so here's a new chapter ,enjoy:)
Tashigi stood outside the Straw Hats' room. She had her hand raised to knock but had stopped mid-way, remembering her exchange with Zoro last night. She knew she had been insensitive, he had already mentioned about the importance of Wadou Ichimonji clearly back in the Arms Shop but she still demanded the duel from him. There was no way for him to have a positive image of her now.
What made it worse was that he was now his superior, not a ruthless bounty hunter she had heard so much about. Whether she liked it or not, he was one of the Marines now.
She sighed before finally rapping her knuckles on the door.
"Come in," A voice answered from the other side.
Tashigi hesitated, are they really going to let her in like this? Then again, they didn't know it was her anyway.
Tashigi pushed open the door quickly before saluting, "Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi reporting, Captain Smoker requests for Commodore Luffy in his office."
Tashigi had pointedly avoided looking at the part of the room she knew Zoro was at. She breathed a sigh of relief as she found the other three in the room had already dressed themselves.
"Tashigi-chaaaan!" Sanji spun towards the door. "May I interest you in some breakfast?"
Tashigi took a hesitant step back from him, "Err… I'm sorry, sir, I already ate…"
Sanji collapsed on to the floor, crying in front of a confused Tashigi. Luffy stepped over him casually as he pulled on his cloak, "Thanks Tashigi, I'll head there now."
Tashigi watched Luffy leave before turning back to look at the still crying Sanji, unsure of what to do.
"Oi," Zoro called out from the room, getting Tashigi's attention.
She turned towards him expecting him to be upset at her presence, only to be taken aback to see him grinning at her.
"That perverted guy over there needs some new clothes, why don't you help him go get some?"
Tashigi didn't have time to react before Sanji suddenly stood up to grasp her hands, "It will be an honor to accompany you, mademoiselle."
Tashigi quickly pulled her hands back, glaring at Zoro, "Fo… Follow me…"
Zoro smirked as he watched Sanji pirouette out after her, "Heh, that should be plenty enough revenge for yesterday."
Luffy barged into Smoker's room without knocking, "Smokeeyy, you looking for me?"
Smoker looked up from his desk of paperwork, grinning at him. Luffy noticed two cigars that had been extinguished recently smouldering on the ashtray in front of him.
"Yeah, sit down, it's about our plans today," Smoker gestured to the chair in front of him, kicking himself back and leaning on the chair.
Luffy gingerly sat himself down in front of Smoker, grinning uncontrollably.
"Can't wait to go back to the Grand Line?" Smoker noticed his grin.
"Yep! I can't wait to see everyone again!" Luffy grinned.
"Heh, how many of your Vivre cards did you give out?" Smoker smirked at him, pulling out a small piece of paper and flipping it around his fingers.
Luffy shrugged, "I dunno, I just gave it to everyone who asked, shishishishi!"
Smoker sighed, shaking his head though a smile still stuck on his face, "So what are you planning for the Grand Line?"
"I'm gonna beat up and arrest all the bad guys!" Luffy said simply.
Smoker smirked at that, anyone who saw Luffy for the first time would always underestimate him due to his easygoing nature and age, but he already knew first hand how serious that mistake was. The boy that sat in front of him was no mere boy. Having survived Garp's training from hell was already a miracle in itself, the Vice Admiral had definitely not gone easy on his grandson at all, most people might have mistook Garp for trying to kill him.
Smoker remembered the short time that Luffy had been attached to his unit along with Hina. He had looked down on the boy, thinking of him as nothing but a pompous and arrogant kid that was riding his grandfather's coat tails. How wrong he was, Luffy was most definitely not human. No human could possess such strong will and tenacity in that small body of his and in that short time he was with Smoker, Luffy had managed to gain his respect and more.
Smoker sighed again, "Anyway, down to business." Smoker stuck the small card away in his jacket before pushing a piece of paper towards him with his report of Buggy's capture.
"I managed to get Buggy but Alvida and a large portion of the crew managed to escape due to the storm yesterday, which I am really embarrassed about, mind you. I'm crediting Buggy's capture to both of us but I'll be giving you the bounty money."
Luffy shook his head quickly, "You should keep it Smokey, I didn't do much yesterday."
"Heh, don't be modest on me now, I know you can't put in a request for monetary support at any Marine base so this would be one of your only sources of income. I insist," Smoker pulled out a bag and placed it on the table.
"This is the other half of the bounty, seven and a half million," Smoker grinned.
Luffy shook his head again, "Smokey, I know you're doing this for me, but I insist you keep it. You did most of the work this time and in fact, don't even include my name in your report. I want you to take full credit for it."
Smoker stared at him for awhile, letting the silence drag on for awhile.
Smoker finally slumped his shoulders, "There's no convincing you, is there?"
"Nope! And don't go giving that to any of my crew, I won't forgive you otherwise!" Luffy grinned while wagging a finger at him.
"Tch…" Smoker turned away, his thoughts seen through. "At least take a part of it? I don't need this much..."
"We'll make do with what we have, money hasn't been an issue so far," Luffy grinned.
Smoker sighed before placing the bag back under the table, "I'll still include your name in the report, you did, after all, kept Buggy away from the civilians. I'm not backing down on this one."
"Fine," Luffy pouted at him, crossing his arms.
"With that aside, about you heading to the Grand Line…."
Luffy sat upright, eyes sparkling at Smoker.
"Your navigator, does she have any experience navigating in the Grand Line?"
"Ehh…" Luffy scratched his head, "I don't think so…"
"Alright, I'll get one of my navigators to give her a run down of it," Smoker grunted, popping an unlit cigar in his mouth. "My men should be supplying your ship with rations now. Once it's done, my ship will tow yours across the Calm Belt then you can make your way to Twin Cape."
Luffy nodded, "And Buggy?"
"He'll be on my ship, once I've seen you off at the Grand Line, I'll drop him at the nearest Marine base for transfer to Impel Down."
"Ah, you'll be returning to Logue Town after that?" Luffy tilted his head.
Smoker sighed, "I've been stationed here after all, unless something comes up, I'm not allowed to leave."
"I see…" Luffy sounded rather disappointed.
Smoker glanced up at Luffy to see his grin had never left his face. He pointed a finger at him, "Don't come up with any ideas just to make me stay there now, you hear?"
"Shishishi, sure, sure, Smokey," Luffy laughed.
"I'm serious! I don't need any more problems on my plate now!" Smoker warned.
"Alright, alright! I'll be good!" Luffy waved his hands in a placating gesture, his grin still not leaving his face.
Smoker let out another sigh, "In the meantime, why don't you go brief your crew? I'm assuming you haven't done that yet?"
"Ah, that's right!" Luffy gasped, just remembering.
"Go on then, I don't have anything else for you," Smoker shooed him away.
"Shishishi, thanks again, Smokey! I'll see you later!" Luffy dashed out of the room, waving back.
"YOU EXPECT ME TO ACCEPT THIS CRAP?!" Sanji yelled at the terrified Marine.
Tashigi was staring incredulously at the Straw Hats' cook berating at the Marines transporting food to their ship. According to him, the supplies they were carrying were "garbage", "disgusting" and "inedible" and would insult him as a chef to even cook them for his crew.
Tashigi had led the cook to the quartermaster's office with his absurd request for having a uniform "befitting of a dashing fighting cook like himself". He ended up choosing the normal chef's jacket and got himself a few sets of white colored suits as well. That was when he noticed the Marines that were transporting the food to the ship.
Tashigi watched in disbelief as Sanji started digging through the food that had been packed for them and lamented over the fact that there weren't enough competent chefs in existence. He started sorting through the food with a critical eye and began sorting them through to another box.
"Ummm… Commander Sanji? I think it might be better if you go a little easier on them…" Tashigi tried placating the angry chef.
Sanji turned to look at her with hearts in his eyes. "Of course, Tashigi-chan!"
Tashigi grimaced and took a step back, she still couldn't get used to his outbursts. She felt rather frustrated that he would treat her differently just because she's a girl, but he had claimed that it was his chivalrous spirit that made him so.
"Hi Sanji!" A voice called out from behind. Luffy strolled towards them with a huge grin plastered on his face. "I'm hungry! You have anything to eat?"
"Can't you just eat at the mess hall?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.
Luffy stuck his tongue out, "Their food isn't as good as yours…"
Sanji glanced at Tashigi triumphantly, "I'll make you something later, you're welcome to join us too, Tashigi-chaaaan!"
"I… I told you… I already ate…" Tashigi stuttered.
"It's ok, I'll just make you something light!" Sanji spun around her, hearts floating off him.
"My… My Captain won't allow it…"
"That's alright! We'll just invite him along too!" Luffy grinned.
"That's… I… Well… Alright then…" Tashigi slumped her shoulders in defeat.
"Great! I'll go get the rest! Meet you on the ship!" Luffy dashed towards the base.
"Naaaaamiiii!" Luffy barged into her room without knocking.
Nami was sitting on her bed with piles of clothes around her, her hands frozen in mid-sewing.
"Luffy! At least knock, will you?" Nami sighed at his tactlessness, looking back down on the shirt she was working on and continuing her sewing.
"Shishishi, sorry, sorry!" Luffy scratched his head apologetically. "Anyway, Sanji's preparing breakfast on the ship, so come down when you're ready!"
He didn't wait for a reply and left the room, shoving open the door on the opposite side.
"Usopp! Zoro! Breakfast!" Luffy yelled.
"Come on, get up, get up! Let's go, let's go!" Luffy jumped around the room.
"We heard you, Luffy…" Zoro yawned, still on the bed.
"Luffy… I don't look weird, right?" Usopp was posing in front of the mirror with his new outfit.
"Not at all! Come on, Sanji's going to make breakfast!" Luffy disappeared back out the corridor.
"Hehehe… Commander Usopp! That doesn't sound too bad huh, Zoro?" Usopp stuck his chest out proudly.
"Yeah, yeah… Now let's go before that Commodore of ours eat all the food…" Zoro grabbed Usopp by the arm and pried him away from the mirror forcefully, joining Nami that had just exited out from her room as well.
"Food! Food! Food! Food! Food!" Luffy chanted, banging the table with his hand.
"Be patient! I'm working on it!" Sanji yelled back, a tick on his head.
Zoro narrowed his eyes at the pouting Tashigi, she had pointedly avoided looking at him the moment she had sat down opposite him at the table. Beside her sat a disgruntled Smoker, who had been dragged to the ship despite all his protests by Luffy.
"Luffy, I get the Captain, but why is she here?" Zoro pointed an accusing finger at Tashigi.
"Don't point fingers at her you uncivilized brute!" Sanji smacked at his hand.
"Shut up, you shitty cook and cook your damn food!" Zoro yelled back.
"Sorry about that…" Nami apologized. "They're always like this…"
Tashigi waved her hands, "Ah, no, no! I don't mind, I should be the one apologizing for intruding!"
"Nonsense! Eating is more fun with more people!" Luffy laughed, banging the table again.
Tashigi sighed before turning to glance at her Captain. "You're not smoking, Captain?" Tashigi gasped as she finally noticed.
"Hmph, I'm fulfilling a promise," Smoker grunted, folding his arms across his chest. "Don't get used to it."
Tashigi gasped, the last time when she told him to stop smoking out of concern for his health, Smoker had just snorted at her and lit up another cigar to put in his mouth. He never listened to anyone's advice about his smoking habits, so what promise could have made him stop?
Before she could ask, Sanji placed down his specially prepared breakfast for them. It looked like a simple breakfast of toast, eggs and ham but everything was prepared with Sanji's utmost skill.
"I take it you haven't briefed them yet?" Smoker sighed, munching down on his toast.
"Nope!" Luffy grinned, already stuffing his mouth with food.
"I'll do it then…" Smoker crossed his arms. "I'm not sure if you guys are aware yet, but all of you are being reassigned to the Grand Line starting today."
All the Straw Hats nodded.
"Grand Line's a place that's very different compared to East Blue. Strong people are common there and the weather there is no joke either." Smoker glanced pointedly at Nami. She nodded as she got the hint.
"I heard that other than Luffy himself, none of you have gone to the Grand Line?"
They nodded again.
Smoker massaged his temples, "I won't lie, at your current level, you guys will come across people that would steamroll past you without a problem. In order to survive the Grand Line, all of you need to get stronger to face these monsters."
Smoker turned to look Nami dead in the eye, "Nami, you're the navigator. You will be the most important member while at sea, the whole crew's fate will rest in your navigation skills. I'll have someone sent down to teach you about what to expect there."
Nami gulped, fully understanding the burden she carries while they're at sea.
"In a while, I'll be towing your ship across the Calm Belt to get to the Grand Line. Once we're there, you guys will be on your own."
"What's the Calm Belt?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"It's a stretch of sea that lies on both sides of the Grand Line that is absolutely calm. I'm saying no waves, no wind, nothing, just completely calm weather and waters. That is what makes it so hard to enter the Grand Line, mostly only Marine ships that had pedals installed can safely navigate through the Calm Belt." Smoker grinned.
"Not to mention, it's also the breeding ground for the Sea Kings," Nami sighed.
"Sea Kings?! Will we be alright?" Usopp gasped.
"We'll be fine, everything's accounted for," Smoker grinned assuringly. "Besides, in the Grand Line, Sea Kings will be the least of your worries, your Commodore would know."
"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, scratching at his head.
"I better get going then, thanks for the great food," Smoker pushed himself up from the table. He turned and frowned at Tashigi still stuffing her mouth.
"TASHIGI! We're going!"
Tashigi turned to look at her Captain with tear-filled eyes, "But.. But Captain… It's so goooood…"
Smoker sighed before dragging a sobbing Tashigi off the ship.
Luffy sat on the figurehead of Merry, watching the sea as Smoker's ship pulled them along the Calm Belt. Sanji stepped up behind him, his hands in his pockets.
"Commodore, I have lunch ready."
Luffy turned towards the grinning Sanji. He had already changed out from his usual black suit to one of the standard chef outfits the Marines wore. Underneath, he wore a white dress shirt with a blue tie and a chef's button jacket over it. A blue cloth was tied around his waist to stop the jacket from fluttering and below it was a pair of white dress pants. His Marine cloak hung proudly on his shoulders, now no longer looking out of place.
Luffy hopped off his perch and followed Sanji into the dining room where everyone else was already seated, waiting for Luffy.
"I propose we do an official 'entering-the-Grand-Line' celebration right after we crossed the Calm Belt." Sanji grinned, gesturing towards a barrel he had stowed away at the corner of the kitchen.
"That's a great idea, Sanji!" Luffy exclaimed, already munching on his food.
"So where's Smoker taking us, Luffy?" Nami asked, propping her head up with her hand.
Nami had similarly changed out of her usual outfit to better match her Marine status, she had apparently spent the whole of this morning sewing on Marine insignia on most of the clothes she bought, not wanting to waste them. Right now she wore a white tank top with the word "Marines" emblazoned on the chest and a pair of tight blue shorts. She had opted not to wear her Marine cloak for now, leaving it inside her room.
"Oh, Nami! Your tattoo changed!" Luffy noted, looking at her bare shoulder. Where there had once been the mark of the Arlong pirates now lay a spiral tattoo that looked like a pinwheel with tangerines sprouting at one of the tips.
She glanced at her shoulder, "Yeah, I had it changed back at my village after the party. What do you think?"
"It's way better than that Arlong one! Shishishi!" Luffy grinned.
"Hehe, thanks. So where are we going?" Nami asked again, grinning back.
"Ah, that's right, they taught you about the log pose and everything back at Loguetown right?"
"A crash course more like, they taught me the basics," Nami groaned.
Smoker had kept his word and had one of the Marine navigators come down to their ship to tutor her in navigating the Grand Line as much as he could. The amount of information she had to absorb was astronomical, the Grand Line seemed to be a navigator's nightmare at first glance. There was nothing that she could trust other than her crew and the log pose. Grand Line was already proving itself to be a dreadful place.
"Yep, we're supposed to choose our own route here so we're going to head to the very start of the Grand Line! Twin Cape!" Luffy punched his hand in the air.
"I still can't believe we're actually going to the Grand Line…" Usopp wondered, his eyes staring at the roof.
"Heh, things are just going to get more interesting from now," Sanji grinned.
"I'll definitely get stronger and face him again…" Zoro grunted.
Luffy grinned at his crew, everyone of them had a crazy dream they wanted to fulfill, each of them so different and yet here they are as one crew.
"LUFFY! WE JUST PASSED THE CALM BELT!" Smoker yelled from his ship. Everyone of the Strawhats grinned, looking back at the barrel.
They went out on the deck with Sanji rolling the barrel out of the kitchen. He propped it up on the deck in the middle of them, placing his foot at the top of it.
"To find the All Blue," He grinned.
"To become the greatest swordsman," Zoro grunted, similarly placing his foot on it.
"To draw a map of the world!" Nami chuckled.
"To… To become the greatest warrior of the seas!" Usopp yelled.
"To become a Marine Admiral!" Luffy laughed.
All five of them raised their foot with a yell and brought it down on the barrel with a satisfying crunch.
"You can already see it from here, Twin Cape is that mountain over there," Smoker pointed at the looming silhouette in the distance.
"I'll leave you guys here, I'll be dropping this clown off to be transferred to Impel Down." Smoker pointed downwards at where Buggy was held in the ship.
"Thanks for everything, Smokey! I'll see you again! Maybe you'll get a new post soon!" Luffy waved, jumping up and down on the prow of the ship.
Everyone of the Straw Hats stood on the deck of the ship to see Smoker off.
"Commander Roronoa Zoro!" Tashigi shouted from the ship. "I apologize for what I've said, please forgive my rudeness!"
"Che… That girl… It would've been fine if you left it at that…" Zoro cursed under his breath.
Zoro turned his back to her, waving her off.
"Heh… I didn't know you could get embarrassed," Sanji smirked.
"Shut it shitty cook! You wanna go?!" Zoro unsheathed his blade.
"I'll take you on, stupid marimo!" Sanji shook his fist at him.
"See you soon Smokey! And everyone else too!" Luffy waved with both his hands as the ship got further and further.
"So that's Twin Capes?" Nami gasped at the mountain. It reached up high into the clouds and there was a waterway running down the valley the middle, flowing down towards the ocean from the mountain.
"Yep! This is where we'll start!" Luffy yelled.
Nami looked down at the log pose strapped to her wrist, it was her duty as the navigator to watch over it at all times.
"Once the log pose is set, we'll be able to head out!" Luffy grinned.
"Hey, I see a lighthouse up ahead," Zoro pointed towards the prow of the ship. A small lighthouse loomed beside the valley, as if guarding it.
"You've been here before, Luffy?" Sanji asked, joining them on the deck.
"Nope, this is my first time this far out from the Headquarters! Other than a few times out on patrol and some meetings with the Warlords, I didn't really get out much. Shishishi" Luffy scratched his head.
A loud bellow came from the front of the ship.
"What… What was that?" Usopp stuttered, scanning the front of the ship.
"It sounded like a whale…" Zoro crossed his arms.
"I don't see a whale?" Sanji narrowed his eyes at the horizon.
The water in front of the ship exploded up without any warning as a huge whale surfaced with a loud bellow. The whale was completely black in color and his huge size easily blocked the huge valley of the mountain, his eye alone was already several times bigger than Merry. At the front of his head, a number of barely healed scars could also be seen.
"My ears!" Nami gasped, covering her ears to block out the whale's loud bellow.
"It's a huge whale!" Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"What's it doing here?!" Sanji exclaimed.
"We're going to crash into it!" Usopp cried.
"Turn the ship around!" Zoro yelled, already heading for the wheel.
As sudden as it surfaced, the whale dived back down under the water again with another loud bellow. The Straw Hats stood on the deck, unsure of what to do.
As the ship got closer to the lighthouse, an old man appeared from within it. He wore a pink shirt with yellow and green stripes and had flower petals sticking out of his head where his balding line stopped. He had a rather impressive muscular body that was no doubt doubly more impressive when he was younger. He also had a prominently larger lower lip and on his face rested a pair of black framed glasses. His white beard reached below his neck and split into two parts, pointing in opposite directions sideways.
"Hmm? What are Marines doing all the way out here?" The old man scratched his head.
"Look! A flower!" Sanji yelled, pointing at the old man.
"What are you Marines doing here?" The old man crossed his arms.
"Oh, it's just a person…" Sanji looked disappointed.
"Hey, old man! We're here to lock our log pose!" Luffy yelled, waving his hand at him.
"Huh, I thought you guys might've came to help me with the whaling problem…" the old man huffed, clearly disappointed.
"Whaling problem?" The crew echoed.
"Indeed, my name is Crocus, I'm the keeper for this lighthouse. The whale that you saw earlier was Laboon, he's an Island Whale that has been living here for the past few decades or so."
"I see, we're Marines from the Straw Hat unit, what's this 'whaling problem' you said?" Sanji stepped up to the side of the ship.
"There's a pair of crooks that are trying to kill Laboon for awhile now and I've already got my hands full taking care of the whale to catch them."
"You're taking care of the whale?" Usopp gasped, wondering how much food the whale actually needs.
"More of watching over him than anything else." Crocus grunted. "You see that waterway that's coming down the mountain? If you can't cross the Calm Belt, that's what you'll use to get into the Grand Line. Usually, pirates would be the ones who would use this route."
"Eh?! From that waterway? How did they get up the mountain in the first place?" Nami gasped.
Crocus smirked, "There's a reverse current that leads up to the mountain from each of the seas, any ship that gets sucked into the current will be carried up the mountain before ending up down here. Anyway, there's a couple of pirates that came here with Laboon quite some time ago, they were quite a lively bunch too if I say so myself."
"And Laboon?" Sanji raised an eyebrow, watching the sea in case the whale comes back.
"Laboon had accompanied them from West Blue, apparently he had been separated by his pod and he had seen the pirates as his new family. But the crew had feared the Grand Line would be too dangerous to take him along, so they left him in my care. They had promised to return for Laboon once they sailed around the world but they never came back…" Crocus sighed.
"So Laboon has been waiting…" Zoro frowned.
"Indeed, for fifty years, no less. He still believes his friends would show up till this day."
"FIFTY YEARS?!" The Straw Hats exclaimed.
"Indeed, and yet he still waits, bellowing at the mountain hoping his friends will return." Crocus sighed.
"To have so much faith in his friends, Laboon you're so great!" Usopp cried, tears spilling out.
"So these pirates… Are they..." Nami gasped.
Crocus shook his head slowly, "They most probably died while in the Grand Line… Even if they hadn't, I doubt they would come back to this place..."
"Have you not told the whale?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
Crocus looked towards the sea sadly, "I have tried, but Laboon would not listen to me. He insists that his friends are still alive on the other side of the world and spends everyday crashing himself against the mountain."
"That would explain the scars…" Sanji frowned.
"What about the ones trying to kill him?" Nami asked, leaning against the railing of the ship.
"I don't know why they are doing this, but they usually show up during this time as Laboon surfaces from underwater." Crocus furrowed his brows. "Don't suppose you Marines can lend me a hand?"
"How do they look like?" Zoro grinned, already unclasping his sword.
"Like that," Crocus pointed towards the male and female couple drifting on a raft, each one holding a bazooka in their hands.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO SOONER?!" Nami yelled at him.
Luffy ran up to the side of the ship, leaning over the railings, "Hey guys!" Luffy waved at them.
The two turned to look at a boy in Marine uniform waving at them.
"Miss Wednesday, that Marine seems to be waving at us," The man said to his partner. He had an ornate crown on top of his messy orange hair that was complimented by his royal green clothes.
"It does seem so, Mr. 9," The woman replied back. Her long, blue hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wore a fur coat over her spaghetti strap dress.
"What do you suggest we do?" Mr. 9 narrowed his eyes at the Marines.
"Perhaps it will be best for us to wave back?" Miss Wednesday suggested.
Both of them began waving back to Luffy enthusiastically.
"Hey! They waved back! They're such nice guys!" Luffy grinned.
"THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!" His crew shouted at him incredulously.
Usopp stepped towards the side, looking down at them, "Why are you trying to kill the whale?"
Both the man and woman stared at each other before starting to break down on the raft.
"Oh, it is a rather terrible story, you see," Mr. 9 sobbed.
"Indeed, a very, very terrible story," Miss Wednesday sobbed beside him.
"We come from a far away town, you see," Mr. 9 pointed towards the horizon.
"Indeed, a very, very far away town," Miss Wednesday nodded.
"We were sent here on a very important mission, you see," Mr. 9 wiped away his tears.
"Indeed, a very important and secret mission," Miss wednesday dabbed her tears with a handkerchief.
"SHUT UP AND GET TO THE POINT!" The Straw Hats yelled at them.
"My, so inconsiderate," Mr. 9 huffed indignantly.
"The town that we came from is short on food, if we can kill the whale, it would feed the town for the next two to three years." Miss Wednesday explained.
"Oh, so you guys need food?" Sanji asked, suddenly alert.
"Indeed, if we cannot find food soon, our whole town will starve!" Mr. 9 started sobbing.
"That is pretty serious, but isn't there anyway you can get food other than from the whale?" Usopp asked.
"Unfortunately no, our town's main source of income is from bounty hunting but there hasn't been a successful hunt in a long while, our town is flat broke… If we have no bounty to turn in, you Marines won't pay us." Miss wednesday shook her head sadly.
"Oh," Luffy hit his palm with a fist. "If that's the case, we have money and food too! There's no need for you to kill Laboon!"
"Luffy! Are you sure? You're going to give away our supplies to people you barely know?!" Nami grabbed his arm quickly.
"Why not? We don't really need that much money, do we?" Luffy tilted his head at Nami.
"Not really, but…" Nami turned away from her Commodore, biting at her sleeves. "All that money…." Nami cried.
"You… You'll do that for us?" Mr. 9 gasped.
"We can't see a bunch of people starve and not do anything, right?" Sanji grinned.
"As long as you agree to not hurt Laboon," Usopp nodded, crossing his arms.
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday looked at each other, "Thank you Marines! We are in your debt!" They bowed their heads on their raft.
"So where's your town?" Luffy asked, turning back to them.
"It's at Whiskey Peak, on Cactus Island, it should only be a few days sail away from here." Mr. 9 answered, rowing their raft towards their ship.
"Nami, set a course for Whiskey Peak, that shall be the start of our patrol route," Luffy grinned at her.
"Aye… Commodore…" Nami was slumped on the deck, tears streaming down her cheeks while drawing circles on the ground. "All that money…"
A loud boom sound suddenly echoed from under the sea.
"What… What was that?" Usopp stuttered.
"It's Laboon, he's crashing himself into the mountain again…" Crocus sighed, taking off his shirt before diving straight into the sea.
"Woah! What's that old man going to do?!" Sanji ran to the other side of the ship, watching the water.
The booming sound continued for a few minutes as Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday pulled themselves up on to their ship. Everyone stared into the water as the boom continued for awhile before it got softer and softer and then stopping abruptly.
Laboon surfaced after awhile, this time less violently than the first. Crocus stood on top of him, a giant syringe in his hands.
"What's that? What did you do?" Usopp gasped.
"I injected some sedatives to calm him down for now, it's the only way to stop him from hurting himself…" Crocus sighed. "I'm afraid I'm getting too old for this, one day, I might just not be able to help him before he kills himself…"
The Straw Hats looked up at the half submerged whale, now currently docile. Luffy stepped up to the prow of the ship, crossing his arms.
"LABOON!"
Laboon's eye drifted down to look at the Marine.
"I know it is painful for you, these pirates are your family right?"
"Buoohhh..." Laboon wailed.
"They made a promise to you that they will come back for you, right?!"
"Buoooohh!" Laboon wailed again, tears forming at his eye.
"Even after fifty years, you still believe them to be alive, right?!"
"Buuuooohh!' Laboon started crying.
"On my word as a Marine, I'll head into the Grand Line and find your friends for you! So you don't need to hit your head against the mountain anymore!" Luffy punched his hands in the air.
"BUOOHH!" Laboon wailed loudly, his tears flowing freely down into the sea.
"Heh, that kid…" Crocus shook his head. "How the hell did you make him listen to you, when I failed to do so all these years?"
Luffy took a few pots of paint and drew a crude looking strawhat on Laboon's head, "This shall be a mark of our promise! As long as this remains, I will continue to search for your friends! So don't scratch it by hitting the mountain!"
"BUOOHH!" Laboon yelled in understanding.
"You guys, I've never seen Marines like you… Who are you guys?" Crocus grinned.
"We're the Straw Hat Marines," Usopp grinned proudly at him.
"The Straw Hat Marines eh? Weren't you guys who dealt with the most wanted in East Blue?" Crocus scratched his chin.
"Yep, that's us!" Sanji smirked at him.
"What are you doing over here at the Grand Line now?"
"We had been stationed to the Grand Line after that. There are much more pirates here, after all," Nami grinned at him.
"Nami! Is the log pose set on Whiskey Peak yet?" Luffy jumped back on the ship.
Nami checked the log pose, "Yes, we can set off anytime now."
"Onwards to Whiskey Peak!"
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And cut.so this is it for this chapter hope you guys enjoyed and thus starts alabasta arc stay tuned to see what surprises the next chapter bring.bye