Chapter Nineteen: Laboon
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"Lunaris. We discussed this before. You should be careful with the humans. You created them yourself. You should know that they are delicate creatures."
Lunaris flipped another page in his book as Sage stood before him scoldingly.
Sage was currently in the Celestial Realm, inside of Lunaris' study. He had left Red-Haired Shanks and Rosinate to mingle back at the castle so that he could reprimand Lunaris for his rash actions.
So far, Lunaris wasn't paying much attention.
"Humans aren't fragile. Quite contrary, actually." Brushing his long ombre hair to the side, the god looked up to stare at his friend. "They are intelligent creatures. They will rebound. When one passes through the gateway without precaution and lives, they are granted a small gift. I'd say it was rather generous of me."
"Rather risky too," Sage huffed. "He could have died."
"But he didn't."
Sage gritted his teeth as he glared hard at Lunaris. He only seemed to be bored, wanting nothing more than to read his books. That's what you get when you're friends with a scholar. Sage huffed in annoyance.
"If it's any consolation," Lunaris spoke, shutting his book closed with a quick snap. "I wasn't as negligent as Mortalitus spoke of. I made sure that the man was in perfect and working condition when I guided him through the gateway."
"You mean you pushed him." The God of Creation and Destruction waved him off, setting his book aside on a small table. Sage tilted his head slightly to read, How to Kill a Mockingbird.
"I gave him a little... nudge. You can ask Aarth. He was in perfect condition." Sage narrowed his eyes at the larger male who towered before him. He had to be around seven feet tall in his 'human' form. Celestial beings were as tall as the giants themselves back in the Pirate Realm.
Sage watched as Lunaris averted his eyes to the window. The dragon let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Fucking gods...
"You were drunk weren't you?" A small tinge of pink showed up on his tan cheeks as he refused to meet the dragon's gaze.
"I blame Hollow and Abigor. I will be part of their drinking games no longer." Sage rolled his eyes, putting his hands to his hips.
"You said that last time."
"They're very good at convincing me." Sage nodded his head skeptically.
"You just wanted to win. Like always." Shaking his head in disbelief at the god's flushed cheeks, Sage let out a groan of annoyance. "You're supposed to be one of the most intelligent out of the Gods, how is it possible that you don't realize that they feed you their poisons?"
Lunaris took a seat in his leather chair behind his desk.
"I wanted a fair competition. Besides, the taste was exquisite. Just like strawberries. Aarth was spectating as well, so there really is no need for you to be so worried." Sage looked so done with Lunaris' shit because he was done.
"We have ambrosia and nectar. And nothing with those two gods is fair." Rubbing his eyes, ran his hands through his hair. "And you had the God of Knowledge spectating everything. I thought he was supposed to be smart."
"He may have knowledge, but that doesn't mean he makes terrible decisions. He prefers to live on the... 'memer' side of life. Not that I know what that is. Or was it maim?" he mumbled to himself.
A sudden smell began wafting through the room. It smelled of oregano, melted cheese, and a tinge of tomato. Sage blinked slowly, his head turning towards the door he had broken when he had stomped his way into the building.
The smell wafting around was just intoxicating. And he knew exactly who was the cause of that.
"I do believe Flare is making what humans call... pizza. Quite delicious if I do say so myself. Who knew that bread covered in tomato sauce, sprinkled with a little hard milk would create such a wonderful thing. Would you say that I indirectly created pizza? I created humans who have created technology, so I'd play a role in creating-"
"Luna, be quiet. I will not stand to have this conversation with you again. And- did you call cheese, 'hard milk'?" Lunaris paused, eyes widening as he turned his head to face Sage. His mouth hung open slightly as he tried to find his words. In the end, all he said was,
"...no."
Even though they both knew he was lying.
Don't you ever just feel like you're the only smart one sometimes? That's how Sage was feeling every time he came over to visit the shit for gods. It was just a wonder as to why humans were stupid enough to worship these eleven. Well, there were a select few who weren't full of shit, but most of them were quite idiots.
Though for some it was only a front.
These gods were all so weird and quirky.
And he had a feeling that more people were going to be dumped on his island at the rate this was going. Damn it Abigor and Hollow. Those chaos loving idiots (monsters, he should say, literal devils they are) making all the smart people dumb.
Well, at least there was Flare.
Speaking of Flare, he needed to get some of that pizza to feed to the pirates back on the island. Did they even like pizza? Maybe he should get some pasta just in case.
Oh dear, he was going soft for these idiots. Those soon to be chaos inducing idiots. This was why he should never mingle with humans. They make him all mushy. And it wasn't like he could get rid of them.
Feelings were such annoying things to have.
---
Meanwhile, with the idiots...
"So... what did he say?" Shanks glanced up at Rosinate. Rosinate stood beside the vanity in his room, attempting to perfect his makeup. "The fate thing, I mean. He mentioned your fate, as well as this Y/n person." Shanks nodded in understanding, cracking a small smile.
But despite his smiling exterior, he was feeling nothing but worry.
"Ah, he just spoke about a few things and his concerns, it's not too big of a deal." Shanks stretched his arms out, letting out a yawn. "But I'm kind of curious. Tell me, what was it like being... well, dead? I'm just dying to know." It was silent for a moment before Rosinate busted out laughing.
"... Did you just make a pun? Geez that was terrible." He wiped a tear from his eye, trying not to mess up, but failing miserably. He pouted slightly at the red lipstick on his cheek. He messed up big time. "Damn you Shanks..." he grumbled under his breath, wiping it away with some tissue.
Shanks laughed at Rosinate's misery. "Whoops, sorry about that! Dahahaha! But really, what was it like? I heard you met a god!" The Rosinate hummed, looking thoughtful for a moment.
"Yeah. You wouldn't believe how many there were. I always believed there to be one." Corazon looked thoughtful for a moment. "I remember seeing eleven gods. Very intimidating people. Very loud too."
"Huh, really? What were they like?"
"Loud. Destructive. Self destructive actually. You should have seen that one guy, submerge himself in alcohol and lit himself on fire." Rosinate shook his head, shivering slightly at the memory. "He got in trouble of course." Shanks laughed.
"For a couple of gods, they sure do know how to party! Man, I wish I was invited!" Rosinate chuckled.
"I don't think you want to be invited. They're kind of like a dysfunctional family. The Mom of their little group is ironically the God of War. I heard that he cooks too- oh shit!" He yelped in surprise when he accidentally tripped over his own foot, falling face first onto the ground. "Ow... I guess I got my clumsiness back." Pushing himself up, he groaned in discomfort.
Shanks, meanwhile, was dying in the corner.
"Holy shit, you are clumsy!" he laughed. "But hey, I definitely want to get invited to that party! Sounds fun!"
I seriously doubt it... Rosinate sang in his mind.
"Ahaha... right." Moving back towards the vanity, he sighed in relief when his flawless makeup wasn't ruined. Turning around to walk back to Shanks, Rosinate asked, "by the way, do you mind if I asked you a question?"
"I don't mind! Go ahead. I might have an answer."
"Is there a... Donquixote Doflamingo that's alive?" Shanks raised a brow. Donquixote Doflamingo? The shichibukai? Why would Rosinate want to know that?
"There is." Rosinate nodded his head thoughtfully, a frown beginning to settle on his face. "What, you got some bad blood with him? Did he have something to do with your death?" Shanks shook his head, clapping the man over the shoulder.
"Well, whatever it is, you don't have to tell me. You're here now. And right now we're going to have a party!" Rosinate grinned.
"Ha, a party?" He paused, before turning his attention back to the redhead. "I actually have one more question. You haven't heard of a... Trafalgar Law?" Shanks shrugged.
"I don't know. Sounds familiar. Is he a pirate?"
Pirate?
"Ah, forget about it! Let's hurry it up. I'm starving. I haven't eaten food in ages." Shanks didn't question his dismissiveness, only moving to open the door with a mock bow, causing them both to laugh. "Why thank you."
"You're welcome, my lady. Your makeup looks fabulous." Rosinate rolled his eyes, nudging Shanks in the gut.
"Of course it looks fabulous. I did it myself."
---
You awoke with a sudden start, feeling a floating feeling in your stomach. When you opened your eyes, you realized why you were feeling that way.
You were floating in mid air. No, you weren't floating. The ship was falling.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" you cried, smacking against the ceiling as the ship fell fast and faster. You cried out in pain when the ship crashed back against the waves, sending you tumbling to the ground.
How lovely.
About to run outside, your hand hovered over the knob, hesitating whether or not you should actually go out. You were on the sea. It would do you much better to stay inside and pretend that everything would be okay.
"The sea is a vast and unforgiving place. If you want to become a pirate, then you must get rid of your fears."
You bit your lip as Mihawk's words echoed in your mind. Right. Mihawk didn't train you to become a coward! You were strong! You had to be strong! You had to prove that you could be independent so that you didn't have to rely on anyone!
With newfound courage, you wrenched the door open, running out, only to stumble into railing. You let out an oomph, feeling discomfort in your abdomen. That hurt. You probably shouldn't close your eyes next time.
"Y/n? You're awake?" Cracking your eyes open, you turned your head to see Nami's surprised expression. Her hands clutched onto the railing tightly, her hair whipping past her face due to the speed that the ship was moving at.
"Y/n?" Luffy shouted, his head turning to look at you. "Y/N! Are you feeling better?" he asked. At his shout, Sanji began to swoon.
"MY GODDESS YOU'VE AWAKENED FROM YOUR SLUMBER!"
"SHUT UP YOU DAMN COOK!"
"Y/n, you're up?" Usopp shouted over the wind and rushing water. You gripped the railing tight, sheepishly looking at them.
"Hello... I'm awake." You nervously looked at the water and the surrounding area, noting how high up you actually were. You were scared. There was no point in trying to lie to yourself. You were really fucking scared out of your mind. Oh this wasn't good for your heart. "N-Nami? Can you hold my hand?" you asked, desperate for some consolation.
She didn't question it, grabbing your hand and intertwining her fingers with your own. You let out a quiet and appreciative "thanks", and she gave you a big smile in return.
"If you're scared, just hold on to me!" she declared. "Don't worry. We got Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro to help you too. We won't let anything bad happen to you!" You nodded, feeling warmth in your chest at her reassurance
"And Usopp," you mumbled. She raised a brow.
"Yeah, well, he's a bit of a coward."
"H-HEY!" Usopp shouted. "I-I'm a great warrior of the sea! I'm no coward- AHHH!!!" Usopp screamed as the ship flew several meters into the air before crash landing back onto the waves.
"Sea what I mean?" Nami whispered. You sweat dropped, but nodded your head.
"Yeah... but I'm a bit of a coward too. I think Usopp is rather brave for attempting to face his fears." Nami blinked slowly, taking in your words.
Wow. That struck a chord within her. She never really thought of that.
A wide smile broke out on her face as she took in your bright and sheepish expression. Your eyes caught hers, and she felt her heart skip a beat. No, that couldn't be right. Why would her heart skip a beat? She wasn't attracted to women. This was something more of a friendship, it had to be.
"Nami?" Your voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay? If-If you're scared too you can hold onto me! I'll try my best to help you like you're helping me!"
God, you were too precious for this world.
Your head turned to look at Usopp, who was clinging to the ship tightly. "Usopp! You too! You-You can hold onto my hand!" Your arm stretched out to him. "We're nakama! I-I want to help you guys!"
Usopp stared at your hand. It was weird. Usually he was the one constantly overcoming his fears of this world. Sometimes Nami would be scared shitless like he was, but he knew that she was braver than himself. Here she was, laughing about riding down the Red Line.
But you, you were afraid of things too. You were scared of small things; the ocean; flying; sharp objects; Luffy had filled them in on all the necessary things to know about you, of course. And despite those facts, here you were, attempting to brave the worst all for... well, him.
This warm feeling inside of his heart...
Grabbing your hand, you gave him the brightest smile he had ever seen. It was beautiful. It was precious. How could he; how could Zoro, Nami, and himself ever think that you were someone who would cause them harm?
"R-Right! I'll help you too!" he declared.
This had to be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Nami and Usopp watched in confusion as you linked your elbows within their own, letting go of their hands. With one solid motion, you jumped up on Merry's railings, swinging your legs to wrap around securely on the bars. Nami gave you a questioning look, before dropping her mouth wide open as you began to casually sip on some tea you pulled out of nowhere.
"I drink tea under stressful and unnatural situations," you spoke calmly, eyes focused on your cup and not your surroundings because you didn't want to focus on your surroundings. If you did, you'd probably have a panic attack.
"O-Oh... I guess that makes sense...?" She trailed off.
She was lying. This doesn't make sense at all.
Meanwhile, in the crowsnest, Sanji was glaring at the two in jealousy. Well, mostly at Usopp. He was fine with your interactions with Nami. Making friends with people is important after all, and who was he to deny you a healthy relationship with your crewmates? Except he couldn't help but feel something unsettling swirling inside of him.
He shook his head, directing his jealousy at Usopp. He wanted to receive some of your smiles too... Opening his mouth, Sanji called out to you.
"Y/n-hime, my Goddess!! Can I have some of your love too??" His heart thundered in his chest as you turned your head, eyes flickering up to look at him. You smiled up at him, and he felt his heart melt. And then, just as he thought that it couldn't get any better, you shouted to him.
"Sure! You can have as much love as you want!"
Oh my god. Why was this affecting him so much?
Was it because females would usually deny his advances? Was it because he actually genuinely liked you? He paused his train of thought, eyes widening slightly.
Did he actually like you? No. He watched as you turned your attention away from him, looking a little more comfortable now that you had Usopp and Nami by your side.
You were his goddess, of course he would like you. It would be ridiculous if he didn't. You made him feel happy, even if he hadn't known you for long. You were kind, accepting, albeit a little naive, but it was part of your charm.
He vowed to protect you.
Sanji averted his lovestruck gaze to Zoro, who was leaning against Merry's mast, eyes trained on you. If Sanji wasn't happy with Usopp, he as hell wasn't happy with Zoro. How dare that marimo watch you like a creep!
About to yell at him, Luffy shouted from Merry's head.
"Shishishishi!! Y/n! You're awake!" It seemed as though Luffy finally noticed your presence. You gave him a small wave.
"Hello Luffy!!" Usopp turned his head to look ahead, but he furrowed his brows when he saw a dark mass within the fog.
"What is that?" Usopp wondered, adjusting his goggles to see what the mass was. You heard a rumble that sounded like a whale. Your eyes flashed gold, and you saw a vision of a blue haired girl and a...
Oh.
"Nami-san! I see a mountain up ahead!" Sanji called out from the mast.
"Mountain?" Nami spoke in confusion, twisting her head to look up at the chef. "There shouldn't be a mountain!"
"But it's really there!" he shouted back.
"Who cares, let's go!" Luffy shouted.
"Uh... Nami?" you mumbled, clutching your tea cup tightly as you took a big long sip. The oranged haired girl looked at you in confusion. "That's not a mountain. That's a whale."
"Oh, a whale. Wait, a whale?" It took a moment for everyone to register your words.
"HOLY SHIT WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!!"
"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!! I'M SORRY Y/N!!!" Usopp screamed, turning to stare at you. He stopped when he realized that you were just drinking your tea, staring at the whale. "WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!"
"We're not going to die."
"Shishishishi! That's great!" Luffy laughed, grabbing the top of his Strawhat. "So what do we need to do, Y/n? Oh! How about I shoot a cannon at it?!"
"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU SHOOT IT?!"
Nami yelled.
"Oi, it's getting closer," Zoro commented, eyes squinting at the large mass. "Tell us before we all die."
"Marimo! Y/n-hime said we weren't going to die!!" Sanji growled angrily. "Believe in my Goddess!! She wouldn't lie to us! Isn't that right, Y/n-hime~?" You nodded your head.
"I won't. Lying is wrong, and so is breaking promises!" Luffy watched you for a moment, before he suddenly had an enlightenment. "I have a great idea!" Stretching his arms back, he grabbed you by the shoulders, grappling you into his arms.
"OI! LUFFY YOU BRAT! BE CAREFUL!" Sanji growled when he saw the brief terror in your eyes. Even Nami and Usopp were scolding him, preaching about how 'fragile' you were. Zoro stood off to the side, rolling his eyes at the three.
Idiots. You weren't fragile. If Hawk-eye Mihawk says you're strong, then who were they to say that you were fragile? Zoro briefly wondered what it would be like to engage in battle with you. Would he stand a chance against you?
His eyes trained on you with intensity. He really wanted to test your strengths now. Then again, what was it that you said? Those bracelets were restricting your powers? They just looked like regular bracelets to him.
Well, as regular as expensive jeweled bracelets looked.
Zoro folded his arms together as the whale approached steadily closer. They were going to crash if Luffy didn't hurry it up with this "great" idea of his.
"You can talk to animals, right? Talk to that whale! Tell it to move!" Your eyes looked from Luffy to the whale, then back to Luffy. "Come on, you have to do this! I believe in you! The whale will listen to you!"
Holding onto your shoulders tightly, Luffy positioned you so that you were facing the whale. Luffy wasn't wrong. You could talk to animals, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was would the whale even listen.
It would be great timing if another vision came right about now.
"Y/n's going to speak to the whale!" Luffy exclaimed, and you tensed under him. Well if you weren't feeling pressured before, you were definitely feeling a lot of pressure now.
"W-Wah?! You can speak to animals?!" Usopp exclaimed.
"My Goddess is an actual Goddess!!"
"Hurry before we crash!"
You were sweating bullets now.
Confidence. You need confidence. Closing your eyes shut, you clenched your teeth. You needed guidance.
"Take a deep breath. Let it come to you."
The unfamiliar voice flooded into your head, and yet it brought you a sense of comfort. It was the guidance you had asked for. Taking a deep breath, you snapped your eyes open.
"I'm going to throw you up on the whale."
"WHAT?!" Usopp and Nami shouted in surprise.
Luffy gazed into your eyes, taking notice of the serious expression on your face and the soft golden glow of your eyes. He nodded his head, understanding what was happening. Wrapping his hand around your own, Luffy gave it a soft squeeze.
"I trust you." Your lip quivered as you gave him a small smile. You were scared. Scared that you would mess up, but it was nice to know that he trusted you.
"Thanks." You paused, before breaking down the details for him. "There's a latch at the top of the whale. You're going to get in that way."
"Got it," he spoke, no questions asked. Whatever you were seeing right now, was what was going to happen. He trusted your judgement. Your golden eyes watched him for a moment, before slowly transitioning back to E/c.
"When I throw you, he will swallow us. Find us inside his stomach."
"Wait-wait-wait! What are you talking about?" Usopp asked, voice quivering. "The whale is going to s-swallow us?! And whales don't have hatches on their backs!"
"Trust her." Usopp and Nami turned to stare at Zoro. "Her expression is serious. She's not joking."
"I trust you with my life, Y/n-hime~" Sanji cooed. "I'll do anything for you!"
You blinked, before a sly smile made its way on your face. "So you'll drop formalities and talk to me normally?"
"...no," Sanji spoke, averting his eyes for a second, before turning to stare into your eyes intensely. "I will not disrespect you."
But I'm not a Goddess... You sighed.
"Okay..."
"I trust you too Y/n."
That was Nami, you recognized her voice. Turning your attention to the navigator, you felt so happy to see the reassuring smile on her face.
"I-I trust you too! Luffy knows you longer than we have, so if Luffy trusts you then I'll have to trust you to! I'm a brave warrior of the sea! I've faced far scarier things then this!" You giggled, nodding your head at Usopp.
What a funny guy. A funny and brave guy.
"Alright, Luffy, I'm going to throw you."
Overhead, the clouds were beginning to clear up as the ship moved out of the Red Line and descended to the base of the ocean. There was only a few minutes until the ship would crash.
Taking a deep breath, you stared down at the bracelets on your wrist. You can do this. You reassured yourself. You were strong. You would not let them down. Closing your eyes, you let the sound of the sea rush into your ears.
I have to overcome my fears.
Opening your eyes, you grabbed Luffy by the collar and flung him toward Laboon. The air pressure that came with you throwing Luffy was immense, it was hella powerful. It whipped at their clothing as the crew could only watch in awe and shock as Luffy soared through the air at the speed of sound.
(Kind of like this)
Now that was done, you had to yell at the whale. Cupping your hands together, you projected your voice.
"EXCUSE ME!!" you shouted at the top of your lungs. "Uh, mister whale?"
Laboon's eyes tilted downwards to stare at the small ship coming his way. His eyes landed on your nervous form on the head of Merry, hands cupped together around your mouth.
"Um, hello!" His attention was on you now, and he began to fall forwards to get eye level with you. His body fell forward with a gigantic splash, sending water to slow Merry's descent.
"I'm-I'm Y/n! What's your name?"
"WOOOOOOOOO!!!"
"Laboon? That's your name, right? I need you to do me a favor! Please open your mouth!"
"WOOOOOOOOO" he responded.
Why?
"Uh... Please? Before we all die?"
---
For the longest time, Sabo didn't know who he was.
Well, he still didn't, but he found bits of himself along the way. He knew that he was good at fighting. He knew that he ate like he had been starved. And he knew that seeing a tea cup made him smile and feel warm and tingly inside. It was pleasant. Sometimes he would feel that feeling when he saw the ocean. With it, sometimes he would feel a pang of fear.
It was never fear for himself, oddly enough. And so each day he would find himself sitting by the sea, talking to himself and feeling as if something wasn't right. Like he was missing a part of him.
He didn't know his past; all he knew was that Dragon had one day saved him from drowning. All that was left of the past was a small oval stone that dangled around his neck on a string.
It seemed useless at first. He didn't know why he had it on him. It would get in the way sometimes when he put his shirt on, and sometimes got caught in his coat. There were even cracks and fractures in the black stone. But he would never take it off. Somehow, just doing so seemed... well, wrong to do that.
And he was right to do so. It was special.
He found that out one night when he held it close to his heart. As a child, he would always dream and wonder as to how he received it- who he received it from. As he wondered and wondered, the stone let out a small beat, similar to a heartbeat, filling his palms with warmth as began to glow a soft gold along the cracks.
Placing his hands over the rock, he rubbed it curiously, and yet the simple action felt so familiar. Almost as if he had done it a hundred times before.
The color transitioned to a blue, and he felt instantly reminded of the ocean, and then of himself. He didn't know how long he stared at the stone, but by the time he blinked and realized that sunlight was streaming through the window, the whole night had passed.
Sitting up, he strangely didn't feel very tired. He could have stared at that stone for hours and he wouldn't have gotten bored. A part of him wondered if that was what he did as a child. Gazing at the stone, his eyes wandered over to his bedside table. It was as if he was going into autopilot as he placed the stone on the nightstand, watching as the color transitioned from blue to brown, matching the wood.
"..Sabo." He jumped at the sound of his name, snapping his neck to look around his room for the owner of the voice.
But nobody was there. It was just him, and the rock in his hand.
And that made him sad, and quite frankly, very frustrated. He didn't recognize the voice, but it sounded so familiar. He just couldn't quite place his finger on it, but he swore he heard it many times before.
"Agh! This is so frustrating!" Scratching his neck, his eyes traveled to the snail that also sat on his nightstand. "I wonder if she's busy. Being a pirate and all."
Pirate...
Just the thought of pirates made him feel strangely happy and nostalgic. The kind of happiness that he got whenever he saw you. The kind of happiness that he got when he read the Newspaper and received your wanted poster (he hung it up in his room of course, much to Kola's teasing). Well, it was more of a proud happy with the latter.
"I hope you're doing okay, Y/n. I hope you call me soon." A knock at the door caused him to look up.
"Sabo? You're not up yet?" It was Kola.
"I'll be out in a second!" he called out, slipping his head through the hole and tucking the rock into his shirt. You'll call him soon. He knew you would.
---
You know that feeling when you're being swallowed up by a whale? Me neither. But that was how you were feeling when the giant suddenly opened it's wide mouth and swallowed the whole ship up.
There's just something oddly unsettling when you experience being eaten by a creature. Eaten dead was bad, but eaten alive was even worse. And though you knew that you weren't going to die, it didn't make the trip down any less terrifying.
Especially when the whale inhales the sea water and makes a giant fucking whirlpool in his mouth. The adrenalin of needing to save your friends was over, and now you were screaming you throat out with Nami and Usopp.
While that was happening, Sanji was having the time of his life. Why? Because he got to comfort you this time. He got to hold you in his arms as you were scared for your life. It felt nice to be needed, to be helpful, to know that someone's day would be slightly better because of you.
And his day was certainly better now.
He shot Zoro a victory grin. Zoro, seeing his grin, only raised his eyebrows, wondering what the hell Sanji was being so smug about.
Before long, a bright light shone from ahead, and the world suddenly opened up to reveal clouds, and a small island in the middle of the whale's stomach. Usopp's jaw dropped.
"I think we died..." he muttered.
Sanji's arms tightened around you as the ship rocked gently against the waves of acid. He looked around, eyes watching everything with intrigue and disbelief. No, he shouldn't be so surprised. He trusted you, and now they were alive. That in itself was amazing.
"Well, it looks like Y/n was right." Zoro yawned, stretching a bit. "Good job. Now what?" Nami turned to stare at Zoro.
" 'Now what'? Why aren't we talking about how there's a literal island in this whale?!"
"Probably a hallucination," Zoro responded.
"We're definitely dead..." Usopp muttered, clutching his head tightly.
Sanji's hands dropped to the side when he felt you shift underneath him. Your hands left him, save for one clutching onto his shirt as you examined your surroundings.
Painted clouds... painted birds... acid water, and the boat island... Just like you saw in your visions. And you made sure that your crew was alive.
Your heart felt light as happiness radiated within you. You got everyone to safety. You laughed. You did something right for once and overcame your fears, even if it was for a brief moment.
And then a giant squid Sea King rose from the depths of those acidic waters.
"A GIANT SQUID SEA KING!" Nami and Usopp screamed. The squid didn't do anything, staying still, eyes trained on the crew. Except it felt as though it were staring at... you. It regarded you with a slow nod, before submerging back into the murky depths.
"It... left?" Usopp gasped. "W-Wait hey! There's something coming out of that building on the island!"
"A... flower?" Sanji asked, squinting a bit as the figure came into the light. "No, it's a man." The old man's eyes locked with Sanji's own full of intensity, and Sanji stared back at him hard. Sweat began to accumulate underneath Sanji's chin as he fought to keep his gaze.
And then the man turned away and began to read the newspaper.
"SAY SOMETHING DAMN IT!" he yelled.
"You looking for a fight?! We'll take you on!" Usopp yelled, jabbing his finger in the man's direction. "We got a cannon!"
"Forget it," the mysterious old man spoke. "Somebody's going to die."
Sanji smirked. "Oh yeah? And who would that be?"
"Me."
"..."
"LISTEN YOU!!" You placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at him. Giving him a reassuring smile, you patted him on the back.
"It's okay Sanji. We don't have to resort to violence. He seems peaceful. And it's not nice to attack someone without having them explain themself." Sanji nodded his head.
"I understand-"
"At least someone has a sensible head."
"WHY YOU-" Sanji curled his hands into fists, shaking as he restrained himself from kicking the old man's ass. Zoro chuckled from beside Sanji, walking up to the side railing of Merry.
"Don't get so steamed up. Who are you, Mister? And where the heck are we? Are we really inside of a whale?" The old man shot the swordsman a look.
"Isn't it proper etiquette to introduce yourself before you start asking people questions?" Zoro paused, before he grinned.
"You're right. Sorry about that." He opened his mouth to speak again when the old man with a flower looking hair cut him off.
"My name is Crocus. I'm the keeper of the Twin Capes Lighthouse. I'm 71, a Gemini, and my blood type is AB," Crocus said, not even looking up as he continued to read his newspaper.
"I'M GOING TO CHOP HIM UP!!"
"Wait!" you shouted, placing a hand on Zoro's shoulder, the same way you did to Sanji. "Zoro, don't get mad, he's just a little frustrated that we entered."
"Frustrated doesn't begin to describe what I'm feeling," Crocus spoke, eyes locking onto your own. "You guys want to know where this is? How dare you invade my personal resort and order me around like a bunch of bigshots! Where do you think you are? In the belly of a mouse?"
You bowed your head. "I'm really sorry! It was my idea! I didn't want everyone to die so I had Laboon open his mouth for us so that we could enter and-"
"Stop."
You looked up with teary eyes, watching Crocus as he narrowed his eyes at you. Putting his newspaper aside, he sat up from the lawn chair he was sitting in, stepping closer towards the Going Merry.
"You... You look..." Crocus shook his head. "Did you say 'Laboon'? How do you know his name?"
You shuffled in your spot between Sanji and Zoro nervously. Twiddling your fingers, you gave him a nervous smile. "I um... he told me?"
"You can speak to animals?" His eyes widened. "You... Do you have the Voice of All Things?"
"I-"
THOOOM!!
A vibration coursed through the entirety of the whale, shaking the surroundings like an earthquake. It was violent, and it would have sent you tumbling to the acidic waters had Zoro and Sanji not grabbed onto both of your arms, holding you steady.
This feels familiar...
Oh yeah, Mihawk and Doflamingo saved you like this too.
"What was that?" Usopp asked as Sanji yanked you into his arms, causing Zoro to roll his eyes.
"There he goes," Crocus mused. Usopp's eyes widened as the violent waves sent the island up, revealing the metal that coated it from below. Sanji pointed at the island in surprise.
"Look! It's not an island, it's a ship! And it's made of metal!" Sanji's exclamation made Usopp realize something. In horror, the sniper's jaw dropped.
"Then-Then this water isn't water, it's stomach acid! If we stay too long, our ship will dissolve!" Usopp exclaimed. "And there who goes, old man?! What's happening?!"
Sanji let out a yelp of surprise when you suddenly broke away from him, rushing over to the railings. Your eyes scanned the area, looking for a familiar sea king. All of a sudden, the ship began to rise, and you looked down to see that the squid was gingerly holding the ship up to prevent it from dissolving.
You let out a breath of relief, sending a thankful smile towards the Sea King. It gave you a thumbs up with its tentacles, smiling as if happy that it did something to please you.
Crocus folded his arms together as he watched your interaction with the sea king. It was something he hadn't thought he would see in a long time. So you really did have the Voice of All Things. It couldn't have been some random coincidence...
Catching your gaze, he watched as you gave him a solemn look. So you know he mused. He supposed it was only natural that you would. You could probably hear the suffering cries of Laboon as he rammed his head against the Red Line over and over and over again.
"You know, don't you?" he spoke. "I didn't catch your name." The crew looked over at you, realizing that it was you who Crocus was speaking to.
"I'm L/n D. Y/n." His eyes widened slightly, before he chuckled.
"You're a D..." he mused. "And you can understand him. You know that this whale is ramming the Red Line with his head." You nodded your head as shocked expressions came upon the crew.
"Those terrible scars!" Nami shouted, remembering seeing the scarring on Laboon's head. "And there was something mournful about his cries." Your eyes drifted over to Nami's, pleased that she was so observant. "This whale is suffering."
THOOM!
THOOM!
"Aha! So that's what the old man's up to!" You turned to look at Usopp in confusion. "He's going to kill him from the inside!"
"Usopp..." you muttered. "That's cruel. Crocus wouldn't do that."
"What? What do you mean?" He cupped his hands together as he pointed at Crocus. "Do you know him or something?" he whispered. You shook your head. "Is this like, one of your gut feelings or something?"
You nodded your head slightly, causing Usopp to sigh. That was when you perked up. Patting Zoro on the shoulder, he raised a brow at your behavior.
"What?"
"Luffy's coming out." He furrowed his brows. He didn't see Luffy anywhere-
BOOM!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" Three figures suddenly flew into the air, falling steadily into the stomach acid. Zoro squinted his eyes, seeing a familiar looking strawhat on one of the figures.
Oh, there's Luffy.
...
OH SHIT LUFFY-
"Oi oi! Someone catch him!"
Luffy turned his head at the sound of Zoro's voice, eyes wide when he saw the Merry. You were right once again! Maybe he should just have you as a fortune teller or something. Before he could dwell on that thought further, he noticed the squid.
"Woooah! Giant squid!!" he yelled in surprise. And then he remembered that he was still falling. "Wait wait- save me!!!"
"SQUIDDDY!!! Please save those three!" You yelled in alarm. The Sea King didn't need to be told twice. In a split second, he had wrapped his tentacles around their torsos and dropped them onto the ship. Very ungracefully, might you add.
But hey, they were saved, and nobody had to dive into the stomach acid water.
Dignities have been saved.
"Hello!!" you shouted rushing over to the blue haired girl and the prince looking guy, completely ignoring Luffy because you knew he was fine. "Oh, you're really pretty. Are you guys okay?"
"No, a better question would be who exactly are you guys," Nami spoke, placing a hand on your shoulder and pushing you back and away from them in a protective manner. These people could be dangerous for all they knew. They didn't need their first mate trying to make friends with someone who could do them harm.
"AS LONG AS I LIVE, YOU'LL NEVER HARM LABOON!!" Crocus yelled. You jumped at the sound of his voice. In the corner of your eye, you saw the two people from earlier reach for their weapons, cannons to be precise. You had a feeling you knew where this was going, and were surprised that nobody else seemed to notice.
"Oh yeah?" the guy with the crown spoke as his partner laughed. "But we're already in his stomach!"
"There's nothing stopping us from blasting a hole-" Their jaws dropped as the cannon slid apart, falling to the floor in two pieces. It had been cleanly cut apart, but that was impossible. It's not possible to cut metal.
"Ow, splinter..." you mumbled to yourself as you stared hard at your thumb, eyes beginning to well up with tears. Everyone's attention was on you as you tried to get the splinter out. A bokken was tucked neatly underneath your arm as you tried to relieve yourself of the pain.
"Why are you so small, but you hurt so much?" You pouted as you were unsuccessful. "If Doffy was here, he would easily get you out... This sucks..."
"Y/n... " Nami spoke softly with wide eyes.
"Hm?"
"Did you... Did you cut those cannons with your sword?" She pointed to the bokken tucked underneath your arm. "I thought you were scared of sharp objects."
"That's no sword," Zoro spoke, eyes wide as he approached you. Placing a hand on your shoulder, he pried the bokken away from you. Zoro's jaw dropped, before he closed it. "It's a training sword. It's not sharp." Rubbing his finger on the edge, he stared at his finger. "It's blunt."
He turned to you, ignoring Sanji who was attempting to use tweezers to get the splinter out for you. He met your eyes. How? How can you cut through metal with a wooden sword? Hell it wasn't even sharpened! That defied the laws of physics. Was the gap between the two of you this far apart?
And why was he feeling more excited to spar with you?
"How did you do it? How did you cut through metal?" The two people from before now cowered as you turned your attention to them. You were silent for a moment.
"Master says that a blade is an extension of your body; that a blade is for you to utilize through will and form. The katana follows the wielder's will." You closed your eyes, opening them to look up at the painted sky.
"Each thing, inanimate or not, has a breath. It is an energy that everything has. Most trained swordsmen can only cut one thing because that was what they were trained to do. They cannot sense the breath that each thing breathes. If you can sense it, if you can understand it, you can cut it."
Walking forwards towards Zoro, you picked up the bokken from his hands, twirling it around your fingers nimbly.
"It is true for the opposite. If you can sense and understand their breath, you can control yourself and not cut it. At least, that's what Master taught me." You tilted your head to look at everyone, suddenly very aware of the silence and attention that was on you.
The embarrassment you were feeling was real. "Oh-Oh, sorry, that was a little boring wasn't it? It was confusing too... Sorry, I'm not that good at explaining things, I-"
"Spar with me."
"Huh?"
Zoro took a deep breath in, staring you straight in the eyes. "I want you to spar with me. When we get out of here, I want to test my strength. I want to spar with you."
Sanji gaped. "Marimo! You can't just ask a lady that! Women should be treated with respect! Especially my goddess! She's pure and delicat-"
"She's not delicate." Sanji paused, eyes narrowing.
"What?"
"She's capable of taking care of herself," he growled, glaring at Sanji. "Which is why I want to spar with her. She's stronger than all of us combined. She's not delicate. You're all idiots to think so."
"Zoro-" Nami started, before Luffy put a hand up.
"Zoro's right, Nami, Sanji." Everyone watched as Luffy approached you with a big smile. "Y/n's always been the stronger one since we were kids! She could always beat Ace and Sabo in a fight!"
You sheepishly laughed. "I think they were just letting me win."
"Whaaat? No, you're strong! You're so strong that even Dadan listened to you! She always gave you more food. I never got more food when I asked her." Luffy pouted at that.
I don't think it's what you're thinking, Luffy... The rest of the Strawhats thought as they deadpanned. It was obvious that Dadan listened to you because you were nice, whoever that was.
"Where do you think you're going?" The duo froze at the sound of your voice, turning around slowly to watch your happy expression. Somehow it made their situation of getting caught so much worse.
"We have to talk to you, you know?"
---
"Those creeps are from a nearby village," Crocus started, sitting on his lawn chair. The rest of the crew had piled off of Merry and onto the island ship, with the two people tied together with rope. There was no fear in the ship getting dissolved, the squid Sea King was doing a fantastic job of keeping it away from the acid, much to everyone's confusion.
Well, to those who didn't understand your ability. Which wasn't very many, considering that the only people who understood were Luffy and Crocus.
"They're after Laboon's whale meat. They could feed their whole village for two or three years on his flesh." You nodded your head in understanding. So they were only trying to help their village.
Your eyes glowed gold, and Luffy turned his head to face you. He suddenly looked like a very excited puppy.
"Oh oh! What did you see?" You gave him a small smile.
"Nothing too important at the moment. You'll find out soon when we get to the next island. Lots of cacti, so be on the lookout for that!" Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"Cactuses?! Whaaat?! There's an island full of those spiky looking things like in that book?! So cool!!" In the corner of your eye, you saw the duo stiffen, and you were sure that Zoro and Sanji noticed as well. But they had said nothing, understanding that if it were important, you would let them know.
That was the amount of trust that they had for you now.
"There's a reason he keeps pounding against the Red Line," Crocus continued, after the interruption. Even so though, he didn't seem too irritated, more so intrigued by you. "... and crying toward Reverse Mountain."
"One day, when I was a lighthouse keeper, a friendly bunch of pirates came down reverse mountain. And behind their ship, came a little whale. It was Laboon. They'd been sailing the West Blue together. Their voyage was going to be fraught with danger, so they'd left Laboon behind. Or so they thought.
Normally, island whales travel with their kind in pods, but for Laboon, those pirates were his kind. Their ship was damaged so they stayed at the Twin Capes for several months, and I got to be good friends with them. Then, on the day that they left, the Captain asked me if I'd take care of Laboon for him for a couple of years.
'We're going to circumnavigate the world and return here.' Laboon understood, so we waited here together.
That's why he keeps banging against the cliffs and calling to the other side. But then, that was fifty years ago. He still thinks his friends are coming back."
A frown pulled at your lips at the sad tale. Poor Laboon. He was suffering so much. You could hear his cries, his pain, his frustration. In a way, you could relate to him.
You hated it when people left you alone. You hated it when you were by yourself, left to be inside your own head. It made you hurt, and scared that they would never come back for you. Everytime your Mihawk had left the room, you knew that he would be back, but you couldn't help the what ifs, and the possibility that he would leave you.
It was like that at Marine Ford too. It made you feel scared that maybe one day, Akainu or the others would leave you and never return. That the bond that you created would break one day. It was one of the reasons why you constantly made sure that they were all happy, that you spent time with each and every one of them.
Because you were afraid. You were afraid that they wouldn't love you anymore.
------------------------
Oop. I lied, next chapter is Marie Geoise (which is why double updates :D).
Also, yall think I should change my username? To, I don't know, something cute? I'm so bad at doing usernames it's unbelievable. lol XD
Oh yeah, and what's you guys opinion on a separate story for the Gods? (An x Reader perhaps? lol help me)
Status: unedited
4/1/21