnormal sizes. Some were already his height, while others were true giants. He could even see a baby already the size of a carriage.
"What… what is this joke?"
Seeing them, in turn, the children stopped playing and looked at them, surprised by their entrance. Eventually, not recognizing any of them, they ended up stepping back and regrouping, together, in the middle of the room.
"Giants?" Franky wondered.
"What… what are they doing here?" Wendy wanted to know.
"Children…" Kin'emon suddenly shouted, looking at the occupants of the room.
Taking a deep breath, he began to scream.
" Momonosuke ! "
" So all your friends have paws like yours. " Luffy understood, touching those of the leopard-centaur. "You are so lucky! They are truly amazing."
"Are you crazy?" Asked the centaur. "I would give anything to have talking legs or your buddy's powers! Breathing fire is really an extraordinary power."
"Hey! Hey! I agree with you." Natsu affirmed, putting on a face full of conceit. "Thanks to this, no one can beat me."
"Perhaps in terms of strength! But, in speed, no one can beat my powerful legs." Retorted the centaur.
"Do you want to bet?" Luffy questioned him. "With my new legs, I feel like I can beat anyone in the race."
"Prepare to lose." Natsu retorted, banging his fists together. "How are we going to organize this race?"
"Then it will be…" the centaur began, looking around for good ground.
He finally pointed to a pile of stones at the top of a staircase, a little further.
"I know! Whoever gets to that stone tower first wins the race! Are you okay?"
"Sure." The other two affirmed, getting into position.
"The volcanoes on this island erupt almost every thirty seconds." The centaur asserted, imitating them. "The next explosion will be the starting signal."
Thus, the trio had to wait about ten seconds before the start was given. As soon as they felt the explosion, they put one foot in front of them, before sprinting to the maximum of their abilities. Jumping forward, it was the centaur who took the lead.
"No one will ever beat me at the race."
"I'll still win." Luffy asserted, trying in vain to catch up.
But suddenly, passing between his two opponents, Natsu easily passed them as he brandished his fists on fire behind him.
"You're no match for my thrusters." He sneered, quickly reaching the stairs.
"Damn it, is this really a good time for fun?" Gajeel sighed, seeing them running despite the heat of the place.
"Maybe that's not a bad idea." Erza retorted. "The more they sympathize with this centaur, the easier it will be for us to have information on this island, thanks to his help! Let them create a bond of trust before joining them."
Suddenly, a funny noise was heard, as it came from Usopp's pocket. Immediately rummaging through his clothes, he finally pulled out a den den mushi which was the source of the noise.
"Yeah, who's got it?" the pirate wanted to know, as the snail stopped his noise.
"What is that thing?" Lucy wanted to know.
"A den den mushi." Robin told her. "It's a snail that can carry objects on its back like telephones! This one is connected to another den den mushi which is on our boat. "
"What?" Usopp suddenly shouted. "Nami and the others are no longer with you? But how come?"
" I don't know. " Said Brook's voice on the other end. " For some strange reason, I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I found myself alone, in front of an island of ice." ''
"An island of ice?" Usopp wondered.
" Yes, I was so surprised that I almost had a heart attack! But now that I think about it, I can't have a heart attack since I don't have a heart! Yohohoho! ''
Hearing this, a bead of sweat appeared behind the heads of the mages, as they thought that this man named Brook had a special sense of humor.
"Don't you have any idea what happened while you were sleeping?" Usopp questioned.
" Huh…When I woke up funny people, in jumpsuits, were searching our boat! It wouldn't surprise me if they brought us here and took Chopper and the others. ''
"Okay, but weren't you able to extract information from them?"
" In fact, no sooner had I woken up than they threatened me with guns, and in the heat of the moment I sliced them all off without caring to spare one for the moment. interrogate! Yohohoho! ''
"That's no laughing matter." Usopp retorted.
"Men in coveralls?" Robin repeated. "Maybe they put you to sleep with the help of gas."
" As for the ice island he's talking about, it could only be the one facing us. " Zoro understood.
"And they didn't capture Brook because they thought he was dead." Usopp finished. "Being a skeleton may, in the end, have certain advantages."
This time, the three mages listening to them, as well as Lily and Happy had more and more difficulty understanding who Brook really was.
" I'm able to tell what's around me. " The skeleton resumed. " It seems like I'm in a harbor and there's a huge building in front of me, which looks nothing like a simple house! Maybe that's where they kidnapped Nami and the others! What should I do? I do? Should I sneak inside to try and find the others?'
"No! It's safer for you to wait for us! We'll arrive as soon as possible."
'' Understood! So I stay on the Sunny! ''
He immediately cut off the communication.
" So if I summarize, this stupid cook and the others were captured by I don't know which people and sequestered in I don't know which building on the other part of this island. " Zoro understood. " That's right ? "
"Yeah! Pretty much."
"Huh…just one question." Lucy said. "I know you must be worried about your friends but… can you tell us who that funny person you were talking to was?"
"It was Brook." Usopp explained to her. "He's part of our crew."
"It's strange but, listening to you, I had the impression that you were comparing him to a skeleton." Lily remarked.
"Huh… If you want to talk about Brook… better wait to see him for real." Usopp stated.
"In the meantime, I think it's now certain that we have to go to the other part of the island." Erza stated, staring at the snowy area. "Your friends are there and ours don't seem to be here! Besides, the men who captured your friends may very well be part of Teru's team."
"What? You mean the men who live here can be part of Kaido's crew?" Usopp frightened.
"Maybe." Robin agreed. "After all, who else but a yonko could live on this island? There is still a fire-breathing dragon...a bisected samurai...a potential harpy and a centaur."
"Speaking of him, are the other two still with that monster?" Gajeel wanted to know.
Looking away, Zoro finally saw all three of them as Luffy and the centaur seemed to be arguing with Natsu.
"I say that's cheating." The centaur affirmed.
"I agree." Luffy agreed. "Thrusters are not allowed in these kinds of events."
"How did I cheat? You, I remind you that you have four legs! So, normally, you can run twice as fast as me! And then, just like you, I only use my power, isn't it ? "
Scratching his chin, thinking about this, the centaur finally nodded.
" Said like that, it's not wrong! Okay, in that case, we're going to race again! And this time, I'm going to give everything from the start. "
"You can never beat me." Natsu asserted, walking down the stairs, followed by Luffy.
Preparing to follow them, the centaur ended up hearing the ringing of his own den den mushi which he hastened to take.
"Yeah, Gify? Is there a problem?"
" What are you doing, Leoppo? Did you manage to kill the intruders ? ''
"Huh, actually, I couldn't find them! The only people I ran into were a new centaur and a dragonman."
" What? ''
"Yes, one of them has talking legs and wears a straw hat on his head! The second has pink hair and can breathe fire."
" Bakayaro! They are part of the intruders! The guy in the strawhat is the pirate Monkey D. Luffy. ''
" Quoi ? "
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Luffy ends up asking. "
"Actually, how long can you keep your thrusters on?"
"Almost a whole day." Natsu assured.
"And how do you recharge yourself afterwards?"
"I eat other flames."
To prove it, Natsu positioned himself in front of a wall and sucked up all the flames that covered it. First surprised by seeing them enter his mouth, Luffy's gaze ends up sparkling, seeing him swallow them. Within seconds, most of the flames on the wall were gone as Natsu affirmed.
"For me, if I had to fight here, this island would be a great advantage that would allow me to have almost unlimited stamina! I can eat flames to regenerate my energy."
"So awesome! Let me try."
" NO ! WAIT ! "
Too late. Biting into the flames, all Luffy managed was to burn his tongue.
" AHHHHHHHH ! HOOOOOOOOTTTT ! WATER ! WATER ! "
"Idiot! You're not a dragon."
Suddenly, walking behind them, Leoppo joined them, his gaze lowered.
"So, ready for a rematch?" Natsu questioned.
Not expecting to be attacked, he was suddenly ejected on the side, by a blow from the centaur's club.
"What…?" Luffy wondered.
"Liars!" Roared the centaur. "You are not one of us! You are intruders."
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Natsu wanted to know, getting up, while putting his hand on his face. "I thought we were friends."
" I will never be the friend of the master's enemies. " The centaur retorted.
"Master?" Natsu wondered.
At that moment, Luffy's foot slammed into Leoppo's face and knocked him to the ground.
"Are you going to stop your nonsense? Why did you attack us when we were having so much fun together?"
Seeing them actually arguing with the centaur, Zoro ends up joining them, affirming. "
"The situation is strangely starting to escalate."
Preferring, for her part, to watch what was happening from where she was, Lucy didn't perceive the sound of footsteps coming in her direction. Smiling, a centaur, with giraffe legs suddenly raised his saber in the air when he was close enough to his victim.
" DIE ! "
But suddenly, the blade of a huge sword blocked his saber, while a big cat was in front of the centaur.
"I was sure of it." Lily affirmed, in his warrior form. "I knew we were being spied on all along."
"Hum? Who are you?" The giraffe centaur wanted to know, immediately stepping back. "A cat or a human?"
"It doesn't matter who I am! Now that I have you, you can tell us who else lives on this island."
Then running towards him, the centaur retorted.
"For that, you will have to fight first."
" CINT FLOWER! "
A multitude of hands suddenly appeared on the centaur's body and grabbed him before twisting him in all directions.
" That … ? "
" CLUCH ! " Said Robin.
Hearing the sounds of bones breaking, Lucy and Happy couldn't help but shiver.
" I feel bad for him. " The cat vowed, seeing him fall to the ground.
"GIFY!" Shouted a voice.
Jumping over the flames, a new centaur, with legs and a hairstyle resembling the mane of a lion, charged towards the pirates, with two revolvers in his hands.
"I will turn you into a sieve."
A magic seal appeared at that moment in Erza's hand and, a second later, a dozen swords surrounded the body of the centaur, preventing him from making the slightest movement, on pain of being pierced.
"What? What is that?"
" If you don't want to end up like your comrade, I advise you to keep quiet. " Affirmed the mage, advancing towards him.
"SHUT UP!" The centaur ordered, shooting her.
Getting ready to change into armor for protection, Erza saw a figure pass her before slicing through the bullets with his sabers.
" SHISHI SONSON !" Zoro roared, as the projectiles all ended up slicing in half.
"What?" The centaur, Lucy and Happy frightened each other. "He cut the bullets in half."
"TIGER SLASH !" Zoro then shouted.
Finding himself, in an instant, behind the centaur, he holstered his sabers the very second the creature began to spit blood, while a gash had opened on his abdomen. Disappearing her swords, Erza allowed the monster to crumble to the ground, without getting stabbed on any side. Nonetheless, she asserted.
"The goal was to question him and not to slash him. "
"We can always question the one who is with Salamander and Mugiwara." Gajeel affirmed, leaving his place to walk towards the other two.
Nevertheless, he eventually finds that a single kick from Luffy was enough to knock out the centaur. Suffice to say that we had to wait for one of the centaurs to reveal themselves to question them.
"Damn it, why did he attack us?" Natsu wanted to know, rubbing his cheek where he had been hit. "He didn't like me winning the race, or what?"
" No! He got angry after talking to that den den mushi. " Luffy asserted, pointing to the snail, which was still in the centaur's hand.
"And another centaur had another one on him." Usopp told him, coming towards his captain, with another den den mushi in his hand.
The snail also had an inscription on its shell: CC.
"There are the same letters on this one too." Gajeel remarked, looking at Leoppo's den den mushi. "Is this normal?"
"No! Surely that must be their leader's initials." Robin suggested.
"If so, then it's not about Kaido." Zoro remarked.
"Yeah, but that also means they're part of an organization." Lucy informed them. "And, one way or another, these people are looking for us."
" Hmm…maybe it's because of the dragon we ate. " Luffy remarked.
"Do you think they'll forgive us if we apologize and give them the meat that's left?" Natsu asked.
"There, I highly doubt it." Happy retorted, with a bead of sweat behind his head.
"Whatever! Luffy we have a problem." Usopp told him. "Nami and the others have been captured! And Brook is, right now, on the other side of the island with the Sunny."
"What?" Luffy wondered. "But then you have to go and save them right away."
"It's not that simple! Think a little! If strange creatures live on this part of the island, others must also be found on the snowy part."
"And our biggest concern is finding a way to cross this lake." Lily stated, looking at the expanse of water, which was in front of them.
" We don't have a choice though. " Zoro retorted. "Your friends may not be there, but our companions are definitely being held prisoner there! So we have to go, even if we have to swim across this lake.
"I hope we can find some warm clothes on the way." Robin quipped. "Otherwise we'll die of hypothermia within minutes! I wonder if the cold will force us to amputate, if our hands and feet will freeze."
"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT." Usopp roared.
" OUIN ! We're freezing to death." Lucy cried. " I want to go home. "
"Huh…anyone know why these kids are here?" Gray wanted to know.
"Is it really normal that there is a nursery here?" Carla asked. "And why can these children be so tall?"
"Surely they are the children of giants." Affirmed Franky. "But the strange thing is that they are all different sizes! Some are the size of normal children, some are the size of adults and the last ones are almost as tall as giants."
"A multiracial daycare?" Sanji wondered. "Yet, apart from humans and giants, I see nothing else! Not fish-man, long-arms or long-necks."
"And there aren't any adults either." Wendy remarked.
Finally, after a few minutes had passed, one of the giants asked.
"Who...Who are you?"
"I don't know any of you." A dark-haired giantess asserted, looking startled by their presence. "You…are you here to take care of us?"
"Take care of yourself?" Chopper repeated.
Suddenly, many young girls began to cry out in wonder when they saw the animal.
"A talking plush."
"And there's even a flying cat."
"Huh?" Chopper and Carla said.
Suddenly two girls managed to catch them and began to admire them, surrounded by other girls.
" So cute. "
"Let me go." The two animals ordered, beginning to struggle.
"Carla!" Wendy said, before stepping back to let some boys walk past her.
Having no attraction for the two creatures, what interested the boys was none other than Franky's body.
"Look, it's a robot."
"Is it a real robot?"
"Of course I'm a real robot." The cyborg affirmed. "I'm SUPER Franky."
" Too cool. "
As the robot was surrounded, Sanji and Nami managed to get out of the crowd of children that had been created, just like the three mages from Fairy Tail.
"Juvia didn't expect to see so many children here." Juvia confessed. "But Juvia doesn't understand how this cyborg is so popular."
"Happens a lot with Franky." Nami retorted, as she watched the boys begin to mimic her every move.
Seeing this Gray suddenly had an idea.
"Hey kids! Wanna see something cool? "
"Huh?" Said those around him.
"If I show you something cool, would you mind telling me where we are and what you're doing here?"
"Okay." They agreed. "But what are you going to do?"
Pointing then to one of the slides in the room, Gray affirmed.
"I'll make you a new slide in two seconds."
Then, positioning his hands back he began to whisper.
" ICE MAKE ! "
A cloud of frost began to surround him, making the children recoil. Then, a few seconds later, Gray could be seen again, next to a slide made from ice.
"So? Amazing, isn't it?"
"TOO AWESOME." The kids shouted, immediately running for the slide, leaving Gray behind.
"Hey, wait." He wanted to stop them.
Looking at him, meanwhile, wide-eyed, Sanji and Nami could only say.
" This power … "
"It's Aokiji's."
"Huh?" Said Juvia and Wendy. " Who are you talking about ? "
"What devil fruit did your friend eat?" the pirates asked.
"Devil fruit?" Both girls repeated. "He's just a mage who can wield ice."
"A mage?" Nami repeated.
"Now that I think about it, you did indeed tell us that you were Fairy Tail's mages." Sanji remarked. "But what exactly did you mean by the word 'mage'? And then, what is Fairy Tail?"
"Listening to you, I get the strange feeling that you don't know what magic is." Grey remarked, turning back to them. "Or even where the kingdom of Fiore is."
Looking at Nami, who shrugged, Sanji finally agreed.
" In effect. "
"So Teru didn't just take us to another realm." Gray understood. "We are almost in another dimension."
" A what ? "
Eventually, it took several minutes for each of the five people to explain to the others their identities and whereabouts they might potentially be.
"Pirates with fruit abilities?" Wendy repeated. "It's pretty scary."
" Mages with many powers, walking around with cats, themselves coming from another dimension? " Nami wondered. "I don't think anything could get more bizarre than that."
Then lighting a cigarette, Sanji finally said.
"Anyway, I now understand why Kaido's name was unknown to you and you wanted to defeat him so subconsciously! One of his spiers had the power to cross dimensions and came looking for you? In this case, he had to eat a very powerful devil fruit."
"What we want is to find this Teru and get out of here with our friends." Gray affirmed. "And we will, even if we have to fight that yonko."
"Hey, kids." Suddenly called a voice.
Jumping as best he could, after escaping Sanji's vigilance, Kin'emon was now in the middle of the room and was trying hard to get the children's attention.
"I'm looking for a boy named Momonosuke! Do any of you know where I might find him?"
There was then a deep silence before someone started to shout.
"The head has spoken."
Immediately, all the children abandoned Franky and the rest of the group, to start running away from the talking head.
"Run!"
"The head has spoken! It's scary."
Hiding like this, behind what they could, they showed their fear towards Kin'emon very clearly.
"Wait…" Grey wanted to stop them. "At least tell us where we are."
"Where's Momonosuke?" Kin'emon shouted.
"Shut up, bakayaro." Sanji ordered him, shaking his fist in front of him. "If we want information, shut up."
"Huh? How so?"
"You're scaring them! Imbecile." Nami insulted him.
Suddenly perking up her ears, Carla looked in the direction of the door where they had come before declaring. "
"Other people come this way."
Indeed, all to then hear footsteps as well as people say.
"The Biscuit Room is open."
"The pirates are surely there."
"Damn! No way to get a moment of peace." Franky grumbled, picking up Chopper.
Putting it on his shoulder, he gestured to his comrades to leave the room.
"Let's go." Sanji nodded, taking Kin'emon back.
"Hey, wait! I haven't found my son."
"Hey, blond guy." Gray called, following him with the girls. "Aren't these guys chasing you because of something you did to them?"
"No idea! I couldn't tell you until I was who their leader is."
"There's another door at the back of the room." Juvia remarked. "Juvia suggests passing by to leave this room."
Seeing them flee, several children began to look at each other, before finally following them.
"Wait for us." One of them implored.
"Let us come with you." A girl asked them.
"Where's Momonosuke?" Kin'emon questioned them, scaring them again.
"Shut up." Nami ordered him, punching him.
"Ouch! I was hit by a woman! What a disgrace!
"Why do you keep it with you?" Carla wanted to know. "Throw it away so they stop bothering us."
" No way. " Sanji retorted. "He's my responsibility."
"Our pursuers are here." Wendy suddenly shouted, turning around.
"Prepare to shoot." A man ordered, behind them.
Nevertheless, continuing to run, the mages and pirates suddenly realized that no bullets were fired.
"What are they doing?" Grey wondered, seeing one of them pointing at the children around them as if to say that they had to be careful.
"I feel like they don't want to hurt the kids." Chopper remarked.
"GREAT! Let's take the opportunity to leave the premises."