The Navy ship was still making its way to Impel Down, but despite previous warnings, several Marines tried to take a peek at Atali. There's a pause naturally resulting in them being turned to stone.

"Love-Love Beam!" she said, turning the latest peeping Toms to stone.

The Marines were now understandably nervous, seeing the number of statues slowly appearing on the deck.

"I'm starting to worry we might not survive this trip."

"You'd think they learn by now," said Atali, shaking her head.

"The male animal seems to get giddy with the prospect of a beautiful woman so close at hand," said Astrid, shaking her head.

"Hey, don't lump me with them," said Hiccup.

"Any idea how long we have until we reach a destination?" Astrid asked.

"We still have a few ways to go," said Atali. "Do you mind telling me about your friends?"

"I don't know where to start," said Hiccup.

"We have a pretty small crew compared to other pirate crews, but each one of them is strong in their own right," said Astrid. "Though if Snotlout was here, I'll bet my entire bounty would turn into stone instantly."

"You like those Marines outside?" Atali asked.

"He flirts with any beautiful woman he sees, mostly me," Astrid sighed. "And I keep on rejecting him, usually by punching him."

"Ah, he's like those Marines outside, a glutton for punishment."

"Despite how strongly I still can't help but worry," said Hiccup.

Far away, in an unknown location covered in snow, a young girl in a prisoner uniform was grabbing pieces of wood out of the snow.

She only stopped when she saw a massive hole in the snow and went to investigate; inside the hole, she saw Heather.

"A woman?" she gasped and jumped down inside. "Her clothes are so strange; she can't be from here."

She reached out to touch her, but she suddenly moved.

"She's alive," she gasped and looked at her curiously. "Are you okay, miss?"

"Well, I'm not really sure," said Heather. "Where am I? It's cold."

"You're in Tequila Wolf; it's a country in the East Blue," she explained.

Heather sat up and began to shiver as it was quite cold.

"You're shivering," the girl noticed. "Do you want to come back to my house?"

"Well, if it doesn't put you out," Heather smiled. "Yes, I would love to."

The little girl was to give her scarf, and they made their way back into town.

However, Heather soon discovered it could have been a more welcoming country. Guards with whips barking at people who appeared to be prisoners were out there, and the houses resembled prisoner barracks.

"Go on! Move it!" a guard yelled, flicking his whip.

They had to tread carefully as they made their way through the buildings and began to wonder what kind of country she had landed in.

They eventually reached the girl's house, but it wasn't really a house. Inside, there were several women wearing uniforms similar to the girls'. All of them were wearing blankets and trying to stay warm with some lamps.

"Sora, did you go out again without asking us?" one of them asked.

"Don't risk it, child; the officers didn't see you, right?"

The girl nodded, and then they noticed Heather.

"Who's that you brought with you?"

"I don't know her; she doesn't look like she's from here."

"I found her in the snow; she was freezing."

"She a drifter?"

"More likely, she is a fugitive."

"Well, at least we know she is crazy. No sane person would want to come here."

"I can tell when I'm not wanted," said Heather. "It's fine, I'll leave."

She began to reach the door, but Sora grabbed her arm.

"I'll take responsibility for her, okay," she said.

"You're not the only one who lives here, child. What do you think will happen if the officers find out we're giving shelter to a stranger?"

"I'll take the blame," she promised.

They all looked at Sora and could see the determined look in her eyes.

"You can't reason with that girl."

"And where do you plan on hiding her?"

"We'll stay in my room," said Sora.

"The loft upstairs?"

"Well, should be okay up there for a day or two."

"Don't tell me you're serious? We should turn her in before it's too late and we get caught."

"It's already too late; we let her into our house."

"Might as well show some courtesy of this point."

The argumentative woman looked as if she wanted to argue some more but decided to wash her hands clean. "You do what you want, but keep me out of it."

She then walked away.

"Thank you," said Sora.

"Don't go thinking this is for good; she'll leave once her wounds are healed."

"You know she's better off getting out of this country as quick as she can."

Heather could tell this was no normal country; it felt more like a prison than anything.

Sora then took up to the loft, which was her bedroom.

"They seem like kind people," said Heather, sitting with a blanket over her.

"Yeah," said Sora, dividing her food in half and giving one after Heather.

"Thanks," Heather smiled.

Heather then noticed that Sora was sniffing her.

"Something about you smells so nice," she said.

"I'm not wearing any kind of perfume," Heather smiled.

"Maybe it's the sense of the outside world."

"Would you mean by that?"

Sora then sat down. "Well, you see, I haven't left it since I was born. Are you some kind of traveller? Did you come here from a warm climate?"

"Yes," Heather nodded. "I've been travelling the world in a ship."

Sora looked at her with a dreamy expression. "Is it a big ship? What's the island you came from like? And were there any beautiful birds and flowers there? And was there…"

They then heard the sound of a bell.

"Sora, time to work! Break's over! Hurry up and get ready!" the voice of the argumentative woman from earlier yelled.

Sora got to her feet. "I have to go to work now."

Heather was stunned as it was the middle of the night, and there was a snowstorm. "You work this later at night?"

"We work all day every day and all night every night," she said as she made her way to the trapdoor. "You should get some rest now, but I would love to hear about your travels when I get back."

"Sure, I'll be here, Sora," Heather promised.

"Bye," she said before leaving.

She was gone, and Heather pulled out her viva card. "I don't think I can make it in time to help them," she said.

She heard a noise outside but became drowsy and fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was morning, and Sora had just returned from work.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she asked.

"Sora, you're covered in dirt," Heather noticed.

"It's okay."

"Just what kind of work do they make you do here?"

"We're trying to build a bridge."

Heather stared. "What?"

"This country is nothing but one giant bridge. It's eventually supposed to connect a bunch of islands together. The construction has been going on for centuries now; at least, that's what the officers say."

"For whole centuries?" Heather gasped.

"If you don't mind, you think you can tell me about where you're from?" she asked hopefully.

"You mean my home?" said Heather, briefly remembering her island as it used to be. "The island I came from is now gone, but my true home is on the sea, and I have travelled to countless items."

Sora's eyes lit up, and then she dashed to some crates.

"Sora?" Heather frowned.

She then returned and showed her some broken wooden planks with pictures of islands.

"What are these?" Heather asked.

"They're islands from around the world," she said, blushing from embarrassment. "I drew them all from my imagination since I've never been outside Tequila Wolf before. But whenever I'm drawing one, it makes me feel like I'm there, like him actually visiting that island, and I forget about being stuck here."

Heather began looking through them, and they were very detailed; she would even go as far as to say that she was better at drawing than Hiccup or Fishlegs.

"Wow, these are great," said Heather.

Then, one caught her eye; it was a picture of sky islands.

"Sky Island," she said.

"Wait, you know it?" said Sora excitedly. "So you mean it's real."

"Yes," Heather nodded.

"And you went there? Will you tell me all about it?"

"Of course. Now let's see… I guess I should start from the beginning of our trip."

Heather then began to recite the tale of their adventure to Skypiea, how they climbed a giant water spout and found islands up in the clouds. She described the Milky Roads and the ancient temple they had discovered on the island in as much detail as possible. She then told her how they floated down from the sky thanks to a special type of octopus.

Sora remained silent as she recounted her adventure, fixating on every word.

"Wow, amazing," she said. "I knew the outside world was incredible, but I've never met anyone who's seen it. In this place, they push us around every day and work until we are so exhausted that we collapse. Now that I think about it, maybe it's not so bad.

"We're building something that will help connect the world, and once the big bridge is finally complete, everybody everywhere will get to see so many beautiful islands whenever they want. There is nothing I would like more; I'll travel the world and draw pictures of the real islands I visit."

Heather thought it was a wonderful dream but felt she wouldn't achieve it by being stuck here. However, she could tell Sora this, not after she got so excited.

"That's a lovely thought," she said.

"Will you tell me about the other places you've been?" she asked.

"Sure, of course."

"Do you mind if we listen to?" said a voice.

They turned and saw the woman from last night looking up from the trapdoor.

"Not at all," Heather smiled.

Heather then began to share her adventures with them, and they all listened intently.

Unfortunately, the woman who had been against Heather staying had ratted her out to the guards.

"The woman is up in the loft," she said.

"Good job," said the captain and turned to his men. "Let's move in, men!"

They then began to make their way into the building.

"Hey, wait," said the woman. "Don't forget we made a deal, and I held up my hand, so you have to get me out of this country."

The guards then stormed into the building.

"Nobody move!"

"What's going on here?"

The guards then proceeded to the building, shoving the women aside.

"Move it!"

"We've come for the stranger," said the captain. "Get in our way, and you'll die!"

His men then started to make their way up the stairs towards the loft.

Heather and the women could hear the commotion downstairs.

"What's all the noise?"

"Somebody ratted us out to the officers. They're looking for her."

"What do we do?" Sora asked.

The men then broke into the loft, and they could see Sora and the women.

"You guys need something?"

"We've got it on good authority that you lot are harbouring a suspicious woman in this house," said the captain as he climbed inside. "You know we can't take any chances these days. There are many people out there who are opposed to the construction of the bridge. Now, turn her over!"

"We don't know what you're talking about."

Heather had climbed out of the window and was now on the roof.

That didn't stop the men from searching the loft.

"Look, you're just wasting your time. There's no one here, so leave us alone; we're exhausted."

One of the guards then struck her with the butt of his rifle. "Shut up!"

Sora rushed over to her. "Are you okay?"

The captain brought out his whip. "If you refuse to cooperate with us, we'll have no choice but to arrest you and question you individually. I take it you're familiar with our interrogation tactics? Is that what you want?"

One of the men opened the window to check if anyone was on the roof, and Sora braced herself, but Heather had anticipated that they would check the roof and bolted.

"Captain, I found these," said one of the men.

One of the guards then handed the captain Sora's drawings.

"All right, what is this crap?" he asked.

"Islands?"

"Those on my drawings, now get them back!" Sora yelled.

"Islands, huh?" said the captain and burst out laughing. He then slammed into the chest of the nearest guard. "That is some sick sense of irony you've got their kid."

"Give them back!" Sora demanded.

The captain then grabbed one of the drawings and held it out to her. "You want your drawings back? Then you better tell us where the woman's hiding."

"What woman?" Sora asked.

The captain then split the drawing in two, to Sora's horror.

"Now let's try that again," he said, grabbing another drawing. "Where is the woman hiding?"

"I don't know."

Then, just like before, he snapped the drawing in half.

"Do you want off of Tequila Wolf," he said, grabbing another drawing. "Cooperate, and I'll get you out of here, and then you can see the outside world in person."

"I don't know!" Sora cried.

The captain snapped the drawing in half and started losing his patience. "I'm giving you one last chance to fess up. Tell me where she is!"

When Sora saw that he had grabbed the picture of the Sky Islands, she briefly considered telling the truth.

"Look, I don't know!" she cried.

In anger, the captain dropped all her drawings on the ground and then began stomping on them, breaking them into chunks out of frustration. Sora could only watch as tears began to form in her eyes.

"All you're doing is digging an even deeper hole for yourselves," said the captain. "I'll make sure you all rot on this bridge for the rest of your lives! Now, take them all in for questioning. Torture them until they tell us what we want to hear, and I want the kid to get the worst of it."

"Come on, move!" said a guard shoving Sora.

'Where is she?' Sora asked.

They then heard the sound of a whistle, which was quickly followed by some gunfire.

"Now, Clutch!" said Heather.

Arms sprouted out of the guards and then twisted their necks, leaving only one guard standing.

"What's going on?" he said, looking at them. "Hey, you guys."

Standing right in front of him was Heather.

"Stay back!" said the guard, backing away. "I'll shoot! Put your hands up!"

The man looked utterly terrified as his rifle shook in his hands. Then, when Heather moved her hands, he toppled over, dropping his rifle.

"Please don't hurt me!" he begged as he crawled away. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

However, nothing happened, and when he turned around, he saw that Heather had raised her arms out in surrender. He then quickly grabbed his rifle and aimed it at her.

"I've got you now!" he said. "She's down here! I have her in my sights! Hurry, I need backup! She's dangerous!"

The woman then looked at the guards.

"Why are you still here? Did you hear him?"

"Yeah, the guy just said he's got the woman you're looking for."

"Why don't you quit harassing us and go get her?"

"I think you've worn out your welcome here."

The captain looked at them furiously.

"Uh, Captain," said one of his men.

"Will you quit standing around and get down there and cover him?!" the captain barked.

"Yes, sir!"

They immediately went to the trapdoor, but the captain narrowed his eyes at them.

"I'm letting you off the hook for now, but you are sorely mistaken if you think I'm going to forget about this," he said as he walked over to the trapdoor.

"Have fun with that."

The captain must've forgotten that there were no stairs underneath the trapdoor. He instantly fell, hitting his chin against the wooden boards and then down the trapdoor.

"Uh, sir, are you all right?" one of his men asked.

The captain merely glared at him.

The women sighed in relief in the loft, and Sora looked out the window.

"I hope she's okay," she said.

Heather was currently surrounded by the guards. She could easily overpower him and escape, but she couldn't let Sora and the other women suffer because of her.

She was immediately cuffed and brought to the warden's office.

"Tequila Wolf is a nation of labourers," he explained. "The people that we have constantly toiling away to build this bridge are criminals from all over the world, either that or their citizens of countries that refuse to ally with the World Government. In short, their slaves."

"How much longer until the bridge is complete?" Heather asked.

"I have no idea. But it has been in constant construction for 700 years now."

"700?!" said Heather shocked. "But for what purpose?"

"You don't need to concern yourself with that. Now that you're here, we're putting you to work, so the only thing you need to worry about is making the bridge. Got it?"

Meanwhile, Snotlout regained consciousness and found himself in a thick jungle.

"Where the hell am I?" he said as he began to walk through the jungle. "I don't even know the others are alive. I doubt they will be alive for much longer without me. In fact, I'm betting they're crying out my name as we speak. If that's the case, I had better hurry up and save them."

Suddenly, he heard movement in a nearby bush and quickly raised his hands, but nothing happened afterwards.

"Oh, just the wind," he said, composing himself. "I really need to pull myself together; I am the backbone of the Dragon Rider Pirates, after all. Now onwards into the unknown!"

He began marching through the jungle but became exhausted shortly after a while.

"I can't take this," he moaned. "Hey, is there anyone out there!"

However, there was yet to be a response.

"Okay, this appears to be a deserted island," he said, immediately shouting through the jungle again. "Hey, there's not be someone out there! Don't be shy! Come out and say hello!"

He then heard movement behind him.

"Ah, that's more like it," said Snotlout as he turned his head only to come face-to-face with a giant beetle. "Uh, hi."

The beetle then roared at him, and he began to run for his life as the beetle chased him down. As he ran through the jungle, he saw a spear flying straight towards him. He quickly leaned back, and the spear flew harmlessly over his head. It kept flying into it, struck the beetle, penetrated its hardshell and killed it instantly.

Snotlout blinked, and then suddenly, swinging on a vine, was a large muscular man wearing only a loin cloth. He landed on the ground and walked over to the beetle, where he noticed Snotlout.

"Going to eat that?" he asked, gesturing to the beetle.

"Are you kidding?!" Snotlout yelled. "You saved my life so you could be whatever you wanted. Thank you, whoever you are."

"My name is Hercules," he said.

"At a pretty cool name you got there," said Snotlout.

"You think so?"

"I'm Snotlout; nice to meet you."

Then, a piece of fruit landed beside him, looking rather delicious.

"Is this thing edible?" Snotlout asked as he picked it up. "I've never seen this kind of fruit before."

"It's safe to eat," said Hercules as he sat down.

Snotlout then sniffed the fruit. "Well, it smells delicious, at least. Maybe I'll just give it a little lick."

He licked the fruit but then felt something licking him from behind and then heard a monstrous roar behind him.

"Behind you!" Hercules yelled, tossing a spear directly behind him.

Snotlout turned around and saw that Hercules had just stabbed a giant plant.

"What the…?! Was that they may plant?!" he yelled. "I did it really just try to eat me?"

"Well, they are man-eating plants," said Hercules calmly.

"Man-eating?!"

Then, fruit fell from above, and Snotlout saw they had razor-sharp teeth, and then one of these fruits landed on top of his head. He quickly pulled it off and ran nearly running into a man-eating flower, which nearly got him up. He then grabbed a vine and came face-to-face with another man-eating flower.

He then began running around like a headless chicken, only to run in the opposite direction whenever you encountered another man-eating plant. Hercules just sat calmly on a rock as he watched Snotlout running around.

"What the hell is this place?" Snotlout yelled.

"This is the swindling forest Glensten," said Hercules.

"Help!" Snotlout cried.