I do not own One Piece
It is owned by Oda
I just own the OC's
Enjoy!
j
Little Garden opening: Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari(Naruto Shippuden OP 3
Habataitara modorenai to itte Mezashita no wa aoi aoi ano sora
(The music begins showing the bright sun in the sky while it pans down to Vivi at the front bow of the ship. A worried, far-away look on her face. The melody picks up when Vivi is brought out of her stupor by Nami suddenly grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the small party the crew is having.)
Kanashimi wa mada oboerarezu Setsunasa wa ima tsukami hajimeta
(Vivi is placed on a barrel by Nami. Sanji appears before her with a platter of snacks, trying to be suave. Nami kicks the cook away from Vivi. The princess stares at the others in various acts. Zoro was busy drinking from a mug. Luffy, Usopp, and Carue were each in dance.)
Anata e to idaku kono kanjou mo Ima kotoba ni kawatteku
(Vivi smiles at the three and their silly dance until a mug appears in front of her. She turns and finds Jou handing it to her with an encouraging smile on his face which she returns.)
Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete Kono hane wo hiroge tobi datsu
(It cuts to her, Luffy, and Carue watching the giants Brogy and Dorry battle. It wasn't just them watching, Mr. 3, Miss Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine were spying on the fight as well.)
Habataitara modorenai to itte Mezashita no wa aoi aoi ano sora
(Usopp on Carue's back shoots an Exploding Star at Mr. 5, the bomb man unfazed. Usopp and Carue narrowly avoid Miss Valentine nearly landing on them.)
Tsuki nuketara mitsukaru to shitte
(Miss Goldenweek assists Mr. 3 with her color paints. Mr. 3 donned his candle armor while he stands ready for the incoming Jou and Luffy while Vivi, Nami, and Zoro watch whilst stuck on the wax cake.)
Furikiru hodo Aoi aoi ano sora
(Jou twirls his chains, and Luffy reels back his fist while they start a simultaneous attack on the Baroque Works agent.)
Aoi aoi ano sora
Aoi aoi ano sora
[Vivi POV]
Vivi couldn't believe this. A day ago she was infiltrating Baroque Works in the guise of one of their agents. Now, she's sailing the Grand Line with a Pirate crew, and a rookie one at that. Vivi didn't know how Luffy even became the captain of this crew when he doesn't take anything seriously whatsoever. Vivi would've assumed someone like Mr. Bushido or Jou lead this group but even they didn't seem to really mind or care. Jou was the only one with a bounty other than Luffy yet claims to only be the Look-out.
Everything was relaxed as their boat carried them along. The captain sat on their ship's figurehead, his 'favorite seat' he calls it. Mr. Bushido was sleeping, and the cook Sanji was in the kitchen, he was nice enough if a bit forward with his advances but Vivi could see he means well. At least, Carue seemed to be enjoying himself and can find himself relaxing with these pirates. Vivi's duck companion was currently in a card game with the long nose sniper Usopp and Jou, each of them gazing intently at their cards.
"You sure are being awfully quiet."
A voice mentioned beside Vivi. The princess turned and saw Nami looking at her with a smirk. The navigator was nice enough and let Vivi stay in her room aboard the ship, though mainly with the idea of a reward on her mind.
"Just relax," Nami assured her. "You're safe with us and there's no way we're being followed. At least for now considering what we're up against but we're gonna get you home."
"I... see..." Vivi paused. "Thank you."
"You're probably still concerned about the others," Nami stated. "Don't worry, these guys don't seem like much, but these guys are able to get themselves out of some pretty tough situations. Even going against some of the worst the East Blue had to offer. After all, Luffy and Jou didn't get those bounties put on them for nothing."
"That's what I was just thinking," Vivi said. "For someone with a 30 million bounty on his head, you're straw hat captain doesn't seem to be a particularly terrifying pirate."
"Yeah, it's pretty hard to imagine but he's actually beaten pretty big names out there," Nami explained. "Luffy beat Don Krieg, the Pirate Commodore. Captain Kuro, a mysterious pirate who was notorious for his cunning."
"You left one out," Zoro brought up. "That freak marine captain who had an ax for a hand."
"Oh, yeah!" Nami remembered. "Ax-hand Morgan!"
"Weren't you the one who cut him down though?" Jou questioned Zoro still focused on his cards.
"Doesn't matter even if I was the one that took him down," Zoro remarked.
"Guess you're right," Jou shrugged. "Luffy and I did kinda destroy his statue and I knocked out that annoying jackass of a son he had." Jou, Usopp, and Carue each set their cards down. "What?!" exclaimed Jou with wide eyes. "I lost again? The duck here had a better hand for the 3rd time since we've been playing."
"Wow Jou, Nami was right," Usopp mentioned. "You are terrible at cards." Carue seemed in agreement with the long nose's comment.
"That's not true!" Jou seethed with teeth shaped like sharks.
"You wanna play another round to win back some dignity?" Usopp asked.
"No, I'm good," Jou calmed himself with a sigh. "This isn't over." he pointed at Carue. "You got that?" Carue quacked in response with a wave of his wing. Vivi couldn't help but honestly smile that Carue was getting along well with the others.
"And let's not count out Jou..." Nami said.
"I wasn't," Vivi replied. "He managed to take out a handful of the bounty hunters and even beat me just as easily. I can clearly tell he's earned that 25 million bounty."
"The reason for that bounty is because he defeated Arlong," the navigator smiled. "The Fishman who was determined to rule the East Blue."
"I see," Vivi nodded just taking the navigator's word for it.
"Hey, guys?" Sanji finally appeared from the kitchen on the deck with the guys. "Does any of you know where the bait went?"
"What happened to the bait?" Jou wondered peering into the bucket held by the cook. "We weren't planning on fishing with just that, were we?"
"That stuff was bait...?" Luffy questioned. "Oh, I ate that."
"You ate it?!" Sanji exclaimed. "Those were bugs?!"
"They were good," Luffy smiled and grabbed the last bit of bait left in the bucket.
"That's disgusting, Luffy!" Usopp blanched.
"How are we supposed to fish now that you've scarfed down all of our bait?" Sanji questioned.
"How about him?" Luffy pointed at Carue
"That could work," the cook agreed. Carue quacked fearfully and started sprinting around the deck with the captain and cook after him. Eventually, they caught him and were in the process of tying him up with a rope.
"Hey, Captain?" Jou called to Luffy. "It sure has been a while since Shells Town and Ax-hand Morgan, huh?"
"Yeah, right!" Luffy grinned. "Speaking of the Ax-hand man, I wonder what that kid who was with him is up to these days. I wonder if he's still at the marine base..."
"Oh, yeah," Jou smiled fondly. "You're talking about Coby."
"Yep, Coby!" Luffy agreed with a grin.
"Who?" Nami wondered.
"He's a friend of mine from way back," Luffy added.
[No POV]
It was another day of sailing for the pirates and their guests' and were still on route to their current destination. Little Garden. They still had no clue what they were going to get into but they had little choice since their captain didn't accept Miss All Sunday's help. None of them were really doing much anything as of now. Luffy was seated on the upper deck rail along with Zoro who happened to be napping against it and Jou beside them, tinkering with his telescope.
"Aww, no snow," Luffy whined. "Too bad."
"Snow in this climate?" Zoro questioned the captain.
"Sure, why not?" Luffy wondered.
"It actually did snow," Jou mentioned as he finished his scope and stared at the swordsman through it. "On our way to Whiskey Peak. But you slept through the whole thing."
"Snow's fun," Luffy commented and turned to Vivi. "Hey? What about you? Do you think it's gonna snow?"
"I wouldn't rule anything out but in the sea or in the first time it snowed was special," Vivi explained. "The seven magnetic fields that emit from the Reverse Mountain tend to make things particularly chaotic. But that doesn't mean you should relax your guard while sailing these waters. The odds of it being as wild as your first journey may be small." Vivi moved over to the side of the Merry. "But still, these waters aren't normal and are certain to hide surprises of their own. Remember, never underestimate the sea."
"Hey, guys!" Sanji appeared from the kitchen, carrying a platter with several drinks atop it. "Anyone want to sample my special drink?"
"I do! I do!" Luffy claimed in excitement, quickly running to get a drink. Jou holstered his scope and followed suit as did Zoro. Vivi watched as each of the guys on the crew, including her duck sit around with their own drink in hand, enjoying themselves with not a care in the world.
"Hey, you guys wanna get out the fishing gear?" Luffy asked.
"Fishing?" Zoro smiled. "Hell yeah, I'm in."
"Sure," Jou agreed. "Fish sounds like it'd be great for dinner."
"Sounds good to me!" Usopp said. "I'll even make you one of my custom fishing rods. You'll love it!" Carue lifted the straw out of the drink with his bill.
"No, no. It goes like this." Sanji instructed guiding the straw back toward the drink. The boys watched Carue a take drink and slurp it down in only a second.
"Well, somebody sure is thirsty," Sanji commented and set another drink in front of Carue. "Have another." The duck once again quickly slurped the beverage only for Sanji to give him another.
"Haha!" Luffy laughed in amazement. "Wow!"
"He's sure gulping those down like there's no tomorrow," Jou stated.
"Oh, yeah!" Usopp cheered along with Luffy. Vivi narrowed her eyes at them at how none of them seemed to care about their current predicament. Nami soon joined the princess out on the deck.
"They're acting like idiots!" Vivi exclaimed pointing at the guys too busy cheering for Carue.
"Maybe this will help," Nami mentioned passing a drink to Vivi and holding her own in hand. "Just relax." The navigator took a sip from her straw. "These boys may go through their goofy fazes but when things get rough, they get to work. Trust me. I should know."
"Sorry," Vivi frowned taking the drink. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm getting worked up over nothing."
"This ship will put you at ease," Nami assured with a smirk. "You'll cheer up in no time." Carue's solo drinking contest was ongoing along with the cheers.
"Go, duck!" Usopp called.
"Yeah, go, go!" Luffy chimed.
"How many of those has he had now?" Jou wondered through mid-slurp. The duck had finally had enough, let out a quack, and tumbled over on his back and spitting out the drink like a water fountain. "Heh, looks like he's tapped out," Jou commented as the laughter started among the boys while Nami and Vivi kept watch on all of them.
"Hahaha!" Nami chuckled turning over to Vivi.
"Yeah, they're... funny," Vivi mentioned slowly with a tiny smile. From the ocean, a dolphin leaped out of the water alongside the Going Merry.
"Hey, look!" Sanji smiled. "A dolphin! Pirates best friend!"
"Beautiful!" Nami chirped. The sea creature leaped from the ocean and was a lot larger than it appeared. As it jumped, its large form loomed a shadow over the pirates' caravel causing eyes of shock to appear among them.
"It's huge!" exclaimed Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy.
"Dolphins of an unusual size, anybody?" Jou wondered a light sweat appearing on his forehead. Luffy let out a chuckle once the dolphin made it over their ship and splashed back into the water.
"Let's go!" Luffy announced.
"Move it!" Zoro called.
"Okay, going!" Sanji said.
"Right!" Jou nodded. Each of the pirates sprinted across the deck to get their ship moving. Each of them knew what to do and what needed to be done. Jou and Sanji pulled on the ropes that worked the sails, Usopp tugged on the ropes from the top yard, and Zoro took control of the steering rudder. Vivi watched each of them handle their own job with astonishment in her eyes.
"She was right," Vivi murmured remembering Nami's words.
"Okay, hurry!" Luffy shouted. "Let's move!" the enormous dolphin continued trailing behind the Going Merry and was ready for another dive into the ocean. "Get ready! It's gonna be a big one!" the dolphin plunged into the water and brought about a massive wave that carried the Merry along with it causing a giddy smile to appear on Luffy's face. "Nami, which way now?"
"Gimme a second," Nami replied. "I'll check." she eyed the Log Pose on her wrist, checking the direction where the arrow was pointed. "Port side! Full!"
"Turning full!" the guys announced in unison and turned Full toward the left. In the distance, everyone spotted their destination: Little Garden. All of them stood at the front deck together as Jou pulled out his telescope to get a look at the island.
"So, that's it, right Nami?" Jou wondered.
"There's no mistake," Nami stated. "Cactus Island and this one are definitely pulling against each other." she pointed a finger at the island. "Our next stop!"
"This is it!" Luffy grinned with excitement. "Our second island in the Grand Line!"
[Someone's POV]
Somewhere on the Grand Line...
It was like this all the time with her partner. When they weren't chasing after one of their targets they were lounging about drinking tea. Not that she minded, it was nice to take a break but sometimes things were just so, to put it in a simple way... boring.
"Mr. 3?" Miss Goldenweek called her partner.
"Yes, my dear, hold on..." the man answered and brought the cup up to smell the scent that arose from it. "Ahhh, nothing quite like the rich aroma of Earl Grey." Mr. 3 mentioned before taking a single sip of his tea.
"I'm bored," she stated.
"On the one hand you say you're bored, on the other you don't like working, correct?" Mr. 3 questioned to which Miss Goldenweek nodded. "Then why don't you cease your complaining and revel in the enjoyment of this rare slice of freedom circumstances have generally afforded you? How grand to take a long vacation. A privilege few officers ever get to indulge. One more thing, I would appreciate your mindful and immediate discretion in not calling me by my code name in public. Otherwise, people would discover that I am indeed Mr. 3."
Miss Goldenweek didn't know what the big deal was. Mr. 3 literally walked around with his hair styled into the number assigned to him but opted to respect her partner's demand with a single nod.
"Sure," she said as Mr. 3 laid back in his lawn chair. Miss Goldenweek went back to staring at a piece of paper clutched in her hands that she had been holding onto for a little over a while now.
"Incidentally, I couldn't help noticing you've been perusing that piece of paper over the last several days. Why does it grab you so?"
"It's an order from boss," Miss Goldenweek flashed the paper toward her partner.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER?!" Mr. 3 shrieked and quickly snagged the paper from her and started reading what's been written on it. "It says Mr. 5 has been taken down. If someone had to be terminated I wish it would've been someone useless like Mr. 2."
"So it would benefit you," Miss Goldenweek commented. "With a fat promotion."
"It's not that necessarily, rather the downfall of Mr. 5 is hardly exciting news at all," Mr. 3 remarked. "The man excelled at nothing, clinging to his own Devil Fruit powers like a drowning rat. You are correct that the modicum of my indifference stems from the fact that Five's misfortune brings me no gain. All we may learn is power means nothing if not properly harnessed." he sipped the rest of his tea. "Superior criminals are those who execute their crimes with superior intellect. Nevertheless, whoever beat Mr. 5 should be made an example of. If for no reason then to preserve the reputation of terror our organization is painstakingly cultivated and indeed for criminality as a whole." Mr. 3 stood from his chair and turned toward Miss Goldenweek.
"Come then, let's go," he told her as Miss Goldenweek was just starting to enjoy some tea herself.
"Ahhh, we have to leave now?" Miss Goldenweek frowned. "I thought we were relaxing."
"There will be time for that later," Mr. 3 stated. "Hurry along, we have work to do."
They packed up their things and hurried along to Mr. 3's boat. Things weren't all bad since Mr. 3 and her relaxed from time to time but it was business as usual especially since they were so high up in the organization. Mr 3 didn't like to fail jobs and he and everyone knew what happened when they didn't complete a mission. Another agent was sent after them or the boss would send 'him' to wipe them out instead. Miss Goldenweek had nothing to worry about since she and Mr. 3 never failed since he always comes up with a masterful plan which allows them to complete any task the boss assigned to them.
[Jou's POV]
A current passed through Little Garden which allowed the Going Merry to careen into it. Jou examined the area as the ship made its way through. There was a lot of green about since the island looked like a jungle. The size of it made him and the others as well as their boat small in comparison. Jou was honestly curious about what kind of creatures lurked in between all that green.
"I can see why they call this place Little Garden," Luffy commented.
"I can't," Zoro stated. "What's so "Little" about it?"
"Yeah, this island looks pretty harsh if you ask me," Nami mentioned. "Why the cute name?"
"I think we'll find out if we end up exploring," Jou chimed in. "Then again, that jungle looks kinda dicey if you have no clue what's in there."
"M-Maybe we'd be better off skipping this one!" Usopp suggested frightfully.
"We can't," Jou shook his head. "We have to stay so the Log Pose can set, right?"
"Yes," Vivi agreed. "We have to be careful. I can't help but remember the warning Miss All Sunday gave us."
Jou still couldn't tell if they could trust Miss All-Sunday. She was still rather secretive about whether or not that place she mentioned was a trap or to give them a better chance to reach Alabasta. Guess they'll never know since Luffy didn't want someone else to decide the course of their journey through the Grand Line. Jou's thoughts on that were interrupted by Usopp's cries of protest.
"So, what?!" Usopp exclaimed. "We might be attacked by giant monsters!"
"Heh, who knows?" Luffy shrugged.
"Listen, I'm sure we can make it to the next island without going ashore on this one!" Usopp argued.
"The only way to reset the Log is to go ashore," Nami announced with hands planted on her hips.
"Plus, the island is huge," Jou folded his arms. "So we can kill lots of time here."
"Guys!" Zoro pointed out. "There's our ticket in!" Everyone turned toward where the swordsman had brought their attention.
"Think they have a barbecue restaurant here?" Luffy wondered.
"We didn't travel all this way for barbecue!" Sanji shouted.
"I thought the point of this visit was to get food?" Luffy questioned.
"Food as in supplies," Sanji affirmed. "We're going to cook later. Geez, what're you thinking?"
The jungle seemed to get become more intense as time went on the further they had gotten. There were plenty of vicious-looking plants any of them had ever seen before. Jou noticed everyone one of them but Nami and Usopp were pretty calm. The navigator and sniper were starting to appear rather anxious the more they saw of the jungle.
"I don't know...?" Nami said unsurely. "Usopp might be right about this one." she gestured out toward the area. "Just take a look at the gargantuan plant life here. I've never seen anything like it. Not even in books." the screeching of a loud bird was by everyone in the jungle causing the navigator and sniper to cover their heads.
"You're so adorable~!" Sanji complimented Nami.
"Thank you~!" Usopp said in a cutesy way.
"That's not funny I was talking to Nami!" Sanji shouted at the sniper.
"It may have been a bird...?" Jou mentioned as a small smirk tugged his lips. "Or a dragon?" That seemed to have gotten Luffy a little excited.
"Woah, a dragon!" Luffy exclaimed. "Like Grandpa Ryu?"
"Maybe..." Jou shrugged. "But we don't know for sure. Anything can happen here. There could be all sorts of monsters in this place."
"Please don't say that, Jou!" Nami and Usopp cried.
"It's alright, love," Sanji assured Nami. "It's only a bird. Perfectly harmless. Just a jungle. Nothing to worry about." Sanji was very unsuspecting of the ginormous bird swooping down at him while his back was turned.
"Sanji, that bird you were just talking about is coming right for ya!" Jou warned the cook.
"What?" Sanji turned around and just barely avoided the bird's talons. Jou felt two others go for cover behind his back and found both a certain navigator and sniper. Jou got the fact they were terrified since there was no telling whatever strange creatures were prowling about on the island.
"What's the matter with you, ya damn bird?!" Sanji shouted after the bird which only continued on its soar through the sky.
"Ooh, it's big," Luffy commented looking at the bird. "Could be tasty?" Not long after a loud booming noise sounded off in the distance causing the island as well as the Going Merry to shake.
"Hear that?!" Nami exclaimed in worry. "Is that the kinda noise you expect to hear in a normal jungle?!"
"I doubt this place is a 'normal jungle'?" Jou wondered. "But that sounded like it could be a volcano?"
"A volcano?!" Usopp screamed. "We're all going to die!" Appearing from the jungle was a tiger, its fierce yellow eyes leering at the group and following the Going Merry.
"A tiger?!" Nami shouted in alarm.
"It's gigantic!" Usopp shrieked. The frightened duo each screamed and quickly ran for cover behind Jou like earlier. The tiger eyed them viciously until it simply hacked out a lot of blood, roared out in pain, and fell over unmoving and seemingly dead.
"What?" Nami wondered. "What just happened?!"
"The tiger was probably wounded from a fight earlier," Jou deduced. "So it naturally died of its wounds." Nami released Jou and turned to address the others.
"Can someone explain to me how a mammoth tiger can just keel over covered in blood?!" Nami demanded.
"Log Pose and food be damned!" Usopp exclaimed. "We're not stepping foot on that island and that's final!"
"We can still reset the readings on the ship!" Nami suggested. "We'll just have to sit tight until then."
"Right!" Usopp agreed.
"When that's done...!" Nami added. "We'll leave and never look back!"
"Right!" Usopp nodded.
"Yeah, great," Nami voiced. "We'll all just stay here."
As amusing as it was to watch Nami and Usopp continue to ramble on about how they didn't want to go on this island, Jou knew that not everyone was going to agree with staying aboard the ship, especially not their captain.
[Nami POV]
They docked the ship at a spot that seemed safe enough where hopefully nothing would attack them. Nami wasn't too worried even if this place was dangerous only because they had a lot of strong fighters aboard to protect the ship.
"Sanji, go make lunch!" Luffy chuckled in excitement.
"You want lunch?" Sanji wondered.
"Yep, and one more thing..." Luffy continued. "Make it a great big pirate lunch will lots of meat and no veggies! I'm gonna need some more energy!"
"Energy for what?" Nami questioned. "What are you doing? You're not leaving here?"
"Ya know...?" Luffy gave a goofy grin. "Fun stuff. Do you wanna come along?" Nami only cried to herself knowing there was no way their captain was going to stay put at all.
"Sanji, I'm starving!" Luffy reminded with a laugh.
"Right," Sanji replied while heading toward the kitchen. "Be patient. I'll have it to you as soon as I can."
"Say, Luffy..." Vivi piped up. "Would it be alright if I come along?"
"Sure, sounds great!" Luffy agreed with a smile.
"No!" Nami interjected. "Vivi, you can't be serious?!"
"Yeah, but I'd rather not sit here with nothing but worry about my troubles," Vivi stated. "This will keep me busy until the log's reset."
"Out of the question!" Nami disagreed. "Seriously?! It's way too dangerous for you out there!"
"It's her choice, let her go," Jou chimed with a smirk. "If she stays with Luffy, she'll be alright."
"Jou's right, I'll be fine," Vivi nodded. "Besides, I'll have Carue with me." The duck didn't seem all that in agreement with going into the jungle, letting out a fearful quack in despair.
"Hey, something's wrong?" Nami wondered taking to examining the duck. "Carue doesn't look too good. He might be in shock."
"Vivi, if you go exploring you'll need to eat," Sanji suggested from the kitchen. "I'll pack you a lunch."
"Thanks," Vivi smiled. "While you're at it, could you fix something for Carue?"
"Of course," Sanji said. "Just leave it to me." The cook returned from the kitchen with a pair of lunches made for the captain and princess and a small barrel attached to a rope that went around Carue's neck.
"Now you're all set to go!" Sanji stated. "Two pirate lunches for Luffy and Vivi and a special drink for Carue!"
"Heh, thanks!" Luffy grinned and jumped from the Merry with Vivi following while on Carue's back.
"Well, see you guys later!" Vivi waved.
"Hold up a sec..." Jou called making his way to the side of the ship. "Luffy, we don't know how dangerous this place is so make sure you look after Vivi, alright?" Nami didn't know what came over her felt her but her gaze was fixed on Jou, her arms folded over her chest. He didn't seem to notice the look she was giving him, his focus on Vivi and Luffy.
"Yep, got it!" Luffy grinned giving a thumbs up.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine!" Vivi assured.
"Okay, have fun!" Jou waved them off as the three soon disappeared through the forest. Jou kept his eyes on where they went. Nami figured Jou was only concerned with Vivi's safety. So was Nami as they promised to help her get home but she couldn't help but feel a pang in her chest. It was a similar feeling when they met Rana in Loguetown. Nami didn't like feeling this way when it came to Jou. Could she really be jealous?
"Hmm?" Jou hummed turning to look at her. Nami looked away, avoiding eye contact. "What's wrong? You alright?"
"Nothing," Nami shook her head. "You seem... pretty concerned about her."
"Well, aren't you?" Jou wondered. "We did promise Igaram, remember?"
"Mmhm, I know that already," Nami said trying not to seem like anything was bothering her.
"Okay then..." Jou said slowly. Thankfully, he didn't question her sudden mood, though Jou had to figure something was wrong with her.
"Vivi, so brave," Usopp commented. Nami couldn't disagree with that. Vivi is brave considering what she managed to do and managed to keep the act up until she was found out.
"Just what you would expect from someone who can infiltrate the enemies ranks," Nami stated.
"I'm bored," Zoro remarked while rotating his neck. "I'm gonna take a walk."
"TAKE A WALK?!" Usopp exclaimed.
"Okay, don't get lost," Jou waved. Zoro dismissed with a returned wave and leaped off the Going Merry.
"Hey, Zoro!" Sanji called making his way over to the other side of the ship. "Wait up! We're kinda short on food, right? If you find any animals that appear edible, bring 'em back."
"Okay," Zoro replied. "That's easy. I can see why you'd wanna send me 'cause I could bring back something you couldn't catch yourself."
"What the hell does that mean?!" Sanji growled. "I won't let that remark go unchallenged. You're saying you can capture bigger game than I can, like my hunting skills are inferior?"
"Yeah, that's right," Zoro stated. The both of them stared daggers at each other. Of course, both of them would start an obvious match to show who was better at hunting whatever wild animal was on this island.
"Challenge accepted," Sanji agreed while jumping off the ship. "Okay, winner brings back the most pounds of meat."
"What do you mean pounds?" Zoro questioned narrowing his eyes. "Cause I can bring back tons!"
"Why don't you let your hunting do your talking for you," Sanji remarked.
"Heh! Good luck, cook!" Zoro said before he and Sanji went opposite directions of the island.
"Welp, and then there were three," Jou stated since it was only Nami, Usopp, and himself alone on the Going Merry.
"I will never understand it," Nami cried to herself. "Why do those two jerks have to be so competitive?"
"Eh, it's a guy thing," Jou mentioned nonchalantly with a shrug.
"Don't cry," Usopp told Nami. "If it makes you feel better, I'm just as stumped by their behavior as you."
"Guess it can't be helped," Jou claimed and walked over to the side of Merry. "Well, I think I wanna do some exploring, too." Nami and Usopp immediately went to tears again at the lookout.
"What?!" they screamed. "No! You can't go!"
"What's the big deal?" Jou wondered. "I'm just-" he was about to bound from the ship until both navigator and sniper latched onto his legs preventing him from leaving. "Hey, what the-?! What's with you guys?! Let go!"
"Jou, please don't leave!" Nami pleaded.
"Yeah!" Usopp agreed. "We need someone here to protect us!"
"Seriously?" Jou sighed. "I'm not going too far! Just gonna take a quick look around and then I'll come back!"
"What if you don't come back?!" Nami argued. "What if some monster lurking about the island comes along and eats us?!"
"Then hide in the cabin!" Jou said. "Hell, barricade the door, too!"
"Listen, Jou...!" Usopp continued. "Neither of us is gonna let you leave, even if we have to tie you up!"
"Oh, yeah?" Jou rose an eyebrow. "If I'm tied up, then how am I supposed to defend you? Also, remember when you did tie me up? I got captured which was your fault. Just try putting ropes on me again and you'll regret it!" Jou gave Usopp a glare that caused the sniper to release his leg and scamper away.
Jou turned his head over to Nami. Nami didn't falter, keeping her hold on his leg. She had to do everything she could to prevent him from leaving. Luffy's out with Vivi. Zoro and Sanji being in their petty rivalry, they had to at least have one of their strongest crewmates on board. Nami thought it probably had to take some persuasion but Jou's eyes softened and gave out a sigh.
"Alright..." he said. "I'll stay on the ship."
"Yay!" Nami and Usopp cheered happily. Nami was glad Jou decided to stay to keep them safe. Even more so since it was him specifically. Sure, it would've been fine if it was any of the others but Nami was more than happy Jou was here.
"We can still run into danger here, ya know," Jou claimed with a hand on his hip.
"Oh yeah..." Nami and Usopp said with their shoulders slumping.
"I guess I might as well make myself comfortable," Jou remarked making his way to the side of the Merry. "Wake me when something shows up." he sat against the side, pulling his hat over his eyes and putting his arms behind his head.
Nami was still concerned about being attacked here on the ship. Even if she and Usopp had Jou here they were still terrified. Each of them sat on either side of Jou, cradling their own knees. With all the noises coming from the forest who's telling what was out there? A roar of some kind caused a shiver to roll down Nami's spine, her head coming up in alarm.
"Jou's right, we're sitting ducks," Usopp stated tearfully.
"DON'T YOU THINK I ALREADY KNOW THAT?!" Nami shrieked at the sniper. Usopp brought his eyes over to Jou who looked about as relaxed as can be considering where they were.
"How can he be so relaxed where there could be scary monsters out there?" Usopp wondered.
"A monster could eat him first in his sleep," Nami commented.
"Depends how deeply asleep I actually am," Jou stated.
"You're still awake?" Nami questioned.
"Well, you were shouting," Jou mentioned moving his hat to reveal a single eye to look at Nami. "Nothing here so back to my nap. Just wake me when something comes along and I'll take care of it."
Nami supposed she and Usopp had nothing to worry about at all. Jou was here to protect them if need be but still, she hoped nothing attacks the ship. Little Garden was nothing like any island Nami's ever seen. She may have heard the name somewhere. A realization she'd just had as her eyes snapped open in realization.
"Why didn't I think of that before?" Nami said before standing and running to her room on the Going Merry.
"Huh? Where are you going?" Usopp wondered but Nami didn't stop for him. She went straight for her bookshelf, tossing book after book and trying to find the right one where she had heard the name Little Garden. "Mm, that's not it... not this one either..."
"Nami! Woah! Hey!" Usopp screamed probably avoiding the different books thrown at him. "What the heck are you looking for anyway, huh?"
"Quiet!" Nami exclaimed. "I remember reading about it in a book."
"Uh, reading about what?" Usopp wondered.
"Little Garden," Nami mentioned and started flipping through the pages. "I have a book on it here somewhere?" She threw that book to the side and went to the next shelf.
"O-Okay then," Usopp nodded quickly. "I'm going back out on the deck with Jou." Usopp left the room leaving Nami to search for the book.
"Let me see, which one was it?" Nami wondered. "Maybe? I think I read about it recently but I don't remember. The title is on the tip of my tongue?" she picked up another book tossing to the floor. "Hmm?" Nami leafed through the pages of the next one she picked up. "Ah, found it! This book right here is about Little Garden!" Nami found the book she had that has some info on Little Garden. She left out the door cradling the book in her arms. "Jou! Usopp!" Nami called but Jou didn't say anything, pretty obvious he was asleep. Usopp was at the front deck staring out at the jungle.
"Huh, Nami?" Usopp turned to her. "What now?" Did you find your book?"
"Uh huh..." she nodded. "This is bad! This island..."
"What?!" Usopp exclaimed. "What's wrong, Nami?"
Nami didn't answer as she noticed a huge, towering shadow with red eyes glaring at them. Both Nami and Usopp immediately went to panic with the book slipping out of her hands. Whatever was on its way was huge as it started lumbering to where the Merry was docked. Nami couldn't help but feel complete fear for what demise awaits them. Nami could only think of one thing and it was to run toward Jou and wake him up. She was amazed he could sleep even with the loud thundering footsteps approaching.
"Jou..." Nami whispered. "Wake up..." she shook him. "Jou, c'mon, wake up!" Nami shook with a little more force. Jou snorted before he was brought off his sleep.
"Hmm...?" Jou lifted his hat off his eyes. "What? What is it? What's going on? Why is everything shaking?"
"Just get up," Nami said. "Come on. Something's coming!" she grabbed his arm, bringing him to his feet and to the front deck where Usopp was.
"Wanna tell me what's going on?" Jou questioned. He noticed the terrified looks on Nami and Usopp's faces and turned to find the figure headed their way. Jou flicked his wrist and grabbed his red chain. Nami instinctively went behind Jou, as did Usopp. He may have been here but it didn't help the fear they felt. The colossal figure moved trees apart to clear a way toward the Pirates.
"AAAAAAAH!" Nami and Usopp screamed as Jou stood ready to fight.
[No POV]
"YABABABABA!" The tall figure let out a big hearty laugh while looming over the Going Merry and was a huge man of colossal stature. He had a dirty-blonde beard, a horned helmet perched on his head, and a blue cape tied around his neck. He even carried an ax that looked like it'd seen better days as well as a shield. The man easily dwarfed the three Pirates staring up at him with widened eyes.
"Well, what is the answer?" the big man questioned leaning in close to stare at the pirates. Nami and Usopp took to hiding behind Jou and were obviously too frightened to even form words. So, it was up to the lookout to speak.
"Um, answer...?" Jou wondered. "What do you mean?" the man leaned in closer.
"I asked if you had any alcohol?" the man asked. "I drank mine.
"Oh, is that all..." Jou said slowly and wrapped his red chain around his wrist. "We have alcohol, don't we guys?" Jou asked Usopp and Nami with the sniper saying nothing but only nodding his head.
"We have a little!" Nami finally answered, but with fear evident in her voice.
"So now you talk," Jou commented raising his eyebrow.
"Oh, you do?!" the man grinned. "That's perfect!"
"Um, there's one thing!" Nami continued. "It's for cooking and disinfecting!" Nami squeaked out from behind Jou. "But if that's acceptable, you're welcome to it all!"
"AAAAAAGH!" the man suddenly screamed causing Nami and Usopp to cry out themselves. It appears a dinosaur bit him on his back. Its teeth dug into him but it seemed not to faze him much as he took his ax and cleaved the head off the dinosaur in one strike. The scene caused a bawling Nami and Usopp to grip tightly onto Jou.
"Man, you two are like a pair of scared little kittens," Jou remarked and turned back to the huge man. "Um, so... do you have a name?" Jou felt the need to start there since it seemed like he was the only one talking right now.
"I'm Brogy!" the man introduced himself while he proudly held the head of the dinosaur he killed. "The Elbaf's Strongest Warrior! Invincible! Yabababa!"
"Right," Jou nodded with a smile. "Well then, I'm Jou and the two behind me are Nami and Usopp." he gestured to the two still cowering behind him. "It's... It's nice to meet you." Jou wasn't afraid like the navigator and sniper but this was new to him. He's never met someone as big as Brogy before and never met a giant before for that matter.
"Nice to meet you all too!" Brogy grinned and held up the dinosaur head. "Now I have dinner! And the three of you are invited as my guest!"
"Okay, well..." Jou turned to look at Nami and Usopp. "Would you excuse us for a moment...?"
"Sure!" Brogy nodded with a laugh. Jou gave a nod back and took Nami and Usopp by the wrist, pulling them aside.
"Are we seriously going to eat with him?" Nami whispered. "What if he means we're the dinner?"
"For all we know he just wants to fatten us up so can eat us?!" Usopp added.
"Look, I don't know," Jou replied. "But listen, why don't we just go with him, eat, and then go back to the ship? Sure, he can likely kill or eat us if he wanted to but I'm sure he just wants company." Jou turned to Brogy who was only giving a hearty grin in their direction. "So, c'mon, let's go."
"Okay!" Usopp said in agreement. "Jou, you and Nami go with the scary giant and I'll stay here on the ship!"
"How come you get to stay on the ship?" Nami pouted.
"No!" Jou exclaimed. "We are all going to eat with Brogy! All three of us!" Jou let out a low sigh. "Look, I get it. We have no reason to trust this guy, but I promise if something happens I'll defend you. Also, the ship looks safe here. No one else is here other than us and all the creatures on this island. So the ship should be fine even if we're gone for a little bit." Nami and Usopp stare at each other until they looked at Jou, giving a nod and trusting him on his word. "Okay, that settles it. Jou started walking, followed by the other two, and accompanied Brogy toward his camp.
The three pirates followed the giant to his camp which was a bit of a walk through the jungle. Once there, Nami and Usopp who were still cautious of Brogy sat further away from the fire where Jou and Brogy were situated. Brogy tended to the meat while Jou sat across from him watching the meat cook over the roaring flame.
"Delicious dinosaur..." Brogy remarked happily inspecting the meat.
"I can't say I ever had dinosaur meat before...?" Jou wondered. "Is it as good as you say it is?"
"It's very tasty!" Brogy answered with a grin. Jou only smiled back and turned to Nami and Usopp. Each of them sitting at a distance and still nervous around Brogy even with Jou's presence here. Usopp staring about caught sight of a hut that appeared to be Brogy's. The sniper squinted and noticed the number of skulls within the hut which caused him to whimper in fear.
"What is it...?" Nami wondered.
"In that hut, there's skull's in there," Usopp mentioned fearfully. The color drained from Nami's face when she saw the skulls as well.
"The next ones he takes will be ours," Nami whined.
"Hey," Jou who seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere and suddenly in front of Nami and Usopp. The Navigator and Sniper were busy being scared themselves to even notice him make his way in front of them. Jou couldn't help but smirk in amusement. "What're you guys doing sittin' all the way over here? You're being awfully rude for being guests. Anyway, come on." he jabbed his thumb back toward the fire. "The meat's almost ready."
"You really expect us to eat with him?!" Nami questioned. "Did you even notice the bones in there?" Nami pointed toward the hut.
"Yeah, I knew about them," Jou stated plainly.
"Seriously!" Nami and Usopp exclaimed.
"Well yeah, I asked about them," Jou shrugged. "He told me those skulls were there when he first settled here. So that means he didn't kill them. Now, come on. We'll eat then head back to the ship and wait for everyone else to come back."
Nami and Usopp decided to sit by the fire, too, but on a log, with Jou in-between them. Brogy laid a giant piece of meat on a bone in front of the three pirates.
"Yababababa!" Brogy laughed. "Go on! Eat hearty, my friends! It tastes delicious!" he commented while taking a bite out of his own meat.
"Um, thanks..." Jou smiled and turned to Nami and Usopp. "Aren't you guys having some?"
"I... I think I lost my appetite," Nami whined.
"Don't be shy now!" Brogy exclaimed grinning. "Dig in!"
"No, I don't wanna eat..." Usopp and Nami whimpered.
"Hmm?" Brogy blinked. "Dinosaur meat is sweet. "I promise you it's quite tasty."
Jou stood from the log and approached the meat. He reached for a throwing knife and used it to cut himself a piece. Jou examined the meat, even sniffing it. It didn't seem dangerous, at least. Although, he didn't hesitate to take a bite. The meat was juicy and did have a bit of sweetness that went well with the meat's flavor.
"Mmm! You're right!" Jou grinned. "It is sweet!"
"See?" Brogy said. "Your friend over thinks so! Yababababa!"
"Uh, Brogy, sir?" Nami spoke. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"What's on your mind, young lady?" Brogy asked.
"How long will it take to reset the log on this island?" Nami wondered.
"One full year!" Brogy mentioned with a wide grin. This made Nami and Usopp's eyes widen. The shock of hearing how long they were to be on the island caused them to fall off the tree log.
"A year?!" Nami cried. "If we waited that long to eat... we wouldn't have stomachs to feed!"
"It's over!" Usopp added. "We have to admit defeat!"
"Are you sure you're friends are okay?" Brogy asked Jou.
"Yeah, I'm sure they're just hungry," Jou assured.
Oh, is that all!" Brogy smiled. "Yabababa!"
"Look, if you guys are hungry then get over and have some of this meat," Jou told them until he frowned. "But still, a whole year for the Log Pose to reset? We don't even have time to wait that long."
[Jou POV]
Jou managed to carve out a piece of meat each and gave them to Nami and Usopp with the use of a throwing knife. It was honestly a bit tough to slice through the gargantuan slab of meat that's meant for someone like Brogy or even Luffy to eat.
"Here guys. It's still a bit warm so you may have to blow on it." Jou suggested and started cutting another piece for himself. All of them sat in silence eating as Brogy at his own. From far off, a volcano gave off an eruption. The noise took Jou's attention away from the meat and stared at where the noise came from.
"What was that?" Nami asked worriedly.
"An eruption?" Usopp wondered. Suddenly, Brogy dropped his meat in his campfire. Jou looked at him. He blinked when he noticed the sudden change in the burly giant's demeanor.
"Brogy, are you alright?" Jou questioned.
"Please forgive me..." Brogy stated with a smile and stood up. "But there is something I must attend to." Jou noticed the fierce look in Brogy's eyes. He was different from the friendly giant they met moments ago. Jou soon realized with the way Brogy carried himself he truly was a warrior.
"What?" Nami wondered. "You're leaving?"
"No choice," Brogy declared. "That's the signal my opponent and I use to mark the beginning of our fight."
"A fight...?" Nami repeated.
"With who?" Usopp asked. "Where? And more importantly, why?"
"Why?" Brogy questioned. "I don't remember! YABABABABA!"
"Well, if anything..." Jou grinned at the giant. "I hope you win your fight," he added with a clenched fist. Brogy smiled in agreement with a nod at Jou and grabbed his ax and shield.
Brogy let out a roar and charged from his campsite toward another giant of similar height to Brogy but more well-built and with a long beard and a helmet that went over his eyes. He carried a sword and shield and swung which met Brogy's ax. Their weapons clashed and the impact created a wave that caused the entire island and ocean to tremble from the tremendous power of the two warriors that battled for a reason they have forgotten.
I'm back! After such a long period of time. How long has it been? 84 years?
Jou: Dude, it's only been 1 year. Which is pretty long...
You don't gotta tell me. Well, I'm back everyone. Back by unpopular demand. Did you miss me? That's okay if you didn't. This story isn't dead I've honestly just been kinda lazy when it comes to writing. Besides working at my job and playing the occasional new-release video game I still attempted to try and find time to work on a new chapter.
I'm still keeping reviews at the end of an arc. Hope everyone even if it doesn't seem like much.
Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!
Later!