Back at the Going Merry and Black Pearl, Usopp was working on a new weapon for Vivi.
"Considering she now have Crocodile'sSand-Sand Fruit, she'll need something to fit her new move-set better."
"Both ships are in satisfactory condition. I have run the proper diagnostics on them." Penny said.
"Very good. It should get us to Water 7 no problem!" Boss noted.
"Everyone else is coming in, people!" Gottfried said. "For a filthy rotten cesspool of a city, they're all pretty clean."
Vivi was walking over with a triumphant smile on her face, Carue smirking as he plopped down a sack full of Berris.
"We're rich! We're fabulously wealthy! Hoohoohoohoohoohoo! Vivi played every single shop owner for a sucker!"
"Indeed! Our little amiga is growing up!" Amingo said proudly, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Wow, never seen a haul so big. And all this even after unloading the gold you had." Masira said.
"I'd say this keeps us well in the black," Draco noted.
"So, you think we're ready to meet Cricket, eh?" Ben asked.
Masira nodded. "Yeah, Shojo should be there already. The guy's amazing. He's perfected a sonar technique for salvaging by using vocalization and a strong microphone. I'll be meeting him and Cricket tomorrow."
-OP-
Meanwhile at the Inn, the Eds were getting comfy in their rooms.
"Now this is the life!" Eddy beamed. "No disrespect to Sunny and Pearl, but for once NOT having to clean up after ourselves?"
"I'll admit, it is a nice break." Double D relaxed, only to shuffle around. "….Even if these are not quite as nice as the beds on the ships."
"SLEEPOVER!" Ed beamed as he jumped up and down on his bed before running around. "We can stay up late, share scary stories and in the morning? Ed's making waffles!"
"Oh, yummy!" A female voice cooed. "Do Sanji and Noire have competition?"
The boys suddenly tensed and stopped what they were doing, turning to seeing Luna, Rosa and Hilda smiling at them from the doorway of their room.
"G-g-girls!" Eddy stammered, the tried to play it cool. "I mean…hey. Girls. Whats up."
"Well…" Luna smirked. "Turns out, the inn doesn't have rooms for us, so…"
The Eds all tensed. Memories filled their heads: memories that from the outside could be considered slapstick and comical. But to them? The only thing worse had been Eddy's brother or Ed's mother.
"W-where's Gottfried?" Double D asked in worry, at least partly to think of a way out of this.
"Oh, telling Calvin some stories." Hilda assured him, then spied how scared he and his friends seemed. "….Guys? You….You okay?"
Rosa suddenly realized
"Oh. Riiiiiight." She mused as she looked to Ed. "Can I…?'
Ed nodded, sweating like a pig, relaxing somewhat as Rosa pulled her sister and Luna aside.
"…Sorry, guys." Ed confessed, making Double D and Eddy realize what was going on. Before either of them could comment..
"WHAT?!"
Luna and Hilda had roared so fiercely, they shook the inn. Rosa simply nodded and shot Eddy and Double D an apologetic look.
"…How?" Double D asked his simple minded friend.
"…When we were making jokes, Ed tried to be dark funny. Did not work."
Eddy simply patted his lummox of a friend on the shoulder and smiled softly.
After a minute of composing themselves (and threatening the ones who had hurt the Eds if they ever came across them), Luna and Hilda stepped forward.
"We just came to hang out. If anything, we were going to head back to the ships in a few hours. We didn't mean…"
Double D stepped up.
"H-Hilda. Be honest. Do you, Rosa and Luna..l-l-like us?"
Hilda nodded.
"You're resilient, sneaky, funny…who wouldn't like you?" Hilda said, the realizing. "Sorry! Sorry! What I meant was…!"
"No, no, understood."
Rosa made her way over to Ed
"I didn't want them to learn like this, I'm sorry."
Ed, big hearted guy he was, just smiled and hugged Rosa, who hugged him back. Ed nustled into Rosa, melting into her warm embrace.
"We don't NEED to do anything like that." Luna assured Eddy, a rare sweet smile, one that she usually saved for Chopper, on her face. "If you're not ready? I can wait."
"Me too." Hilda assured Double D. "….If anything, I think Gottfried is disappointed we just talked and hanged out last time and doesn't expeeeee..ROSA!"
The four turned to see Rosa gently pecking Ed on the forehead, the boy then blushing and nuzzling in..before with the great strength many were still not used to, lifted Rosa into his arms and took her for cuddling.
A cute sight that melted the hearts of the four…and made Eddy jealous.
"That lummox!"
He didn't have to do much, as Luna grabbed him and then went 'Berry' to hug him.
"If the Skipper thinks he can catch the moon…?" She smirked, knowing Eddy would NEVER turn down a challenge, epseically with his detested middle name being used.
This just left Hilda and Double D.
"I am so, so, so sorry for the…!" They both started to apologize for their friends, only to pause and reflect. Double D then cleared his throat
"Um…I-if it is not too forward? P-Perhaps we might…entertain the idea…?"
Hila smiled and took Double D into a hug.
"You are such a nerd. And I love that." She cooed as she nuzzled her nose with his own.
By the next morning, all memories the Eds had of their attackers would be forgotten.
-OP-
The next day the Going Merry and the Black Pearl sailed out for the other side of Jaya. On the way, they ran into another ship, with a large jungle on its deck and an orangutan figurehead.
"There's the Utan Sonar. Most likely Shojo's picked us up already." Masira noted.
Sure enough, the orangutan-looking man who was captain came out when he heard the commotion.
"Ahoy there, Masira! You pick up some new friends?"
"Sure did! Say hello to the Straw Hat Pirates! The same ones featured on the We Are broadcast."
"The pirates heroes who killed Crocodile?"
Ben patted Mifune on the back. "Technically, it was him who did the deed."
"Well, a pleasure to meet such celebrities. You know, the World Government has been discussing who to replace Crocodile now that he's out of the picture." Shojo said. "There are several rising pirate captains that might fit the bill."
"Not for me. I can't complete my dream if I'm being chained to the Marines in any way." Luffy said.
-OP-
Meanwhile, Teach had met up with another member of his crew; Medusa Gorgon, a sultry-looking woman with dirty blonde hair and a black snake-themed hood.
"So, you got the new recruits?"
Medusa nodded and gestured to the two who were looking to join Teach's growing crew.
"Former Marine General Gasparde and former Prime Minister of the Drum Kingdom Musshuru." Medusa noted.
"I'll be honest." Teach noted, "I'm surprised you're joining my crew after I chased off your brother."
"Wapol was a pathetic idiot who even a mentally disabled child could outsmart. Besides, he was always unfit to rule." Musshuru sneered. "If I'm going to follow any leader, they must be strong."
"And I'm just looking forward to the entertainment," Gasparde added with a smirk. "By the way, I heard a new up-and-comer made a complete joke out of that doofus Bellamy."
"Zehahahaha! I know exactly who you're talking about!" Teach laughed. "He's Apocalypse Lor D. Draco, one of the Four Great Captains of the Straw Hat Pirates! Trust me when I say he doesn't need his old man's reputation to make something of himself in the Grand Line."
"Definitely rivals to keep an eye on, then." Medusa hummed with a pursed lip.
"Which reminds me. That pathetic oaf Bellamy apparently caught wind of Montblanc Cricket and the gold bullion he apparently has." Musshuru spoke up.
"You mean the man who claims his ancestor visited a sky island?" Gasparde asked.
"Don't discount the tales. The Grand Line holds many mysteries. You need to have strength, wisdom, and courage to accept it all." Teach pointed out. "And I can say this much for sure. If I die without achieving my dream... Then Draco and his fellow captains will most certainly get to it instead. That much I can guarantee."
Mushurru humphed at that.
"If you're so attached, perhaps it be best if I took your…?"
Before he could start, he found himself slammed into the ground, his body breaking, blood escaping…and his Devil fruit Power NOT working.
"I didn't say I'd just LET him." Blackbeard growled, smirking as the proud prince's scowl turned to a look of fear as the difference between them became clear . "I have dreams of my own. BIG. Dreams. And I'll do ANYTHING to see them come true."
Blackbeard then released the former Prime Minister, dusted off his clothes and patted his shoulders before handing him a cherry pie as Medusa began to tend to his wounds.
"A word of advice, your ex-majesty? You'll do well to NEVER underestimate Teach." The woman cruelly smirked before turning her attention to the other new recuirt. "So, Gasparde? Any…dirty secrets on the Navy?"
-OP-
The crew was stunned when it turned out Cricket was living in a castle.
"Jeez, this puts most royals to shame... Well, except maybe in size." Vivi noted.
"But to be fair, those are typically meant to house entire courts, not a single residence." Kaya pointed out.
Masira and Shojo just laughed.
"Hate to burst the bubble, but this is just a facade. The real house is behind it." Shojo said.
Sure enough, the castle was just a large wood board cut to shape. Just behind it was a small hut that seemed to be only half a house.
"I heard Cricket was living away from the rest of Jaya because he thought gold might be here," Robin said.
Nojiko formed her arm into a shotgun, which she used to bash Nami over the head to knock the Berri signs out of her eyes.
"OW!"
"You know it needs doing."
"…. doesn't mean I like it…" Nami pouted, then got an idea. "Oh Luffy! Nojiko's bullying me!"
"Nami, I love you and I may be one of the Captains, but I am NOT getting between siblings." The Straw Hat captain told her lover.
"Me neither!" Sonson added, as she and Luffy recalled whenever Ace and Sabo had disagreements when they were younger.
"It's more Cricket's ideology doesn't mesh with Mock Town's." Masira said, gaining their attention. "He's a big dreamer, and the people of Mock Town think dreamers are weaklings."
Saiko then noticed a picture book on a stump and picked it up to read a few pages.
"I think I've read this one once. Some fairy tale about a bumbling liar named Noland."
"Oh yeah, I've read that one. I was born in the North Blue, where this book was published." Sanji said. "The tale's a satire about a bumbling adventurer who tried to trick a king with tales of a city of gold. Supposedly the story's based on a real-life figure."
"My dad bought that book for a laugh. He said whoever wrote it was clearly trying to use propaganda to smear a good man's name." Vivi said. "Whenever he read it, I always felt sorry for Noland and thought the king was the real foolish one."
"Yeah! I loved that book!" Rosa said. "But I felt bad for Noland so I wanted to make my own book where he got a happy ending!"
Double-D smiled. "You truly are a kind soul, Rosa."
The group then noticed a diver coming out of the water. Masira and Shojo recognized him immediately.
"Hey, Cricket! We got some new friends here." Masira called out.
Cricket seemed to be in a daze, then slumped down, much to everyone's shock.
"BOSS!"Masira and Shojo called out in terror.
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" Double-D panicked.
"Hold on! I'll try to stabilize him!" Fuu said as she and Chopper hurried over.
-OP-
Cricket was brought into his house and Chopper and Fuu examined him.
"He's got Caisson Disease. It's an occasional malady for divers." Chopper noted. "Though despite the name it's not a chronic illness. It's caused by lack of decompression when surfacing from the seabed, causing nitrogen dissolved in the blood to get released quickly and form gas bubbles in the circulatory system. This causes damage to muscles and joints and decreases blood flow."
"We in the salvage business refer to it as the bends. Cricket must have been eager to keep diving without rest, even willing to risk getting the bends in the process." Shojo said. "Will he be alright, Doc?"
"He needs time to rest and decompress. With plenty of fresh air to give him oxygen." Fuu said.
"I hope he pulls through. Cricket is the uniting force of the Saruyama Alliance. His house is our HQ." Masira said.
"But it's really only big enough for him, so me and Masira prefer to sleep on our ships or rent a room over in Mock Town," Shojo added. "Though we don't do the latter very often because we can't stand what all the people say about our brother every time we go there."
"Takes everything we have not to rampage and destroy the town," Masira agreed.
Chopper and Fuu came out as they were talking.
"Good news. The old man's waking up. All he needs is some rest and he'll make a full recovery."
The crew explained to Cricket what they were doing in Jaya.
"So you believe in the sky island. Actually, I know someone who said they've been there once. My ancestor, Montblanc Noland."
Nami looked shocked as she looked at the picture book.
"Montblanc Noland is real?!" Saiko gawked.
"Whoa! What a plot twist!" Kaizo said.
"Yes, the man in the storybook is real, but he was no bumbling liar. He was a grand adventurer." Cricket said. "Unfortunately, one greedy king spread that story and made our family a laughingstock. This was 400 years ago, and after Noland's execution, his family was driven out of the North Blue. We've been laying low ever since, but people continue to denounce our family regardless. Don't get me wrong, though. I don't hate Noland for what happened. He was an extraordinarily honest person. In the book, his last line is that the mountain of gold sank in the sea, and the illustration has him with a stupid-looking face."
"Most of us have read it, yeah." Nojiko said. "Kinda made us feel bad for him.
Cricket nodded. "The truth is, Noland spent his last moments with tears in his eyes, desperately trying to explain what he meant. He was certain the island he found was Jaya, and that it was no illusion. He insisted that the ruins of the golden city had submerged due to crustal movements. Everyone just thought he was making excuses out of desperation. He was executed in front of a crowd of laughing onlookers, forever to be labeled as Noland the Liar."
"How awful..." Kaya said sadly.
"Hope that king choked on something..." Eddy scowled.
"Zenny would read Gonta story when Gonta was little." Gonta said. "Gonta always wanted Noland to have happy ending."
"So you've been spending that entire time trying to find the city of gold to clear your ancestor's name?" Usopp asked.
Cricket just laughed. "No, no I'm haven't. It's already been tried by plenty of my family in the past. All trying to find the City of Gold and prove Noland wasn't a liar. Each and every one of them went missing. I grew up being ridiculed for something that wasn't even my fault, so in the end, I decided to run away from home and become a pirate. To escape Noland's shadow and be my own man. For a time it worked. The crew I assembled knew nothing of who my family was. Then one day, we entered the Grand Line and reached this island by chance. I was stunned. All of my family members who lost their lives looking for this island, and I stumbled across it like it was right in front of our noses. But of course, I found no trace of the City of Gold."
"That must have stung," Ruby said.
"On the contrary, when I stood on the cape of the island, I felt like it was destiny. I decided to settle things with Noland once and for all. Naturally, my crew deserted me, still thinking my ancestor was just a liar." Cricket said. "But what I'm after isn't to clear my family name or rewrite history. It's to follow my destiny. To set the record straight between me and Noland."
"So how did you fall in with Masira and Shojo?" Kuina asked.
"Funny enough, it's because they're fans of the picture book."
"We thought it was a good laugh. Despite the name, the king always came off as more stupid than Noland." Masira said.
"We thought he just wasn't searching hard enough or wasn't bothering to listen to what Noland had to say. So we decided to try our own salvage techniques to find the City of Gold. And about six years ago, we ran into Cricket." Shojo added.
"Actually, they proved to be a big help. In the dark, cold sea, you're surrounded by a deep sense of solitude. When I started off, I just dived to search the seabed alone. But having these two knuckleheads around helped me in ways beyond just lending me their technology. The company alone has been enough for all these years." Cricket said as he walked into his house and got out an old logbook. "This was Noland's logbook from his travels. And here's the mention of the sky island. Noland had come across someone who was carrying a contraption called a sky waver. According to the log, the device can generate its own wind to sail at great speed, even on a still day, but can't be easily maneuvered. The ship that was using it said it was manufactured on the sky island. And that they had more devices unique to the area."
"Like these?" Ben asked as he showed a few Dials
Cricket was shocked. "Where did you find those?"
Ben showed some of the Dials, using one to generate a musical tune that sounded like a harp playing. Cricket looked at the Dial in shock.
"We found these on a 200-year-old wreck we helped Masira salvage. One that had fallen straight down on top of us, as if it fell directly from the sky after being raided." Draco explained. "And that's not all. I knew about these from my father, who knew a member of a rival pirate crew that came from the sky island."
He showed an old picture of Roger's crew, including a younger Buggy and Shanks, as well as a blonde-haired woman with wings and antennae. Cricket was amazed when he saw this, then smiled.
"As it happens, I actually do know how to get the sky island. But that small caravel of yours will be blown to bits if you try it without help. Masira, Shojo, we're giving these kids a hand."
The two ape-like men smiled as the three of them joined hands in agreement.
As the Straw Hats inwardly cheered at finding aid to the Sky Islands, something caught Rolf's eye.
"Hello?"
The blue haired boy made his way over to a framed photograph.
"BY NANA'S CHILDHOOD ANCEDOTES!"
Gin, Hilda and Saiko turned amnd spied what their friend was looking at:
In the picture, there were three boys; no older than 12: One with blue hair and a red, ball like nose, a redheaded boy who reminded them of Luffy…and a small, ape like boy.
"No…freaking…way." Gin gasped.
"You got to be kidding me!" Saiko managed.
"That Mink was on Roger's ship?!" Hilda gasped, getting Cricket's attention.
"Oh, that would be Donk E. Kong, the third Cabin Boy on Roger's Crew. He's actually living in Mock Town, acting as a sort of guardian protector."
-OP-
Meanwhile, the mighty Mink that Rolf's group had encountered yesterday was humming a simple tune while smoking on a pipe. He blew out a puff of smoke from his clenched teeth and sighed.
"Hey, Kong! How's it hanging?"
Kong chuckled as he stood up and turned to see another Mink like him, only this one was a female bandicoot.
"Still breathing, aren't I, Tawna?"
Tawna had orange fur, a cream-colored muzzle, and blue eyes. She has short blonde hair partially dyed cyan and styled into a large, spiky faux-hawk. She wore a pink top with a blue and yellow line decal on the chest, a blue bandanna around her neck, a brown short-sleeved leather jacket with spikes on the shoulders, fingerless leather gloves with metal braces, blue patched pants with two brown leather belts, dark brown steel-toed boots with pink leg warmers and three golden earrings in her right ear. She also wore a blue sports bra and boyshorts with pink trim as her underwear.
However, she was also very fat yet seemed to wear the weight with pride. Her arms were plump and her face was soft yet still gorgeous, highlighted by her proud smirk. Her giant belly had her top ride up and went down to her knees yet her legs were powerful enough to support all the furry blubber without issue.
Kong ahd found Tawana as a baby 20 years ago; apparentlty abandoned or lost at sea. Sensing a kindred spirit in her and being pretty darn lonely ever since his old crew separated, he took her in and raised her as his own.
"And I'm grateful for that." Tawana assured the Ape-Mink. "After all, pretty sure you're still holding on stories about Buggy and Shanks!"
"Oh please: Buggy's a weakling who settled for ease and Shanks is keeping order!" kong waved off. "Wouldn't you rather hear about Roger and the rest?"
"…You always get sad whenever you talk about them." Tawana noted, but her father just smirked.
"That means they cared. And speaking of care? Did I ever tell you about the time Roger met Rouge?"
"…Whose Rouge?" Tawana asked, intruigued.
"Oh, nobody real important…just the only woman Roger ever loved."
Now, Tawana was not exactly a romantic, per say. But…the ONE woman? As in, singular? Of the PIRATE KING, NO LESS?!
"Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" Tawana begged, playfully grovelling and prepping a foot massage for Kong.
The Ape-Mink laughed it all off and began to tell his story:
"Well, as I remember it…."
What neither of them realized was that they were about to get closely involved with the Straw Hats that had been making rounds...
Knightmare Lord A/N:
I'm doing these chapters easy and average-sized so as not to overwhelm Mrotrax on his side of things.
Anyway, we've got Tawna from Crash 4 but she's quite big. I suck at descriptions so just look up Tubby Tawna by Wenisberry on DeviantArt for reference. Yes, I have no shame whatsoever.
We also get a lore drop on the Gorilla Mink guy that Rolf, Saiko, Kaizo, Hilda, Gin, and N'Doul met in the previous chapter and he's actually a former member of Roger's Crew and an old childhood friend of Shanks and Buggy. It seems the Straw Hats are going to get a powerful new ally...
Anything you'd like to say, Mrotrax?
Mrotrax A'N:
Sorry this took so long! Recovering from a busted knee and one section taking longer than others:
Added a little lore for the Eds; yes, they DID have to deal with the Kankers before setting out to sea and it did leave them traumatized somewhat in regards to girls approaching them romantically. Hang outs are fine, but anything else? They worry.
Hopefully I did the 'sailing' of Eddy/Luna, Double D/Hilda and Rosa/Ed tastefully and beliveable. Maybe not as…spicy as some may like, but I felt that might be a bit much.
Next time, Jaya wraps up!
Stay safe, warm and happy!