One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Cursed Island of the Devil Fruit Gods ❯ Reunion ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Luffy and Smoker watched, relieved, as Sanji triumphed and won his battle against Egetsunai. "Get 'em, Sanj-" Luffy cheered, but was cut off by Smoker, who covered his mouth.
"Baka! Ssshhhh! You don't want them knowing we're here! We need to keep the element of surprise if we're going to have to fight, but we want that to be our last resort!" Smoker hissed.
Chopper carried Sanji into the jungle, hoping to find something, anything, to eat for his inebriated, starving friend. But his eyes lit up when he saw Luffy racing towards them. "Luffy!" Chopper cried happily, nearly dropping Sanji. "You're okay!"
"Chopper! How did you guys get out of there? I thought that dragon-guy was going to kill you for sure!" Luffy asked him.
"Well, Sanji-kun told him something that scared him and he let us go..." Chopper said.
"Nami-swaaaaan...did you see me win...?" Sanji sleep-talked, followed by a belch.
"Do you know where your ship is?" Smoker asked Chopper, catching up behind Luffy.
"Aaaahhh!" Chopper screamed, really dropping Sanji this time and trying to hide behind a tree, on the wrong side.
"I'll take that as a 'no'." Smoker grunted. "Terrific."
"So what? We've found some of my nakama and they're okay!" Luffy clapped. "Now we just have to find Nami again, and the others!"
"We should go deeper into the jungle and send up smoke signals like I told Tashigi. They might be able to find us if they haven't run into trouble, and if we make them too close to this village, they might decide to come back after us." Smoker suggested.
Chopper took it that Smoker was on their side, for now, and picked Sanji back up as they headed away from the village into the jungle. But Chopper and Luffy's stomachs were both rumbling. Even Sanji's, while he slept, was growling. "I guess wee can't beat around the bush any longer. We're all starving, aren't we?" Smoker asked them. "Straw Hat, let's forage a little. If you've got a cook here we can start a fire and make half of this stuff into something edible." Smoker told them.
"Wow! Good idea!" Luffy laughed, picking up vines and digging up roots and collecting mushrooms in a rushed pace.
"Baka! It's called leadership! Something you don't have, obviously! How the hell you made it this far into the Grand Line..." Smoker growled.
"Sanji! Wake up! I'm hungry!" Luffy slapped Sanji repeatedly to rouse the cook and received a boot in the face.
"Anti-Manner Kick Course!" Sanji coughed, flipping out of Chopper's arms. "Where's Nami-san?!" he shouted. Apparently he'd sobered up slightly.
"You were probably dreaming." Luffy teased him.
"NOOOOOOO!" Sanji sobbed. "I dreamed...she saw me win my fight and..." his eyes filled with hearts. "I'm starving...have you found any food?" he asked them, his stomach growling. "I need something in my stomach, that sake is making me feel sick..."
"These!" Luffy grinned broadly, holding up a large armful of bugs, fungi and plants.
Sanji sighed and rolled his eyes, picking through what he could use and what he couldn't. "Oi, Chopper. Do you have anything like a frying pan at all?" Sanji asked the reindeer.
"Well, just a metal mixing pan for grinding powders into medicine..." Chopper said, withdrawing one from his medical bag.
"Good enough. I'll get you a new one if we ever get the hell out of here. Smoke-man, you got a light?" Sanji asked Smoker.
Smoker, who'd still been smoking heavily from his cigars, gave Sanji his lighter. Using some of Chopper's flammable ingredients, they managed to make a healthy campfire and Sanji cooked while Luffy gathered more and more edible items. "NO SECONDS!" Sanji gave Luffy a roundhouse kick to keep him from eating so much that no one else got any. "I'm saving some in case Nami-san and Robin-chan find us!"
"Aw, come on, we're going to go look for them, they won't come to us!" Luffy whined.
"SANJI-KUN!" Nami's voice rang out. Nami, Franky and Usopp had seen the smoke from the campfire and mistaken it for Smoker's signals. "We found you! You're all okay!" she sighed with relief.
"NAMI-SWAAAAAAAAAAN!" Sanji ran over to embrace Nami, but she ran right past him and began to shovel what was left of what he was cooking into her mouth.
"Oh, thank goodness..." she sighed, rubbing her stomach. "Now I know how Luffy feels." she giggled.
"Hey, save some for us!" Franky shouted, pushing Usopp forward. "This guy just got through a life-or-death battle!"
"Yeah!" Usopp said, for once telling the truth.
"Oi, fine. I'll make a feast for everybody. Just go find me some stuff that isn't poisonous! Or better yet go find something that is poisonous!" Sanji snapped.
"It tasted soooo good, Sanji-kun." Nami smiled.
Sanij's mood lightened. "Hurry up! We've got celebrating to do!" he said, enchanted now.
"Like hell we do! We're still missing my sergeant and that Nico Robin!" Smoker corrected him angrily.
"But we know where they are! Or at least, I do." Nami piped up. "Robin-chan couldn't come with us on our escape but I told her that Tashigi was hiding below the village, and she probably helped her find a better hiding place."
"What do you mean, below the village? We just came from there, and yet you came upon us from that direction!" Smoker pointed.
"Oh, wait, you must mean the Zoan village!" Nami gasped. "The village we found was a Paramecian village!"
"The Zoans were talking about fighting a war against them!" Sanji added.
"The Paramecians are too! And they're going to attack at sundown tomorrow night!" Usopp informed them.
"So the Zoans are at a disadvantage, they're going to be caught off-guard...we should warn them!" Nami said.
Sanji and Chopper laughed their heads off. "Nami-san, those people are monsters! Literally! They'd kill you on the spot if they saw you! They're no better than these Paramecians, I bet. We should just stay out of their way and let them kill each other off and we'll all be better off finding our way off this place." Sanji shook his head.
"We can't just let them do that! That's barbaric and horrible!" Nami protested.
"Whatever you say, Nami-san!" Sanji agreed, completely turning his opinion around.
"What I want to know is...what are these 'gods' that they're all talking about." Franky interrupted. "I've been thinkin'. We were brought here by a freak storm. Even Nami couldn't really sense it coming as quickly and powerfully as it did. Isn't that right?"
"Well, yes..." Nami raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was getting at. "Are you criticizing my navigation skills?" Nami crossed her arms impatiently.
"Not in the slightest. But think. This guy must've been stranded for the same reason, right?" Franky motioned to Smoker. "And yet we saw them nowhere near us. A storm that wide-spread would have been reported, especially by a weather-sensitive city like Water 7. I think we must've wandered too close to this place and gotten hit by this island's 'curse'. So even if we find our ship intact and undamaged...if we try to sail away, we might get hit by the exact same storm and end up right back here...forever. I think if we're going to get any answers from these restless natives, we're going to have to beat it out of them. So maybe Nami's right-we should stop these tribes from warring and force them to cough up what they know." Franky proposed.
"Wow! Great idea!" Usopp clapped. "I've already defeated one of the Paramecians' greatest hunters, I'm sure you all will have no trouble with them! Even Luffy shouldn't have a problem with that giant-man Daikyojin."
"A giant-man! SO COOL!!!" Luffy gasped, stars of excitement in his eyes. He still remembered the adventure in Little Garden with Broggy and Dorry, the two kings of giants.
"He's planning on making Robin-chan into his wife and queen." Nami informed them.
"THAT BASTARD!" Sanji roared, kicking down a nearby tree. An unearthly howl of pain rang from the fallen tree and echoed through the jungle. "What...the...hell was that?" he whispered. Everyone in the clearing had gone deathly silent.
"I am getting so creeped out by this forest! Let's just eat and get away from here! We're going to the Zoans' village and warning them about the Paramecians. And if they won't give us answers in return for our kindness, we'll knock them out!" Nami decided.
"Right! Are you with us, Smokey guy?" Luffy asked, as all of his nakama had joined hands.
"But it's dark! We can't fight to our fullest in the dark. Especially me!" Usopp said, being a sniper and depending on clear vision to battle.
"And I'm exhausted!" Sanji added.
"Long-nose is right. We camp out here and make our move in the morning. That leaves us half a day to recover and get back to the Paramecians' village and halt their assault after we deal with the Zoans. Objections?" Smoker changed their plans around.
"This isn't the marines!" Nami stuck her tongue out at him. "And we still have to find Zoro! He wasn't in either of the villages, I take it. Where could he be?" she said worriedly.
"I bet he'll show up at the last minute. That marimo-head likes that sort of thing." Sanji smirked. He lay against a tree and closed his eyes. "Get some sleep, everybody. Luffy, since you still seem to have some energy left, gather some food for morning. I know you're going to want breakfast in the morning. And you're going to have to be at your fullest to stop that Ryuumaoh dragon-man. He's a freak-beast." Sanji told Luffy before drifting off to sleep.
"A dragon-man too? SO COOL! I wanna see 'em!" Luffy jumped around excitedly. Chopper, having seen Ryuumaoh, did NOT join him in dancing, knowing how horrible the Zoan leader was.
The others all gathered around. "I wish Zoro was here...he always wakes up just in time to stop anything dangerous." Nami sighed. She made sure she slept in the center of all the guys. "We should take turns keeping watch."
"Not to worry." Franky waggled his finger. He parted his hair and a small radar dish popped out of the top of his head. "This will tell me if anything approaches our perimeter, no matter how small or large, and even if it is coming from underneath us or above us. Even while I'm asleep." he smiled.
"All right then. Everyone, lights out." Smoker ordered.

Robin hoped Tashigi was on her way to tell her friends not to worry and to stop the Paramecians from attacking if they found the others and could mount a legitimate assault. But she decided in the meantime to ask Daikyojin as much as possible. "I am an archeologist, you see." she explained to him. "There was an ancient civilization, its exact name was forgotten, but they left remnants of their culture in the form of indestructible blocks of differing sizes, and only certain people, like myself, can read them. Do you have anything like that on this island?" she asked. They were sitting together around the ceremonial fire as a few of the tribesmen danced around the fire, a ritual to ask for good luck from the gods.
"We do not. At least, we Paramecians do not. The Zoan tribe may be hiding one such thing. They do not let on that they have any such secret thing, but we shall find out when we annihilate them and dominate the entire island." Daikyojin assured her.
"Oh..." Robin frowned disappointedly. "Well...what are these gods? Can you tell me?" she asked him.
"No one truly knows, we only have legends and stories passed down from tribal leaders and elders. But it is written that every time someone nears death, they are to be sacrificed to the volcano rather than to be allowed to perish normally. It is not something I enjoy doing but tradition must be upheld. If we do not, the gods will become angry and the volcano will erupt and destroy us all. Or they will beset us with horrible weather and destroy us that way. But if we adhere to what the gods want us to do, we are blessed with fertility and abundant food and water, and victories in small battles to acquire more Devil Fruits for every time a child is born in our village." Daikyojin explained.
"So no one has ever...seen one of these gods?" she asked him curiously.
"We do not believe they take on a mortal form that we can perceive." Daikyojin shook his head. "They are ethereal and omniscient. And we shall find out, tomorrow night, if they truly bless us, or if they bestow their fortunes upon those beasts. But we are fairly certain they are smiling upon us." he said confidently.
"I hope that they do not wish for you to be at peace with the Zoans. For if you annihilate them, there is no way to seek forgiveness for such a thing." Robin said solemnly.
"It is the gods who turned us against one another in the first place. It has been so for as long as I can remember." Daikyojin corrected her. "We used to have contests of strength held high atop the volcano, Paramecian against Zoan, and the loser would tumble in and be sacrificed. The gods demanded it or we were always hurt by famine and drought. Once more and more warriors were sacrificed, they were satisfied. And our continuing to do their bidding keeps us prosperous." he concluded.
"That...seems reasonable." Robin coughed. How could they be so naive? Had they never heard of coincidences? But she was still worried. That storm was too deadly and direct for it to have been an accident that they ended up here. "You truly believe there is no way off this island? Even for outsiders?" She asked.
"There is, but as I said, we suffer for their sins against the gods, for not stopping them. So we either sacrifice them, or make them one of our own and make escape impossible. And the gods remain satisfied." Daikyojin explained. "I do not blame you for your friends' disobedience. But you must understand I have to punish them if they ever return. And my Queen or not...if you help them, you shall die along with them." he warned her.
"I can't convince you to just leave them alone and stop keeping them from trying to escape the island?" Robin asked him. "Even if I stay here with you?"
"The gods won't allow it. And neither will I if we're this close to the decisive battle for control of the island." Daikyojin refused. "And if you try to escape, I'm going to ensure that there is no way you'll ever be able to try it again." he threatened.

Zoro dueled with Shishou as the sun began to set. No matter how fast he flew at her and no matter how wide he slashed he could never even land a hit on her, never coming close enough to even force her to block. "Faster, Roronoa, faster!" she taunted him, although he knew it was part of the lesson. He had to be faster. His strength was his greatest talent, and that was his flaw. He needed a proper balance of all three talents, strength, speed and skill. "Hit me!" she laughed.
Zoro glared at her as the sun began to slide down below the horizon. "ALL RIGHT THEN!" he roared. Facing downward, he slashed at the sandy beach below him and a wall of sand flew up. Even for all her skill, that move surprised Shishou, and Zoro came burrowing through the sand, slashing. "Onigiri!"
Shishou felt her skirt tearing even as she dodged, and Zoro knew he'd passed lesson three. Shishou closed her eyes and chuckled. "All right. You win. To be honest I wasn't even expecting you to pass lesson two. Lesson one was understanding, lesson two was confronting. Lesson three is about mastering. And you've proven to me that your speed and skill have the potential to catch up with your strength easily enough. I would suggest you cut back on your grog intake, it slows you down and adds fat to your body." she told him.
"How did you know I drink?" he asked her.
"A man like you isn't hard at all to read." she giggled.
"Fine. Did I pass lesson three? What's lesson four?" he rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you misunderstand. Lesson three is the last one, there is no lesson beyond that. I just had to ensure your body could tolerate it. And now I'm willing to take the chance of letting you try. Come." she told him, walking into the water as the moon began to rise. "Now, split the moon." she told him, facing him as she stood waist-deep in the sea.
"Excuse me?" Zoro asked her. "Split the moon? That moon?" he pointed to the glowing orb in the sky.
"Interpret it however you like." Shishou shrugged.
Zoro was finally about to tell her to shove her lessons up her rear until he saw the reflection of the moon in the water. "Oh...all right." he smiled. He slashed at the water. The moon's reflection rippled but it didn't appear 'split'. "Impossible." he told her, sheathing his sword.
"Of course it is. You're thinking with your brain. Not with your heart. I would have thought your dream would have opened you more to using your instincts rather than your senses. If you close your eyes you can hear more clearly, can you not? You must learn how to think with your heart rather than your brain if you want to learn to cut that which cannot be cut." she told him. "And you must hurry. Your friends are in danger. They need your help. Although I do not know if I can guarantee that this lesson will help you do that..." she admitted.
"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?!" he cried. "Okay...so I have to shut out my thoughts and use my instincts and think with my heart..." he muttered, closing his eyes. "Lion's Song..." he whispered, using the one-sword technique he'd used to slash through metal when he fought Mr. 1 in Alabasta. Thinking of his friends, and cutting through the darkness to save them, he leapt forward. He felt his feet slapping the top of the water, he was moving so fast he couldn't even believe it. Had Shishou been right? He slashed at the surface of the water and was blown back from the force of his own blow. Landing on the beach he sat up and looked out over the water. The moon's reflection was halved-the full moon hung in the sky and yet only a half-moon was reflected in the water. "I...did it?" he panted.
"You did. But you must work at it. You nearly broke your ribs doing that, and you couldn't see what you were doing. You need to focus and learn to control it. Especially if you are fighting a real opponent, not an inanimate object." Shishou answered him. "Now go. You've learned all I can teach you. Your friends are very worried and you should get back to them before they have to fight their next battle. Take Anu, he is the swiftest animal on the island and he'll be able to track their scent." she said.
Anu growled but nevertheless lowered himself to allow Zoro to climb on. "I can imagine it will be a long while before you reach them. Sleep while Anu carries you." she advised him.
"Well...thank you for everything, Shishou." Zoro said awkwardly. He was still angry with her for all the taunting and pain but he was grateful for all her training and help as well.
"Don't thank me yet. Come back alive first." she waved him off, turning away.
As Zoro hung on and drifted off to sleep as Anu moved through the jungle, the shadowy man appeared before Shishou again. "I warned you about that. You taught him how to hurt me." he growled at Shishou.
"He'll never succeed. You can kill him a hundred times over before he'll even know what hit him. Stop blaming me for all of your problems." Shishou snapped.
"You're just lucky those outsiders are doing our job for us. Keeping those fools from killing each other off will help us save their souls for our master." the shadowy man laughed cruelly.
"Not 'our' master. Your master. I stopped serving long ago. I just wish I didn't have such a burden to bear or I'd just kill myself." Shishou sniffed, on the verge of tears.
"One more trifle against us, and I'll relieve you of your 'burden' whether you like it or not." the shadowy man turned away from her.