Chapter 509: Mountain Zone
Honey, Nojiko, Maya, Kalifa and Tashigi exited the cave. They saw a landscape with towering, jagged peaks that stretch high into the sky, their summits cloaked in permanent snow. The air was crisp and biting. The occasional howl of wind echoing through the valleys. The area was blanketed in snow under the pale sunlight. Glassy ice was on the floor. Frozen rivers wind their way through the landscape. Treetops were covered in snow.
"It is a bit chilly here," Nojiko remarked.
"Cold for sure," Honey added.
"It was warm on the other side of the island," Tashigi commented.
"The temperature has changed so rapidly," Kalifa said. "There are islands out there which have different temperatures and seasons," she added.
"The world sure is wonderful and strange," Maya said.
"Lets go and explore what we can find here but we need to be careful of the snow and ice," Nojiko said. They all nodded.
They started to walk in the mountain pass. "Tashigi, how are you feeling about being with us?" Nojiko asked.
Tashigi looked at Nojiko and the rest of them. "I don't mind, in fact, I feel calm and safe, it is like being at home with my family," Tashigi responded.
"We feel the same way," Honey replied and nodded at her.
"What do you think of Ben?" Nojiko asked.
Tashigi stopped and looked around. "Ben, is a criminal, pervert, flasher, going after every innocent girl, he should be locked up," Tashigi blurted out. The image of his gentleman sausage kept appearing in her mind.
They all smiled. Tashigi words had affection in them despite it sounding harsh. "Well, he is a criminal in the eyes of the world government," Khalifa said.
"He can be a pervert," Nojiko added.
"He does work around in his birthday suit," Honey agreed.
"He does go after innocent girls," Maya also said.
"That is why we should lock him up," Tashigi said.
"We have him locked in the ship," Nojiko joked.
"Tashigi, do you have a warm feeling in your body when you talk about him?" Kalifa asked.
"I know, I do," Nojiko responded.
Tashigi thought about her heart beat skipping when Ben was around. The kiss melted her heart. She looked at Shichiseiken by her waist. She thought everything changed when she got her. She touched the handle and gripped it.
"He will guide us," Maya said, looking into the sky. She thought about the Goddess and knew he was chosen for her, for her sisters.
"You might fall for him without even knowing," Honey said.
They walked down the path until they saw an altar with a shiny orb. "Looks like we found another one," Honey said.
"Lets keep our eyes open," Nojiko said.
As they stepped onto the concrete, the orb started to glow. Suddenly everyone had a vision of Hina as a baby. She had a large forehead and small body. She was in her mother's arms crying who had a big smile on her face. Her father was there and looked happy to see his little daughter. The scene changed to Hina crawling around in a house. She was exploring the stairs and backyard. Her mother ran out behind her. The scene changed to Hina as a child holding her fist and beating up a group of older kids. She looked angry. The scene changed to Hina in school and someone approaching her. He seemed happy and had a fake smile. Hina punched him. The scene changed to a group of pirates coming to her hometown. They fired guns and set houses and buildings on fire. Hina shouted at them and ran towards them. The Marines then came and stopped the Pirates. She saw them as heroes. The scene changed to Hina joining as a Marine cadet. She was training with a boy with white hair. He smoked a cigar. They both practised with their sword. The scene changed to Hina meeting a elderly man, laughing. He wore a dog hat and laughed. The scene changed to Hina graduating from the Marines academy. Her parents looked very happy. The scene changed to Hina eating a strange fruit. It tasted awful. The scene changed to Hina fighting pirates and capturing them. The scene changed to Hina creating an iron cage and hanging pirates by their collars. The scene changes to Hina blowing up a pirates' den. After that, the scene changes to Hina getting awarded and promoted. The scene changes to Hina meeting an older lady she had hung dried some pirates. They both smiled. The scene changed to Hina talking with Smoker at a bar. They laughed together. The scene changed to Hina defeating more pirates. After that the scene changed to Hina getting a call to help in Alabasta by Smoker.
Before they all could respond, the orb started to glow. There was a bright light. From the bright light a figure started to form. They saw a tall, muscular man with a tan complexion. He had red hair. On his face he had a triple set of parallel, linear scars that passed vertically, at an angle over his left eye. His other eye was untouched. He had a smile on his face. His left arm was missing. He had plain black eyes, topped by thin brows. He wore a long, sleeveless, high-collared cape of black color and beneath a simple, white shirt half-buttoned up. He also wore pants which were cut below the knee. He had a red sash around his waist to keep his shirt tucked inside. He wore brown sandals. "Phantasm Shanks," Phantasm Shanks said.
"That is a yonko of the sea," Tashigi said.
Phantasm Shanks unsheathed his sword, a streak of haki surged from the blade and rippled through the air like an unseen storm. The atmosphere around the girls grew oppressively heavy, as if the very air had changed. Honey felt her liquid powers quiver uncontrollably. Nojiko clutched her stomach, a wave of unease clouding her senses. Maya wiped a bead of sweat from her temple. Kalifa's breaths came in shallow, ragged puffs. Tashigi's hand trembled, her grip on her sword.
Despite their disorientation, they exchanged glances. They all jumped back. In the blink of an eye, Phantasm Shanks disappeared.
Maya held on her knees and panted. Nojiko put a hand on her. "That was..," Nojiko said.
"Terrifying," Honey added.
"That is the power of one of the Four Emperors of the sea," Tashigi said.
"That was a fake one," Kalifa pointed out.
"It felt like Mihawk`s power but greater," Honey said.
"Can we beat that?" Maya questioned.
"Yes, Ben can," Nojiko stated.
"Let's see what else we can find," Kalifa directed. They all nodded.
Honey, Nojiko, Maya, Kalifa, and Tashigi wandered through the snow-laden forest, their boots crunching softly against the frosty ground. They stumbled upon an ancient temple half-buried in ice.
"We have found something," Kalifa murmured, her eyes narrowing as she adjusted her glasses.
"It feels… ancient," Honey said.
"It is like a shrine or temple," Maya responded.
The group entered cautiously, the cold air replaced by a still, almost suffocating silence. Their eyes fell upon a massive statue standing at the center of the temple chamber. It depicted a humanoid, muscular figure with exaggerated arms and hands, its slightly short legs in stark contrast to its bulky upper body. The statue's head was small compared to the rest of its physique, and it wore an imposing golden helmet, cylindrical in shape, with four menacing red eye slots.
"What is that?" Tashigi whispered. Her fingers hovered near her weapon.
"It's… unsettling," Maya admitted, gripping her sword hilt tightly.
Nojiko tilted her head. "Could this be that ancient guardian?" Nojiko asked.
Kalifa stepped forward. "I think so," Kalifa responded.
"They did worship this before it turned against them," Maya said.
The group fell silent. "Well, we know what to look out for," Nojiko said.
Honey then spotted something behind the statue. Honey walked behind and saw a chest. "There is a chest here," Honey said.
The girls gathered around it. "Let's open it," Nojiko said.
Kalifa kicked the chest and it opened. "A bit harsh," Nojiko remarked.
"It gets the job done," Kalifa said.
Honey looked inside and saw a knife. She picked it up. It was a Barong. A small machete with a curved blade. It had a gold handle. There were buildings on the handle.
"We have a similar knife back on the ship," Nojiko said.
"It certainly is different," Tashigi said looking at it.
"Let's keep moving," Kalifa said, touching her glasses. They all nodded.