Chapter 25: Navigator Down
"Luffy! Usopp!"
"Karoo!"
Luffy, Usopp, and Karoo all looked over at Nami and Vivi's shouts. Nami, Zoro, and Vivi were all stood on top of- what looked to be- a giant cake made out of wax. On either side of the cake was Dorry and Brogy, each covered in a large amount of thick wax around their wrists, legs, and waist, pinning them to the ground. Luffy frowned at this, not having a clue as to what was happening to his crew, but there was white stuff- wax- falling from the candles on the cake and slowly covering them.
"For now, could you bust this pillar for us, Luffy? I leave the rest to you." Zoro said with a grin, clearly not worried despite the predicament he was in.
"I wouldn't be so sure." The new guy said with a devious grin. Luffy looked over to the new guy, taking in the dark blue of his aura and his emotions which were filled with confidence and deviance. Luffy had to admit though that the man's hairstyle, which was in the shape of the number 3 and lit on the top, was interesting. That didn't, however, cool down the anger that Luffy was still feeling about everything he'd done.
While Luffy was having these thoughts, Zoro had changed positions, swords raised, and his free hand on his hip.
"Zoro! What are you doing?!" Nami asked incredulously, her own hand clutching her arm as she struggled to turn and look at Zoro.
"If I'm gonna be solidified, I prefer this pose," Zoro told her as if it were obvious.
"This is no time to be playing around!" Nami barked.
"I'm not playing," Zoro said seriously.
"Anyways; do something about your leg! It's painful just looking at it!" Nami said with a frown, looking down at Zoro's aforementioned leg.
"Then quit looking at it," Zoro replied nonchalantly, clearly not in any worry.
"You're the idiot who suggested cutting our legs off in this situation so we could escape!" Nami said sharply.
"That ain't true! I was gonna cut 'em off so we could fight." Zoro told her indignantly.
"That's even stupider! Get serious!" Nami all but yelled. Zoro turned his head away from her, finding it more and more difficult as the wax layered itself on his skin.
"Just shut up!" He barked. Nami turned her head back to face forward, though she continued looking at Zoro out of the corner of her eye.
"Honestly! You have no common sense!" She chastised.
"Hey runt, is that all the struggling you got?" Brogy asked with a grin, his head turned to look at Zoro as he lay pinned to the ground.
"Yeah. Looks like it's someone else's turn now." Zoro told him, his smile returning now. Brogys own smile grew at this.
"I see..." He muttered, trying to get a look at Luffy who was still focused on observing Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek.
"Mr. 3. Those people don't seem concerned at all." Miss Goldenweek said, pointing to the straw hats standing on top of the wax cake.
"I could say the same about you Miss Goldenweek!" Mr. 3 yelled, but the woman only continued eating her biscuit, a cup of tea in front of where she sat on a picnic blanket. Miss Valentine stood just behind Miss Goldenweek, smiling deviously and giggling behind her hand.
"Hey. If you're gonna do a pose, now's your chance." Zoro told Nami and Vivi, still holding his pose.
"Don't put me on your level," Nami muttered with an eye roll.
"Mr. Bushido! Please be more serious about this!" Vivi tried, wondering how the two could be so at ease despite the situation they were in.
"I'm always serious," Zoro told her.
"More like stupid." Nami butt in without hesitation.
"Like you're one to talk!" Zoro said, trying to deflect the insult.
"It seems we're being mocked! This is truly displeasing!" Mr. 3 said, frowning as he watched the three on the cake continue chatting to each other. His eyes drifted over to Luffy and his gaze narrowed.
"Alright, I think I see it all!" Luffy announced, having been taking the time to check everyone's colors and emotions. Miss Goldenweek, while appearing calm on the outside, was actually feeling rather mischievous like she had something planned. Mr. 3's emotions had been easy to figure out, the man was overly confident and now growing more annoyed as Zoro and the others talked. Miss Valentine also seemed naively confident despite knowing her own powers were null against the rubber man.
None of them had colors darker than a grey and none of them had the darkness in them. While these people were bad people, they weren't bad people.
Luffys exclamation had drawn everyone's attention to himself and Miss Valentine stepped forward towards Mr. 3, the smile finally leaving her face to be replaced with a frown.
"Mr. 3, keep in mind that 11097 is a rather difficult opponent. My devil fruit is useless against his rubber body." She said in a tone that suggested she hated to admit it. Mr. 3 frowned at this, shifting into what looked to be a battle stance.
"Lucky for us, rubber is a useless defense against wax. You take care of the others. I think I'll add 11097; Monkey D. Luffy to my wax figure collection..." Mr. 3 said in a low voice.
"You guys are too annoying! You've gone a bit too far! Give yourselves up!" Usopp demanded from beside Luffy. At some point, he had gotten on Karoo, the duck wearing just as determined a look as the sniper who was wearing his goggles, slingshot in hand. Karoo let out a squawk, agreeing with Usopp's words.
"Small fry." Mr. 3 said with a grin as he took in the sight of Usopp and Karoo. With one hand outstretched behind him and the other in front, the one behind him began to slowly start dripping wax from it like a slime.
"Let's do it!" Usopp told Karoo, the bird once again squawking his agreement. Instead of doing anything to attack though, Karoo shuffled backward into the tree line, both he and Usopp crouching low to hide behind the shrubs.
"Alright! Preparations are complete! We got your back, Luffy!" Usopp called over to his Captain.
"Did you say something?" Luffy asked, turning to look where Usopp was. He hadn't been paying the sniper any mind seeing as he wasn't his enemy, so he had missed the retreat into the jungle.
"Now your mine! Candle lock!" Mr. 3 yelled, swinging the hand that had been dripping wax and sending a glob of it Luffys way. With his attention on Usopp and the wax moving fast, Luffy wasn't able to dodge properly as it wrapped around his ankles, creating a bar of wax that made it impossible to move his legs separately. Because of this, Luffy lost his balance and fell onto his back.
"What is that?!" Usopp asked, eyes wide behind his goggles as he watched Luffy fall. Vivi let out a shout of surprise, and Nami would have facepalmed had she been able to.
"Luffy-san!" Vivi called, Luffy feeling her distress.
"Damn. He's already gotten caught?!" Zoro asked with a frown, now frozen in his pose.
"Idiot!" Nami hissed, her own worry growing as their only chance at getting free fell to the floor, incapacitated.
Despite everyone else's worry and distress, Luffy wasn't fazed as he brought the wax block closer to his face.
"What's this? It's heavy, like a mallet!" Luffy said, thinking of the rubber mallets the shipwrights on the Moby had used.
"How simple. The great 11097 taken down with such a simple move. No matter, now for your hands!" Mr. 3 said smugly, more wax dripping from his hands.
"Oh! This is perfect!" Luffy announced, an idea coming to his head.
"Candle Lock!" Mr. 3 shouted, sending another glob of wax towards Luffy, this time aiming for the Captains hands. Seeing the attack coming this time, Luffy rolled to the side, shifting so he could lift his body up, hands on the ground and restrained feet in the air.
"Woah!" Luffy called, watching the wax narrowly miss hitting him. Bending his elbows, Luffy pushed himself off the ground and into the air, twisting himself so he was upright in the air. Looking around he saw the horns on Brogys helmet and grinned.
"Old giant guy! Sorry to bother you!" Luffy called as he stretched his arm out towards the horn, wrapping the appendage multiple times around it. Vivi watched with wide eyes while Zoro and Nami calmed at seeing Luffy seemed to still be able to fight despite the restraint.
"What?! What's he up to?!" Mr. 3 asked, not nearly as worried as he should be, clearly underestimating Luffy.
Luffy began letting his arm unwind from the horn, his body picking up speed as he spun around and around in the air. Now even Nami was watching with wide eyes, not having expected this.
"Gum Gum... Mallet!" Luffy called, stretching his arm further so that his body rammed right into the pillar supporting the spinning candles above the cake. It cracked in half effortlessly, tumbling to the ground.
"He did it!" Vivi and Nami yelled gleefully, happy to see they weren't in any imminent danger anymore.
"Yahoo!" Luffy cried out with a beaming grin.
Zoro, Nami, and Vivi felt a momentary dread, and then terror, as they saw the giant layer of wax that had the spinning candles on it fall right for them. Thankfully, it landed safely on the top layer of the wax cake and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lucky! The mallet on my legs broke too!" Luffy noticed from where he was clinging to Brogys helmet horn. The dread that had been short-lived in the trio on the cake was back though, which confused Luffy seeing as he'd done as Zoro asked and broken the pillar. Shouldn't they be happy now?
Looking, he saw that the layer with the candles was spinning once more, faster than ever and right above the three.
"Huh? Huh?!" Luffy asked, looking from the falling wax to his crewmates- and in Vivi's case, travel companion.
"That was dangerous! Why didn't you guys run?" Luffy asked them, wondering why they were still on the cake.
"We can't move! Isn't it obvious?!" Vivi and Nami screeched.
"Oh, really? But you guys told me to break the pillar! And you weren't lying to me." Luffy said, still confused.
"Is it really a good idea to put our lives in his hands, Mr. Bushido?!" Vivi yelled at the swordsman.
"Don't look at me. That's the only choice we got here. But it looks like my arms are stuck now." Zoro replied, tone deceptively calm and even compared to Nami and Vivi's loud frantic ones.
"Please be serious about this!" Vivi continued yelling.
"Hold on... It feels like my body is hardening more and more now..." Nami noticed with an increasing worry.
"I can't move at all now..." She said, her eyes wide with panic.
"Fools! With the candle closer, your hardening has sped up! Now you can become wax figures even quicker!" Mr. 3 laughed, his confidence rising.
"Hey! You guys are gonna be wax figures?" Luffy asked, not having realized that before. He had wondered how Mr. 3 had managed to incapacitate them before, and this did a good job answering that question.
"That's what we've been trying to tell you!" Nami barked out.
"Just destroy this set, Luffy-san!" Vivi said desperately, feeling the same panic as Nami had once she realized she wasn't able to move anymore.
"Right. Okay." Luffy said with a frown as he looked to the spinning candles.
"I told you, I won't let you interfere!" Mr. 3 said, the fire on his hair flaring seemingly with his anger.
"Wax-Wax Arts! Harpoon!"
"Exploding Star!" Luffy turned to watch as a harpoon made of wax headed right for him, while at the same time one of Usopps pellets traveled right for Mr. 3. Luffy jumped off of Brogys helmet and back to the ground, avoiding getting hit by the harpoon. Mr. 3, on the other hand, didn't move as he looked over at the incoming pellet with wide eyes. He was saved by Miss Valentine however as she jumped in front of him, opening her umbrella up in front of them and blocking the pellet. There was an explosion as the pellet hit the umbrella, and then she was raising it above her head again with a smug grin.
"You think a little explosion could harm me? My partner's entire body is explosive." She said with a laugh, twirling her umbrella above her.
"She blocked the exploding star!" Usopp said, sweating a little.
"This is bad. It really is fast." Zoro muttered, ignoring what was happening in favor of checking over the wax's progress.
"Good thing I posed beforehand." He said, a little proud of himself for having thought to do so.
"You idiot!" Nami screeched, her anger flaring at how much Zoro wasn't taking this seriously.
"Luffy-san! Please hurry!" Vivi pleaded. Hearing, and feeling, the desperation, Luffy frowned, flinging his arms out behind him.
"Alright! That pumpkin's the bad thing, right?!" Luffy asked, referring to the layer of wax holding the candles that were shaped like a pumpkin.
"Hang on! Gum-Gum..."
"It's no use! Candle Wall!"
"...Bazooka!" Luffy yelled, only for his hands to be stopped by the wall of thick wax.
"Hey, you! Don't get in my way!" Luffy shouted out in annoyance.
"That would be my line. I'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere with my creative activities. Candle Lock!" Mr. 3 said, grinning again as he shot out another stream of wax towards Luffy. The rubber man grinned, letting one of his arms get covered, and laughed, pointing at it.
"I got another mallet! Gum Gum..."
"Oh no! Candle Wall!"
"Mallet!" Luffy shouted, shooting the wax mallet at Mr. 3, only for it to be stopped by the wall again. It didn't stop there though as the wall slowly began cracking where Luffys fist was. The mallet broke apart at the same time as the wall, Luffys fist flying through the rubble it created and smashing into Mr. 3 who was sent flying backward.
"Hooray! Hooray!" Usopp cheered as he danced with Karoo.
"Mr. 3..." Miss Valentine said with wide eyes, her smile falling for the first time as she looked to where Mr. 3 had been thrown.
"Luffy! Hurry and break this set while there's still time!" Nami called, seeing that the main deterrent was now gone. Luffy, knowing that that was what he was supposed to do, was ready to do just that, but a sudden sense of calm made him stumble when he tried walking forward.
"Luffy?" Nami asked, seeing the stumble. Usopp and Karoo stopped their dancing at the tone, wondering what was wrong, and Zoro and Vivi watched in confusion.
"Somethings wrong..." Luffy mumbled, head darting back and forth as he tried to figure out where these emotions were coming from. He'd never felt anything like this before. Usually, whenever he felt emotions, they were tied to a person and had their own unique feeling to them. Not everyone experienced happiness in the same way, there was always a sense of that person in the emotion.
This calm that he was feeling, however, had none of that extra flavor to it. It didn't have any uniqueness. It was bland and it led Luffy to believe that it wasn't coming from a person at all; but if not from a person, then from what?
"Colors Trap: Betrayal Black." Miss Goldenweek said from behind him, holding a giant paintbrush in one hand and a palette in her other.
"Huh?" Luffy asked, trying to block the calm trying to wash over him. The emotion was so strong though that it was nearly impossible.
"Betrayal Black? What does she mean?" Nami asked in confusion, wondering what was happening.
"Miss Goldenweek. She's a 'realist painter' who can even create real colors of emotion! Her refined sense of color can manipulate people's minds through the use of her paints." Vivi explained softly.
"Eh?! Her paints? You mean... Luffy, get out of that circle!" Nami shouted to Luffy, realizing what was happening now and that the black circle beneath Luffys feet was doing something to him. Her shout drew Luffys attention back to her and he instinctively went to do as told, his foot raising an inch in the air before falling back to the ground.
"Huh? What the heck?" Luffy muttered, trying again. This time, he was able to shuffle the foot forward just a few inches, but it felt like trying to walk through molasses.
"Come on feet, move!" Luffy growled out, trying again and again to at least shuffle out of the circle.
"I can't believe it!" Vivi said with wide eyes as she watched Luffy slowly make his way out of the circle.
"What? What is it?" Nami asked.
"He's resisting it. I've never seen anyone resist Miss Goldenweek's paints before. Betrayal Black, he should be doing the opposite of what we tell him to, but he's not." Vivi explained, all of them watching as Luffy, with gritted teeth and sweat running down his face, slowly moved out of the circle, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Alright, now that weird feeling's gone and I can think again! Hold on guys, I'll break that pumpkin now!" Luffy called, but just as he moved to do so, another emotion settled over him. This one was almost like someone feeling amusement or joy, the emotion making him want to smile. There was that strange feeling that it wasn't quite right though, that blandness that made Luffy realize that this wasn't real emotion, but fake.
"H-Hey!" Luffy sputtered out, fighting the urge to do nothing and just laugh. Without his wanting, a few peals of laughter escaped his mouth, but for the most part, he was able to fight them off.
"Colors trap: Laughter yellow." Miss Goldenweek said, her tone still calm.
"It's on his clothes now! Luffy, take that off!" Nami yelled, her panic rising as the wax got even harder.
"R-r-righ- hahaha! Right!" Luffy said inbetween laughter, tears in his eyes as he held back as much laughter as he could. As he laughed, Luffy tried getting his vest off, having a difficult time doing so, but the second the garment fell to the ground, the emotion was gone again.
From the jungle, Karoo came running out with a squawk, Usopp screaming fearfully on his back. Behind them, Miss Valentine was chasing them with a sneer. With all the strange fake emotions, Luffy hadn't even realized that Miss Valentine had been chasing the two for a while now. As the group charged past Luffy, they stampeded over the discarded vest, destroying it which made Luffy pout.
"Aw, it's ruined now..." Luffy said, picking it up off the ground and poking his finger through a hole that Karoos claws had created.
"Luffy! Now's not the time for that!" Nami yelled, reminding him of their predicament.
"Ah, right, ok. Seriously this time!" Luffy said, dropping the vest and turning to face the spinning pumpkin yet again. With his vest off, the crew was able to see the Whitebeard mark sitting proudly on his chest, none of them having seen it before since it was normally hidden under the red vest. Not only that, but there was also a smattering of burn scars that they hadn't seen either, surprising them.
"Gum Gum," The sound of Luffy starting an attack stopped them from their observations, watching Luffy fling his arms behind him.
"Colors Trap: Bullfight Red."
"Bazooka!" Instead of heading to the spinning pumpkin like planned, Luffy felt that same niggling of his mind and his aim changed direction to the ground beside him.
"Where are you aiming?!" Nami and Vivi screeched.
"You're not allowed to break it. You'll make Mr. 3 angry!" Miss Goldenweek chastised. Luffy felt his anger rise at all the interruptions. What should have been a simple, 'smash-the-pumpkin, save-his-friends' was becoming much more troublesome than it should have been.
"What is this?!" Luffy yelled.
"Just as a bull rushes a red cape, you feel the urge to attack that Bullfight Red mark. Too bad." Miss Goldenweek said, still as expressionless and calm as ever.
"You're really pissing me off now!" Luffy roared to the girl. As he was readying himself to attack again- which would inevitably hit the red mark on the ground- Usopp came running from the jungle again, this time without Miss Valentine on his heels. As he ran forward, he trampled over the red mark, smudging it and destroying its use as the emotions left once again.
"It's no use, all this struggling. Your friends will be wax figures in less than five minutes and there's nothing you can do to stop it! Not when Miss Goldenweek and I use our artistic talents against you!" Mr. 3's voice said from the jungle. There was a rumbling, as if something big was walking their way.
"Great, he's back now," Zoro muttered, feeling just as annoyed as Luffy at all the interruptions.
"Now for my ultimate technique. Candle Champion!" Mr. 3 announced as he stepped into the clearing again, wearing a suit of armor made of wax.
"What's that?" Luffy asked, facing the wax man.
"It's said Mr. 3 once took down a 42 million berri bounty with this. It's Mr. 3's ultimate artistic talent." Miss Valentine said as she also reappeared from the surrounding jungle.
"Now, Miss Goldenweek! Perform an artistic paint job on me!" Mr. 3 ordered.
"Can I take a break after?" She asked with a frown.
"Yes, of course! I'd actually prefer you stay out of this!" Mr. 3 agreed. Miss Goldenweek smiled at this, nodding and immediately getting to work covering the wax armor in color.
"Like this, I'm invincible! This armor is as hard as iron, and wrapped around me like velvet! My form now... has no flaws!" Mr. 3 boasted, putting his fists together in a way of showing he was ready to fight, his suit now painted thanks to Miss Goldenweek.
If Luffy wasn't so angry and his friends weren't in danger, he'd be in awe of how cool the armor looked. As it was, Luffy crouched into a fighting stance of his own, ready to end this finally.
"Gum Gum..."
"Champ Fight! Harvest Field!" Mr. 3 yelled, charging towards Luffy as his fists windmilled, digging up the ground. Jumping up out of the way of the attack, Luffy tried the attack again.
"Gum Gum Stamp!" Mr. 3 brought his fists up to block the attack, grinning smugly as Luffys foot bounced right off the hardened material.
"No good." He laughed.
"Not good! This guy's so solid his attacks don't work!" Usopp said as he watched Luffy land beside Zoro who still looked unbothered by his predicament.
"That stuff really is hard," Luffy said.
"We could have told you that!" Nami shouted, referring to the hardened wax that was now creeping closer to covering her nose and mouth.
"Damn! The wax haze!" Usopp said from below, coughing up melted wax, giving him an idea.
"Yeah! Why didn't I realize it? The fact it turns into a mist means it can melt! Luffy! Fire melts this guy's wax! No matter how hard it is, wax is still wax! We just gotta melt that wax off of them!" Usopp called up to Luffy.
"What?! For real?!" Luffy asked, wondering if it was really as simple as that.
"Yeah, for real." Miss Goldenweek confirmed from beside Mr. 3.
"Don't admit that to them!" Mr. 3 yelled out, confirming it now himself.
"But even if you realize that now, you have neither the time nor chance of winning! Three more minutes at most! After that, they'll be completely covered and their hearts will completely stop! They'll writhe in pain with what little consciousness they'll have left as they experience the terror of dying!" Mr. 3 yelled, running for Luffy again who had jumped down from the cake. Hearing their fate, Vivi and Nami felt the terror hit them again, and as the wax slowly crept over Namis nose, forcing her to breathe from her mouth, she could imagine that Mr. 3's words were an accurate depiction of what was to come.
"L-Luffy, I really think you should hurry up!" Nami said, her voice sounding panicked now.
"We don't need three minutes, I'll save them now!" Usopp announced, standing up beside Karoo and readying his slingshot.
"Special Attack: Fire-" Before the sniper could finish the attack, Miss Valentine plummeted from the sky, crushing him into the ground.
"Usopp!" Luffy shouted, eyes wide as the sniper coughed up some blood. Undeterred, the liar pulled a rope out of his bag, handing it to Karoo.
"Listen... Take this rope..." Usopp said, struggling to hold it out to the duck with the pain of Miss Valentine's weight distracting him.
"Oh? This looks fun! Watcha planning? Can I join in, too?" She asked, her legs crossed as she sat calmly on Usopps back. The sniper tensed at her attention, turning his head to look at the smile on her face, malice in her eyes.
"Karoo! Run!" Usopp said desperately, the duck holding the end of the rope in his mouth. The duck didn't need to be told twice as he started doing just that, Usopp telling him to run around the candlesticks. Miss Valentine merely watched, not finding any reason to stop the duck as she continued holding Usopp down.
"Anything you try is pointless. How many kilograms can you endure, I wonder... 10 kilograms... 100 kilograms... 200 kilograms... 300 kilograms!" Usopp sputtered as the weight on his back grew heavier and heavier, causing more pain and making it harder to breathe.
"Usopp!" Nami called out worriedly. As much as Luffy wanted to stop the woman, he was stopped by Mr. 3 as the man charged him, punching everywhere he landed and destroying the ground.
"Give it up! Give it up! They'll become my works of art!" Mr. 3 told him, still smiling as he punched again and again.
"I don't think so! I won't let you have their lives!" Luffy roared, jumping into the air and grabbing the strange hairstyle on Mr. 3's head.
"If fire can melt them, then I'll use this fire!" Luffy announced with a smile, pulling Mr. 3 along as he ran towards the cake.
"Don't pull! Stop!" Mr. 3 demanded, yet it was pointless.
"Luffy! That small flame won't do it fast enough! Light Karoos rope on fire!" Usopp yelled out through the pain, Luffy wincing as some of Usopp's pain filtered over to him. Quickly blocking out the strong feelings, Luffy looked to the rope.
"The bird's rope?" Luffy asked.
"It's a special rope... soaked in oil!" Usopp said, pouring a jug of oil on the end near him as he said this. Miss Valentine hadn't noticed this, however, her back to the rope.
"Okay! Everyone, hold on!" Luffy said, continuing to pull Mr. 3 over to the rope.
"Hey! Wait! Stop!" Mr. 3 continued uselessly.
"It'll be a little hot, but endure it..." Usopp warned them, but the three on the cake couldn't even reply now, their mouths covered as well.
"Stop!" With one last shout, Mr. 3 was dragged to the ground, lighting the rope up in an instant and engulfing the wax cake in flames. There was a blast of heat and Luffy was suddenly thrown back to the facility, the big fire creeping into his and his brothers' cell. So hot the air had burned, so hot he thought he was going to die just from breathing in the air.
"What a big fire! Are they gonna be alright?!" Luffy asked with a hint of fear himself now as he watched the fire burn.
"Curse you... Curse you, Straw Hat! How dare you destroy my Candle Service Set! You'll pay for this!" Mr. 3 shouted, wiggling out of his now melting armor and darting for the jungle, Miss Goldenweek close behind.
"I won't let you get away, you jerks!" Luffy roared in warning. He wanted to chase after them now, but he was still worried for everyone in the fire. He could feel that they were alive still, but there was nothing they could do to get out of the fire until the wax melted enough to allow them to move.
"Damnit! How dare you mock us! Now you've done it! Playtime is over!" Miss Valentine screeched in fury, hitting Usopp before flying into the air.
"I'm going to shatter that neck of yours into pieces! Special Attack: 10,000 Kilogram Guillotine!" She yelled, stretching a leg out and aiming it directly over Usopps neck as she began falling towards him.
"This isn't good!" Usopp gulped, watching with wide eyes as the woman grew closer. Luffy was just about to move to intercept the attack when he felt Nami and Vivi's emotions shift. Stopping himself, he grinned happily as the two jumped out of the flames, Nami with her bo staff and Vivi with her peacock rings, knocking Miss Valentine out of the sky and away from Usopp.
"That was hot! Couldn't you have done it a different way?" Nami asked the man on the ground with a smile, not actually mad.
"Don't be fussy! Just be thankful you were saved!" Usopp said, struggling to his feet.
"You're right... Thank you." Nami said, still smiling to Usopp.
"This doesn't seem real... We're alive!" Vivi said, looking to her hand that was now clear of any hard wax.
"We can't afford to screw up our mission further!" Miss Valentine said as she pushed herself up from the ground.
"I'll crush you all!" She said, her smile long gone as she glared heatedly at them. Standing she began running forward, clearly aiming to physically attack them now.
"Flaming Oni Giri!" Zoro's voice made her falter. It didn't matter, because the man jumped from the flames, his swords carrying the flames with him as he cut her down. Just as the woman fell to the ground, finally down for the count, Dorry and Brogy both twitched, showing that their own wax was now gone as well.
"Yo. Good to see you're both alive." Zoro said with a smile as he sheathed his swords, turning to look at the two giants.
"Yeah," Brogy said with a smile of his own.
"That leaves two foes left," Dorry said as he and Brogy stood up.
"Right. Leave that part to me. I'm not gonna let 'em get away with this." Luffy said, everyone turning to look at him. His face showed the anger it had before, but doubled. It was a scary look, and it showed Luffy to be every bit that terrifying menace that the marines always accused him of being. The Whitebeard mark sitting proudly on his chest only intensified the image, and it made them grateful once more that Luffy was on their side.
Sniffing the air, Luffy found the waxy smell of Mr. 3 and the smell of paint and tea from Miss Goldenweek.
"I'll be right back," Luffy told his crew before running off into the jungle, still glaring fiercely. It didn't take him long to stumble upon where the two were hiding, wax figures of Mr. 3 all over the jungle.
"Well then, can you tell where I am? It would appear you picked a fight with the wrong people, 11097! We're the most intellectual team in all of Baroque Works! A brute force buffoon like you who acts on instinct cannot catch us! I am Mr. 3. I carry out all assignments given to me flawlessly! Now, step for-" Luffy didn't even let the man finish his sentence, spotting the only thing in the area with an aura quickly and sending his fist right to Mr. 3's face.
"W-w-wha-?!" Mr. 3 stuttered, falling to the ground in astonishment.
"H-how did you know-?!" Mr. 3 couldn't even finish his sentence, still stunned. Luffy walked over to him, glaring fiercely still.
"I saw you," Luffy told him, his voice deceptively calm for the anger on his face. Rearing his fist back again, Mr. 3 let out several panicked noises before he was knocked out by a fist coated in armament haki.
Miss Goldenweek- hiding in the nearby trees- tried sneaking off.
Needless to say, it didn't work.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
When Luffy returned from the jungle, the giants were hitting each other weakly while Nami screamed at them for fighting again already. Usopp and Zoro were sitting on the ground, watching with smiles while Vivi stood off to the side with Karoo.
"Ah! Luffy, you're back! That was... quick." Usopp said, blinking in surprise at seeing Luffy back again so soon. After how long it had taken to even get Mr. 3 out of his wax suit, he was surprised Luffy had taken him down in such a short amount of time.
Then again- thinking back to the look on Luffys face when he'd left- he found he really shouldn't have been surprised.
"That guy was annoying. Wasn't even strong at all." Luffy grumbled, still a little peeved at the man seeing as he'd messed with the giants' duel.
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about them anymore," Zoro said with a shrug. Like Usopp, he thought back to Luffys expression and knew there was no chance of those guys following after them anymore.
A sudden wave of shame and regret from Vivi turned Luffys attention to the princess, seeing that she was talking with Dorry and Brogy now.
"But I was the reason they came to this island in the first place..." Vivi said mournfully, eyes downcast as she frowned. Nami, who was beside her, grabbed the woman's cheek and pulled.
"Let's have none of that!" Nami chastised, voice calmer than when she'd been yelling at the giants.
"Yeah, Vivi! Why're you so down in the dumps for? You're making me sad!" Luffy whined, feeling the negative emotion worming its way into him, bringing his whole mood down. Nami and Vivi turned to look at him, both surprised by his words. While normally, people said this without actually meaning it, in Luffys case they were still getting used to the fact that their emotions truly did affect the Captain, and in this case, Vivi was actually bringing him down.
"See? Does anyone blame you?" Nami asked, gesturing to the group that was sending the princess anything but accusatory looks. Vivi smiled softly at that, feelings her negative emotions easing. Beside her, Nami winced, rubbing her stomach which was exposed seeing as his shirt had been burned off.
"What's wrong?" Zoro asked, noticing the woman's pain.
"Nothing. Just a bug." Nami told him, scratching at the red mark on her stomach.
"Still, waiting a year for the log to point to the next island is pretty serious stuff," Zoro said, reminding them of their original predicament of being stuck on the island.
"You saved us. We would like to thank you in some way..." Brogy said with a smile, he and Dorry having been listening.
"Oh, in that case, can you guys do anything to help us get off this island?" Luffy asked with a grin, thinking their problem might be able to be solved right here and now.
"I'm afraid we can't do anything about the log..." Dorry said apologetically.
"Nami-san! Vivi-chan! And you other bums..." Sanjis voice stopped their conversation as the blonde chef twirled out of the jungle, hearts in his eyes and cigarette puffing heart-shaped smoke from it.
"Hey! Sanji!" Luffy said, no longer interested in the talk about the log as he smiled at his chef, the only one who hadn't been caught up in all of the Baroque Works nonsense.
He'd made sure to keep some of his attention on the man's emotions during the fight just in case.
"You're okay! Thank goodness!" Sanji cried as he slowly walked their way. There was a rage in Karoo and Usopp as they glared at the man.
"That jerk suddenly shows up only after we needed help!" Usopp ground out, Karoo nodding angrily beside him. It was then Sanji seemed to notice the giants in the clearing with them.
"What in the hell?! Are you Mr. 3?!" Sanji demanded to know.
"Hey! How do you know about Mr. 3?" Nami asked in confusion. After all, he hadn't been around for their encounter with the agents. Sanji turned to answer her, but then he noticed her lack of shirt and the hearts were back.
"Nami-san! You're so titillating!" Sanji said, clasping his hand in front of him and smiling.
"Feel like getting slugged?" Nami barked, holding up her fist at him.
"Now now Nami-san. You'll catch cold dressed like that. Here you are." Sanji said, taking off his suit jacket and putting it over her shoulders to cover her.
"Thanks," Nami said, blinking in surprise as she put her arms in the sleeves. After that, Sanji explained how he'd spoken to Mr. 0 in a hideout in the jungle and told him he'd eliminated everyone, Mr. 0 thinking Sanji had been Mr. 3.
"So we're finally free of people chasing us, but we can't go anywhere!" Usopp yelled to the sky in frustration.
"Can't go anywhere? Do we still have business on this island? Just after I managed to get ahold of this, too..." Sanji said, pulling out an eternal pose labeled Alabasta from his pocket. Everyone's jaw dropped at the sight of it, confusing Sanji who sweatdropped at the sight.
"What? What is it?" He asked.
"It's an Eternal Pose to Alabasta!" Luffy said, everyone cheering happily.
"Hooray!"
"Now we can set sail!"
"Hurray! Way to go, Sanji-kun!"
"Thank you Sanji-san! I was so worried for a moment there!" Vivi said, so happy she ran over and hugged the chef tightly, tears in the corner of her eyes as she smiled as big as she could.
"No, no! It was my pleasure! I'm glad to make you so happy!" Sanji said, blushing fiercely and smiling just as wide as Vivi.
"Let's go, Captain! We don't have time to be lounging around!" Nami told Luffy with a smile, the teen nodding in agreement. As everyone began making their way to the Merry, Sanji remembered something, looking to Zoro as he passed him.
"Oh, yeah... Hey, you! You haven't forgotten our hunting contest, I hope!" Sanji said. Zoro stopped walking, not turning to look at the blonde.
"Nope! But I win! I caught a rhino this huge!" Zoro told him, stretching his arms as wide as he could at his sides as he grinned.
"A rhino? I assume you can eat that." Sanji said, walking up to him.
"Of course," Zoro confirmed.
"Those words sound familiar somehow..." Brogy said from behind them, the giants having yet to get up.
"Yes..." Dorry agreed from beside him.
"Alright, round old guy, and giant old guy! We're gonna go now!" Luffy said to the giants, everyone turning to look at them.
"Oh, I see. Well, you do seem to be in a hurry." Brogy said with a smile.
"That's too bad, but we won't stop you. I hope your homeland is okay." Dorry said to Vivi who had yet to stop smiling.
"Yes! Thank you!" Vivi said gratefully, all of them turning to leave again.
"See ya! Don't die anymore!" Luffy said, walking backward as he smiled his D smile to the giants.
"Master! I will visit Elbaf someday!" Usopp told Brogy determinedly.
"You'll see. Mines way bigger than yours." Sanji said to Zoro, his hands stuffed in his pockets as they followed behind.
"You wish!" Zoro retorted.
"I'm gonna be a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp cheered.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"See?! Mines far larger than yours!"
"Look closer! My lizards bigger!"
"Are you blind or something?! My rhinos way bigger!" Sanji and Zoro's argument drifted over to those on the Merry, getting her ready to go.
"It doesn't really matter! They both look yummy!" Luffy told them as he leaned on Merry's railing, smiling at them.
"You shut up!" The two roared, making Luffy blink at the wave of irritation that rolled off of the two and to him.
"Hey! What are you yelling at me for?!" Luffy roared back, unknowingly being influenced.
"Look! Mines bigger!" Zoro said, ignoring the Captain's outburst.
"No, mine is!"
"It doesn't matter!" The argument continued, this time with Luffy in it as Zoro and Sanjis irritation fueled his own.
"How are long are you gonna keep at that? You even dragged Luffy into it! We don't need all of it so cut up what we do need so we can set sail!" Nami said from the upper deck.
"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji said with a smile, argument forgotten immediately.
"Hey, Usopp! I'm clearly the winner, right?!" Zoro called to the sniper who was on the upper deck as well, Vivi at his side.
"I don't really care. Can't you guys just call it a tie?" Usopp asked disinterestedly.
"There are no ties in a challenge!" Zoro said matter of factly.
"Hurry it up!" Nami screamed, her patience gone now as her anger took over. Without another seconds hesitation, both Sanji and Zoro got to work cutting up the meat, fearing Namis wrath.
It wasn't long after that that they were finally letting the sails down and drifting down the river that would take them back to the ocean.
"They said going straight will take us to the western end of the island," Nami said, more to herself as she made sure everything was going smoothly.
"Hey. Couldn't you have gotten any more meat on board?" Luffy asked Zoro and Sanji, slightly disappointed at- what he deemed to be- a lack of meat.
"Yeah, right! Don't be stupid! We can't preserve any more than that." Sanji told him.
"Do you want to sink the ship?!" Vivi asked, amazed that Luffy thought the giant stack of meat wasn't enough.
They sailed silently after that, taking in the scenery for what was most likely going to be the last time. While everyone was either looking at the trees and water- or in Namis case, making sure the ship was ready to be out on open waters again- Luffy noticed both the presence and the sight of Dorry and Brogy.
"Look, it's the old guys! They came to see us off!" Luffy said, pointing to the two who stood at the end of the river they were sailing down, their backs to the Merry.
"Ahead is a great obstacle," Brogy started, his loud voice carrying over to them.
"That prevents people who come to this island from reaching the next..." Dorry said next, neither of them turning to address them.
"You fought desperately to protect our pride." Dorry continued.
"As such, no matter what manner of enemy there may be..." Brogy said, the straw hats listening silently.
"...we will not let them destroy your pride, friends!" Dorry said, Luffy feeling the strong conviction in the two giants, their words as truthful as ever.
"Have faith in us, and continue straight ahead! Straight ahead, no matter what happens!" Brogy said, voice louder than before as he grinned at the sky. With the giant's conviction never wavering, Luffy found himself smiling determinedly as well.
"Got it!" Luffy called up to them. Behind him, his crew couldn't help but start to feel a little worried.
"What's all this about?" Nami asked, glancing nervously around the Merry for anything unexpected.
"We'll go straight ahead, no matter what!" Luffy told them with as much conviction as the giants had. The Merry was finally reaching the end of the river, Little Garden now behind them as they sailed into the open ocean.
"This is goodbye!" Brogy said as the ship sailed past them, the two giants pulling out their weapons from under their capes.
"Let's meet again someday. Without fail." Dorry told them. Luffy, who was still smiling, felt his haki pick up on something that was big, but seeing as the giants had told them to keep going forward, he didn't pay it much mind.
"Look! Up ahead!" Nami said, eyes wide as she pointed to the waters ahead of them. They didn't have to search for long as a large sea creature began rising from the ocean, causing waves to rock the ship.
"There you are, Island-Eater!" Dorry exclaimed from behind them.
"You will open the path, in the name of Elbaf!" Brogy told the creature, both he and Dorry raising their weapons in preparation.
On the Merry, everyone was beginning to freak out at the size of what looked to be a fish. It easily dwarfed their ship, and it was looking right at them.
"Wha-?!" Sanjis cigarette fell out of his mouth, eyes wide in disbelief as the creature stared them down.
"Somethings appeared!" Usopp screamed, covering his eyes in fright.
"What's this guy? A goldfish?" Luffy asked, completely calm in contrast to his panicking crew.
"A g-giant goldfish?! W-why does that sound familiar?!" Usopp asked, his mind blanking on the association it was trying to make.
"Work the rudder! Hurry! We're gonna get eaten! Hurry Usopp!" Nami told Usopp, snapping him from his thoughts. Beside her, Karoos eyes were bugging out of their sockets, the poor duck petrified.
"I-I can't! Go straight ahead! R-right Luffy?!" Usopp asked, and although it was clear he was terrified, the sweat pouring down his face, he didn't move from his spot. Luffy, still sitting calmly on the Merrys figurehead, nodded in agreement with a smile.
"Yeah! Of course!" Luffy agreed, looking at Usopp over his shoulder. In front of them, the fish opened its mouth, and with the course that the Merry was on, they were going to sail right into it.
"Don't be stupid! This won't be like what happened with Laboon!" Nami screamed, growing more and more terrified by the second.
"I know. Calm down. Here, I'll let you have the last rice cracker." Luffy said, referring to the rice crackers he'd taken from Miss Goldenweek, tossing it to her without looking.
"I don't want it!" She said, though she caught it regardless.
"If we don't turn this ship, we're gonna be-"
"Just give it up Nami," Zoro said, opening the door for Karoo to run inside the Merry. He was exponentially calmer now as he leaned casually against the wall. Seeing that she was getting nowhere and their fate seemed inevitable, tears began to run down the navigator's face as she weakly bit into the rice cracker in defeat.
"Luffy! We can trust those guys, I hope?!" Sanji yelled, not having had much interaction with the giants like everyone else had.
"Yeah! They're good guys. They weren't lying to us." Luffy said confidently, turning to look at Sanji now.
"Are you crazy! Are we really going straight into that beast?!" Vivi asked, voicing her fears for the first time.
"No! We're too late now!" Nami screamed, still crying as she watched the mouth surround them. Nami was right that there was nothing they could do as the mouth closed behind them, everything going dark as the sunlight was blocked off.
"Straight ahead! Straight ahead!" Usopp chanted, his own tears of fear falling as he pointed straight ahead of them.
"What are you talking about?! We've already been eaten!" Nami screeched in a mixture of fear of what was to come and anger that they had willingly sailed into the fish's mouth.
"Straight ahead! Straight ahead!" Luffy chanted next, still grinning, unperturbed by their current predicament.
There was a sudden force accompanied by a gust of wind that traveled through the fish, propelling the Merry into the air. The force was so strong that it created a giant hole through the fish, the Merry flying right back out of the fish and into the sky.
"Hakoku Sovereignty!" Dorry and Brogys attack name was said with such force and volume, it was heard by everyone on the Merry despite the island being a good distance away now.
"We're flying out of it!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. The Moby had been so big that nothing like this had ever happened before, and Luffy was elated. Behind him, the crew was quickly getting over their terror, their own joy and happiness taking over as they saw they were no longer in danger of dying. Of course, in Vivi's case, the terror was still there seeing as they were a ship traveling through the air.
"Don't look back! We're going straight ahead!" Luffy said with a bout of laughter, feeding off of everyone's happiness.
"They cut... the very sea itself... This is the strength of Elbaf warriors! Incredible!" Usopp said, tears of pride and joy rather than fear falling down his face now as he smiled.
"Guys! Someday, I will go to Elbaf! To the village of warriors!" Usopp said in determination.
"Yeah! Okay!" Luffy agreed, everyone's happiness making him giddy as he jumped off the Merrys figurehead and cheered.
"Gi-gi-giants! Gi-giants! Elbaf-baf! Elbaf-baf! Everyone's huge! Cause they're giants! They're huge! They're huge!" They're huge!" Usopp and Luffy sang, standing on the railing together, arms over each other's shoulders as they danced. Behind them, Karoo ran back and forth in a show of dancing with them.
"They sure are full of energy..." Nami said, falling to the ground against the mainmast, the relief making her weak. Now that she thought of it, she was pretty tired.
"I'm suddenly exhausted after everything we've been through. Vivi, could you watch this compass for me?" Nami asked, holding out the eternal pose to Vivi.
"Sure." Vivi agreed, taking it and staring at the red needle inside. Nami watched her for a second, noticing the look in her eye, and smiled reassuringly.
"Now you can finally return to Alabasta. Well, assuming we can make it there safely, of course..." Nami told her. Vivi looked up from the eternal pose with a smile now.
"Yes. I must return! After all, I'm..." She trailed off, her smile falling and a hard look growing in her eyes. Her grip on the compass tightened as she took a deep breath.
"I will return to Alabasta, alive..." She said in determination. Usopp and Luffy, who had stopped their dancing once they'd nearly fallen into the water, were watching her silently. The sudden turmoil of negative feelings like sadness and fear, but also determination and conviction in the princess put a damper on Luffys good mood, calming him exponentially.
"There's no need to push yourself so hard, Vivi-chan. You have me!" Sanji said, leaving the galley and walking down the steps to them, a plate of food in his hand as he pointed to himself. Vivi looked up at that, surprised.
"Today's relaxing sweets. How about some petit fours? For drinks, you have your choice of coffee or tea..." Sanji told her, holding the plate out to her. Vivi still looked surprised, but only for a moment longer before a soft smile came upon her face.
"Sanji-san..." She didn't say anything else, grateful for the chef's distraction nonetheless.
"Wah! Food!" Usopp and Luffy cheered, mouths drooling and eyes wide as they looked at the delicious-looking sweets. Beside them, Karoo mimicked them.
"Yours is in the kitchen!" There wasn't a hint of hesitation as the three turned and darted up the steps.
"Alright!"
"I'm first!"
Some time passed as they sailed quietly along towards the kingdom of Alabasta. Sanjis sweets, of course, were delicious and Usopp and Luffy, as well as Karoo, finished them in no time at all. Zoro was weight lifting at the back of the ship while Nami and Vivi were stood outside the kitchen, keeping an eye on the compass, though Vivi was watching more than Nami was.
A sudden spike of exhaustion from Nami made Luffy falter as he licked his plate clean. Looking up and out the window of the kitchen door, he could see the back of the woman's head.
"Luffy?" Usopp asked, having noticed the captain's intense look. The only times he'd done something like this, it was because he was feeling something with those extra abilities of his. Sanji, who was also in the kitchen cleaning dishes, turned and saw the same thing as Usopp, his own curiosity rising. Luffy didn't answer though, standing from the table and walking out the door, Usopp, Sanji, and Karoo following close behind in curiosity.
"Nami, you should go lay down," Luffy said, his voice serious for once and a small frown on his face as he looked the woman over.
"What?" She asked, more surprised by Luffys sudden appearance than by what he'd said.
"You're sick," Luffy told her bluntly. Now everyone was surprised by this, looking the navigator over themselves.
"Luffy-san has a point. Nami-san, you don't look so good." Vivi noticed, looking at the sweat on Namis forehead and her flushed complexion.
"No? I guess you're right, I don't... feel good..." Nami admitted, standing from where she'd been leaning against the railing, only to suddenly collapse. Luffy caught her with ease, used to Aces narcolepsy attacks, and the way Nami had been feeling felt the same way his brother would right before he would pass out.
"Nami!"
"Nami-san!" With the sudden yelling, Zoro peeked over to see what was going on.
"She's got a fever!" Vivi said worriedly as she placed a hand on the woman's forehead.
"She does?!" Sanji yelled, eyes wide as they looked her over.
"She's sick. She doesn't feel good at all." Luffy told them, beginning to carry her to the woman's room, everyone following except for Zoro who stayed on deck to keep watch and make sure the ship didn't drift off course. Once in the room, Luffy put Nami in the bed with a frown while Vivi began looking her over.
"Is Nami-san gonna die? Is she, Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked, biting on his shirt as he cried. Vivi dipped a cloth in a bowl of water, wringing it out before placing it on Namis forehead.
"It's most likely the climate. One of the obstacles all sailors who enter the Grand Line run into is illness caused by abnormal weather. Though there are countless stories of tough, notorious pirates suddenly dying from this. Carelessness makes even the slightest case deadly." Vivi told them. Usopp and Luffy listened with straight faces, nodding along to the princess's words. This did nothing to calm Sanji down though as he cried harder.
"Is there anyone on this ship with any medical knowledge at all?" Vivi asked, looking to Luffy and Usopp. The two slowly pointed to Vivi herself and the woman frowned.
"But eating makes sickness go away! Right, Sanji?" Luffy asked, thinking of when he and his brothers had gotten out of the facility. They had been sick, Whiskey said so, and after they ate Thatch's food they had been fine.
"I can make some basic food meant for sick people, but that's entirely in 'nursing' territory. There's no guarantee it'd make her better..." Sanji said, his tears stopping as he looked to Luffy with a small confused look, wondering where Luffy'd gotten the idea from.
"Besides, I normally put 100 times more care into Nami-san and Vivi-chan's meals than I do with yours... I serve them fresh meat and vegetables, for balanced nutrition. And I give all the rotting stuff to you guys." Sanji said, turning to point to Usopp without a hint of remorse.
"Hey, now!" Usopp said, slapping away Sanjis hand. Beside him, Luffy laughed.
"It's good though!" Luffy laughed.
"In any case, as long as I'm this ship's cook, there'll be no problems whatsoever in terms of getting a balanced diet. But there are different kinds of meals for sick people. What are her symptoms? What does she need? I can't make that call..." Sanji said, frowning now as he looked to Nami.
"Then she can just eat it all!" Luffy said, thinking it was a simple solution to the problem.
"She's sick because she doesn't have the energy for that!" Sanji deadpanned, he and Usopp giving Luffy an unimpressed look. Vivi, who wasn't listening and was instead taking Namis temperature, gasped in surprise at how high it was.
"104 (40C) degrees Fahrenheit?! Her fevers gone up again!" Vivi cried in worry, holding the thermometer closer to her face to make sure she was reading it right.
"There'll be doctors when we get to Alabasta, right?! How much longer will it take, Vivi?" Usopp asked, his own worry only rising at the news.
"I don't know, but one week is out of the question..." Vivi said in fear for Namis life.
"Is being sick that bad?" Usopp asked in confusion.
"Dunno. Never been sick..." Sanji said.
"Being sick sucks. Well, I was only sick 'cause of the facility, but Nami feels like everyone else did, so I think all sickness doesn't feel good." Luffy said, shivering as he thought of the pain and exhaustion that all the kids had felt in the facility. There had even been the time that he'd died, and that hadn't been fun at all.
Usopp, Sanji, and Vivi looked at Luffy, not quite sure what to make of his words.
"You were only sick because of the facility?" Sanji asked, not understanding what that meant. Feeling this, Luffy nodded, his frown deepening.
"Yeah, they made us sick a lot. It sucked." Luffy said, his light-heartedness suddenly gone as he glared at the wall. Usopp gulped, not liking the image being created of this facility, while Sanji didn't ask any more questions. Vivi however had only heard of the facility before when Miss All Sunday had mentioned it, and at the time Luffy had not seemed pleased that she had.
"Facility?" Vivi asked hesitantly. Usopp and Sanji blinked as they realized Vivi didn't know what the place was- well, honestly, they didn't know what it was either, but at least now they knew of it- and turned to look at Luffy, wondering if he would answer her. The look on his face said that he wouldn't, but they were proven wrong when he opened his mouth and spoke.
"It's a bad place run by the marines. It's why I can feel emotions and see colors and memories and smell really good." Luffy said, not elaborating any further than that. Vivi remembered their conversation before about Luffys abilities, and while she got an answer on where they'd come from now, it still didn't answer much.
"Wait a second, see memories?" She asked in shock seeing as Luffy hadn't mentioned that one before. Realizing this as well, Luffys dark look left and he laughed sheepishly.
"Oh yeah, I can do that too. But I never do. I don't like to." Luffy told her. At this, she hesitated, but as much as she wanted to keep questioning him , Nami needed her attention more.
"In any case, 104 degrees doesn't happen every day. This may be a life-threatening illness..." These words snapped everyone out of their thoughts of the facility, a mass panic only making Luffys own panic worse as they all began yelling.
"Namis gonna die?!"
"Nami-san, don't die!"
"Stop that! Be quiet!" Vivi chastised the group, Usopp and Karoo doing nothing but running around the room yelling.
"We need to find a doctor to help Nami!" Luffy realized, his panic only increasing as he thought about this. He had put it off for so long already, and now he was forced to find one right now, one that wouldn't hurt Nami, one that they could trust, and that was a lot of pressure to put on the traumatized teen who had only just barely gotten over his phobia of doctors.
"Okay! Just calm down! You're going to make her illness even worse!" Vivi said worriedly, knowing she had unintentionally caused this panic.
"No," Nami said weakly, having woken up. Luffy could feel that she wasn't all there though, the exhaustion still weighing heavily on her. Regardless, everyone stopped panicking, looking at the redhead in the bed.
"No," Nami repeated, sitting up slowly and grabbing the cloth from her head.
"Nami-san..." Sanji said worriedly.
"You're still sick," Luffy said, wondering if she was going to try getting up out of the bed. When she didn't make any move to go farther than where she was, he calmed down.
"In my desk drawer... there's a newspaper..." Nami said through panting breathes, removing the cloth from her forehead to look toward said drawers. Vivi, confused, went over to the drawer and opened it, pulling out the newspaper and returning to Namis bedside. She was about to ask what about this newspaper was so important that Nami, with such a high fever, deemed it necessary in the moment. Her confusion was stopped though the second she saw the cover, her eyes going wide in disbelief.
"N-no! That can't be!" The princess said, aghast.
"What is it?" Luffy asked.
"Is it about Alabasta, Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked next.
"300,000 royal soldiers defected to the Resistance... It was originally a cold war, with 600,000 royal soldiers and 400,000 Resistance soldiers... But now that's suddenly changed!" Vivi said, reading the words off the page to everyone in the room.
"The uprising in Alabasta is finally going to get serious now... That paper's from three days ago... I'm sorry. We can't change our speed, so I didn't want to worry you by showing you that... Understand, Luffy?" Nami asked the Captain, his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face as he took in not only all the new information but all of the emotions as well. From Nami's determination mingling just beneath her exhaustion, Vivi's dread, worry, and fear, Sanji and Usopp's surprise, and even Karoo's own mixture of worry and concern.
"Things seem very bad!" Luffy said seriously.
"Whew, that got through to you more than I expected..." Nami said in relief that she wouldn't have to further explain things to her idiot Captain. Not when she was already so tired.
"But you need to see a doctor!" Usopp said from beside Luffy.
"I'm fine... That thermometer must be broken... Nobody gets a temperature of 104 degrees... It's probably just sunstroke or something..." Nami told them with a weak smile, moving the blanket away from herself and putting her feet on the ground. She moved her hands into position as if she was about to stand and Luffy instinctively stepped closer, already knowing that if she tried she wouldn't have an easy time doing so.
"We don't need a doctor. I'll get better on my own... For now, let's head straight for Alabasta as planned! Thanks for worrying about me." Nami said, managing to get up off the bed and walk across the room to the stairs. She stopped to put on her shoes, smiling at them gratefully, clearly exhausted by the effort it was taking her just to do this. With that, she climbed the stairs and left, Luffy watching the hatch she'd left through with a frown.
"She's acting tough," Usopp said with a frown. Everyone could see that Nami was very badly sick, regardless of how much she tried telling them she wasn't.
"I can't just return safely! I need to return as quickly as possible! If I don't make it in time, a million citizens will kill themselves pointlessly!" Vivi cried, burying her head in the newspaper, her face scrunched up in a mixture of frustration and fear. Her bright blue aura was pulsing brightly, almost blindingly in Luffys eyes.
"There's a million people?!" Luffy asked in surprise, putting up his wall to block the colors around the princess.
"What an immense burden you're carrying, Vivi-chan..." Sanji muttered with a frown. Luffy was quick to get over his surprise though when he felt the pain coming from Nami, making him frown as he looked back to the hatch.
"Hey! Get out here, you guys! Got work to do!" Zoro called to them only seconds after the burst of pain. Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji were quick to leave the room to see what was happening, all of them looking to the upper railing where Zoro was.
"Huh? Hard to feel motivated when you're giving the orders." Sanji said.
"Just shut up and move! Take the seat and catch the portside wind!" Zoro told him. Of course, Sanji didn't immediately listen, looking over to Nami who was next to Zoro, looking out at the ocean.
"What's going on, Nami-san? The waves are quiet, and the weather's nice..." He said, confused as to why they needed to move so suddenly and urgently.
"Wind..." Nami said weakly, her illness clearly affecting her still.
"An immense wind... Is coming directly this way... I think." She told them, turning to start walking. She was stopped though by Luffy who was suddenly in front of her, putting his hand on her forehead and frowning, eyes closed.
"What?" Nami asked in surprise. Luffy ignored her though as he quickly felt through all of the woman's emotions, from the heavy exhaustion to the throbbing pain and the small, almost unnoticeable urgency. None of it felt nice, and Luffy was honestly amazed that the navigator was standing right now. The hand on her forehead quickly began overheating, Luffy pulling back quickly as a result and hissing.
"Hot! You're hot! And you don't feel good at all! Yeah, you stay inside the ship! Let's go to a doctor!" Luffy exclaimed his previous misgivings and worry over finding a doctor dashed as he realized that Nami was only getting worse.
"Mind your own business! This is my normal temperature! Now quit being stupid and pull the ropes!" Nami barked, though it didn't have the usual energy behind it.
"Nami-san, I know you're saying that for Vivi-chan, but if you push too hard..." Sanji started, his own worry for the navigator rising.
"I told you, I'm fine!" Nami said though this seemed to take a lot out of her as she leaned against the railing, breathing heavily again.
"Hey Nami, I think you really should-"
"Just hurry and move the ship!" Nami cut Usopp off angrily and finally, everyone moved into action to do as told. Zoro and Sanji began pulling on the ropes while Usopp and Karoo ran to steer the rudder the correct way. Luffy stayed nearby Nami with a frown, feeling her get worse by the second and waiting for her to collapse again.
"Luffy, you're hovering..." Nami muttered with only a hint of annoyance.
"You don't feel good. Nami, you're sick." Luffy told her, still frowning with his arms crossed.
"I'm fine. How many times do I have to tell you before it gets through your thick skull?" She asked, but there was no heat to her words.
"I know what sick feels like. You're sick." Luffy repeated, though he knew it wouldn't stop Nami, which was why he wasn't moving away from her side. He knew she was going to collapse again- that wasn't a question- here the question was just of when she would fall.
The door beside them opening stopped the conversation as Vivi walked out, filled with determination.
"I have a favor to ask, everyone!" She announced, everyone stopping in their tasks to listen. The Merry was finally headed the right way once again, so there was nothing else that needed to be done anyway.
"I know it's not my place to ask this as a passenger on your ship, but my homeland is in a terrible state, so I'd like to hurry ahead! We can't waste even a single minute! So I want this ship to head for Alabasta at its fastest speed!" She said seriously. Usopp looked at her with a frown while Sanji placed another cigarette in his mouth. Zoro was more or less indifferent as he listened and Luffy was still more focused on waiting for Nami to pass out. Nami, however, felt worried rather than relieved at the woman's words.
"Of course! That's what we promised!" She said with a smile to the princess, trying to hide that worry.
"So let's find an island with a doctor on it right away! Let's cure Nami-san as quickly as possible and then go to Alabasta! That's this ship's fastest speed, right?!" Vivi asked with a smile, looking to Nami and Luffy. Momentarily distracted from Nami's emotions, Luffy grinned at Vivi.
"Yeah! We can't go any faster than that!" Luffy told her with a nod.
"Are you sure? As their princess, you should be worried about those million citizens." Usopp said to Vivi, wanting to make sure she actually wanted to take the detour. Not that he didn't want to get Nami help, but this was a million people they were putting on the line.
"That's right! So we need to hurry and cure Nami-sans illness!" Vivi said, holding her fists in front of herself, her conviction strong.
"Well said Vivi-chan! I've fallen for you all over again!" Sanji said with a smile.
"You've got guts." Zoro praised with a smile of his own. Nami left Luffys side, moving closer to Vivi but stumbling slightly. The princess helped move the navigator to the railing where she could rest.
"Thanks..." Nami said with a small smile, panting heavier than before.
"Don't overexert yourself Nami-san!" Vivi warned worriedly.
"Sorry, Vivi... I think... I am kind of... in trouble..." She finally admitted, only to collapse as Luffy had predicted into the princess' arms.
"U-uh, guys... What is that?!" Usopp screeched, drawing everyone's attention over to the twister to the side of them.
"It's a cyclone!" Zoro said, eyes wide as he looked at it.
"It's huge!" Luffy said in awe, climbing the mast a few feet and hugging it as he looked at the cyclone with wide eyes and a smile.
"W-wait! That's the direction-" Vivi stopped, her surprise overwhelming her as she hugged Nami close, holding her up.
"That's the direction our ship was just headed in!" Sanji finished for her, just as surprised.
"It would've been a direct hit had we kept going straight!" Usopp said, paling at the thought as the ship rocked against the choppy waves. Lightning and thunder was striking all around them, narrowly avoiding their ship as it hit the water.
"Yikes! We just barely made it through!" Luffy said, sweating a little at the thought of what could have happened.
"I've never seen such a navigator before!" Vivi said quietly, looking to Nami in surprise and awe, realizing the woman had predicted the cyclone, something that was nearly impossible to do.
"Alright! Let's hurry then! Let's go find us a doctor!" Luffy said in determination, swallowing back the fear that came with the thought. Nami needed a doctor. He would just have to find one that he wouldn't hurt them.
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.
While the Merry sailed safely past the cyclone into calmer waters, Vivi- with the help of Sanji- moved Nami back into the women's room and put her to bed, replacing the wet cloth on her forehead.
As they did this, the weather changed once more from clear and relatively warm to cloudy and cold until it was snowing. Everyone began changing into warmer clothing and Zoro moved to the crow's nest to look out for any islands that may have people, and consequently, doctors. Luffy and Usopp meandered around the deck, waiting for Zoro to tell them if he saw anything.
"See any doctors?!" Luffy yelled up impatiently, wanting Nami to get better, but still fighting with that fear of doctors that he'd had for years now.
"Do you expect him to, you idiot?" Usopp asked dully from next to him. After all, they were in the middle of the ocean. The question Luffy should be asking was if Zoro saw any islands.
"Hey, guys. Do you think people can stand on the ocean?" Zoro suddenly asked from above, lowering his binoculars.
"Can people stand on the ocean?" Luffy repeated, thinking about it.
"Come on Zoro. What kind of question is that?" Usopp asked, wondering why he'd asked something like that all of a sudden.
"Then... what's that?" Zoro asked, lifting the binoculars back up to his eyes to get a better view.
"Huh?" Luffy asked, he and Usopp turning around.
"What's what?" Usopp asked, the two of them peering over the front of their ship to try and see what Zoro was seeing.
They were met with a person who, like Zoro had asked about, was standing on the ocean, staring right at them.
Whew, over 12 thousand words! This chapter was a behemoth to write but I'm really happy with how it's turned out! Even though I should definitely be doing some of my school work at the moment, I just couldn't help myself and decided to get this up first.
We're breezing through these mini arcs now! The next one is one I know a few of you are excited about, and I admit, I'm excited for it as well. Chopper will finally be making an appearance and we'll get to see how Luffy deals with the idea of getting help from a doctor he's never met before.
As much as I want to gush about the future though, I really do have school work that I'm neglecting, and so I'm going to have to leave you with that.
Thank you all for your support! You all make this strange fascination of mine worthwhile!