《Stranger Tides (One Piece x Pokemon SI)》


 Chapter 1

    Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck! I had no idea where I was. I had no idea how I got here. Hell, I didn''t even know how I got into this marine body. What did I know?


    Is that something wanted me as a snack. And that whatever it was, it was in my best interests for me to not get caught. I pushed my body to its absolute limit, tail flailing as I tried to push past whatever it was that was chasing me. So much so that I didn''t register anything else around me.


    By the time I noticed the looming shadow from the deep, it was far too late. It ate me, and the creature after me, in a single mouth full, not even needing to chew. I struggled against the current as it swallowed, desperately trying to find purchase on anything that could keep me out of this colossal monstrosity stomach. But there was nothing within reach of my newfound flippers or tail.


    The forces that pulled on my body were much, much too great. I struggled to keep my eyes open as I fell deeper and deeper into its gullet until darkness began to claim me. Was this really how I was going to die? Eaten by some strange aquatic monster?


    No, this had to be a dream.


    Or a nightmare.


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


    The first thing I felt was the feeling of burning on my skin The second? A piercing pain in my hand. Flipper. Whatever.


    My eyes cracked open, finding myself face-to-face with a man. He looked fairly old, and his hair was almost like that of a flower. I blinked at him.


    "Well, aren''t you the strangest seal I''ve ever seen," the man said, almost to himself. I twisted against the line, desperately trying to shake myself off the hook.


    I went to open my mouth, despite there being no way anything that could pass off as human speech could exit my mouth. "Seel".


    The man stared at me. I stared at him, my struggling against the hook ceasing. There was a surprise there for both of us. How could there not? But the name? I recognized that name. How could I not?


    "A talking seal. Now that isn''t something you see every day either," he said as I opened my mouth.


    "Seel." Yeah, wasn''t sure I was expecting, either. Pokemon were not known for their conversation abilities. Nor known for being able to convey that I''m a human.


    Oh, oh god. How do I get back to being human?


    "Son of an ass!" I shouted in pain as my body contorted in pain, the hook through my hand going from a persistent pain to one that felt like I was being stabbed! That answered that question but left me in agonizing pain. The old man, much to his credit, managed to get me off the thing in short order.


    "Well, you''re a lucky Devil Fruit user, if little else," the man said, as I winced as he bandaged my hand.


    "Devil Fruit?" I frowned, still wincing from the pain. The man''s face formed a scowl as he looked me over. "I have no idea what those even are, or where I even am."


    "And you aren''t with those people who are trying to kill Laboon?" His eyes narrowed.


    "Laboon? What''s a Laboon?" I scowled back. "Look, the last thing I remember is waking up in, that, being chased by something, before being eaten. So if you could just point me towards Kansas, that would be great."


    "I can''t tell you where Kansas is, as I''ve never heard of the place," the man scratched his chin. "As for Laboon? He''s the whale we are currently inside."


    "What?" That was the only thing that could come out of my mouth. We were inside a whale? I looked at the clouds and the peaceful blue sky, before narrowing my eyes. They weren''t moving. At least, not in a way clouds should move. How big is this thing?


    "If you want out, the exit is over there," the man pointed. "But unless you''re willing to try your luck in the Grand Line without a ship." I wanted to scowl, bristle, and tell the man to get bent. Being eaten by this Laboon probably, no, certainly saved my life. I was in my debt to a massive whale, only large enough to have a gate in its side and an island in its stomach.


    Wait, a gate? I double took towards the structure. The man even pointed it out and I still missed it! How exactly did this old man manage to build something like this? It was massive! I''m pretty sure a modern naval vessel could fit through there! Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I looked at the old man.


    "Well, thanks for fishing me out, I guess," I rubbed the back of my head with my left hand awkwardly, before extending my right hand. "My name is Nathan."


    "You can call me Crocus," the man gripped my hand as I bit into my lip from the pain. Why was I forgetting that I''d literally just been impaled? "A soft one, aren''t you? Let''s get that wound cleaned out properly."


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


    My eyes lazily opened. This wasn''t my bed.


    It wasn''t the bed I''d fallen asleep in, either. This was what I would expect out of being in the stomach of a whale. Darkness, nothing, the feeling of utter oblivion.


    But it was the feeling of oblivion. Just on the outer edge of my vision, I swore I saw something move in the darkness. Something massive, shifting through the void. Something was out there, watching, waiting. Almost hungry.


    Did it notice me? Could it have?


    For the second time in a day, I was asking myself if what I was seeing was even real. This, I was certain, had to be a dream. There was nothing else it could be. This was just a dumb dream, and all I needed to do was wake up.


    Any second now. I closed my eyes, opening them just as quickly as I felt something brush past my leg. Trying to find the source, my head whipped around wildly, only to see nothing but oblivion. Whatever it was could still hide. And it frankly didn''t need to. What exactly was the play here? Try to fight? It had to have felt me.


    What did I have access to? Just water? No. There was a tingle in my spine. I wasn''t sure how I knew, but I had more than just that. I had close to everything. Light spilled from my body, energy building up around me. In the blinding light, I could see it, its talons extending around the light, reflecting it like a dark piece of glass. It hovered ominously as if waiting for something as my eyes continued to widen.


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    "Necrozma!" My body jolted awake, sweat poring down my face.


    "That was quite the sneeze," I heard Crocus say from the other room. I wanted to raise my voice in protest, but it wasn''t going to be worth it. Even trying to explain what Necrozma was wouldn''t even be worth the effort. I throw on a pair of clothes, trying and failing when it comes to not thinking about my dream. What did it mean?


    Necrozma wasn''t even a Pokemon, at least technically speaking. Kinda. It was from another dimension, but Beast Balls weren''t as effective on it. And in the Ultra games, it was able to absorb light to restore its original form. But that didn''t explain anything. Sure, the mon was a psychic type, but that was far from anything to do with dreams. So why was it there? Sure, I could do, something, with light. But what did that have to do with Necrozma? It could eat light. Did it want to eat me?


    No, that seemed like a stretch. I shook my head, chasing out the thoughts. Frankly, it was just a stupid dream, anyway.


    "And you better not go for a swim until the wound has completely healed!" I heard the man say as I rolled my eyes.


    "My mom was a nurse! I know that salt water and open wounds don''t mix," I responded in kind, as the man huffed. That wasn''t to mention the stomach acid in Laboon.


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


    "This should have healed already," I stared at the retired doctor, eyes narrowing. "It isn''t infected, but an injury should have been completely healed a few days ago."


    Sure, the injury was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. When I changed back, the hook missed the bone by thin margins, but it was going to leave a nasty scar right between my thumb and index finger.


    "Not where I''m from," I scowled. "Frankly, for something like a hook through my hand, this is looking pretty good for a week in." Crocus made some muttering sounds I didn''t exactly like.


    "You are from an isolated place that I''ve never heard of," I heard him say, a frown on his face. "Which is truly saying something. And yet, you say you have no idea how you got here. People don''t fall out of the sky."


    He paused for a moment. "Often."


    The fact he needed to clarify that fact was not a good sign. How did someone fall from the sky? And live? Living was kind of the key thing here. Skyrim space program, I was not interested in you.


    "I''m sensing there is a story there," I offered, hoping to distract away from the conversation. I was fairly certain I was in a place I''d never heard of. Sure, the oceans were by and large unexplored, but most of the stuff that hung out regularly in the depths tended to stay there. Giant squids could get big, sure, but this whale was beyond anything that should have been possible.


    "Quite," Crocus shuffled through some papers. "Now, these maps are by no means complete, but do you recognize anything on them?"


    I gave them a look, eyes gazing over the stacks of papers. Maps. They weren''t exactly my primary wheelhouse, at least ones on this large of a scale, but I could read them. My geography knowledge was decent enough, but nothing I was seeing even had the hint of an American coastline. I expected that, between the giant whale and my newfound shapeshifting abilities.


    However, one thing stood out. On every single one, one feature stood out. One common feature.


    "I''m not recognizing anything, but what the hell is that?" I pointed to the feature.


    "That would be the Red Line," Crocus said, scratching his chin. "If you really don''t know what that is, then you''ve come quite a long way indeed."


    "The Red Line? What can you tell me about it?" I asked.


    "Not much more than anyone else, I''m afraid," Crocus frowned. "It circles the entire globe, goes all the way down to the ocean floor, and rises as far up as the clouds. Nobody knows had it got there, or why. It''s practically indestructible, and Reverse Mountain is one of the few ways to bypass it entirely."


    Global spanning ring continent?


    If giant whales and magical powers weren''t proof enough, that sealed the deal. I was officially not on Earth anymore. Groaning into my hands, I tried to gather my thoughts. I had no idea where I was. Getting back home was impossible because I was apparently in a different world now with a supercontinent that spanned an entire globe with casual ease. Seriously, how do you even get something like that? I could buy an island chain, maybe, formed through igneous processes, but nothing on this scale.


    No, focus on the problem at hand. I was in a strange world. All I had were my brain, the clothes on my back, and the ability to turn into Pok¨¦mon.


    Pok¨¦mon? The. Ability.


    I''m an idiot. That''s how I get home! There are Pok¨¦mon that can teleport! Hell, there were Pok¨¦mon could teleport things between dimensions! What was its name again? Hoopa? Yeah, that was it. Psychic and Dark type, if I remember correctly? Okay, just think about it.


    And, nothing. No power came to me. There was no tingle in my spine, no light, no shift. Nothing. I scowled. Should have figured it wasn''t going to be that simple.


    Still, the idea was solid. I just needed to get more types. Somehow. The problem was, that I had no idea how to get more types. Was it a matter of strength? Did I need to do something to prove myself? If I did, what was I needing to prove it to?


    "You seem to be taking things better than I thought you might," Crocus said as I raised my head from the table.


    "Because I think I might have a way home," I frowned slightly. "I just don''t have the right pieces, is all." The old doctor seemed quiet for a few moments. Sure, I had no idea where those pieces were, or how to even begin looking, but it was a start.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I would make my way home, no matter what.


    "Good. But having a goal will only get you so far on the Grand Line," Crocus''s gaze pierced straight into my soul and made me shutter. For a brief moment, it felt as if the man could push my face out of my rear end. And then it was gone, just as quickly as it appeared.


    "Still, I''d like to see this Red Line sometime," I said. If I could identify its mineral composition, then it would help tell me what it was. It being a sedimentary rock was unlikely, by its very nature. An igneous or even metamorphic feature would be much more likely. Even if it didn''t seem right, either.


    Sure, maybe different rules were in play here, but this? You didn''t get a nearly unbreakable landmass that circled an entire globe. It wasn''t exactly linear, but did it matter if it wasn''t? You didn''t get something that high, that ran that deep and outright called indestructible naturally anyway. Was it natural? Could it be natural? Surely, it couldn''t be. Right?


    "Well, Laboon is close to Red Line most of the time, so all you have to do is head out the exit," Crocus said, my ears perking up at his words.


    "Really?" I pushed up from the table, preparing to head towards the exit before I found my arm in a firm iron grip.


    "What did I tell you? You aren''t leaving until your hand is fully healed!"


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


    To an ordinary passerby, I''d probably look like an ordinary seal resting on some rocks. Anyone paying any attention would notice the single horn on its head and its white fur, something odd for an animal not close to a cold environment. Nobody knew what I was doing, nor would they have noticed.


    It wasn''t easy going. If Laboon couldn''t break the Red Line with pure force, then nothing I could do could so much as scratch it. At least, not directly. Crocus had oversold its indestructibility to an extent. No mistakes were made, the rock formation was imposing, truly titanic in size. I highly doubt any number of conventional weapons could even leave so much as a dent. But where humanity lacked, Mother Nature provided. She provided in spades. Erosion was still ongoing here, whittling away at a feature that could easily outlast a human lifetime. The more I gazed up at it, the more I was taken in by its majesty.


    And the more convinced I became that it was not a natural formation. Man-made? Absolutely not. There was no way a man, or even multiple people could build something like this. How or why alluded me as well. What it was made out of was a mystery as well. The red coloration of the rocks made me believe that there could be a relation to banded ironstone, but that would imply that either a significant portion of oxidized iron was found here, or that the sedimentary bed had been displaced.


    The vertical angle wasn''t exactly impossible. If it were local, rather than on a global scale.


    Thus, the need for analysis. But doing any tests out here was, unideal. With the pounding surf, I''d be washed out to sea in seconds. Not the biggest problem now, but I couldn''t do anything out here. Which was why I was speeding along nature''s processes. Not an easy task, nor was it one that had born fruit.


    Yet.


    It was a painstaking slow process. The heat made it quicker, as the ice began to melt under the sun''s rays, so I could start all over again. A small crack made larger over time. Freezing and thawing. Freezing and thawing. Over and over as the crack became larger and larger. It''d taken days for even this much, and with a pop, the rock came free.


    I scooped it into my mouth with little effort, not having hands to hold it. One of the few things I''d learned was that Seel, ironically enough, had an interesting sense of taste. And despite the fact these rocks had been battered by the ocean waves for hundreds of years, I didn''t taste a single pinch of salt.


    It didn''t take long to make my way over to the lighthouse, as I shifted back into a human body. There, I examined my prize. It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand and was surprisingly heavy for its size. There were no strata either, no sign of it being deposited. A cohesive mass.


    No clear cleavage plane either. The edge where I broke it off was rough, so it wasn''t a clean break. I took great care to place it on one of the tables, packaging it up in a small box. Getting it under a magnifying glass or even a scope would help. Taking great care to make sure the package was sealed, I let the transformation take hold.


    Making my way to Laboon was a trivial task. Despite my initial fear of the truly colossal leviathan, he was a big sweetie. Honestly, I felt bad for him. Five decades and he still missed friends who were by all rights, never coming back.


    But there wasn''t much I could do on that front. Other than trying to help Crocus keep him from smashing his face in against the Red Line. I gave Laboon a few brief pets before slipping into the hatch. How he didn''t feel any of this was a mystery to me. But Laboon seemed completely comfortable.


    I slowly made my way through the passageway, removing my earbuds. Keeping them and my clothes, even if the latter seemed to become part of my body, was always a nice bit of upside. But I was still wet, meaning I''d need a new change of clothes once I got back.


    Navigating through the tunnels and canals by this point was second nature to me now. That wasn''t the issue. The issue was that I heard unfamiliar voices reverberating off the walls.


    Crocus was out at the lighthouse at the moment. That meant there was nobody else it could be than the people trying to kill Laboon.


    I poked my head around the corner. A pair, obviously, one man, with a crown on his head, and a woman with blue hair. I slowly set my prize down, taking note to remember where it was.


    "Yo, what the hell are you doing here!" I shouted at them. The pair whipped around by surprise and. Those were guns. They had guns. Yeah, I wasn''t sure what I was expecting either.


    "Who are you?" I heard the man shout, raising the weapon towards me.


    "Would you like paper or plastic?" My mind came to a stop as if to process what I had said. Oh God, those were going to be my last words, weren''t they?


    "What?" The pair lowered their weapons, sharing a confused look. It took a second for my brain to catch up. I couldn''t waste this chance! I felt my body shift down to a smaller size, shrinking into a compact blue body covered in scales.


    "A Devil Fruit user?" The man gave a confused look at his partner, even as he began to raise his weapon again.


    "I mean, it looks kinda cute," the girl said. Her partner opened his mouth to respond, only to be hit with a spray of water. Well, his gun, anyway. It clattered across the metal walkway, followed by the gun of his partner.


    They both stared at me, both glaring at me and my wide-open mouth.


    "Why you little!" The man charged at me, bringing up a metal bat concealed on his person.


    "Mr. 9! Wait!" The young woman shouted. Water wrapped around my body, propelling me forward into his stomach, knocking him back. As he slid backward, Mr. 9 brought the bat down toward my face, and I blocked it the only way this body could.


    Crunch!


    Teeth met metal as a rumble exited my throat, I yanked on the weapon before releasing it, sending it and Mr. 9 rolling across the metal floor.


    "Totodile!" The growl that came out of my throat was straightforward in its intentions. Please surrender. Sure, someone surrendering to what amounted to a Two-foot tall bipedal crocodile was weird, and no doubt an embarrassment.


    But it was better than the alternatives. She looked at me oddly for a brief second, before she pulled two weapons out of her shirt. In a moment, she charged at me, both weapons spinning in the air. I opened my mouth, releasing another blast of water that knocked her off her feet.


    "Ms. Wednesday!" Mr. 9 shouted, already back on his feet. "You''ll pay for that!" The swing from his bat clipped me upside the head, but even a glancing blow was enough to send my smaller body flying through the air. A blast of water cushioned my fall, but I still skidded on the metal.


    Right. Don''t let yourself get surrounded in a fight. Idiot. I pushed myself up to my feet, staring the two down. Opening my mouth again, I saw the two split, Mr. 9 going right, and Ms. Wednesday going left. But my attack wasn''t aimed at them. Not directly. Water covered the floor, what once provided a firm grasp was now slick. Both tripped and fell as I opened my mouth once again. Would this even work?


    I had a moment of hesitation as Mr. 9 was pushing himself up.


    And in one moment of his hate-filled gaze, my hesitation died.


    Ice Fang!


    My teeth couldn''t dig through the metal, but they didn''t need to. The water that covered the floor quickly turned into ice, trapping the two against the floor. I took a moment as they struggled to break free of my makeshift prison. To see if it would hold just as well as I thought it would. I let the seconds tick by, before finally resuming my human form.


    "Are you going to leave under your power, or am I going to have to make you?" To hear my voice make that type of threat was weird. But it wasn''t like I had much other choice. I had to put up a harsh front on this one.


    "Shut up you brat!" Mr. 9 snarled at me. "Do you have any idea who you''re dealing with?"


    "Firstly, I''m in my twenties, dumbass. I''m probably older than you are," I looked down at him. I did tend to have a bit of a baby face, but it wasn''t that bad. "Secondly, I''m the one that froze you to the floor. Who you are is completely irrelevant to me. Other than the fact you are trying to kill this whale."


    "Maybe you should worry about yourself!" There was a crack, as time seemed to slow down, a spinning bat heading right towards my skull. I didn''t have enough time to think of a change. I just, shrunk, my body falling in upon itself. "Ha! I got you!"


    "No, he shrunk again," Ms. Wednesday corrected, clearly the real brains of this operation. "That is the weirdest rabbit I think I''ve ever seen."


    Rabbit? I caught sight of my stubby pink arms as a pair of yellow ears flopped in front of my face. Oh. Well, this worked. I took in a deep breath. Sorry Laboon, this was probably going to feel, weird.


    "WhisMMUURR!"


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    "What''s that boy doing to create such a racket!"


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


    "Good, you''re awake. You walked into that Imperial ambush, just like us," I couldn''t tell if the confused look from my words came from the fact that they just didn''t get the reference, or if it was because they were probably deaf. Temporarily, most likely. I didn''t think they were bleeding from their ears, but they''d be nursing a headache for a hot minute. Taking their weapons and stashing them away took some time, but it was worth making sure they didn''t have anything to surprise me with. Even then, I was keeping my distance.


    "WHAT!" Ms. Wednesday shouted as I rubbed my ear. Yeah, should have figured that.


    "Okay, I''ll talk in a way I''m sure you will understand," my eyes narrowed to slits. "Stay away from that whale!" I pointed at Laboon, who was wailing away at the Red Line again.


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


    "We''ll need to go back for our spare equipment," Mr. 9 growled. "Nobody can find out about our failure here."


    Ms. Wednesday nodded, despite herself. It would be best for the rest of Baroque Works never heard about this encounter. When they were given this assignment, there was no indication that there would be someone who supposed the power of the Devil Fruit. Not that such should matter to an agent of Baroque Works.


    Still, she had to wonder, if such a power would prove useful in her own goals.

 Chapter 2 - Reverse Mountain

    I stared at the rock. Its secrets had been driving me up a wall for days. It was durable enough to shrug off anything I hit it with. Testing its streak got me nowhere, because it seemed to have none. Even trying to scratch it got me nowhere.


    Not even magnets got me anywhere. Despite the red coloration, I couldn''t find any iron or feldspar. And feldspar was one of the building blocks of many forms of ingenious rock. No quartz or magnesium either. If it were an ingenious rock, it was not one I was familiar with.


    I''d reconsidered my hypothesis. But it lacked depositional features, nor did it hold signs of deformation from heat or pressure.


    If it wasn''t deposited, it lacked ingenious minerals that should be there and lacked any signs of metamorphosis.


    Then what was it? Hell, something of that size and likely mass could and should have been causing it just from the weight of the material above on its own. But it wasn''t.


    This was closer to something like concrete rather than an actual rock. But concrete was nowhere near that resistant and would still deform anyway.


    I sighed, leaning back. There was something I was missing here. Underselling it aside, I was missing the entire picture. Nothing about this made any degree of sense. Sure, I''d gotten it out of the Red Line, but that was me just accelerating natural processes. I stared at it. Surely, it couldn''t be some twisted version of a calcite.


    Could it? I scrambled, trying to find hydrochloric acid or anything close enough that would resemble a substitute. Something that proved fruitless, as there was no fizzling from the rock. That was the most likely result, yes, but the fact that I had neglected such a basic test was telling. It wasn''t like it being a calcium carbonite precipitate would have explained any of its features in the first place, but I should have thought to rule it out first.


    Taking care to clean the acid before putting the red aggravating bock back in its box, I slumped down and sighed. The fact I had missed such an obvious test meant I''d been spending way too much time on this. But it wasn''t like I had much else to do. I''d read just about every book I could get my hands on. Sure, medical journals were useful, but they didn''t make for the most entertaining reads.


    I could bother Crocus about his adventures on the seas, but he was letting me stay at his place already. I didn''t want to poke that bear and risk getting kicked out. He was giving me a room, well, a whale, over my head just because he could. I wasn''t going to risk that just out of idle curiosity.


    Still, it was clear that I needed to do something other than ponder this mystery. It was driving me up a wall, though it was far from the only thing. At the end of the day, I was a bit of a homebody. I planted my roots and didn''t like leaving one I''d gotten them entrenched.


    But this? Wasn''t home. Sure, Crocus was nice and all, but this place still wasn''t home. I had a home. And while I had a way back in theory, that theory wasn''t worth the paper or brain space if I didn''t try to put it into practice. However my powers worked, it was increasingly apparent that just waiting for something to happen wasn''t an option. I''d been training a bit ever since I ran into Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday, and while there was improvement, I was no closer to figuring out how to get more types.


    It wasn''t like water or normal was bad by themselves. Water was simply too useful with all the oceans, and normal always had its uses. As a combination, they were utter shit, with the only thing sporting that combination being Bibarel. And while that wasn''t the worst thing in the world, what amounted to a magical beaver was not exactly the most useful thing I had in my toolkit with those two types alone.


    But leaving had its own set of issues, even beyond my powers. Crocus set himself up on the Grand Line entrance of Reverse Mountain, one of the few ways to enter the Grand Line. It was also the entrance to be most likely used by pirates. Sure, I could try to swim my way to the other entrance and try to go from there. But it wasn''t like I had any papers or any other documentation that I might need for that to even have a chance at working.


    Never mind that Crocus''s account of the Navy and the World Government didn''t fill me with confidence. Sure, I operated under the rules of trust but verify. It was far from complete, but I highly doubted I''d like them a lot more than I would the average pirate. Especially the pirates were like the ones we had back home, during our golden age of piracy that had long since been smothered.


    Sure, Francis Drake helped bring down the Spanish Empire on the British pound, but that wasn''t saying much but his morals. Raping, pillaging, murdering, all things I wanted no part of. Finding a way back home wouldn''t be easy, but I wasn''t going to sacrifice other people''s lives simply for that. That would mean I''d be going back home some type of monster, powers or not.


    But I also couldn''t swim through the Grand Line under my own power. Not yet. Even just among pure water types, I had options. Milotic was a good example. It wasn''t a Gyrados by any stretch of the imagination, but Milotic was undoubtedly a powerhouse capable of incredible things. And it was pure water to boot.


    The problem was that Milotic''s evolutionary requirements were utter tripe. A Prism Scale was not something I was just going to find lying around and raising a Febas and its beauty stat was, a problem in its own right. The thought flashed through my mind.


    How would trade evolutions work? How would stone evolutions? Or item-based ones?


    Oh, that was going to be a problem I suspected. That alone just closed a lot of damn doors. Eevee just got slapped into uselessness if there weren''t any stones around to fuel its evolutions. And it wasn''t the only one to suffer from that. Unless this world just happened to have those elemental stones to collect.


    Or who knows, it could just try and play by completely different rules. That''s the least I could hope for at the end of the day on that front.


    Shaking off my thoughts as I opened the door, I found myself face to face with an unfamiliar sight. Not the sight of the inside of Laboon''s stomach. But rather, it''s contents. I found myself blinking in surprise. Yeah, Laboon was big enough to eat Sea Kings regularly, but ships didn''t seem to be part of his regular diet.


    I tried not to look down when I had to swim through the acid.


    "Crocus, I think we have guests!" I shouted, before turning towards the ship on the people on it. It looked like it had been rammed by something, the figurehead at the bow having been broken off. There didn''t seem to be many crew members, at least ones above deck. One of them was a younger woman, with orange-red hair. The other three were younger men.


    The first had green hair of all things, with three swords hanging from his waist. The second had blonde hair and was despite everything, smoking a cigarette. The last had curly black hair and the longest nose I''ve ever seen. We stared each other down, neither seeming to want to make a move.


    Then the acid in Laboon''s stomach began to churn, a warning sign I had quickly learned to recognize. In that split second, I did two things. The first was to grin, for Laboon had graciously given us lunch. The second?


    Throw myself to the ground so fast I might as well have been a blur. Mere moments later, three harpoons flew through the door, skewering the Kraken-like Sea King with ease. Crocus was already reeling the beast onto the artificial island, as I went back to looking at the ship. At the top of the crow''s nest sat a flag, flapping in the breeze.


    It was a black flag, with a skull and crossbones. I squinted for a moment, adjusting my glasses to make sure that what I was seeing was the real deal. It was the skull and crossbones, a flag feared in centuries past, that was wearing a straw hat? One sporting a wide, toothy grin to boot? The seeming, whimsy of it all was enough to make me stop from bristling outright.


    "Say something, damn you!" the blonde suddenly shouted, as I watched Crocus sit down in his fishing chair.


    "You''re the ones who''ve entered this whale, unintentionally or otherwise," were they affiliated with the two idiots? Unlikely, they would likely be trying to shoot up the place if they were. "Maybe you could introduce yourselves?"


    "Zoro," the green-haired man stepped forward, as I kept one eye on his swords, and the other on the man himself. "I would ask where we are, but you already answered that. But who are the two of you?"


    "Nathan," I said bluntly, crossing my arms. "And the old man is Crocus. Given how you''re probably looking for a way out, the gate is over there."


    Four heads turned in the direction I was pointing, and three of them shouted at the same time. I winced, resisting the urge to cover my ears.


    "There are pictures painted on the inside of the whale''s stomach!" One of them shouted as I smirked.


    "I told you other people would find that weird," I jabbed as Crocus himself shrugged, unconcerned with my needling.


    "You''ll need a hobby in your old age too," he shrugged as I shuttered, trying not to think about how if this was what he considered an old age-appropriate hobby, then how much of a monster he would have had to be when he was my age.


    It was at that exact moment when Laboon''s stomach began to heave, I was used to the movements by this point. But that also meant I was familiar with the cause.


    "Laboon," I whispered, before scowling. I hated seeing the big guy like this. A split second later, my body was already transforming, slipping into the water in a form that was much more capable of handling the stomach acid.


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


    All four of the present Straw Hats stared as the man transformed into a weird star, before slipping into the water without a care in the world.


    "What was that!" Usopp shouted as he blinked in confusion.


    "Was that a Devil Fruit power?" Sanji, despite himself, already had his foot on the Going Merry''s railing.


    "If it is, the kid has the strangest Devil Fruit I''ve ever seen," Crocus shouted back at them. "Besides, the kid''s fine. Just look at him!"


    Four heads turned to watch as the strange starfish sped across the surface, water shooting out from the red gem at its center pushing it along at a truly remarkable pace.


    "This is one of the weirdest things I''ve ever seen," Nami muttered, though she was still loud enough that Crocus let out a hearty laugh before leaping into the water himself.


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


    Being a mystical starfish jetting on the stomach acid of an island-sized whale was not exactly how I expected my life to go. Very little of how I expected my life to go was how things were going at the moment. Nor was losing to Crocus, who was already about halfway up the ladder despite my head start. He was about as spry as Professor Oak, probably even more so. I did try to scramble up after him, but the man was just as fast with something solid under his feet as he was when he was swimming.


    I did my best to follow suit, but by the time I managed I reach the sedation room, Crocus had already administered the treatment. Laboon''s bludgeoning against the Red Line ceased, the world no longer shaking around us. But that didn''t mean I was pleased. I understood his desire to get back to his family, but all he was doing was hurting himself.


    For now, Crocus was here for him, but the man was in his seventies by this point. He wasn''t going to be around forever. In a world like this, he was pushing it, monster or not.


    "You''re thinking too much," both his voice and the ruffling of my hair. I tried to give a squawk of protest, but I kept silent. He was right. I was thinking too much. Sadly, Crocus had decades to work on this and never made a lot of headway.


    "I just wish we could do more is all," I frowned. There had to be something beyond sedatives. Laboon needed therapy. It was a simple solution in theory. However, how does one go about getting therapy for a whale? One with decades of abandonment issues, at that? Nor was I a therapist in the first place. I sure couldn''t do such a thing. It didn''t take us long to reach the platform, looking down at the pirate ship. There were three more people down there. Another man, with a red vest and a straw hat, not too dissimilar from the one on the ship''s flag.


    However, that quickly shunted itself from my mind at the other two familiar faces.


    "You two!" I ground out, as the two were already going for their weapons.


    "As long as I live, you''ll never harm Laboon!" Crocus shouted as I began to transform. Their weapons fired, running to intercept the projectiles. But by that point, my body had begun to change. An armored orange exoskeleton, with two large pincers for its size.


    "Corphish!" Both pincers opened wide, energy gathering within them. A stream of bubbles condensed into a narrow stream slammed into the explosives, detonating them before they could get close to Laboon''s stomach lining. I glared at the two of them with all the fury a two-foot-tall crustacean could muster.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Which was, in reality, a lot more than one might expect. Both pincers opened wide, and I hoped that the message was clear. Drop the weapons. Now!


    They, unfortunately, did not, seeming to prepare for a second salvo. Then the man in the red shirt almost blurred, going from sitting down to punching both of them square in the back of the head. I paused, almost waiting for the two troublemakers to get back up. They didn''t.


    This kid straight up just punched the lights out of these two with only a single blow!


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


    Taking great care to make sure the two were tied up and going to stay that way. Luffy, the captain of this group of pirates was already on his way up the small palm tree Crocus had planted on his artificial island. It was a story I''d heard before. Crocus had explained to me how a group of fairly friendly pirates came over Reverse Mountain, Laboon hot on their heels. Not because of any wrongdoing on their end.


    They adopted the little guy. Well, allegedly little. I had a hard time imagining a titan like Laboon being anything that resembled small, fifty years to grow or not.


    So rather than pay much of the way of attention to Crocus''s words, I watched the reaction of this group of pirates. Their captain did not seem to be paying much attention to the story from his perch. His brow was scrunched up as if he were concentrating on something.


    Mostly, it was a combination of interest and apathy. Which weren''t the worst things in the world, but that didn''t give me a lot to work with either.


    "That was fifty years ago," all of them were paying attention now due to those words, even the Captain and Zoro looking surprised. "He still thinks his friends are coming back."


    It wasn''t beyond the realm of possibility, depending on the age at which they left. On paper. Some would easily be pushing eighties, which frankly? If you were pushing that age, then you probably weren''t spending much time sailing. Old age and the high seas did not seem like a pleasant combination.


    "What about you? How exactly did you get here? Neither of you looks related," the blonde-haired man commented, removing the cigarette from his mouth.


    "It started a month ago when I woke up in the body of a Seel," I said, starting from the very beginning.


    "Don''t you mean a seal?" the orange-haired woman interrupted me.


    "No," I said as bluntly as possible. "I imagine they''re related somehow, but at the end of the day, completely different species." To demonstrate, I changed into the small aquatic mammal, before shifting back.


    "What type of Devil Fruit did you eat to do that!" The Black-haired man pointed at me.


    "Unless someone force-feed me one of those in my sleep, I didn''t," I answered honestly.


    "EH!" Three of them shouted out at the same time beside their Captain, who seemed to be laughing, and Zoro.


    "It''s possible. I''ve run into a Zoan once, and their powers didn''t work in the same way at all," Zoro said confidently.


    "Anyway," I pressed on. "A Sea King decided that I would make for such a wonderful snack, followed by Laboon realizing that it would make for a great snack. I got swallowed along with it, while Crocus fished me out of Laboon''s stomach acid not long after. And I''ve been here ever since."


    I raised my hand to show off the scar that rested between my middle and index fingers. Probably not the most impressive thing in the world to a bunch of pirates. But it was still my scar, and it wasn''t going away anytime soon.


    "At the moment, I''m looking for a way to get back home," I said honestly. "I don''t have the slightest idea of how I even ended up near here, and I can''t find where I''m from on a map."


    To be fair, that was because I was certain I wasn''t in my world like some messed-up version of the Wizard of Oz. With Piracy replacing the Yellow Brick Road. But I wasn''t going to tell them that. They were strangers at the moment, and would probably find that to be crazy anyway. There was no reason to share that piece of information.


    I was reaching the point where I wanted to try Magikarping over Reverse Mountain. I couldn''t swim against the current with any of the forms I had. Of course, trying to jump over an entire mountain, especially one that high was a tall task, even with a Magikarp.


    "Oh, you could join our crew!" I felt my brain slow down for a moment, trying to process what was just said. I looked at the source of the voice, which was now far closer than I expected. Despite that, his arms were still attached to the top of the tree, despite his head only being a short distance away.


    I was being offered a position in a pirate crew by a rubber man. The fact that the sentence made sense in context was all sorts of concerning.


    "I''ll think about it," I said, as I was no closer to having my concerns about such a prospect addressed.


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


    "IT''S A DRAW!" The announcement caused me to pause in place, as I had broken into a run to try and stop this dumbass from getting himself killed. Even Laboon, who had been in a rage because this dumbass had decided to rip the mast out of his ship and jam it into Laboon''s open wounds had paused his assault.


    "I''m pretty strong, right?" He continued as I stood there, slack-jawed. Was he? What was he doing? "Our match isn''t over yet. We''ll still have to settle it. Your friends may have been gone for good, but you''ve got a rival now."


    "Me!" Luffy''s mouth opened into a truly massive grin. My eyes widened, looking at Laboon''s face. The titanic whale''s eyes had begun to mist over before my gaze. "After we circle the Grand Line, I''m coming back here, and we''re going to fight again!"


    I was beside myself staring up as Laboon roared to the heavens, tears streaming down his face.


    This pirate, went out of his way to help Laboon. For what? He just did so. No second-guessing, no second thoughts, no promise of reward. He just did. He went out of his way to help Laboon. Just because he thought he could.


    One thought passed through my head.


    I needed to pack.


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


    "Where did the kid run off to?" Zoro looked around.


    "Nathan?" Crocus grinned. "I think that little display convinced him to sign on."


    "Really?" Luffy grinned. "He seems funny!"


    "He''s a bit of a shy one, I will admit. But I think finally getting out will do him some good in the long run," Crocus nodded. "He''s a kind person who marches to the beat of his own drum, in a lot of ways. I think he will find a way to get back home. He has a path already, or he at least thinks he has a way forward."


    "Then why hasn''t he?" Nami asked, frowning slightly.


    "Because at the moment, he doesn''t have the form necessary to do so," Crocus said. "I know he recognizes what he transforms into. At the moment, he thinks he could transform into even more creatures than he currently does. Though whether he can or not is something I don''t know."


    "Shishishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "He''s going to get a lot stronger too? That''s great!"


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


    It didn''t take long to get packed up. I didn''t own much, after all. Frankly, most of my clothes were hand-me-downs, and I was going to have to replace them eventually. No, what was important were my equipment and samples. Well, the Red Line sample, I didn''t have any others. But most of my equipment was something I''d desperately need. Crocus described the Grand Line as a magnetic mess, where each island had its own unique magnetic signature.


    Which was not the most out-there thing I ever heard. Magnetic rocks tended to have different bandings depending on when they were deposited as a response to Earth''s magnetic field. Of course, this was on a completely different scale than that and those rocks tended to be from around divergent boundaries. Nor could they to my knowledge mess with a compass.


    But I wanted to experiment with samples. If they were that magnetic, then there were some interesting things I could do with them.


    "I''ll be back to Laboon!" I shouted, giving the massive whale a pat on his side. I meant it. I wasn''t going to leave this whale without saying goodbye at least one last time. Then I let my body transform once again, grabbing my bag in my mouth as Laboon slowly sunk beneath the waves.


    I let my body float across the waves, just relaxing. Then I heard shouting from above. Looking up, I saw two shadows falling straight off the cliff. My eyes were poorly situated, even as I tried to tilt my body up to figure out what was going on.


    But by that point, it was already too late. Both hit my blubbery body with a bounce.


    "That was softer than expected," I heard Sanji say.


    "Since when did Laboon have a kid!" Luffy shouted with both enthusiasm and wonder as I froze. This was our captain? This was our captain?


    You know what? Just run with it.


    "Wailmer," my form rumbled as I continued to float back to the lighthouse.


    "Shishishishi!" Luffy''s laughter coincided with the feeling of him flopping down against my back. "So your power lets you turn into all sorts of things? That''s pretty cool!"


    "Wailmer!" I hoped to be conveying what I intended with my words. This was something that couldn''t last long term. I was going to have to try to do what Meowth did in the anime, wasn''t I? Hopefully, the skill stuck between forms, rather than me having to do it one at a time. For each form. Individually.


    "You aren''t exactly moving fast though," Sanji was standing up by this point. I was a ball whale, what did you want from me?


    Then I heard two, very familiar voices. Well, one of them, anyway.


    "Since when was he able to turn into Laboon''s child, Ms. Wednesday?"


    I didn''t even let that question hang in the air before introducing a Wailmer-sized water gun to the man''s face.


    "GHKT!"


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


    "Taking them along isn''t a smart idea," Crocus said. I had to agree. It wasn''t.


    "Luffy knocked them out cold in a single punch, and I managed to beat them with a Totodile," I shook my head. I didn''t trust either of them as far as a Machamp could throw them. But we could beat them in a fight as was. "I''ll keep an eye on them and make sure they and their boss don''t come after Laboon again."


    "Thank you for that," Crocus smiled. "And stay safe out there."


    "I should be thanking you. You put a roof over my head when you didn''t have to. You gave me, a total stranger, a place to stay for a month. I cannot repay the kindness you have given me," I bowed my head in respect.


    "You can pay me back by making sure you live," Crocus looked me dead in the eye, and while his expression was warm, his gaze was hard as stone. "The Grand Line is a madhouse. It''ll push you to your limits, then go beyond even that."


    "I will. I promised Laboon I''d see him again, too. And I intend to keep my promises," I grinned, though it was in part to steel my nerves. I was scared. There was no way I couldn''t be nervous about something like this. Crocus may have not been family, and Laboon may have not been home, but they were familiar. In this world, they were the only thing I''d ever known. And it was hard not to be scared when you were leaving the one place you knew you were safe.


    But I wasn''t going to find my way home by being safe.


    "I know you want to get your goodbyes in order, kid, but let''s go already!" I heard Zoro shout.


    "I''m twenty-seven! I''m not a kid!" I shouted back, annoyed.


    "If you stopped shaving, you''d look older, I''ve told you this before," Crocus teased.


    "Haha-ahahah!" I laughed before my face straightened out. "Never, old man." Crocus merely shrugged as I frowned at him.


    "Stay safe," I extended my hand outward.


    "You''re the one jumping into the Grand Line. I should be the one telling you that, and have," he gripped my hand, shaking it. "You''ve gotten a stronger handshake."


    I smiled. Yeah, it was stronger. I waved him goodbye as we set off, and Laboon as well, the sailing ship moving beneath my feet. But living in a whale for a month had left me prepared for the sea.


    "What is a Totodile, anyway?" Usopp asked, giving me a look as I watched as Mr. 9 and Ms. Wenseday shuttered.


    "It would be best if I showed you," I shrugged, shifting down.


    "Croconaw!" I shouted. That, wasn''t right. I. Evolved? How? Mission failed successfully!


    "It''s bigger now!" The pair shouted at the top of their lungs as I tested out my new set of chompers. This was a power boost if nothing else.


    The only thing louder than them was Luffy''s laugh, who was on his back, rolling around on the deck. I stared into the distance as the lighthouse slowly faded from view.


    The first step on a journey home.


    Oh, how I never expected how right that was.

 Chapter 3 - Whiskey Peak Part 1

    "What''s even in that thing?" Usopp looked over my shoulder in the small little area I set up in the men''s room. The Going Merry wasn''t exactly a spacious ship, the small Carveal being the equivalent of a Destroyer Escort. Of course, a Destroyer Escort was a much larger ship than the Merry herself. Not that I thought it was going to matter. As Roberts showed, it wasn''t always the size of the ship in the fight that mattered, but the size of the fight in the ship.


    "It''s a sample I took from the Red Line about a week ago," I answered, opening the case to show him. Sure, it wasn''t the most important thing in the world, but I wasn''t going to even get a chance to get a new sample for a while now, so I wanted to keep it safe. Not that it would probably matter, as the only way this thing could be lost to me is by chucking it over the side. Nothing I could try even managed to dent the thing.


    "The Red Line?" Usopp rested his chin between his thumb and his index finger. "I know all about the Red Line!"


    "Really? I haven''t been able to figure out what type of rock it is yet, much less any hints of its mineral composition. Any advice I could get on that front would be greatly appreciated," I said with a grin. Usopp''s face made several expressions in the span of a few seconds that I would call interesting.


    How he was even able to make half of those expressions was a mystery to me. An amusing mystery, but I was far from a detective. Or a medical expert. With that particular thought, I flipped through a second journal. My mom was a nurse, yes, but when it came to medical knowledge, I was sorely lacking. Anything beyond making sure an injury didn''t get infected was about as far as I got.


    Which could be problematic. Chansey was absolutely something I could have access to in the immediate future. While being nowhere near as good as having a proper medic or doctor, Chansey would serve in a pinch. Writing down every detail I could think of was important. I was a pretty big Pok¨¦mon fan, and while I certainly couldn''t name every single one, I could name most of them, as well as have a decent memory of their move sets.


    But that knowledge would fade with time. Thus, I needed to preserve what I had, while I still had it.


    The biggest hindrance in this effort was the fact I didn''t have a computer. And without the miracles of modern technology, I was forced to do everything by hand. Though, one upside is that I didn''t have to worry about security too much. My chicken scratchings were pretty much impossible for anyone else to read, which was about as good security as any.


    "It''s Red Gypsum!" Usopp declared, pulling me out of my thoughts.


    "Really? It''s made of calcium sulfate dihydrate?" I looked surprised. "Something that is used in chalk and plaster?"


    "I, don''t see what the problem with it is," Usopp gave me a confused look.


    "Gypsum is a soft rock, Usopp. If the Red Line were made up of something like that, it would have collapsed a long time ago," I said.


    "Don''t tell me you actually buy into those conspiracies," I heard Zoro mumble, the swordsman making his way into the room.


    "What conspiracies?" I asked, turning around.


    "The ones where people claim that the Red Line should have been washed away by now," Zoro said. "Even I know it''s been around for eight hundred years."


    "That''s not why I find it weird," I snickered. "Eight centuries? Sure, that sounds like a long time from a human perspective, but from a Geologic one, it''s the equivalent of a rat fart. A sheer cliff face may be a high-intensity erosional environment, but how quickly it goes is going to depend on the material itself."


    "The real problem is the material. No depositional strata, no signs of igneous or metamorphic activity," I frowned, doing my best to explain. "As is its positioning. Getting a lithologic bed to reach a ninety-degree angle isn''t impossible on a local level but on a global scale? The only thing that makes sense is if the Red Line is leftover from erosion, but that raises several questions, such as where did the rest of the soil go."


    Sure, rivers could do the trick, but they moved sediment into depositional deltas. They didn''t destroy, not really. They just moved soil from one location to another. So all that sediment would have had to end up somewhere else. Sure, elevation would change as the Red Line would be more resistant to erosion, but everything else?


    Never mind the plate tectonics that would be involved.


    Wait, did this place even have those? The amount of stress the Red Line would put a continental plate under would be staggering. Of course, 800 years wasn''t long when it came to tectonic plates, but it was still a factor to consider.


    Both of them blinked at me. "Where exactly did you learn all that?" Zoro asked.


    "Geology? Went to school for it. Got a degree and everything," I said. "Everything else? Is my applying what I know and concluding this thing." I patted the rock for additional effect. "Is an abomination of the highest order."


    "Oh, it can''t be that bad," Zoro said. "Watch. I''ll cut it in half."


    Before I could say or even do anything, the sword came down. It hit the rock. It stopped at the rock.


    That was not enough to spare the table as the thing split in half.


    I''d almost be impressed.


    Almost.


    "What the Hell did you do that for!"


    "How the Hell did it chip my sword!"


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


    "How did I forget you?" I muttered to myself, though the question itself was largely rhetorical. I knew exactly how I forgot this one. Because in a fight, it was pretty much useless. What few moves it got worth a damn were coming off of stats that were barely worth anything, only looking good compared to first-form anythings.


    There was just one simple issue as to why that was a problem.


    Combat wasn''t the only thing my power was good for, and it was something I was going to need to start processing quickly. Which was why I was adding it to my book, to make sure I didn''t forget.


    Castform. Pretty much useless, but it had the unique ability of Forecast. Well, it also picked up moves that allowed it to change the weather, though it only benefited from three of those. Nor was I certain how people would react to a sandstorm out on open water. That probably wouldn''t be the best idea. But everything else could be on the table in theory.


    Frankly, I wasn''t even sure if I could access Castform''s alternate forms. Not only did its appearance change but so did its type. One of those was water, of course, but the other two were fire and ice.


    Still, it was worth looking into. At least into Forecast. Crocus has proven right about the weather, in that it was chaotic at best. Being able to prepare for what was coming would be a leg up.


    Well, might as well give it a try. What''s the absolute worst that could happen?


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


    Nami looked out the window, as a small grey creature rotated outside. She supposed that did answer the question of where exactly Nathan was. Though what he was doing was a completely different matter. Finding weird and abnormal animals on the ship was frequently a common occurrence, all leading back to a single man.


    But this was one she hadn''t seen yet. Its back, at least she thought it was its back, was facing the window as it continued to rotate in the air. She had half the mind to demand to know what was going on. But Nathan left the book he was usually working on right in the open. And she was the only one on the crew besides himself who could make heads or tails of what he was writing. It hadn''t been the worst handwriting she had spent time decoding.


    "Let''s see," she mused to herself. It was nice of Nathan to leave it on the page he was last working on, with featured a crude rendition of what she saw through the window, though this time she could see it''s face. Though there wasn''t much beyond what could only a grin and a white mask around the creature''s small black eyes.


    Castform was apparently the name of this creature. Most of Nathan''s transformations spoke, in a certain manner of speaking. What they said was what he called them. Why, she wasn''t sure. Nami breezed through to what appeared to be more personal notes. Useless in combat. But.


    She read the line over and over, to make sure she understood what was written, her temper growing all the while. Able to react and predict weather phenomena through transformation and the ability to manipulate the weather! And he just, forgot about it? Something that useful? She quickly flipped to the next page, which featured drawings of what those transformations had to look like.


    Nami looked up at the still-spinning creature in the window, only for it to suddenly stop. Then its body, flickered, changing into something that looked like a sun, then a raindrop that were riding on clouds, before becoming something that looked as if it were encased in a cloud. Finally, it flashed back to normal.


    Right before there was a thump, as Nami caught a glimpse of a pale but very green Nathan running towards the side of the ship. With a frown, Nami put the book back down again, managing to draw the dots. This Castform could predict the weather. Nathan tried to use it to do just that. So either something went wrong.


    Or the Grand Line was just that unpredictable.


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


    "Never, again," I groaned. Was it even possible to suffer the organic equivalent of a 404 error? Because that''s what it sure damn well felt like!


    Was it because I didn''t have the necessary types? Or was the Grand Line so insane that Castform, a Pok¨¦mon literally made to tell the weather, was rendered completely useless? That was -.


    Nope, still going to hurl! My stomach heaved, though by this point it was empty. I let out a whimper of protest. Against both the nausea that was doing a merry little rampage through my brain case and the fact I just wasted a perfectly good meal. Even trying to think about what happened made me ill to my stomach.


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


    "So you can''t be our musician?" Luffy complained between mouthfuls of food. How he managed to unhinge his entire jaw to shovel it into his mouth without nary a pause to chew was impressive. And something I could go my life without seeing.


    "I haven''t touched an instrument in about," I quickly did the math in my head. "A decade. And even if I kept up practicing, I don''t think we''re going to find a trombone or baritone out in these waters." Well, we weren''t going to find any instruments until we got to an island with shops. I wasn''t sure how things worked when it came down to the splitting of funds when it came to shopping, but even then, I''d be hard-pressed to want to make that purchase over more practical ones.


    Luffy frowned for the briefest of seconds, before grinning again. "It''s okay! Your powers are still really cool!"


    That was a sentiment I more than agreed with. Being able to turn into Pok¨¦mon? Even with the limits, it was something out of one of my childhood fantasies!


    "That they are," I grinned back, returning to my meal. Sanji, the cook, did excellent work. Though by this point, that was expected. I was thankful that my time with Crocus helped me push through my picky eating habits. He''d made it no secret that he hated wasting food.


    "It is weird how despite not knowing how you got your powers, you understand so much about them," Zoro''s words cut through the air like a knife. Though his insinuation was far from subtle.


    "That''s because I recognize them. Where I''m from, there are these, myths, and stories, about creatures with mystical abilities. Many being close to animals, but always being something just a bit more," I said. "Stories, that as a child, I devoured voraciously. Frankly, I know more about what I can transform into rather than the how, the why, or even really how to push even further than that. If it were just one attribute, I''d just call it a day, but I have two."


    That meant something. It had to mean something.


    "Two of what?" Luffy asked me innocently before anyone else could get in a word in otherwise.


    "The creatures I can be divided into multiple combinations of one or two attributes from a total of nineteen overall," which got several people''s attention, even the two in the corner. "These types usually align with things found in the natural world, such as Fire, Rock, or Water. However, there are acceptions for more esoteric types, such as Dark, Fairy, or Dragon. Right now, I can turn into forms of the Normal and Water attribute, but that''s it."


    "How is normal an attribute?" Sanji raised one of the swirly eyebrows.


    "Normal is something closely related to something more mundane, but considerably stronger. Tauros and Miltank are closely related to cows, but are capable of far greater feats of strength," I used as an example, somewhat pulling an excuse from my ass. But it wasn''t exactly wrong. They would be closely related, and much more capable. Still, my words left tension in the air.


    "Beef!" Right until our Captain opened his mouth, which shattered the tension just as quickly as Nami''s retaliatory punch. The speed of the blow made me recoil backward in surprise, as Luffy, despite the fact he was made of rubber, was now nursing a welt on his head. I''d already been trying to create space, as Luffy already had drool coming out of his mouth.


    "Now, I''m guessing that has something to do with the fact you think you might have a way home," Nami turned toward me. For someone who just punched someone in the face, she looked calm on the surface. Which was a sign to try and explain myself.


    "Correct. There are a few forms that can teleport, though the exact distance has always been a matter of speculation. As for the main ideas, however," I scowled. "As for what I''m thinking of, even if I did have the necessary combinations, I still don''t have access to them. Not at the moment."


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "What the hell does that mean?" Zoro''s eyes narrowed.


    "Because those forms are, mythical. Legendary. Unique. One of a kind, and extremely powerful. I have the attributes necessary for a handful. I''ve even tried to use some of the less dangerous ones. They don''t work," I scowled. "I don''t know if it''s because I''m not strong enough to do so, or there''s some other factor."


    "I really just don''t. I know what I might be capable of, but that''s a big, big might."


    That seemed to calm things down a little. I had tried with Phione and Manaphy, with no success. It was safe to say that Kyogre and Arceus were off the table, as well as Regigigas. And even if they weren''t? Sure, Regigigas was probably fine, but Arceus the thousand-limbed creator, and Kyogre?


    Kyorge? Just the mere thought of releasing that into the world sent chills up and down my spine. Even in its base form, Kyogre would be a nightmare. If it came with its Primal Reversion straight out of the box? That was cataclysmic. No, outright apocalyptic. I was not exaggerating when I said such a thing could quite literally end the entire world, nor was it something I said lightly.


    Either Primal was in truth. Both were natural disasters that could walk.


    "Just how strong are they?" I shuttered under Zoro''s grin. This man had no chill sometimes.


    "You want to tell those two that, idiot!" Nami landed a blow against his skull, also leaving welts on the swordsman. While I didn''t approve of the violence, I did mirror her sentiments.


    "All I''m willing to say is that it varies. Beyond that," I turned toward the corner, narrowing my eyes. "I''m not saying anything." For a brief moment, it looked as if Zoro was contemplating throwing the two overboard, before he simply shrugged, before turning to face Nami.


    "What the hell is wrong with you!"


    "Don''t talk to Nami-san that way, Mosshead!"


    While Zoro could have put things softer, as I for one preferred to have allies that weren''t concussed, this was not the time for criticisms.


    Now was the time to evacuate the kitchen!


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


    "This is some Kansas-level bullshit right here," I grumbled. The Grand Line was roughly equatorial, if I remember correctly. The fact we were getting snow, accumulating snow at that, was its own level of insane. But for the snow to come out of nowhere when just moments ago there was a cloud in the sky?


    As I said. Kansas. Level. Bullshit. Right now, it was just Sanji and I shoveling the accumulating snow. Usopp and Luffy were building a snowman, or in Usopp''s case, a snow woman. An impressive one, before it was destroyed by our Captain''s antics. Dorks, the both of them.


    Zoro was napping, somehow, despite the sudden cold snap. Our prodigious guests were in the kitchen, alongside Nami. But given that my clothes were very limited, the only things I could do for warmth were to try and borrow someone''s coat, fight someone for a blanket, or work up a sweat.


    Given how quickly as this storm appeared, I figured the prior two were just a waste of time and effort. Never mind that I was pretty sure neither of my forms could stand up in a fight with easily half the crew. Even with transforming. Zoro managed to wield three swords and had enough skill to make it work. Picking a fight with someone who prepared your food was just not an intelligent idea, cook''s honor or not. While Luffy had crouching moron, hidden badass down to an actual form of art.


    And even then, just fighting your comrades over something that trivial was just as much of a waste of effort. I could bother Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday. A single showing of Whismer would certainly be enough to cow them.


    But that was a waste of time too. The weather would be gone as quickly as it appeared. Because for whatever reason, the Grand Line played by Kansas rules. Which I was more than prepared for because I spent my entire youth growing up there.


    Throwing a boat into the mix made things trickery. Living on Laboon for a month may have given me my sea legs, but that did nothing to help my formerly landlocked ass, having no idea how to sail a ship. It was a learning, and quite frankly, painful curve, and it was still not one I was used to.


    "We need to turn around!" Nami shouted, barking out orders as she went. However, by the time I was halfway up the rigging, the winds began to shift. The accumulated snow quickly began to melt as the temperature increased, a pleasant warm breeze filling the air. Certainly a nice sign for things to come. If one wasn''t already part way up the rigging and couldn''t see what was coming our way.


    "Iceberg on our ten o''clock!" I shouted, already shifting into a new form. Waves were growing all around the ship, so entering the water wasn''t an option at this point unless I wanted to get swept away by the currents. Wishiwashi was an option, but its ability only worked at level twenty. Croconaw put me somewhere near that ballpark, but I couldn''t just check a number, and I wasn''t going to dive into the surf just to check. Dondozo was a safer option, though it still had to contend with the wild waves.


    Clauncher would be my weapon of choice. I gripped the rigging with all the strength my tiny, barely one-foot body possessed, and fired. Water erupted from my larger claw, screaming into the iceberg. The immediate result was not much, the iceberg still plowing through the surf without a care in the world, even as I continued to pump out water. The second result was much more clear. That I was really, really bad at math.


    See, what I planned on was using the water to move both the iceberg and the Going Merry herself from their present collision course. However, I forgot to account for, well, several different factors. The Going Merry was massive. Well, not by ship sizes, but even one of her size had to be upwards of at least a ton, and an iceberg would likely be heavier than that. Trying to push her hull from a surface like her rigging simply wasn''t going to work.


    At first. The rigging groaned in protest as slowly the ship began to turn, either from my present actions or someone getting into position from my warning. I continued to put up the pressure, water slamming against the iceberg with everything I could push out. I refused to let the ship and crew go out like the Titanic! It passed us by what looked to be a clear margin, but I knew how icebergs worked. There was always more underneath the surface.


    Of course, there was still one final issue with my grand plan. How to get myself out of the rigging, as my human body was now very much entangled in the rope.


    "Usopp, get him down from there!" Nami order. "And somebody wake Zoro up!"


    "I have a way to do that!" I shouted. "Everyone should cover their ears, though!"


    There was no way that would be enough, but if Zoro was still asleep, there was one thing I could do. It also made for an excellent means of escaping my entangled situation, a familiar pink blob falling to the deck with the sound of a whoopee cushion, causing Usopp and Luffy to break down laughing as Nami steamed.


    "Not the rabbit!" I heard Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday shout at the top of their lungs, hands already covering their ears.


    "WWWHHHHIIIISSSSMMMMEEEERRRR!"


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


    "I know you were trying to help, but don''t do that again!" Nami scolded as I rubbed my head. I at least knew what it was like to be knocked out while transformed. Though it was a surprise to some, the blow to my face didn''t come from our fiery redhead, but from Zoro, who, despite being asleep, managed to snipe me in the face with the pummel of one of his swords.


    Which was impressive. If I hadn''t just taken a sword pommel to the face. But I was more than willing to let the man have the blow Nami delivered to the back of his skull. Plus, he wasn''t conscious. At least, he better not have been.


    "Yeah, yeah, with great volume comes great collateral," I said, still gently rubbing the bruise on my head. Well, I wasn''t going to tell them that this thing''s final evolution''s name was a literal combination of explosion and loud.


    Would it show them? No, no it wouldn''t. But one day, I would save a place through truly excessive amounts of noise.


    "Good," Nami rubbed her ears, and I highly doubt she was the only one with a ringing head. I pushed myself up, taking careful, measured steps to make sure I didn''t have a concussion. My headache still raged, but my balance seemed fine and my vision wasn''t wobbly or blurry. Unlike the time a dumbass football player thought it would be a good idea to catch me with his knees while I was sledding down a hill.


    Which was a good thing, as I got to see the parting fog.


    "Wow," I simply breathed, looking up at the view before me. The first thing I noticed was the cacti. They were titanic, easily reaching the size of a small mountain. How? Why? Was there enough water to sustain anything of that size? That could explain the alleged food shortages, but I doubt it. It was certainly an impressive sight. Nothing I''d ever get to see back home, my issues with cacti aside. Though, these were far too large to even think about engaging in sneak attacks.


    Besides that, the island seemed largely arid and flat.


    "Well, we''ll be taking our leave now!" Mr. Nine declared, leaping onto the ship''s railing, an action mirrored by Ms. Wednesday.


    "Thank you for the ride, Darlings!" Ms. Wednesday said in a sing-song voice.


    "Wahoo!"


    Splash!


    "So, those two just, Mario''d their way off a ship," I pinched my brow, feeling a different sort of headache coming on. "Who in the universe is responsible for me having to use Mario as a verb?"


    "Who even is Mario?" Usopp asked as Luffy was already demanding that we make landfall.


    "A character in a play. He''s a plumber that rescues a kidnapped princess from a fire-breathing bipedal turtle," I said. "It''s mostly made for kids."


    Usopp didn''t seem to have a response to that, his eyes widening in surprise.


    "I''m concerned if that is the type of story that''s common where you are from," Sanji took a brief puff of his cigarette as he rolled his eyes.


    "Oh please, that''s not even in the top ten weirdest things in literature I''ve heard of," I huffed. "The Monkey King, anything Cu or Zeus did, it doesn''t take long for you to find weird, messed up things that just sound wrong."


    Sanji shrugged, seeming to leave it at that. I caught the tail end of what Nami was saying about how the Log Pose needed to be calibrated, and how long it took would vary from island to island.


    "You mean, if this island is full of monsters, we might have to stick around for days?" Usopp looked worried, and that was a concerning prospect. Then again, between Zoro and Luffy, I wasn''t too concerned.


    "I mean, if we''re stuck on an island for a few days, we could replenish our supplies. I might be able to find a good place to dig a well for drinking water," I said, getting several surprised looks, even if Luffy just looked confused. "What? I''m a geologist. Sure, well boring isn''t a specialty of mine, but I do know how to make sure an aquifer is good to tap. You don''t want to restock and end up with what you brought being contaminated by salt water or anything else that''s toxic or bad for you."


    "That can happen?!" Was the response I got from several of them as I did my best not to show displeasure.


    "It can be. It tends to depend on many different factors," I nodded. "But once it is contaminated, it''s a long, lengthy process to remove it from the aquifer itself. And boiling the water can probably be used to remove the impurities if you know how to do it correctly."


    Which I didn''t. I had a rough idea of what I needed to do, but that was about it. I didn''t think it would be an issue though. The river was a good sign that the aquifer was above sea level, despite the area looking overall arid.


    "But what about the monsters?"


    "Do you think we can''t take them?" Zoro and I said at the same time. We both glared at one another for a moment, scowling. He wasn''t exactly wrong. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were all units in their own right. While I was far less capable in comparison, my forms could still pack a considerable punch.


    The fog continued to stream out of the river''s mouth as the Going Merry pushed against the tide. The wind howled off the cliff faces, barely managing to cut through the fog that surrounded us. Then came the whispers. From the fog came voices, something that was enough to make me bristle. I''d seen enough horror games to know that this wasn''t going to lead anywhere good.


    Just as the mists parted, as a roar went up over the town.


    "Welcome to the town of celebration! Whiskey Peak!"


    I stared over the side of the ship, flabbergasted by what I was seeing. Sure, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday said something about their being a town here, but it wasn''t like I believed them. Why would I? Though it wasn''t like what I was seeing made much in the way of sense. Sure, I knew these people were good, or at the very least, not evil, but most who flew the Jolly Roger were raiders. Not the types you would welcome with open arms.


    And given that the pair were supposed to be from around here, we shouldn''t be getting the warmest of welcomes in the first place.


    Of course, all the thoughts flying through my head about why this place shouldn''t be trusted, and that this was some type of trap were utterly secondary, as I was being confronted with my true mortal nemesis.


    Parties.

 Chapter 4 - Whiskey Peak Part 2

    "Do we still have eyes on the mousy one?"


    "Yeah, he''s off collecting rock samples, of all things. This group of pirates, I swear."


    "Keep it that way. If one of them goes missing before we''re ready, that''ll do nothing but raise suspicion."


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


    Sandstone. Can''t say I was surprised by the fact. There was little else it could have been. Limestone, maybe, but that was a crap shoot. The real surprise was the lack of quartz. Or anything I could recognize as a silicate. Which was odd. Silicates were some of the most resistant minerals against weathering, meaning they tended to survive long enough to be cemented into a sandstone. This also gave the sandstone itself plenty of longevity once exposed.


    But that wasn''t the only weird thing. I feel like I''ve been thinking that a lot lately. Though, in this case, I didn''t know if it was because I couldn''t see the whole picture, or if there was something wrong going on.


    The sandstone beds could have one of two sources. They were either uplifted over time or cut through by the river, though that had several issues. But it was just as problematic as them being deposited by said river in the ancient past. Sure, faults could explain why what had once been deposited was now above the river, and it wasn''t as if rivers shifted over time as well. But I wasn''t seeing any signs that they had been deposited from the river, much less any faults that could have caused the necessary uplift and down drop. There could be signs on the other side of the river that would point to a hanging wall pair that would result in the present state of things, but again, I didn''t see any evidence for it.


    Even if that evidence could be found in the subsurface, I didn''t have time to drill and find it. I could only make assumptions based on what I saw before me. Which left me with a very incomplete picture of what was going on here. An incomplete picture I did not like to be working off of. In part because that meant I had to fill in the gaps with my assumptions in an attempt to get the picture to make any amount of sense.


    But because it meant I was going to overlook something important. Of course, coming up with a geologic history based on a few scant outcroppings was always going to be a fool''s errand. But I doubted we would be staying for long. I was happy we didn''t have to feed Luffy out of our ship''s supply. Yeah, I felt bad for someone else having to foot that bill.


    But they offered, and we warned them.


    Still, I''d gotten the samples I wanted. I''d even brought a magnet with me. My samples were just as heavily magnetized as Crocus claimed they would be. I wasn''t grabbing much, only a few pounds worth of samples for further testing.


    I''d probably have to speak with Usopp to see if he could cook up something that could block out the magnetic field. Safely, may I add. I found it doubtful that it would affect the Log Pose, but that wasn''t something I wanted to risk, thus my small sample size.


    Right now, I am mostly buying time. I had no idea of what the Straw Hats party ethos entailed. However given how the crew consisted almost exclusively of teenagers, with myself being the only exception?


    I would be safe in guessing that they would party, and party hard. Something that had never been my scene. I''d never been much of a party person, and for good reason. The noise was painful enough as it was, and being around drunk people had never been my idea of fun. Drinking had never been my idea of a good time either, to be honest. It tasted like piss and was even worse than piss for your health.


    However, the sun was starting to go down now. And frankly, I didn''t exactly trust this place. Maybe it was just me being paranoid, but there was just this feeling that I had. One I hadn''t felt since that one time in a parking lot. The feeling that I was about to be stabbed for drug money.


    But there wasn''t anyone here. That I knew of, at any rate. Still, it was probably best to deposit my rocks back on the ship, before joining the festivities. It wasn''t like there was much else I could do, and it wasn''t like I was going to wander around this place after dark. I might not get stabbed in the twilight hours, but the gloves would have to come off once night fell. And there was no way in hell this place was as friendly to pirates as it first appeared.


    Sure, my death would probably be avenged, but I''d rather not have it come to that in the first place.


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


    I took a deep breath, having deposited the samples to a safe place on the Merry. Everything looked like it was in order. In hindsight, I could just use the fact that somebody should be guarding the Going Merry as an excuse to stay away from the party, but.


    I wasn''t that smart, and I honestly wanted to see what chaos awaited me.


    The sound as I opened the door was nearly enough to take me off my feet. If I wasn''t holding onto the door for dear life, I would have been knocked on my ass. Music could barely be heard over the sound of reverie. Slipping in once I had found my footing only made the sound all the louder.


    Zoro and Nami seemed to be having a drinking competition with multiple other people. And with the hopefully passed-out bodies around them, they seemed to be winning. Luffy had ballooned in size, and someone with a chief''s hat was lying on the ground sobbing. Sanji, okay, I wasn''t sure what the blonde cook was doing. But he seemed to be enjoying himself, so that was all that counted. And Ussop had his mug of beer, telling stories surrounded by multiple people. Each was a focal point in the chaos.


    Everyone but Luffy seemed to be intoxicated in some form or another. Even if Sanji was a bit more unorthodox in what he was taking. No, wait, that was a beer in his hands too. I just couldn''t tell from the fact the man was being swarmed. I was almost jealous.


    Still, my feet shifted awkwardly. I''d never been much of a party person, much less one with the booze flowing freely and people fully indulging in their merriment. Still, the rumble in my stomach at least gave me a place to start.


    Hopefully, that was the only cook Luffy put out of commission. And that they had more. However, by the time I sat down, a chant was already starting to build up.


    "Contest! Contest! Contest!"


    Even Luffy, who had a wide grin on his face, was in on it, beating his hands against the wood counter in rhythm with the chanting. Heat began to rise in my face at even the thought of being at the center of attention.


    "CONTEST! CONTEST CONTEST!"


    "Munch Munch!"


    Was transforming cheating? Probably. But it meant Luffy might have a challenge.


    Full spoilers.


    He didn''t.


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


    "Keep it quiet!"


    "You keep quiet!"


    The voices over me made me stir. They didn''t sound familiar, but that didn''t mean much. Hopefully, they would just go away and let me go to sleep. I was too full to do much else.


    "If we take them hostage, then the swordsman might stop."


    Correction. I was too full to do much else. Was. I bolted upright like a rocket, ready to throw hands, as poor as that particular instinct was, only to find myself tied up in rope.


    "Great! You woke one of them up!"


    "Relax, he''s gagged. Just work on the other ones in the meantime."


    So I was. This.


    Did not have my consent.


    At. All.


    A guttural growl formed at the back of my throat as I let the change take hold. Even as I thrashed, the ropes began to loosen the changes to my body causing the binds to fall away as I shrunk down.


    "He can shape-shift you idiot!"


    "Oh."


    Normally, at this point, I would be asking them nicely to surrender and consider their life choices very, very carefully. But I couldn''t talk, and even if I could, now that I was awake, the noise outside was beginning to filter into my ears. Gunshots, and the clanging of steel. And now that I looked around the room, Zoro was missing. Nami too. And they wanted us as a means of leverage. Who swung first? The two had been drinking heavily, but Nami seemed like a happy drunk, and Zoro was Zoro. Getting a read on him was, difficult.


    I snarled. My tiny body wasn''t going to win any awards for being physically imposing, but they''d seen one body eat its body weight in food, and Munchlax wasn''t intimidating itself.


    "Oh come on, it''s just a tiny dog! All bark and no bite!"


    Fuck. This is what I was starting to hate about this place. Violence was a question, and just about everyone answered that question with an enthusiastic yes! Fine. If that''s how they wanted things to be!


    A one-foot-tall dog may have not had much of a bite. But a one-foot-tall magical dog? One that could specifically create rocks? Didn''t need to bite. As the first man found out, catching several stones to the chest, knocking him clean out the door. The second watched his friend being forcibly evicted in utter shock. I didn''t let the opportunity go to waste, snarling and leaping at the man biting into his clothes, and thrashing him around.


    The man''s panicked screams filled the room as I shook him back and forth across the floor. That was enough to slowly cause the others to stir. Well, Sanji and Usopp, anyway.


    "Five more minutes," I heard the lair groan as I let the man go, sending him through the now-empty doorway and onto the street.


    "Nathan, I assume you have a good reason for waking me up from such a wonderful dream," Sanji coldly frowned.


    "They''re trying to capture us, Zoro''s off fighting somewhere," I started, the expression I got on Sanji''s face told me that he didn''t consider this to be his problem. He was probably still waking up. "And Nami''s missing too."


    "I''ll save you, Nami-san!" Well, that got him moving. He was out the door before I could get in anything else. I mean, Nami should be fine. This was a pirate crew. Everyone should be able to handle themselves in a fight. In theory. Why did I have a feeling that I had just released a monster onto the town? Screw it, they were trying to kidnap us for some reason or another. Probably because of the whole Pirates thing.


    Clever, if utterly scummy. Lure people in with friendship, lull them into a false sense of security, and capture them during their sleep. With nobody to hear from them ever again, the plan would work against the next group of people who wandered over this way.


    "So, what do we do now?" Usopp was now also up, a bit more alert than I expected. Luffy still slumbered, and I was starting to suspect it would take a natural disaster to wake him. Joining the fight sounded like a good idea, but leaving Luffy didn''t sound wise either. Somebody needed to check on the Going Merry, and run inventory. If they were going after us, then they would go after our ship for both money and supplies.


    But on the other hand, this building was defensible if we needed to fall back.


    "Support the others, I guess. You get up top and snipe, I," Do what, exactly? Run around? Cause chaos? I wasn''t even sure what was going on out there. But it wasn''t like I was going to hang back when we were all under threat from these people. Sure, Zoro was likely holding his own, but it wasn''t like he could be everywhere at once. "Will support Sanji and Zoro up ¡­"


    Click!


    "Freeze!"


    A man round the corner, leveling a weapon as Usopp and I ducked for cover, Usopp letting out a scream of panic as he did so. I, on the other hand, was getting increasingly pissed off! Could I have some time to think for three seconds? I had rocks now!


    Rock? I''d turned into a Rockruff, hadn''t I? If this place was rock, that meant.


    The wall the man was seeking cover behind erupted in a shower of shrapnel and debris. The man himself was thrown aside like a rag doll, smashing into the building on the other side of the street.


    Oh god, was he, dead? A groan sounded from the house as I breathed out a sigh of relief. Good, he was still alive. He just had an indeterminate number of broken bones. That''s. Fine.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Are you okay?" Usopp asked as I left my transformed state fell away. My body shivered.


    "I will be," my breath rattled. "It''s one thing to expect violence, but to do it yourself? I''m not used to that."


    Sure, I''d been in a few fights but. And it wasn''t like I was attacking innocent people here. They were pointing a gun at us, and likely trying to kill us. What I did was textbook self-defense. But I''d probably broken several bones. Many of them important ones at that.


    "Hurting others doesn''t make you a bad person," Usopp said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Trust me, I''ve had to do so a few times myself. So long as you aren''t taking pleasure from other''s pain, then you''re a good person.


    His words made me pause. Usopp was a lair and lied with considerable regularity. It was just how he was. I didn''t tend to mind, one way or another. Usually, because it didn''t matter in the grand scheme of things. If Usopp was telling a little white lie, then wasn''t going to be a problem. And if he was being authentic, then that was good enough too. I normally had a good sense of when he was telling the truth and when he wasn''t.


    This time? I wasn''t sure.


    But did it matter? Lie or not, there was a meaning behind those words.


    "Thank you," I breathed deeply, flashing him a nervous grin. "I needed to hear that."


    "Of course! I''m the great Captain Usopp, after all!" I rolled my eyes at my crewmate''s antics, still smiling.


    "Let''s join the others in kicking ass, then!" I said, changing back. Cranidos was far from my favorite fossil, and its line was flawed to hell and back. But its attack stat was truly titanic for a stage one mon. And frankly. I''d probably need that hitting power. And it wasn''t as if transforming into something partially made of rock would be a bad idea.


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


    He supposed this was it. He did have a good run, he supposed. A shame it''d have to end so soon. But going out saving a friend? That was a way that most people didn''t get the privilege to choose most of the time. All he supposed he could do now was embrace the explosion with some dignity.


    An explosion happened behind him, the noise only severing to mask the sound of Mr. 5''s body being sent flying, crashing into a building.


    Mr. 9 opened his eyes a little. Mr. 5 was no longer before him. Instead, a small, blue, and gray animal was where Mr. 5 once stood, its foot pawing at the ground in a manner that reminded him of a bull preparing to charge.


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


    Maybe I''d been a bit too overzealous here. It did seem like they were just about to throw hands with our enemies. But he was also called Mr. 5, meaning he was part of the same organization that these four worked for. The enemy of my enemy may not be my friend, but they were the ones who posed a threat by this point.


    "I suppose, pleasure before business, just this once," Mr. 5 pulled himself from the rubble. He looked hurt, but compared to everyone else Cranidos hit, he looked like an embodiment of good health. Which wasn''t exactly great.


    Which was, not good. Cranidos was a glass cannon on a good day. Sure it hit hard, but it got hit very hard in return. Nor was it fast enough to get the first hit off without critical outside support. The support I kinda lacked at the moment.


    But, Cranidos was the hardest-hitting form I had by about a metric mile. And it''d take time to transform. And while this place was weird, I highly doubt that a group of trained killers would give me the time to transform without taking advantage of my vulnerability.


    So, I was stuck like this. Hopefully, Usopp noticed the explosions, otherwise, this was a two-on-one that I didn''t exactly like. Even if he had, though, it wasn''t like that was a reason not to double-tap. I was just waiting for the right moment.


    The second that Mr. 5''s finger went up his nose, I charged, side-stepping as he flicked the explosive projectile at me, leading to it skimming past me. My headbutt slammed squarely into his chest as time seemed to slow for a moment. Mr. 5 coughed as I felt something wet hit my back. Next thing I knew, everything went white in pain.


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


    BOOM!


    An explosion rocked the area, sending up a blast of dirt and rock, cutting off Ingrid''s words.


    "Usopp! What just happened?" Nami shouted, looking up from her conversation, already seeing the grimace on Usopp''s face.


    "Nathan just took a bad hit!" Usopp shouted down, twitching nervously. "He just went through a building!"


    Nami grimaced. Nathan''s transformations seemed somewhat strong, but something like that had to hurt. "What about his attacker?"


    She watched as Usopp''s eyes moved behind his goggles as if calculating the path of some projectile before the man winced.


    "Got caught between Zoro and Sanji."


    Nami both breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time, grew increasingly angry. Those two, fighting at a time like this! Nathan and Usopp were the only two protecting her investment right now! She might as well stop those two idiots herself.


    "Nathan''s moving!" Usopp suddenly shouted, but there was still a crease of worry on his face. "But he''s back in his human form!"


    That wasn''t good. Nathan, when transformed, seemed to be durable. Nathan as a human, was not.


    All the more reason to break up Sanji and Zoro''s fight now, before Nathan got hurt.


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


    My head felt as if it was ringing. As if someone, somehow, slipped a bell inside my brain and set it to max. It echoed and bounced, as I tried to push myself up to my feet. I had arms now. Right. Ow. Everything just hurt.


    Was that? An explosion? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. It had to be.


    Did this fucker? Just use self-destruct on me?


    Pain rippled its way through my body as I tried to push myself up. Only to fail, rolling over onto my back. Everything hurt. It felt as if my body had been hit vigorously with a club. I lay there, breathing in and out, watching the stars twinkle above me. Shooting stars streaked through the void above, lighting up the night briefly with their presence. As well as a figure who seemed to be floating in the sky.


    Wait? A figure in the sky? My brain reprocessed the information in front of me. There was someone up there, and those shooting stars were far too close to be genuine. Didn''t these nutcases have partners? Mr. 9 had Ms. Wednesday, though I was operating on the assumption that this was the same group of people. If so?


    Fuck me. Couldn''t you people let me rest in my pain with some peace! My teeth ground together. Someone was shooting at them, most like Usopp. So they were going to do something.


    The fight was not over. I needed to get back in it. I needed to transform. Something, anything, that could give me an edge. Rockruff for speed? No, I didn''t need speed. I needed power. I needed strength. And my body gave me what I needed. My teeth elongated into a snapping maw. My arms became longer, thinner, but stronger. My hands became paws, fingers into claws. My vision because crisp in the night, the inky darkness suddenly becoming crystal clear, even in the faint moonlight.


    It did little to fix the pain. The ache did not vanish. But it did recede. Snarling, I pushed myself to my feet, howling up at the sky. With my newfound night vision, I was able to see what was going on. A woman hung above in the sky, holding onto an umbrella as she fell from the sky. Suddenly, she seemed to move faster, accelerating downwards at startling speed. A few fiery stars hit home, but I doubted it would be enough to alter her trajectory.


    Straight towards me. My hand clenched. If they wanted to play chicken, then so be it. Digging into the surrounding stone, I began to hurl both man-made rubble and natural stone into the air. She continued to barrel through the shower, completely uncaring for the stones or the explosions that impacted her.


    "10,000 Kilo Press!" Pain flared through my left arm as she hit home, what amounted to 11 tons moving at terminal velocity slamming into me. I felt my body shudder, screaming against the strain as it desperately wanted to return to human form. But I held on, snarling as the pain grew and grew. Despite my left arm at or past its breaking point, my right arm pulled backward. All my pain. Put into one, single, attack.


    Lycanroc. Used.


    COUNTER!


    Her eyes widened just before my fist buried itself into her stomach. For the briefest of moments, time seemed to slow down, only for its normal flow to resume seconds later. She was sent flying through the air, though I didn''t know where. My hold broke completely, slipping back into my human body. Even the pain in my arm wasn''t enough to keep me conscious.


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


    "You made me hit a woman!"


    "I had nothing to do with this, you shitty cook!"


    "You two knock it off!"


    "Ow!"


    She was alive. Between the punch and being caught between those two, she was certain her life was flashing before her eyes. All she needed to do was get to her umbrella and¡­


    "And you stay down!"


    Darkness.


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


    BOOM!


    "I''m up!" Was the first thing I said. The second? A very colorful string of curses to let the world understand just how much pain I felt just from the simple act of sitting up. The third?


    Noticed how the ocean seemed as if it were on fire. As if someone had just plopped down a raging wildfire right on the water without a care of how realistic it could be.


    The fourth was that I was suddenly picked up and carried to the ship by ¡­


    I wasn''t sure who. Her face seemed familiar. Maybe Luffy had done a recruitment drive? He seemed like the type. Yeah, I still wasn''t entirely all there with the pain. But we''d won, right? I let out a groan as place on the deck, slowly propping myself up to get a better view of what was going on.


    There were three more people on this ship, not counting the random duck that was now on deck. Two of them were familiar, too. One with blue hair, the other with a crown.


    Wait a minute.


    "What the hell?" I shouted, my brain finally catching up to what I saw before me. What were Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 doing on the ship!


    "Nami, please explain what''s going on to Nathan," Zoro crossed his arms.


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


    "Let me get this straight. You, Ms. Wednesday, real name one Nefertari Vivi, Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Alabasta, infiltrated a secret organization, one Baroque Works, that is causing chaos in your homeland, in an attempt to uncover the man responsible. You succeeded, with the identity of this figure being one Warlord of the Sea, a Pirate sponsored by the World Government, by the name of Crocodile. However, he now knows that you know, and fully intends to silence you by force in an attempt to keep this secret under lock and key. And since we all know that secret too, we''re also all in the slash zone from this secret organization."


    "That does sum it up," Ms. Wens, Vivi looked awkwardly at me. Gone was the piercing, contemptuous glare I had begun to associate with the young lady, replaced by something that looked a bit more, gentle. I wasn''t sure I trusted her. Yet. One way or another though? One thing was certain.


    "God, my life has become an anime," I groaned into my hands. That got me a few confused looks. "And that doesn''t explain anything about what you''re doing here!"


    "Me?" Mr. 9 asked. "Princess Nefertari is my partner! Of course, I want to keep her safe too!"


    That was, actually fair reasoning. I couldn''t fault him for that.


    "I also owe you a blood debt."


    I''m sorry. What?


    "I''m sorry. What?"


    "You saved my life against Mr. 5! What man would I be if I did not return the favor?"


    I was still trying to process that little bit of information, preparing myself to tell him to think nothing of it. Only yet another unfamiliar voice rang out from the upper deck.


    "What type of man would you be, indeed."

 Chapter 5 - Whiskey Peak Part 3

    I would not begrudge my crewmate''s reaction time. Weapons were drawn and at the ready by the time the woman had finished speaking. Even I''d pushed myself into something that could be considered standing, if it weren''t for the fact everyone could tell I was one stiff breeze from falling right back over.


    "Ms. All Sunday," Ms. Vivi snarled. "What are you doing here!"


    Another member of this crazy group? She looked fairly normal, with long black hair and tanned skin. The cowboy hat that rested atop her head looked almost out of place. Sweet seemed to be running down Mr. 9''s face, and the other newcomer looked nervous as well.


    "Isn''t that Mr. 0''s partner?" Nami asked, looking unnerved. If that was true, then this was a warlord''s right-hand woman. A position she had to have earned through any combination of skill, intelligence, and strength. And if she was willing to at least get this close to us? Then I was willing to bet the answer was all of the above.


    And that was before Sanji and Ussop got unceremoniously flipped over the railing, while the sword, bat, and staff were knocked out of their respective owner''s hands. Screw this. The sun was up. Up enough. I didn''t know how she was doing that, but Accelerock had to be quicker on the draw. If it was enough to just take her off guard for a few seconds!


    I called on my power, only to get, nothing. Lyconrock would not come to me. It only took a few seconds for me to realize why, the Going Merry rocking beneath my feet. Shit.


    That was, bad. Aqua Jet was a thing, but while I was willing to pick a fight as something with Lyconrock''s attack, I wasn''t sure how something with fewer attack points could handle something like this. If I failed to knock her out in a single hit, then I was going to be in for a world of hurt.


    Then again, given how she disarmed everyone without so much as moving, who''s to even say that such an attack would work in the first place? If she could disarm Zoro, she likely could deal with a fast-moving wolf and some rocks.


    "Please, don''t point those at me. Don''t you know that''s dangerous?" Ms. All Sunday sounded as if she were teasing us. She wasn''t taking this seriously in the first place. Still, I felt her gaze fall between Luffy, the unknown woman, and me. As if she were sizing us up. Luffy, likely because he was Luffy. I didn''t know what the woman''s deal was, but she looked physically strong, and she wasn''t holding a weapon.


    As for myself? Did she notice my willingness to attack? Or had she observed the entire fight in the town? Then she had to know that I could shape-shift. Was that enough to mark me as a threat? I felt something tickle at the back of my spine, but before I could turn around, the feeling was already gone.


    Some type of Devil Fruit power? It had to be. There was little else it could be. I didn''t know much about them, but there was little less that could be blamed. But what type of power would allow someone to disarm multiple people at the same time? Control over wind, maybe?


    "Don''t get too worked up," she continued to taunt. "I''m not here on assignment, so I have no reason to fight you. Even if your Log Pose wasn''t pointed towards Little Garden." She shook her head. The name didn''t sound dangerous. But that was far from the case because of how Mr. 9 stepped back and Vivi''s grinding teeth could be heard from where I stood.


    I''d have to ask later, but right now, that was a problem for future us. Right now, we still have to deal with this.


    But if she didn''t want to fight. She had the advantage here. She''d probably watched us fight, with Luffy being the only real unknown to her. But how did he stack up against her unknown powers? On that front, I wasn''t sure. Luffy was strong on his own, and she was outnumbered.


    Instead, the new woman leapt forward, fist aimed at the face of Ms. All Sunday.


    "Ms. Monday, was it? I expected better from you," Ms. All Sunday didn''t move one bit. Instead, the now-identified Ms. Monday''s body, was contorted, bending in ways that could only be described as uncomfortable. Why?


    Limbs. Arms, to be specific. Sprouting out of Ms. Monday''s body with the causal ease a plant grew out of the soil. Each moved together, grabbing hold of limbs and twisting in ways a grappler could only dream of, as Ms. Monday growled out in pain.


    Screw this! It was undeniable that Ms. Monday took the first swing, but fuck it!


    By the time Ms. Monday had landed on the deck and everyone else had gone for their weapons, I had finished transforming. One simple attack was all I needed.


    Aqua Jet!


    Coating myself in a layer of water, I smashed into the arms, causing most of them to vanish upon impact. I came to a skidding stop, leaving water in my wake, breathing heavily. But the form quickly fell away. That, wasn''t good. I figured I was still drained from the fighting at Whiskey Peak, but this wasn''t a good time to find how just how much that was true.


    "That was, interesting," Ms. All Sunday glared down at me. Hand suddenly erupted all around my body, twisting my body in a way it wasn''t meant too, even if I had been flexible. I grit my teeth, trying to stop myself from opening my mouth from the pain. It felt like everything was breaking!


    "Let him!"


    POP.


    Then everything stopped. Even Luffy, who''s fist was already pulled back, stood in place. Ms. All Sunday seemed to blink in surprise, her grip suddenly loosening. I let out a sigh of relief. Not because I was no longer being bent around like a demented pretzel. No, it was because the dull ache in my lower back was suddenly gone. I''d thrown it out sometime last year at work, and sometimes it just didn''t feel right, and sleeping on the Going Merry hadn''t done it any favors.


    "You know, if you didn''t want to work for a criminal warlord, you could make a killing in the massage industry," I offered, before clamping my mouth shut. Really shouldn''t start snarking at the woman who could literally break my spine the way I ate popcorn. Vigorously and with great ease.


    Thankfully, I don''t think Ms. All Sunday had any idea how to respond to that. The arms vanished completely, and I let myself breathe a sigh of relief.


    "How old are you?" I heard the woman mummer, shaking her head.


    "I''m twenty-seven," I crossed my arms, huffing. Ms. All Sunday looked down at me again, as if trying to judge if what I said was true.


    "How! I thought you were the youngest person on the ship!" Mr. 9 shouted, pointing at me.


    "Should have grown a beard," Zoro shook his head as I narrowed my eyes at him. I was about to protest, as beards were itchy and a pain in the ass, but an even more pointed look from Nami made me click my mouth shut. Now really was not the time to be arguing over such topics.


    "You should be able to bypass Little Garden with little effort with that Eternal Log Pose," Ms. All Sunday said, one of said Log Pose''s appearing in Vivi''s hand. "It leads to the Isle of Nothing, which is only a stop before Alabasta. Even Baroque Works agents don''t know about this route."


    That seemed, oddly suspicious. Why would she give us this? I could understand her not killing us right now. We were going to an island that she considered dangerous, so might as well let nature do the dirty work. Fair enough. But if she wanted to give us a pass, why spare us? It didn''t make a lick of sense. Sure, she didn''t see us as a threat to her boss, but why take that chance in the first place? Or it could be something else. Maybe an attempt to unseat the boss and lead the organization herself?


    I mean, it was certainly a trap, I was in complete agreement with Zoro on that one. But for whom?


    Of course, it didn''t take Luffy any longer than a single second to grab the Eternal Log Pose from Vivi''s hands and smash it to pieces. Something that earned the man a swift kick in the face from Nami. While it was probably a trap, having access to one of those would have been a boon. Even if we never went that route in the first place, it would be nice to know a place where we might be able to resupply consistently.


    "She''s not deciding what course we''re going to take!" Luffy declared, and that was the end of that. I didn''t exactly trust the woman, so I was more or less chill with whatever had been chosen.


    "That''s too bad," Ms. All Sunday smirked. "We''ll meet again, if you manage to survive."


    I wasn''t disappointed to see her go, even if her transport of choice, a giant turtle, was a surprise. How did something like that actually swim along the Grand Line? It was a sizable turtle, but that didn''t exactly mean much. A storm would mess it up, as would just about any predator that desired turtle meat. And while Ms. All Sunday was strong enough to clean my clock without much contest, I highly doubt growing arms, while an excellent power at restraining human foes, was something I imagined would be far less effective at restraining and defeating the various Sea Kings and other threats.


    But beyond that, I was exhausted. The moment she vanished over the horizon, I slumped down, utterly exhausted. I wanted to close my eyes, but with the sun beating down on my face, I knew unless I was past the point of no return, I wasn''t going to be getting any shut-eye. No matter how desperately I just wanted to close my eyes.


    I would damn the sun, but that leads to a path of utter madness. There was no way to fight something like that.


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


    "Is he okay?" Nami looked down.


    "I think he''s just napping, pipsqueak," a muscular hand slapped against her back. "Given everything, I can''t say that I blame him."


    Nami''s frown only grew, as she rubbed her back. "Nathan doesn''t take naps."


    One would think such a light sleeper would take several throughout the day. But Nathan didn''t. Once it was early enough in the morning, he wouldn''t go back to sleep for anything. Not until it was nighttime.


    Ah, screw it, Nathan had been through the ringer, and she''d probably have to do something about his arm. But if he was sleeping, there wasn''t any harm in letting him. It wasn''t like something was going to happen right this second.


    The moment the thought passed through her head, she saw something in the distance. It looked like a fin, sticking out of the water. She shuttered, even if it was far away.


    Then it surfaced, leaping out of the water and nearly enveloped the sky.


    Right, this was the Grand Line, how did she forget? They were already about to start sailing, only for her to watch as a rubber fist fell through the air, punching the giant dolphin in the eye.


    "That little!" Nami would have gone on, but her voice was cut off by a laugh.


    "Hohoho!" Ms. Monday laughed deeply. "I think I''m going to like it here!"


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


    I wasn''t sure how I had managed to catch some sleep. Sleeping during the day was not something I normally did. Unless I was incredibly exhausted. That went double for sleeping on moving things. And someone put my arm in a sling. It still felt sore, and I wouldn''t be surprised if the bone was cruised, so it was for the best that I wouldn''t be using it for a while, even if it made me more useless.


    Healing it was going to be priority number one. I needed to test my limits. And figure out how to fight. On their own, my forms could be pretty damn strong, but if I hadn''t knocked them into Zoro and Sanji''s fight, then I wouldn''t have won in the first place. No shame in using teammates to score knock-outs, but that was going to be a problem going forward.


    Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine were not the strongest Baroque Works had to offer, if their naming scheme worked the way I thought it did. Odds were I wouldn''t be fighting Crocodile at all, but it damn well wouldn''t hurt to prepare to try. If he was one of these Seven Warlords, a title which screamed important, there had to be some degree of information about the man. How he fought, what type of abilities he had, potential weaknesses, those sorts of things.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    There was just one little problem with my nap. If Mr. 9 and Ms. Monday had introduced themselves by their real names, I''d completely missed it. I had no idea if they had in the first place. With Ms. Vivi, it did make sense why she''d tipped her hand, but with the other two, I was unsure how to approach the topic. Nor did I know if their original names were a sore spot for either of them.


    But I could still tell there was a bit of tension in the air. Luffy didn''t care much, that wasn''t a surprise, as the man was far more concerned with snarfing down his food. And I kinda agreed with him. Sure, there were three former enemies currently on the ship, and while Ms. Monday was likely more dangerous than Vivi and Mr. 9 were, it wasn''t likely by much. Sure, it''d taken Zoro, but I imagine since he and Sanji more or less handled the other pair of field agents with little difficulty,


    Still, part of me cursed my social awkwardness. I could read the room, but had no idea how to exactly defuse it. And I knew Zoro was at least interested in the scale of what I could hypothetically do. Sure, I hadn''t promised anything, but the general unspoken understanding was it would be best for Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday to be off the ship before I revealed that sort of hand.


    I don''t think any of us expected that they would become our allies, much less pick up another plus one. And it wasn''t like I was exactly comfortable telling my allies yet. Sure, I couldn''t use them at the moment, but that was a good thing. Even trying to explain the scale and devastation of some legendaries operated on. Hell, Primal Reversions were their own massive can of worms. Groudon wouldn''t be too bad, the sea level could probably be dialed back a notch or twenty, but Primal Kyogre would easily get plenty of people killed just by existing. If Whiskey Peak was any indication of what towns were like, it would be easily flooded in a matter of hours.


    That type of power scared the piss out of me. And those were only two of the more terrifying things in my hypothetical arsenal. Yveltal was its own can of nightmare worms, as was Eternatis. Really, just any of the box art legendaries, the other members of their respective trios were going to be an absolute nightmare.


    "Sorry if I may have missed it," I started, my voice cutting through the partial silence. "I missed you guy''s names, if you gave them to us." The silence hung in the air for a brief moment. Before Ms. Monday let out a hardy laugh.


    "I don''t think anyone asked. But then again, I think a fresh start would do me some good!" She grinned. "You can call me Norris. Norris Gegumi." I did my level best to stop myself from making any Chuck Norris jokes. I tried really, really hard not to go for that low-hanging fruit.


    "I do suppose you''re right. A fresh start would, beneficial, if nothing less," Mr. 9 sighed deeply, as if somewhat lost in thought. "My name is Griffin Thomas. It is a pleasure to use that name again."


    "It is nice to be formerly introduced to the two of you," I responded, smiling slightly. There was still a bit of unease in the air, but it seemed a bit less now. Conversation was slowly starting to pick up.


    "I am interested in how you picked up those new forms," Zoro said, seemingly out of the blue.


    "I''m a bit curious as well. In my line of work, I''ve seen a few Devil Fruit users, but I''ve never quite seen anything like that before," Norris said, crossing her fingers on the table.


    "As far as we know, it isn''t a Devil Fruit, Ms. Norris," Sanji said, eyes fluttering as he put another dish in front of her. Normally I would complain, but she looked more built than Zoro.


    "I didn''t eat a fruit, and I can swim just fine," I said, slightly omitting the fact I hadn''t done so while not transformed. I wasn''t going to be swimming in Grand Line waters without it. Sure, I knew how to swim, but I hadn''t been to the pool in years. While the ocean was a different animal altogether. Never mind, this one. "Though I do have a working hypothesis for what happened, Zoro."


    "Remember how each island on the Grand Line has its own magnetic signature?" I got a lot of nods from everyone, even Luffy, who seemed to slowing his eating slightly. "I think a similar idea is what''s happening with my powers. Each island is attuned to a particular attribute, and while on it, I can use forms of that attribute. I don''t think I hold onto it entirely. I tried to bring Lycanroc out against Ms. All Sunday, but it didn''t work."


    "The bipedal wolf thing you used against Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine?" Usopp asked. "Don''t get me wrong, it seems useful." The rest didn''t need to be stated. She could probably snap its bones before I could get into counter distance.


    "Lycanroc is, an interesting case. Its appearance depends on the position of the sun upon the moment of its evolution. The sun is down, you get the bipedal one. Sun is up, you get a faster, and more wolf-like form," I frowned. I never really considered how to put this before.


    "And evolution is?" Zoro frowned.


    "Evolution is what it''s called, but metamorphosis would be a better term. When certain conditions are met, usually simply getting stronger, there is a transformation into a new, more powerful, form," I said. I wasn''t sure how stone or other item evolutions were going to work, much less trade evolutions. But like many things, that was a problem for future me. "Tying it back in, evolution is what''s keeping a lot of my new forms from being immediately relevant. I did some experimenting before dinner. I still have access to the type, I just need to combine it with water first."


    Presumably normal as well, but there weren''t any rock/normal types to my knowledge. Which was a damn good thing, because that combination would stink. Sure, steel/rock was just as vulnerable to fighting-type attacks and had an additional four times ground weakness, but at least you got the offensive coverage spread that included fairy types.


    "Really?" Luffy leaned in excitedly. "What''d you get?"


    "Dreadnaw and Relicanth are going to be only two relevant at the moment," I said. Corsola probably had some defensive use, but everything else was meh. I wasn''t kidding when I called them useless until evolution. I was stuck with a bunch of first-form fossils and Binacle. Binacle! I only remembered that one through sheer luck! I mean, latching to someone''s face like a face hugger as Kabuto could probably scare someone pretty bad, but that was about it. "I think you''d like Kabutops, Zoro. It has sword arms."


    The grin on his face told me that was the absolute worst thing I could have said.


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


    "You want to get training?" I couldn''t quite read the look on Zoro''s face. I think it was surprise.


    "I mean, I can''t do a lot right now," I moved my arm which was still in a sling. Nami''s orders. Which by all respects would likely be more terrifying than any doctor. "But I know for a fact I''m the weakest person here. And while my powers can compensate, all it takes it being caught with my pants down once, then my goose is cooked."


    That was a fair enough assessment of the situation, and I wasn''t afraid to admit it. When it came to strength, I was the weakest member of the crew by a long shot. Yes, my powers could counteract this, but there were always going to be situations they simply wouldn''t be available, or I couldn''t use them quickly enough.


    Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. And until I could turn into a laser-spitting water serpent, then at least being able to punch someone better was the least I could do. As for why Zoro?


    Besides Luffy, he was the strongest person on the crew. And while I wasn''t sure what Luffy''s method of training was, it was probably something no sane human should attempt. Zoro''s at least seemed simple. The weights were outside my ability, but the basic ideas and principles? Those should be simple enough to apply.


    "Very well," Zoro sheathed his swords, as Thomas let a sigh of relief from his pool of sweat on the deck. I wasn''t sure if Zoro decided that the man would make for good training practice, or if he had the same idea I had. If the shape he was in was any indication, I was already starting to have second thoughts. Norris might be a better choice. She seemed to be a hand-to-hand fighter, and it wasn''t like I was using a weapon myself. "Since I don''t think you can do a push-up right now, start running laps around the deck."


    That sounded simple enough. I ran regularly. Five days a week had been my old standard, weather permitting, and took steps to make sure it did. I''d been slacking inside Laboon, admittedly, but there were good reasons for that. Even with a busted-up arm, it shouldn''t be too big of a deal.


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


    It was very much a big deal. Zoro told me to run. Fair enough. He probably meant, to stop when I couldn''t continue anymore. But I wasn''t exactly the smartest when it came to things like that. When it came to when I first started to pick it up, I would have to describe my approach as very, Dark Souls. Beating my head into a brick wall until the wall came crumbling down.


    Which wasn''t a good thing. Even without the messed up arm, I was still resting with my back against the Going Merry''s deck, surrounded by a small pool of sweat. An early bath was clearly in my future, as were a change of clothes. I didn''t like to get cleaned so early in the day, but it was better than stinking up the place.


    Pushing myself up with a groan, I decided that was going to be enough for the time being. At least until tomorrow, at any rate. Then I''d right back to it.


    "Nice to see you''re putting some effort into the basics, squirt. Most would try to rely on their powers exclusively," Norris approached as I finally got to my feet.


    "Thank you," I said, pausing for a moment. "I have a question for you, if that''s okay?"


    "Sure, ask away," she responded.


    "How much do you know about Little Garden?" Nami was our navigator, and she was probably a better person to ask. But I remember her reaction to Ms. All Sunday telling us where we were going.


    "Not much. The World Government considers it a nature preserve, where nobody is supposed to go, which all but guarantees it''s some sort of deathtrap. It''s supposedly got a lot of creatures that can''t be found anywhere else, some of which haven''t otherwise haven''t been seen in a long time outside the island," she frowned. Sounded, pleasant.


    "As in like Dinosaurs or something?" I asked offhandedly, not really expecting a response.


    "I do think there are Dinosaurs, yes," I don''t think I heard anything else. I. Was. Going. To. Get. To. See. Dinosaurs. In. Person.


    EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!


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


    "Karoo, is there something wrong?" Vivi asked, the Supersonic duck suddenly perking up, a slightly pained expression on his face. Almost ignoring her comment, he left the room, leaving her to follow behind, curious to the sudden change.


    "I don''t know what happened!" It was Norris Gegumi, if that was the woman''s real name, speaking. "I just said where we were going might have dinosaurs, and he just, stopped."


    "He has to be doing something. His mouth is open," Usopp commented, as Vivi finally caught a glance of the look of pure glee that covered Nathan''s face, something that made him look even younger than he already was. Normally, she could believe that he was the oldest of the Straw Hats, but right now, that was not the case.


    "Quack!" Karoo suddenly leapt through the air, landing on Nathan''s shoulders with ease, before trying to sit down, seeming to become more comfortable.


    Was? Nathan making a sound only ducks could hear?

 Chapter 6 - Little Garden Part 1

    I have watched the G-8 filler arc.


    I will be doing the G-8 filler arc.


    Onto our regularly scheduled programming.


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


    "Usopp, quick question," I asked, it being late in the day. I was scheduled for the watch tonight, so I was heading to bed earlier to stay well rested. But there was something that had been bouncing around in my head for the past few days now.


    "Sure! What can the Great Captain Usopp do for you!" He smiled, looking up from the table that was covered in scraps of paper, metal, fuses, and what should have been a concerning amount of gunpowder.


    "How familiar are you with the concept of flares?" So far, I''d learned that the tech level of this place was, sporadic, for lack of a better term.


    "They''re like fireworks, right?" Usopp asked, giving me a confused look as gears began to turn in his head, hands beginning to move. "You''re expecting trouble?"


    "New island, we''re going to need to get more food, no clue how long it''ll take the Log Pose to reset," I listed a few things. "I''d figured it would be best to have a way to communicate and warn others of danger than not have one."


    Usopp nods. "That should be doable. It''ll cut into my supplies, but." He frowned slightly, running calculations. "I think I would have enough to whip a few. But no more than three at the moment."


    Three wasn''t a lot. Not counting Carue, that was enough for a full third of us. If we went out in teams of three, it would be fine though.


    "Thanks Usopp!" I grin. I was excited, but still a bit nervous after Whiskey Peak. Little Garden sounded like its own mess. I didn''t know what to expect, beyond nature preserve and possibly dinosaurs, thanks to Norris. However, I did want to try and prepare. Not exactly for the unexpected, because the Grand Line did not care for such trifles. "You''re the best!" I turn around, preparing to hit the hay, unaware of Usopp''s sudden scramble.


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


    I groan, laying on my back, Norris Gegumi standing over me, offering her hand with a sigh.


    "You need to stop trying to take direct hits from me, pipsqueak," she said, pulling me up to my feet. "You''re lacking about fifty pounds of muscle to be able to do that comfortably, at best."


    Which was fair, as compared to even Usopp, I was a pool noodle. I rubbed my arms, frowning slightly. She had pulled that punch, and I''d still have a bruise before the day was done.


    "I''m still trying to get back into practice," I said, even if that wasn''t the whole picture. She was better than me even when I had been practicing, easily. Could probably beat me with both hands tied behind her back.


    "That''s what this is for," she nodded, taking a stance again as I brought up my arms. "Begin."


    I barely managed to weave my way around the first punch, the second coming in to clean my clock. A blow I manage to deflect away, my arm striking hers, pushing it away from my body, though frankly, she let me.


    "Better," she grinned, her voice encouraging but scary at the same time. She opened her mouth as though to speak, before a shout came in from the crow''s nest.


    "Land Ho!"


    That was more than enough to bring our training succession to an early end, sparing me many future bruises as we watched the island loom into view, everyone gathering on the deck.


    It was green. Even from a distance, that was clear as day, trees filling the skyline. The air only grew warmer as we approached, a dampness filling the air. The closer we got, the more things became defined. The trees were mighty, the island itself looking as if it had been ripped straight out of a children''s jungle book.


    My body couldn''t contain my excitement as we approached, as we headed toward the mouth of a river.


    "You are far too excited about a place that''s filled with monsters," Usopp said as I merely shrugged. Honestly, if there were dinosaurs, those were likely the monsters Ms. Sunday thought would be our demise. Which, sure, dinosaurs were big and ferocious. But I was still far more excited than anything.


    "I think he''s too excited by the prospect of dinosaurs to be afraid of anything else," Thomas commented, hitting my thoughts on the head.


    "Do you know how many dreams I will be fulfilling if there are any?" I beamed, mouth wide in a grin as far as it could go, bouncing on my toes. "Haha-ahahah!" I laughed, rubbing my hands together. I was going to pet so many baby Triceratops. I didn''t even care if it was legal or not!


    I can only imagine how Nami felt. One of the few halfway sane people on this ship on this ship, laughing like a Bond villain over the prospect of maybe being able to pet baby dinosaurs. Well, dinosaurs in general.


    Slowly, we begin to sail up the mouth of a river, the jungle trees towering over us.


    "This is Little Garden?" Nami peered into the jungle, confused. "There''s nothing little here!" I chuckled slightly. With how Ms. Sunday thought it would be our death, I kinda saw it coming. I''d almost enjoyed the sense of humor of whatever asshole chose that naming scheme. But I imagine there are only so many ways you can recreate, calling a place covered in ice Greenland.


    "We do need more provisions," Sanji said, peering out into the jungle. Sure, we raided what we could from Whiskey Peak, but that was only going to get us so far.


    "How''s the water looking?" I ask. That was just as important, if not more so, than food in the long term. It would take some time, but I could set up a drill and see if I could hit an aquifer. There was a river here, so there likely was one. It was just a matter of finding it and making sure the rock I was in flittered out the nasty stuff. Boil it anyway to be sure.


    "We have enough for a few more weeks. Barring anything out of the ordinary, we should have enough to make it to Alabasta with a week to spare," to my surprise, it was Thomas who answered my question. "We could stretch it a bit longer than that if we tried, but." He shrugged.


    "Why, we have plenty of water right here?" Luffy looked at us confused, pointing down towards the river.


    "Luffy, please don''t drink the river water," I shudder at the thought. I didn''t know where it had been, but I wasn''t taking any chances. "There''s, just a lot of stuff that''s in there that can and will kill someone if it hasn''t been properly treated." I didn''t know if it would have an effect on Luffy, but. For the sake of the rest of the crew and Luffy himself, I didn''t want to take any chances.


    "Such as?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms.


    "Bacteria like e. Coli, various parasites and small insects that can burrow into your body, literal brain-eating microbes," I listed off. "Water that isn''t treated properly is, not good for you."


    "That seems like a lot of weird knowledge to have," Norris crossed her arms. "You''re completely right, but still."


    "It''s not uncommon for subsections of geology to work with water," I shrug. "I can remember enough of the basics, even if it isn''t my specialty, and that includes groundwater contamination from the surface." That, and I knew a few things about not drinking things I wasn''t supposed to.


    Before we could continue, a Nami let out a scream, as something flew overhead. My eyes widened in wonder. No way. No fucking way.


    "That''s an Archaeopteryx!" I gasp, pointing at the feathered dinosaur as it glides through the air.


    Unbelievable. I quickly take note of the color of the plumage, the other feathers covering its body, all the traits that would be difficult to preserve as fossils. Not like feathers weren''t already difficult enough to preserve in the first place.


    "A what?" Several members of the crew turned to face me, my eyes gleaming.


    "An Archaeopteryx! It was the first dinosaur species to be discovered with feathers during the eighties!" I explain excitedly. "Paleontologists used to think it was a missing link between dinosaurs and birds, though it''s one of many different species of feathered dinosaurs during the time."


    "What, are you meaning to tell me?" Vivi looked between me and Carue.


    "Is distantly related to dinosaurs?" I nodded. "Most species don''t remember, as the Terror bird was long since extinct." But some. Some did remember.


    "Sorry, I was just remembering how many teeth chickens tend to have," I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly, having been running my mouth.


    BOOM!


    The sound of something akin to an explosion washes over us. Volcano? We really were in ancient paradise.


    "That''s it, there is nothing normal about this place," Nami groaned, as a tiger appeared near the riverbank, before dropping dead on the spot. "We should stay out of the jungle entirely."


    Usopp nodded in agreement. But Luffy was grinning ear to ear, body vibrating from excitement.


    "Sanji!" Our captain declared, still grinning. "I need a pirate lunch box! I smell adventure!" I pumped my fist, knowing I could count on Luffy. I wanted to explore, but going it alone was a daunting task. I ignored Nami''s protests.


    "Mind if I tag along?" I grin, almost matching Luffy''s excitement. Nami turned to me, finger raised, only for Vivi to cut her off.


    "Can I come along too?" She asked.


    "Yeah, sure!" Luffy smiled, giving us the thumbs up.


    "Nathan, you should probably see what you can transform into now" Usopp suddenly said, eyes flickering toward the door. I understood quickly. He wanted a distraction.


    "Sounds good!" I gave him the thumbs up. I closed my eyes, focusing. The previous island had been rocky, and arid. The rock type fit the island very well. So what fits a jungle?


    Grass was the first. The plants and trees, the thick foliage, all of it could fall under the grass type. But nothing came. The island had a Volcano, even if we hadn''t seen it yet.


    It wasn''t until the buzzing in my ear could be heard that my thoughts shifted, my body along with them. My body melded, skin becoming chitin, arms thinning yet increasing in strength, a pair of moving horns on my head. They clacked together, the dense material making them up just as strong, if not stronger, than steel. My fingers flexed, down to three digits, each consisting of a thick, heavy material.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Bug? Bug? You know what, nobody was supposed to know we were here. I could work with this. Shame I didn''t have a lot when it came down to secondary types, but better now so I could have Scizor or Volcarona for later. I prepared to turn around.


    "EEEEKKKKK!"


    Before a scream of terror that would put Usopp to shame came from the group, followed by the sound of someone hitting the deck. I turn around, finding Thomas, pale as a ghost and just about as dead to the world, lying down on the deck, face up.


    "Wimp," Zoro commented, looking at my appearance with great interest.


    "I don''t know. It looks, creepy," Vivi commented, shuttering slightly as Carue hid behind her.


    "A mouth shouldn''t move like that," Nami looked at me, transfixed but disgusted.


    "Vivi! Nami! I''ll save you!" Why was Sanji suddenly shouting about saving?


    OW! He just kicked me! In the face!


    "Pinsir," I growled out, steadying my body. I stared at him down, Sanji''s foot likely tapping the foot of the deck, his expression softening just a bit.


    "Is that?" He didn''t get to finish the thought, as Nami grabbed him by the ear, pulling hard.


    "Of course it''s Nathan, who else would it be?" Nami shouted, taking the wind out of my sails for a brawl between me and our cook.


    "What''s going on?" Usopp kicked down the door, emerging onto the deck, before he gazed at the scene before him. For a moment, I expected him to pass out too, given the whole, giant, hideous, human-sized bug. "Fascinating. Now please don''t move whatever monster that''s supposed to be''s mouth, okay? It just looks wrong."


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


    "So, the two of them are pretty much always like this?" Norris asked, watching the two men stalk into the jungle. While it was a good idea to get more food, the competition was going to get out of hand and get out of hand, fast.


    Then again. A slight grin crept its way onto her face. This could be the opportunity she was looking for.


    "Yeah, pretty much all the time," Nami nodded. "I''m thankful you''re staying behind, just in case something shows up."


    "You shouldn''t be too thankful. I''m considering going hunting myself," that earned a gasp from Ussop and Nami, as if already pleading with her not to go. There were plenty of reasons not to. Sanji or Zoro by themselves would be able to get them enough food by themselves.


    There was one reason to go. A show of strength. She knew Zoro was stronger than she was, and while she hadn''t seen Luffy train all that much, she could tell he was strong. Sanji was third, not far behind Zoro. Which left her contenting with Nathan for fourth. When he was transformed, granted, and even that was a toss-up between forms. Without it, he was dead last.


    She probably had the edge, but between fitness training with Zoro, and hand-to-hand training with herself, she hadn''t had time to try and spar with any of his forms.


    But she wouldn''t know for sure, and the creature he transformed into gave her pause. She still didn''t understand how he came across such abilities. They had to come from some sort of Devil Fruit. But a Fruit like that would be highly sought after.


    Unless.


    That brought a frown to her face slightly. That was a prospect she didn''t want to consider.


    "You okay?" Nami looked up.


    "It''s fine. Just got lost in my thoughts is all," she said, stretching her back out. "Anyway, I''m going to head out, and see if I can get some spare food in case the two get unlucky and can''t find anything."


    "But who will help us to defend the ship?" Usopp asked, looking into the jungle.


    "Thomas should wake up soon, and you''re both capable yourselves," she shrugged. Neither was terrifying, but both were capable enough. "Plus, if something comes along that you can''t deal with, that''s what the flare is for." Speaking of which, she grabbed the second, leaving a third behind on the ship. Luffy''s group had the first, presently in Vivi''s possession. Nobody wanted to trust Luffy with something that caused a fire so easily, and Nathan''s powers made it so he often lacked opposable thumbs.


    She walked into the jungle, smiling slightly. It was different from home, but all the same rules applied.


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


    "You''re handling the heat pretty well," Vivi commented, as we stopped by the river. Luffy playing around on its edge. I didn''t like that, but so long as I kept an eye on him to make sure he didn''t drink anything, it should be good. Right?


    "Back home, the weather is eclectic at best. You can go from it being pleasant to being more humid than a swamp in a day," the Central US. The place where Mother Nature was off her meds all year long.


    That, and I had the foresight to carry water with me. Keeping hydrated was important.


    Still, this place was a jungle by every stretch of the word. Heat, bugs, the whole nine yards. No dinosaurs yet, but with the Archaeopteryx, I knew there had to be some around.


    "Hey, look at this!" There was a slash, Vivi and I whipped over to Luffy in panic, only for him to be holding something in his hands.


    "Is that an Ammonite?" I breathed. It was, it couldn''t be anything else.


    "I think it is," Vivi moved in to get a closer look as I frowned. What the hell was it doing so far upriver? Cephalopods were not a freshwater species. The entire group resided in saltwater environments.


    "That means armored squid, right?" Luffy was still having fun with his catch.


    "Scientifically, its name is based on an old word for horn, like what is found on a ram. Note how it kinda spirals, like what can be found on a sheep," I approach, getting a good look at the front to be sure it is not a nautilus. "What is surprising is seeing this guy in a river. Squids, octopus, the whole general portion of that family line are overwhelming if not entirely live in salt water."


    That could mean a few things. Simple evolution was possible. Maybe the rivers had more food, or maybe the outside environment didn''t have enough, and those that adapted survived. Or the water was salty. Given the greenery, I found that unlikely. Plants could have adapted, like mangrove trees. It also meant that any attempt to get water from an aquifer was very likely a fool''s errand. If salt water had pushed this far upstream, then the aquifer had to be contaminated.


    Then a shadow fell over us, the earth-shaking with the sound of footfalls. It was massive, scales covering its entire body, crunching lazily on some leaves. I open my mouth.


    Wham!


    I groan, Carue having smacked me with his wing. Still, I look up at the majestic dinosaur, smiling.


    "It took, what, all of three seconds for Luffy to start using it as a jungle gym?" I watched as our Captian shimmy up the neck of the massive dinosaur, which was a bit more vertical than it should be.


    "Get down from there!" Vivi shouted. Not like Luffy was going to listen.


    "It''s a Sauropod," I said, shaking my head. Sure, a hippo killed more people than any lion on pure averages, and even a small sauropod was big and likely dangerous. But Luffy was made of rubber. "He''s fairly safe. What''s it going to do? Eat him?"


    It was then I saw a long tail slink into the underbrush. Smiling, I decided to go after it. Triceratops was more my speed than any long neck ever was.


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


    "I thought you said it wouldn''t!" Vivi turned, only for Nathan to have vanished into thin air. What did she do? Her fingers dug into the flare. If Nathan just vanished, and Luffy eaten, now would be the best time to.


    Thunk!


    The nose came out of nowhere, the dinosaur''s neck cut clean in half, a massive figure holding a sword cleaving it in two, before catching Luffy in his hand.


    "Ho Ho Ho Ho!"


    It was a giant, whose laugh might as well have been an earthquake.


    "I haven''t seen a human as lively as you in quite a while!" He continued to laugh. From her place on the ground, she could hear what Luffy said, but the giant''s voice carried more than well enough. "I''m Dorry, the Greatest Warrior of Elbaph! And all of you are invited to my place!"


    Vivi gulped, as Carue lay there, passed out in fear. But she had to ask. "Excuse me, Dorry, sir! But there was another one of us. Did you perhaps spot him?"


    "A third, you say?" The giant ran his fingers through his beard. "I do believe so. He was heading in that direction." He pointed with his sword.


    "Over toward the three horns nesting grounds," Dorry paused, lost in thought. "Or is it the thin arms? I don''t quite recall. Either way, they wouldn''t be too much to handle. "


    Three horned? Thin armed? Those didn''t sound too dangerous. But still, she was worried. This place was dangerous, and running off on your own spelled disaster.


    "Don''t worry, Vivi! Nathan''s strong! He''ll get back with us when he''s ready!" Luffy shouted, smiling a confident grin.


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


    I was not a tracker by any stretch of the imagination. But I was 99% sure that these were not triceratops footprints. The three toes proved that much.


    I scowled, standing up. Well, the plan to pet the Triceratops seemed to be a bust. Might as well head back to the river then.


    It was at that moment I felt something wet hit my back, my head slowly turning around.


    "Clever girl."


    God, I really needed to stop saying stupid things before I was about to die.


    The T.rex, to its credit, stiffened for a moment, before roaring in my face.


    "Oh come on, you aren''t even the right species!" I said it. I couldn''t hear it, but I knew I said it.


    Chomp!

 Chapter 7 - Little Garden Part 2

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


    Thomas stretched, letting out a yawn as he uncoiled his body from it''s unconscious position on the Merry''s deck. He slowly blinked his eyes back to the waking world, trying to wash away the image of that hideous, hideous monster that Nathan turned into. The sooner he scrubbed that from his brain, the better off he would be. He hated bugs by default. If he ever saw that monstrosity again, it would be far, far too soon.


    Then he looked at the scene before him. A giant, easily as big if not bigger than the Mery herself, holding the decapitated head of a dinosaur in a triumphant pose.


    "It looks like you''re awake, little human," the giant laughed voice booming through the jungle. Thomas looked to his right and left, Nami and Usopp passed out on the deck right next to him.


    He really wished he hadn''t woken up now. Thomas swallowed the ball that had begun to form in his throat.


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


    "Well, that was a waste of time," a man said, walking away.


    "What a shame, I was looking forward to picking him off while he was by himself. No matter. If nature wants to take its course, then so be it," a woman shrugged, following after her partner. It was a shame they didn''t get to kill the Straw Hat as payback, but alas, nature had other plans. It was one less problem for them.


    Of course, if they had stayed longer, they would have realized things were not as clear-cut as they appeared. If they stayed to observe, they would have noticed its neck begin to bulge, as if someone was pushing against it from the inside. If they remained close enough to hear, they would have heard the sounds of distress of an animal that was about to vomit. Vigorously.


    After all, even nature, as mighty as it was, would have a hard time contending with a Straw Hat Pirate.


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


    "Hold still!" Norris shouted, holding the massive cat like animal in a headlock. She was sure it couldn''t understand a word she said, and yet, it struggled even more, trying to claw at her with its long claws and get its long, saber-like teeth into her. But she had it in her grasp, and she wasn''t letting go for anything.


    It snapped and snarled, failing around in her grasp as she tried to cut off its air supply. Yet, despite the death grip she had on it, still resisted. Norris found herself scowling. Sure, she could keep choking it out, but this was taking far too long as it was. She was going to kill it anyway for food. Might as well make it painless.


    It didn''t take much more than that. Even as it slumped to the ground she almost heard something, coming out of the forest. It sounded, suspiciously so, like the scream of a human being.


    Norris took the moment to pause, but nothing followed but the sound of the jungle. Nor did any lights fill the sky.


    Was it possible that there were other people on the island? Not impossible. The island was considered a nature preserve by law and was thus forbidden. Though the island''s reputation as a primordial hellhole was enough to ward off most of those traveling the Grand Line.


    Now, all she needed to do was get the tiger back to the Going Merry.


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


    I was hanging from the uvula of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I didn''t know if I should be wetting my pants, and screaming in utter, if slime-covered, glee.


    Unfortunately, I had neither pants too wet, or even really a mouth. It was very much helping that I had covered much of its uvula in layer upon layer of string, but I think it was starting to notice the weight at the back of its throat.


    There weren''t a lot of good options. Leaving through either means was not something I wished to do. On one side, the chompers, the other? Even less inviting.


    Though I would be the first person to gain knowledge of how exactly a Tyrannosaurus stomach and intestinal tract, no, stop it! Bad brain!


    I would have slapped myself if I wasn''t using my four arms and four legs to hold on for dear life. There were better ways to find out about how it digested food than being the food!


    Taking stock of my situation was simple. One Tyrannosaurus Rex, who had just tried to eat me. Myself? One Spidops, or aka, how the fuck was this my first instinct when being eaten? Sure it worked, but now what?


    I hardly knew anything about it. New mon aside, it was probably one of the weakest fully evolved bugs aside from the cricket. But how well I could keep my grip while human was something I was in no hurry to test.


    All I knew was that Spidops was a spider that liked string. Used it for traps and the like.


    I paused, looking down the throat, gears turning in my mind. That. That would do the trick.


    As soon as the idea popped into my head, I acted, crisscrossing ropes of string back and forth along the Tyrannosaurus''s throat. Of course, that wasn''t exactly a good thing. It felt the sudden blockage, and combined with a sizable spider hanging from its uvula?


    Yeah, anything in nature was going to have a single response to that.


    I barely had enough time to react as the massive wall of string in its throat bulged, swiftly breaking apart.


    Oh come on!


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


    Ow. Just. Ow.


    Upside, I was the first person to vomit out of the mouth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Downside? I''d been vomited out of the mouth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.


    BAHRAOR!


    And it didn''t like that it just had vomited me out. I shake my head, feeling the wood at my back. Oh shit, that is a lot of teeth!


    Silk Trap!


    As the jaws came down, silk exploded outward, gumming up it''s mouth as I scuttled further up the tree.


    Crack!


    Bark sundered as the Tyrannosaurus Rex tore its way free, snarling up at me from my perch. Silk wrapped around the trunk of the tree, giving me a better grip, trying to think of an escape plan. I could Spider-man this. Silk string from tree to tree and escape. However, I had no idea how to pull off such a trick. And.


    BOOM!


    The tree quaked, shaking violently. I looked down, my eyes narrowing. Well, the Tyrannosaurus Rex was now bashing its head against the trunk of the tree. Each blow caused the tree to shake more and more. I either need to learn quickly. Or I needed a completely different plan. I paused, noting the web being woven between my body''s fingers. String. String was used to make webs. String was sticky.


    I weaved, before hurling the net downwards towards the ancient tyrant. It began to look up, only for the mass of strands to wrap around it''s jaw, clamping it shut.


    I shifted forward, more string pooling between my fingers as I jumped.


    String Shot!


    More surrounded its jaw, locking its maw in place as I landed upon its head. I pulled on the string, yanking its head back. Yes! I had control of the Tyrannosaurus Rex!


    SNORT! GRRRRRRRRR!


    I felt the rumble beneath my feet, legs, whatever. It began to paw at the ground.


    Then it began to run.


    "SSSPPPPIIIIIII!"


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


    "DDDDDDOOOOOOPPPPPPPSSSSSS!"


    Huh. That was a giant spider riding on top of a giant monster.


    Zoro, for a few moments, thought nothing of it. Sure, it was certainly an odd thing to see. Not exactly the strangest, even if it was fairly high up on the list. Ultimately though, he decided to continue on, carrying his kill behind him.


    Still, that was one weird-looking spider. And it was making a noise that sounded suspiciously similar to a name. Zoro came to a stop. Killing that would make for a far more impressive kill than the one he had currently.


    And what exactly were the odds that the large spider was Nathan? Luffy wasn''t nearby, though Nathan didn''t seem like the type to wander off on his own.


    Zoro pulled Sandai Kitetsu from its sheath.


    So he was in for a weird act of nature. Or Nathan was more adventurous than Zoro had thought.


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


    One year? One year? That''s how long it took for the Log Pose to reset on this island? They, did not have the supplies for that long of a stay. Nor the time. Ms, Vivi didn''t have that long. Nowhere near that long before things in Alabsta came to a head. They didn''t have enough time to waste.


    Of course, he wasn''t going to ask about any alternatives. The giant, Boggy, seemed friendly enough. But he could also see the human bones littering the ground. Sure, a human wasn''t much of a meal to a giant, and Little Garden was, by all accounts, a cornucopia of food. So correlation may not have been causation.


    Little Garden''s simple nature might have been enough to have done those unfortunate people in. Especially with a year of exposure. Most crews didn''t have monsters like Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and even Nathan. Surviving in Little Garden for a year would require a combination of skills that would include being able to kill the various ancient animals for food.


    Nathan would be a blessing on that front. A clean source of water would be crucial in a situation like this.


    But that ran into the problem that they needed to get the Alabasta on a much shorter timetable than that. They couldn''t afford to remain in Little Garden. They simply couldn''t. If they waited a year, there was no doubt Alabasta would burn. If they even managed to survive the experience. Food and water weren''t going to be issues, but he wasn''t a fool. There were more threats than wildlife, starvation, and dehydration.


    God knew stuff inhabited this island that they couldn''t see. An isolated primordial hellhole that the World Government considered a nature preserve? How much interaction did this place have with the outside world?


    None, would be his best guess. They were on an island untouched by the flow of time. That was when the volcano erupted, spewing out molten rock into the sky. Absent-mindedly, he scratched at the back of his leg. It''d been itching for a bit now.


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


    You! Little!


    POW!


    Headbutt was a bad idea. Headbutt was a very bad idea. I was still holding onto the back of it''s head for dear life, trees going as if I was in a car going down the highway. And it just wouldn''t stop trying to shake me off, likely planning on eating me the moment I was dislodged.


    I really couldn''t afford to let that happen. Again.


    Damnit! Spidops didn''t have the offensive firepower to take something like this out of commission! I needed to switch, but that was going to put myself at a lot more risk. It wasn''t good. There was only one move that could even attempt to pull my ass out of the fire. But did Spidops even have it? Did I even have a choice?


    Then again.


    I raised my arms.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    What self-respecting bug type didn''t have U-turn?


    The blow smashed into the back of the T.Rex''s skull, sending me flying backward in the same motion, wreathed in pale green light.


    There was just about three forms I could possibly have access too that could match a Tyrannosaurus Rex blow for blow. But two of them I wasn''t sure. Did I meet the thresholds I needed? The risk of not meeting them was considerable. So it was better to take the safer option.


    "Pinsir!" I slammed into the ground, as the T. Rex turned around, snarling at me in anger. Its footfalls almost sounded like thunder as it began to charge at me.


    The pair of horns on my head clacked together in anticipation as I charged, ducking under its jaws as I slammed into its leg. There was a roar of pain as it stumbled, even as I pivoted around, the blow crashing into its knee. The blow was not enough to bring it down, but it further knocked the beast off balance.


    My goal was simple. Stay away from the mouth, and focus on the legs. Ultimately convenience it that I wasn''t worth the trouble of being prey. A fully grown Tyrannosaurus Rex out massed me by a considerable margin. Pinsir I doubted broke 200 pounds. A T. Rex? That was several tons of bone, muscle, and teeth. Of course, it wasn''t like it would let me hammer away on it''s legs like an early Fromsoft boss.


    Yeah. That was a tail, heading straight for my face.


    Harden Harden Harden!


    WHAM!


    And now I was back to being partially embedded in a tree. Again. I was really getting tired that I could keep using the word again to describe what was happening to me.


    I shook my head, breaking my way free from the bark, snarling. The Tyrannosaurus Rex stomped its feet, staring me down.


    You know what? Screw this.


    Focus Energy!


    My arms dug into the soil, tearing several sizable rocks from the ground as it began to charge at me.


    Rock Tomb!


    The first rock was surprisingly sidestepped. But the second? Smashed directly into its mouth. It stumbled, slowing at both the impact and the sudden, rocky intrusion into its maw.


    And that was enough. Even as it began to crush the decent-sized stone, I darted forward.


    Brick Break!


    The uppercut smashed into its lower jaw, the rock in its mouth shattering under the force. Teeth began to break as it stumbled back, seemingly unable to roar in pain.


    I held my ground, breathing deeply. As much as Pinsir could, anyway. The Tyrannosaurus Rex then spat, a combination of broken death, blood, saliva, and gravel landing on the forest floor.


    "Pinsir," my voice was a low role, promising even more of a fight if it wished to continue pushing its luck. Part of the feeling in my chest vanished, as if my blood had been flowing about a mile a minute, and went straight back to a normal pace.


    Still, it stomped on the ground, it''s snarl matching my own.


    "Oni Giri!"


    I barely had time to blink, as three long slashes appeared in T. Rex''s flank, causing it to let out a roar of pain, snapping at the air. Expect, it wasn''t just snapping at the air. If the name didn''t cement it, the cuts sure did. There was only a single member of our crew that could do such a thing.


    Zoro!


    On one hand, it was great to see the arrival of the man on our crew who could and did slice and dice. But on the other hand?


    I could have handled this on my own! This wasn''t like Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine! I wouldn''t normally say no to the help, but. Fine.


    Focus Energy!


    Might as well take the opportunity to set up again. Once more, I reached into the ground picking up another pair of rocks. The first crashed into the side of it''s head, drawing it''s attention as it roared again, charging towards me. I hurled the second rock as it barreled towards me. My horns clacked together. Zoro wasn''t the only one who could cut things.


    X-Scissor!


    ROAR!


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


    Something wasn''t right. The jungle was quiet. Too quiet.


    Slowly, Norris let go of her kill, bringing up her fists. Something was watching her, and she had no idea what it was. But the jungle was silent, not even filled with the buzzing of insects or the chirping of birds in the canopy.


    The only sound was her feet against the branches and foliage that made up the forest floor. She moved, making sure her back wasn''t facing any given direction longer than a few moments.


    Every one of her senses screamed that something was wrong, even if she couldn''t see it. Her fists clenched, her thumb cupping the underside of her other digits.


    "Do us both a favor and reveal yourself, now!" She shouted, blood pumping through her veins. Anticipating a fight. A challenge.


    Then she saw it. Out of the corner of her eye, at the very last second.


    "You absolute son of a ---!"


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


    BOOM!


    The clash of steel. It was a marvel to behold. To think he''d ever see two giants going at it, matching the other blow for blow. It was if he was watching a volcano fight a hurricane, two forces of nature going at it with one another. Something as terrifying as it was majestic. He could feel the island itself shake beneath each titanic blow. And the match itself? Equal. None gained ground that the other managed to reclaim. The story of how they had been dueling for a century sounded almost farcical, but seeing it in action? Now Thomas understood how such a clash could last so long. Centuries of combat did nothing but sharpen their skills. But beyond that was how they sharpened one''s understanding of the other, something that would have had to have been already clad in solid steel before.


    "We really need to head back to the ship," Nami said, giving the Log Pose an annoyed look. "Regroup with the others, and plan our next move."


    That was fair. Assuming at least none of the others had encountered the other giant.


    Oh, who was he kidding, of course, that was going to be the case. Someone was going to run into him.


    "I agree," Thomas rose, brushing off his pants, making sure his crown remained atop his head. Though what exactly was there to plan? The only way off this island was if the giants had their own Log Pose that had been reset already. Which after a century, it would have. But there would likely only be one.


    And neither giant was going to take kindly to a bunch of people stealing from them. Enough that they would likely put aside their differences. And while there were a lot of strong people on the crew, but even Luffy would struggle with an enraged giant. At best. They definitely needed to escape, but they definitely needed a plan as well.


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


    "I can''t believe you of all people wandered off on your own," I rolled my eyes at Zoro''s words though it wasn''t like he was exactly wrong. I was the least likely person to wander off on my own. Well, besides Vivi, for several different reasons.


    "I wanted to get out and see the dinosaurs," I shrugged, Zoro sheathing his swords, the T. Rex having finally got the message after the thrashing we gave it. Zoro wanted to kill the thing, but I did point out that it wouldn''t count toward his challenge with Sanji. Between what Zoro had on hand and what Sanji was likely to get himself, we were likely set on food, even if it was a bit meat-heavy at the moment.


    Of course, Zoro had killed what I wanted to pet above all else, so I wasn''t exactly happy, but. I wasn''t exactly going to turn down more food. I wasn''t that picky, not that Sanji''s cooking left me with enough to be picky about.


    "I''m surprised you didn''t use the ugly beetle from the start, instead of that weird spider," Zoro crossed his arms. To be fair, I didn''t understand that, either. Had I just grabbed a bug type in panic? Or had I chosen something else, but ended up getting Spidops?


    God, if my powers played by Omnitrix rules, I was going to be pissed. I could handle a lot, but pseudo-sapient powers were not one of them.


    "Dumb luck and trying every option but the obvious one," I shrugged. Why exactly did it take so long for me to even consider U-Turn? It was one of the most annoying moves for a damn good reason.


    Sure, it wasn''t going to be perfect but clearly better than going back to human for a switch. I doubted teleport would work the same way, but that still gave Baton Pass, Volt Switch, and Flip Turn plenty of use for that alone.


    Well, maybe not Baton Pass, until I was sure I could keep a boost for longer than ten seconds.


    Zoro was about to open his mouth as something screamed through the canopy. My ears followed the sound, catching sight of a red glow above the treetops, trailing smoke as it went.


    Oh, that wasn''t good. The two of us shared a look.


    "You better be able to keep up," Zoro said, before running off into the jungle. I was already beginning to change as he vanished into the underbrush, heading towards the source.


    The problem with a lot of the bugs I had was that they weren''t evolved enough to be usual, and what few ones I had were too slow. Pinsir was fine, but what few final stagers I had were slow as hell.


    That left me with mostly a whole lot of first form, if I was lucky, which I was not right now, bugs. On one hand, type diversity was great. On the other hand, a lot of it was either Poison or Flying in its secondary typing.


    But I still had something pretty speedy. It took me a few seconds to get used to the limbs before I skated off across the jungle floor, moving over a very thin sheet of water.


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


    Under normal circumstances, I would ask how Zoro managed to pop out of the jungle from the exact opposite end of the clearing that I came from, but honestly? There were far more pressing matters to be had. Such as the flare gun, which lay on the ground next to a pile of scorched bodies.


    Karoo, Thomas, and Usopp stacked up on top of one another. I gave a brief look into the jungle to be sure nobody else was around, before deciding to let Zoro cover me as I shifted back to my human form, untangling the mess. They were out could, and would be in pain when they woke up, but they were only injured.


    Luffy''s face was equally scorched, with one problem. He was pinned under the skull of some massive beast. He was out cold too, likely unable to defend himself due to, well, being pinned down by said skull. But the skull itself was massive, beyond even the strongest forms I had. I doubted I could lift it much, even with help.


    Zoro approached, his expression both call and pissed in equal measure, a sword sliding from its sheath. "Have anything that can help cut our captain free?"


    I paused, before nodding, letting the change take hold.


    "Lion Song!"


    Razor! Shell!

 Chapter 8 - Little Garden Part 3

    Norris opened her eyes, her legs felt as if they were stuck in hardened concrete. It wouldn''t be the first time. But concrete didn''t tend to be sold white and.


    She looked up, scowling, knowing exactly what she would see.


    "Mr. 3." She growled, clenching her fists, turning around to see what she feared she would. The Candelabra.


    "Sorry you weren''t conscious when I put you up there with the others," the man taunted, an insufferable smirk on his face. "But you already know what my Extra Special Candelabra does!"


    Yes, she did. Using wax flakes coming from the spinning top to cover someone in wax, turning them into a statue. It was an effective, but cruel, way of dealing with enemies.


    But she also knew how to beat it. Mr.3''s techniques had a shared weakness from their very nature. Heat and flame. Get sufficient enough of either, and Mr.3''s wax constructs would melt away.


    Normally, she wouldn''t have access to such things. But today? Today was special. Slowly, her bound hands move downward, the motion hidden from view by her body.


    With luck, and maybe a pinch of help from Mr. 3''s own ego it would still be there. It took every ounce of control for a smirk of her own to grow on her face. It was.


    Slowly, she caught Vivi and Nami''s attention, subtly pointing to it. Vivi''s eyes widened for a brief moment, before subtly shaking her head, while Nami nodded.


    Two for three wasn''t bad. They''d just have to wait until Mr. 3 and the others were sufficiently distracted. They only had a single shot at this.


    Mr.5 seemed to be about to open his mouth as the actual giant pinned to the ground roared, straining against the wax, the substance cracking under his strength.


    He had captured a giant. She was missing some information, it sounded like.


    "I owe my friend that!" He bellowed, more and more of the wax shattering.


    "Cannon!"


    BOOM!


    The giant screamed in pain as his face was consumed by a massive explosion.


    Ms. Valentine laughed, a grimace appearing on Mr.3''s face. Norris found herself wincing, knowing what came next, but powerless to stop it.


    "It seems I have underestimated your strength, giant," the look in Mr.3''s eyes took on a cruel glint. "Wax-Wax Arts, Sword!"


    "Broggy!" Nami screamed, the wax sword impaling the giant through his hand, letting out a painful scream.


    Of course, at that moment, the jungle began to rumble.


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


    "Any ideas on how to deal with Mr.3?" Usopp shouted on my right as we made our way through the jungle.


    "He generates wax, right? He''s not like Luffy, but instead of rubber he''s wax?" I ask. Mr.5''s fruit made him into a reusable bomb, Luffy''s made it so he was made of gum, well, rubber, anyway. So why would someone with the Wax-Wax fruit not be made of wax?


    "No? Why would you think that?" Thomas said, pumping his limbs wildly, bat in hand.


    "God, Devil Fruits are confusing. Anyway! I have a way that could counter him. It''s just going to depend on two different factors," I say. And it really did. Two very important factors.


    "And those are?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, looking back at me.


    "The temperature wax melts at, and what temperature hot water can start scalding skin at," I say. I can''t believe I was thinking this, but thank goodness for Scald and it''s absolutely bonkers distribution as a move.


    "Nathan, that is the terrifying thing you''ve threatened to do to a person," Usopp said.


    "It''s always the ones you least expect," Thomas nodded his head in agreement.


    "You''re acting like I''m threatening to cut off his face and use it as a mask or something!" I shouted in indignation. I wasn''t even going to use it on the guy, just the wax he was creating! Burns sucked. Burns from scalding sucked even more.


    "Can we see it!" Luffy grinned, cackling at our antics.


    "No, it''s way too slow for running," I scowl. Damn Alola. Couldn''t introduce a single mon that wasn''t a non-legendary that had decent speed besides like, Ribombee.


    "And that''s any different than you are right now?" Zoro, teased, I think it was teasing.


    "It''s a 180 centimeter tall water spider Zoro! I''m pretty sure my grandmother could outrun it on dry land, and she has a walker!" I shout back, as Thomas gulped.


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


    The jungle erupted.


    "Luffy!" Vivi shouted, though it wasn''t like he was the only one. Zoro, Thomas, Usopp, even Karoo. The only person missing was.


    A massive leg bit into the ground, long a stilt like, almost as tall as Norris herself. It was quickly joined by another, a large bug, even larger than the one from before, pulled itself through the treeline. Most of it''s body was black, with green legs with water bubble at the joints before the went back to the abdomen. It''s eyes were long and blue, it''s head encased in yet another bubble of water.


    It looked like they weren''t going to have to wait long for a distraction to come up after all.


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


    That was the least subtle I''d even seen a man who was supposed to be a secret member of an organization. How? How do you think styling your hair in the shape of a three was subtle?


    Of course, there was Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine''s Day. Alongside, a, small girl eating, crackers?


    What was this, bring your child to work day?


    "You promised me a wolfman, Ms. Valentines," the obviously named Mr. 3 spoke, his voice full of annoyance. "Though, I do suppose a giant spider might make for a better statue."


    "Hurry up, we''re starting to harden!" Nami shouted at us.


    "If you can break the thing up top and get it to stop coating us with wax, we should be good!" Norris shouted in turn, her arms behind her back for some reason.


    Taking in the whole structure left me with the impression of a really weird cake. With a massive bowl at the top, where all the candles had been placed. It slowly seemed to spin, wax flakes falling off of it as it went.


    "I don''t know what it is, but I''m going to wreck it," Luffy slammed his fist against his palm.


    Mr. 5 seemed to scowl at us, as if he wanted to say something, but thought better of it. Or, more specifically, at Zoro and I.


    "Remember us?" Zoro taunted, biting down on his third sword, staring down the two agents.


    "You two deal with the chaff," Mr. 3 ordered, and I could almost hear Mr. 5''s teeth grinding from where I stood. "Ms. Goldenweek, I might require your assistance in this matter after all."


    Ms. Goldenweek? Was he talking about the child? The fact that she nodded was confirmation of that, but honestly, terrifying.


    "The kid?" Usopp asked, whispering.


    "She''s Mr. 3''s partner agent. I wouldn''t underestimate her just because of her looks," Thomas grit his teeth.


    "Candle Lock!"


    "Cannon!"


    "Woah!"


    SHING! BOOM!


    Zoro cut the explosive attack in half, while Luffy dodged out of the way, which instead found itself wrapped around one of my legs, weighing it down. My head turned to face Mr. 3, water beginning to build up around my head.


    Scald!


    "Wax Wax Wall!"


    The two techniques collided, one a blast of heated water, the other a wall of wax. The impact was briefly covered in a blast of steam. The results? Better than I feared, worse than I hoped. The wax was steaming, partially melted, but the wall itself was ultimately still there.


    "Gum Gum Bazooka!"


    Until it ran straight into Luffy, who decided to see if he could do better, smashing through the wax like it was a rock.


    "Ow! It burns!" Who didn''t understand that partially melted wax was hot.


    "Nathan! Above!" Usopp shouted as I tilted my head upward. I really didn''t need to double-check. That was the problem with Araquanid. It was slow, and it was absolutely a big target. Ms. Valentine was going to use that to, well, squash me like a bug. What? It was obvious. I looked for Thomas, but he was a bit too far away for that to work. Plan A it was, then.


    Aqua Ring!


    A shimmering veil of water surrounded me, and I could immediately see the woman back off, for now. Devil Fruit users didn''t like the water, and I was going to exploit that for all it was worth.


    "We need to switch!" Zoro shouted, running past.


    "Cannon!"


    In the time I tried to figure out why, I felt an explosion impact my body. Fine, if Zoro wanted to trade dance partners, then that worked.


    Bubble Beam!


    "Exploding Star!"


    Mr. 5 swallowed Usopp''s attack, mine barely missing the agent. My eyes widened in surprise, before I squeezed them shut, waiting for the man to explode like an over inflated balloon.


    "Is that really all?" The man taunted us, as I saw a shadow overhead.


    "10,000 Kilo Spider Stomp!"


    Shit, she had figured out that wasn''t how Aqua Ring worked.


    Thomas was close enough. Let''s hope this worked.


    Protect.


    "What!" DOOMPF-grgrgrgrrrrr!


    The an unmovable object met a nearly unstoppable force head on, the field screaming as held against mass and gravity assisted assault. The blue field held back against the pressure.


    "Cannon!"


    "Firestar!"


    The fact that I wasn''t feeling anything was a sign that Usopp was keeping me safe. I, in my utter stupidity, had failed to take the opportunity to stress test Protect. To even try to see what it could do.


    And it could damn well bite me in the ass at any moment. But that moment?


    Was not this moment. As protect faded, Ms. Valentine''s momentum died completely, as water began to swirl around my maw. The look of oh crap in her eyes had her rear back, floating upward, as if to escape. Pity.


    If she pressed the attack, she might have been able to escape.


    "Batting Chain Slam!"


    "Ah!"


    Thomas''s chain bat wrapped around Ms. Valentine''s leg, before swinging her against the ground.


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


    "I think that''s about as distracted as everyone is going to get," Norris sighed, watching the choas. Luffy was struggling with Color Trap, Zoro was in a sword fight with Mr. 3, while Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine''s Day tried to gang up on Nathan, only for Mr. 9, Thomas, was his real name, and Usopp running interference.


    Everything was a mass, and they were getting covered with more and more wax. If there was a time, it was now.


    "Ready?" She reached into her pocket, pulling out a single flare gun.


    "This better work!" Vivi shouted, covering her ears as Nami pulled out a matching flare gun.


    "I swear if it doesn''t," Nami threatened, pointing toward the base.


    "Fire!" Both pulled down on the triggers at once, sending screaming shots of heat into the base.


    Already, Norris felt the wax covering her skin beginning to warm.


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


    The sound cut through the noise of pitched battle like a knife through butter. It was like screaming, the sound created by the flares.


    "They''re trying to escape!" Mr. 3 shouted, throwing out another Candle Lock at Zoro, who barely managed to get out of the way. "I thought the two of you checked them for anything on their person!"


    Well, that was one problem dealt with. That just left why Zoro was fighting.


    "Gum Gum! Bazooka."


    I suppose why Zoro was fighting Mr. 3 was that Luffy was fighting a splotch of paint on the ground.


    "Keep us covered," Usopp said. Wait, us? Karoo ran by, Usopp sliding onto his back with almost practiced ease. I waited for Mr. 5 to make a move. But he didn''t, glaring at me with a scowl.


    "Now, let''s see if you can beat me without any of your friends running in to save you," he growled, pulling out another booger from his nose.


    "Oh no, not without me you aren''t," there was a shout of pain as Thomas landed next to me in the grass. "I owe you back double for throwing us into your friend''s fight at Whiskey Peak."


    Mr. 5? By himself, I could stall him, probably even take him.


    Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine''s Day? That was harder.


    "Cannon!"


    Scald!


    The explosion is consumed by a blast of hot water, but not before overpowering the blast, continuing through to slam into the man''s chest. Even with his powers, he was knocked clean off his feet, disappearing in a cloud of steam.


    "10,000 Kilo Spider Stomp!"


    Seriously? You want to do this song and dance again? Have a Protect, you crazy nutcase. A blue barrier erupted around my body, ready to take her fall again.


    "Breeze Breath Bomb!"


    BOOM!


    The blast impacted the barrier, failing to penetrate the protective sphere. But that caused it to start fading. Oh, this was going to suck.


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


    "We can move again!" Nami cheered, jumping up out of the wax as it started to melt. The Candelabra leaned dangerously forward, a looming shadow over the battlefield. It still needed to be destroyed, but they had bought themselves the time they needed.


    Norris was about to open her mouth, only for a scream of pain to come across the battlefield.


    "Nathan!" Vivi shouted, already scrambling down the Candelabra. Norris felt herself wince at the scene of the giant spider being pinned.


    Thankfully, Nami seemed to be joining Vivi. Under normal circumstances, she would be joining them. She felt as if she needed to extract a pound of flesh from her former ally, but for now, she had finished off Mr. 3.


    Norris grabbed hold of the Candelabra''s still steaming base, and began to pull.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


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


    "Get off him! Iron Batting!"


    Ms. Valentine''s winced slightly, her body shifting ever so slightly.


    "Was that the best you can do?" She sadistically grinned as she leaned further back, enjoying the pained sounds beneath her. But for the briefest of moments, her body lost contact with the monstrous spider she had pinned, its body beginning to condense into a swirling orb of energy.


    U-Turn!


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


    I slammed into her stomach, time seemingly slowing down around me. What did I pick? Pinsir was strong, yes, but fighting Mr. 5 was safest at range. Galisipod was too slow, even with first impressions, and I had no clue how it would react to my current state. Crustle was an option, provided I hit the threshold.


    Everything else I couldn''t access, or was simply too weak, or too slow. I didn''t have a lot of options.


    A stray thought passed through my head. That could work. It should work. Time began to speed up.


    Evolution Bypass. Shelmet to!


    "Accelgor!"


    The pair scowled, glaring at me.


    "It doesn''t matter how many forms you can take, we''ll still!" Wham!


    "Still what, exactly?" Name taunted, standing over Ms. Valentine''s. "We kinda outnumber you at this point."


    "In small fry," Mr. 5 sneared, pointing his gun at me. "Breeze -"


    Bug Buzz!


    I hit the gas, blurring around the man, creating a cacophony surrounding him. The gun clattered to the ground as the man''s hands went to his ears.


    Giga Drain!


    I stopped behind him, green tendrils wrapping around Mr. 5 for a brief moment, before the man slumped to the ground.


    "I can''t believe you were sitting on something like that this entire time!" Thomas shouted as Vivi shook her head.


    "In my defense," I said, turning back into my human form. "That really shouldn''t have worked." Evolution Bypass indeed.


    "Why didn''t you think to -"


    CRASH-THUMMM!


    "What was that!"


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


    "Bullfight Red," Ms. Goldenweek explained calmly, mixing paint. All she would need to do is put some green paint on the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and this would be over soon.


    "QQQQUUUUUUUAAAAACCCCCCCCCKKKKK!"


    Why was she hearing something that sounded like a very angry duck?


    Wham! The next thing she knew, Ms. Goldenweek was airborne. So was Luffy, alongside one other man and a duck.


    "Quack?"


    One man and a very confused duck.


    "Luffy, now!"


    "You got it! Gum Gum!"


    No, no, that simply would not do. She brought up her brush, preparing to touch the Straw Hats Shirt.


    Splat!


    Only to find the hand of the other man instead.


    Oh, that may cause some trouble.


    "Bazooka!"


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


    "Come on! Budge!" Norris felt her muscles scream, pushing them well beyond her limits as she tried to pick up the massive hunk of wax. But despite the weakened base, it wouldn''t budge. Not one bit.


    Not until the top was blasted off, spinning away into the jungle. The weight became less as what remained groaned in her grasp.


    "Candelabra Slam!"


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


    "What the hell was, Wax Wax House!" Mr. 3 shouted as Zoro darted back, the rest of the Candelabra crashing down atop them.


    Zoro coughed, the air filling with dirt and dust.


    "Watch where you''re swinging that!" Zoro shouted. "You could have dropped that right on top of me!"


    "You would have lived!" Norris shouted back, sliding down the remains.


    "So, what do we do with him trapped in there?" Thomas asked as they approached, everyone looking a little worse for wear.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The laughter covers the sound of cracking wax, as Broggy arose. Norris chuckled, watching as Nathan''s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates in both fear and awe.


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


    Then came crying. Very loud crying. At least the literal mountain wasn''t hostile, even if I felt bad for him. Kinda.


    Who challenges their best friend to an honor duel to the death! One that lasts a whole century at that!


    Okay, I shouldn''t judge, as humans held grudges on a national level for stupid stuff too, and for far longer than that.


    "Should we, you know, check if he''s still alive?" I ask, slightly off-put by the crying mountain and also somewhat curious. Yeah, sure I didn''t want to see a dead body, but at the same time, it would be good to know if the man was, you know, alive. I didn''t want to deal with that man ever again until I had the fire type on tap, and I didn''t want to be Schr?dingered by a man.


    I was using Schr?dinger as a past tense verb, what is my life?


    "I mean, he probably is. But if he isn''t coming out, it''s a sign he knows he''s been beaten," Norris shrugged. "Maybe. He''s smart, but not always as smart as he thinks he is."


    I looked over at the taller woman, who seemed to be writing in a book I''m not sure where it had come from. She couldn''t have had it on her person this entire time, right? Oh, who am I kidding, she probably did. And honestly, I was going to ignore that, for now. I didn''t like leaving someone like that at our rear. Just, tie him up with the others and call it a day, I guess.


    Just at that moment, the wax house began to break.


    "Behold! My Candle Champ - IIOOONNN!"


    Less than a moment later, as he emerged from the house in what I could only dare to describe as a wax mecha, a single slap from a giant sent Mr. 3 soaring through the air and out of sight.


    "I am trying to sleep!" A loud voice shouted, as another shadow loomed above us, hand extended outwards.


    "Dorry? But? How?" The other giant breathed.


    "Did we all just, forget to check for a heartbeat, at, any point, during all this?"


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


    Holy shit, those were the biggest skeletons I''d ever seen in my life! Yes, I was coping with the fact we''d be stuck in this primordial jungle for a year. Sure, I loved my dinosaurs but a year?


    Yeah, no. This place was humid, and it was hell. I''d smuggle some stuff if I could, but that''s how Jurassic Park got started. And I wasn''t tempting anything like that.


    The only reason I hadn''t flopped onto the ground by this point was all the bugs, just closing my eyes slightly, standing on my feet. I seriously just wanted to go back to the Merry and take a nap.


    "I''m sorry. They only came to this island because of me," Vivi looked down, dejected. My eyes widened enough to see Nami, pulling on her check. While Usopp, Luffy, Karoo, and Thomas were crowded around a bag of.


    "Are those rice crackers?" My stomach gurgled in hunger, before I took one. It didn''t taste great, but in an odd form, I was too hungry to care.


    "It takes a Log Pose a year to reset here," Zoro said, sitting down on a log. "That''s not good for us."


    "Maybe we could find where the agents put their ships? They should have a few Log Pose going other places, or maybe an Eternal one that points straight to Alabasta, or even just somewhere else that will recalibrate faster?" I ask finishing off the last of the cracker, noticing everyone staring at me. "What? They''re part of an underworld organization. They have to have at least a few."


    "That''s, a valid point," Nami began rubbing her hands together. "There''s probably a bit more to take than just a Log Pose, too."


    This is where things went from a good idea to mistakes being made, wasn''t it?


    "Nami!! Vivi!! Norris!" Oh thank goodness, a distraction. "Oh, and you guys!"


    Sanji emerged from the jungle, seemingly none the worse for wear, a goofy smile on his face. Norris didn''t seem to pay the man any heed, busy talking with the two giants about something, a grin of her own as she recorded something in her notebook.


    He causally stroad out into the clearing before his eyes opened enough to notice one of the giants, Dorry, I think.


    "Are you Mr. 3?"


    How? How did he even know that name?


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


    "I''m more stuck on the otter and the machine gun wielding vulture, I said with a frown. Sure, I was now filled with a newfound respect for Sanji, because as it turned out this man did not need a kitchen to cook. I didn''t think that Mr. 0 believed we were presently dead, but still, that was a play, and it''d worked. And he''d gotten an Eternal Log Pose to Alabasta out of it!


    "Right, you weren''t conscious for that," Zoro shrugged.


    "Still doesn''t change how that information is relevant!" I crossed my arms with a huff. Seriously, I never would have guessed that they brought on a pair of animals in the first place. I would have been a sitting duck! Still, it seemed like everyone was ready to head out. Zoro and Sanji were arguing over their hunting competition, Usopp and Luffy shouting their goodbyes, though why Usopp was calling the pair Masters was a question for another day. Norris closed the book she was writing in with a smile, Thomas trying to swat at some of the bugs that hung around him. I waved at them. I didn''t really know them, but I wanted to do at least a bit of common curtasy.


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


    "Alright, get those cut up and loaded up you two!" Nami paused. "And someone get Nathan to stop mourning the death of two random dinosaurs already!"


    "NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


    "If we pack it properly, we should be able to fit 5% more than expected."


    "That doesn''t sound like much."


    "Luffy, it''s still more meat."


    "Hurray!"


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


    Poor dinosaur''s. They will be missed. And eaten. Thus was the circle of life. I should be excited. How many people knew how dinosaur tasted?


    Okay, still sad though.


    I let out a sigh, arms dangling over the side of the Merry, before looking up to see the two giants. Why exactly where they here?


    "There''s one big reason that you little people," Broggy started.


    "Can''t reach the next island," Dorry continued.


    That, sounded ominous.


    "You risked your lives to defend our honor," Dorry began.


    "Now, no matter what," Broggy continued.


    "We will allow no enemy to trample on our friends'' pride!" Dorry shouted.


    "Have faith in us, and sail straight ahead! No matter what happens, sail straight ahead!" Broggy finished, as the sound of the ocean drew my eyes away from the pair, and onto something massive rising out of the waves.


    Of course, it took about half second for half the crew to start panicking. To my surprise, Usopp was not one of them.


    "Oh, this is going to be fun!" Norris was grinning ear to ear with excitement.


    "We''re really sailing right toward it? It''s going to eat us!" Thomas shouted.


    Frankly, we didn''t have much of a choice. I don''t think we could evade it, even if we tried. We had no choice but to put our lives in the hand of two giants. Two people I knew nothing about.


    So why the hell did I feel so calm? Luffy trusted them without a shadow of a doubt. No hesitation. Maybe, that was enough.


    "Come on," I breathed. "Straight ahead."


    "Straight ahead! Straight ahead!" Luffy and Usopp shouted, even as we began to fall. Then I felt it, the rumble like an earthquake.


    "This is it!" Norris shouted, as suddenly, there was light, the Going Merry rocketing out of the giant fish like a rocket.


    "WAAAAHHOOOO!" I shouted, letting go of the railing, only for the force to send me flying back with a pained groan for my troubles.


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


    "Hey Thomas, are you okay?" I asked. He didn''t look okay. His skin was pale, skin sweaty, and it was almost like he was swaying on his feet.


    "I''m okay. I just need a," his voice suddenly cut out, body falling forward. I managed to catch him before he planted his face onto the Merry''s deck. I put my hand on his face, expecting a fever, but it felt cold to the touch. And, how long had that lump at the back of his knee been there?


    I pulled up his pants leg. What I found was.


    "Oh, that''s just wrong." I finish out loud, getting the attention of those who weren''t already heading over. It was hideous, a tick nearly the size of my hand, swollen with a feast of blood.


    I reach out, preparing to grab hold of the disgusting thing and pull it free, before it could do anymore damage. Before I could, it suddenly turned around, hissing at me.


    "Mother!" I ducked, as it flew over my head by inches, landing on the deck of the Merry.


    "Kill it kill it kill it!" I couldn''t tell if it was Vivi, Nami, Usopp or even myself that shouted that, but it started a frenzied attempt to kill the damn parasite.


    The blighter, to its credit, seemed to realize at long last, the danger it was in, some sliver of survival instincts taking over. It jumped and weaved, even if it was ultimately trapped on the boat with us.


    "Gum Gum!"


    Water!


    "Bazooka!" Gun!


    We finally managed to catch it out, sending it flying off the ship and into the sea. Though all of us had far more pressing matters to contend with than the possibility of aquatic monster ticks in the future. The ocean was a scary place, it''d sort itself out.


    No, we had far bigger problems to worry about. Nami and I picked him up between ourselves, intent on getting him to a bed. Nami and I were the two closest members of the crew to being medical experts.


    But knowing what I knew about ticks?


    We were going to need a doctor.

 Chapter 9 - Drum Island Part 1

    "Set him down on the bed!" Nami ordered, even as I was part of the way through the motion. Body temperature was low, which meant blankets. Something to at least keep him warm. "Do you have any idea what we''re dealing with, specifically?"


    "Besides blood loss? Not a damn clue. It will depend on what diseases the tick had in its system!" Ticks were nightmares when it came to spreading disease. Not quite on par with fleas, who played a role in causing the Black Death, but ticks could still carry a lot of a really nasty things back home.


    Lyme, deer fever, Colorado tick fever, and many others. Just a whole host of nasty, dangerous shit. By the standards of my world.


    I wasn''t going to lie. I''d long since managed to figure out that people around here were, well, built different. When human, I was the weakest of the Straw Hats, and it wasn''t even a close contest between me and Usopp. So what passed off as bad by the standards of my world probably would give most of the crew mild indigestion. At best. But that wasn''t a tick from my world.


    Hell, it wasn''t even a standard tick from theirs! It was a tick from some god blessed prehistorical jungle. I had no idea what it could be carrying. If luck was on our side, then we''d just be dealing with blood lose here. And if it wasn''t? How do you try to cure a potentially fatal disease if you don''t know what disease you''re trying to cure in the first place? The answer is, you don''t.


    "So focus on the one we can fix," Nami''s facial expression was a thin crease. "Do you know Thomas''s blood type?"


    Oh good, this world knew about blood types, I wasn''t going to have to try and explain that sort of thing. Not that I''d ever do a good job, as the only thing I really grasped is that you didn''t want to put inject someone with a blood type that they weren''t.


    "No, but Vivi worked with him for some time. If we need to ask anyone before he wakes up, she''s the one," I said. There was no if. He had to wake up. I refused to accept any alternative. Maybe we caught it early enough that there wasn''t too much gone. And it wasn''t like being bitten by a tick guaranteed catching a disease.


    Nami''s frown grew. "Do you know how to do a blood transfusion?"


    "Do we even have the supplies to do a blood transfusion?" I asked back. I highly doubted we had nearly everything on hand, the tech level simply wasn''t at that point, but did we have the basics? Hell, did we even have needles? I really didn''t know, but I understood the basics enough that I could, in theory, rig something up. The base idea wasn''t hard, far from it. Take blood from one person and put it in another person. It was the matter of blood types and getting those lined up.


    Of course, did anyone else besides maybe Nami, Vivi, maybe Usopp and Sanji alongside myself even know what a blood type was? Much less know what theirs was? Okay, yeah, that was most of us, actually.


    And speaking of the rest of the crew, did that door use to have that, bulge to it? The wood was groaning, as if bearing some weight that I couldn''t see. Then it cracked, sending the entirity of the crew spilling out onto the floor, almost like a wave.


    "Is he going to be okay?" Luffy was the first one up, moving toward the bed quickly, followed by Vivi and Gina. Zoro and Sanji kept their distance a bit more, but the fact they were here in the first place spoke volumes.


    "I," I took a deep breath. "I can''t make any promises, Captain. The blood loss is making things enough in the air as is, until we know Thomas''s blood type, or even if we have the equipment needed to do a transfusion."


    The swearing coming from Nami''s mouth wasn''t filling me with confidence.


    "And I have no idea what, if any, diseases the tick may have infected Thomas with," I continued. That was the crux of the matter. If there was anything, I certainly didn''t, I wouldn''t know about it. It was always better to be safe than sorry.


    "What''s so important about a blood type?" Zoro gave me a confused look.


    "If you donate blood to someone that isn''t compatible with their blood type, they can die," I say, a slight frown.


    "That means having more than just red blood, right?" Luffy''s brow seemed to be scrunched up in thought.


    "Sadly, yes, Captain," I watched as Luffy''s brow furrowed even more. Had he been considering donating blood? Would that even be safe? Baring getting through his skin for a moment, but were Devil Fruit abilities able to be transmitted through blood? That, would be important to know if little else.


    "There is the RH to consider as well," Vivi''s voice was, I really had a hard time pinning it. Sure, she had been undercover for years, but at the same time, Thomas had been her partner during those years. They had to be close. But as for what she said, though?


    "I can''t believe I forgot about that," I pinched my brow. How could I have? Sure, I wasn''t exactly a doctor, but my Mom was a nurse, and I spent a month with Crocus! I should have a basic idea about this stuff.


    "When Nathan says exact match, he means exact," Gina said, placing her hand on his forehead. "I''ve seen what happens when you do it wrong. Your body rejects the transfusion, treating it like a disease to root out. There are more painful ways to go, but it still isn''t what I would consider pleasant."


    "There should be doctors in Alabasta able to help him," Vivi said, sitting down in a chair next to the bed. And while I didn''t exactly doubt that. The problem was, would he last long enough for us to get to Alabasta?


    "And what happens if we can''t get the equipment or if we don''t have a matching blood type?" Sanji for once, wasn''t smoking.


    "There are foods that help promote the body to help it generate more blood," Gina seemed to muse, looking at Sanji thoughtfully.


    "I do," the man spoke slowly. "Most of those are meats, things heavy in irons." Okay, meat, that wasn''t a big deal, we had plenty of meat.


    "Do it. This is more important," Luffy said, with all the calm and confidence of the world. "Keeping our crewmate alive is more important."


    Sanji didn''t say a word, simply nodding.


    "Come on, don''t go counting me out yet," there was a coughing that came from the bed.


    "Thomas!" Vivi wrapped her arms around him for a brief moment, as Thomas chuckled, before letting out a slight groan of pain as everyone crowded around the bed. "I just needed a bit of shut-eye, is all."


    Thomas then tried to push himself off the bed, struggling every metaphorical step of the way.


    "What you need," I say firmly, putting my hand on his chest to gently push him back down. "Is to rest."


    For a brief moment, I felt him push back against me, before Thomas let out a sigh, falling back against the bedsheets.


    "It must be pretty bad if you''re able to push me around," another cough wracked Thomas''s body as I frowned. That couldn''t have been a normal symptom of blood loss.


    "To be fair, you''re one of the two people on this crew who wouldn''t be able to intimidate your way out of being sick when it comes to me," I gently teased back, trying to keep some levity to the situation at hand.


    "Wait, if he''s the first, then who''s the second?" Usopp asked as I looked at him. The act of doing so was the answer to the question at hand. Usopp looked behind himself for a moment, as if he would find another member of the crew standing somewhere behind him. "Me?"


    "To be fair, Usopp, you''re the closest one that Nathan can beat in a fight," Gina chuckled, clearly amused. The only thing that made me chuckle was the squawk of protest that came from Usopp''s lips. "Well, you and the duck."


    "Good to know you''re all joking around while I''m the one doing all the work," Nami entered the room, killing all conversation with the expression on her face and the needle in her hand. "Now, which one of you am I going to have to take blood from to get Thomas back on his feet?"


    I, like the rest of my crewmates, balked. I''d done my best to stay on Nami''s good side. She was scary when mad, and I was squishy. Built for this world of slapstick, I was most certainly not. And we still didn''t have an answer to what Thomas''s blood type was yet.


    "That would be X-, my good lady," Thomas coughed, the slight smirk on his face telling that he was happy to be not on the receiving end of Nami''s wrath.


    Of course, that had almost been relegated to a secondary concern. The four main blood types not counting for their opposite negative pairs, were A, B AB, and O. So what the hell was an X doing in here?


    Curse blood type classifications from another world!


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


    "I might have something that could help," I said, after giving it a few minutes of thought. Most if the crew was outside, dealing with the Grand Line being the Grand Line. But Nami wanted at least one person, usually two, with Thomas at all times.


    "Oh?" Thomas pushed up slightly out of bed, his face falling into a more confident grin. "And what exactly would that be?"


    I took a step back from the bed, taking in a deep breath as I closed my eyes. Chansey. I needed Chansey. I felt my body shift and contort, taking on a new appearance.


    "Happiny!"


    Fuck!


    My tiny arms flailed about, causing Vivi to look up.


    "That looks adorable," Vivi''s statement about my appearance was completely correct. Happiny was, by all accounts, incredibly adorable. The problem was, I didn''t need adorableness. I needed Chansey.


    "It''s like you''re a cute little doll!" I flailed even more as Thomas managed to pick me up easily, Happiny''s tiny frame unable to offer any major resistance. "Don''t know how this is supposed to help, though."


    Thankfully, the bright light that came off my body as I began to transform back was enough for Thomas to put me back on the ground. I wasn''t going to try to Pok¨¦mon speak this to them.


    "That''s because its evolution has something that might be able to help, not Happiny itself," I said with a frown. Which was a problem. As, out of all the Pok¨¦mon I knew about? Happiny was about the only one I didn''t know how it evolved. The only time I ever remember encountering one in base play was Diamond and Pearl, where you were given one from an egg. I remembered trying to evolve it, before giving up and throwing it in the box for that play-through, and not even bothering with the egg for every subsequent run.


    "How would it help, exactly?" Thomas looked at me, puzzled, before letting out a cough Vivi leaned in as well, seemingly equally curious.


    "Chansey is said to lay eggs that, when eaten, have healing properties," I say, scratching my chin as I tried to pry secrets that weren''t there out of my head.


    "So, you were going to offer me an egg in these," Thomas coughed again into his elbow. "Trying times?"


    Why did that sound like a reference to something?


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


    "I normally wouldn''t want you to worry, but," Nami let the silence hang in the air, as Vivi looked at the newspaper, a look of horror and despair written all over it. I gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, but beyond that, I didn''t think I could do much.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The situation in Alabasta got worse. About half of the Royalist side had defected. It wasn''t just the massive swing in manpower, it was yet another step towards whatever plans Crocodile had for Alabasta coming to fruition. And it wasn''t as if the Royal Army was doing well either, from the sound of things, even before this. With the weapons, men, and guns the rebels now had, the war had swung rather decisively in their favor.


    I may not be a military strategist, but I did like strategy games. That type of disparity, even at the best of times, could be a tall order to defeat on the battlefield. It was not impossible, but often relied on an opponent making a mistake of some kind.


    And given how not only did the rebels have the royalists outnumbered more than two to one, close to half the rebel army knew the royalist playbook. Because they were former royalists!


    And the worst part was? This was close to half a week ago. Sure, they were likely moving on foot, maybe on horseback, duck back, whatever. Point being, that this was close to half a week ago, so there was no telling just how badly things had deteriorated since then. Sure, speed of travel definitely put a damper on just how quickly things could happen. But the situation was still awful and wasn''t likely to get better.


    It felt weird, rooting for a king, but Vivi was a good person. I didn''t have any reason to suspect that the King was any different from his daughter. A good person.


    However, that wasn''t going to matter for much if the rebels started to push their numerical advantage. We had a week to get there, and a week was a long time, no matter how you tried to cut it. Nami was practically a miracle worker, but she could only do so much. The Merry, no matter how much she fought, could only go so fast. It was going to take a week. Just to get there, and we wouldn''t be at full strength until Thomas was patched up. And we''d need all the help we could get in a fight like this.


    Of course, that moment of calm was broken with a shout.


    "Nathan, I''m going to need you to come take a look at this!" That was Sanji''s voice. Oh, I did not like the sound of that.


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


    That.


    Was a concerning amount of vomit. What the hell had happened here?


    "I was just heading out after I gave Thomas his food, and then," Sanji''s voice had a tweak to it, and it was clear to see why. Part of the room was just a mess. Despite the bucket I put in place just for emergency situations, it had been missed completely. Instead, spew covered a sizable chunk of the wall, which I was ignoring for the moment.


    "Thomas, what happened?" It was clear he wasn''t okay, not by any stretch of the word. That was not an okay thing to do.


    "I don''t know," Thomas rasped, painting heavily. "I tried to eat a little bit, but when it hit my stomach, the meat just¡­ hurk."


    Thomas''s face paled even more as he began to heave. And he wasn''t aiming toward the bucket.


    Protect!


    Quickly transforming, the vomit hit the barrier, splattering harmlessly to the floor, rather than on my face.


    "Thank you," Sanji said as I transformed back.


    "You''re welcome," I respond, moving to rub Thomas''s back as he''d finally gone for the bucket. I looked down at the plate, trying to identify the meal. Thomas said he started having problems when the meat hit is stomach. And Sanji was a high enough caliber of a cook that food poisoning shouldn''t be an issue. Especially not now. But with it being partially covered in vomit, I had no idea what i could have been.


    "It''s steak with a bit of pork and greens," Sanji said, following my gaze, though there as a twing of hostility in his voice. Steak and pork. Red meat. Tick bite. Tick bite. Red meat. Vomiting.


    Fuck. That wasn''t good at all.


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


    "A coworker of mine had the same thing happen to her before I arrived in the Grand Line after she got bitten by a tick," I said, addressing everyone on the deck of the Merry. Everyone but Thomas, as we moved him to a new room and he was now getting much needed shuteye.


    "What!" Luffy shouted. "Is there anything we can do?" For Luffy, not being able to eat meat was a fate worse than death, and given how much meat I tended to eat, I couldn''t say I disagreed with my Captain on that one.


    "If we had a doctor yesterday, Captain, then maybe," I said, rubbing my forehead.


    "I could try the dinosaur meat. We have plenty of chicken that we can use in the meantime," Sanji said, taking a puff of smoke from his cigarette.


    "How would that even work? It''s still red meat," Gina crossed her arms as she paced up and down the deck.


    "Mammals and Dinosaur''s split off evolution wise a while ago. Dinosaur meat should have more in common with chicken or other birds, rather than a cow or a pig. Of course, that''s only on paper, and experimenting is probably not something we should be doing on that front right now," as interesting as that thought experiment would be now, it certainly wasn''t the time for it.


    Zoro nodded, his lips a thin line. Sadly, this was not an enemy he could simply cut to pieces with his sword, no matter how badly he wanted too.


    "I did manage to come up with something," Usopp said, rolling out what I could only describe as a primitive Blood Bag feed. "Just encase we run into someone with Thomas''s blood type."


    It was impressive, but at the same time, blood loss was becoming something of a lesser concern in my book.


    "Thank you, Usopp," Nami nodded, her face not really looking at anyone else, scanning the sky and clouds for changes in the Grand Line''s weather. The young man beamed with a smile, as I have him a pat on the back. It was good work.


    "We need to find a doctor as soon as possible," Vivi cut in, clutching the newspaper in her hands.


    I blinked a bit in surprise. I wasn''t wrong about us really needing a doctor yesterday. But I figured that Vivi would want us to cut full speed to Alabasta to deal with the problem there. It would allow her to do everything she wanted. It would get us and her to Alabasta, and would allow her friend in Thomas to be healed.


    But everyone else? They just smiled, as if that is what they had expected from the beginning. And thus, we headed south.


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


    Gina liked to think she had some degree of experience. The sudden and consistent shift of weather was enough to tell her they had gotten close to an island, and Nami was currently trying to pinpoint it''s exact location. She liked to think, among other things, that it would take a lot to get her surprised.


    Even in her state, worried as she was, about a crewmate who was sick with who knows what, and the closest thing they had to a doctor only being able to say that things were bad, it should take a lot to surprise her.


    A person standing out on the open water was not what she had expected this morning, or any other morning. But it certainly was on the checklist now.


    Then the Merry lurched, the sea suddenly bucking, taking even Nami by surprise. Gina grabbed on to the arm rail, keeping herself steady as a massive ship emerged from beneath the waves. This was really how today was going to go, wasn''t it? Just, run into a pirate crew on the high seas. They didn''t have time for this. Unless?


    What were the odds of a crew of this size having a doctor themselves? Sure, they weren''t going to just, let them make use of their skills. Willingly, anyway. Still, that didn''t mean she enjoyed the numerous people swarming the deck, all carrying various different firearms. She would like to start fighting now, but doing so would mean the bullets would start flying, and, well. The Going Merry wasn''t bulletproof. The protection she would provide Thomas was minimal, and there would a considerable number of stray bullets


    .


    The shaking was enough to draw Sanji and Nathan out of the medical bay, Sanji reacting as if there wasn''t even a gun pointed at his face. While Nathan definitely gave them a second glance, but his expression was one of ''I''m getting far more used to this than I have any right to be''.


    Then the man was clearly the captain of this group emerged. Gina''s first thought was Devil Fruit. It was clear the man had one if his metal jaws were anything to go by. That, and the fact he was eating a knife. Not a cheap one, either. The hilt was covered in gemstones, and yet, he had no problems throwing the entire knife into his mouth.


    Which only marked the man as rich. Extremely rich. To use a knife of high quality make with a hilt that would be worth it''s weight in gold was nothing else than a sign of exorbitant wealth. Much less eating one as if it were a desert to water down a luxurious meal.


    Something that made Nami halfway about to burst a blood vessel. Sanji had already managed to clear the distance, standing between her and several of the pirates. Actually, were they really pirates at all? Yes, they were flying the Jolly Roger, and all that initialed, but at the same time, they looked a bit too, professional. They weren''t navy, but at the same time? They had uniforms, to start.


    "We want to go to the Drum Kingdom. Do you have an Eternal Pose or a Log Pose?" The way the man spoke more or less confirmed it. This wasn''t simply a pirate, this man was, at the very least, a noble of some description. That would explain why he was literally willing to eat something that expensive. It wasn''t like he likely had more lying around.


    "Nope," Sanji''s voice was firm, but not happy about the situation. "And we''ve never heard of that place, either."


    "So, if you''re done, go away!" Luffy demanded, still sitting there. She knew the answer to that. No, he was going to start raiding the ship for other valuables, etc, etc.


    Then two things happened in quick succession. No, more like one thing. The man took a bite out of Merry''s frame, tearing it off with his teeth and chewing the wood like, well, something that wasn''t wood.


    That resulted in two immediate and similar reactions. The first was Luffy, immediately hitting one of the boarders on the head, something they should have done from the start.


    "So, would you like paper or plastic?" Nathan''s words made Gina pause for the briefest of moments, alongside just about everyone else in earshot.


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


    "The shame is made less knowing that we aren''t the only people who fell for that."


    "Are you okay right now?!"


    "I''m okay, I promise!"


    Your fever has been going up!"


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


    The gunmen were stunned much longer than she was, but that may have also been because Nathan was transforming. Even partway through, Nathan was swinging his tail, water forming around it before as it turned, knocking men onto their backs.


    And what finally took shape?


    Was big. Easily, the largest form she had seen out of the young man yet. Blue scales covered its body nearly from head to toe. A trio of red spines, each one coming to three sharp points, one on its head, another on its back, and a third on its tail, rose, giving its body an even more imposing presence. While its feet ended with three clawed toes, its arms had five fingers, each ending in a claw, and it looked as if the monster had opposable thumbs. Which seemed like gripping overkill, given the massive jaws of the beast.


    "Feraligatr!" The roar that came from the monster''s mouth was impressive, already sending many of the men who were trying to go for their firearms that leaving them and running was the smarter plan. At the moment though, her hands were mostly tied, dealing with her own problems, grabbing one of the men surrounding her before using him as a makeshift club, before tossing him aside to grab the furthest man and place him into a grapple, slamming him against the deck in the process.


    Sanji and Zoro had already gotten a head start on her, knocking out men with casual ease. Nathan and Luffy seemed to share a single brain cell, trying to get close to the man who was in the process of eating their ship. Surprisingly, it was Nathan who got there first advancing on the man. The loud clang of teeth meeting metal rang out over the battlefield, causing everyone to pause.


    "King Wapol!" Several of the men shouted. Oh, great, that was a king Nathan held in his grip. Not. Still, they had the man hostage. They didn''t even need to find an island now. Get a doctor to heal Thomas, take some gold on the side as compensation, in exchange for their king''s safety.


    "Oh, this is going to be fun!" Luffy said, with everyone looking at him confused. Why was he saying that? What did?


    Gina looked back at Nathan, his iris having narrowed and elongated. This was some type of alligator, wasn''t it? That meant.


    Just as the thought crossed her mind, Nathan began to roll around, Wapol''s head firmly in his jaws. She had no idea how Luffy of all people recognized the behavior, but the result was clear. Nathan had a Wapol in a death roll, or, at the very least, as close as one could get to a death roll without being in the water. The only reason the man wasn''t as hurt as he could be was the man''s metal chin, the teeth not finding any purchase there.


    As impressive as the display was, it didn''t seem to be having a major impact.


    "You dare strike me! Munch Munch Shock!"


    BOOM!


    It sounded as if a cannon had gone off, barely managing to drown out Nathan''s roar of pain. Wapol slipped from his jaws, as he skidded backwards, claws digging into the deck to halt his movement. Blood dripped down onto the deck as Nathan snarled, a flickering blue aura surrounding his body.


    Wapol''s eyes widened in surprise, before leveling the cannon that his arm had become at Nathan.


    "Gum Gum Takeoff!" Then came Luffy, arms extended backward, slamming into Wapol''s chest, sending the man flying. And when she meant flying, she meant, flying. The man nothing but a dot, not even starting to descend by the time he vanished from sight.


    That was enough for panic to set in among the enemy pirates who quickly abandoned their assault in favor of retreating on their massive ship after their Captain/king, rather than continuing the battle. Not like that would have done them any good. Nathan looked pissed off enough to take the remaining crew on his own. Maybe. She couldn''t exactly read crocodile facial expressions.


    Once everyone was gone, Nathan shifted back, letting out a sigh as he gingerly touched his chest.


    "I figured this would hurt more," he muttered, mostly to himself. His shirt seemed fine, but the wince he made showed that despite his cloth''s undamaged state, there was probably damage under there.


    "Are you alright?" Luffy was already next to Nathan, looking concerned. And he wasn''t the only one. Usopp seemed in a panic, Sanji was impressed, and Zoro, it was hard to tell with that man, but he seemed impressed. Nami on the other hand?


    "I''ll need to get it bandaged, and maybe see if it broke any ribs, but I should be fine. Hurts like a rat bastard, though," Gina frowned, as Nathan''s eyes seemed somewhat misty. Was he trying to play off his injury as being not as bad as it was?


    "You better not make do something like that ever again!" Nami threw her arms around Nathan''s neck suddenly, causing Sanji to squawk. Gina smiled at the moment. How sweat. "Because if you do, I''m going to make sure you regret it!"


    Or not. Nami gripped Nathan''s ear, dragging him along behind her, despite his shouts of protest and pain.


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


    I wasn''t going to protest Nami''s bedside manner. It wouldn''t be effective, and she would probably give me something to take my mind off the pain. In the form of a fist to the face.


    The cannonball to the chest hurt. Not as much as it should, but it did. The bruise was large, and there were several cuts, but it should have been worse if it caught me at any other point. It was going to be a pain in the ass going forward, but nothing was broken, so that was a plus.


    Lesson learned, I suppose. Don''t get that close to a Devil Fruit user until you know how their powers work. Because if other people could just pull a cannon out of their ass, I wasn''t going to have a good time.


    "Now, I want you off your feet for the rest of the day, do I make myself clear?" Nami looked at me, anger mixing with concern on her face.


    "Yes Ma''am."


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


    "Land-ho!"


    I''d spent the early part of the next day out of commission too. I mostly helped Thomas, who was suffering from a fever on top of everything else now.


    Still, to step outside was a thing of beauty, a winter wonderland, covered in snow and cylindrical flat tops. Here was hoping that we could find a doctor in short order.

 Chapter 10 - Drum Island Part 2

    "Nathan, what are you doing?"


    I looked at Nami, giving her a look from underneath the layers of coats I had thrown on.


    "I''m cold! What do you want from me!" Plus, the weather was going to drive my chilblains crazy.


    "Not to use a third of our winter gear, Nathan!" Nami shouted, grabbing at one of my coats. "Is this Zoro''s?"


    "He''s not using it!"


    "Oh, he''s about to!"


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


    On one hand, I lost another layer of protection against the biting cold. On the other hand? Watching Nami force Zoro into wearing a jacket was an amusing thing to witness. It reminded me of how my mom had to make my brother wear his jacket consistently.


    And now I was homesick. I hadn''t seen one of those fights since my brother went off to college, just a few years after I went to college myself. Still, I watched as we approached the island. It''s kinda a shame we had to come here while Thomas was sick, and us already on a timer with Vivi.


    Sure, as far as I was concerned, this place was cold enough to freeze fire, but that didn''t mean I couldn''t appreciate the beauty of such a place. It was majestic despite how absolutely freezing it was.


    The snow, the mountains. God the mountains. Was there not a part of the Grand Line that didn''t have, well, I couldn''t say that. Little Garden was fairly normal topography wise. They were glorious and massive. Standing as mountains should.


    What shouldn''t have been where the massive pillars arose from them. They somewhat reminded of the Devil''s Tower, a large hunk of igneous rock that had become exposed. But the tower was isolated. These weren''t several of them rising, scraping the sky, emerging from the mountain range. They showed nearly no signs of weathering, despite the icy cold being a sign that freeze-thaw erosion


    It didn''t make it hard to deduct what type I would be getting from the place. It may have been a context if rock had not already joined my arsenal, but it had. Ice would be the order of the day, and I was honestly okay with that. Ice was not good as a standalone type. It nearly had just as many weaknesses as bug or grass, but the only thing that was resisted by ice was ice.


    Sure, offensively, ice was strong, able to abuse the weaknesses of numerous dragon types throughout the years, especially nightmares like Garchomp. But damn was it not defensively brittle on its own. I couldn''t even think of a single mono-ice type that made it to the big leagues. At least, not for long. Maybe besides Galarian Darmanitan and it''s busted abilities.


    No, what made ice potent as a type was the secondary typing. And right now, I didn''t exactly have a great spread. When it came to water and ice, I had the cream of the crop, as it was my best combination by far. Cloyster, provided I had water stone access, was incredibly bulky physically. Dewgong wasn''t great, but it was better than Artovish. Lapris was sold. Fully evolved, plenty of bulk, well-rounded stats, well-rounded move pool. Spheal was a full line, and while I doubted I had Walrian, Sealeo wasn''t bad. Iron Bundle was there in theory, but in practice? How much did a Paradox mon count? It was incredibly strong, that was no contest, as Paradox Pok¨¦mon were nearly on par with pseudo-legendaries when it came to stats.


    But as the name suggested, Paradox Pok¨¦mon were weird. By all accounts, they didn''t exist in the world of Pok¨¦mon. As much of a powerhouse, Iron Bundle could end up being.


    For ice and bug I only had the Snom line, and while Frosmoth wasn''t bad, as it was hard to consider anything that got Quiver Dance to be awful, it was a time-specific friendship evolution. And Snom, despite its cuteness, was not much stronger than Magikarp.


    And for rock and ice? That would be the Amaura line, another time-locked evolution family. And as much I loved the line, with its Refrigerate Hyper Beams and Hyper Voice. It was defensively horrible. Quad weakness to fighting was never a good thing, and neither was one to steel.


    In short, a lot of stuff that I wouldn''t exactly like outside the water, and few things that wouldn''t hold up in a fight, and the swarm of mono-ice types which weren''t great. Frankly, did even of the ice types besides Spheal and Seal would be able to evolve at this point? I''m pretty sure most ice types didn''t evolve until their mid to late thirties for the first time. And that''s when they weren''t stone evolutions!


    Yeah, I was going to have to rely on the normal types if there was a fight.


    Which there probably wasn''t going to be! We were just here to find a doctor and once Thomas was patched up we''d hippity hoppity on off this island and onward towards Alabasta! And if what I''d heard about Alabasta was true? Easy, easy ground typing there. Which just opened up a whole lot of doors.


    Hell, getting ice here opened the door for Mamoswine! An absolute monster heavy hitter that I was going to be useful no matter where the ground typing appeared on our journey.


    "What exactly are you grinning about?" I blinked in surprise, Usopp''s words snapping me out of my thoughts. He wasn''t as bundled up as I was, but he was still shaking in the cold. It was more of a surprise that he could tell I was smiling under this.


    "The type I''m getting from this island is going to be not too great right now, but useful later down the line," I smile. "And since we''re just here to see a doctor, there''s no reason for any fighting whatsoever!"


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


    One of these days, I was going to remember that Murphy was a mind reader. Surrounding us on both cliff faces, flanking our ship were armed men. And they did not seem happy to see us. Then again, that was the case with armed men. Then again.


    They also looked afraid. Which was much more in line with what I would normally expect to happen when pirates came a knocking.


    I could do the paper or plastic trick. I imagine it would work for quite a while. But two things stopped me. The first was if I did take them off guard, the range was enough even if I closed, I would still get shot. They would have recovered by that point. The second was less tactical, but far more important.


    I didn''t want to fight them. This wasn''t like Whiskey Peak, where we were lured in and ambushed under false pretenses. This wasn''t like when we were attacked by those pirates earlier, who intended to do us harm, no matter what. These were just, people. People who wanted to defend their homes from the evil pirates.


    And that''s all this was. With the fact that there was clearly some form of coordination here making things more apparent. There was no way they would be able to guard every stretch of coastline. But they had clearly seen us coming, and with enough warning? This wasn''t just organized, it was procedure.


    They had done this before.


    The gears in my mind began to turn. Those pirates. They were looking for an island. Was this the one? Was this what they were looking for? Then it would explain the organization. They''d dealt with pirate attacks before. Quite possibly regularly. Was this maybe a favored raiding spot of theirs, and they lost their means of pinpointing the island''s exact location? It would explain why they were so ready, yet so jumpy. They were used to fighting someone else, and here comes a curve ball out of left field.


    "I get it. We''re pirates, and you guys are nervous. But one of our crewmates is sick. All we need is to take him to a doctor, and one he''s better, we''ll be out of your -"


    BANG!


    As Norris spoke, the wooden deck in front of her erupting in a shower of splinters. I jumped slightly, clamping down on the urge to transform into, anything, really. It certainly wouldn''t help the situation turning into anything, especially something scary. If I had steel on tap, I would consider otherwise, if simply because could at least bounce a bullet or two.


    "We get it, you''re scared," I started, ignoring Vivi tackling Sanji to the ground. "But all we need is a doctor to help our crewmate. That''s it. Once he''s patch up, we''ll be out of your hair!"


    BANG!


    "Shit on a stick!"


    "Shut up and leave already!"


    I take a slight step back, partially out of fear, and out of concern. There was no explosion of wood, meaning nothing impacted the deck. And there was no way in hell a missed shot would go anywhere else but the deck. I didn''t feel anything.


    Then I saw the blood. I saw Vivi.


    Fuck, every piece of that noise so hard.


    "No you don''t!"


    The next thing I felt as I began to transform was someone grabbing my head and slamming it onto the Merry''s deck. Hard.


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


    "Sorry sorry sorry!" I kept a pack of snow against my forehead as Vivi fretted over me.


    "It''s fine, it''s not like you intended to knock me out for a few minutes," I groaned, trying to keep the throbbing in my skull at a minimum. Thankfully, I didn''t feel concussed. I''d already gone through the recovery for one of those, a minor one. And that had been enough to nearly drive me completely and utterly mad. When I had at least audiobooks as some measure of entertainment.


    Here? I think I would very well go mad.


    It really confirmed just how squishy I was if Vivi was able to lay me out. Midway through a transformation at that. I never considered that as a possible problem, but I at least knew to keep an eye out for it now. Still, I know why she did it. I lost my cool, and easily could have gotten us hurt, or worse. And what exactly would happen to Thomas then?


    Oh right. He''d die. And his condition was getting worse.


    So I might be nursing a headache for a few hours, or a few days, but that was a small price to pay. I doubted anything I had was bulletproof at the minute, and something scary would be large enough to be an easier-to-hit target. And it would have just gotten me shot at. Zoro had decided to stay behind on the ship, largely as a guard detail to make sure nothing happened, alongside Karoo. I felt bad for the poor duck, as he certainly wasn''t built with this type of weather in mind. It was safer for him on the ship.


    As for myself? I was used to the weather being bipolar and off their meds, but I didn''t like the cold. And this island was cold. When Vivi called it a winter island, she wasn''t kidding. Everything was cold and bitter, and I hated every second of it.


    "Don''t forget to bow, it''s mountaineering tradition," in the least pirate thing I think I''ve done yet, I did as instructed, only for my brain to finally unfreeze itself to allow me to process the rest of the context.


    That was a bear. With a walking stick.


    Yeah, that was enough for me to just, fall over into the snow. Usopp was there too, so that bear wasn''t just a pain-induced hallucination.


    Joy.


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


    The village was what I expected it to be. Small and quant, like an isolated town in the mountains. I was chattering, teeth clacking together against the cold. My chilblains were going to be a bastard after this, no matter how much it was worth it. Thankfully, Norris was carrying Thomas on her back, a task she made look easy.


    Still, I did keep my ear out. Having only a single doctor on the island concerned me considerably. This was by no means a small one, either. That just sounded like a nightmare waiting to happen. Little Garden this wasn''t, but if there weren''t something around here that could take someone''s head off, I would eat a hat.


    But the talk of elections was, interesting. Especially as the man leading us did not feel worthy of the honor. Which by my book was generally a good sign. Generally, it''s the people who didn''t want power were by and large the ones I would trust more with it. More specifically, because I didn''t care for repeats of that one incident where someone completely unqualified was chosen as Pope because he broke into the room where Cardinals were trying to select a new Pope, and they liked the cut of his jib.


    Or they did it perfectly aware that he would shoot himself in the foot, I honestly don''t know.


    It didn''t take too much longer to arrive at the man''s house, where I was at least able to shed a layer of clothing. Usopp and Luffy were still out playing in the snow but the room was still packed. Sanji, Norris, Nami, Vivi, and I, with Thomas on the bed, breathing heavily, face flushed.


    Then there was our host. I didn''t think I''d meet someone taller than Norris in my life, as she was easily past six foot, even taller than my younger brother and aunt. But he was even bigger. He surprisingly had armor, which looked somewhat akin to plate, which was strange given the cold. The chest piece was wrapped in green leather and fur, so that had to go a long way to provide insulation.


    "Sorry, I have not introduced myself. My name is Dalton, and I''m the protector of this island," a task the man took seriously. An island without a name, he had said. Something I called bull on. Privately, of course. Come on, even Little Garden had a name! And we truly couldn''t have been the first people to find this place. If we could understand them, then their being truly isolated was impossible.


    I shook my head. We had way more pressing matters than whatever local politics were happening here.


    The fire had been lit, and I was just getting finished with taking Thomas''s temperature and.


    Oh. That''s. Bad.


    "It''s 104 degrees," I scowled. It was probably higher if it weren''t for the tick and the blood loss. Any higher by itself was putting it into hospital range. "We need to get to that doctor as soon as possible."


    We knew enough to narrow down the problems. We just needed the doctor.


    "Do you see the mountains out the window?" Dalton spoke, as I turned toward the window, bitting down on my tongue as I did so. Were the two of them building snowmen out there? I could see Nami''s eyebrow twitching. In time with Norris''s at that. Usopp''s craftsmanship was masterful as always, but now was not the time for it.


    Still, I let Sanji and Norris deal with the obstructions. Sanji because he was already out the door, and Norris because she looked as if she wanted to hit something.


    It didn''t take long for Usopp and Luffy to be drawn back inside, the snowman and the snowmonster were unfortunately destroyed. But we did get a view of what they called the Drum Rockies. Drum was accurate, as they did have a resemblance to giant, rocky drums. Hourglasses may have been a better word for them, but I could see where they got drums.


    The strangest thing was, one of them, the tallest visually, whether from the actual size or just distance playing its usual trick on my eyes rested a castle. An impressive one, at that.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "The only doctor in this country, Dr. Kureha, lives there," Dalton explained, as I frowned. That was an incredibly isolated location, far from the best for a doctor to live.


    "Please tell me you have something that can fly, Nathan," Norris gave me a look of desperation. Not that I blamed her. I couldn''t see an easy path to the top. I couldn''t see a way up period that didn''t involve climbing. And climbing something like that would be difficult on a good day.


    "I''ll try," I say, stretching. "But I can''t make any promises."


    Even if I could do Frosmoth, I was unsure if it was large or strong enough to carry a full-grown man to such heights.


    But I had to at least try. For Thomas.


    Come on, I just needed Frosmoth. To at least try. I shifted, body shrinking down. By the end, I didn''t think I needed to open my eyes or my mouth. But I did so anyway.


    "Snom."


    "That''s, not going to be helpful," I think it was Sanji that spoke, looking down at my tiny form.


    "An insect Zoan? That is, interesting," I think it was Dalton that spoke. God, ears in this former were weird. It was like hearing everything through a filter. Yeah, it was time to drop this form. Snom was useless. It could do a damn, why is Luffy grabbing me?


    The nightmare ride was over fairly quickly, with me taking great care not to do something that would damage whatever surface I was on. It felt somewhat curved, and, was I on Thomas''s head?


    Was my Captain using me as a sapient ice pack? I shifted slightly, as a content sigh escaped Thomas''s unconscious lips.


    Oh god, he was using me as a sapient ice pack. Well, I guess I was staying here.


    "Well, if that''s not going to work, what do we need to do to get her down here?" Nami said. The way she was speaking made it sound as if she was crossing her arms.


    "We don''t have any means to contact her," Dalton said, something that set off alarm bells in my head. One doctor for an entire country and they didn''t even have a way to reach her in case of an emergency? What type of hack system is that? "While her skills as a doctor are without compare, she''s a bit of an eccentric. She''s nearly a hundred and forty."


    A hundred and forty? As in years? No way. There is no way in hell that anyone would be able to live anywhere near that long. How does someone get to be a hundred and forty! There''s just no way that is possible!


    "What do people do if they get sick or injured?" Vivi cried out, echoing my thoughts exactly. Though the second mystery was how did she get down. Climbing that thing would be bad on a good day, and that was before someone who was over a hundred and a doctor.


    "She comes down the mountain whenever she pleases," Dalton explains. "Then she looks for patients, treats them, then takes whatever she wants as compensation, then goes home."


    I wasn''t sure how I felt about that. Doctors did need to make money, but the fact there was no way to get in touch with her, no easy path to reach her, then she just comes down and does whatever, then leaves again? That I didn''t like. It also did nothing to explain how she got up and down the mountain.


    "How does she get down the mountain then?" Thank you, Vivi, for asking the important questions while I was being used as an ice pack that couldn''t speak English.


    "It sounds odd, but I''ve heard that one moonlight night, she rides a sleigh through the sky, and comes down the mountain," Dalton said. So she was gender bent Santa Claus who delivered medicine instead of presents, and expected compensation for her efforts. She sounded like quite the character.


    I kinda tuned out the rest. Usopp''s voice filtered through, somewhat panicked, which could mean just about anything. I was still trying to adapt to where on the Ussop scale was the point that I should get worried. Something about an abominable snowman? They had those here?


    Actually, that wouldn''t be a surprise. They had dinosaurs on this planet, anything was on the table.


    Then I felt a tapping, as I turned my eyes upward.


    "Thomas, can you hear me?" Luffy loomed over both of us, lightly tapping Thomas''s face. Underneath me, I felt his face shift, his eyes opening slightly. "Listen, the only doctor around here lives on top of a mountain. So we''re going to climb it."


    Never before have I wanted to dope slap a man made of rubber in my entire life. But I lacked opposable limbs. The room largely erupted into shouting in short order. I would have joined them too, but a cute bug going Snom over and over doesn''t drive a point home like it should.


    "That sounds like a great idea, Captain," Thomas''s voice came out from under me, cutting through the argument like a knife. God, this was such a stupid idea. I didn''t like the idea of waiting, but climbing that thing was going to get someone hurt. Or worse.


    "I''m coming with you," Norris crossed her arms, and even I could tell her face was serious. There was no hesitation in her words, as I felt a hand suddenly reach up and pat me.


    "Is that, Nathan?" Thomas asked, seemingly confused, ruffling his fingers along the grooves of my back.


    "Snom."


    "Why?"


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


    The team was set. Norris, Luffy, and Sanji were going to take Thomas up the mountain to see the doctor Santa lady. I would have liked to join them, but it was, what, three out of our four strongest members taking Thomas? I was just going to slow them down by this point. They would be fine.


    "Please tell me the flesh-eating rabbits were a joke," I wrap my arms around my body, trying to ward off the cold. Unsuccessfully, as to be expected. Dalton just gave me a look. Because, of course, there were flesh-eating rabbits. Still, they''d be fine. So long as it wasn''t that one rabbit from Monty Python. That thing was nasty.


    Still, that left four of us. Nami, Usopp, Vivi, and I. They would be fine. I was probably the closest thing to help and even then, despite normal types being pretty decent overall, that was still a maybe. I certainly wouldn''t easily be able to get up that mountain. I mean, if I had access to that one evolution of that Sneasel region variant from the Legends game, what was its name again? Sneasler or something like that? If I had that, it would be a completely different story, but I didn''t even have half the types for a Pok¨¦mon like that.


    But I didn''t. Plus, Norris was the one carrying Thomas, which freed Luffy up for a fight if necessary.


    Dalton nodded as the four faded into the distance, heading towards the door to his home, pushing the door open "What''s the matter? The four of you should come inside."


    Under most circumstances, I would jump at the offer. Anything to get my feet out of the cold, even a little bit. But nobody else was moving, despite their discomfort.


    "That''s alright. I''ll stay out here for a little while longer," Vivi said, despite her shaking frame. I nodded, as everyone else made their affirmations. Dalton paused for a brief moment, before sitting down in the snow.


    "Then I will keep you company," the man said, seeming to look wistfully into the distance. "A long time ago, we used to have doctors. But circumstances caused them all to leave."


    The chill seemed to leave my body, interest taking over physical discomfort.


    "Only a few months ago, this country was defeated by pirates!" Dalton continued.


    "Given how jumpy you guys were, I imagined that was the case," I nodded, eying Nami as she scratched her chin as if lost in thought. I had to wonder if she was thinking the same thing I was. About how the pirates we had defeated were the very same ones that attacked this country before.


    "There were only five pirates," well, apparently they weren''t the pirates we''d defeated then. But five? Only five? What type of monsters were they? Five people fighting a nation and the five people won? What type of nonsense is that! "Their Captain called himself Blackbeard. We didn''t stand a chance. We were defeated before we knew what was happening."


    Blackbeard. Blackbeard. That name sounded, familiar. I''d heard that name before. Wasn''t he a pirate?


    "I''ve heard of the name, though it''s unlikely to be the same man that attacked your country," I said, somewhat to myself.


    "Really? You hardly knew anything about any important pirate, including Gold Roger," Nami crossed her arms, giving me a look. "How would you know who this guy is?"


    "Because it likely isn''t the same guy. The Blackbeard I remember died," I tried to do some rough mental math. "Anywhere from two to four centuries ago. And all he was really known for was sticking matches into his beard for intimidation." At least, as far as I knew. Piracy was never really my thing. My naval experience largely stopped and ended with the phase between pre-dreads and battleships that threw shells that weighed as much as cars at enemy ships.


    "No, that does not sound like him," Dalton admitted, frowning slightly. "Though some think such a defeat was a blessing in disguise."


    How? I wasn''t under any illusions that we, as a group, were anything less than very abnormal pirates. The only time I''d seen use loot anything was when we were attacked first. Everyone seemed to be fairly, ethically normal. Like I wouldn''t trust Nami with my money unattended, but that was the worst I had to say about this crew.


    "What good can come from a country being defeated!" Vivi shouted, looking very confused by this mess.


    I bit down on my lip. If leadership was cruel, incompetent, or worse, both? I can see why someone would think that, even as a silver lining of sorts.


    "Until then, the land was ruled by a King, and the people were very unhappy," Dalton continued, as I began to put the pieces together. That would explain the elections. After the failure of the old government to keep people safe, they were giving a new system a shot. "The King''s name was Wapol, and he was the worst King we''ve ever had!"


    "Wapol!" All of us shouted, my hand going up to my chest, a brief wince of pain going through the wound. Nami and I shared a look as Usopp boasted of driving him away.


    The fact that Wapol was even close was problematic. If he was looking for this place, then he likely wanted to install himself as king again. And with his castle being where the only doctor in the country was holed up at? Where half our crew was heading towards?


    If it wasn''t our business already, as Wapol seemed like the type to hold a grudge, then that alone would make it be. Sure, Luffy knocked the man quite a ways, but that could have put them closer to the island.


    "So those men on the ship were soldiers that the pirates defeated and drove off the island?" Vivi asked, frowning slightly, with the scowl on Dalton''s face growing with every word.


    "Defeated!" He sounded disgusted at even the thought. "What a joke. Wapol''s army didn''t even try to fight the pirates! When they saw the strength of the pirates, they abandoned this nation like rats on a sinking ship!"


    Wow. I didn''t think my opinion could get any lower than it already was. And this was the man who shot me in the chest with a cannon!


    "How could a King do such a thing!" Vivi shouted angrily. "For a King to abandon his people!"


    She was disgusted by the prospect. Not just disgusted, offended by the idea that a King would abandon his subjects so easily.


    The unfortunate truth about power was that power corrupted. Didn''t have checks, didn''t have someone to anchor you? You''d go crazy. Start doing things without thinking of the consequences because you forgot there were any.


    I have Vivi a brief pat on the back. Her reaction only proved that she was a good person. I already knew that, but it was nice to see it reinforced.


    Still, a country of peace. I really hoped they succeeded.


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


    The wind was starting to pick up, as was the snowfall. Nami was looking up at the mountain, a bit concerned.


    "They''ll be fine," I said. They better be.


    "I know, it''s going to take a bit more than snow and wind to slow them down," Nami said, bundling herself further into her coat.


    "It''s more if Thomas''s strength will keep up," Vivi sighed, worry written all over her face.


    "Thomas is tough," tougher than me, at any rate. "He''ll pull through."


    "I just hope they won''t encounter Lapins," Dalton frowned, slowly pushing himself up off the ground.


    "Even if they''re carnivorous, they''re still just rabbits, right?" Usopp asked, as I frowned. I really doubted they were just flesh eating rabbits.


    "Yes," that''s a surprise. "Rabbits as big as bears with the quickness of rabbits that hunt in packs."


    "That''s, that''s not a rabbit. That''s not a rabbit at all!" I protested, very much mirroring Usopp''s pale skin. It moves like a rabbit, hunts like a wolf, and yet is the size of a bear? No, that''s just a new species that isn''t even close to rabbit.


    "They better be okay with things like that running around," Nami scowled, as the sound of crunching snow drew my attention. A woman was approaching us as Usopp bowed.


    "Dalton! Dalton!" She said with a smile. I heard you''re looking for the doctor! The witch is over in the next town!"


    "WHAT!"


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


    There was a sled, but there was just one problem. Where were all the animals?


    "Dalton, I''m sorry, but the goats are out to graze!" One of the farmhands explained. That wasn''t good news. How were we supposed to get to the next town over if there was nothing to draw the sled?


    "Well, we do have a solution to that problem," Nami said, a smug look on her face.


    "And that is?" I crossed my arms, looking back at her, only to notice Vivi and Usopp were looking at me too. "What?"


    "Come on, Nathan, I''ve taken a look through that book of yours. I know you have something that can pull the sleigh. Several, actually," Nami gave me a slight smirk as I twitched. She wanted to use me as a beast of burden? Oh, I didn''t like that, I didn''t like that at all. But.


    "Just this once, because someone''s life is in danger," I glared at them, making it abundently clear that the only reason I was doing this was specifically because Thomas''s life was very much still in danger.


    "How is turning into a bug going to help pull a sleigh?" Dalton gave me a puzzled look as I began to transform.


    "Nathan''s devil fruit can do a bit more than just bugs," Vivi said, as my hoofed feet dug into the snow and soil. A trio of tails whipped back and forth. Cold air rushed into my mouth, then out of my snout, condensing in the air like a fog.


    "Tauros!"

 Chapter 11 - Drum Island Part 3

    It was far from quiet as the sled was pulled through the snow, even with the powder covering the ground softening the thunderous footfall of hoofs.


    "So you know what his power is?"


    Dolton was unsure of how to have such a conversation, especially when one that was involved was not presently capable of speaking, yet was so aware of every word being said.


    "Not exactly," he admitted, taking things slow. Seeing the transformation had stirred up memories in him. It had been some time ago, not long after Blackbeard attacked the island.


    He knew what it wasn''t though. A Devil Fruit. While there were Devil Fruits of the same species, usually Zoan''s like his own, there were no Devil Fruits that granted identical abilities.


    Or abilities so close they might as well be identical. He already felt that calling it a Devil Fruit was a stretch. A needed lie at best, but this did it in.


    Still, it wasn''t that particular man that concerned Dolton at the moment. It was the man''s partner. The one who told him to deliver a message to a Luffy, wearing a Straw Hat.


    Dolton was internally kicking himself for forgetting. He had been right there, and he had forgotten! Still, he had time to deliver that message if all went well.


    "It''s not a Devil Fruit. Of that, I am certain," he spoke again, as the three-tailed bull made its whip like tails snap erratically. Why did he get the suspicion it came out to some variation of ''I told you so''?


    "And how can you be sure of that!" Usopp shouted, even as the ice cold wind buffeted his face.


    "Because I''ve met one with similar abilities," Dolton felt the sled briefly lurch beneath them, before a steady pace was again reached.


    A surprise to him as well? He figured they would know. Then again, Dolton was certain this crew was fresh. If they had much knowledge of the Grand Line, much less the New World, he would be surprised.


    Most knew what Whitebeard''s ''Monster'' was capable of. Or at least, they liked to pretend they did. Dolton had learned firsthand just how dangerous the man could become. How me made things so cold, it was as if the air itself was still.


    "When?" Vivi asked. Dolton was unsure about her. For some reason, her face continued to tickle at the back of his mind. She seemed so familiar, yet for the life of him, he could not recall where he had seen her.


    "Two Pirates arrived after Blackbeard''s raid. They''d been trying to track him down for some time," Dolton admitted, feeling another sway of the sled. "But they hadn''t had much luck."


    He''d wait to deliver the message to their Capitan. It didn''t help that he thought about the second raid, from a different group of pirates. The still air before a massive lizard unleashed ice and snow that made the winter look like spring.


    "They stayed for a time, helping a bit with recovery, but left not long afterward," Dolton explained, frowning slightly. "They were capable of transforming into various creatures."


    Dolton lacked any better word to describe them. Monsters, maybe. That was one of the man''s unofficial titles. None of the forms Nathan had taken on were anything like the other man, but some instinct told him that their powers were similar. And while Dolton was first to admit he was far from a good judge of character, this was an instinct he refused to ignore.


    "We knew it wasn''t a Devil Fruit because Nathan says he never remembered eating one, and we''ve seen him handle salt water without sinking," Nami said towards the front of the sled. "Nathan, we''ll need to go east at the upcoming fork in the road."


    Dolton felt the sled sway as Nathan began to turn. But it wasn''t toward the east. Nathan was heading west.


    "The other way!" Nami shouted, Dolton watching her restrain herself from going for the reigns as Nathan self-corrected, heading down the proper route toward the village.


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


    "Come on, Sanji, even I know that isn''t true," Thomas chuckled, before coughing, as Norris stepped around a small white rabbit, one doing its best impression of a wolf as Luffy punted it into the distance.


    "Ah, really?" The same Luffy pouted, as if learning some sad truth of the universe wasn''t what he thought it was. Then again, she blamed Sanji for this, filling Luffy''s head with misinformation.


    "Yes, as I''ve explained, skin color is largely determined by sun exposure over generations," Norris continued, realizing not for the first time that Luffy was not the most, educated pirate to sail the Grand Line. Which was truly saying something. Though by now, she had learned for all of Luffy''s gullibility and lack of book smarts, it was inversely proportional to his emotional intelligence and stubbornness. "Colder climates like this tend to get less sunlight, thus, people tend to be paler."


    Luffy cocked his head to the side as if he was trying to digest this information. She wasn''t entirely sure that he would, but it didn''t matter. Most of that conversation was Sanji''s fault in the first place.


    Still, it was a bit surprising. Vivi had always been soft. While she had no idea of the young Princess''s true origins, something that Norris felt she was going to have to apologize for at some point down the line. But Luffy had been just as willing to divert them to get a doctor as Vivi had. Possibly even more so. It was weird. Luffy clearly considered them part of the crew already.


    And Norris wasn''t sure how she felt about that. Technically, as it turned out, she had been working under a pirate before now, one that was by all accounts, considerably less ethical than the Straw Hats. Crocodile. One of the Warlords of the Sea. Who was, by Vivi''s account, making an absolute mess out of Alabasta. Normally, she wouldn''t expect much, if anything, out of a pirate keeping their word, but still. A Warlord. One that had clashed with Whitebeard at that. Granted, he lost, as would most who challenged the strongest man on the seas.


    It certainly hadn''t been what she had signed up for. It didn''t surprise her the Borque Works was shady, but she didn''t think it was ever going to be this bad. Vivi, and her country, did not deserve it. Norris fully intended to help undo at least some of the damage she had unknowingly inflicted. She owed Vivi at least that much. But the fact that Luffy was willing to go this far for Thomas''s well-being? It pulled at her. She intended to ask at some point just how Luffy got his bounty. Norris had a hard time believing that he had a bounty of that size, out of the East Blue of all places. At least, he should have had a bounty far sooner than recently. And he didn''t even need to fight at Whiskey Peak.


    Hopefully, they''d be able to pick up a doctor sooner rather than later. Maybe they''d be able to bribe the old crone at the top of the mountain. Dolton wasn''t lying about her age. The man was too straight-laced for that. She knew the type, and she knew it well. How she had managed to live well past what any person should be beyond Norris. A Devil Fruit was probably involved somehow. The list wouldn''t have been that long, either.


    Sanji came to a stop, causing her to pause as well, the man pulling out a cigarette.


    "That might be an issue."


    Norris''s eyes followed the man''s gaze, seeing what lay in front of them. She had to agree. That was going to be a pretty major problem. Those had to have been the Lapin that Dolton had warned them about. And they were just as large as he claimed they were. Great beasts, the size of bears. And they all looked very hungry. Getting hit by something that large would be unpleasant, even for her. Even without Thomas on her back.


    Yes, she had enough mass to soften any blows that did connect. She wasn''t Luffy. He was without a doubt tougher and could take far more of a beating than she ever could. But he was made of rubber. Anything that hit him was going to be felt by Thomas. Badly. Not that she or Thomas would like feeling that hit much better.


    For once, she was thankful that Sanji was here. Getting hit would spell disaster, and while Luffy was here, it was better that they had two, rather than just one. As much as she''d love to get a chance to fight these things, Norris had a far more important job to do than punch rabbits.


    The rabbits began to break into a run as a single mass, almost a tidal wave of fluffy bodies, bounding towards them with the intent of eating their flesh. The first was easily avoided, even before Luffy''s kick caught it square in the chest, sending it flying backward. The rest? Norris already began booking it towards the woods. Hopefully, something of that size would be unable to navigate through the trees as easily.


    "We''ll cover you!" Sanji shouted, before launching a kick of his own. The Lapin went far, but at the same time, she knew Sanji could do better. The snow. There couldn''t be any other explanation. Neither of them could gain as much traction, or balance as well, or bring as much force to bear as possible.


    Norris felt the cold air push in and out of her lungs and she pumped her arms and legs, making her way through the trees as quickly as she could. The cries of the Lapin as well as the splintering of wood told her that they were right on their tail, even as she made it over the edge of a small cliff face. A cliff face that hardly did anything to slow the Lapin down.


    Or so she thought. The distance between them and their pursuers only began to grow and grow. Instead, they were just, hopping up and down, over and over. That, couldn''t be all that they were doing, right? They wouldn''t give up that quickly. Right?


    Then Norris''s eyes went up slope, her blood running cold. They couldn''t be. There was no way that they could be willing to do something like that. But they were. No matter how she tried to look at it, they were doing just as she feared.


    "I''m starting to think it would be better to risk Nathan''s promised tick disease," Thomas looked over her shoulder, certainly less loopy than he''d been the past few hours.


    But when you had a bunch of rabbits the size of bears causing an avalanche? Norris believed that was a somewhat rational response.


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


    I let out a snort as we pulled into the village. I''d heard Dolton''s explanation of why he seemed so surprised, even if it left me with far more questions than it did answers. Who was this person? Why had they been going after this pirate called Blackbeard?


    Why did they have supposedly similar powers to me?


    Frankly, I didn''t know much about how this world worked. But Dolton was treating the fact we had the same ability as abnormal, so it had to be the case. I didn''t even know where these things were coming from. Looking gift horses in the mouth wasn''t something I tended to do, but there were too many questions left unanswered. Hell, this person could have answers to my questions! If he was stronger than me, he probably had these abilities longer than I had. And if he had them longer, he might know things I didn''t!


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Though I had to imagine the odds of us crossing paths were pretty low. He was involved with tracking down a dangerous pirate, after all. Then again, we were trying to fight one who was on the government''s payroll, who was certainly breaking a ton of laws and his contract with the Navy in the process.


    I stayed out with the sled. We didn''t have much time, and taking it to undo the harness, letting me transform back, then if she wasn''t there, redoing the whole process? Too much waste. Which left me sitting outside with not much to do. I got some odd looks from the villagers as I stood there, tails twitching as if by a mind of their own.


    It felt out being looked at like that as if I was some type of animal. Which I suppose I was, from their perspective. Still had no idea how to handle it, but given how this was surprisingly the first time I''d been around civilians before when using my powers? I think I was handling things pretty okay, even if pretty much everyone was keeping a healthy distance from me.


    I wasn''t getting anything too hostile, though I think pulling up with Dolton in the back killed any chances of that being the case. However, I saw a man suddenly run into the building I had seen Nami and the others disappear into, a look of worry on his face. It didn''t take long before Dolton surged out of the building, grabbing one of the nearby horses, and rushing back the way we had came.


    That wasn''t a good sign. Dolton wouldn''t just up and leave unless he had a good reason to do so. And there wasn''t a particularly long list of things that I could think of off the top of my head that he''d been willing to do something like that.


    An attack? I snorted, stamping my feet as I pulled the sled around. That was just about the only thing I could think of that Dolton would just rush out there for. And there was no way he was going to be able to turn back a bunch of pirates on his own. Yeah, he looked pretty strong, but he could likely use all the help he could get.


    But, Thomas. He needs that doctor, the sooner, the better. I didn''t know if we could also cut off Luffy, Sanji, and Norris''s progress up the mountain. But if we could at least manage to redirect her? Though Dolton. My mind was conflicted. Dolton had shown us no small degree of hospitality. Well, once we had convinced him that we weren''t a threat to him or the people under his care.


    I didn''t just want to leave him. But at the same time, Thomas needed medical attention. Badly. And he was a member of the crew at the end of the day. I was caught at a crossroads. I wanted to help Dolton, but there was no way I could also help Thomas, the very person we came to this island to save. It was maddening.


    Though it hadn''t taken long for the rest of the crew to arrive, hopping into the sled.


    "We need to head toward Gyasta!" I heard Nami shout as I began to pull, stomping through the snow. The faster we got the doctor, the faster they would return to the castle, and the faster we could get back and help Dolton.


    I just needed to follow the road signs.


    "It''s north along the lake. We''re going to need to move fast to catch up!" Nami continued as I nodded, picking up speed as I headed out of the village.


    As I did, I failed to notice many of the men were gathering weapons.


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


    "Turn to the left!" The pain in Nami''s voice was clear, but I had no way to tell me east from my west right now. I pulled into the turn, stomping my way through the snow as fast as my feet could carry me.


    Usopp was saying something about seeing a lake like this before. I could see it out of the corner of my eye. It did look quite beautiful. The ice looked solid enough to walk on, and the snow was enough to grant some measure of traction.


    But if the road didn''t go over the ice, I wasn''t going to try. It could probably handle a human, but three humans and a bull pulling a sled? That was far more risky, and while Kansas wasn''t cold, it was cold enough for water to freeze. And I had no intention of having a doctor have to fix three to four cases of hypothermia on a good day.


    And I doubt she''d be able to fix death. So no unintended swims for us.


    My hoofs dug into the cliffside road, still keeping my top speed.


    "What is that noise?" Vivi perked up suddenly. I strained my ears, trying to hear anything over the sound of my labored breathing. It was faint, but I could hear it if I focused on it. It sounded, like a rumble?


    I was feeling it through my hooves, too. Born and raised in Kansas, I may have been, but I knew rocks. Mountains were common near fault lines. Fault lines meant earthquakes. Earthquakes meant rock slides, mudslides, and.


    Avalanches.


    And that was a lot of snow. That was a concerning amount of snow.


    I didn''t think I could get much faster than I already was. But as it turned out, death was a potent motivator. With cliffs overlooking the lake on the left and the avalanche on my right, I had no choice but to push ahead.


    "It''s gaining on us!" Usopp shouted in panic, even though he wasn''t wrong. It was getting way too close, way too fast. At least I had a solution. Tauros, alongside many generation one Pok¨¦mon, learned several moves they frankly shouldn''t have. The normal types in particular. Tauros was no exception to the rule. Two moves in particular stood out. Fire Blast and Flamethrower.


    Asking for them to burn through all the snow was a tall order. But what choice did I have? I turned my head, preparing to release a gout of flame into the onrushing tidal wave of snow.


    "Burff!"


    Instead, all that left my throat was a weird cough, ash and soot exiting my mouth and noise.


    "Nathan?" Nami''s voice was full of edge. That didn''t go according to plan. Okay, new plan time. What was the best way to avoid an avalanche?


    To get above it. Well, get out of the way. But I had no clue what was on the other side of those cliffs, and there was no shelter in front or behind me.


    That meant having to go up. But there was no.


    I''m an idiot. I''m such a freaking idiot. There was a way out! There was an easy way out!


    "Nathan, what are you doing!" Everyone screamed as I turned toward the avalanche. I dug my hoofs deep into the earth, before stamping down.


    Earth and stone erupted, rising into the sky. It was narrow, but that was all it needed to be. My hooves dug into the stone, pulling the sled out of the snow and onto the rocks. Friction became more, but I still pulled, not stopping until I reached the top.


    I turned around to see how everyone was doing behind me. I saw the three of them clinging together for dear life, looks of terror written all over their faces.


    "Let us know that you have a plan next time!" Nami shouted as I did my best to give her a look. It wasn''t like I could talk like this.


    "Is this even going to work?" Usopp looked over the edge of the sled. I could understand why. This was merely the best solution. At this point, all we could do was hope and pray.


    There was a reason I turned to face the avalanche. It gave a smaller profile. Less area to hit, like how a fence with gaps did better during windstorms than fences without gaps.


    It didn''t take long to feel the impact. The entire structure rattled from the force as the avalanche hit the makeshift ramp. Snow quickly began to swallow the lower portions into its mass. The roar was almost deafening as if cannons were going off in my ears.


    The entire structure rattled and shook, bits of rocks beginning to fall. Each passing second brought more reasons to worry. Cracks were starting to form, entire chucks were devoured by the tide of snow. Entire portions lower down began to crumble, unable to resist.


    I did my best to hold my ground, but the ground I could hold was getting smaller and smaller with each moment.


    Then came a thundering crack, as the earth beneath my feet opened up. Screaming reached my ears as we all fell into the snow.


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


    Nope. Just nope.


    Norris didn''t even take a second to break into a sprint, heading down the mountain. They weren''t fighting that. She''d rather wrestle a dozen of those rabbits than fight that.


    They needed to find elevation. Her eyes went to a nearby ledge. It jutted out of the slope. But looking up at the crashing wave of snow, it wasn''t going to be enough. Maybe a tree? No, the trunk wouldn''t hold up.


    Unless.


    An idea bloomed inside her mind. It would be risky.


    But it would make for a good story if it worked.


    "Norris, what are you doing!" She heard Sanji shout, as the tree came down.


    "Hold on!" She shouted, keeping her balance as a sense of nostalgia came over her. Three. Two. One.


    The force of the snow sent them downhill like a bullet.


    "Wahoo!" She found herself shouting, even as the cold cut into her face. The tree wasn''t maneuverable, but they were staying above the snow.


    Luffy was also shouting in delight as they sped downhill.


    That was one problem solved. It stunk that they were losing all their progress, but they could regain that once they were out of harm''s way. They just needed to ride this out, and they would be perfectly fine.


    Just as the thought passed through her mind, Norris spotted a glint in the corner of her eye, ducking. The glint was attached to claws that were in turn attached to a white, furry arm. The imminent danger passed, letting her look up.


    For the first time in a while, Norris was completely, truly, confused. She was surfing down a mountain, on an avalanche, and around them were a horde of bear sized rabbits, also riding trees. This was her life at this moment.


    "I''m going to bake these things into a stew!" Sanji shouted, as Norris began to steer. It wasn''t her old board, but it would do. She wasn''t going to be outperformed by rabbits, lack of water be damned!


    Norris leaned in, curving through the throng of bodies, keeping them overshooting their attack runs. They were going to make it. They might have to start at the bottom again, but they would live through this.


    They weren''t. Before her, an unburied ledge loomed. Well played. It took her a few moments to calculate everything. This was going to hurt.


    But it wasn''t going to hurt everyone. Just her. She grabbed Luffy and Sanji, tossing them up into the air, before grabbing Thomas.


    "Best of luck, prince," she said, before tossing him into the air as well. She knew Luffy would catch him.


    "Bawahahaha!"


    Norris laughed, deep within her gut as she felt the tree splinter beneath her feet, flinging her into the avalanche.

 Chapter 12 - Drum Island Part 4

    Uh. That was odd.


    Things hurt less. Slowly, Thomas opened his eyes. The air was chilly against his face. But the pain he was in felt lessened. And, well. He wasn''t familiar with this place. It wasn''t the Going Merry, nor was it the man''s hut.


    Slowly, he reached up, feeling his forehead to make sure that the cold feeling on his face wasn''t coming from a bug. Thankfully, it was not, the moisture being clearly from warm towels.


    Thomas let out a sigh of relief. If he had been in his right mind, he would have thrown Nathan. He didn''t mean any disrespect toward his crewmate, but Thomas didn''t like bugs.


    Really, really didn''t like bugs.


    Thomas pushed up, looking around the room. It was spacious, somewhat chilly. But the stonework made it clear, as did the view out the window, make the nature of the structure clear.


    It was a castle.


    Luffy had done it. Thomas knew he shouldn''t have expected anything less.


    Or this could be the afterlife. The fuzzy thing standing in the door frame made it hard to tell.


    Wait, fuzzy thing?


    Thomas turned his head, doing his best to suppress his surprise. It looked like a deer of some kind, with a blue nose. Yet, it was wearing pink pants and a pink, tall hat, all while standing upright. Like a human.


    Also, it looked as if it was trying to peek around the door frame, but doing it wrong in just about every possible way.


    It was certainly one of, no, Thomas wasn''t going to lie to himself. He had seen bug samurai and a cloud have an existential crisis. Among other things. This was not the strangest thing he had seen this week.


    "Hello there," Thomas threw on his best smile. "Are you the one responsible for my care?"


    He did his best to avoid calling it a little thing, or anything else. For all Thomas knew, this tiny deer man very well could be the one nursing him back to health. Offending it would not be wise, given his current position. Also, he had no idea where the rest of his crew was. Luffy, Sanji, and Norris had brought him up if he remembered correctly. The only reason they wouldn''t be here was if a doctor had kicked them out for his sake.


    Or they got injured themselves.


    He almost didn''t expect it to talk back. It looked more deer than human. None of the things Nathan could transform into could speak like a human. But the only thing Nathan had transformed into that looked even close to human was that one wolf-like one.


    "Why does that matter, human!" The man deer spoke, almost taking Thomas by surprise. "Are you feeling better?"


    While the first part was harsh, the second was considerably softer in tone. That was odd. It didn''t make the question of what he was any easier. Thomas knew about some Devil Fruits giving the powers of animals. Maybe this was someone who ate the Deer-Deer Fruit?


    Well, that was as good an explanation as any.


    "I''m feeling much better now, thank you," Thomas smiled. "I think I''m ready to get up now."


    "KAK KAK KAK KAK! I''ll be the judge of that, sonny!"


    Old. And young. How did someone give off both the energy of a teenager and yet a crotchety old woman at the same time? It had to be the navel piercing.


    "Your temperature has stabilized, at least," the woman removed her finger from his head, taking a swig of the drink in her hand.


    "Thank you. And who are you?" Thomas paused. "And the three people who brought me here? And, him?"


    The deer man had seemed to have made himself scarce after the woman''s arrival. An assistant of some sort?


    "I''m Kureha! But you can call me your Doctor," the laugh that left her sounded like a rattle. "As for your friends? The three of them are resting in the next room. Some are more hurt than others, but they''re unusually sturdy."


    Thomas let out a sigh of relief. He didn''t want anyone to be hurt, but everyone was alive. He''d, settle for that. Even if he found the comment about some being more hurt than others foreboding. Had they run into trouble on the way up? Okay, that was a stupid question for several reasons.


    "As for Chopper?" The old woman continued, before there was a loud bang, as the door exploded open again. What Thomas saw was, beyond what he expected. Luffy was biting into the deer man, Chopper''s, leg. Sanji, on the other hand, was shouting something about venison. Unlike Luffy, this was because their cook was restrained. Granted, it was the best restraint for Sanji, as attempting to escape with force meant hurting the already injured Norris, who managed to stuff the man underneath her arm.


    "Captain, stop trying to eat the doctor!" The strong woman shouted as she tried to pry Luffy off Chopper. Tried, given that she was using one arm to restrain Sanji, and the other was in a sling. Not that she would have been able to do much, even with both hands. Zoro was strong enough to defeat the four of them on his own, and Luffy was stronger than that.


    "I''m not food!" Suddenly, Chopper''s body swelled up, expanding to the point where he was taller than even Norris was, hitting Luffy''s rubber head hard enough that it stuck inside the floor for a few seconds, giving Chopper enough time to scurry off. It didn''t take long for Luffy to pull his head out of the stone floor to take off in pursuit, as Norris tried fruitlessly to coral their hunger captain.


    He wasn''t sure about Sanji, as the man seemed to be caught between being embarrassed about being carried around like a sack, and pleased as punch that Norris was doing so, or annoyed because he should be the one carrying her.


    "So rambunctious," Kureha shook her head, laughing as she did so. "I didn''t think they''d be up so soon."


    Her voice sounded both impressed and annoyed. "As for you!"


    Suddenly, she lifted up his leg, pulling down Thomas''s sock, to reveal a large red mark.


    "The tick," he breathed, getting a good look at it for the first time.


    "Ah, so you know the cause?" Kureha cackled again.


    "We saw the tick," Thomas decided to admit. "One of our crewmates thought it could be any number of things."


    "Did they, now?" Kureha stared deeply at him, ancient eyes seeming to judge him. "You''re lucky you managed to hold up as long as you did. Your cook helped your blood levels well enough. I didn''t think I''d see a case of Ehrlichiosis again, much less a case as bad as yours."


    "You''re a very lucky man. What did you do? Let it latch onto you and not remove it?" The heat the question brought to Thomas''s face wasn''t entirely from the remnants of the fever.


    "Something like that," he muttered. He didn''t want to see what it was!


    "Unbelievable," Kureha pushed him down back onto the bed. "You need to stay in bed until your treatment is complete."


    "Thank you, but I feel a lot better, and we''re in a hurry," Thomas began. They couldn''t afford to be held up much longer. Vivi''s country depended on them getting back as quickly as they could. Getting Vivi back as quickly as they could. He was thankful that they diverted course to save his life, but he wasn''t in danger anymore! They could keep going!


    "You''re being foolish. Do you want your illness to come back and kill you next time?" The woman''s eyes narrowed at him. "Treatment normally takes several days. So you will stay there and take your medicine."


    Several days? They couldn''t wait even a few!


    "Ma''am, with all due respect, we need to leave as soon as!" Thomas''s words died in his throat as a scalpel appeared just inches from his throat.


    "KAK KAK KAK! There are only two ways a patient leaves my care," Kureha pinned him to the bed. "Fully recovered, or dead!"


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


    "Where''s Nathan!"


    That was a question that none of them knew the answer to. As the artificial cliff of rocks collapsed, Nathan had shifted back into a human, only to begin transforming into something else as his body hit the avalanche.


    From there? It had been a rough and tumble before the avalanche finally stopped, and they were able to miraculously dig their way out. It had taken some effort to wake up Usopp, but Nathan was nowhere to be found.


    "He has to be buried under the snow somewhere!" Usopp shouted, digging at a random pile. The statement was true, of course. There was nowhere else Nathan could be.


    But there was so much snow. Sure, he should be around where they woke up. And yet, he wasn''t. Did the form he transformed into get curried further? Or was it something that sunk even deeper into the snow? It didn''t look large.


    Nor was that the only thought on Vivi''s mind. If she had been enough to knock Nathan out mid-transformation? Then what would an avalanche be capable of? That last thought scared her. Was Nathan, dead? He couldn''t be! But he was so much, softer, compared to the others. But he couldn''t just die like that?


    And why was she suddenly feeling even more shaking?


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


    Could hardly breathe. The air tasted scale. I couldn''t move, struggling as even my cold body felt the chill of the snow surrounding me. I tried to push against the weight, but I couldn''t. I tried to shape-shift back, to create space.


    It hurt. If nobody found me, I was going to die here. It almost felt peaceful, despite my struggles. The cold felt pleasant. As if it was trying to rock me to sleep.


    But I refused. I didn''t want to die! I didn''t want to die here! Trapped in a world that wasn''t mine! Not when people were likely trying to rescue me! I had to fight! No matter what! I just. Had. To. Push!


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


    "Why is the snow glowing!" Nami shouted as the snow began to shift more and more. There was something inside, shifting. Growing. A rainbow of colors erupted beneath the snow, emanating from something beneath their feet. The small body began to expand outwards, body pushing aside the snow. Its neck and tail became longer and longer, until it burst free from its prison. For a moment, it continued to flicker, before the light faded away.


    In its place was something large. While it was smaller than some of the dinosaurs in Little Garden, its body plan was the same. A long neck reached into the sky, thin flaps flickering in the fading light, almost like an aurora. Its body was two different shades of blue, covering its entire body from head to toe. Crystals ran down its body, its long tail swaying back and forth.


    "Nathan, is that you?" Usopp was looking up at it, as it slowly began to push its way out of the snow. It had to be Nathan! Who else could it have been? But it was easy to see why Usopp asked the question.


    "Aurorus!" It declared with a nod, emerging fully from the mount of snow, shaking what remained off its body. Vivi smiled, tears in her eyes as she looked up at it. Nami was also smiling, breathing a sigh of relief.


    "Well, that was something."


    Everyone turned at the voice, coming off Nathan''s back.


    "Zoro?" The three of them shouted at once, as the look on Nathan''s face could only be that of pure confusion.


    "How did you guys even get here?" Zoro looked at them, without even wearing a shirt despite the cold.


    "We should be asking you the same thing!"


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


    "Come on, at least give me your shoe! I''m freezing back here!"


    To be fair, I imagine all four of them were cold. Aurorus was pretty damn cold as far as ice-types went. It wasn''t the biggest either, but at least I could carry the lot of them semi-comfortably. Even if Usopp was trying to scramble up my neck as Zoro more or less tried to make a grab at him.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    On one hand, Zoro only had himself to blame for this, to an extent. Seriously, who in their right mind thinks swimming in sub-zero temperatures was a good idea? Secondly, how did he end up getting so off course that he got caught up in an avalanche? And if he was here, who was guarding the ship? But it wasn''t as if I felt bad for him.


    But it wasn''t like I could easily shift back, and lend him a coat. Not with four people on my back. Well, they weren''t all on my back. Nami was closer to my head, trying to help us navigate back to something that resembled civilization. She was the most qualified. I knew for a fact all I''d do was wander around, hopelessly lost.


    Really, all I was thankful for was that we all survived that. I hoped the town we were trying to visit made it out unharmed, but I doubt it.


    How had that even happened? Avalanches were unpleasant things, but they didn''t happen without reason. Earthquakes were common, as was accumulation. But, that raised the question of this island being anywhere near a fault line? The volcanic activity on Little Garden could suggest such was possible, but that could just as equally be a hot spot. The mountains suggested that yes, there was some tectonic activity in the past, and the stress from that was just as good as any other cause.


    But tectonic activity wasn''t a great fit, either. Yes, you needed it to get mountains, most of the time. They required a mixture of things, with different types of mountain ranges being the result of different interactions based on how dense those continental plates were. But an active mountain range did not produce the pillars that emerged from the mountain tops. You''d have to get centuries, millennia, if not more of weathering to get such structures.


    Yes, Vivi had stated that the grand line was weird, and I had seen it firsthand. We had gone from an arid island, to a jungle, to a winter wonderland, without much north-south shift. Sure, islands were supposed to have their weather patterns, but that was still weird! Well beyond what should be considered a normal amount of weirdness!


    "You''re going to need to turn east. We should be getting close now," Nami said as I began to turn. "East! I said east, not west!"


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


    This looked familiar. Sure, the town was mostly buried in snow, but it was almost unmistakable. Bighorn. They''d been hit too.


    But that wasn''t the biggest concern. There were men arguing. Some held guns. Some of them had a familiar uniform. These were, Wapo''s men? Slowly, everyone else filtered off my back, approaching the group. For myself? My eyes narrowed. I would rather stay transformed for this. Just in case that things turned ugly. My presence was putting some of them on edge.


    "The avalanche buried Mr. Dalton!" One of the villagers shouted. "But those men won''t let us dig him out!"


    My eyes narrowed even more, an anger beginning to burn in my heart. Dalton had been hurt. Injured. He went off on his own to help his people and got hurt for it. We could have helped him. We should have been able to help him. He shouldn''t have needed to fight against them alone.


    One of Wapo''s men began to shout. I didn''t care. He looked like the leader of this little group.


    "Why is it suddenly getting colder?" I heard Usopp ask the question. But the answer was obvious.


    Me.


    A pale blue orb had appeared in my mouth, before erupting, looking like cold lightning, arcing towards the man. He barely had enough time to look up as the beam crashed home, causing a blue explosion to erupt. When the cloud faded, the man stood there. Frozen. Everyone looked at me, then to the man, then back to me.


    "I was going to take his shirt!" Zoro shouted, giving me a look that I didn''t think anyone else had the courage to give me.


    But I was a bit beyond the point of caring. The glare I sent Wapo''s men should have been abundantly clear. They either stand aside.


    Or I start freezing.


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


    This place was more barn than a castle. Thomas was quick to realize that. After yet another failed attempt at convincing Kureha, who frankly could have fit onto the crew in his opinion, Luffy and Sanji ran off after catching sight of the deer. Thankfully, he was glad that for once, Luffy was running into a recruitment brick wall. He''d heard about how Luffy had managed to get everyone else to join the crew.


    How was it that Nathan, of all people, whose entire motivation for joining the crew was that Luffy was nice to a whale, had the most normal recruitment?


    Still, the woman was a monster, and she easily could have had a place on the crew. As terrifying as having someone on the crew who was what Nami would be like when older. She knew her craft well, and she didn''t take anyone''s nonsense. A competence that any crew on the Grand Line would count themselves lucky to have. And as much as he would appreciate yet another voice of tentative sanity on the crew, doubling up on Nami and her temper was not what he viewed as a good time.


    Norris had to lay back down too. Apparently, just getting her cost her a large number of broken and cracked bones, including one of her arms. Which, made more of a case for a longer stay. Norris wasn''t the strongest among them. Even among the numbers. And she certainly wasn''t as strong as Zoro or Luffy. Sanji was probably stronger too. Nathan was where the toss-up began.


    But she had been training hard ever since her loss to Zoro. And while catching up to that monster would be difficult, she had a far better chance of closing that distance than he did.


    The cold air caused him to shutter. Slowly, he began to pick himself up. It wouldn''t take much to get the door closed.


    "You need to stay in bed!" Thomas''s head tuned, just as his feet were about to touch the floor. "You''re still sick."


    "But I feel much better though!" Thomas smiled, doing his best to strangle the cough building up in his throat. "But thank you for taking care of me."


    Kureha may have been the one in charge, but it was clear the deer man was helping. How much? Thomas didn''t know, but every little bit was helpful and appreciated.


    "I can''t accept thanks from a human!" Despite Chopper''s words, he was laughing and smiling, seemingly the happiest Thomas had seen him.


    "Doesn''t mean you shouldn''t get thanks anyway," Thomas countered. Thanks for helping someone was just that. It didn''t matter if one wanted to accept it or not, or if they felt like they could accept it. Thanks needed to be given in situations like this.


    "So, you''re pirates?" Chopper had paused for a moment after Thomas had spoken, before getting closer.


    "It''s complicated," Thomas admitted. He doubted that Kureha would care all that much. So long as they had the funds to pay. "But I''m working with them toward a common goal."


    Why did it hurt so much to admit that? He planned to stay in Alabasta, one way or another. To help pay Vivi back for all the damage he was unintentionally doing to her country. Had Luffy already gotten so far under his skin?


    Or was it simply because he could already tell that they all considered him, Vivi, and Norris as part of their number? No questions asked, no, well, Nathan had some degree of animosity before Whiskey Peak, but that had faded by afterward.


    "Norris and I are working with Vivi, a," Thomas paused. He probably shouldn''t out her as a Princess. Not here. Even if Crocodile didn''t have anyone here who could take advantage of that knowledge, it would be good to be in practice once they arrived at Alabasta. Screaming out Vivi''s identity was going to draw out trouble. "Important person we are escorting. Luffy and Sanji are pirates, though most of the others aren''t present."


    "They have a pirate flag?" Chopper asked.


    "The Going Merry does," Thomas nodded. He was surprised such a small ship had been able to handle the Grand Line so well. Nathan had called her a fighting ship on more than one occasion. He hadn''t explained the nickname, but it seemed to have stuck. But what was with all these questions? It was almost like. "Are you curious about pirates?"


    "Of course not!" Chopper shouted, recoiling back in surprise as Thomas rubbed his ears. If nothing else Chopper was certainly loud enough to be one of them, that was certain.


    On one hand, this wasn''t his wheelhouse. That was Luffy''s call when it came to recruitment. He didn''t even plan to stay long-term! But at the same time? Chopper was trained. He was more than likely a doctor. If he were to join, they''d be able to get to Alabasta even faster.


    "It isn''t exactly my place to make the offer, but if you''re interested, I''m pretty sure Luffy would be happy if you joined the crew," he had to phrase it carefully, to make sure he didn''t make it sound like Luffy wanted to eat him. More. Wanted to eat him more.


    "Fool! I''m a reindeer! I can''t live with humans!" Chopper shouted at him. "Beside''s, doesn''t have I look scare you?"


    Thomas blinked. Honestly? A week ago, he would have likely been very freaked out by this whole affair. But the month prior, he got slapped around by various aquatic animals. And, well, the last week? He could not describe how just how weird his life was at this point. He was working under a man whose Devil Fruit made him rubber, he''d watched one of the strongest people he knew get defeated easily. Watched two much stronger number agents get knocked unconscious. Twice, and another pair even stronger than them was defeated. He''d met a chief who only fought with his feet, a man who fought with a sword in his mouth, and a woman who could predict the weather with the ease of someone breathing.


    "You aren''t even the scariest thing I''ve seen in the past three days, much less the past week," Thomas said. "What anyone on this crew has seen in the past week."


    And frankly, given how they were going up against a warlord of the sea in the near future, not even the scariest thing they''d see in the next week, either.


    "I''m a reindeer that walks on two legs! And I can talk!" Chopper''s voice was faint, almost as if he didn''t believe him. "And I have a blue nose."


    So he did. That was a bit weird, but it wasn''t exactly scary, either.


    "I''m pretty sure Nathan could transform into something like a deer if I asked him to," Thomas grinned slightly. He''d be surprised if Nathan couldn''t. He''d managed to sneak a peak at the tome that Nathan was writing down information in. Not the one about rocks. That one confused him, and it was almost as if Nathan required an entire bucket of string.


    "Who''s Nathan?" Chopper looked at him. "And why can he change into something like a deer?" Sadly, Chopper didn''t have long to ponder as the doors burst open, sending the young deer man running off as Luffy and Sanji continued their pursuit. Before Thomas could even raise his voice in protest, the three of them had already vacated the room.


    "Those two brats can move fast when they want to," Kureha sat down, not sounding as out of breath as a woman of her age should. How long had she been chasing the two of them with knives? "You disappoint me though. I leave you alone for a minute and you already try to snatch up my reindeer."


    "KAK KAK KAK KAK!" The woman let out her signature laugh as Thomas sputtered, trying to come up with a way to deflect around the topic of conversation. "If you want him, you can have him. But do you really think you folks can heal the scars on his heart?"

 Chapter 13 - Drum Island Part 5

    Well, at least he wouldn''t feel bad about eating venison anymore. Seriously? How did deers pick up the concept of discrimination? How! No wonder Chopper was so jumpy. He was hated by deer simply for being born different, and that was before he accidentally ate a Devil Fruit! So when he tried to go to the humans, he was shot at by fearful people instead of being welcomed.


    Which was sadly, a very human response. Thomas wasn''t ashamed to admit that. Something big came out of the woods like that, and he''d be concerned too. But that didn''t change the fact that Chopper simply had been given a raw deal. He needed friends. Humans, and deers, he supposed, were social. At the end of the day, all Chopper had was a mentor. One that clearly cared for him. That could never be argued. Period.


    But that was it. And while Kureha was an old woman in an age bracket that shouldn''t even exist, Chopper was much, much younger. Something that wasn''t hard, but Chopper could probably be hardly any older than a teenager at most. In human years. He wasn''t sure how that worked in deer years.


    Still, Thomas had made up his mind on the matter. He was going to try to get Chopper onto the crew. His long-term presence be damned. If he could get Luffy and Sanji to stop trying to eat Chopper for a few minutes, that would be easy enough to explain how cool Chopper was.


    And it wasn''t as if Luffy wanted a doctor in the first place.


    Seriously, how they had survived as long as they had with only Nami''s medical expertises was a testament to both Nami''s skill and the rest of the crew''s insanity.


    Suddenly, the door burst open again. Thomas, expecting Luffy, opened his mouth, only for Chopper to be the one standing there.


    "Wapol is back."


    The words were simple, though Thomas couldn''t quite grasp their meaning. Who was Wapol? And why was this a big deal?


    "Again! I''m going to punch him in the face!" Norris''s voice echoed down the hallway, causing Chopper to jump as Kureha let out a sigh as she pinched her brow.


    "You will do no such thing!" Kureha shouted back, pushing herself out of her chair. "If you try to fight you''re going to have your ribs end up in your lungs!"


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


    "Much better!" Zoro grinned, rubbing his arms inside his newly acquired coat. Very few of Wapol''s men contested Nathan''s silent declaration. He managed to beat Nathan to the punch on that front. It was maybe half a dozen men?


    At the moment, Nathan was helping dig up Dalton, while Wapol''s men who surrendered and were not lying in a beaten heap were being disarmed. When one would start making noise in protest, Nathan would just look up at them.


    Or he did. Either way, it quickly solved a lot of problems. They were even starting to thaw out the example Nathan made, who didn''t seem to be too badly harmed by the block of ice. It either was an impressive show of control on Nathan''s part, something likely as he seemed very upset. He wasn''t sure who this Dalton person even was, but Nathan was willing to commit uncharacteristic aggression in the man''s defense.


    Which said enough about Dalton. Nathan was soft. Not just physically, but mentally. Two people attacking a whale for close to a month? Yes, Nathan fought them off each time, but there shouldn''t have been a month of fights in the first place.


    Benefiting from hindsight? The two were only marginally less harmless, so too extreme measures wouldn''t be needed. But even if they were necessary, Zoro could tell that Nathan wouldn''t step over that line. Even the man he froze with far more hostile intent was likely fine. Yes, Nathan could fight, and fight well. After Little Garden, Zoro couldn''t question that much. But he also couldn''t deny that Nathan was sheltered.


    It was hard to think of Nathan being the oldest of the crew, no matter how true the statement was. Because he certainly didn''t act the part. Sure, Nathan was learned. If there was anyone outside of Thomas and Vivi who had a more traditional education, it was him. And it showed. It wasn''t as if Nathan didn''t know what he was specialized in, no matter how irrelevant it first seemed. He did.


    But that didn''t change the fact that Nathan was soft. Quick to care about others, even if he shouldn''t have. It was going to get Nathan hurt. Or worse. Luffy was strong enough to deal with it. But if someone got the drop on Nathan or overpowered his forms? It would not take long. And while he was certainly doing his best to improve, even without his transformations, the progress was painfully slow. It was progress, but it just simply wasn''t fast enough.


    "Zoro, I think Nathan is very angry right now," Vivi looked uncomfortable. It was uncharacteristic for Nathan to be like this, but that wasn''t something that needed to be stated. He knew it. Usopp knew it. Nami knew it. Vivi knew it. But it wasn''t too bad. Nathan wasn''t going to take things further than he already had.


    "It''s nothing to worry about," Zoro shrugged, still enjoying his warm jacket. It wasn''t like Nathan was going to try and kill someone. He was much too soft for something like that.


    Of course, the air began to feel very cool. It seemed as if Wapol''s men had been right all along. Dalton had been buried under the avalanche, three large arrows sticking out of his chest. And Nathan was not happy about things one bit.


    Zoro watched as Nathan''s form looked up into the sky and bellowed, a shout that crossed between anger and mourning in equal measure. And with it came snow. Small flutters of flakes began to fall, quickly picking up speed at a rapid rate, Nami let out a groan.


    "Of course, it can manipulate the weather," he caught her voice as a frustrated whisper, barely able to hear it over the grinding of her teeth. Manipulate? "Wouldn''t be the first time."


    At this point, he shouldn''t be too surprised. While he had reservations, nothing Nathan transformed into seemed to be purely worthless. In truth, they were often exotic in their abilities.


    "It wouldn''t be the first time, what!" Usopp shouted, looking around nervously as the townsfolk muttered, a growing sense of unease filling the air. Though it was obvious. Nathan had several forms that seemingly could manipulate the weather.


    Maybe he should look through that book sometime. Nathan did say something about a form having sword hands. That would be worth looking into.


    Vivi was already rushing over, ready to calm Nathan down, as a group of medics approached Dalton''s body. He didn''t catch the words they said, but the winds began to die down, the howling and newfound freezing temperatures beginning to fade. Nathan didn''t seem happy about what was happening, but he didn''t appear enraged anymore.


    Then again, it was hard to tell when Nathan was transformed.


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


    Reviving the dead? That was impossible! Why should I be trusting them with something like that! Why was I trusting them with something like that! Though, it could be that Dalton wasn''t dead. Luffy was built differently, yes, but even I had a hard time imagining that he would live through three holes in his chest and be buried by an avalanche.


    Maybe that was why? I was holding on to some hope that Dalton could make it out somehow. Despite all this. I''d laid down by that point. Part of me didn''t trust them even now, even as they worked. They were doctors, but they had to be with Wapol. Why else would they be here? If the island only had one doctor, then they had to have been brought here. And we certainly hadn''t done that!


    But if they were, why were they trying so hard to save Dalton? I knew of the Hippocratic oath, or at least the basics of it. Was that why they were trying to save Dalton now? Or was there something more that I just wasn''t getting? I did my best not to scowl or shake my head.


    I knew what was really bothering me, beyond just Dalton being in a state of near death. It was me losing my temper. Yeah, yeah, me being angry was, always, a bit of a problem. I''d had a temper, and while I hadn''t truly lost it fully in years, it was there. It was always in the sense of it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for. The ones you''d least expect. Normally, that wasn''t much of a problem. For all my temper, I wasn''t that dangerous, and I damn well knew it.


    But I also didn''t have the power to transform into Pok¨¦mon back then. Yes, people around here seemed to be made of seriously stern stuff. But that did little to change the fact I was a lot more dangerous now. Pok¨¦mon, even weaker ones, could be devastating. They were magical wild animals, even at their most mundane.


    And it didn''t help that I wasn''t entirely sure how much transformation affects my personality. Aurorus? Even-tempered, while very strong. But what would have happened if I had been a Gyarados?


    I already had half of that equation. I just needed the flying type. And that concerned me. In game, despite all of Gyarados''s rage issues, there weren''t any problems controlling the Pok¨¦mon, despite its known temper in the lore. In the anime and other materials?


    Gyraados was a swimming natural disaster, enough to take entire towns clean off the map with its overwhelming strength and explosive temper. Don''t get me wrong. I expected to need that type of overwhelming power in the future. But I hadn''t really thought much of it, beyond just that it could be something to use. It wasn''t as if I''d learned interesting tech with the thing in many of my playthroughs and nuzlockes, including that Gyraados was the best counter to Gyarados.


    But that wasn''t important right now. What was important was that little thought that was worming around in the back of my head. What if? What if I had been a Gyarados at that moment? How would I have reacted? Would I be me? Or would the rage that come so naturally to the line amplify my own?


    How many could have died as a result, if I had been a Gyarados? I couldn''t afford to lash out like that. Not anymore. I couldn''t let my temper take control like that. It was just going to get people hurt or even killed, those who had nothing to do with it. Sure, Zoro could have stopped me, but that''s beside the point. I had too much power to not be in control of myself.


    And I don''t think it was isolated to Gyarados, either. Feralgatr had also been. Problematic. When I had transformed, I felt urges. I attacked Wapol, next to no questions asked. And I had gone for the throat. If it weren''t for the man''s metal chin, I would have tried to tear him to pieces. And this was not a good thing. It had taken being shot with a cannon to snap me out of it. The wound didn''t sting now, but honestly, it would likely scar on my human body.


    But I hadn''t been able to control at least one form. It wasn''t level based. I wouldn''t be able to control Auroras otherwise if it was. Was it instinct? Predatory? Feralgatr was based on alligators, one of the oldest species on the planet. It was something that could very easily mess you up. But it was still something I didn''t know. Just how little did I know about the full extent of my abilities? Was it just predatory mons that would cause these issues? But Totodile and Croconaw didn''t have such issues.


    One of these days, I was just going to have to sit down in a semi-safe place and just try to figure this whole mess out. I needed to understand my limits. If there were more strings attached then just levels and types. There had to be. I didn''t have access to any of the stone evolutions yet. What even would the stones be? That was yet another question that I had no way to answer. Not even a hint!


    The feeling of a gloved hand against my side snapped me out of my thoughts. Vivi looked up at me as I slowly lowered my head. She looked concerned. And I couldn''t say that she was wrong to be so. It was just. I was still so mad! Dalton didn''t deserve to be buried alive under an avalanche!


    Then came the shouting, before Vivi could say anything. I looked up, mentally swearing that if I was going to have to ice-beam another person, I was not going to be happy about things. But, in what felt like the first time today, it was good news. Dalton was awake. And moving!


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


    Thomas knew a few things at the moment. The first was that the castle was under attack. He still wasn''t sure who this Wapol person was, other than that they''d run into him while he was not feeling well.


    Nathan had apparently tried to remove Wapol''s face, which was uncharacteristic for the man, while Luffy had launched him from the ship. Of course, that didn''t explain what he was doing here, exactly. Revenge seemed obvious. Luffy had to have embarrassed the man. He wasn''t planning on getting involved in the fight. Thomas knew that he wasn''t in good enough shape for that, even if he was healthy.


    But it was still a fight he wanted to see, even if from a safe distance. Wapol''s Devil Fruit sounded like a potent one, if in the right hands. However, the question was if it was in the right hands. Plus, it would be interesting to see Chopper fight as well. Outside of higher-ranking agents, Devil Fruits weren''t common. Seeing such a clash was smart, and could be useful. They''d be figthing them once that got to Alabasta. Any ideas that could give them an upper hand was not something he''d turn down.


    And it was an interesting fight. Interesting being the only word that could be used to describe the start. How Wapol used his fruit made Thomas''s brain hurt. How was someone seriously expecting eating two people to fuse them together going to result in something greater? It was sorta right, but it didn''t make it any less disgusting.


    Chopper, on the other hand, more than proved his worth. Thomas wasn''t sure why Sanji had stopped, but Chopper had several tricks up his non-existent sleeves. For a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Chopper was far more flexible than he should have been. It almost reminded him of Nathan, in a way.


    Though, with the fight attracting his full attention, he hadn''t noticed Wapol slip away in the chaos. Luffy hadn''t either, and that seemed to be enough to get their captain moving.


    "What do you think you''re doing in my castle!" Wapol from a distance looked ridiculous. From the pot-belly to the metal jaw, it was hard for Thomas to take him seriously.


    At a distance. Up close? Wapol was a massive man, and his metal chin only managed to make him look more imposing. With the hide of a white animal wrapped around him, and his body seeming as if it was covered in sheets of metal, this was well beyond him.


    "Well, you see, I''m just here for the tour, so I''m just going to go," Thomas tried, before booking it in the opposite direction, as much as his sick and sore body could manage.


    "Tour!" Wapol bellowed after him. "You have to be with either that brat or the hag! The punishment for defying the King of the Drum Kingdom is death!"


    The words made Thomas''s heart to freeze. King? King? This man was a king? What had they gotten involved with now?


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    No, surely not. This man could not be a king.


    "HHAARA!" Thomas turned around as a shout hit his ears. Wapol was less lucky, finding a fist colliding with the back of his skull suddenly, burying his face into the stone floor.


    "Norris!" Thomas couldn''t stop himself from smiling, even as he noticed the strained grin on her lips.


    "I think the old woman was right. That hurt more than it should have," Norris''s free arm was wrapped around her limbs.


    "Okay, let''s just retreat for the moment," Thomas offered, hoping having his face buried into the stonework would be enough to stop Wapol, or at the very least slow him down long enough to make themselves scarce.


    "You dare!" The crunching of stone made it clear that Thomas''s wishes were false, Wapol pulling himself up, chewing up the stone in his mouth as if it were candy. "You dare strike at a king! I will have you!"


    "Gum Gum Rocket!"


    Just as Wapol had picked himself up, in came Luffy, slamming into Wapol and body checking the larger man into a wall.


    Thomas decided to take the opportunity to make sure that they used the time to clear the area. Luffy had this fight.


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


    "You don''t need to do this," Dalton''s voice made its way to my ears.


    "Nonsense! The great Captain Usopp will carry you!" Usopp''s the response reached my ears, but I could tell his heart wasn''t entirely in it. He did put on a good display, don''t get me wrong. But he was writing a check his body was unable to cash. Someone like Usopp carrying Dalton? The mental image was amusing.


    Seeing the actual thing? Much less so. I kinda felt bad for stealing his thunder after such an inspiring speech, but Usopp really wasn''t going to be able to carry Dalton where we needed to go. So I picked the two of them up, and put them onto my back. I didn''t want Usopp to feel bad, because he was trying his best. But it was either me or Zoro, and I doubt Zoro would be willing to humor him.


    Though maybe doing so was making it worse.


    I hoped the sound that came from my mouth at least conveyed that it was fine. It was the least I could do, given how he had gotten nearly killed because we weren''t there. I''d have to do it with words at some point. But right now, we needed to get to that cable. Luffy was more than likely beating Wapol, just like he did on the Going Merry. That was something I knew in my heart. Luffy had this. He had this in the bag.


    But for the people of this island? They needed to see it. Needed to know it. That Wapol had been cast down forever, and would no longer threaten them or their families any longer.


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


    "I''m honestly getting more intrigued about this woman the more I learn about her," I muttered, partially too myself. Aurorus was not going to fit on that gondola. Which meant Zoro was the one having to carry the injured Dalton. Usopp and I tried to go halves, but Dalton was easily six foot and pure muscle, while Usopp and I were twigs. With Usopp being the stronger of the two of us.


    Still, to live in a tree, and connect a cable all the way to the top of the mountain? I could respect that. And how she was able to come and go without being detected was making more sense. I doubt anyone would come all the way out here.


    The thing was, the gondola was packed to the brim. Enough to concern me. Yeah, having a fear of heights was fun. And Dalton didn''t look like he was in great shape either. The doctors had done the best job they could, but he was still in pretty rough shape. I''d do more to help, but Happiny, just wouldn''t and Audino? I still doubt heal pulse was in the cards.


    Plus, I was halfway terrified that shifting my weight and mass around too much would make something go wrong. It wasn''t like there were guard rails to stop this thing from swaying too much. I did what I could, at least. Mostly helping Nami keep Dalton in as good as shape as we could keep him.


    "Hey, isn''t that someone on the roof?" I heard one of the soldiers shout, pointing up toward the sky. That wasn''t what drew my eyes, though.


    It was two, thin long noodles, stretching across the sky.


    Oh yeah, Luffy has this. He has this in the bag.


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


    I was the first one out the door. Not just because I wanted to be the first one off that swaying possible death trap, but because if there was any cleanup, I wanted to be a part of it. I transformed, leaping up the stairs in bounds, before arriving topside, seeing an old woman, Sanji, as well as a deer.


    A deer that was standing upright, like a human being. I blinked briefly. Though, it shouldn''t be a surprise. Dalton could turn into an ox, then a deer could turn into a human. Weird, but whatever. I could live with weird.


    Though, what was weird was how the snow underneath my hoofs didn''t feel like snow. I shifted my feet slightly, whatever I was standing on was far squishier than snow should have been. Looking down confirmed why that was the case. I wasn''t standing on snow. I was standing on a man that had two faces. Not like the Batman villain. Two separate faces. Yeah, that was weirder than any walking deer.


    And why was I hearing Luffy''s voice?


    "Get out of, oh hi, Nathan!"


    "Stantler!"


    Protect Protect Protect!


    Thankfully, I was quick enough to prevent my demise from ballistic rubber Captain, Luffy''s rubber body doing the best impression out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon as he hit the barrier.


    "Shishishishishi!" Oh good, he''s laughing. That means he isn''t hurt by that.


    "Get any quicker with that, and I might have you go first more often," Zoro teased, Usopp hiding behind him.


    After making sure that Luffy was okay, as far as he ever could be considered okay, I let myself change back, wrapping my arms around myself to keep out the cold. I really didn''t know how Luffy could handle being like this.


    "Is everyone okay?" I asked our captain. Thomas wasn''t present, and neither was Norris.


    Was what I thought, before old woman through a kick strong enough to smash through stone, revealing the two of them hiding behind a wall, before dragging them off. I didn''t intend on pissing whoever that was off anyway, but having similar kicking power to Sanji increased her factor of not messing with her.


    "Yeah, Thomas and Norris are fine," Luffy said, as if I hadn''t seen what was going on behind him, and the fact that Norris wasn''t injured when she left completely passing him by.


    Then Dalton and the rest showed up. Looking about the mess, and getting confirmation that Luffy had defeated Wapol, it almost looked as if a weight had been lifted from the man''s chest. Then he caught sight of the deer. A deer that was hiding in all the wrong ways.


    "Thank you! This land will be born again!" Dalton didn''t bow, didn''t kneel. The man straight up got down on his hands and knees in thanks. A smile began to break out on the deer''s face. A smile that was quickly quashed.


    "What is that?" I heard a man shout.


    "Is that a monster!" Said another.


    "A monster?" The last one was Usopp, and that was what sent the deer bolting.


    "That''s our new crewmate, and you just scared him off!" Luffy shouted, lightly bopping Usopp''s long nose, before the Luffy went off in pursuit.


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


    I stayed away from the doctor. She scared me, and I was going to use the calm to get some degree of rock samples. We''d been so busy, that I hadn''t been able to collect anything. We''d be leaving in a hurry, so I decided to make the most of my time after checking in on Thomas and Norris, the latter of which had broken several bones.


    But that wasn''t the only reason I was currently outside. I''d felt a pair of eyes upon me for a while. And it didn''t take much to guess their source.


    "Got a name, little fellow?" I asked, doing my best to keep my eyes on my work.


    "Are you a pirate?" That wasn''t an answer to my question, but whatever.


    "Yeah. Quite the carrier change, let me tell you," I grabbed hold of the rock fragment and pulled, managing to dislodge it, before storing it away. It was some type of granite, but I''d have to look at it closer to know more. "So, tell me, what can I do for you?"


    Luffy was looking all over the place for him, with all the subtly that Luffy was known for. And the deer knew more about this place than Luffy did. But he was coming to talk with me. Why?


    I had chosen Stantler to get out the gate. Which was a deer based Pok¨¦mon. Was that why?


    "I was wondering if you ate some type of deer based Zoan Fruit?" He asked, looking up at me. Oh, this made a bit more sense. Sadly, I think honesty was going to be the best policy here.


    "No. I don''t think I''ve eaten a Devil Fruit, period," I admitted, regretting it instantly at the look of defeat in his eyes. "Doesn''t mean we still can''t be friends regardless."


    He seemed to perk up for a moment after that, before frowning again.


    "But I''m a deer. Humans and deer cannot be friends," he turned around, seemingly dejected. Oh god, was I really going to say that?


    "And who decided that?" I offer, as he paused mid-step.


    "Because I''m a freak!" He shouted, whipping around. "I''m a deer that ate the Human-Human Fruit!"


    I just, gave him a look. "Look, every single member of our crew is some sort of freak. I can turn into numerous animals with mystical powers. Luffy is made of rubber and is far stronger than someone''s whose power is being made of rubber should be. Zoro fights with a sword in his mouth. Sanji fights without using his hands. Nami can read the weather like it''s a book. Usopp is somehow the best and worst liar I''ve ever met. Vivi is a Princess of an entire kingdom and is yet one of the nicest people I''ve ever met. Thomas fights with baseball bats while wearing a crown. Norris is the closest one to normal, but given the track record, I doubt it."


    He looked at me, completely confused as to what my point was.


    "The concept of being normal, not being weird, not being a freak, is overrated. Everyone is weird, everyone is strange. Normal is just a polite fiction, made up, so people could make niceties to one another. So you say you''re a freak, because others call you a freak? That''s because they''re freaks, too. We''re all freaks. We''re all weird. And we have no reason to hide that fact," I smile, offering him a hand. "I know it''s not my place to make the offer, but I know Luffy is interested in having you on the crew. We''d be lucky to have you, if you''re interested."


    He looked up at me, expression torn between shock, tears, and happiness. His body seemed to sway back and forth, as if his body could not contain his glee. And I felt the cool chitin of his hoofs press against my hand.


    "I am going to need a name, you know," I smiled, shaking his hand. Hoof. Whatever.


    "Chopper."


    "Nathan."


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


    "How exactly were you able to get out of paying her?" Nami looked very smug.


    "Oh, I just so happened to find the key to the armory before anyone else did. She let us go when it came to the rest," Nami flashed me a grin. Still, that was saving us what sounded like a yes amount of money. I was more than willing to pay, as any amount of treasure would be worth our crewmate''s lives. But it would be nice to have money for supplies.


    "It''s good to know you''re feeling better, Thomas," I nodded, as the man remained bundled up under a blanket. Norris had broken a considerable number of bones, and was somehow stretching out, despite her injuries. If I needed further confirmation that people in this place were simply built different, this was it.


    "It is nice to get out early. The sooner we get to Alabasta, the better off we are," he said, his head being the only piece of skin I could make out. I did agree. But if he still needed medical rest. At least we had our doctor now. As unorthodox as he was. Oh well, like I told Chopper, we didn''t tend to do things normally around here.


    We were just waiting on Chopper to say his goodbyes. I did feel for him. Kureha was basically his teacher. That was going to suck. Still, I was a bit envious.


    He was getting to say goodbye. Something that I had robbed from me by circumstance.


    The keyword being was. All that envy died a painful death at the sight of the woman chasing after Chopper with an alarming amount of knives.


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


    I didn''t scream all the way down. The historical record was written by a liar.


    By the time I managed to come to my senses, it was because of the sound of gunfire, echoing in the distance.


    "Wow," I breathed, just taking in the air. It was pretty. Beyond pretty. The snow falling from the sky becoming pink. I don''t know why it was important. But based on Chopper''s tears?


    It didn''t matter why. It simply was.


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


    "Sorry Karoo, I don''t have any fire types," I have the formerly frozen duck on the head, enjoying the energy of the party. It would certainly help. But despite my own chilled bones, the moon was high, and the snow fell like pink flowers.


    "Probably slipped huh? Clumsy." Zoro laughed, much to Vivi''s displeasure.


    "Karoo says Zoro was swimming in the river and disappeared. So he dove in to save him and got frozen," Chopper said, as I had to cover my mouth as Nami punched Zoro on the back of the head. Norris just laughed, keeping Thomas close to her side.


    "You can understand what Karoo says, Chopper?" Vivi asked with a slight grin.


    "Yes. I''m originally an animal, after all," Chopper said.


    "That''s amazing Chopper! Then medicine isn''t your only talent!" Nami grinned, as Chopper looked just as happy.


    "I wonder if you can understand Nathan''s transformations," Thomas said, as we all looked at him. "What? I can''t be the only person to be thinking that!"


    "Something to test for another time," I shrugged. It was late in the night, and it was somewhat of a party time.


    "Yeah, it''s time for Thomas''s medicine," Norris said, pushing herself up.


    The expression on Sanji and Luffy''s face was as priceless as it was concerning. "What is this about medicine?"


    Oh god, did they not actually know?


    "Did you guys seriously not notice that he was involved nursing us back to health?" Thomas''s voice sounded completely incredulous. "Why did you even offer him a spot then!"


    "He''s a deer with seven transformations!"


    "Emergency rations."


    Well, I was going to be fighting Sanji in the future, I could tell that much. There were a lot of Pok¨¦mon that could also be used as ''emergency rations''.


    Still, it was nice. Another victory, another crewmate. As Usopp put it best, a toast. To our new doctor, and our new crewmate! Tony Tony Chopper!


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


    "Come''on, Nathan you got to try it at least once."


    Oh, they were honestly right. I needed to try at some point. I brought the cup of sake up to my lips, taking a sip.


    Thump!


    I think that just killed my liver.

 Chapter 14 - Alabasta Part 1

    My head. What did I drink last night?


    Oh, I knew exactly what I drank. The Merry swayed under my feet, as if we were in a storm. But I knew better.


    "You look terrible," Sanji commented, completely accurate, as I let my pounding head rest against the table.


    "I figured you were a lightweight, Nathan, but I didn''t think you were that much of one," Nami said, giving me a brief pat on the shoulder. I appreciated the gesture, but it did nothing to calm my pounding head. If anything, it made things worse.


    "This is why I don''t drink," I grumble, hating how the words made my head pulse and throb. It was also why I wasn''t going to drink in the feature. If only a little bit were enough to lay me flat, I was correct in my initial assessment to never drink alcohol. "Does anyone know if we''ve run out of snow already?"


    "That has to be one of the biggest nonsequiturs I''ve heard out of you," Thomas was at the very least nursing his own hangover, unlike Nami, who didn''t seem to care about the number of cups she had.


    "I want to dunk my head in something cold. It might do something about my headache," I groaned, keeping my eyes squeezed shut. I knew it was a long, long hope that there would be any left by this point in the day. But something to dull the pain would be nice. Especially as this was the start of the day. We had a ways to go before we got to Alabasta, but missing out on planning because my head hurt?


    "I could take a look at that if you don''t mind," Chopper said, looking up at me with a worried expression. "I could be a sign of something more troubling."


    That was a fair point. I wasn''t allergic to anything that I tended to eat or drink. But I didn''t drink alcohol. And even if it wasn''t allergies, what if it was something else? Well, there was no reason to let it fester, now was there?


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


    "I''ll have to run some tests, but I think it''s just a hangover," Chopper said, as he finished taking a blood sample.


    "At least it''s an easy solution," I shrugged. "No more drinking for me."


    Not that I was going to miss that. Sake tasted just as bad as I expected it to. Alcohol was off the table. Not that I should have ever put it on the table in the first place.


    "Be sure to eat some food and drink some water. You don''t wantto become dehydrated," Chopper nodded, placing my blood sample in storage.


    "Can do," I groaned, sliding off the improve workbench that Chopper had set up on. "Thanks for the help, Chopper."


    I was going to give the little guy all the credit he was worth. It was nice having a dedicated doctor on the crew. Though, I wasn''t sure whether or not I didn''t notice the sparks of curiosity in Chopper''s eyes was because of my hangover, or because I simply didn''t wish to see it.


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


    It wasn''t until midday that my head stopped pounding hard enough for me to be useful. And not risk pitching myself off the side of the ship or the rigging. Not that it would have mattered. Thus far, things had been surprisingly calm. I lightly tapped on the wood on the Merry''s door, not wanting to jinx things.


    "Luffy, what do you have in your mouth?" Sanji was struggling with Luffy, the rubber man having cheeks like a chipmunk. A scene I decided to ignore, as whatever was happening was going to press my sanity. Or show that that Grand Line didn''t need to do anything to prove dangerous.


    It had something to do with why Usopp and Chopper had fishing poles, and I wanted nothing to do with that. And with the steam coming off the water, I doubt they''d have much luck anyway.


    Wait? Steam?


    "It''s nothing to worry about, Nathan. Just underneath us is an island that will be here in a few thousand years," Nami said, sitting next to Vivi, relaxing as the smooth sailing.


    "Ah, a hot spot, then?" So, they did have those here. At least that was a common geologic point, for once. I gazed out over the ocean, taking in the sight. "I didn''t think I''d ever get to see one of these in person before."


    "That isn''t the term I''ve heard used for it, but probably," Nami nodded, as I let myself think. "I know they aren''t common."


    "They really aren''t. You need the proper activity in the mantle before a volcano begins to form on the surface. Or the ocean floor, as is the case right now," I said, remembering my old classes about volcanology. "So for it to be active enough right now for steam is pretty lucky. For us, I imagine the fish probably aren''t having fun."


    "Nathan, what do you mean by that?" Usopp shouted from the other end of the ship.


    "The water, it''s boiling, right? Not, very pleasant to swim in," I started, hoping to get the point across. "Anything that can''t take the heat, it''s, going to want to make itself scarce. Most of what''s around is the really, deep sea stuff. The animals that live in environments where most don''t."


    "Nathan, are you still hung over?" Thomas asked as he poked his head out of the Merry. I gestured, having my hand go back and forth. My mind wasn''t in tip-top shape, but I could at least get the point across. I think.


    "Quack!" Karoo''s voice cut me off before I could respond, noticing that Chopper and Usopp were using the poor bird as bait. I could expect such from Usopp. But Chopper?


    Vivi was already standing up, but the next few seconds happened quickly. It sounded as if voices came from the steam, rushing past us in a blur.


    What I didn''t expect was that there was now a person hanging off of Karoo. Not just any person. The man''s face was lathered in makeup, complete with bright red lipstick, a pair of red dots that I thought was meant to be a blush. His eyes were heavily covered as well.


    His outfit, aside from the white cloak, looked kinda like a ballerina. Replace the tutu with very circular pants, and put in a whole lot of swan iconography. A band attached two fluffy balls to his head, completing the look.


    "I think I''m still drunk," I muttered, mostly to myself.


    "What makes you think that? Because I''m seeing it too," Nami said as I paused.


    "Nope."


    "What do you mean, ''nope''!" Vivi shouted at me.


    "Nope, as in, I refuse to accept this is my reality, Vivi. They just caught a cross-dresser in the middle of the ocean with a duck. A duck!" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands. Just as the man himself let go of Karoo. "Don''t tell me I''m going to have to go after him."


    "He''s sinking!" Usopp''s panicked voice came through loud and clear.


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


    By the time I had managed to fish this guy out of the water, most of the crew had been assembled on the deck. Norris and Sanji both weren''t present, but everyone else was.


    "Swan thanks!" He said, still dripping with water as I transformed back. At least with the sun I''d dry out quickly. Getting a look at the man, I had no idea what to think of him. He seemed like a goof. But so did Luffy.


    "My life has been saved by pirates I''ve never met before! I am forever in your debt!" He continued, being surprisingly polite. He was lucky the Going Merry had passed away from the hot spot, so the water was uncomfortably warm, rather than scalding. "Do you have any food you can spare, even if it is a nice bowl of soup?"


    "We''re starving!" Was the response of the vast majority of my crewmates.


    "I''m guessing you''ve eaten some type of Devil Fruit?" I asked, hoping to get the topic off food. He sank like a rock, as if being in contact with the ocean sapped his strength.


    "Naturally!" The man beamed. "If I may demonstrate?"


    I shrugged, largely uncaring until I found his left hand enveloping my face. Enough old instincts remained as I broke into a roll as everyone tensed, going for weapons.


    "Wait! It''s all part of my act, see!" My eyes widened as he spoke. But it wasn''t with his voice.


    It was with mine.


    "Ta-dah!" My green-blue eyes stared back at me, matched with an almost too wide grin. Looking at my face for the first time in a while was weird. Especially when it came to that outfit. Then his eyes narrowed, as if he were squinting. "I can see why you need glasses, though."


    The break in character was brief but notable.


    "That''s pretty cool," I admitted. I didn''t want to get palm-struck in the face, but that was a pretty neat hat trick. Also, a terrifying one. A power like that? If he knew how to act, then he would be pretty threatening. Then again, that was what any good disguise-based power was. You throw things out of whack, make it so your enemy can''t trust their allies.


    What was he though? He didn''t seem like a pirate, and I doubt a marine would be this, jovial about being around pirates. We really just didn''t pull some random, wandering crossdresser out of the ocean, right?


    "And with one swipe of my left hand!" One swipe of his hand over his face, and his old one was back. "That is the power of the Clone-Clone fruit!"


    "With my right hand, I can touch your face, and exactly like that, I can look like anyone!" His face shifted between Usopp, Zoro, Chopper, and Nami, all in rapid succession.


    Still, this was making me a bit curious. About not just his powers, but also my own.


    "Hey, could you go back to my face for a second?" I asked, rubbing my hands together as Chopper, Luffy and Usopp crowded the man like excited children. Not that the man was any better, as he seemed to glow from the attention.


    But I was feeling scientific. Be afraid. Be very afraid.


    "Oh, and why may that be?" He asked, already going back to my face.


    "You''ll see," I grinned, letting the transformation take hold. My body shrunk down, becoming a small, pink blob. I could tell everyone was looking at me, confusion clear on their faces.


    Then I began to transform again. It wasn''t like usual, where it was a glow, and I couldn''t feel much. My body contorted and twisted painlessly, expanding outward. Slowly, my body became arms and legs, pants and clothes.


    My face looked at me in surprise, as I became, me.


    "Wow, so cool!" I heard Luffy and Usopp shout.


    "Marvelous! Most Marvelous!" My voice said, posing on his tippy toes.


    "Don''t get me wrong, that is impressive. But what is wrong with the face?" Nami said. Yeah, I should have figured that out.


    "What''s wrong with it? I can''t tell the difference," Luffy said, looking between me and the other man.


    "Now that you mention it," the man squinted his eyes. "The face looks a bit off."


    Zoro''s laughter likely confirmed what was going on. I was stuck with ditto face.


    "Ditto!" Yep, couldn''t talk either.


    "That''s its name?" My face asked, giving the rest of my crewmates a look.


    "I presume so," Nami said, looking between the two of us with a somewhat amused expression.


    "Can you copy his new face!" Usopp shouted, a question picked up by Chopper and Luffy in rapid succession.


    A question quickly answered as he put his hand over my face, only for his expression to change to the absolute derp face that ditto was known for, just two empty black dots with a goofy, head-empty, no-thought smile.


    "Shishishishi!" Luffy was rolling on the ground laughing, as Usopp hit the Merry''s deck, doubled over in laughter.


    "Oh my! I never expected to see someone with an ability so familiar to my own! A swan hello to you!" The man went back to his original face, clapping his hands excitedly.


    I wonder.


    Ditto had the power of transformation. This was generally, not great, as Ditto''s base stats were, not great. It was largely something bolstered by its imposter ability, largely in the revenge-killing department. Its impersonations were also flawed on a physical level, marked with a dopey grin. But it did copy powers and abilities. As the man''s face and body returned to it''s default, I copied his appearance, slowly making my way towards Zoro.


    "Nathan, what are you doing?" Zoro asked, as I quickly raised my left hand to his face, before using my right to change mine. Based on Nami''s now hardly restrained laughs, and the increasing anger on Zoro''s face was a sign of partial success.


    "Well, if that form is capable of copying someone''s skills," Zoro stood up, unsheathing one of his blades.


    I''m good at math. Honest. I just didn''t bother to calculate the risks.


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


    Well, that was going to bite us on the ass. And me doubly on the ass. Or did Zoro wanting to use ditto as a grindstone count as thrice?


    Far be it me to criticize people making poor choices right about now, but I was still resting my palm in my hand.


    "Vivi, we could have had him right where we wanted him!" I groaned. "We aren''t Greeks, we don''t play by their rules of hospitality!"


    Seriously! He was getting away with just about everyone''s faces. Sanji and Norris were spared, as they weren''t even here, while Vivi and Thomas were up top and out of reach. More than half the crew was compromised as was, and Ditto was something I''d just made them aware of freely. Not it''s full extent, thank goodness. But despite seeming like a goof, this Bon Clay fellow was smart. If he saw that exact same derpy expression on an inanimate object, he could figure it out.


    I wonder if I could use that to mess with him.


    "It wasn''t like I didn''t draw the dots either," Thomas protested, trying to draw heat away from his former partner. "And what a Greek, anyway?"


    "Irrelevant!" I said. "The real question is, what do we do about the person who stole half our faces, who is an enemy?"


    Because I could do paranoid rat, but I didn''t think that was a good idea.


    "Nathan''s got a point. If he disguises himself as one of us, we wouldn''t be able to trust one another," Nami said, echoing my sentiment exactly. "He could end up making a lot of trouble for us."


    "You think so?" Luffy gave us a confused look. I pinched my brow, annoyed. Seriously, how could he not grasp the situation at hand?


    "Hold on. Luffy''s got a point, as groundless as it seems," Zoro placed a hand on Luffy''s shoulder. "But I don''t think we''re going to have to worry about Mr. Bon Clay too much. This was a lucky break for us. How we can plan our strategy accordingly."


    The grin on his face was promising.


    "And that plan is?"


    Zoro''s grin became even more feral as he told us. Me? I just laughed. If I ever made it back home, this was going to make for a great story!


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


    "What is that!" I poked my head out the door of the Merry when the sudden shouting happened. Well, that was something you didn''t see every day. Looming out of the water behind the Going Merry was what appeared to be a cross between a cat and a sea serpent of some sort. My stomach rumbled at the sight. Which meant.


    "MEAT!"


    "Our first meal in four days!"


    Okay, it wasn''t that dire, but if you were a carnivore like Luffy was, then yeah, we were out of food. But things were getting a bit scarce, despite Thomas''s best efforts. Sure I could go for some meat myself right now, but we had to be getting pretty close to Alabasta by this point.


    Plus, knowing our luck, that thing is scared, or something. Or sacred, I always get the two of those mixed up.


    By the time I''d poked my head back out again, the creature was gone. Likely not a successful capture, gnawing on the banister like he was.


    "The ocean is full of strange creatures," Chopper said, as Usopp pulled himself up to his feet.


    "I don''t know, once you get to the stuff that just turns into a blob when it gets to the surface, you''ve kinda gotten to the point of maximum weird," I shrugged. The ocean was full of all sorts of strange stuff.


    "They do what!" Usopp pointed at me. "How do you know that?"


    "I''ve seen pictures of blobfish before. There''s a lot of species that live so deep in the ocean, that if they get too close to the surface, they just," I expand my hands.


    "Those poor fish," Chopper shook his head.


    I heard Nami say that we had entered the Alabasta climate zone, as my stomach released another rumble. However, that was a secondary concern, compared to the ships dotting the horizon. Fourteen in total from what I could see.


    "Hey, they''re all Baroque Works ships!"


    Given their matching insignia, it was either them or the Navy.


    "Those must be the billions," Vivi explained.


    "They''re the underlings of the officer agents. Two hundred at least," Norris crossed her arms.


    "This would be a harder fight than Whiskey Peak, even with the three of us," Thomas nodded, as I frowned.


    Should we start picking them off now? Sure, compared to their flag officers, they might not be much. But numbers were a quality of their own.


    "I don''t think we''d take a direct fight on the ocean. Merry is a fighting ship, but she''s still outmatched here," I frowned. If I had Blastoise, then I had options.


    "Let''s blast them all right now!" Usopp shouted.


    "If I have Blastoise, I''d be able to hit them at the waterline," I said, stroking my chin. It''d be a cruel trick, but it could work. Putting a hole right at the water line in a ship was a death blow, but it wouldn''t sink too quickly. It would take time for the water to lap in.


    "What''s a Blastoise?" Thomas gave me a look.


    "It''s a turtle with cannons on its back," Nami said, posturing matching mine. "You know, that might work."


    "Forget the small fry," Zoro grinned.


    "Yeah, don''t lose sight of the real target," Sanji said, causing me to perk up. If you got Sanji and Zoro to agree on something, it was best to pay attention. "There are only twelve of us."


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


    I made sure to tie the knot tightly. It wouldn''t help me when transformed, and whether Bon Clay could copy that was inconclusive.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "This is a good idea. We''ll be able to tell who''s who," Nami grinned as Vivi helped pull hers tight.


    "Is this guy really that good?" Norris frowned, tightening hers with her teeth before working to adjust Thomas''s.


    "They''re pretty much perfect," Usopp nodded, working on his own.


    "Still, sounds like a bit of a freak to me," Sanji muttered, frowning to himself.


    "Eh, he''s alright," I shrugged. "He''s not that much weirder than several people on this ship. A shame he''s our enemy, but there isn''t much we can do about that."


    That wasn''t entirely true. I imagine Luffy could friendship Shingahi the man, as he had with so many others. But that wasn''t here nor there.


    Sanji had moved on to adding Karoo, bandaging his wing as well, as we began to approach the harbor. It looked like a small, Middle East town when it came to style. But given the environment, that wasn''t too much of a surprise. Arid. It''d probably be smart to pick up some clothes for the weather.


    "We''re going to need to hide the ship," I turned around, the words cutting through my thoughts. Us, fighting a group of deadly assassins with all sorts of wacky powers I wouldn''t comprehend in advance.


    Luffy held out his left hand, as we stood in a circle. "Right! No matter what happens from here on out, our left arms will bear the sign of our fellowship!" The eleven of us stood, extending our left arms outward, grinning like mad.


    "All right! Let''s go ashore!" Luffy shouted. "And eat!"


    I laughed, unable to help myself, even as Nami chastised Luffy. So close to being a killer prep speech.


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


    "Why aren''t you worried about your friend there?"


    "Because he isn''t dead. He just has insomnia. Observe, if you would."


    Suddenly there was a quiet but distinct thap, as the man flicked his sleeping partner''s ear.


    "Ow!"


    "See?"


    "Do you have to use Haki for that every time?"


    "Yeah, my finger goes through you otherwise."


    The man laid back, turning to the chief, ignoring the crowd behind them. "Like I said, insomnia. None of this Desert Strawberry nonsense. Though I do have to compliment you on your work."


    Splat!


    "I''d take it better if your friend didn''t keep taking naps in my food," the chief grumbled. "What brings the two of you around these parts, anyway?"


    "I was wondering that exact same question," a voice boomed from the back, as smoke began to fill the room. "What exactly is Whitebeard''s Second Division Commander and Whitebeard''s Monster doing in Alabasta?"


    Portgas D. Ace and Jackson looked at each other.


    And smiled.


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


    "Sadly, that is where he would be," I pinch my brow. Luffy had run off, and now that was going to be our problem. Finding him wouldn''t be hard, but that still didn''t make it any less of a pain.


    "He has the right idea of it, though. We all need food, and stock up on additional supplies," Thomas said. "I''ve done my best, but we''re stretched pretty thin, and I wouldn''t want to travel through Alabasta without picking up more."


    "Thomas is right," Zoro nodded. "Luffy can handle himself. We can eat, and come up with a plan after."


    Would the wonders never cease? Still, Alabasta was a beautiful country. The rocks were majestic, especially when they''d been carved into by. Waves.


    "I swear, if that''s Mr. 3''s ship right there," I pointed at the small vessel, and its very clear three theming.


    "It is!" Vivi gasped.


    Please let it just be some random dumbass who just stole the ship or something.


    "Doesn''t that require the Wax-Wax fruit to even function?" Thomas''s comment rang through my ears.


    "Then he''s here in Alabasta. Somewhere," the crack of Norris''s knuckles could not have sounded more ominous.


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


    "Okay, so I think that''s the last of the outfits we need," *I say, holding several bags. I know Nami had sent Sanji to go shopping for her and Vivi, and he''d probably grabbed extra. But we were walking through the desert, so I wanted everyone to be prepared. And while I didn''t know much about deserts, I''d worked in pretty nasty heat. I knew the tricks. Then again, so did the locals. "Thomas, have you gotten all the food ready to go yet?"


    "Just a second!" Thomas shouted back, haggling with one of the stall owners. The conversation was going quickly, but Thomas seemed like he was getting the best deal he could. The heat was beating down on us, and I was probably going to have sunburns soon, but it was, relaxing in a way.


    I was still on edge, though. Vivi''s country this may be, but we were firmly in enemy territory now. If Mr. 3 or Bon Clay had spread the word of our appearance, then Baroque Works could have agents in the city looking for us right now.


    "Alright, that should be the last of it," Thomas said, holding several packs of provisions. "Let''s head back. Everyone else is probably done."


    Everyone but Luffy, most likely. Still. The streets of the city were filled with people selling their wares, children running around playing, and the scents, and sounds a town should have. If it wasn''t for the undercurrent of tension, it would be hard to tell that there was a water crisis or a Civil War.


    "What''d you get us?" I asked as we made our way through the streets.


    "A fair amount of salted meat, but I was able to get some dried fruits for a good price," Thomas grinned, appearing to be pleased with himself. "I don''t think Nami will be disappointed. I don''t think the same could be said for you. You need to learn to haggle."


    "I''m sorry, everything where I''m from is fixed price. Haggling isn''t a skill I''ve managed to develop!" I protested, even if he wasn''t wrong. I could have gotten away with getting this cheaper, I just wasn''t sure how.


    "It''s an acquired skill, taking practice and effort," Thomas nodded. "It''s not a surprise. You give off the air of coming from one of the larger, stabler islands."


    Click.


    "And isn''t that a shame?" A voice came from the alleyway, a flintlock pistol pointed at us. "Now, hand over everything you got, and you might just walk away with your lives." Several swords glinted in the darkness, a sign that there was more than one person.


    "Are we being mugged right now?" Thomas gave me a look.


    "I think the proper term is robbed. I''m honestly more impressed how low people pointing guns at me is becoming as a threat," I looked at him back. "I''ve been shot by a canon now. This is just becoming a whatever. I''ve had someone pull a gun on me at least three times now."


    "What? Put your hands where I can see them!" The man shouted, clearly not impressed with how we were kinda treating him like a joke.


    "Do you want to do the honors?" Thomas asked.


    "It''s my line," I grinned. They were lined up in an alleyway. They were making this way too easy on me. "Good sir, would you like paper or plastic?"


    "What the hell is that supposed to mean!" The man shouted as I threw up the bags of clothes, adding a few more seconds of distraction, as I began to transform.


    "Rhyhorn!" My feet crashed into the ground, sending up a wave of earth and stone, sending the men in the alley flying upwards, guns and swords going every which way. By the time it was done, they were in a groaning heap, Thomas balancing the bags around his bat.


    "Damn, that one looks pretty tough for something so small," Thomas said, as I did the best impression of a grin that I could. Rhyhorn might as well have been a mini rhino, but covered in plates as hard as stone.


    "It''s the monster! Get him!" I heard someone shout. Turning to face the source, I found at least ten people in a marine uniform charging at us with swords.


    "What?" Thomas''s words mimic what mine would have been, if I could speak. But that was a lot of soldiers, and we didn''t have time for this.


    "Nathan, what are you doing!" Thomas shouted as I flipped him onto my back. Then I began to book it, my feet thundering down the street as I went.


    "Why? Are? They? Chasing? Us?" Thomas clung to my back for dear life, holding onto our purchased goods just as tightly as we broke out onto the Main Street, getting the attention of even more marines. Which immediately followed in pursuit, screaming about some monster, or how they had spotted Jackson.


    It better have been a coincidence that they were screaming about how I was my brother, or I was going to be pissed.


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


    "That''s a lot of Marines!" Thomas shouted. I saw them too. How had they gotten around us that quickly? It was like a wall of white and blue. And we still had a lot to our backs, too. It looked like we were going to have to go through them. Or over.


    "There''s another one, above us!" One of the Marine''s towards the center of the formation pointed up, but by that point, it was far too late. A shadow dived, slamming into the ground, the street buckling under the force. Earth and stone rippled, as if it were a liquid, knocking aside Marines like they were leaves on the wind.


    And at the epicenter? Its hide was a light shade of purple. It had two mighty pincers and a stinger tail. Its joints were covered red, with a black membrane that severed as wings. No way.


    What was a Gliscor doing here?


    "Well, well. This is a surprise," the voice that came from it sounded weird. "I take it you''re with those Straw Hats?"


    "What''s it worth to you?" I rumbled back, pawing at the ground. God, the type matchup was not in my favor. For a moment, the Gliscor''s beady yellow eyes widened, before going back to normal.


    "If you are, then I suggest that you take advantage of the path I cleared," it said, as I squinted. It looked like the others were in the distance.


    "Fine," I growled out, starting to move again, not in the mood to keep looking the gift horse in the mouth.


    "I just watched two animals have a conversation by doing nothing but say their names," Thomas groaned on my back.


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


    "Great, you guys finally made it!" Norris shouted, already pulling up the anchor as I managed to reach the deck. Thomas barely had enough time to get off my back, groaning in soreness.


    "Never again," the man groaned, as I changed back. Not that i blamed him. Even with a saddle, Rhyhorn did not seem like a comfy ride.


    "I''m guessing the two of you ran into problems too," Nami asked, crossing her arms.


    "Some people tried to rob us, I transformed to beat them up, and next thing I know, we have a bunch of Marines on our tail, shouting stuff including my brother''s name, for some reason," I huffed, sitting down against the Merry''s deck as everyone else shared a look. "What?"


    "Does anyone else have family members they want to disclose right now?" Usopp shouted as Sanji flinched.


    "Well, most," Nami paused. "No, not even half of you have met my sister now."


    "You have a sister?" I gave Nami a confused look.


    "Luffy has a brother," Zoro said, as if such a thing were like the sky being blue.


    "Luffy has a brother!" Thomas and I shouted at the same time.


    "It sounds like you might, too," Norris looked at me.


    "It can''t be my brother. It''s likely just a coincidence that the person they''re looking for share a name with my younger brother," I say. Even if it''s voiced sounded passingly familiar.


    "And the odds of that are?" Thomas pointed at me.


    "How many Jackson''s are there in the world?" I shot back, rolling my eyes.


    "Given that the name of the Pirate King''s ship was the Oro Jackson? Not many. Not many that are younger than you," Norris crossed her arms. Oh. Well, that was concerning then.


    "If he is your brother, it''s nice that yours and mine are friends!" Luffy beamed, just like his usual self. I wasn''t even going to question why the topic didn''t come up in the first place. Nami had a sister I didn''t know about, as did Luffy. It likely just didn''t come up because it never became relevant.


    "Still, two members of the same family eating a Devil Fruit is pretty strange though. They''re pretty rare outside of the Grand Line," Norris commented as Sanji took a long drag of smoke.


    "Yeah, I couldn''t believe it either!" Luffy grinned. "Even when Ace hadn''t eaten a Devil Fruit and I had, I still couldn''t beat him!"


    That was a disturbing thought, kids or not. Luffy was the strongest person I knew. Sure, there had to be stronger people out there in the world. But the fact that Luffy couldn''t get the one up on this guy was impressive.


    "I guess the big brother of a beast would be an even bigger beast," Usopp said.


    "You kinda have to be. Comes with the territory," I grin slightly, looking back on old times.


    "Oh really? Please, by all means, do tell."


    WHAP!


    "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, stop doing that!" I shouted, ignoring the fact that my fist was currently in his grip.


    "Whichever one of you is responsible for teaching my brother how to properly throw a punch, you have my thanks," Jackson''s smug expression grinned back at me, as he pulled me into a hug. I blinked in surprise, shocked to even see his freckled face and brown hair, with his green eyes.


    "What? How?" I exclaimed, not even trying to struggle in his grip. This was someone who didn''t do hugs!


    "I''ll let you know when I''ve figured out the answer, big brother," Jackson put me down as I rubbed tears out of my eyes.


    "How exactly are you the older brother?" Nami pointed between the two of us.


    "The family curse." We said at the same time.


    "Curse?" Usopp shuddered.


    "Yeah, the younger sibling gets all the height. On both sides of the family," how that happened, I''ll never know.


    "Greetings all!" Suddenly, a man appeared behind Luffy, knocking him off the banister in a way that screamed sibling energy. "Thank you for looking after my kid brother."


    He bowed, bowed! A gesture everyone returned.


    "What are you doing in Alabasta, Ace?" Luffy was even more smiles than usual.


    "You didn''t get my message on Drum Island?" Ace asked as I turned to Jackson.


    "You were on Drum?" I gave him a look.


    "And?"


    "I know about your feelings about jackets!"


    "I''m guessing they''re a bit more confrontational in their brotherhood," I heard Nami whisper.


    "It''s just a little cold," Jackson shrugged. "And that''s not important right now."


    "No thanks," Luffy''s voice cut through the conversation, causing my brother to slump as Ace just laughed.


    "I thought so, but I figured I would ask," Ace grinned, before giving my brother a look.


    "Nathan, a quick word, if you would," I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn''t exactly asking. Ace''s look only grew sterner.


    This had something to do with whatever it was the Luffy told Ace no on, didn''t it?


    "If it''s something you don''t feel safe asking me in front of my crewmates, it''s probably not something you should be asking at all," I glared at him.


    "Ace offered your Captain, and the rest of the crew, a spot on Whitebeard''s crew, one of the Four Emperors of the sea. It would do me well knowing that you''d be safe under such an aegis," Jackson looked down at me, or more accurately, down on me. Ace groaned in the background, as everyone else went silent, the tension skyrocketing instantly. On one hand, if this Whitebeard was really that strong, then it would be the safest option by far.


    On the other hand?


    I didn''t need the cloth around my left arm, or the itching underneath it, for me to have my answer.


    "Get bent," I snarled. "I''m staying put."


    "Fine," I blinkled slightly, as the energy seemed to dissipate. Jackson didn''t tend to back down that quickly. "But I want you to show me that you can handle yourself."


    The tension shot back up again.


    "What exactly do you have in mind?" I glared at him. He was always the athlete. He was stronger and faster than me on a normal day. I was the bookish smart one.


    "One vs. One. Only a single switch."


    I paused. That''s how he wanted to settle things? He wanted to challenge me? To a battle?


    "You''re on."


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


    "I''m sorry about this," Ace rubbed the back of his head. He should have put his foot down harder than he did. But the moment Jackson got a stupid idea in his head, sometimes not even pops could stop him.


    "It''s okay. Nathan''s going to win!" Luffy said. Ace admired his younger brother''s faith in his crew. But this wasn''t a fight Nathan was going to win. Jackson was a New World Veteran. Even without his Haki, Jackson had spent far, far longer in a harsher environment than Nathan had. Yes, Nathan didn''t need to win. Just show he could handle himself. But that was still a high bar to clear.


    They''d found a place, isolated enough where even Jackson''s strikes wouldn''t cause much collateral damage. Rocky outcrops almost created an arena of sorts, with silts, sands, and clay making up the rest. One of their crewmates carried a large book, flipping through the pages, as the two brothers stared each other down. Then they nodded, transforming at the same time.


    Nathan''s body emitted a light of deep brown mixed with blue, body coming down on all fours, fins emerging from his head and back.


    "Swampert!" Nathan roared. It was a form Ace recognized. Jackson had used it too. It was strong, dependable, and hard to bring down.


    As for Jackson himself? Instead of blue mixed with brown, the light coming from him was purple and brown. His body narrowed, becoming lean and strong, arms growing razor-sharp fins, hands coming down to a single claw. Its head grew tubes, and as the light faded away, it stepped out.


    "Garchomp!"