Chapter 158: The Vinsmoke Family
"Chopper? Why are you frozen in place like that?"
"I'm NOT frozen! I just—" Chopper's little hooves clenched at his sides. "I just think this whole situation is weird, that's all!"
Usopp rubbed his chin, studying the reindeer's rigid posture. "You're definitely acting strange."
"EVERYONE, THIS WAY PLEASE!" A mink nurse gestured enthusiastically toward the massive doors at the end of the corridor. "The Cat Viper is taking his bath right now!"
"Ah, right. Thank you." Chopper sucked the lingering snot back into his nose and marched forward—
Then froze again.
"Wait. WHAT?! A BATH?!"
He exploded through the doors before anyone could stop him.
The rest of the crew followed at a more reasonable pace, arriving just in time to see Chopper skid to a halt in front of an enormous bathtub. Steam rose from the water. A half-eaten mille-feuille balanced precariously on the tub's rim. An open bottle of sake floated in a bucket of ice nearby. And lounging in the center of it all, wrapped in bandages from head to paw, humming a jaunty tune, was the Cat Viper.
"HEY! CAT VIPER!"
The giant feline mink cracked open one eye. "Oh! Chopper! Good timing—"
"YOU CAN'T TAKE A BATH! YOUR WOUNDS WILL OPEN!"
"And that food!" Chopper pointed a trembling hoof at the mille-feuille. "You're only supposed to eat small portions! SMALL PORTIONS!"
He spotted the spoon wedged into the bandages where the Cat Viper's left hand used to be. "WHY ARE YOU EVEN USING YOUR LEFT HAND?! YOU DON'T HAVE A LEFT HAND RIGHT NOW!"
The Cat Viper yawned. "It's fine, it's fine, Chopper. I'm a cat who values freedom above all things. Doctor's orders and I have... an understanding. Mostly I ignore them."
He hauled himself out of the bathtub with his one good arm. "Though I will admit. Not having a left hand is surprisingly inconvenient."
He turned—and his eyes went wide.
"THE STRAW HATS! YOU'RE FINALLY HERE!"
The massive cat launched himself forward with the full force of his considerable bulk. Every member of the Straw Hat crew took an instinctive step backward. Every member except Usopp, who had been distracted by the mille-feuille and did not notice the impending impact until it was far too late.
"OOF!"
Usopp vanished into the Cat Viper's embrace. Whiskers scraped against his face. Fur filled his mouth. The cat's rumbling purr vibrated through his entire body.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I will NEVER forget this debt! Never! I'm a cat who repays his favors—you'll see! Just wait!"
"I CAN'T BREATHE—"
Before anyone could intervene, a large red ball on the nearby table wobbled and fell. It bounced twice on the wooden floor, and the moment it moved, the Cat Viper's pupils dilated. He dropped Usopp like a sack of potatoes and pounced.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE AROUND!" Chopper's voice had reached a pitch audible only to bats.
The Cat Viper batted the ball across the floor with his good paw, his massive body wriggling with feline joy. "It's just a little—"
RIIIP.
Everyone in the room heard it. The sound of stitches tearing. The Cat Viper's stomach, which had been securely bandaged moments before, was now bleeding freely through the gauze.
"MEOOOOW!"
Ten minutes later, the Cat Viper lay on his bed, surrounded by the entire Straw Hat crew and several exhausted mink nurses. His stomach had been re-bandaged. His left arm stump had been re-wrapped. His dignity had been thoroughly compromised.
"Listen," he said weakly. "I WANTED to stay in bed. That's precisely why I went back to bed. You see?"
"Yes. We see." Chopper's voice was flat. "Just don't move."
"This guy." Usopp rubbed his bruised ribs. "His whole body's been torn apart, and the only thing still working is his mouth."
"Alright! Stay still! I'm giving you an injection!" Chopper brandished a needle that was, objectively speaking, far too large.
The Cat Viper took one look at it and snapped his head toward Robin. "You! The dark-haired one! The dogtail grass! On the table! Bring it here!"
Robin glanced at the potted plants. She plucked a single stalk of dogtail grass and waved it experimentally. The Cat Viper's eyes locked onto it. His rear end lifted into the air. His tail began to twitch.
"That's it! That's perfect! Chopper! Give me the shot while I'm distracted!"
"You're moving MORE now!"
Robin waved the grass left. The Cat Viper's head followed. She waved it right. His entire body wriggled in response. "Like this?"
"EXACTLY LIKE THAT! MEOW!"
Chopper, seeing no other option, leaped into the air with the needle raised high above his head. "AIM AND—!"
The Cat Viper's howl echoed through the Whale Forest.
In another room of the stronghold, Pedro shook Pekoms awake. The lion mink groaned, his bandaged body protesting every movement.
"Pekoms. Someone's here to see you."
Pekoms cracked open his tiny eyes. The first face he saw was Nami's.
"Oh. The Straw Hats. Gawu."
His voice was heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry. Black Leg Sanji. They took him after all. I couldn't—"
He stopped.
His eyes had found a figure standing at the back of the group. A dark cloak. Dark hair. Eyes that were currently obsidian but that he had last seen spinning with crimson death.
The scream that erupted from Pekoms' throat was louder than the Cat Viper's injection howl. Louder than anything that had come out of the lion mink in his entire life.
"WHAT—WHAT—WHY—?!"
He ripped free of his IV. Kicked over his water cup. Shrank into the corner of the wall with his knees drawn up to his chest and his paws covering his head.
"YOU! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"
"Itachi?" Luffy pointed at his crewmate. "He's on our ship. We're in the same crew."
"YES! I KNOW! SAME CREW!" Pekoms was trembling so violently that his hospital gown rattled. The memories were still fresh. Still raw. The Anthem. The black flames. The crew dropping one by one. The sword energy that had split the sea. And those eyes. Those horrible, calm, utterly merciless eyes.
"It's alright." Itachi spread his empty hands. "We're not enemies this time."
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU LESS TERRIFYING!"
Pekoms scrambled behind Pedro. "Brother Pedro! Protect me! If anything happens—!"
Pedro, to his credit, did not move. But his voice was grim when he spoke. "I wouldn't worry, Pekoms. If he wanted to hurt you, you'd already be dead."
"...That's not comforting!"
"When Straw Hat burst into the Whale Forest, this man came with him." Pedro's gaze met Itachi's. "He neutralized our entire ambush before any of us could move. Every Knight. Every position. I didn't even sense it happening. If he had wanted us dead..."
Pekoms' trembling slowly subsided. Not because he was less afraid, but because the fear had peaked and his body simply couldn't sustain that level of terror any longer.
"Pekoms." Nami knelt beside him. "We're not here to hurt you. We need information. That's all."
"...Really?"
"Really."
The lion mink pulled his blanket up to his nose. Only his tiny eyes were visible above it.
Itachi unbuckled the pouch at his waist. He unstrapped the Wind-Forest Fire from his back. He handed both to Pedro. "Hold these."
Then he sat down on the floor, cross-legged, hands visible and empty.
"I've never seen a lion as cowardly as you." There was no malice in his voice. Just observation. "Your Devil Fruit suits you perfectly."
"GAWU! Who are you calling a coward?!" Pekoms lowered the blanket, indignant pride briefly overcoming mortal terror. "I'm NOT afraid of you! You want to ask questions?! Fine! ASK! Ask anything!"
He pulled the blanket back over his head.
Pedro sighed.
Luffy stepped forward, arms crossed. "First question. This marriage thing. Who decided it?"
From beneath the blanket, Pekoms' muffled voice answered. "Momma. And the head of the Vinsmoke Family."
Nami blinked. "Sanji's father?"
"What kind of person is he?"
Pekoms emerged from his blanket cocoon just enough to speak clearly. "He's well-known in the underworld. Very well-known." He paused. "Haven't you heard the name Germa 66?"
The room went still.
"Germa 66?" Nami's brow furrowed. "The 'War House'? The evil army from the comic strips? That Germa 66?"
"That's the one." Pekoms nodded. "Except they're not fiction. They're very, very real. And Sanji..."
He swallowed.
"Sanji is a prince of the Vinsmoke royal family."
(End of Chapter)
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