Chapter 118: Sabaody Archipelago

Today is my birthday, Da~dada~DA~!

I'm 21 now, while means when Writer's Block hits, I can down a couple shots and power through. Not sure how well that'll work, but I can do it now! Anyway, onto the chapter!

Chapter 122:

Sabaody Archipelago

"Ish sho goid!" Luffy called, a dozen toothpicks poking out of his mouth. Nami sighed next to him, shaking her head with a small smile. The rest of the crew nodded with Luffy's sentiments, Chopper and Merry chowing down on some vegetarian tofu fritters. The only was to describe Takoyaki 8 as it was currently was comfortable but busy on account of how fast the owner had to work for one customer in particular.

"Really?" Hachi asked, all six of his arms working overtime to keep up with the pirates' appetites. He eyed the pirates, his gaze finally rested on Nami, the girl slowly chewing her food in opposition to her captain's lack of manners. "Nyuu~ Nami...? Do... Do you like it?"

"Don't think I've forgiven you," the navigator stated.

"No, no!" Hachi cried, two of his arms waving defensively. "I would never! I'll never be able to make up for that! I just wanted to know if you like my cooking."

She was silent for a moment before smiling. "I have to agree with my husband. It's great."

"You don't know how happy that makes me!" He leaned backwards, doing his best to keep his tears out of the food before he jerked. "Wait. Husband?!"

"I'm glad you like Hachin's food," Camie smiled. "I don't know what we would have done if you didn't."

"I think we would have just saved a bundle on ingredients," Paupagu groused.

"Husband?!" Hachi repeated. "I thought the Marines were making a false assumption!"

"They were, at the time," Nami agreed, flashing the golden band that circled her ring finger. "Honestly, it's all unorthodox, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. And as much as I hate Arlong and the others, and as much as I hated you, I realized that I never would have met Luffy otherwise." She leaned over, pecking Luffy on his overstuffed cheek. He grinned around his foodsticks before swallowing and laughing.

"Aren't they adorable, Paupagu?" Camie questioned.

"Peachy," Gin interrupted before the starfish could answer. "Long as ya don' walk in on-" Gin yelped, as Nami appeared before him with a sickly-sweet smile.

"How were you going to finish that sentence?" Nami asked, her Perfect Clima-Tact sparking.

"...Ah plead tha fifth?"

"The fifth what?" Merry asked.

"Uhh..."

"Gin," Amy began. "You're a dumbass."

"Uh, Man-Demon?" Hachi began. "I remember you from when you all beat us up, but what happened to your voice?"

"Ah'm tha 'Lectric Devil, now," Gin answered, latching onto any excuse to avoid the captain's angry wife. "Got ta meet up wi' some homefolks from mah home island few weeks ago. Mah old accent came back."

"Moving into a safer topic," Coby offered, trying to placate the stormy navigator before she could pounce on Gin again, "how do we get to Fishman Island? I don't think it's above water."

"It's not," Paupagu responded. "See, Fishman Island is nestled in the only hole in the massive wall that is the Red Line. Normally, there are two ways into the New World, the second half of the Grand Line, but for pirates like you, only one is a viable option. You have to go down 10,000 meters into the ocean and pass through Fishman Island."

"That sounds awesome!" Luffy cheered.

"How do we-?" Nami began before cutting herself off. The young woman hurried to the side of the ship, wretching over the side.

"NAMI/NAMI-SWAN/DONNA!" the crew cried. Luffy and Sanji jumped to the navigator's sides in an instant, the captain's hands rubbing calming circles over her back while the cook buzzed around the pair. Billy squawked beside them, gently nuzzling her side.

"Nami, are you ok?" Hachi cried. "You're not allergic, are you?"

"Nami-chin!" Camie fretted. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, it's-" Nami muttered, spitting that last of the bile from her mouth. "It's nothing. My stomach just didn't agree. I probably ate too much."

"Maybe you should go take a nap?" Luffy suggested. Meat wasn't the answer if you ate too much, after all.

"I can't," she shot back. "I need to know how to get us to Fishman Island."

"We can talk about that later," Coby offered. "It's not going anywhere."

"Coby's right," Grace agreed. "Would you like me to mix you a calming color?"

"No, no," Nami declined. "I'm fine, really."

"Go take a nap," Luffy insisted. "You need to be at your best to get us through, ok?" Nami moved to retort, but her arguments died in her throat, her eyes swimming in her husband's concerned gaze.

"Alright, I'll take a nap," she relented, folding under Luffy's version of the puppy dog eyes. "But only for an hour, ok? I want to make it to the Sabaody Archipelago with enough time to do some shopping and exploring."

Agreeing to her terms, Luffy asked Robin, Chopper, and Billy to escort Nami to the Sunny and watch over her. The two women, followed by the reindeer doctor and a concerned gigafowl, climbed the ladder up to the Sunny's deck, reaching the captain's quarters a minute later. The rest of the crew slowly worked their way back into the meal, save for Luffy who chewed at a pair of sticks nervously.

"Well that puts a super downer on things," Franky grunted, picking at his teeth with a toothpick. "Eh, she'll be fine. She's super tough."

"Yohoho, indeed!" Brook agreed, fiddling with his violin. "I'm tempted to write a song. The famed navigator who feared no sea~!"

"STRAAAAW HAAAAATS!"

"Oh for the love of Goda," Amy whined, her head thunking against the counter.

"We kicked their asses once," Zoro pointed out with a drowsy shrug. "I doubt they're here to pick another fight."

"Wadya want, Duval?" Gin called, the Flying Fish Riders just cresting a wave to come into view.

"What's that?" the leader of the pack questioned, blond hair flowing in the wind. "Did you just call me handsome?"

"No!" Gin answered a little too quickly.

"Uh, Duval?" Usopp asked, unsure of what had just happened. The man with the chiseled face talking to them looked nothing like the Sanji-poster lookalike.

"Huh?" the leader blinked. "Yes, I'm handsome. Aren't I, boys?"

"You're handsome, Mr. Duval, sir!"

"Please, call me Handsome."

"Yes, Handsome, sir!"

"Who's this guy?" Luffy asked.

"Sanji, what did you do?" Coby asked.

"I restructured the bones in his face," the chef waved off. "Now we don't have to worry about his ugly mug. Shame I couldn't do anything about his dying brain cells."

"What's that? Of course I'm handsome! You're welcome!" Duval's face twisted into what vaguely looked like it was supposed to probably maybe be a charming wink.

"Goda, no!" Grace cried.

"It's like the sinking of a battleship," Amy commented with awe.

"So horrific," Merry agreed, "but you can't look away."

"The Hell do you guys want?" Franky demanded, smacking the railing with a fist wrapped around a bottle of Cola. Duval jerked, looking away from the mirror he'd been using to admire his new face.

"Oh, we're here to thank good Master Sanji for my new handsome face and to tell you that the Flying Fish Riders kidnapping gang is no more. From now on, we will be the Rosy Life Riders!"

"Because life is rosy!" the former-kidnappers chorused.

"Do, ah..." Coby hesitated. "Thank you?"

"Of course I'm handsome!" Duval 'winked'. His face twitched as the man passed the pirates a piece of paper. "That's my personal den-den number. If you need our help on Sabaody, don't hesitate to call, m'kay?"

"Suuure," Merry agreed, pocketing the number. "If that's everything...?"

"Yes, I suppose I'm handsome... I mean, I suppose we're done here. Boys, let's be gone!"

"Yes, Handsome, sir!"

"So this is Sabaody!" Luffy laughed, he and his crew staring at the first of many giant trees before them. It bore the label Gr. 41 in white block letters. "It's so cool!"

It had taken the pirates longer to get here than they had anticipated—more than a day due to a freak storm blowing them off course and separating them from their fishy friends—but finally they met up with Hachi, Camie, and Paupagu and arrived.

In that time, several of the pirates had chosen new outfits fit for the occasion. Coby had decided that the climate suited the clothing styles of Luffy and Zoro, following them by wearing only an open vest to show off the results of his training with Zoro. His vest somewhat imitated what his Devil Fruit had looked like in the sense of bearing a swirling design in green, unlike Zoro's yellow and Luffy's blue. His shorts matched in being mostly grey with green accents. In his attempts to lie low, a fedora covered most of his distinctive pink hair, but his swords were still strapped to his back.

Gin had also changed, but he chose to follow Sanji in style. He was clothed in nice black pants and shoes complemented by a yellow button up. He left his black suit jacket open to show off a loose tie depicting simple thunderbolts over dark clouds and had chosen to comb his hair back, his usual headgear missing. Also like Sanji, he carried a cigarette in his mouth.

Merry decided she wanted to play to her cute image, wearing a knee-length blue dress with white accents that complemented her hair and horns. Her shoes were comfortable with a little heel, but not too much that she couldn't run. Finally, Nami and Usopp had tied a bow against her left horn to complete the outfit. Even so, she kept her hammers, Heart, and a considerable about of rope hidden under her clothes.

Amy, being a little nostalgic, had pulled out one of her outfits from when she was a member of Baroque Works, a short pink dress with a citrus pattern that showed off her legs. Small heels placed her almost to Gin's height and little sapphire earrings complemented her eyes. Finally, Amy had let her hair grow just past her shoulders and curled it, playing up an angle that should let her hide from possible bounty hunters.

Finally, Grace was just as colorful as usual. From head to toe, she was dressed in her pink cowboy hat, a pair of fake glasses with a golden frame, an orange tank top under a thin, dark blue jacket, a long red dress skirt with a slit in the right side, and pair of green running shoes.

"The Hussle Mussle Mangroves are some of the largest trees in the world," Hachi offered as the group stared up at the one whose roots they'd docked next to. "Their roots go all the way down to the seafloor and their trunks are always out of the water. The Sabaody Archipelago isn't an island, but a collection of 70 of these mangroves with everything built on the roots."

"What's with the bubbles?" Grace asked as she watched a shiny bubble grow out of the 'ground'.

"They're made of the sap the mangroves produce, making them very durable," Paupagu answered.

"But they only work on Sabaody and Fishman Island due to the special climate," Camie cut in.

"Durable, huh?" Amy smirked. "Can they hold weight?"

"Plenty!" Camie nodded, missing the gleam in the blonde's eye. "Stuff can go through them and they won't pop, too!"

"Hey, Pinky," the chocolatier called, the roset turning to her.

"Yeah, what's-?" Coby didn't finish on account of the woman's parasol slamming into his side. Grace's worried cry of "Coby!" was lost in the poor Zoan's screams. Even with his flailing, the chocolatier's aim held true, lodging the teen inside one of the closest bubbles.

"Baaahahaha," Merry snickered.

"What the Hell was that for?" Zoro demanded, rounding on the former agent as said woman's sister hurried to the bubble now containing their crewmate.

"Back off, Mosshead," Sanji growled, stepping between the swordsman and the woman. "I'm sure she had a perfectly good reason." Gin's eyes flicked between Zoro and the pair of blondes, unsure if he should get involved or whose side he would take if he did.

"Coby!" Grace yelled again, attracting the attention of the rest of the crew. The roset had tried to shift into his Dino Mode to escape, but the bubble seemed to be too resilient, deforming around his larger body without breaking, even as it rose into the air. While Chopper joined Grace in her fretting, Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and Robin couldn't help joining Merry in snickering at the boy's situation.

Luckily for Coby, the bubble was not able to withstand Grace and Chopper's prodding after the captain pulled it- and the trapped Zoan- back to the ground. Slitted eyes glared at the whistling lemon-themed pirate until Hachi pulled the pirates back on track.

"Now listen up, Straw Hats," the octopus fishman began, "especially you, Straw Hat. I need you to promise me that you'll avoid any confrontation with the Celestial Dragons, okay?"

"Who are the Cello Doggos?" Luffy asked, his head tilting. The name sounded familiar for some reason.

"The Celestial Dragons are the descendants of the original founders of the World Government. As a result, they're the most powerful people in the world, literally above the law."

"What?" Coby demanded through an instinctive growl.

"Those sound like some super bad guys," Franky muttered.

"If you don't do what they say, they can have an Admiral on you in an instant, so promise me, Straw Hat, that you'll bow to them if they come along and, no matter what they do, don't fight them."

"Yeah, yeah," Luffy waved off.

"Hell no!" Coby denied.

"But Tri-Horn-" Hachi tried.

"I don't give a shit who these people are or who they think they are, no one is above recompense for their actions!"

"You don't understand! The Marines and the World Government are at the beck and call of the Celestial Dragons! They can have you wiped out or sold into slavery in a matter of hours! If not for yourself, at least avoid them for your crew!"

That seemed to strike a nerve for Coby, reducing the Zoan swordsman to growling rather than real words. He held his glare for another second before lowering his eyes.

"So we won't attack these Drago guys," Luffy smiled. "That's fine. Why do we need to stop here before we get to go to Fishman Island?"

"To get there, you need to have your ship coated," Paupagu answered. "The resin that makes these bubbles is durable enough to withstand the water pressure around Fishman Island and can get you that deep if you follow the waterfall currents."

"Ah'm guessin' there 're coatin' specialists or summin?" Gin questioned.

"Yeah," Hachi nodded. "And I know the best one."

"Do we have to come?" Grace whined. Zoro let out a yawn, showing his lack of interest in this whole conversation.

"I guess not," Hachi sighed. "He lives on Grove 13 if you're coming with me. If not, you can stay here or wander around. Just make sure you know you're docked here at Grove 41 and can follow the signs back."

"That works for me!" Luffy laughed. "Hey, Nami! There's a Ferris wheel over there! Let's go on a date!"

"That amusement park does look fun," the navigator answered. "Sure, let's go." Taking her hand, the captain started leading his wife away from the group. Billy started to follow, but Nami stopped him. "Stay with the ship, Billy. You can come get me if something goes wrong."

"Wah!" Billy answered, giving the navigator a salute as she began to walk away.

"Wait, Nami!" Amy called. "You didn't give us our allowance!" She paused, pouting. "That makes us sound like children."

"Oh fine," Nami sighed, reaching into her purse to pass each of the pirates a goodly amount of coin.

"Captain?" Coby questioned, catching Luffy's attention. "Mind if I go with you? I need to get my mind off those Celestial Dragons and I think the amusement park might be the best place to get away from that."

"I'll come with you!" Grace piped up, suddenly interested. "Then you won't interrupt their date by third-wheeling."

"Not without me, you aren't," Amy denied. "This place is dangerous. I can feel it."

"Then we'll bring Gin, too," Coby smirked, sending a pair of raised eyebrows at the Logia. "Worst comes to worst, we can split into three pairs and meet back here. How about tha...?" Coby trailed off, turning around to see that Nami had dragged Luffy away.

"Let's go, Coby," Grace urged. "Carry me."

"But we're supposed to be lying low."

"Whatever," Amy sighed, trailing after the bickering teens. "Come on, Gin."

"We'll call iffin somethin' goes wrong," Gin offered to the rest of the group. "Talk ta y'all in 'bout two hours er so!" Gin turned, hurrying after the blonde, redhead, and roset.

"Let's hope it's longer than that," Zoro yawned. "I need a nap."

"I'll stay on the ship, too," Franky offered. "I've gotta make super sure Sunny hasn't taken any damage we don't know about and refill the Cola."

"If Mosshead's sleeping and Franky's working, the ship needs a proper guard," Sanji muttered. "I'll stay back as well."

"I think I'll help Franky," Usopp began.

"No, Uncle Usopp!" Merry protested, grabbing his arm and pulling. It was a testament to how far Usopp had come that he didn't get thrown across the not-island. "Big Bro Franky'll be fine! I wanna explore!"

"Nyuu~ So who's going with me?" Hachi blinked, the fast-paced discussion leaving him in the dust.

"Yohoho," Brook laughed. "It appears Usopp, Merry, Robin, Chopper, and I are going with you, Mr. Hachi. Zoro, Sanji, Franky, and Billy are staying."

"I'd feel better if I could've kept an eye on Straw Hat, but I'll have to trust that Nami will keep him in line." Hachi shook his head, stuffing four of his arms into an oversized jacket. "For now, I'll ask you all to just pretend like Camie and I are normal humans, alright? Follow me. I'll show you where we can rent some bubble bikes so the trip to Grove 13 isn't as long."

"Bubble bikes?!" Merry, Usopp, and Chopper cried.

Nami and Luffy hadn't gotten far before the quartet caught up with them, the couple casually holding hands as they walked through the town. Luffy seemed to hear them approach, tilting his head to glance at them.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy laughed. "Are you coming to the amusement park with us?"

"Yes," Amy answered shortly. "You would've known that if you waited another few seconds."

"Maybe," the captain waved off, "but you're here now, so no problem!"

"Ah'd like ta get there soon," Gin commented. "Not that Ah'll ride tha rides, but Ah don' think many boun'y hun'ers spend their time in tha park."

"It's not that big a deal," the captain shrugged. "We'll just fight them off if they attack us." Coby twitched, his brow furrowing.

"Excuse me," he muttered, breaking off from the group to approach a couple of women gossiping outside a bar of some sort. They seemed to be twins only a few years older than the pirate. One was dressed in red and the other white, but both outfits complemented their dark hair. "Pardon me," he began. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. What did you mean by 'Supernovas'?"

"Why do you want to know?" one of the girls, the one dressed in white, asked, her eyes roving over his exposed torso. "On second thought, why don't you join us inside? We'll answer all your questions. Isn't that right, Miltia?"

"Absolutely, Melanie."

"I'm afraid I don't have much time..." Coby responded, breaking into a cold sweat. He wasn't sure, but it felt like something was glaring through him. "What did you mean when you mentioned the Supernovas?"

"You're no fun, hot stuff," Melanie sighed. "I'll give you an answer if you let us feel those washboard abs you're showing off."

"Really?" Coby blinked. Well, it wasn't like they wanted money. What was the harm? "Okay, I guess."

"Now that's more like it," Miltia purred, she and her sister running their fingers over Coby's stomach and chest. The oppressive feeling of doom washing over the Zoan doubled, then tripled as Miltia decided to travel lower than agreed. His voice hitched.

"Th-That's not my abs."

"Oh fine," the sisters sighed, Melanie picking up from there as they let go. "Fair is fair. You wanted to know about the Supernovas, yeah? They're the rookie pirates that have racked up bounties of 100-mil or more before reaching Sabaody. Almost all of them are on the island right now, and some of them look de~licious!"

"Have you seen the posters for Kid and Law?" Miltia asked. "Kid looks like an absolute animal! And Law, ooh~ I'd bring him home for keeps."

"You said almost all of them," Coby interrupted, not wanting to watch them start drooling (or worse). "How many are there and who isn't here?"

"Well, there are 12 Supernovas," Miltia replied, "and the other name for them is the Worst Generation, though that includes all their crews in the mix."

"Worse, my ass," Melanie offered. "Actions maybe, but looks? They could do all the worst things to me."

"Rumor has it that if there's another Pirate King, it'll be one of them," Miltia continued. "Most of them are captains, though not all. There's Eustass 'Captain' Kid and Trafalgar Law the 'Surgeon of Death', the dreamboats who are on the island. Then there's the 'Mad Monk' Urouge and the 'Roar of the Sea' Scratchmen Apoo. They've got their own charm, but not as much as Kid and Law."

"The only female Supernova is 'The Glutton' Jewelry Bonney," Melanie cut in. "Sooo jealous of her figure. Must be a Devil Fruit. Who else? Oh, 'Red Flag' X Drake use to be a marine. There's also Capone 'Gang' Beige and Kid's first mate, the 'Massacre Soldier' Killer."

"Basil 'The Magician' Hawkins is a weirdo," her sister offered, "but he and Killer have the best hair. I mean, have you seen their locks? He's also the last one here. The other three are all on one crew that's not here yet."

"And, ah..." Coby stuttered, afraid of the next answer. "Who are they?"

"They're all part of the Straw Hat Pirates," Miltia answered, confirming Coby's fears. "Their captain, 'Straw Hat' Luffy, has the second highest bounty of the Supernovas. Damn, if he wasn't taken, not that that would stop me from trying. But the first mate? They call him 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro and boy is he... mhm. Those abs and that scar!" Miltia trembled.

"The last one is called the 'Electric Devil' Gin. He's the last Supernova being wanted for the bare minimum to be called one, but that still means their crew has three, a full fourth of the 12. He's not the best looking, but there's something about a bad boy. Honestly, I wouldn't mind getting abducted by them. Two words. Eye. Candy."

"And it's not just the guys we mean. A crew with five women that isn't all-female? I'd love to get in on the fun they're having!"

"I'm sure they'll get here eventually," Coby tried to laugh, backing away. "Thanks for the informa-"

"Are you done yet, Coby!" Luffy yelled. The behatted Zoan froze, wide-eyed, as the sisters seemed to recognize the name. "I'm hungry!"

"ThanksGottaGoBye!" Coby vanished, reappearing in the group of pirates trying to push them along. The sisters slowly turned to stare at each other before giggling madly.

"Did we just feel up 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro's almost-as-hot student, Miltia?"

"I think we did, Melanie."

"Junior is not going to believe this."

"He'll want to know they're here, though. Let's go!"

End of Chapter 122

Who recognizes this chapter's cameo appearances? Birthday party cookies to you if you do! (::)

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-SwordOfTheGods