Twin Cape Promise:

-x-

"Everyone who sees Laboon asks the same thing," Crocus explained to the Straw Hats while Laboon mournfully cried up at Reversed Mountain. "Why does he keep ramming his head into the Red Line? Why does he keep howling at Reverse Mountain? Listen closely and I'll tell you Laboon's tragic story."

"Old people always tell the best stories," Y/N commented as he sat down beside Sanji and listened.

"One fine sunny day while I was fulfilling my duties as a lighthouse keeper some good-natured pirates came down Reverse Mountain. They were followed by a baby whale who I would soon come to know as the one-and-only Laboon."

-Laboon Flashback-

Fifty years ago, a clean-shaven Crocus who still had his signature flowery hair-style was manning the lighthouse when a large pirate ship came down Reverse Mountain. The ship had faded purple sails and the Jolly Roger had slanted eyes and bull-like horns. They were known as the Rumbar Pirates.

What had surprised Crocus the most about the Rumbar Pirates was a much smaller blue Island Whale that had followed them in. It only took Crocus a moment to realize that the whale, which he would come to know as Laboon, shared a strong bond with the pirates.

Laboon had been traveling with the pirates for a long time. The Captain of the Rumbar Pirates, a man named Yorki had explained that they had been traveling with Laboon for a large portion of their journey. The pirates had attempted to leave Laboon behind in the West Blue, knowing the dangers in the Grand Line, but the stubborn little whale followed them anyway.

The wear and tear on the pirate ship was severe and the Rumbar Pirates ended up staying at the Twin Peaks Lighthouses for several months. Over that time, Crocus had become close friends with the crew and Laboon. It was easy to tell that even though Island Whales were social creatures by nature and traveled in pods, Laboon saw the Rumbar Pirates as his family.

But then the day of the Rumbar Pirates' departure came, knowing the dangers of the Grand Line, they regretfully decided to leave Laboon behind so he'd be safe at the Lighthouse. Captain Yorki approached Crocus and asked him a favor.

"I have a favor to ask of you my dear friend," Yorki said, back then he was a young man with dirty blond hair that looked like Sanji's but was a few shades darker. He wore a purple captain's coat and cowboy hat, signifying him as the captain of the Rumbar Pirates. "Could you look after Laboon for a few years? When my men and I have completed out voyage around the world, we'll be back." Crocus agreed, knowing the dangers that lurked ahead in the Grand Line.

Captain Yorki explained things to Laboon as well. "Listen to me Laboon," Yorki instructed the whale, "We're taking our ship to the end of the Grand Line. Until we return I need you to wait for us here with Crocus. You can't come with us it's too dangerous, even for a might whale like you. But don't worry, three years will pass by in a flash. And don't forget, no matter the distance, our friendship will last forever."

"Well I guess it's time," Captain Yorki announced once the ship was loaded up and the Rumbar Pirates were ready to go. They boarded the ship and got ready. "ALRIGHT MEN, WE'RE SETTING SAIL! HOIST THE ANCHOR!"

The pirates cheered and they sailed off, Laboon attempted to follow them anyway, but Captain Yorki called out to him, "Laboon! You have to wait for us here and mind Crocus. Don't worry, we'll be back! I promise!"

-End of Laboon's Flashback-

"That was fifty long years ago," Crocus concluded.

"Fifty years?" Sanji repeated.

"And he's been waiting all this time for his friends to return?" questioned Usopp.

"No wonder he's upset," Nami realized, "That kind of wait would drive anyone crazy."

Y/N frowned and shook his head, "Poor thing."

-x-

Crocus led the Straw Hats through one of the waterways that Luffy had stumbled upon earlier. The Merry and Crocus' island/boat traveled down the waterway to the metal hatch.

"These waterways are amazing," Zoro remarked. "It's amazing the whale's still alive with a hole this big in his body."

"I suppose you're responsible for this?" questioned Sanji.

"Just a doctor's playful mind," Crocus replied, he was once again sitting on his lounge chair reading his newspaper.

"Doctor?" Usopp repeated.

"That's right," said Crocus, "I may not look it, but I'm a legally certified doctor. I also ran a clinic on the Cape once upon a time. Before that I served as a ship's doctor."

"Really? That's great!" Luffy commented as he sat on the stub of what was once the sheep figurehead of the Going Merry. The Straw Hats hadn't gotten around to reattaching it yet. "Join us! We need a doctor!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Crocus replied as he left his island and climbed up a ladder. "I no longer have that kind of energy. Exploring the seas is a young man's burden."

"What kind of doctor hollows out the inside of a whale?" Sanji wondered.

"Maybe it's part of the treatment," Nami suggested.

"That's right," Crocus answered as he reached the top of the ladder and walked along a walkway until he reached a massive door like the one leading out of the stomach. "With a whale this size, it's virtually impossible to treat it from the outside. So I devised a more drastic solution."

"Here's the exit," said Crocus as he turned a crank and opened the large doorway, CRANK! CRANK! The Straw Hats smiled when they saw the real sky outside.

"THE SKY!" Luffy cheered as they sailed the Going Merry out of the whale and into the water of the Grand Line. The Merry towed Crocus' island/boat along with them.

Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday finally regained conscious and realized they were staring up at the real sky. They spotted five of the pirates from earlier. "What is it Ms. Wednesday?" Mr. 9 whispered.

"Shh," Ms. Wednesday shushed him as she began untying the ropes that they were tied up with.

"What're you two up to?" came a voice. Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday turned and saw the one-eyed pirate with the cowboy hat watching them from the deck above them.

"Uh... n-nothing," Ms. Wednesday stammered.

"If you're trying to escape, I'd suggest doing it now while they're all distracted," Y/N told them. "If you stay away from us and that whale, we won't have any problems."

"Hmph," Mr. 9 grunted. "You can't tell us what to do. And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay out of our way."

"Bye-bye, baby!" The two called out before they leapt off the side of the Merry and swam away, SPLASH!

"What did they just call me?" questioned Y/N. He spotted something shiny on the deck near the loose ropes and hopped the railing to get a better look. Y/N's foxy grin appeared on his face when he realized that they'd dropped a glass ball, "Finder's keepers." He took the ball and put it in his top left pocket with the one he'd bought in Loguetown. Then he calmly rejoined the crew's conversation.

"Fifty years? Isn't that a little extreme?" questioned Usopp. "They sure know how to test someone's patience."

"Idiot, don't you get it?" Sanji scolded him. "This is the Grand Line. His friends are dead. That whale can wait forever, they won't be back."

"Sad to say, but that's probably true," Nami admitted. "Back in the day when those guys sailed, the Grand Line was an uncharged sea a thousand times more treacherous than it is now."

"Why are you all being so pessimistic?" asked Usopp. "You don't know that they're dead! They could still come back for him. Come on, have some sympathy would ya? I thought it was very toughing. A whale believing in his friends' promise despite waiting all these years... it's a true bond, right pops?"

"Indeed," Crocus agreed. "But the lesson here is that reality is crueler than fiction. Laboon's cohorts aren't dead, I've learned that they've turned tail and left the Grand Line."

"I don't believe that!" Usopp protested. "How could they just abandon the whale like that?"

"You say they ran away from the Grand Line," Nami said, "To do that they had to cross the Calm Belt."

"Precisely," Crocus replied. "That's why their fate it uncertain. The climate, the ocean currents, the air currents, even the season, On the Grand Line these elements seem to defy the very laws of nature. Common sense is useless, weak hearts soon succumb to fear on the Grand Line."

"Then those pirates were weak of heart," Sanji decided. "They cared more about saving their own asses than keeping a promise to a friend."

"Why would anyone abandon such a loyal creature?" Usopp wondered. "This is cruelty on a grand scale."

"But if you've known all this, why haven't you told him?" asked Nami. "Laboon can obviously communicate with you. He seems to understand humans quite well for a whale."

"I did tell him," Crocus admitted, "Down to the last miserable detail..."

-Crocus' Telling Laboon Flashback-

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth!" Crocus told Laboon many years ago. "Your friends left the Grand Line. The bond you shared with each other was real. Just as real as the promise they made to return for you one day. But still, face the facts, those men are never coming back."

BWWWAAAAAA! Laboon let out a mournful cry, but couldn't seem to accept the fact that the Rumbar Pirates had abandoned him.

"LABOON, PLEASE!" Crocus pleaded with the whale, "I SAY THIS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD! THEY'RE NOT COMING BACK!"

BWWAAAAA! The whale wailed and thrashed around in the water.

"I understand that you don't want to accept it!" Crocus called out. "But you need to realize that this is how things are! LISTEN!"

SPLOSH! In response Laboon drove his huge tail into the water and drenched Crocus with the resulting splash.

-End Crocus Telling Laboon Flashback-

"That was the day that Laboon began to howl at Reverse Mountain," Crocus continued, "Soon after he started slamming his body against the Red Line. It's as if he believes that wall is what keeps his friends away, and by breaking it, he can clear the path for their return."

Whap! Y/N grabbed onto the back of Luffy's shirt and dragged him off of the decapitated sheep's head and away from the others.

"Those pirates didn't take their promise lightly," Y/N told Luffy. "They're most likely dead. And if a single one of them is still alive, they're still determined to live up to their promise. But we can't rely on that. We need to give the whale a new reason to wait and a reason to stop ramming its head into solid rock."

Luffy nodded and stared down at the deck, obviously thinking. "If you're up for it," Y/N continued, "I've got a plan that just might work..."

Oblivious to the plot between the Captain and First Mate, Crocus was still explaining things to the other Straw Hats.

"I admire his dedication," Sanji commented.

"He never gave up on 'em," said Usopp.

"He refuses to believe me because then he'd have to admit that its over," Crocus explained. "And that terrifies him more than anything. There's no way for him to go back to the West Blue. So what we have is a paradox of tragic proportions. Laboon is a lost soul dying to live with his friends, but won't stop killing himself to reach them."

"Tragedy," Sanji remarked, "still, for all the grief those pirate put him through, they did the same to you by saddling you with their burden. You've done enough for Laboon, what about you?"

"The scars on his hide are deep, but those in his heart are even deeper," Crocus told them. "He needs someone to tend his wounds and I'm all he's got. For years he's battered himself while I've patched him up. A strange friendship, but it works."

"RRAAAAAHH!" Luffy suddenly let out a loud yell and charged across the deck of the Going Merry carrying... the central mast?

"What the hell is that idiot doing?" Sanji wondered.

"Believe it or not, he's trying to help," Y/N answered as he walked over wearing a sly grin.

"You know something," Nami observed as she noted Y/N's grin.

"RRAAAAAHHHH!" Luffy roared as he reached the top of Laboon's head and spotted a fresh wound. He raised the mast up over his head as he charged over to it, "GUM... GUM... BOUQUET!" SHUNK! Luffy drove the mast down into an open wound on Laboon's head

"You think he's aware that that's our mast?" Zoro wondered.

"And now it's on top of a whale," Sanji grumbled.

"Why'd he do that?" questioned Usopp.

"He's getting its attention, now he's gonna fight it," Y/N explained.

"Oh okay," Usopp replied.

"WHAAAAT?" Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami shouted in perfect synchronization.

Laboon's eyes watered in pain as it felt the large piece of wood being driven into one of the wounds on the top of his head. Even to a huge whale, it was incredibly painful. BWWWAAAAA! This wasn't a mournful wail, this was a wail of pain and rage. Laboon was angry, not sad.

"Waaaahhh!" Luffy screamed as he hung onto the mast while Laboon shook his head around. SPLOOSH! Laboon leapt out of the water and soared through the air, then slammed head-first into the rocky cape, THOOOOM! Luffy and the mast were both squished by the massive whale's weight.

"THAT KID! HE'S DEAD!" Crocus cried out in alarm.

"Oh don't worry," Nami replied, "It'll take way more than that to kill Luffy!"

"And that's why he's fighting the whale while I'm standing safely on the ship," Y/N pointed out as he stood there with his hands in his pockets and calmly watched Luffy fight a whale that was over a hundred thousand times his size.

Laboon pulled back from the shore and recoiled from the pain of slamming its open wound into the hard rock. Luffy sat up and looked mostly unharmed. "Gotcha!" Luffy exclaimed.

SPLOSH! Laboon dove out of the water and launched himself at Luffy again. But Luffy dodged to the side and then shot out his arm, KA-POOW! Luffy socked the whale right in the eye with one of his hardest punches. But Laboon rolled with it and slammed into Luffy, KER-WHAM! The rubber pirate went flying and slammed into the side of the lighthouse that was behind him.

"Why the heck is he fighting that thing?" questioned Usopp.

"I told you, he's trying to help," Y/N replied.

Luffy lunched off of the lighthouse and shot out his arm, KA-POW! He connected with the whale's snout, but Laboon shook the blow off and connected with a MASSIVE headbutt while Luffy was still in midair. WHAAAM! Luffy went crashing into the lighthouse then fell to the ground.

"You wanna let us in on your plan?" questioned Zoro as he glanced from the Captain to the First Mate.

"Oi, Luffy," Y/N called out. "I think you've made your point. That's enough."

Luffy stood up while Laboon swam over to the cape and glared at him, "It's a draw!" Luffy told the whale, causing it to stop and stare in surprise. Luffy put his hat back on and smiled, "I'm stronger than I look. But I have a feeling you knew that. I can always tell when someone's itching to fight. If you want a battle, I'll gladly give you one."

"Your Nakama used to spar with you, didn't they?" questioned Luffy. "You must miss it. Well I can rival anything they threw at ya. And I'll tell you what, after me and my friends travel the Grand Line, we'll come back here and find you. You'd better be ready for a rematch."

Laboon's enormous eyes filled with tears, Luffy had vowed to go on his voyage and come back and fight him when it was over. The Rumbar Pirates had promised him something similar but hadn't come through in fifty years, but Luffy looked like he fully intended on living up to his promise.

Crocus and the Straw Hats smiled as Luffy's crazy actions finally made sense. Laboon now had another reason to wait. He no longer had to live with the thought that his Nakama had abandoned him, now he had a rival in Luffy.

Laboon reared his head up and let out a happy wail as he agreed to Luffy's promise, BWWAAAA!

"And now part two," Y/N commented. "You got some paint old man? Maybe a pair of really big paintbrushes?"

"Sure," Crocus agreed, "any particular colors you want?"

"White, black, red, and yellow," Y/N answered as he glanced at the Straw Hat Jolly Roger that adorned the main sail, which was now on the ground near Luffy.

-x-

Log Pose:

-x-

"See, I told you it would look better if I outlined it," Y/N pointed out as he and Luffy stood in front of Laboon, the two of them were splattered with yellow, white, and black paint. "You always sucked when it came to anything artistic."

Laboon now had the symbol of the Straw Hat Pirates painted on its head. Y/N had outlined it so it wouldn't turn out badly, then he and Luffy worked together in filling it in. The whale was smiling at the two paint-splattered brothers.

(A/N: I always thought that leaving Laboon with Luffy's badly drawn Jolly Roger on its head, while helpful, was animal cruelty. I took this opportunity to change it.)

"This is a symbol of my promise to come back and do battle with you," Luffy explained to Laboon. "Don't go ramming your head into stuff or you'll mess it up, understand?" Not only had Luffy given Laboon a reason to wait for him, but he'd also given him a reason to keep from hurting himself.

BWA! Laboon agreed.

"Good whale," said Luffy with a big smile.

Y/N reached down and picked up his black cowboy hat which he'd taken off while he was painting, "Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go wash this paint off and change," he told Luffy. "I'll trust you two to stay out of trouble until then."

Y/N went back to the Going Merry and passed Usopp who'd been tasked with repairing the damage done to the ship. The figurehead had to be reattached as did the whipstaff and the central mast. He was carrying some boards when he noticed the ropes lying on the deck.

"Hey, where are they?" Usopp wondered, he hadn't seen those two weird-o whale hunter's disappear.

"Oh, those weird-o's?" asked Nami who was standing on the deck in front of the galley with Sanji. "I guess they escaped. It must've happened while we were distracted by Laboon.

"Actually, I let them go with a warning not to mess with us," Y/N admitted, "They told me to watch my back because I apparently don't know who I'm dealing with."

"I wonder who they were," said Nami.

"They called themselves 'Mr. 9' and 'Ms. Wednesday'," Y/N replied. "They also called me 'baby' for some reason. All I can come up with is that they're codenames of some sort. I'd guess there's more where they came from."

"Aahhh! Ms. Wednesday, a woman of mystery!" Sanji swooned.

"Now, if no one needs me, I'm gonna wash this paint off and change," Y/N informed them as he lifted the flap in the deck that led down to the men's quarters.

-x-

A short distance away from the Going Merry, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday were bobbing up and down in the water. "Ms. Wednesday, what're we going to do now?" asked Mr. 9.

"First we'll have to put some distance between us and these morons," Ms. Wednesday decided. "Then we report to the boss. Our time for completing this mission has long since run out."

"I can here the others now," Mr. 9 commented. "They're probably already calling us traitors."

"I know," Ms. Wednesday replied, "But without our weapons, we've no choice but to go back to the office and start over."

"And this time no one will stop us!" Mr. 9 resolved as he reached inside his green suit jacket and searched for something. "GAAAH! ITS GONE!" Mr. 9 frantically searched for whatever it was he was looking for, but he couldn't find it. "OH NO! I COULDN'T HAVE!"

"What is it?" asked Ms. Wednesday.

"It's... gone..." Mr. 9 cried, tears were running down his cheeks passed the '9's' that were drawn on his face.

"HOW COULD YOU HAVE LOST THE LOG POSE?" Ms. Wednesday demanded.

"I don't know, I must've dropped it," Mr. 9 answered. "We're not going anywhere without it." Mr. 9 pulled out a pair of binoculars and stared through them, he scanned the Going Merry and checked to see if any of the pirates had the 'Log Pose' but none of the pirates on deck had it and it wasn't on the deck either.

"How awful," Ms. Wednesday complained, "and knowing our luck on this assignment, that one-eyed annoyance probably has it."

"AAAHH! OH NO!" Mr. 9 suddenly screamed.

Whap! Whap! Wings flapped and a pair of clams were banged together overhead, KLAK! KLAK!

"IT'S THE UNLUCKIES!" Mr. 9 shouted.

The 'Unluckies' were two animals. Mr. 13, an otter wearing a purple spotted costume with a hood, dark sunglasses. The otter was holding a pair of clams in its paws. Ms. Friday was a large vulture wearing a yellow hat with a brown flower designs and a dark pair of sunglasses. The vulture was holding a red box in its beak by a ribbon.

"MR. 13! MS. FRIDAY!" Ms. Wednesday exclaimed in alarm.

"DON'T BE HASTY! PLEASE, WE CAN EXPLAIN!" Mr. 9 pleaded while Ms. Wednesday climbed onto his shoulders in an attempt to get out of the water.

"WE'LL CHECK IN WITH THE BOSS IMMEDIATELY!" Ms. Wednesday told them.

KLAK! Fssss... Mr. 13 cracked his clams together and created a spark which ignited the rope he was holding. The rope was a fuse which was attached to the red box that Ms. Friday was holding, but then dropped on Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday. SPLASH! Ms. Wednesday fell off of Mr. 9's shoulders and the red box dropped down on them and exploded, KA-BOOOOOM!

Smoke was left on the water as the Unluckies flew off.

-x-

"Aaaah!" Nami sighed as she stretched and then sat down at a table with a map on it. "Okay, I finally have some peace and quiet so I can work on a plan for the Grand Line journey." Nami opened her compass and put it down on the table next to the map. The compass needle spun around and Nami waited for it to settle.

Skissshh! Sanji opened the icebox and smiled when the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna slid out. "Don't think I forgot about you, Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna," Sanji said to the fish.

Wonk! Wonk! Wonk! Usopp pounded some nails into a series of metal plates that he had used to reattach the central mast to the ship. "Ugh, that's my life," Usopp complained to himself, "Luffy breaks it, and I'm stuck putting it back together!" Usopp turned and shouted at Zoro who was off to the side sleeping, "HEY! GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTT AND GIVE ME A HAND! THIS SHIP ISN'T GONNA FIX ITSELF YOU KNOW!"

"Zzzzzzzz..." Zoro snored in response.

Suddenly a loud yell broke out, "WWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Nami screamed in anger and frustration. Her scream traveled around both of the Twin Capes and could be heard by anyone nearby.

Snort! "Zzzzzzzz..." Zoro snorted but just kept snoring.

Y/N, who was in the bathroom of the Going Merry attempting to wash the paint off of him, shook his head when he heard Nami scream. "Sounds like Nami tried to chart our course," Y/N commented.

Laboon was so frightened by the angry Navigator that he dove into the water and swam away, SPLOOOSH!

"You mind? Keep it down!" said Luffy as he turned away from the scared whale to the Navigator.

"Is there a problem, Miss. Nami?" asked Sanji as he ran over carrying four plates of Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna. "If it's foot you're worried about, say no more!"

"Did you say food?" questioned Usopp, who followed Sanji from the Going Merry after hearing the scream.

"You idiots!" Nami snapped. "The compass is broken! The needle just spins it won't stop!"

"Whoa, yeah, you're right," Sanji realized, as he, Luffy, and Usopp stared down at the rapidly spinning compass.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting dizzy," Usopp commented. Luffy just stared fixatedly at the 'cool' spinning compass.

"It is sadly apparent that only one of you seems to know how things work here," said Crocus. "Did you all come here to die?"

"Whooa! Good spread!" Luffy exclaimed as he stared at the plates full of Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna.

"That's for everyone," Sanji told him.

"There is nothing wrong with your compass," Crocus explained. "The Grand Line has little regard for the rules of the sea. Common sense is useless in this place."

"The needle... why does it spin?" asked Nami.

"Because we are surrounded by a powerful magnetic field," Crocus answered. "The islands here are riddled with magnetic minerals which cause all sorts of abnormalities. The winds and currants lack constancy in their patterns. As a navigator, I'm sure you can appreciate this dilemma."

"So then... if we don't have a way to tell direction... this whole trip is hopeless..." Nami realized.

Munch! Munch! Chomp! "This is yummy!" Luffy remarked as he ate the head of the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna.

Nami smiled and rubbed the back of her head, "I don't know what to say... we're screwed!"

"HEY! YOU'RE THE NAVIGATOR!" Usopp snapped. "NAVIGATE US OUT OF HERE!"

Munch! Chomp! Gulp! "This is delicious!" Luffy commented as he kept eating.

"WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT UP FOR FIVE SECONDS SO I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT!" Nami shouted.

"This nose of the Elephant Tuna is my favorite part!" Luffy exclaimed as he consumed the trunk of the tuna. "It's so tasty!"

"To have any hope of navigating the Grand Line, you're going to need a Log Pose to guide you," Crocus told them.

"Log Pose?" repeated Nami. "I've never heard of it."

"One of these," came Y/N's voice as he walked over wearing a tight red tank top and his usual black cargo pants and boots. He'd left his cowboy hat back on the ship and his red hair was still slightly damp. He had the glass ball that Mr. 9 had dropped in his hand. "It's a special compass that locks onto an island's magnetic signature and points to it."

Y/N handed Nami the Log Pose, which was a glass ball with a compass needle in it. It had a purple strap so it could be tied around someone's wrist.

"Gimme some of that," said Y/N as he snatched a piece of the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna before Luffy could eat it and quickly ate it himself while Nami looked the Log Pose.

"Without that, you'll never survive the Grand Line," Crocus informed her.

"I see," Nami replied, "excuse me for on minute..." WHUMP! Nami pounced on Y/N and started strangling him. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WE NEEDED A LOG POSE? AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD ONE?"

"I had... planned on it..." Y/N wheezed as Nami's hands squeezed his throat and shook him back and forth. "That's why I wanted to... stop here... I got that from... those weird people..."

"Those people..." Nami repeated as she stopped strangling Y/N and stared at the glass ball. "So this is a Log Pose... but there isn't a dial face on it."

"It doesn't need one," Y/N explained from underneath Nami. "All the islands in the Grand Line have different levels of magnetism connecting them. The Log Pose records the magnetic levels between two islands and points towards the next one. You just have to follow it."

"Heh, I had a feeling that you'd been here before," Crocus chuckled. "One Eye's right. Going from Reverse Mountain there are seven different paths you can take using the Log Pose. You can take numerous paths through the chains of islands until they come together at the Red Line which divides the Grand Line in half."

"Then it starts up again when you leave the Red Line," Y/N continued. "The second half of the Grand Line is called the New World because it's wilder than the first half of the Grand Line, and that's where all the really strong pirates live. The island chains take you through the New World and ultimately join together at the last island of the Grand Line... Raftel."

"Raftel?" Nami repeated.

"It's the last and most mysterious island in the Grand Line," Y/N clarified. "The one to confirm its existence was Pirate King Gold Roger and his crew, they're the only people who've been known to travel the Grand Line in its entirety."

Sanji, Usopp, and Nami were all so caught up in the Y/N and Crocus's explanation of the Grand Line, that none of them noticed Luffy finishing off the last of the Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna.

"That's it!" Usopp exclaimed. "That must be where the One Piece is!"

"That's the most prominent theory," Y/N replied. "But it's near suicide trying to get there. There's massive storms and no one knows how far out it is. No one's been able to set foot on that island since the Pirate King died."

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed as he gnawed on some of the leftover bones from the Elephant Tuna, "You mean... UNTIL WE FIND IT!"

Y/N smiled, "Damn straight." Crocus stared at the two in surprise.

"And Nami, if you wouldn't mind..." Y/N calmly requested, "GET! OFF!" Nami suddenly realized that she was still straddling Y/N from when she had pounced on him and quickly sprang up to her feet, then turned her back and pretended to be looking at the Log Pose which she tied around her wrist.

"Well, I'm satisfied," said Luffy as he patted his stomach. "You guys ready to go?"

"I TOLD YOU THAT WAS FOR ALL OF US!" Sanji yelled as he realized that the table was empty. Luffy had eaten the entire Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna, save for the little bit that Y/N had managed to grab before Nami started strangling him.

"HE EVEN ATE THE BONES!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Take care of that Log Pose," Y/N advised Nami. "It's the key to finding the Ultimate Treasure."

"YOU GREEDY BOTTOMLESS PIT!" Sanji shouted as he glared at Luffy, "YOU ATE THE MEAL I PREPARED FOR NAMI! I HOPE YOU LEFT ROOM FOR DESSERT!" THWAK! Sanji swung his leg around and kicked Luffy in the stomach, sending him flying. Y/N stepped out of the way as Luffy flew passed him, bumped Nami, and then went crashing to the ground. KRAK! FWUMP!

Nami stared blankly at the shattered remains of the Log Pose that was tied to her wrist. "Sanji... Luffy..." she called out as calmly as she could.

"Yes?" Sanji inquired as he turned around and smiled at Nami while Luffy sat up.

"BOTH OF YOU GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I WRING YOUR NECKS!" she screamed, KA-THWAK! Nami punted Sanji who went flying into Luffy and sent the two of them flying off into the ocean. SPLOOOSH!

"And here I thought getting your neck wrung was something she'd only do to me," Y/N commented, "Glad to know I'm not getting special treatment."

"So... correct me if I'm wrong..." said Usopp, "BUT DOESN'T THE LOG POSE WORK BETTER IF IT'S NOT BROKEN?"

"Oh no, our Log Pose is ruined!" Nami realized as she stared at the broken remains of the Log Pose that were tied to her wrist.

"Calm down," Crocus told them, "You can have mine, as a thank you for helping Laboon."

"Actually..." Y/N cut in, he fished into his top left pocket and pulled out a black jewelry box, he opened it to reveal another Log Pose. "I bought this in Loguetown."

"That's right!" Usopp realized, he remembered going to the creepy shop on the outskirts of Loguetown. "You said if we didn't have that, we'd all die."

"You can still have mine," Crocus insisted. "I have a feeling that you could always use a spare."

-x-

SPLOOSH! Laboon broke the surface of the water and spat the people he'd saved out onto the shore.

"Oh good, I'm not dead," Luffy realized. It was then that he spotted the other people that the whale that saved, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday.

Then Sanji spotted Ms. Wednesday. "Hello dear lady!" Sanji greeted her as he got up and walked over with a hand extended, "Allow me to help you to your feet."

"Oh, thank you," Ms. Wednesday replied as she took Sanji's hand and allowed him to help her up.

Sanji completely ignored Mr. 9 until he called out. "HEY! WE NEED A FAVOR!"

-x-

"Whisky Peak?" Luffy repeated a little bit later when he and Sanji had brought Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday over to the others. "Huh... that's a funny name."

"So what is it?" asked Usopp.

"That's where we live," Mr. 9 explained.

"How were you stranded, where's your ship?" questioned Nami.

"Well... it was destroyed," Ms. Wednesday answered.

"Asking us for a ride is pushing it Mr. 9," said Nami as she got in the man's face, "Especially after you tried to kill the whale."

"What's with the wardrobe?" Usopp wondered. "What're you supposed to be anyway?"

"I am a King!" Mr. 9 replied.

"Liar!" Nami growled as she reached out and pinched his cheek, causing him to yelp in pain.

"We can't say," Ms. Wednesday told them.

"She's right, you have to believe us," Mr. 9 pleaded once Nami released him. The two of them dropped down to their knees in front of the Straw Hats. "Our only motive here is getting home. We'd tell you everything if we could, it's just that..."

""Mystery' is our company's motto," Ms. Wednesday continued.

"We have to be mysterious," Mr. 9 added, "it's sort of a rule."

"We have confidence in your character, can't you give us the same courtesy?" Ms. Wednesday requested.

"Please, we're begging you!" 'the King' groveled, "Show some mercy!"

"Don't do it," Crocus advised. "These two fool are dishonest to the core. They can't be trusted."

"Listen," said Nami, "I should mention that our Log Pose was broken." She held up the purple ribbon on her wrist and showed them the shattered glass ball. "So... still wanna ride with us?"

"WHAT? YOU BROKE IT?" Mr. 9 demanded as he and Ms. Wednesday shot to their feet and glared at them. "THAT WAS MINE! THOSE AREN'T CHEAP YOU KNOW!"

"YOU'RE STUCK HERE TOO?" Ms. Wednesday snapped, "HOW LONG WERE YOU GOING TO MAKE US BEG BEFORE YOU BOTHERED TO TELL US?"

"Oh, sorry," Nami apologized, "I forgot to mention that Crocus gave us his Log Pose." Nami flashed an impish smile and stuck her tongue out.

"Hah-ha," Y/N let out an amused chuckle.

"GAH!" Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday shrieked as they dropped back down to their knees and bowed.

"Please have pity on us!" Mr. 9 begged. "That lousy bitch! She tricked us!"

"It's okay," Luffy decided. "You can come with us."

"Huh?" questioned Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday, the Captain was still willing to give them a ride.

"You said your home is Whisky Peak, let's go there," said Luffy.

"WHY?" asked Usopp. "These two are obviously shady characters! Why would we take them anywhere?"

"Its fine, don't sweat the small stuff," Luffy replied. "We'll be alright."

"Choose your route carefully," Crocus advised him. "Once you head out from here you'll be committed to that course."

"That's okay, if we don't like it, we'll try a different route next time," Luffy told him.

Crocus smiled at the boy's confidence. "So you will," Crocus agreed.

"On one condition," Y/N added, causing Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday to turn their attention on him. "If we take you with us, you have to stop hunting the whale. And that means you can't send anyone else out after it either. Do we have a deal?"

"Um... fine," Mr. 9 agreed. They had to stop hunting the whale, but they'd get home... hopefully.

"Then now that that's settled and Laboon and I still have an understanding, I can leave with a clear conscience," said Luffy as he got off of the table he was sitting on and headed for the ship.

"Just who are you anyway?" asked Ms. Wednesday.

"Me?" questioned Luffy, "I'm the man who's gonna be King of the Pirates."

Crocus chuckled while Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 shared a glance and sniggered for a different reason. "No too bright, this one," Ms. Wednesday thought to herself.

-x-

"You should be good to go," Crocus told them some time later. The sun was setting off in a distance. "The Log Pose has had plenty of time to store the route. The needle should be pointing in the same direction as the map."

"It's pointing directly to Whisky Peak," Nami agreed as she stared at the new Log Pose that was strapped on her wrist with a wooden cuff. Nami had changed into a black shirt with pink straps and the word 'MODE' written on the front in pink and a yellow skirt with white circles on the sides.

"See ya, pops!" Luffy called out from the Going Merry. "Thanks for the Log Pose! Take care!"

"Have a safe trip my boy!" Crocus replied.

"I'm off Laboon," Luffy told the whale. "Be ready to fight when I get back."

Bwwaaaa! Laboon agreed.

"NEXT STOP: WHISKY PEAK!" Luffy exclaimed. "Ready gang? LET'S SET SAIL!"

The Straw Hats cheered as they raised anchor and sailed off in the direction the Log Pose was pointing.

BWWWWAAAA! Laboon called out after them, wishing them luck on the journey ahead.

Zoro was still sleeping, Ms. Wednesday and Mr. 9 were quietly sitting off to the side while Y/N leaned back against the repaired central mast and kept his eye on them, Sanji and Usopp were in high spirits, Nami and Luffy were both laughing as they sailed off.

Crocus stood on the shore of the Twin Capes watching the Going Merry disappear over the horizon along with the sun.

"I wonder... Luffy and his crew could be the pirates we've been waiting for," Crocus said out loud. "That young captain sure has a strange way about him, it's uncanny really, wouldn't you agree, Roger?"

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!