Chapter 82: The Island

Good news, everyone! This Christmas, I got one of the best Christmas gifts ever! A new car!...

Not really, but I did get something as good if not better. I got my first piece of fanart! Only took me till Thriller Bark, but a huge shout out to Dojoboyred for drawing my Coby for the Water 7 arc! You can find his drawing on deviant art at

art/Pirate-Coby-Water-7-Arc-721816623

Everyone give him a big round of applause and three thumbs up! Yay!

In other news, if anyone would like to make more fanart for me or an Omake or anything like that, you are fully welcome to and, in fact, I would love to see what you come up with!

Chapter 86:

The Island

"Guys," the teen smiled. "I smell adventure."

"Nooo," the Coward Trio whined, crocodile tears in their eyes.

"Yes!" Merry cheered. "My first adventure as a member!"

"This is the super perfect time to show you what I have in Channel 2!" Franky smirked.

"Oh, what's in Channel 2?" Luffy asked, his eyes shining. Usopp and Chopper wiggled their way over, their eyes shining as well at the thought of a cool, new toy.

"As you all know," Franky began, "the Thousand Sunny is equipped with a super unique docking system with six different docks. Two of them, the ones marked 0, are the Sunny's paddle-boat features. Dock 1 contains Nami's waver which I had wanted to style into a super rocking horse, but no," Franky turned around and pouted, crossing his oversized arms.

"For the last time," Gin sighed, him having been the one to catch the cyborg in the act of inspecting said waver, "that's the Donna's personal craft. You can't touch it without permission."

"Uh, Franky?" Amy pressed. "The docks?"

"Right, anyway, while what I have in docks 3 and 4 are a super secret, now is the time to show off Channel 2. I'll need four volunteers." Excited, Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Nami, and Merry raised their hands. Leaving the captain, Franky took the rest of them down into the bowels of the ship through a hatch in the lawn. He returned a second later and ran to the steering wheel where he pulled the lever to release whatever was in Dock 2.

"I present to you the super Ladybug II!" A small boat pulled out of the larger ship, the four pirates aboard. The boat was shaped like its namesake, a tarp roof painted red with black spots in its up position. The sides of the boat were wide, giving the tiny ship a rounder shape, all of which was hidden from above by the tarp which was connected to poles at the front and a storage roll at the back. Nami was at the wheel with Chopper next to her and Usopp and Merry in the back, though they could not be seen.

"That's so cool!" Luffy shouted. "I want to ride it!" Franky watched his smaller creation sail around, a smile on his face.

"Why is it called 'two'?" Gin questioned. "We didn't have a Ladybug I."

"That's its number in the Dock System," Franky answered. "It's just the official name. I was going to call it the Going Merry II or the Mini Merry, but I didn't think that would be fair to our resident fairy."

"It's perfect," Coby stated, eyeing the vessel as Nami's excited calls reached the ship. Suddenly, the water began to churn, waves rising out of the water to push the Ladybug away from the Sunny. The mothership shook, those aboard losing their balance as the anchors dropped into the water. When the pirates got back up, the Ladybug and her passengers had vanished into the mist.

"Nami!" Luffy called out worriedly.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji cried. "Merry-chan!"

"Oh dear," Robin sighed in a flat voice, propping her head on her hand. "Let's hope they don't get ripped to shreds, eaten, and digested by Sea Kings."

"Robin!" Amy chastised. Next to her, Sanji stripped off his jacket and footwear.

With a running start, Sanji leapt over the railing toward where the Ladybug had last been seen, crying out "Nami-Swaaaaan!" He stopped about a foot away, all of his forward momentum halted through unknown means before gravity took hold. He fell, pivoting around his foot before smacking into the side of the ship. Dazed and confused, Sanji could only feel the wind as whatever it was that had him lifted his body up, spun him around, and threw him back at the other pirates. Zoro pulled Robin out of the way, leaving Gin to take the flying chef.

"Having problems, Dartbrow?" Zoro teased.

"Shut up," Sanji shot back, pushing off of his electrical friend. "You saw what happened to me."

"Yeah, yeah," the swordsman waved off, not noticing that one of his weapons was slowly wiggling free. With a sudden jerk, Zoro's cursed Kitetsu III freed itself and flew into the air where it spun several times before coming down toward the chef and chief-of-staff. Sanji dove out of the way while Gin all but ripped his headband off, the sword stabbing through his electrical body.

"Watch it, Moss Head!" Sanji growled as Gin rolled away from the sword and reapplied his headwear. "What the Hell were you thinking?!"

"It wasn't me!" Zoro denied in confusion, carefully approaching the sword stuck in the deck.

"Kyaa!" Amy cried out, struggling against something the others couldn't see with her arms crossed over her chest. The sound of a growling animal filled the air as a long, wet, and rough thing licked the Devil Fruit user's collarbone. "Something's got me!"

"Big Sister!" Grace yelled, flinging paint behind the blonde. Whatever had her let go and retreated before the paint could hit, the chemical-infused liquid continuing its path to land on Franky's leg.

"Ow!" the cyborg wailed. "Why and I crying?!"

"You're made of metal!" Coby yelled. "That shouldn't affect you!"

"This isn't good," Zoro stated, the growling starting up once again. "There's something here."

"A mystery thing," Luffy muttered, surprisingly serious. "We've got a mystery thing on our hands."

"Something's here," Usopp muttered, trying his best to cower behind Merry as the little Klabautermann strutted forward without a care, her white hair flopping this way and that around her curly horns as she took in the scenery of the spooky island. Behind them, Nami and Chopper clung to each other as they shuffled to keep up with the sniper and fairy.

"This place looks so dead," Merry announced. "There could be so many monsters hiding in these woods that could attack us at any moment... I love it!"

"Why?" Chopper moaned. "It's scary!"

"That's why it's so exciting!" Merry chirped, spreading her arms. "It was so boring as a ship, being left behind while you all went off on your adventures. Now I'm here, exploring these creepy woods on my own two feet. I don't think I'll ever get enough of this!" She stopped, Usopp bumping into her.

"Why'd you stop?" the sniper questioned.

"Stairs," the little girl answered, gesturing forward to the stone steps that lead into the darkness before them. Dark stone walls rose up on either side, plunging the bottom in darkness. A smile stretched across the fairy's face. "Let's follow them!"

"No!" Usopp cried. "We don't know what's down there!"

"That's what makes it fun!" Merry chirped again.

"We should just go back to the Ladybug and meet up with the others on the Sunny!"

"That's boring, Uncle Usopp," Merry whined, sounding like Luffy. "You know Captain Luffy will have us storm this island to help Brook get his shadow back anyway. We're like the advance party."

"I don't wanna party on this island," Chopper cried, misunderstanding their newest member's words. "I'd rather party on the Sunny."

"Let's go!" Pulling her wooden hammer from a pocket on the right side of her pants, Merry gestured forward and started descending.

"Merry, get back here!" Usopp shouted, sounding more like an overprotective father than an honorary uncle. He scrambled down after the girl, Nami and Chopper following lest they be left behind. They reached the bottom, old skulls and bones crunching under their feet.

"Oh!" Merry gasped. "Skeletons! Last time I saw these we ended up going to Skypia. That's a good sign."

"No it's not!" the other three wailed. Merry ignored them and continued forward.

"Merry!" Usopp yelled. "Get back here or you're grounded!"

"You can't ground me, Uncle Usopp!" Merry called back without breaking stride. "You need a beach to ground a ship!" The sniper ran to catch the fairy.

"She has Amy's sass and Robin's intelligence," Nami moaned. "And of course they'd work together. I'm just glad she doesn't seem to have any of Sanji's pervertedness." The quartet continued through the creepy ravine.

Grrrrrr. Something growled in the distance, five eyes opening to glow gold in the dark: two pairs and a single eye to the left. The creature stepped in to the moonlight, revealing it to be a giant beast with three heads. The beast, which stood about as tall as Franky, was colored mostly blue with yellow hair and stood on four legs. The head on the left was orange, a sharp contrast to the blue of the other two head, and had bandages covering one of its eyes. Scars and stitches covered the monster and divided the changes in color, an 84 sticking out on the orange of its left side. The beast padded forward on four paws, three yellow, furry tails flicking behind it as it growled.

"Finally!" Merry cheered. "Something to fight!" She raised her hammer and prepared to charge. The other three had other ideas. Usopp grabbed Merry and he, Nami, and Chopper in his Walk Point bolted back the way they had come.

"What the Hell is a Cerberus doing here?!" Usopp cried, the monster giving chase with alternating barks and yips.

"What's a Cerberus?!" Nami screamed.

"It's said to guard the Underworld!" Usopp answered. "Stop struggling, Merry!"

"I wanna fight it!" Merry yelled. "I'll kick its ass once per head!"

"Merry!" the sniper chastised. "Language!"

"Woof Woof Raow! Woof Woof Raow!"

"Wait a second," Chopper muttered. "I'm on to you! One of your heads is a fox head!"

"Raow..." the Cerberus whined, stopping. The pirates slowed to a stop and looked over at the crying dog/fox.

"I think that might have been a sore spot," Usopp muttered. The Cerberus jumped up and let out an even louder roar. The pirates panicked and bolted again. "Correction! That was definitely a sore spot!"

"I'm sorry!" Chopper yelled over his shoulder. Reaching the stairs, the quartet ran upwards, taking them two or three at a time before finally seeing the forest again. Thinking quickly, they dashed up a tree just in time to avoid the three-headed beast coming out of the stairwell.

"Hey-!" Merry tried, her shout being muffled almost instantly by the combined efforts of Usopp, Nami, and Chopper. Despite her struggling and wish to fight, the others kept the fairy at bay. The beast below wandered off in a random direction, its nose and hearing not on par with that of a live animal. The Coward Trio each let out a breath as the beast's growling faded to nothingness.

"Oh dear," a voice muttered, the pirates' heads snapping toward the direction on the sound. "That was-"

"AHHHHHH!" Usopp and Nami screamed while Chopper nearly fell out of the tree. "Vampire!"

"Now now," the voice placated. "No need to be rude. My name is Hildon." The thing that was speaking certainly looked like a vampire. Hildon was hanging from an adjacent branch by his feet, gravity making his blond hair face downward. The man had grey skin and a rather nice butler suit. Two large canine teeth poked out from his grey lips and a 21 was tattooed over his left eye, said eye and its twin small and beady with a black ring around each. The opposite eye had a scar running straight up into his hairline and his ears were pointed.

"I'm sorry you had to face that creature," Hildon continued. "Please, allow me to escort you to the mansion where you will be given food and rest. Dr. Hogback doesn't get many visitors, after all."

"Dr. Hogback?" Chopper gasped. "Yes!"

"Who is Dr. Hogback?" Merry asked.

"He's only one of the world's best doctors!" Chopper answered with stars in his eyes. "He's saved as many lives as there are stars in the sky! Do you think he'd give me his autograph?"

"I don't see why not," Hildon chuckled. "Please, follow me to the carriage."

End of Chapter 86

Den-Den Discussions:

Merry and Kaya

(After Enies Lobby)

BUDUP-BUDUP-BUDUP... BUDUP-BUDUP-BUDUP... BUDUP-BUDUP-BUDUP...

"Are you sure about this, Uncle Usopp?" Merry asked, fidgeting as the den-den's ringing drew out. "Maybe she won't like me or think I'm too unnatural. I'll just head back in with the others-"

"Oh no you don't," Usopp denied. "Trust me. Kaya will the shocked and delighted to hear about you."

"But-"

CA-LICK

"Hello?" Kaya's voice floated from the snail.

"Hey, Kaya," Usopp greeted. "It's me."

"Usopp! How are you? What's going on?"

"Oh, you know," the sniper waved, "we just finished storming a super-secret Marine base a couple days ago to save Robin and got a new crewmember. Nothing too big for the great Captain Usopp!"

"...You did what?!" Kaya demanded. "Is that another one of your tall tales?"

"If you think that's crazy, wait til I have you talk to our newest member Merry."

"Mary? That's a nice name."

"I'd hope so," Usopp chuckled. "Your butler named her, after all."

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Usopp thrust the microphone into the Wood Fairy's hand. "Go on."

"Umm, hi?" Merry timidly greeted.

"Oh, hello," the blonde on the other end responded. "I take it you're Mary? How old are you? You sound young."

"Technically, I'm four," Merry began, "but I only remember the last few months."

"What's your full name?"

"...Going Merry," Merry whispered.

"Going- Usopp! This better not be some prank you've wrapped this little girl up into!"

"It's not!" Usopp denied, scandalized. "Merry is the spirit of the Going Merry, a Wood Fairy!"

"What's a Wood Fairy? And I'd rather have the little girl answer this one! I can't trust you, right now, Usopp!"

"Umm, Uncle Usopp isn't lying," Merry muttered. "I really am the spirit of the Merry. I'm what's known as a klabautermann."

"I... a... what? This isn't a prank?"

"I'd never prank you, Kaya," Usopp responded. "Go on, Merry. Tell your Aunt Kaya your story."

"...Aunt?"

"So... uhh," Merry fumbled. "S-So... Wood Fairies are created through the bonds of a crew... and... uhh... That, uhh, that happened."

"Merry, Sweetheart," Kaya said gently, stopping the jumbled grouping of words coming from the little, horned girl. "You don't have to be nervous."

Merry swallowed, trying to steel her nerves. Her next sentences were a little more coherent. "So Wood Fairies like me are made when a ship's crew love each other without question. Some time after getting to the Grand Line, I started to notice things and slowly became more aware as the crew got bigger. Only recently was I able to take shape." The little girl cracked a smile, turning her eyes on Usopp. "The first time I did, I made Uncle Usopp faint."

"Hey!" the sniper cried over the sound of his girlfriend laughing through the snail. "We were in a forest in the sky and there was mist everywhere! And you caught me off guard!"

"Anyway~," Merry sang, much more at ease even though her mood slid downhill as her story approached common events. "I was starting to fall apart at that point despite how much care Uncle Usopp tried to give me, so I thought it was time the crew started letting me go, but then Robin just had to go turn herself in to let us get away when we couldn't and Captain Luffy had to go after her."

"That was the super secret Marine base raiding I mentioned!" Usopp cut in.

"Hush, you!" Kaya chastised. "Let the girl talk!"

"Yes, ma'am," the sniper gulped.

"So Captain Luffy and the others ran off to save Robin, leaving me here at Water 7 when a big storm was coming and the bast- err, bad guys released me with the hope that I'd sink. But I didn't! I just had this feeling telling me that I couldn't die yet, so I sailed myself through the storm to Enies Lobby, the Marine base, and saved everybody!"

"My goodness!" Kaya gasped.

"You're telling me!" Usopp laughed. "Imagine our surprise when we were stuck on a broken bridge, surrounded by 50 Navy battleships, and our little old Merry comes sailing in without a care in the world! I, being the Great Captain Usopp, the last one conscious after our battle with nearly 3,000 Marine Captains upon that broken bridge, valiantly-!"

"Yeah, yeah," Kaya waved off through the den-den, causing Merry to laugh at Usopp's scandalized expression. Her voice became distance, shouting something away from the receiver. "Merry! Get in here! There's someone on the line you'll want to talk to!"

"Who is it, Ms. Kaya?" Kaya's butler and caretaker, Merry, asked. There was shuffling on the other end of the line along with a gasp of surprise. "Ms. Kaya! I can't believe that Usopp's tomfoolery would rub off on you even leagues away! That is not funny!"

"I'm telling the truth!" the blonde on the line insisted. "Here! Talk to her!"

"If you insist," the butler relented. "Hello? To whom am I speaking?"

"Uhh," Merry blinked, her nervousness returning. "Hi. I-I'm the Going Merry. I like to th-think that I'm your d-daughter?" The fairy's voice hitched at the end, really hoping she hadn't overstepped her bounds with her creator. There was a pause on the other end.

"...Merry?" the butler questioned. "You... You're actually alive?"

"Yeah." The little Wood Fairy shifted.

"This is a miracle!" the butler exploded from the other end. "I've always wanted children!"

"You did?!" both Usopp and Kaya gasped.

"I never got the chance!" Butler Merry continued, undisturbed by the younger humans' shock. "Oh, happy day! Happy day!"

"...You know what?" Usopp muttered, patting Merry on the shoulder. "I'll leave this to you. Have fun!" The sniper started backing out of the room.

"Uncle Usopp!" The door closed, leaving Merry with her celebrating creator on the other end of the den-den call, the man crying out "She's aliiiiive!"

Fin

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-SwordOfTheGods