Journey to Raftel Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Journey to Raftel! After being swallowed up by an island-sized whale, what will become of the Straw Hats? Can they escape the belly of the beast safely? Perhaps they’ll meet someone that can give them a helping hand? Or maybe they’ll meet people that complicate their situation further?

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!

So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 16 – Twin Capes

A peaceful sky, white wispy clouds floating by, birds flying in the distance. A picturesque scene by anyone’s reckoning.

And it was the scene that the Straw Hats found themselves looking at after having been swallowed by a titanic whale.

“Huh… Didn’t expect this…” Luffy blinked after seeing the scenery much different than he expected.

“Are we still alive?” Nami asked as she looked around after the crews’ ride down the massive whale’s throat.

“I don’t feel dead.” Zoro replied, lightly patting himself down. “Maybe this is the afterlife?”

“We were just swallowed by that whale, right?” Sanji questioned the entire event now. This wasn’t surprising, considering the Going Merry was slowly drifting closer to a tiny island. There was a house on the small island. It even had a fold-up chair set up on the grass out front.

“Is anyone else as confused as I am?” Carina questioned, rubbing her eyes and blinking to make sure she was seeing things right.

“Right here.” Reiju raised her hand, completely perplexed right now.

“Seriously, where are we?” Nami looked around in confusion. They’d definitely been swallowed by the whale. This didn’t make any damn sense.

“It’s a Mystery Island!” Luffy declared, his excitement beginning to rise as a wide grin spread across his face.

“Can we get back to where we were?” Carina looked over at Nami since she was the navigator.

“Anyone else notice that something seems off with the clouds.” Sanji pointed towards the wispy clouds in the sky.

“Yeah, they’re not moving at all.” Reiju narrowed her eyes at the scenery, taking a closer look. “The birds aren’t moving either.”

The water in front of the Going Merry was thrown high into the air. A giant squid emerged from the depths with its tentacles flailing.

“What the hell?!” The crew yelled in unison at the large cephalopod’s sudden appearance.

Zoro, Nami, and Luffy drew their weapons while Sanji raised his right leg, and Reiju dropped into a stance, the palms of her hands turning a light purple color. However, before the Straw Hats could attack, three harpoons were launched from within the house. All three weapons found their mark and the squid was slain instantly.

“Oh, now what?!”  Nami demanded at the sudden change of the situation. She was already getting sick of the Grand Line!

“Someone’s there!” Carina pointed at the front door her blue eyes narrowed on the shadowed area.

With the sound of grunts, the three ropes were yanked back towards the house. From within the building a tough looking old man stepped into the light. The top of his head was bald, but he had long white hair past his shoulders, growing from the back of his head. A matching white beard, seemingly split to point both left and right, was on his chin.  He was wearing a red shirt with green and yellow designs on it, blue shorts, glasses sat on his fairly large nose, while his left arm had a few bracelets on it. The strangest part of the old man was that he seemed to have flower petals growing out of his head, separating the bald top from the white hair beneath the petals.

“Who the hell?” Needless to say the entire crew was even more confused now, their heads tilting to the side in unison.

The giant squid the old man had harpooned was still floating between the small island and their ship. The crew tensed as their eyes met the old man’s. The elder’s gaze almost felt like it was seeing straight through him, as if looking into their very souls. The old man started to walk to the right, not breaking eye contact with the Straw Hats. With every second that passed, the intensity of the old man seemed to grow. Then he simply sat down and opened a newspaper; the whole crew almost face-faulted at the action.

“What the hell, old man?” Sanji yelled at the sudden shift in mood. The old man tilted his head their way casually.

“Are you trying to pick a fight?” Zoro questioned as he held Sandai Kitetsu at the ready. The old man's eyes snapped open furiously, and the Straw Hats all felt a wave of intensity pass through them.

“Put those down, or someone will die.” The old man spoke after a few seconds of intense staring. His rougher voice was calm as he spoke to the crew.

“Oh and just who would that be?” Sanji questioned; he was already prepared to leap towards this old man if he turned out to be a threat.

“Me.” The old man stated, almost sending the crew face first into the deck from the deadpan delivery.

“Damn it, old man!” Sanji yelled at the old man casually reading his newspaper, “He’s almost as bad as Zeff.” The blonde cook ground out.

Reiju actually giggled lightly at the comparison. “A little bit.”

“Calm down Sanji.” Luffy chuckled at his annoyed Cook. “Hey old man! Do you know where we are? Who are you?”

The old man’s eyes snapped open again, another burst of intensity sent their way. After a moment the man spoke. “Isn't it polite to introduce yourselves first?”

“Oh…right, manners and stuff. I'm…” Luffy rubbed the back of his head as he started to introduce himself.

“My name is Crocus.” The old man cut Luffy off, “I'm the Lighthouse Keeper of the Twin Capes. I'm 71. My sign is Gemini.”

“He didn’t let me finish…” Luffy laughed, slapping his knee at the funny old man. The rest of the crew didn’t find the old man nearly as humorous, all of them had developed eye twitches from the elder’s antics.

“As for where you are? You’re barging into my private resort. Does it look like we're in a rat’s belly?” Crocus questioned them with a raised eyebrow.

“So we really were eaten?” Carina cringed at the confirmation. “But this scenery... Is everything painted on?”

“I don't want to be digested!” Nami exclaimed as she looked over the edge of the Going Merry and into what was now clearly stomach acid.

Crocus's eyes snapped open furiously again. But this time none of the Straw Hats even flinched from the old man’s attempt to be intense.

“That’s about enough of that.” Luffy waved off with a laugh.

“Haven't you ever heard of a running gag?” Crocus grumbled in disappointment.

“THAT WAS A GAG?!” The rest of the crew yelled at the old man.

Crocus motioned off to the side, “There's the exit, unless you’d rather go out the back end.” Turning to look the Straw Hats found that there was indeed a giant metal door on the side of the painted sky.

“Why is there a door on a whale?” Zoro couldn't help but ask. No part of this situation made a damn bit of sense.

“What the hell is even going on anymore?” Nami exhaled heavily. She was really getting tired of the constant shifts and surprises today.

“Did you do all of this?” Reiju questioned Crocus ass he gestured from the door to the painted stomach walls. “It's painted and lighted, all on the inside of a whale's stomach. Is there a reason?”

“Call it a doctor's playful mind. It's a hobby.” Crocus responded lackadaisically.

“What are you even doing in here?!” Nami yelled at him, wanting at least some part of this situation to make sense.

“Let’s just get out of here.” Sanji muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I need a smoke.”

Suddenly the stomach acid began to shake and roil, sending waves up into the air.

“What now?!” Carina cried out as she struggled to keep her footing.

“Back at it already, Laboon?” Crocus sighed as he looked upwards.

“Hey look!” Luffy pointed at the bottom of the tiny island. “That island is a ship, and it’s made of metal! Does that mean that wood will eventually dissolve in this stomach acid?” He looked at his crew curiously.

“Who is Laboon? What's happening, old man?!” Zoro yelled at Crocus.

“Laboon is the name of this whale.” Crocus looked calm despite the rolling waves of stomach acid. The old man looked down as he sighed. “He's ramming his head into the Red Line, just like he's been doing for the last forty years!” The Straw Hats all looked shocked and confused at this revelation.

“Those scars!” Nami gasped in realization, “Its head was full of scars! Did they all come from ramming into the Red Line?!”

“Why is the whale attacking the Red Line?!” Sanji questioned loudly over the roiling and crashing waves of stomach acid.

“What the whale does isn’t our responsibility!” Zoro stated firmly. “We just need to get out!”

While they were speaking Crocus dived into the churning waves of acid and began to swim.

“What did he just do?!” Nami cried out in shock, “He jumped right in! He's going to get digested!”

Nami’s concerns proved to be unfounded as Crocus easily reached a ladder that led up to a large platform. The old man quickly scaled the ladder and started doing something on the platform that none of the Straw Hats could make heads or tails of. The most notable thing on the platform was a pair of large metal doors and whatever it was that Crocus was messing with.

-Behind the doors inside Laboon-

Two rather strange-looking individuals were standing with their backs to the two metal doors.

“Alright!” The male of the pair called out; his tone slightly effeminate. He had red-orange hair and green clothes, and was wearing a golden crown on his head. Two stylized ‘9’s were drawn on his face, directly below his eyes. “Our infiltration has been successful, Miss Wednesday. Behind this door lies the stomach, and likely that old man. We must eliminate him! Everything is for this whale!”

“Yes, Mr. Nine!” The female was a beautiful, slim and curvy woman with blue hair in a ponytail. The blue locks fell down to her, rather nice, butt and her dark brown eyes were alight with intelligence. Her shirt was a spaghetti-strap with concentric circles on it. One large set on her stomach while two more were on each of her buxom breasts. The top was obviously meant to catch the eyes of others. She also had a beige coat with a furry collar over her shoulders. “This whale is a precious sweet honey for our town!” Both of them held rather large guns in one hand and, for some reason, had their pinkies extended.

“Ready, Miss Wednesday? We’ll open the door with a ‘Three, two, one baby!’ Don’t let down your guard!" Mr. Nine told her.

“Roger, Mr. Nine! I'm ready at any time!” Miss Wednesday replied firmly.

Neither of them expected for both of the large metal doors to be opened suddenly!

“You two, again?!” Crocus roared at the stunned duo. The old man grabbed them both by their clothes and flung them off the platform.

“Oh no, Miss Wednesday, we're going to land in the acid sea!” Mr. Nine screamed in terror. The duo plunging towards the rolling waves of stomach acid.

“Who’re those guys?” Luffy questioned as he watched the two people fall towards the stomach acid.

“No idea.” Nami shook her head.

“Should we try and help those two weirdoes?” Zoro asked while pointing at the two falling idiots.

“I’ll grab them.” Luffy shrugged and a golden cloud formed beneath him. He shot through the air on the cloud and scooped the woman into his arms. The flailing man wearing the grown was grabbed by Luffy’s tail, by the ankle, and flailed upside down as Luffy flew back towards the Going Merry.

“Um, hello?” The bluenette blinked at Luffy in confusion.

“Hi!” Luffy smiled at her brightly. The cloud touched down on the caravel, Mr. Nine clonking his head on the deck and rolling about in pain, while Miss Wednesday was gently set on her feet.

“Great job, Captain!” Sanji praised Luffy as his visible eye appeared heart-shaped as he looked at the lovely lady.

“My head!” Mr. Nine cried out as his legs kicked about and he cradled the bump on his head.

“Tsk, if you can whine that loudly, then you’re fine.” Sanji turned away from the flailing man without a care.

“You could try and be a little kinder to others, Sanji.” Reiju nearly deadpanned at her little brother’s attitude when it came towards how he treated women versus men.

They all heard the air-shaking sound of Laboon’s roaring furiously reverberate through the stomach. Most held their ears from the sound. It was loud enough to feel the vibrations in their bones! Then it all just seemingly stopped. The stomach calmed down, and the acid waves stopped roiling. In just a few moments, the entire acid sea was back to being calm and placid.

“Is it over?” Nami asked tentatively, eyeing their surroundings. “Maybe we can get out of here now while Laboon is calm?” The navigator was leaning into Luffy’s side with his right arm around her waist. She always felt safe when Luffy held her.

“Hopefully, but first, what do we do with these two?” Zoro looked over at the two agents, Miss Wednesday standing and looking at the crew curiously, while Mr. Nine lay on the deck still gently cradling his head. “Who are you two anyway?”

“Mr. Nine… Are these pirates?” Miss Wednesday whispered to her partner while leaning away from Sanji, who was seemingly unable to take his heart-shaped eyes off of her. Mr. Nine scrambled to his feet before he leaned in to whisper back.

“I’m not sure…Miss Wednesday. But maybe if we talk to them…they’ll understand?” Mr. Nine was clearly not sure what to make of this crew. He hadn’t seen a Jolly Roger on the mast, so they may not be pirates at least.

“You thugs are still skulking around here?” Crocus sounded very angry as he, somehow, leapt from the acid sea and up onto the Merry. “While I draw breath, you shall never harm Laboon!”

“I’m confused.” Luffy admitted and Nami couldn’t help but giggle at her lover, even though she was just as confused as he was.

“Even if you say so, we can’t leave!” Miss Wednesday retorted, staring hard at Crocus.

“Taking down this whale is our mission!” Mr. Nine shot back at the old man. “We won’t let you interfere with our whaling mission this time!”

“So are they bad guys?” Luffy tilted his head.

“Seems like they might be.” Zoro shrugged, his right hand moving towards his swords. He’d sheathed Sandai Kitetsu earlier, but he could draw it faster than these two could move, if necessary.

“What’re they planning to do without those big guns of theirs?” Carina questioned, pointing her thumb towards the acid sea. She smirked a little when both agents flinched as they realized that they’d dropped their weapons into the sea of stomach acid.

“Huh,” Luffy nodded after a second. “Carina, get some practice and tie them up. His hands.” He pointed at Mr. Nine. “And her legs.” He pointed at Miss Wednesday. “Sanji set up some snacks, we’ll talk to the woman first.”

“Yes Captain!” Sanji practically noodled his way into the kitchen. He knew he’d picked a good man to follow as Captain! Even if he wouldn’t have tied up Miss Wednesday, himself.

“Hey, what so you mean practice?” Mr. Nine asked only to feel chains wrapping around his wrists and pulling them behind his back.

“Huh, that was easier than I thought.” Carina mentioned after successfully using her Devil Fruit. The orange-haired man was quickly tied up with heavy iron chains and then forced to sit on the deck.

“Umm, is this really necessary?” Miss Wednesday questioned shakily as the lavender-haired woman shackled her legs together with thick iron chains. The green-haired swordsman placed a table down on the deck, while the apparent Captain brought chairs from what must be the dining area, in fact, SEVERAL people that looked identical to the Captain brought the chairs over. She was gently guided into one of the chairs and allowed to sit at the table, even as her mind was filled with more and more questions.

“Crocus, join us.” Luffy smiled at the old man. “I’ve got a lot of questions!”

In only a few short moments the Straw Hat crew, Miss Wednesday, and Crocus were all sitting down and partaking of Sanji’s snacks and tea. Miss Wednesday had commented on the delicious taste and Sanji had twirled around in joy.

“Mellorine~!” Sanji was in La La Land from the compliments of Miss Wednesday. Reiju swatting him upside the head brought him back down to earth.

“Laboon is an Island Whale.” Crocus explained as they all waited for the sedated Laboon to rise out of the ocean. “They’re the largest whale species in the world, and they normally only live in the West Blue. These guys here,” He gestured towards the tied-up Mr. Nine and then Miss Wednesday. “Come from a nearby town. They’ve been trying for nearly a year to kill Laboon for his meat. Laboon would probably feed their greedy bellies for two or three years.” The old man glared at both agents, both of whom flinched back at the man’s harsh look. “But they won't succeed. As long as I draw breath, they won’t hurt this whale!”

“But why does Laboon keep pounding his head on the Red Line? What is he trying to do?” Nami asked, still confused as to why the massive whale was hurting himself.

“Laboon came through Reverse Mountain with a certain friendly Pirate crew. He was really young back then. You could have fit him on a dinghy.” Crocus smiled as he reminisced, remembering how the pirates would often ride Laboon while waving flagons of booze around and laughing. “They had been traveling together for a couple of months by then. Laboon had gotten separated from the rest of his pod and had come to see those pirates as his family. But the Grand Line was even scarier back then than it is now. Their ship had been damaged by Reverse Mountain, so they stayed here for almost a year while they repaired it. We became great friends during that time. When the Pirates left to continue on their trip, they left Laboon here with me, promising to come back for him after they made it through the Grand Line. Laboon understood and waited patiently for three years for them to come back as promised. Then he waited four, and then five.” He shook his head. “That was fifty years ago. He still thinks his friends are coming back.” The old man finished quietly, drawing a gasp from Nami, Carina, and Reiju. Miss Wednesday looked rather shocked and saddened at the story.

“This waterway is crazy! Why did you build it inside a whale?” Luffy questioned as the island ship and the Merry sailed through the large gates in Laboon’s side. He wasn’t a fan of what he’d just heard, but something told him that he didn’t know the whole story yet.

“Laboon is too huge. I’m a doctor, but even I can’t treat him from outside!” Crocus replied to the Captain.

“A Doctor?” Luffy grinned widely at the old man. “Do you want to join my cr-”

“No, you idiot. Who would look after Laboon?” Crocus cut the young man off with a snort. “Besides, I'm too old for that shit. Sailing through the Grand Line is a young man’s adventure.”

“Hey, the sky!” Luffy ignored the harsh denial as he craned his neck to look up at the blue sky.

“So, what are we going to do with these idiots?” Zoro asked, pointing to the two agents. Mr. Nine was still tied up and sitting on the deck of the Merry. Miss Wednesday was enjoying the tea and snacks that Sanji had made for everyone.

“Eh, leave them tied up for now. She seems compliant enough, so we can talk to her first. We don’t want them trying to hurt the whale again.” Luffy stared at both agents with a gaze that seemed normal enough, until one looked deeper and saw the threat hidden behind it.

Miss Wednesday gave Luffy a strained smile while Mr. Nine blanched and scooted back against the nearest wall. Nami noticed something that had fallen from the crown-wearing man’s pocket. It was some kind of glass bauble on a leather band. She picked it up and examined it curiously. It kind of looked like a compass needle suspended on a string inside the glass.

“You should just toss them overboard.” Crocus glared at both of them, getting sweat to bead on their foreheads. “But that’s not my call to make. Idiots from that town have been trying to kill Laboon for years. But I’ll never let them.”

The gangplank was lowered from the Going Merry and they all disembarked. One of Luffy’s copies carrying the chair that Miss Wednesday sat in, since her legs were chained together; while the original Luffy dragged Mr. Nine along behind him.

“So, he's been waiting here for fifty years? They’ve kept him waiting a long time.” Luffy commented as he relaxed and laid in the grass near Crocus’s Lighthouse. Nami lay next to him with his arm around her waist, while she looked over the strange item she had ‘borrowed’ from Mr. Nine. Reiju lay on Luffy’s other side with a peaceful smile as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“This is the Grand Line.” Sanji snorted, as he took a drag from his cigarette. Mostly to ignore his sister cuddling up with Luffy. “Those guys said they’d be back in a couple years. It’s been fifty. That’s all the answer you need.” The chef exhaled the smoke. “They’re dead. He’ll be waiting here for the rest of his life.”

“That’s so sad.” Carina looked at the large whale with sympathy.

“I'm afraid that reality is even crueler than that. A long time ago, news reached me from a reliable source that those pirates had failed. They escaped the Grand Line.” Crocus rubbed at his eyes sadly.

“What!” Nami exclaimed angrily, nearly bolting up form where she lay if not for Luffy’s arm around her waist. “And they just abandoned Laboon here?! How cruel could they be?!” Having actual nakama of her own for the first time in her life had definitely changed her. She was seething with rage for Laboon’s sake. “How could they just leave their nakama behind!” Nami exhaled as Luffy pulled her closer, giving her a warm hug. It was only a moment later that she came to a startling realization. “Wait a minute! They would’ve been forced to cross the Calm Belt to escape the Grand Line!”

“That’s right. That’s the only reason their fate is uncertain.” Crocus confirmed with a nod. “But even if they’re alive, they’ll never come back here. The seasons, the climates, the ocean currents, even the air currents! Everything about this place is an unpredictable nightmare! This is an ocean that will break everyone trying to sail it! The weak of heart, those who would risk their lives on the Calm Belt rather than stay a moment longer, are all devoured by this sea!”

“So they fled, caring more about their lives than promises made.” Zoro remarked on the pirate crew from fifty years ago.

“Then they did abandon Laboon, it seems.” Reiju sighed at the Island Whale’s fate. “Even after fifty years, he still believes in them? That’s far too cruel.”

“Why don’t you tell him?” Nami questioned the old lighthouse keeper. “He can understand, can’t he? Why would you keep it from him?”

“Why do you think he roars and hits his head on the Red Line?” Crocus asked her with a morose tone. “I did tell him. I told him everything. But he won’t listen. He’s convinced this rock face is the only thing keeping him from his friends. He refuses to accept the truth.” The old man looked down. “But after all these decades…if he accepts it, he’ll lose his reason for having waited for so long. He has no way home… And even if he did, he has no home to go back to. He’d never be able to find his pod, if they’d even accept him back after so long.” Crocus kept a stiff upper lip, but it was clear that he was holding back tears as he stared up at Laboon. The Island Whale was simply floating quietly with his head pointed straight up, “Look at those scars on his head. If he keeps ramming his head on the Red Line, he'll surely die. We’ve been together for fifty years. I can’t abandon him, even if they broke their promise to me too.”

“Luffy?” Nami questioned her lover as he removed his arm from her waist and stood up. Reiju sat up as well, her spot disturbed, and watched what Luffy was going to do.

The Captain walked towards the edge of the land and a golden cloud formed beneath his feet as he flew over the water and stopped by Laboon’s huge eye. He smiled brightly at the Island Whale. Laboon let out a chirp that held a tone of curiosity at the human being so close to it.

“Hiya, Laboon!” Luffy greeted the whale with a wave. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy! I heard that you’re waiting for your friends!” Getting a chirp of confirmation from the whale, Luffy continued. “My crew and I are going to sail all the way around the Grand Line! We’ll come visit you again once we finish! If, by chance, we happen to find any of your old friends along the way; I WILL bring them here to you! I promise! You’re OUR nakama now! And I NEVER break a promise to my nakama! We WILL see each other again!” Luffy promised Laboon with such utter conviction that the world itself seemed to go quiet for a long moment.

“Bwooo.” Laboon’s massive eye started to tear up.

“This guy…” Crocus’s eyes were wide as he looked on at what Luffy had done through the power of his conviction alone.

Laboon, on the other hand, threw his head back and let out the happiest cry Crocus had heard from him in decades. The old lighthouse keeper couldn’t stop a few tears from escaping his eyes as Laboon chirped happily while Luffy laughed along with the massive Island Whale.

“It’s a promise between nakama! Right Laboon?!” Luffy laughed and received a joyful chirp from Laboon. Everyone at the Twin Capes (barring Mr. Nine who could only watch as their whaling mission failed again) smiled at the scene. Even Miss Wednesday’s eyes were bright and warm as she watched on.

-Later-

Laboon chirped happily as he flopped his large tail and sent up a spray of ocean water. All over the great beast’s body, dozens and dozens of Luffy’s copies ran brushes and brooms over the whale, cleaning him off of any and all barnacles or other things that had stuck themselves to Laboon over time. The various Luffys laughed and Laboon gave a chirp that conveyed his enjoyment of the cleaning.

“How could I not fall in love with him?” Nami giggled to herself as she pulled out her map and compass. She needed to plot out their course so they could leave the Twin Capes soon.

“He’s unique.” Reiju agreed with Nami, a gentle smile on her face as she watched the large number of copies clean the whale.

Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine were sitting off to the side of the group (both still bound by the chains that Carina had put on them) the two were whispering to each other while looking at Luffy on occasion. Sanji was busy in the kitchen preparing his Elephant True Blue Fin. Carina continued to practice with her Devil Fruit, wanting to get better with the Jara Jara no Mi. And Zoro was napping while leaned up against the Going Merry’s mast.

Nami’s sudden scream jarred everyone in hearing. Luffy was by her side in an instant, landing from an insane jump from his Somersault Cloud that had been next to Laboon. Sanji came out of the ship carrying a huge plate in each hand, one on his head, and even one balanced on his left leg. How he managed to get around like that was beyond anyone’s understanding.

“Nami-swan~! Whatever is the matter? If it is dinner you want, it's ready~.”

“The compass is broken!” Nami was panicking as the Straw Hats gathered around. She pointed at the compass and everyone saw the navigation instrument spinning around more than Sanji did when a woman complimented him. “It just keeps spinning!”

Miss Wednesday started laughing quite loudly. The crew turned to her with questioning looks. Nami, while not amused in the slightest, had to admit the other young woman played the part of ‘Queen Bitch’ very well; she had the laugh down and everything.

“You foolish pirates! Did you come here intending to throw your lives away? Are you really a Navigator?” Miss Wednesday questioned Nami in a condescending tone. Nami felt her eyebrow twitch at having her navigation skills called into question.

“While she is being quite mouthy for a prisoner,” Crocus glared at the bluenette, which quickly made her shut up. “She has a point. Did you not do any research? That thing would be better served on the ocean floor here in the Grand Line. It’s not broken, but it isn’t useful either.”

“Is it the magnetic field?” Nami gasped, grasping the situation quickly.

“Correct.” Crocus replied, “Every island on the Grand Line is rich in magnetic minerals. Every single island has its own unique magnetic field, so it’s impossible for any regular compass to properly read the planet's natural field.”

“Hmm, that doesn’t sound good.” Luffy spoke up as he munched on the Elephant True Blue Fin that Sanji had set out.

“To make matters worse, none of the currents follow any regular patterns. Neither do any of the winds. As a Navigator, I'm sure you realize how dangerous that is. If you were to set sail without knowing any of this, you’d perish for sure. Without any direction, your journey would be doomed to fail.” Crocus shook his head while accepting a plate of the Blue Fin from Sanji.

“I didn’t know.” Nami sighed as she looked at her wildly spinning compass. “So we’re stuck here? How can we navigate if our tools don't work?”

“You need a Log Pose.” Crocus informed her after swallowing his first bite of Blue Fin.

“What’s that?” Nami blinked at the unknown term.

“It’s a special type of compass.” Crocus answered her. “Without one, navigation of the Grand Line is impossible.”

“So, it’s a weird compass?” Luffy asked after swallowing his current mouthful.

“Indeed,” Crocus nodded at the simple explanation. “It’s usually worn on the wrist with a leather strap.

“You mean one of these things?” Nami held up the item that she’d ‘appropriated’ from Mr. Nine earlier.

“Yes, that’s a Log Pose.” Crocus confirmed.

“Hey, wait! That’s mine!” Mr. Nine yelled at Nami while Miss Wednesday noticeably stiffened.

“What? That’s impossible. I found it on our ship. So, it must be ours.” Nami smirked and stuck her tongue out at the tied up agent. Both of their prisoners went a bit blue in the face. “So, this is a Log Pose huh? It has no markings.”

“It doesn’t need any. As I said, every island on the Grand Line has its own unique magnetic field. Therefore, you must record each magnetic field on your journey, which will lead you to your next island. Each one connects to the next in the chain. The Log Pose is the only thing you can depend on in the Grand Line in terms of navigation. Reverse Mountain is the starting point, and you pick one of seven different paths here. But no matter which path you choose, all paths converge on a single island in the end. The island known as Raftel. In all of history, only one man has led a crew on that perilous journey and made it to the end. Gold Roger!” Crocus explained before taking another forkful of Blue Fin.

“That must be where the One Piece is!” Luffy grinned brightly, already having planned to reach the final island as part of his adventure.

“That’s the leading theory.” Crocus shrugged. “No other legend is as tempting as that one! But only one man has ever made it. No one else has reached that island.”

“Better make that two, old man.” Luffy grinned widely as the two stared each other down. A wide grin appeared on Crocus's face to match Luffy’s. The two agents looked completely shocked. “Anyway, once we’re done eating, let’s set sail!”

Sanji and Zoro finally turned to the plates and their eyes bugged out. “YOU ATE EVEN THE BONES?!” Luffy simply blinked at both of them.

When Sanji had set the plates down, everyone had been given a plate of the huge fish. Naturally, the women had received theirs first. Nami’s was untouched, though the orangette was now starting to eat. Carina’s plate was partially eaten, the Chain Fruit user humming happily at the delicious fish. Reiju picked up her fork to start eating now that the conversation was over. Sanji and Zoro’s plates were half empty. The plates given to Crocus and Miss Wednesday were untouched as well, except by the one’s they were intended for. Unfortunately for Zoro and Sanji, the rest of the plates, the ones meant for people to have seconds from, had been picked clean, bones included, by their ravenous Captain.

“Luffy, you bastard! This tuna was supposed to be for the ladies to enjoy the most!” Sanji growled at his Captain. “The ONLY reason I’m not kicking you into the ocean right now is because you didn’t touch their plates!”

“You damn glutton.” Zoro grumbled, taking his own plate and walking a bit further away to eat his remaining fish in peace.

“None of you seemed interested, and I was hungry.” Luffy shrugged at his Cook.

“But why did you steal from our plates, you jackass?!” Sanji demanded as he held his plate away from Luffy. The chef internally critiqued his cooking of the Elephant True Blue Fin as he ate, finding it to be fantastic, but wondering if he might’ve been able to get even more flavor out of the fish somehow.

“You didn’t seem interested.” Luffy chuckled and Nami giggled beside him. She had nothing to fear from Luffy’s monstrous appetite. Her food would never be stolen by her lover. Reiju only smiled knowingly as she ate. Carina snickered at the theft that Luffy had pulled off, having watched it happen, but not said a word.

“Thank you, for the food.” Miss Wednesday spoke up from her spot at the table; she was enjoying the amazing fish with a smile. “It’s truly delicious.”

“Anything else you’d like, Miss?” Sanji was in ‘Love Mode’ again as he twirled around happily.

“Wait, why is my portion so small?” Mr. Nine whined at Sanji. “It’s hard to eat with my hands chained together!” The blonde cook stopped twirling and looked at Mr. Nine with a grimace.

“I made you a plate out of professional courtesy, and all you can do is complain? Shut up and show some gratitude, you shit!” Sanji glared at the crown-wearing man. Mr. Nine had crocodile tears running down his cheeks at the harsh words.

“We’d better be careful with this. Our entire journey rests on this staying safe.” Nami stated as she strapped the Log Pose to her wrist.

Suddenly, everyone heard a strange clacking sound from above. Mr. Nine’s jaw dropped, and he broke into a flop sweat. Miss Wednesday also stiffened up and looked up in fear.

“Oh no!” Mr. Nine cried out in terror. “It’s the Unluckies!” All of the people there looked up and saw what appeared to be a spotted otter riding a vulture that was wearing aviator goggles.

“It’s an otter riding a vulture?” Carina sounded like she was questioning her own eyes.

“Hey, it is an otter riding a vulture!” Luffy chuckled at the sight.

“But why is an otter riding a vulture?” Reiju questioned the bizarre sight. “Is that a bomb?”  Her eyes narrowed sharply at spotting the weapon.

The otter had a shell in its hand which it was whacking against a rock. That was what was causing the clacking sound they heard. A moment later and the fuse on the device lit up. It was then chucked directly at the two agents with the crew.

“Nami…” Luffy smiled at his lover. A second later and both the otter and the vulture burst into a localized inferno that was so bright the flames were nearly white. Luffy simply grabbed his Ruyi Jinju Bang and extended it to three times its normal length. The bomb was batted away and ended up exploding far away over the ocean. So far, in fact, that the explosion wasn’t even heard, only seen.

The two agents gaped at what they’d just witnessed. With no effort involved, both of the Unluckies had been killed! The Navigator apparently had a Devil Fruit too! Just as the blackened husks of the dead otter and vulture hit the ocean with a splash, Miss Wednesday regained her ability to speak.

“Is everyone on this crew so terrifying?” Miss Wednesday was wide-eyed. Thankfully her muttering was only heard by her tied-up partner behind her.

“What do we do, Miss Wednesday? Should we ask?” Mr. Nine whispered to his partner. He knew she would understand what he was asking without having to explain. Miss Wednesday had the proverbial ‘lightbulb’ go off after thinking for a moment. She just barely managed to keep from grinning to herself.

“Excuse me, Mr. Captain?” Miss Wednesday turned to Luffy with a smile.

“You can just call me Luffy.” Luffy shrugged as he looked at her. “What’s your name anyway?” His eyes had a slight golden glow to them that Miss Wednesday didn’t seem to notice.

“I’m Miss Wednesday. This is Mr. Nine.” Miss Wednesday blinked at him. She expected him to have picked up on their names by now. He should have heard them a few times already.

“What’s your real name?” Luffy looked at her flatly.

“Oh!” The bluenette started. “We…we can’t say! I’m sorry! Our work requires us to be secretive! Our company’s motto is ‘Mystery’ and that’s all we can say!”

“Okay… What is it?” Luffy waved off their oddities without concern.

“May we please get a ride back home on your ship?” Miss Wednesday asked, bowing her head to the man. “With both our boat and our Log Pose gone, we can’t get back home. It’s not very far from here! It’s one of the first islands on the Grand Line. It’s called Cactus Island and our town is Whiskey Peak. We just want to go home! We promise to repay you for your trouble!”

“I wouldn’t trust them.” Crocus spoke up, looking at the two agents with a glare. “They’ve been up to no good since they got here.”

“Plus, they tried to kill Laboon.” Nami remarked, which made the two agents flinch at the reminder. Nami stared Miss Wednesday in the eyes. “Why should we help you?”

“It’s fine.” Luffy chuckled and Nami turned to him in surprise. He was grinning lightly at Miss Wednesday, the young woman giving him a demure look. Nami was almost surprised that the other woman could pull off the act. Being able to swap between demure lady and Queen Bitch took practice. “We’ll take you to this Sake Summit place. It’s as good a route to start with as any other, right?”

Miss Wednesday’s face brightened at Luffy’s agreement. She gave him a short bow and Nami almost smirked. The girl was clearly trying to draw Luffy’s eyes to her breasts. Unfortunately for the bluenette, Luffy was pretty much immune to such tactics. He’d only really shown interest in her and Reiju after getting to know them.

“Care to explain? Also, the town is called Whiskey Peak.” Nami leaned in and whispered to her lover.

“Shishishishi,” Luffy chuckled with a grin on his face. “Just a feeling. This seems like fun.”

“Are you sure it’s not because she’s cute?” Nami teased him with a grin; feeling comfortable in the state of their relationship to make playful jokes.

“Nah, it’s because she’s not being honest with us, or with herself.” Luffy wrapped his tail around her waist again. “So it’ll probably be a fun first island.”

“You just want to have a random adventure.” Nami giggled before kissing his neck.

“Yep!” Luffy grinned at his lover.

“Alright then, time to set the Log Pose.” Nami smiled at him as she carefully pulled his tail away and went to set their route. Reiju sidled up to Luffy’s opposite side and grinned when the prehensile tail was quick to wrap around her waist.

“Are you sure that you want to take these two? Once you choose a route, you can’t change it.” Crocus warned Luffy.

“It’s fine!” Luffy grinned widely at the old man. “If we don’t like this route, then we’ll just sail around again.” That sounded like a great adventure!

“Alright, just make sure to set the Pose using the map.” Crocus couldn’t help but break out into a grin of his own.

“It’s all set!” Nami called out a few moments later. “The Log Pose is pointing to Cactus Island!”

“Great!” Luffy cheered, throwing both of his fists into the air as he stood on the Going Merry’s figurehead. Reiju was laughing brightly at the base of the figurehead, having been carried there when Luffy jumped on board. “Let’s set sail! Thank you for everything, Crocus!”

“Thank you for your help!” Nami waved as everyone else walked up the gangplank and boarded the Going Merry. The ship’s anchor was pulled up and the sails were unfurled, they took off at the first wind without trouble. Laboon chirped out his goodbyes and Luffy replied.

“We’ll be back, Laboon! We’ll bring back any of your friends that we find too!” Luffy waved to the mountain of a whale.

As the ship disappeared over the horizon, Crocus adopted a serious, but thoughtful, look. “Could that crew be the ones that we’ve been waiting for? They’re not even pirates; but he has a weird aura to him, eh Roger?” The old man chuckled as he thought about how similar and yet different Luffy and his old Captain were.

-Going Merry-

“To Sake Summit!” Luffy cheered loudly, pointing straight ahead.

“Yeah!” All of his copies manning the ship called back.

“It’s Whiskey Peak, Captain!” Carina cracked up into bubbly laughter at Luffy getting the name wrong again.

Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine could only side-eye the crew and look at each other. A silent conversation passed between the two partners; one that only they were privy to. Their choices would determine how the Straw Hats’ visit to Whiskey Peak would play out.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Grand Line Saga begins with a familiar meeting!

The Straw Hats meet Laboon and Crocus, as well as Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday!

Luffy renews Laboon’s belief in his old friends, and in the new nakama that the Straw Hats represent for the Island Whale! A happy whale is cute, even if he IS the size of an island! Kek!

Per Miss Wednesday’s request, the Going Merry is heading for Cactus Island!

But if the Straw Hats aren’t pirates…what will their welcome be like?

Keep reading to find out!

Until next time, later!