Chapter 19: Heading to the Grand Line. The Olympians reveal themselves!
"I'm going to kill Junior, I swear on the Styx River!"
Themis was angry and worried; furious that Junior got away and worried that a mortal could see them clearly.
"Rachel, how are you in this world?!" asked Apollo, just as surprised as the rest of the gods.
"That is what I would like to know, Lord Apollo! Although... You are the ones who would have to give me an explanation!" demanded the Oracle of Delphi.
"How dare you, insolent mortal, give orders to the King of the Gods...!" Zeus began to protest when Hera put her hand over his mouth and shut him up.
"Now is not the time for your dramas, husband!"
The citizens can't believe that there is someone on the platform while Luffy was admiring the view up here, remembering what the old bartender said about Gold Roger.
Soon, a policeman told him to get down from there because that is a special execution platform under the control of the World Government.
"So, there are cops here." Percy wrote it down.
"However, I have a feeling we won't see them that often." Annabeth added. "And more knowing that we will deal with the marines."
"How do you know?"
"Because YOU and Luffy are the same; you always get into trouble."
Percy looks at her betrayed while her girlfriend sticks her tongue out at him mockingly before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Obviously Luffy wasn't that intimidated by him or the threat of arrest, but the man was soon struck down by a blow from an iron club.
"Okay! I'll go down!" Luffy yelled pleasantly. "But first you have to say the magic word and smile too!"
The two demigods laughed at that. It was so childish, but seeing the angry look on the man's face only made him look amused.
"I'm not playing, I'll arrest you if you don't come down!" the officer yelled, and he really sounded annoyed. But before he could carry out his threat, someone stepped out of the crowd with a colossal iron mace slung over his shoulder before striking the man with such force that he knocked him unconscious as soon as he hit the ground.
"Nice shot," Junior said as he apparated.
"And what are you doing here? I thought you were with my dad and the rest of the gods." Percy spoke, no longer feeling surprised.
"Oh, they're coming. It's just that a Marine girl is coming with them. I just went ahead of them."
"A marine? And she's seen them?!" Annabeth asked concerned.
"No idea. Although... who's that piece of hottie down there?" asked the pirate, with his eyes on his heart.
She was a truly beautiful woman, slender, well endowed, with dark green eyes rather than brown, and full ruby lips...but the most remarkable thing about her was her silky looking skin that looked so soft. ..
"SHE IS WONDERFUL!" Junior yelled, already in love.
"Hey, now that I look at it, it sounds like something..." Percy said, trying not to sound like a pervert.
At that moment, Themis and company arrived at the square, with Rachel following them tiredly.
"Uff...I need...to...exercise."
"Oh look. On the gallows!" Hestia said looking at Luffy, Percy, Annabeth and Junior.
"That's my champion, turning heads everywhere!" I speak the God of War with pride.
"As if it wasn't enough with a hothead like you..." Athena replied. "And of course, the spawn of the sea had to drag my daughter with it."
"Athena..." Poseidon was going to reply to his niece, but what he was going to say, he never finished because the woman spoke. "Now is not the time for such nonsense," she said in a sweet voice that seemed strangely familiar. Athena and Artemis, even Hephaestus and Apollo especially felt like they had heard that voice somewhere before, but they were having a hard time remembering where.
The woman was looking at Luffy and whispered, "Long time no see Luffy. I've been looking for you."
"WHAT?!" Zeus gasped in horror, "You mean the rubber brat knew a mortal like that and never told?"
"Honestly, I'd rather be chasing skirts like you," the Queen of the Gods pointed out with venom in her voice.
"Hera!"
"But I don't remember seeing it before," Dionysus said, crossing his arms and trying to recall all the memories they had seen so far. No, he honestly didn't remember seeing her before her… but at the same time she seemed so familiar…
Apparently, Luffy didn't recognize her that well as he looked down with a confused look on her face. When he noticed this, the woman sighed. "Now that's just rude," she said, "You mean you, of all people, this face?"
"Again, who is she?" Percy said, sure he'd heard that voice somewhere before. However, around her, all the people were looking at her as if Sanji would be drooling over her if he saw her now. Men and women alike affirmed how beautiful she was.
"Did you forget? I'm pretty sure we don't even know each other," Luffy said confused. "Who are you?"
"I will never forget you. You were the first man to really hit me," the woman said fondly.
"WHAT?!" Artemis yelled, furious that her "fiancé" would ever hurt such a beautiful woman. "LUFFY! AFTER WE END UP ON THIS ISLAND, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! You've...! You've..."
"Poor thing..." thought the Goddess of Love sympathetically.
"What?! I never hit you!" Luffy yelled in disbelief, seeming a bit at a loss as to why everyone was staring at him.
"When you hit me with your mighty fist…" she replied, her hand on her stomach, "she felt good."
The Olimpians sweated at those words.
"What what?" asked Hestia, now sure that she misheard. Luffy looked the way he felt and his eyes looked around him, as if he was waiting for a way to escape.
"She's crazy…" Annabeth said, "I'm not saying I'd like to meet her, but… I mean, the only woman that…Luffy hit…?"
Both the Goddess of Wisdom and her daughter already had a theory in mind, but what she said confirmed her suspicions.
"Listen guys, who is the most beautiful person in these seas?" the woman suddenly asked the crowd.
"That would be you!" everyone in the crowd screamed as they dropped to their knees and held out their arms to him.
The gods and Percy recognized that line immediately. "No way…" Hephaestus said wide-eyed and shaking his head, "Impossible!"
"That's... Alvida?" Demeter gasped.
"...Wait a minute," Aphrodite whispered. "It can't be... That Alvida?!"
"Hey?!" most of the Gods except Themis questioned in disbelief.
"You mean the fat pirate from when we arrived?" Hades asked.
"But... but how?!" asked Hermes, also just as surprised.
"That's right," Alvida said. "It's me. There isn't a man or woman in the world who wouldn't grovel at my feet, and I love strong men so much… so, Luffy… I've come to make you mine."
"WHAT?!" Artemis shrieked as a comical fire of rage engulfed her, causing the gods to recoil in surprise. "OH HELL NO! WHO THE HELL DOES THIS PIRATE THINK YOU ARE?! I'M GOING TO TURN HER INTO A BOAR, IT WILL BE MY FIRST TROPHY IN THIS WORLD!"
"Uh...Arty?" Apollo asked, with a drop of sweat and a nervous smile. "You're really scary all of a sudden...!"
"Oh man...!" Hermes groaned in fear. "This is just as bad as when Arlong held Nami prisoner.
"Watch out, she could transform," Ares teased.
"SHUT UP, ARES!" The Goddess of the Hunt hissed with hissing snakes in her hair (much to the amusement of Aphrodite and Apollo.)
"Eww, no way!" Luffy said in disgust. "Who the hell are you, anyway?!"
"You mean you still don't remember?!" Alvida asked in disbelief.
"Wow…just…just wow," Percy said.
"Honestly, I don't think he would believe she was that fat either." Annabeth spoke up, just as surprised.
"To freeze!" a police officer yelled as he and several others surrounded Alvida. "You're under arrest! And you in the straw hat! Get off the execution platform, immediately!"
"Why?!" Luffy asked. "What did I do?! I'm just looking around!"
"What?" asked Alvida surprised. "Are you going to arrest me?"
Unfortunately, the police were also infatuated with Alvida's luck to the point where they had teary, heart-shaped eyes looking at her, and yet the assistant police chief insisted on arresting her, despite being in love himself.
"What a bunch of horndogs," Ares said.
"Seriously," Hera said, but then out of nowhere the fountain behind the police seemed to explode, sending the crowd into a panic, with a large portion of it heading straight for Alvida, and at first the crowd (still in love) . she was) worried that she might get hit, but to her surprise, the piece of fountain just slipped off and she crashed into a building.
"That-?!" Hades questioned in disbelief. "What happened?!"
"How did that?!" Hestia asked.
"Hey, watch where you're shooting, next time!" Alvida complained.
"Wait, what was that?!" Luffy asked as several hooded figures appeared... one of them sporting a familiar red nose.
"Oh, it's not possible," Zeus complained. "You mean he's alive?"
"Seriously, that nose sticks out more than him!" Hermes added, causing the others to laugh.
"Good, Hermes!" Apollo praised.
"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week," the Messenger of the Gods smiled.
"Sorry about the show," Buggy began, "but his silky smooth skin can never go bad...so don't worry too much about it."
"It is I, the lovely Lady Alvida!" Alvida exclaimed.
"Wait, Alvida?!" Luffy questioned. "Where?!"
"I'm right here, you rubber-brained baboon!" Alvida barked.
"Wait, really?" Luffy asked as he scratched his scalp. "You look...a little different."
"That's an understatement..." Percy and Annabeth said in unison with Junior nodding sagely.
"You finally figured it out, right?" Alvida asked as she removed her cloak, revealing a white sleeveless top and beaded necklace beneath it, as well as a sweater wrapped around her waist. "I ate the Slip-Slip devil fruit and my body has been transformed! Now, my beautiful skin cannot be scratched or marred by any kind of attack! Unfortunately… my beauty barely improved. However, as you said, I do look a little different... my freckles are completely gone!"
"IT'S NOT JUST THE FRECKLES, FAT SEA COW!" Artemis yelled as she looked ready to shower Alvida with arrows, but Hestia stopped her.
"But seriously," Poseidon began, "she ate a devil fruit, and that's why she looks...like that?"
"Certain Devil Fruits can change a person's body," Themis said.
"Anyway," Alvida began, "if you're going to be mine... there's someone you need to defeat first, Luffy."
"Hey?" Luffy asked. "Do I have to fight someone?"
"That's right," Alvida said. "We teamed up to track you down... and here it is!"
"Hehehehehe!" Buggy laughed as he and his crew stripped off their cloaks. "Since the day you defeated me... I have dreamed of nothing more than killing you, Straw Hat! That is what gave me the strength to return to my men... and what an adventure it was! Especially since "I was missing parts of my body! There was laughter, tears and friendship! But Buggy persevered and... WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING ME SAY?!"
"Uhh... I think I know your name from somewhere," Luffy said. "Was it, uh... Boggy?... No, no, it wasn't that. Boogie?... No, it's not that either... Oh wait, now I know! It's Buffoon!"
Buggy looked like his head was about to explode from how red he was, while the Olympians were trying their best to hold back their laughter, to no avail.
"HOLY SHIT, IT'S BUGGY THE CLOWN!" yelled a terrified man, and at that, the crowd began to panic and tried to flee, but were soon held at gunpoint by the Buggy crew, forcing them all to stop.
"I will now conspicuously display all my terror in front of all of you!" Buggy declared.
"...Oh wait!" Luffy exclaimed. "Now I remember! It's Buggy!"
"NOW YOU REMEMBER ME?!" Buggy questioned irritably.
"Well that doesn't say much about you if your enemy doesn't remember you," Ares said happily as Percy suddenly yelled, "Luffy! Watch out!"
Before Luffy knew it, his head and wrists were trapped under the board.
"Hey what's up?!" Luffy questioned as he struggled to get out. "I'm stuck!"
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, rubber boy?" Cabaji asked. "How is Roronoa Zoro? Is he alright?"
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Buggy laughed. "Well done, Cabaji! And now, Straw Hat, we will begin your public execution! Think of it this way! You can die in the same place as the Pirate King! Don't you feel honorable?!"
"That doesn't seem honorable to me!" Shouted the God of War. "You're nothing but a cowardly, clown, and pathetic excuse for a pirate!"
"I'm with you on this." I speak Athena. "It's disrespectful."
"Buggy is just a jerk," Themis said. "How he was the most feared of the East Blue, is a mystery that not even the Moors could answer."
"It would be the first time." second Zeus.
In no time Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji and the group of demigods had appeared, at the very back of the crowd. While Nami was carrying a bundle of clothing on her back, Sanji and Usopp were holding a huge bluefin elephant tuna, with the latter clinging to the head.
"Wow, that's a big fish." Percy commented.
"And strange." said Poseidon. "I'd like to fish for it."
"If you find a way to catch him being a 'ghost', Barnacle Beard, I'd be glad to hear it." I remind him of his niece.
"Hey, what's going on here...? Rachel!? What are you doing here?!" the Lord of Nature asks the redhead.
"And dressed like a marine!" Thalia yells at the Oracle.
"I was going to ask you the same thing!"
Once again, Luffy was trying to move when he started to pick up a wind and dark clouds were flying over them so that the entire square was left in shadow. And maybe it was just the trace of electrical energy in the air that caused it, but there was also a strong feeling that something big was going to happen here was building with every minute.
"A storm now, Zeus?" Hestia asked, looking up at the sky, "Not the time!"
"Hestia, I am not…" The King of Gods began who was also surprised to see the dark clouds as well. "I have no idea what's going on."
"Brother, what are you saying…?" Hades started but Buggy was already speaking again like an announcer.
"Pirate Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hats, he will be executed for the crime of pampering me and making me angry!" Buggy yelled as he raised his arms, suddenly standing next to the trapped Luffy. At his words, all the pirates around them were shouting in celebration, firing weapons and jumping as if a great show was about to take place. "Now live it up, garishly!" Buggy yelled as all of his men cheered.
Luffy was looking at them excitedly, "Oh my! I've never seen an execution!"
"Doesn't he realize that he's the one they're talking about?" Annabeth asked, she knew Luffy was slow, but she thought Luffy would have figured it out by now.
"Of course... How did you fall in love with him, Arty?" joked Apollo.
"Call me that again and I'll put an arrow where the sun doesn't shine. After I kill that clown and turn that fat cow into a boar and I'll hunt it down!"
"We'll you're about to kid," Buggy informed him with a dark chuckle in his voice.
Luffy blinked and looked up as he slowly processed what she was saying. "THAN?!" he screamed in horror, "STOP JOKING!"
"It's not a joke!" Buggy yelled as Luffy was now desperately trying to break free and call for help.
"You need to start paying attention to what people are saying Luffy," Aphrodite hissed, getting a headache the size of Luffy's, but then smirks lustfully. 'Even though you're so cute when you're like that.'
"IT'S OKAY!" Buggy yelled at the crowd as Luffy continued to try to pry his head free. "I HEREBY BEGIN THE FESTIVITIES OF THIS PUBLIC PERFORMANCE WITH A BREAK OUT!"
"How can an execution count as festivities?" Thalia asked hotly.
"There are some who thoroughly enjoy the idea of killing pirates," Themis offered.
"Well, those people have sick minds," Clarisse said grimly, growing more impatient with each second. Luffy finally stopped fighting and now lay there with a pout on his face.
"I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry, please spare my life," she said in a monotone, and it sounded like he was forcing himself to apologize for breaking something instead of begging for his life. It couldn't have been more clear to them that he didn't mean a word by what he said.
"WHY WOULD I HAVE TO SPARE YOUR LIFE?!" Buggy bellowed in frustration.
"This is what happens when you go against us," Cabaji commented, lowering himself to the ground so he could watch with the others.
Alvida sighed a bit ruefully, "I guess this is it for the man I had my eye on."
Artemis already had her bow ready to shoot Alvida when Apollo and Hestia tried to calm her down while Rachel was shocked to see the Goddess of the Hunt act like this.
Buggy raised a longsword and looked at Luffy as he said, "You have quite an audience here today, Straw Hat. Want to say a few words before you die?"
"Oh, I can think of a few words to say," Hera smiled, much to the surprise of her brothers and sisters.
Luffy continued to sit there with a grumpy look on his face, even when Buggy stepped on his head. "Awww, did the cat get your tongue?" Buggy asked, still teasing him. "Okay. Be quiet or say a few words. It doesn't matter, you're still going to die!"
Luffy stood there for a moment before taking a deep breath. Just as a great wind swept them all away, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, so that the words seemed to echo around him: "HEAR! I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"
There was a stunned silence around him as the crowd stared at him in disbelief, but at the same time it was as if they could feel a strange energy coming from him, as if confirming his words.
"Yes!" Clarisse encouraged him.
"What else would I say?" Annabeth shrugged.
"Just like Kelp Head." Thalia said, earning a look from Percy.
However, Buggy was not impressed as he smirked. "Are we finally getting to the best part of the show?" he asked him, looking genuinely pleased at what he was going to do, "Bye now..."
Luffy had tried to stick his head out one last time, but it was clear that he was stuck here.
"Why are you two taking so long to get here?!" Hera snapped at Zoro and Sanji, even though they couldn't hear her.
"As soon as they wake up, they will come to see the child die," Dionysus told him annoyed, earning the gaze of the demigods and the goddesses.
But then Zoro's voice echoed from behind them, "STOP THE EXECUTION!"
Starting a little at his sudden voice, they turned to face them. There they were, Zoro and Sanji had finally appeared and were now standing at the edge of the crowd as they watched.
"NOW!" they both yelled at Buggy, clearly warning him that they weren't playing around here.
"Zoro, Sanji!" Luffy yelled in relief.
"Luffy, idiot," Zoro teased, his hand resting on the two new swords dangling from his hip. "I guess all that nonsense finally caught up with you, huh?"
"Are you starting a sideshow?" Sanji added, looking around at the Buggy Pirates. "Or is that what you look like?"
"I'm sorry to hear that they always look like this," Hades said, shaking his head sympathetically. Why else would someone go dressed like that anyway?
"To be humiliating yourself on purpose?" commented Hephaestus uninterested.
"Very sad," the cook finished as he smoked, "Now...all we have to do is chase these thugs away."
"HELLO GUYS!" Luffy yelled again happily.
"You made it here, Zoro!" Buggy yelled arrogantly. "But you were a little late!" He raised his sword over his head, ready to chop off Luffy's head and that got Luffy's attention as they rushed over to try to knock the platform down before the sword fell.
Of course, that was hard to do as the pirates were now getting in their way, with Alvida now taking control and telling them what to do. Although the two Monster Trio members were able to easily break through these weaklings, they were outnumbered and it was already taking too long.
"What's up with you guys?!" Demeter yelled at them as he pointed to the platform. "Couldn't you move faster than that!?"
"Hey, they do what they can!" Tyson responded in his defense.
"Ty, calm down, big guy!" Percy yelled.
Buggy laughed victoriously as he held his sword up as the sky continued to darken overhead, the storm was almost here. "Not even the great Zoro can stop me now! There's nothing you two can do! This is the end of your captain!"
Luffy's expression turned terrified as he stared at the sword as Buggy continued to laugh madly.
Zoro and Sanji ran towards the execution platform, taking down any pirates that got in their way. Buggy took the opportunity to brag that not even Zoro can stop him now as the marines waited for his signal.
"Come on guys! You can do it! Teach that clown a lesson!" Clarisse yelled as the others murmured in concern.
"We know you won't let Luffy down!" Hestia tried to encourage him.
Zoro and Sanji were now fighting tooth and nail to get to the platform in time. They were quickly becoming more frantic and scared as they tried to break through.
"BASTARD!" Sanji yelled at Buggy as thunder roared around him. As the Olympians watched the two fight their way closer, Luffy's voice from above rang out: "Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Percy! Boys from another world! Old Man of Lightning!"
They looked up to see Luffy looking up; everyone in the square was now looking up as the fear completely left Luffy's face.
Instead...he was smiling...
Each of the Olympians felt like they had frozen in place as they looked at him. It wasn't a forced or painful smile... but serene... like he was really happy. This lingering smile... Luffy really believed that he was going to die here... but he wasn't upset about it...
He looked like…?
Hera's eyes widened the instant she saw him. "He smiled…?" she gasped as Gold Roger's smiling face, just seconds before he died, flashed into his mind.
"Sorry," Luffy continued, and he really did sound like he meant it this time, but this time he was apologizing to his crew, not Buggy. "But...I'm dead," he informed them all. And he kept smiling even as Buggy brought his sword down on his neck.
"Idiot!" Zoro yelled as he looked on in horror.
"Don't say that!" Sanji yelled, now desperately kicking five or six pirates out of his way to get to them.
The main gods and Percy and Annabeth had an epiphany as their thoughts agreed on one thing.
'He's smiling... Just like the Pirate King...! Gold Roger...!'
But as the blade fell, it flashed with electricity in the air and with a huge explosion from above them, a single bolt of lightning burst from the dark clouds and struck the tower.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Clarisse yelled, jumping back as the entire tower burst into blue flames and the skies opened up to rain.
Within seconds, it was pouring with rain, but the platform continued to burn... bending and twisting slowly as it broke and landed with a crash on its side. The sound of when it hit the ground reverberated throughout the plaza.
No one said a word…one even moved as they watched. Those present gaped in shock at the twisted pile of burned metal and wood.
"What the hell just happened?" Hephaestus croaked, not believing his eyes.
"Lightning struck the platform just before Luffy was decapitated," Athena whispered in amazement as they all looked up in time to see something hit the ground. The straw hat...
Just then, Luffy had emerged from the rubble, his head still on and his body looking slightly charred and dirty. Buggy was not so lucky...he was lying on the ground and was badly burned and unconscious. Like a puppy finding its owner, the hat fell at his feet and Luffy picked it up to put it back on. As soon as he did, he started laughing, a laugh that cut through the silence: "Hey, I'm still alive! That's good!"
With a strange gagging sound, Hades spoke and said, "How...why...? Zeus, why did you take so long?"
Hera looked up at the sky and whispered, "T-That's it! We know you're dramatic, but you almost scared us!" She trailed off, simply not knowing what to say to this.
"That was incredible!" Tyson yelled, his eyes like stars. "LIGHTNING STRIKED ON THE TOWER! SAVED LUFFY!"
"I guess we owe you one, Pops," Apollo said calmly. Although he was still puzzled... And more when his father broke the silence...
"Was not me."
Immediately all the Olympians and demigods stopped short, waiting for Zeus to explain himself.
"I had nothing to do with this storm..."
"Don't talk nonsense! You are the god of storms, it must have been YOU!" Demeter responded upset.
The people in the place had not recovered as quickly as they had and they were all staring in amazement and disbelief at what they had just seen. Sanji's mouth was open and his cigarette fell out... but Zoro's face didn't react at all, but there was a strange contemplative expression there as he looked at Luffy coming towards them, talking about how lucky he was. it had been escaping.
"Luck? That couldn't have been just luck!" Dionysus said, now slapping himself awake. "It was as if that was the work of one of us! In fact, the only ones who could have done it are Zeus and Poseidon!"
"You think he'd be a bit more shocked by that," Percy said, shaking his head with a small laugh though he was just as taken aback as the others.
"That was divine intervention!" Sanji suddenly stated.
"Stop talking nonsense," Zoro said at once, the first to truly recover. Although he was still in shock from what had just happened, he understood the gravity of the situation and said out loud, looking around, "We have to get out of this town. Our troubles aren't over."
"Wait, you're right!" Hephaestus said, remembering that too. "You have to get back to the ship before anything else happens! I think wishing for two miracles in one day is too much, even for us!"
It seemed that he was right, because at that moment, a small army of marines charged from all sides. It was clear that they had the whole place surrounded from the moment the pirates started fighting each other and now they were trying to surround everyone. Luffy looked ready for a fight, but Zoro grabbed him and reminded him that they had to run now. That if they didn't get back to the Merry now, they weren't leaving at all. Then, with everyone's attentions on each other, the three of them turned and ran down the street toward the docks.
The gods and demigods were right behind them; but each of them was thinking about what he had just seen. "Why…?" Zeus's daughter suddenly asked: "Why would Luffy smile like that? He looked death straight in the face and showed no fear! Did he know that he would be saved?"
"Of course not," Junior said firmly. "I'm sure he really thought he was about to die. He just prepared for it after preparing."
"He gave me chills," Ares's daughter confessed, suddenly feeling cold. "Smiling like that right before your head is chopped off...? It's impossible."
Neither Percy nor Annabeth said anything as they ran with them, but their minds were racing. They had both heard in the bar of the old tavern about how Gold Roger also smiled just when he told the world about One Piece and then he was killed. And now, come years later, Luffy repeated that moment again. Was this a sign? It couldn't just be a coincidence, could it? No, it definitely wasn't a coincidence. After everything they had seen and been through, they had learned something: coincidences don't exist.
Athena had similar thoughts about Luffy, though her interest focused on one detail. What was that "D" in his name? Did it have something to do with the boy's character? And Gold Roger...she couldn't help but think about the possibility that that wasn't his exact name.
But there would be time for that, now they had to focus on escaping from Loguetown.
As they ran through the empty streets, the rain was now coming down harder than ever. Zoro yelled in frustration, "What the hell is up with all this rain?"
"Unfortunately, most of us can't control the weather," Hera said, sharing a slight smile with Nami. "It will rain when it wants to, and it will continue to rain until it stops. Or until Zeus decides to stop."
"Wife, this is not the time!"
"Nami was right about this storm," Sanji said aloud, trying to shield his eyes from the water with his arm so he could see where they were headed. "If we don't get back to the ship and set sail soon, we'll be stuck here forever!"
"Yes," Hermes said, "but the tailwind you're getting from this storm also helped us escape and got us to the Grand Line in much less time. Besides, all the rain prevented your ship from being destroyed."
"Truly a blessing in disguise," Hades said as he ran with them while Luffy yelled at them to keep running. After all, Luffy was saved by that strange lightning bolt and then all this? It was as if the very heaven of this world had decided to help the Straw Hat Pirates escape from here.
Rachel stayed with her friends, trying to blend in with the crowd. They kept running, even when the Marines were right behind them, they kept going, not bothering to stop and fight. However, with each step they seemed to take, the rain seemed to grow thicker and heavier, so it was becoming difficult to see anything in front of them. But finally, they saw someone standing in their way... a young woman with short navy blue hair and a sword in her hands.
"Isn't that that woman?" Clarisse asked.
"Some would-be swordsman," Ares said nonchalantly.
"I didn't know you were Zoro…and a pirate too. You lied!" the woman said, her head bowed. But she then she looked up and looked at Zoro and said out loud, "You're just another liar!"
"What's your problem?" Thalia asked as both Sanji started yelling at Zoro.
"It's not her fault, she can't see anything in front of her, without glasses", Junior told him. "She's a fan of swords and..."
"And she's a Marine." The Oracle of Delphi spoke. "Her name hers is Tashigi and second in command to Colonel Smoker."
"They helped you, didn't they?"
She nodded.
Zoro said irritably, "You never asked me my name, did you? So I never lied, right?"
"Damn rude." commented Artemis angrily.
The woman got mad at him and declared that she would not let him leave the village with his sword, in the end, Zoro decided to stay behind and fight.
"Wado?" Hephaestus said confused and interested.
"This," Themis said showing him a white sword. "It is a very rare and legendary sword."
He looked up in time to see Tashigi charge up in anger and pull the sword out of her, but his past self was more than able to stop her. His eyes had a thoughtful expression as Sanji yelled at him that he shouldn't fight a girl. That made Tashigi even angrier than before and he berated him for it as Zoro told them to move on.
Luffy nodded, deciding to leave everything in her hands while he and Sanji left, and Sanji threatened to kick his ass if he hurt her.
As Luffy and Sanji ran through the raging storm that suddenly appeared in Loguetown, Luffy encountered another marine... and this time it turned out to be none other than Smoker.
"Smoker, sir!" Rachel yelled in concern. This was bad.
"Who?" Clarisse asked him.
"Captain Smoker," Themis replied, as Luffy told Sanji to go ahead.
"That's the marine that Annabeth, Luffy and I met!"
Luffy and Smoker weren't expecting when they started fighting. But here, no matter what Luffy threw at him, none of his attacks were of any use.
"What is this guy?! He's made of smoke?!" Dionysus yelled in surprise.
"He's not he's too far away! He has a Lodge, the smoke one!" exclaimed the Goddess of Love surprising everyone. "What? Even if he doesn't look like it, he can listen."
They looked at her as if she was crazy.
"What happen?" Smoker challenged: "Have you had enough yet?"
Luffy slowly went back up and tried to attack, but nothing he did worked.
"And that's why the Logia are so annoying," Ares said. Smoker caught Luffy in a cloud of smoke and threw him to the ground, face in the concrete and his hand on his head.
"I told you!" Smoker yelled at him, "You have to go through me to get to the Grand Line! You're not worth thirty million beri! Hey, you're out of luck! Dare, help me!"
The girl was nervous, she feared the punishment of the gods if she dared to help capture Luffy, but she didn't want to be a criminal besides that Smoker and Tashigi helped her.
"Agh, I don't have time for this! I'll take care of you myself."
But when Smoker reached for her weapon, someone stepped out of the shadows and grabbed her to keep her from moving.
"Who is that?" Tyson asked, trying to make out the man's face. But it was hard… not only was the rain obstructing his view, the man was wearing a long dark green cloak that completely hid him from view.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the man said hoarsely. Although his tone did not have any trace of threat, they could tell that he was serious… there was something in that voice that seemed to demand attention despite speaking so softly.
The Olympians were shocked; the presence of that man was almost equal to that of Zeus. However, both Themis and Junior gasped a little, recognizing that voice immediately.
"Is he…"
"Fuck me... What is THAT GUY doing here!?"
"It's you…" Smoker growled almost exactly as they both spoke.
"What's wrong?! Do you know who that mortal is?!" the Goddess of Love asked frantically.
"Th-" Before the ancient Goddess of Justice finished, Junior made the "zip in the mouth and throw away the key" gesture.
"Sorry, top secret. And this time I won't say anything, I'll just say that he is one of the big shots of the Grand Line."
Before anyone could say anything else, a harsh, powerful wind blew through the city, sending everyone and everything flying, strong enough to destroy the cannons. Just as it came, it disappeared, leading Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji to find themselves near the sea.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"But thank you for bringing them together again, sir." Tyson thanked the mystery man while the smarter ones muttered about the man's power.
Nami called the four of them. They have to hurry or the ship will be swept away.
"Gumo Gumo no..." Luffy ran towards the stairs, then launched himself as he grabbed onto the railing. The three of them have a bad feeling about this as Luffy slingshotted them all the way to the boat. "...Rocket!"
The four of them were all in a pile as Nami was glad they were here. With a surprise; Luffy grabbed Rachel off guard and left her at the Merry.
"Luffy, what are you doing?!" asked the navigator, annoyed. "She's a Marine!"
"She's Percy and the others' friend. We're taking her." said the rubber boy simply.
"Luffy, how dare you throw away a lady like that!" Sanji kicked Luffy before Zoro insulted him and they started fighting.
"Hey?" That's all the red-haired girl could say, trying to make sense of... this.
As Smoker looked out to sea, he asked about the sudden gust and the one that appeared and disappeared on the same day Gold Roger was executed 22 years ago.
"I am the one who will be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy's words came to him unbidden.
Suddenly, the mysterious hooded man, Dragon, appeared on the rooftops and told him to leave if he wanted to. When asked why he helped Luffy, Dragon responded with his own question: "What reason would there be to interfere with a man's departure?"
At that moment the man looked towards the Olympians and smiled.
"To think that Luffy would have 'those' people with him... The world is still waiting for our answer. And it seems they are too. Rise to the top, Luffy!"
Shortly after...
They were standing on the Going Merry, but it was still raining hard and the storm raged around them. Fierce gales and heavy rain battered the ship somewhat horribly as Nami yelled out instructions. It seemed like it was the same storm they were in a few moments ago and they realized they must have gotten out of Loguetown.
"Looks like she's going to capsize!" Luffy yelled from the front, but instead of being worried, he sounded excited at the thought that they might end up drowning.
"Of course he would be happy about that!" Amphetite yelled, but there was also a trace of anticipation in the air. Her husband was happy as was her son. They were like the sea at that moment, untamed.
"Hey, look! A light!" Nami suddenly screamed and they looked up to see a bright light burning in the distance, pointing the way through the storm.
"Is that a lighthouse?" Usopp yelled over the noise of the storm as he clung to the mast to keep from slipping.
"Entrance to the Grand Line".
"Is this where you enter the Grand Line?!" Thalia asked, her heart pounding at this.
"No," Themis explained and let Nami tell them what was going on. That this was just a guidepost lighting the way to the Grand Line entrance up ahead.
"The Grand Line is up ahead," Luffy repeated in amazement, his eyes twinkling as he smiled at the lighthouse. Nami smiled as brightly as she looked at him, and she was so excited that he was here. Just like Percy and Annabeth.
"Do we have to go there in the middle of a fucking hurricane like this?" Usopp asked concerned.
"I can't think of a better time," Demeter said with a light laugh as Zoro smirked and Sanji grinned wildly, giving them a thumbs up. Luffy and Nami smiled at each other as Luffy held onto his hat to prevent him from flying away.
"Ha, I must admit that this is a fantastic sight!" Hermes laughed. "A promising start, really."
Sanji yelled, "Okay, I think we should say something to mark the occasion."
"Good idea!" Usopp exclaimed, finally able to get up off the mast at the suggestion as Luffy yelled in agreement with that idea.
"What did you have in mind?!" Aphrodite yelled, a little disoriented by the storm and having a little trouble staying on his feet as Sanji rolled a large barrel past on the upper deck and the five crewmen surrounded him.
Each one had a sparkle of excitement in their eyes, because they all knew that this was the first time they had fulfilled their dreams. They smiled at the barrel, as if each was thinking the same thing as the others. Sanji walked over first and put his foot on top of the barrel. "I'm going to the Grand Line to find All Blue!"
Following his lead, Luffy also put his foot up and proclaimed that he would become the Pirate King. One by one, they all put a foot up and told each other their dreams… the reason they set out to sea together in the first place was for these reasons. Zoro and Nami proclaimed their reasons for being here and looked at Usopp, who was there thinking…as if he didn't know what to say.
"Usopp?" Hestia started, but then she quickly raised her foot and said, "I guess I'm going to... be a brave warrior of the sea!"
And then all the Straw Hats looked on. Although the five of them kept their feet there for only a few seconds, it felt like much longer… They looked at the barrel that contained their goals and hopes, each one smiling through the rain. At this moment, there was no fear or hesitation in any of them… there was no going back for them even if they wanted to. They all knew what they wanted and it was here that they decided that they were going to go to the ends of the world if that was what it took to get it... and no matter what, they were going to do it together.
"You're crazy?!" Rachel replied, puzzled. "You know what a storm there is, right?! We will die before we reach that lighthouse!
"And now…" Luffy yelled as he ignored her and everyone raised their legs and lowered them to break the barrel, "TO THE GRAND LINE!"
"Yes!" shouted everyone, even the current demigods, with the small boat continuing through the heavy storm, following the light.
"Oh," Rachel said, falling to her knees where she stood. "What have I gotten myself into?"
To be continued...