"So… how bad is it?" Nami asked, her voice almost cracking.
I flinched, glancing away from her as I tried to think of the right thing to say.
An hour or two after the sunrise dispelled the last of Thriller Bark's shadows, our crew had all regrouped in the manor's ruins where Chopper had been tending to our crewmates. We'd been partway through discussing whatever the hell our next step was supposed to be, but more pressing matters had come up: thanks to Chopper's improved IQ and medical skills and their very slightly lessened injuries (relatively speaking), Nami and Zoro had woken up far sooner than I'd expected.
Currently, everyone was occupied with their own affairs. Chopper, for his part, had apparently conked himself out the moment the sun had risen, and was snoozing away in Nami's lap.
Conis was running long-overdue maintenance on her arsenal, triaging what could and couldn't be salvaged while Su lent a paw where needed. Usopp and Franky had excused themselves to go start working on… some project or other.
Sanji had run off to where the Rolling Pirates had started stockpiling supplies to start preparing the battery of dishes most everyone would need once they realized how hungry they were. Leo, Mikey, and Donny were all in the midst of committing what I was silently defining as an involved form of suicide by practicing their… artistic stylings on the still-sedated forms of Raphey and Boss.
And everyone else, well… they were all occupied with watching the little 'show' that was going on in the background.
Hence, that left me in the nominally uncomfortable situation of having to speak with Nami, who was currently fingering the bloodied bandage that covered her left shoulder.
The shoulder she had ripped apart in the throes of my agony, and also the one where her tangerine-and-pinwheel tattoo was.
"It's not… completely ruined, if that's what you're worried about," I attempted to reassure her. "For the most part, it's fine."
Nami's fragile expression wavered as she ran her fingers through Chopper's fur. "But the part that isn't?"
"…you ripped off one of the pinwheel's larger arms. Not the one with the tangerine on it, don't worry!" I hastily reassured her when she suddenly flinched. "…but still. Ah, but! Fret not, I took the time to ask around the Rolling Pirates, and there's a tattoo artist ready and waiting. Just give them the design, and it'll be good as new—!"
"'For the most part.'" I flinched as Nami brought up the one thing I hoped she wouldn't. "That's what you're not saying, right?"
I scratched the back of my neck with a pained grimace, because… well, she really wasn't wrong. Besides tearing the hide off her shoulder, Nami had clawed up the skin below her shoulder too. Nothing crippling, thank goodness, but… well, no matter what world you're from, bloody claw marks just do not scar well.
I was wrenched out of my thoughts by Nami heaving a massive sigh and clapping her hands together. "Well!" she announced with a sunny expression. "Guess that's that. Damn, and I had a rough enough time getting it on the first time, now this is just going to suck."
I blinked dumbly at our navigator. "Uh… seriously? That's your reaction?!"
Nami shot a catty grin at me. "What, did you expect me to break down or something because my tattoo got a little ripped up? Especially after you just told me that you've already found a way for me to fix it? Psh, come on, Cross, there's no way your opinion of me is that low!" Sticking her tongue out at me, she continued, "I think I actually am hurt, hurt beyond all belief! Big meanie~!"
"Ah, well… what about the—?"
"Scars? Come on, Cross…" She heaved an exaggerated sigh as she raised her shoulders in a shrug of defeat. "Your memory must be some kind of sieve or something. Remember this?" She held her palm up to me and pointed out a… pale line on her…
"Oooh, right, forgot about that," I said, grabbing my own hand in sympathetic throbbing.
"Yup~" Nami sang casually. "As you can see, I'm thoroughly familiar with how the pirate life can leave you marked. It's totally fine, no need to worry about me! After all!" She grabbed her non-injured bicep and flexed it proudly. "I'm the infamous Weather Witch, a world-class scrooge and Second Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates! Nothing can bring me down!"
"Uh, well… if you're—?"
"You realize you just spouted that shit in front of someone WHO CAN READ YOUR HEART RATE LIKE A BOOK, RIGHT?" Soundbite flatly stated.
And just like that, I re-tensed as Nami suddenly flinched. "Soundbite, you little—!"
"I-It's alright, Cross," Nami reassured me, looking away as a few key parts of her visage crumbled—a twitching eye here, a trembling cheek there, all very hesitant—and betrayed her true feelings. "Fine, so I was affected by what I went through, who the hell wouldn't be? That was… Kuma wasn't kidding when he said he'd put us through hell. But!" Nami took a very slow and deliberate breath before looking me dead in the eye, true steel gleaming in her gaze. "As bad as that was, it still doesn't compare to eight straight years sitting in that damn room wishing for death. I'm used to it, I'll deal with it in my own time, and for the moment I. Am. Fine. Alright?"
I glanced back at Soundbite, who was frowning but didn't say anything. Ultimately, I decided that if I could trust her with my life, I might as well put a little faith in her now. "Well… alright, if you say so. But if you need to talk or anything—!"
"Then I should clamp your maw shut and make you listen to me for a change? Can do!" Nami snickered into her fist.
I glanced away with a scowl. "Well, you don't need to say it quite like that…"
"Still, while we're talking about how each of us is feeling…" I looked back at Nami and caught her scrutinizing me intently. "How about you? Are you feeling alright?"
"Um… pretty much, yeah?" I asked more than anything. "Better than I have in a while, which you of all people should know better than anyone."
"Well, I only ask because…" Nami slowly turned her head to cast a flat glare at the madness going on in the background. "Well, if you're feeling alright, how come you're not putting on the same show that our beloved captain is?"
I glanced in the same direction, taking in the sight of Luffy leaning over Zoro's bed and Zoro leaning up towards him, both of them butting heads and shouting their lungs out at each other. It seemed like even Luffy didn't need to be told not to aggravate Zoro's wounds by way of percussive maintenance (though that may have only been because of how Chopper's snoring kept spiking whenever he started to move), but at the same time, he wasn't taking what his first mate had done lying down.
Buuut it was sort of hard to take them seriously, considering they seemed to be yelling more for the sake of yelling than anything else. The most comical way to blow off stress I had seen yet.
"Yeeeeaaaah, I guess I can understand your confusion…" I muttered, scratching my head. "I mean, if you want me to shout at you for being an idiot, I can, but… honestly, I'm satisfied with just calling you guys idiots. Which, by the way, you are."
"Hey, we saved your—!" Nami started to snap—
CLONK!
"Ow!" she yelped, cradling the spot where I'd chopped her noggin.
"You willingly walked into massive-ass bubbles of pure pain while already on the verge of death!" I snapped, shaking my finger at her. "That is the textbook definition of the word stupid!"
Nami growled bloody murder at me, before glancing away, mouth drawn into a surprisingly cute pout. "If it's stupid and it works—"
CLONK!
"That only applies when we do it, moron!" I shouted as I shook my hand out. Damn, and I thought Luffy had a tough skull.
"DO YOU REALIZE HOW INSANELY HYPOCRITICAL YOU SOUND RIGHT NOW!?" Nami roared in my face, teeth in full-on shark mode.
"PIRATE, BITCH, WHATCHA GONNA DO!?" I roared right back.
Nami sucked in a deep breath to continue yelling. Then her mouth closed as she finally noticed the shit-eating grin I was sporting. "…you're just screwing with me, aren't you?"
"Pfheheheh, kinda!" I chortled, casually leaning back and stretching my arms above my head. "I mean, I am pissed at you for doing something so, to repeat, bone-dead stupid, but I'd do it myself in a heartbeat, so as you said, guess that makes me a bit of a hypocrite, too. That's life, neh?"
Nami glared furiously at me. But at the continued ruckus from the rest of the crew, she heaved a sigh of defeat and looked back towards the rest of our crew with a goofy grin playing across her face. "Hypocrites, idiots, mannerless savages, and uncouth barbarians. We are one diverse bunch of bastards, aren't we?"
"Don't forget the monsters, demons, and assorted spectrum of psychotics!" I added.
Aaaand that broke the camel's back.
"Snkrt…"
The sudden snort from Nami was enough to get me to look at her in surprise.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"
And then she flung herself onto her back, flailing around as she howled like an absolute lunatic.
All commotion around us came to a screeching halt as Nami's howling caught the attention of the rest of the crew, all of them staring in awe at the once-in-a-blue-moon sight of Nami almost literally busting every stitch she had to bust.
Luffy finally broke the awed silence by suddenly giggling like the crazy bastard he was. "Shishishishishi! FINALLY!" He threw his hands up victoriously. "Everyone's alright, and everyone's happy!"
"Hey, I'm not done—!"
Luffy didn't lose a beat as he 'poked' (read: shoved) Zoro back onto his back, still grinning like a loon. "We're! All! Happy! So, now there's only one thing left to do!"
Everyone slowly exchanged eager looks as we all figured out where he was going with this, and as one, we all shouted what we were all thinking.
"LET'S PARTY!"
"PARTY!" Boss and Raphey roared in agreement, snapping clean out of their drug-induced slumbers, all amped and ready to rock before blinking as they noticed one another's faces.
"Uhhh… B-Boss? Y-You've got a little somethin' on your…" Raphey gestured weakly at her teacher's face.
"Y-Yeah, you too, it's, ah…" Boss's eye twitched as he pointed back at his student.
There was silence as the two dugongs stared at one another, and then the air started crackling around them as they snapped their heads around, murder literally glowing in their eyes as they glared at their fellow dugongs—who, it should be noted, froze into pale-eyed statues the instant their compatriots awoke.
"Tell me, Boss," Raphey hissed in a low voice, slowly grinding her sais together, the motion drawing sparks. "Is it a Man's Romance to kick the ever-loving shit out of one's comrades for screwing around with a person while they're asleep?"
"Why, yes, Raphey," Boss stated in a far too serene tone as he somehow managed to crack nonexistent knuckles in his flippers, one after another, each as loud as a gunshot. "Yes, it very much is."
The increasingly terrified Dugongs slowly inched back as much as their tails would allow. "Please tell me one of you guys has a plan…" Mikey whimpered. "Because I've got jack…"
"Can't think," Donny barely managed to get out. "Too scared. Regretting so much."
Leo, meanwhile, seemed only mildly nervous in the face of his fellow disciple and master's fury. "Don't worry, guys," he calmly said. "I have a plan."
Mikey and Donny glanced back at him with newfound hope gleaming in their eyes. "Really!?"
"Yes," Leo nodded firmly, his demeanour astonishingly still and calm. "You really think that I would go along with something this barnacle-brained if I didn't have a reason to think we would get away with it?"
"Get away with it?" Boss snarled. "How in Sebek's name do you think you're going to get away with this?"
"Well, Boss," Leo said, turning to look in a very particular direction. "Are you really mad enough that you're willing to take what will happen to you if you aggravate our injuries?"
The other Dugongs followed his eyes, and Mikey and Donny smirked while Raphey and Boss stiffened as they saw their snoozing doctor.
"Actually, he left a message for me in case of something like this."
The Dugongs' attention turned towards Merry, who had a flat look on her face. "He said, and I quote, 'If any of these morons provoke each other just because they think I'll magically intervene, the only help they'll get is me patching them up once I've woken up.'"
Raphey and Boss's anger returned in full force while the other three gulped. "Please tell me you have a backup plan, Leo," Mikey squeaked.
"Of course I do," Leo said, notably more nervous but still possessing enough wits to slowly drag his new cutlasses out of their sheaths and position himself behind his fellow students. "Now, listen carefully. I need you both to look dead ahead."
The two snapped their gazes forward, meeting their compatriots' enraged glares without flinching.
"Steel your backs, draw your weapons."
They drew their weapons and held them with pride, ready to fight to the death.
"And no matter what, don't you worry for even a moment!" Leo lowered his stance and tensed in preparation. "Because no matter what… I will definitely enjoy two more seconds of sweet, sweet life!"
"RIG—!" Donny and Mikey started to nod, aaaand then the words fully registered in their minds. "Wait, wha—!?"
SLAM!
Leo rammed the hilts of his blades into his fellow students' backs, launching them at their comrades even as he ran the other way as fast as he could. "EVERY DUGONG FOR HIMSEEEEELF!" he wailed in a tearful panic. "I'LL REMEMBER YOUR SACRIFICE!"
WHAM! CRACK!
Leo was way off. Raphey and Boss didn't even need half a second to bat Mikey and Donny through the nearest walls before charging after him. "TAKE YOUR BEATING LIKE A MAN, YOU BASTAAAAARD!" was the enraged howl that trailed after them.
We all stared after the dust trail that the trio left in their wake. And that just wouldn't do, would it?
"PARTY!" I shouted energetically.
"PARTY!" everyone cheered anew, though this time with a bit less enthusiasm overall.
"Eh?" Usopp blinked as he and Franky walked back up to us, layered with soot but otherwise looking pretty darned content with themselves. "What's going on?"
"PARTY!" Luffy whooped eagerly.
"We heard you the first time, Cross!" the Risky Brothers cut in as they poked their heads into the room, drawing our attention to the hustle and bustle of the Rolling Pirates setting up what promised to be one helluva party.
"Alright, I'll lead the way to the kitchen!" one of them said before charging off in that direction.
"Alright, I'll start setting up tables!" the other said, then went off in his own direction with just as much energy.
"ALRIGHT! Ah, wait!" Luffy paused mid-charge, swinging his head left and right. "Who was going to the kitchen again!?"
"That one!" Vivi hastily answered, pointing at the one who had gone after the tables. She sighed in relief as he charged after him. "Carue, you go after him and keep him occupied. I'll go and warn Sanji to batten down the hatches."
"Aye-aye!" Carue saluted before heading after him, with Vivi departing at a far more sedate pace.
"I need to retrieve my violin!" Brook yelped in realization, scrambling frantically out of the room.
"I think I saw an intact piano somewhere around here, if you'd prefer," Robin added as she too began to wander off.
"Oh, that is better! Lead the way!"
"Hey! Franky! Usopp!" Merry shouted to the newcomers. "I've got an idea! Let's shoot off some fireworks! That'll be really fun!"
"Uh…" Usopp and Franky exchanged perplexed looks before the sniper slowly raised a finger. "You do realize that it's the middle of the morning, right?"
"Then we'll just have to make them all the brighter!" Merry decided.
Franky considered that for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, always did appreciate a good challenge. Come on, let's get to it!"
I grinned as everyone began heading their own way, and was about to join them myself, only to eat a sudden jab to my side. I doubled over with a woof of pain and glared at the still-giggling Nami. "The hell—GRK!?" I was cut off by the navigator grabbing my collar and dragging me face-to-face.
"First off, that was for being inconsiderate enough to make me laugh because my entire body hurts right now," she grit out, her smile clearly pained. "And second, this is the best chance you're going to get to grab Merry and Vivi, duck out, and contact the Masons, so make the most of it!"
After only a few seconds of spinning its wheels, my brain decided that that was a great idea. So decided, I nodded and marched off, and Soundbite nodded at my glance to confirm that he'd already called our co-conspirators. I had just made it out the door when a thought occurred to me. "By the way, now that you've recovered, what was that new technique you mentioned earlier?"
"OH!" Soundbite perked up. "GASTRO-BARRIER, a literal wall of noise. I JUST WRAP MYSELF UP IN A SPHERE OF POLARIZED SOUND, and it DIVERTS most of whatever damage comes my way. It's a WORK IN PROGRESS." He frowned. "Case in point: I COULDN'T SPEAK UP UNTIL THE END OF THINGS BECAUSE WHEN I USE IT, it eats up so much energy I black out."
"Real useful there, slimeball," Su drawled as she trotted past us.
"AHH, SHADDAP!" Soundbite shot back.
"Huh. Nice lampshade," I commented idly.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" my partner snapped.
"What?" I blinked at him in surprise, pointing at the piece of furniture I was referring to. "It goes well with the wallpaper, that's all I'm saying."
The gastropod swung his eyes to where I was gesturing, then swung a flat stare back. "I can't tell if you're A SMART ALECK OR JUST really freaking stupid."
"Yes," I answered as I exited the ruined manor. "Now, back to business—"
"Cross?"
I paused mid-step, taking a moment to shove down my frustrations at being interrupted, and turned back towards the voice. "What is it, Lola?"
She flinched; I must not have suppressed my annoyance enough. "Ah, if this is a bad time—!"
I let out a hiss of exasperation and pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing myself to relax before addressing her again. "Sorry, sorry, I was just looking forward to… something. But we have got a surplus of time on our hands right now, so I can talk. What's up?"
Lola perked up visibly at the reassurance and gave me her best grin. "Well, first off—"
"No, I won't marry you," I deadpanned, with… actually quite a bit of desperation in my voice, I'm not ashamed to admit.
"REJECTION NUMBER 4460!" chorused every Rolling Pirate in earshot, a call that echoed throughout the castle as it bounced from person to person.
"Well, it was worth a try," Lola shrugged before grinning anew. "Anyway… I actually wanted to ask for your advice on something. Assuming that the kings of insane plans don't mind hearing mine out?"
"Ma'am, you misconstrue us horribly! Luffy is the grand supreme overlord of insanity." So saying, I swept my hat off and fell into a mock-bow. "We are his humble generals. But still," I smirked as I straightened up and put my hat back on my skull. "You have our undivided attention."
"Heheh, fair enough," Lola chuckled in amusement before glancing away at the crowd of her crewmates. "Alright, I'll cut to the quick of it: Before today, I never really had a solid plan in mind for what I'd do when I got my shadow back, because it all seemed so far off. The best I could do was get us all a ship and, hopefully, burn this place to the ground before running for the hills. But… your talk on the SBS, the one that punted this whole thing off? It… inspired me." A grin slowly spread on her face. "In particular, that last line you said to the maid really spoke to me: 'By daybreak, Thriller Bark won't even exist anymore.' And it got me thinking…"
Those words really got my blood going. I leaned in, intent on whatever she had to say.
"Now that Moria and his lackeys have disappeared and the zombies are all gone, and as your little buddy said, with the rising sun the curse of this island is gone too… Well." She gestured eagerly at the ruins of the manor around us. "Just look at this place! I may have spent the better part of my stay here in the forest, and I may have hated every second of it, but now that we're in the sun again? Somehow, I actually think that this emptied-out 'hell of shadows' doesn't seem like that bad of a place. And besides that, even after Kuma's assault earlier… It's still completely seaworthy."
Suddenly, she threw her head back and barked out a harsh laugh. "I never would have even considered this before, but you Straw Hats… after meeting you, fighting with you? I feel like doing something crazy. As soon as my men have recovered and I get their OK, which I don't doubt I'll get. We're going to change up this whole island, from the ground up, and when we're through…"
Lola's grin was at once absolutely massive and incredibly vindictive. "We are going to spit on the grave of Moria's dream in the most poetic way we can think of. We're going to take this prison of nightmares and darkness… and we're going to change it. We'll take this hell, and turn it into a heaven!" She spun around to face me and spread her arms wide with a mad cackle. "Feast your eyes, Jeremiah Cross, because you're looking at the future site of the biggest, boldest, and above all else brightest pirate haven this world has ever seen! And that's a promise on my pride as Captain 'Marriage Proposal', Lola!"
If my blood was racing before, it was positively singing as she finished, my mind flashing over the sheer awesome of what I had inspired. Destroying the enemy's base was all well and good, but stealing it? Defiling it by redeeming it!? I couldn't quite bring myself to do more than gape and grin at what was going on. I mean, the possibilities of having an entire island like this in the hands of an ally were endless. Of course, it'd be hard as hell for a single crew to pull off, no doubt, but—!
…but then… I had access to more means beyond my own crew, didn't I?
My lips slowly twisting into a maddened grin, I raised my hand and clapped it down on her shoulder. "Lola, your idea is a work of pure genius. But I think I can help you make it even better." I stepped away and gestured for her to follow. "Come with me. I'd like to continue this in private if we could."
Lola blinked at me in surprise before shrugging and following.
We walked for a minute or two, exiting out into the marginally clear—if rubble-strewn—courtyard of the ruins. Directed by Soundbite, we easily located the spot where Merry and Vivi had sequestered themselves. And going by how Merry was vibrating on the stone she'd pulled up and Vivi had her hands folded before her mouth in thought…
"I take it you heard all that?" I confirmed.
Vivi hummed in affirmation. "It's… certainly feasible. Places like Mock Town fall into hives of scum and villainy because of a lack of any central authority, but with the Rolling Pirates and whatever other survivors of Moria who join them running things…" She shrugged. "Plus, I can already tell you want to get Goat involved in this, so yes, I can see this place remaining respectable. What worries me are the resources, though…"
"Oh oh oh, that's easy!" Merry hopped in place eagerly as she waved her hand in the air like a toddler on caffeine. "She can use the wrecks! There are loads of sunken brothers and sisters in Thriller Bark's bottom! Some of them are rotten through, sure, but others were way, way hardier, and their timbers and bodies are still good to go! Plus, I bet Ox can get him to spare some muscle and skill to help with it, and Sagittarius probably has loads of surplus he can funnel on the sly; we've got all we need!"
"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need one last piece," I said, waving the hyperactive ship-girl down. Once Merry was down from 'ADHD chipmunk' to 'sugar high', I turned a serious face to Lola. "Captain Lola, from what I've seen thus far, I know for a fact that I can trust you. Implicitly, even. And with that in mind, I'd like to make you a proposition. And not that kind."
"Damn," Lola swore, snapping her fingers. "Alright. You have my undivided attention."
"I would like to invite you into an…" I splayed my fingers against one another as I sought the right word. "Alliance, of sorts, with our crew. An alliance that incorporates several other notable individuals, all on the down-low, of course. Should you accept, not only would we be able to grant you the substantial resources you would require to accelerate the construction of your haven by a matter of…" I glanced questioningly at my co-conspirators.
"Years," Vivi offered.
"Decade to decades, easy," Merry corrected.
"But in the process!" I continued, pacing side to side. "We would also provide you with the extra manpower and liquid assets you would need to crew, govern, and maintain this behemoth of a paradise you envision. But of far more importance…" I tossed a mysterious grin her way. "You would be part of something greater than either yourself or this new haven of yours. An undertaking, titanic in scale and scope, and extremely discreet in nature. And one whose goals, I believe, you would be quite amenable to. And all that would be required for you to join this alliance…"
I offered my hand to her.
"Would be for you to say yes."
"…part of me is wondering why I'm surprised, but I still never considered this," Lola breathed as she stared at my hand. She then snapped a cautious stare at me. "Last time I accepted a free lunch, I walked right into hell itself. What's the catch?"
"Broad strokes would be that you help us in every capacity that a place like what you're envisioning has to offer; details will be specified once you join," Vivi returned smoothly, her gaze focused on her nails.
"And feel free to talk to your closest confidants about this. That's why we're here for Cross, after all," Merry sang, kicking her legs against her seat.
"Exploding offer, by the way," I warned her. "Technically goes bye-bye only when we leave the island, but the sooner you can—?"
"I am very interested, Cross," Lola interrupted. "And I'm certain that any investment involving you guys is going to pay off big time. So…" She grabbed my hand and shook it firmly. "Yes, I'll join. Now, about those details?"
I smiled and wandered over to a nearby couple of chunks of rubble, where I sat down and placed Soundbite before me. "Knucker, if you don't mind?"
"Dialling now…" the snail confirmed, and a few seconds later…
"Pisces," came a low voice.
"Ophiuchus," I responded. "I and mine are still alive—" I winced as the new scar in my side reminded me of its presence by throbbing painfully. "—Albeit pretty badly tenderized all around. Details later, but for now, I've got big news on the scale of Sagittarius. Contact everyone who's available and call me back, and if Goat is occupied, tell him it's priority one. But stick to codenames until I say otherwise."
The line was silent for a moment.
"I'll be back in a minute. KA-LICK!"
There was a second of silence after Soundbite hung up, a second that Lola spent glancing around at my crewmates. "And you guys would be…?"
"Copperhead," Vivi offered.
"Cottonmouth~" Merry sang. "And Nami's Callie and Zoro's Sidewinder. You'll be learning a lot more soon, hope you've got a good memory!"
Lola nodded slowly in understanding. "And Luffy is…?"
"Uninvolved, but aware of our existence, as is the whole of the crew," I answered. "If they ask or really need to know, we tell them, but…"
"They're focused on the adventure," Lola continued slowly. "While you deal with the wider world."
"That's about the LONG AND SKINNY OF—PURU PURU PURU PURU!—IT!" Soundbite agreed, interspersed with the ringing. "Wow, that was quick! LET'S GET THIS—PURU PURU PURU PURU!—party started! KA-LICK! And you are live!"
"Ladies, gentlemen, and assorted dregs of society!" I grandiosely proclaimed. "Ophiuchus checking in here, with Knucker, Copperhead, and Cottonmouth at my side. Glad you all could make it, and I am just as glad to confirm for you all that yes, we managed to kick Moria's hide. The SBS is currently delayed on the doctor's orders in order to minimize the chances of the Marines coming calling for us, but apart from that, we came out clean. So! Now that that's out of the way, who's present at the moment?"
"I'm standing in for Cancer while he's off handling certain affairs," Tashigi explained. "Capricorn is occupied with her present assignment—apparently urgent—Sagittarius is on vacation for his anniversary, and both halves of Ox are occupied with their project."
"Leaving Pisces, Aquarius, and me on the side of the Divine," T-Bone wheezed. "And Rooster and Monkey on the side of the Damned, with Goat present as well as per your request."
"And authority matters aside, this had better be important; you made me walk away from a—! From some very important matters, and I'm iffy about letting P—! My second call the shots on it!" Foxy growled.
"Worth it for all involved, not to worry," I assured him. "For the sake of not watching our words for too long, I'll get straight to the point: I've found a new candidate for the Damned, and she's standing next to me right now."
"Well, of course, Heaven forbid we actually recruit anyone notable without your help," Apoo groaned good-naturedly.
"Chalk another one up for the Straw Hats! Haha!" Bartolomeo cackled.
"I resent those implications!" Tashigi petulantly protested. "Heck, I'll even have you know that Cancer and I have recruited a new possible addition to the Cleaners."
"Only possible?" Merry asked 'innocently'.
Soundbite ground his teeth for a second before slumping. "…we're still convincing the stubborn little bastard, shut up."
"As much as I'd love to use this to torment you, are you sure we can trust whoever this is? Where did you recruit him from?" I asked.
Tashigi snapped her eyes up, but not soon enough to hide the gleam of murder in them. "It's a very long story, weirder than some of the shit your crew has done, and I've already had to tell it twice, and one of those times was tastefully redacted to hell and back. I'll give you the quick version after we deal with why you called in the first place. So! Who are we considering for membership here?"
Taking that cue as it was presented, I nodded to Lola, and she stepped up and announced herself. "'Marriage Proposal' Lola, Captain of the Rolling Pirates. My crew and I have been Moria's prisoners for the last three years, and are now free again thanks to the Straw Hat Pirates. I've chosen to claim Thriller Bark for my own now that Moria's curse is gone, and I intend to transform it from a hell for all sailors into a haven for all pirates, where they can dock, resupply, and overall enjoy themselves to their hearts' content. It's… it'll be a hard endeavour, I know, but—!"
"Full approval!" Apoo, Bartolomeo, and Foxy all shouted at once.
"No more going to Mock Town~!" Foxy sang joyously.
"No more dealing with those assholes~!" Apoo sang in the same tone.
"This is gonna be sweet!" Bartolomeo cackled in the finale.
"'Sagittarius-grade', he said…" Tashigi grumbled before sighing. "Alright, how much has Cross told you about us?"
"Only that you have the resources to sponsor my efforts, that the scope of your undertaking is literally global, and I think that if I couldn't figure out that this is a one-way street, I would be way too stupid to be a part of this," Lola answered, ticking the points off on her fingers.
"Then allow me to be more specific," Tsuru cut in. "We are known as the New World Masons, assembled largely as a result of the efforts of Jeremiah Cross. Law enforcers and outlaws alike comprise our forces, allied for the same purpose: destroying the World Government and creating a world of freedom for all in its place, whether the 'all' refers to civilians or those pirates who aren't utterly amoral monstrosities… whose existence we few keepers of the peace have come to acknowledge."
Lola's eyes went wide as she took that news in. For several seconds, she was silent. Then her eyes hardened, and she nodded.
"I owe my life to the Straw Hat Pirates, and I've lived with a boot on my neck for the past three years," the Rolling Pirate Captain stated firmly. "Safe to say that the idea of a world of freedom is a damn appealing goal to me. If I accept, what do you expect of me?"
"Off the top of my head, the duties that would be expected of you would be simple enough," the elderly Vice Admiral explained. "Setting up a pirate haven as you are, you will be expected to screen any pirates that come through, identifying potential recruits for the future as well as any pirates that would be best off arrested, and passing the knowledge on to us associated with justice. Discreetly, of course, so as to avoid losing the faith of your clientele. We will also expect the law enforcers among our number to be able to take refuge on your island if necessary, incognito, of course. And naturally, you are expected to inform all subordinates you can trust and swear them to secrecy. There may be other requirements, but those are the immediate ones."
Lola didn't hesitate before nodding this time. "That sounds reasonable. Alright, I accept."
"Excellent. Your codename will be 'RABBIT,'" Soundbite piped in, his grin ear-to-ear.
Lola slowly nodded in acceptance, while I sent him a curious look. "I don't mind that, but why?"
"BECAUSE HER NAME IS LOLA!" Soundbite snickered.
I hung my head with a tortured groan while a chorus of palm-flesh meeting face echoed across the connection, accompanied by a general rumble of "Don't ask…"
Moving past the maddening in-joke, we proceeded to inform Lola of the current leadership roster and the secret of my success. As we did so, she started gnawing on her thumb with a look of intense thought, her face screwed up in concentration. And then, when we were done…
Lola raised her head to look at me, her face… no, her entire body blank, devoid of any tells. "What, exactly," she asked in a voice as blank as the rest of her. "Do you know about me?"
As off-putting as the sudden shift was, I was still able to just shrug as I responded.
"Not a lot; Nami befriended your shadow's zombie in the story, and you, by extension, and you gave her a Vivre Card that belonged to your mother, saying she was a powerful pirate in the New World. The only candidate we knew of at the time was Big Mom, so there was a lot of speculation that you were talking about her, but… eh." I waved my hand dismissively. "There are bound to be countless others, so wishful thinking, right?"
Lola's blank expression quivered, her fists clenching and unclenching as sweat shone on her brow. Finally, she heaved a weary sigh and seemed to slouch in place. "You all have trusted me… so I'm going to trust you when I tell you that you're wrong. That's not wishful thinking in the least."
The air practically shattered it, froze so fast.
"You're not serious…" Tashigi breathed, eyes wide in shock.
"No, I'm as serious as a heart attack," Lola said, shaking her head. "I apologize for not doing so sooner, but now that you all have introduced yourselves to me, I shall do the same in full: My name is Charlotte Lola. I am the 23rd daughter of the Charlotte Family. The 23rd daughter of the only woman amongst the Four Emperors of the New World, and the ruler of the archipelago of Totland. I am the daughter… of Charlotte 'Big Mom' Linlin."
Dead. Silence.
Apoo was the first to react.
"Apa… You are not a guy who does things in halves, huh, Cross?" he swallowed heavily.
"No shit…" I breathed right back, barely able to keep my jaw functioning.
On the side of the Divine, meanwhile, Tsuru was the first to recover, eyeing Lola with intense gravity. "Under any other circumstances, I would question your loyalty, and rightly so… but giving up a piece of Charlotte Linlin's soul, which the Marines have literally killed for over the past three decades, to an outsider without asking for anything in return is enough to arrest my suspicions. Nevertheless, I must insist you share your story with us. A necessity, you understand; the last thing we need is for any nasty surprises to rear their heads down the line."
Lola sighed irritably, though thankfully it didn't appear to be directed at the Vice Admiral. "I left home for love… and a bit of self-preservation. A prince from another kingdom fell in love with me, and Mama was ready to give me away for the sake of the alliance that the marriage would seal; it's a common practice in our family, but I've never liked it. I left in the dead of the night…"
Lola scowled darkly, though there was definitely an undertone of terror in her expression, too. "And I've worked to keep my head down since then to make sure that those psychotic bastards I called siblings don't come looking for me. And trust me, that's not an exaggeration. My brothers and sisters are some of the strongest pirates in all the New World, and while I might love my mother, she fosters ruthlessness and violence in our upbringing." The New Worlder sighed wistfully as she gazed into the half-mist-laden sky. "She wouldn't seriously harm her own blood, but if they ever found out where I, a traitor to the family, was…"
She shuddered before violently shaking her head. "From the time I left until the time I was captured by Moria, I've been lying low in Paradise looking for a husband. None but those who've been with me since the New World know my full name, and none have used it since we crossed into Paradise. Until our operations move into the New World—"
"Not for a while, I can tell you that much," T-Bone coughed.
"—then I don't see my identity coming into play much." Lola scowled and slapped a hand to her forehead. "Though I'll have to not advertise on the SBS lest they recognize my voice and come looking, damn it…"
There were a few seconds of silence as everyone digested the tale we'd just heard. And theeeen…
"BWAAAAAAH!"
"GAH!" Lola, Vivi, and I all flinched in shock when both Merry and Soundbite suddenly started bawling their eyes out.
"The hell—?!" I questioned incredulously.
"Th-That's so saaaad!" Merry wailed, Franky's influence shining through as she wiped away at her tears and copious snot. "Having to abandon your own f-f-family to find lo-o-ove… don't give up, Big Sis Lola!"
"Riiiight…" I saw a sweatdrop bloom on Vivi's head as she glanced at Soundbite. "And as for you—?"
"BLAME THE HIJACKERS!" the gastropod snarled through his tears.
"To think such t-t-tragedies could actually occur," Tashigi wept, lip quivering. "Oh, you poor woman! Pirate or not, nobody deserves such a fate!"
"IT'S JUST LIKE ONE OF MY NANNA'S ROMANCE NO-O-OVELS!" bawled… Bartolomeo!?
"Ye gods of the sea, Bartolomeo, pull yourself together," Foxy muttered uncomfortably.
"Have you no pride as a man!?" Apoo demanded.
"Oooh, I dunno." An eager grin slowly slid across Lola's face, and she slowly sauntered her way up to Soundbite. "I quite like men who are sensitive! It's a good quality to have! You know… in a husb—?"
"BRO-TO-BRO ALERT: HELLS NO!" Soundbite squawked in panic.
Lola widened, and she tried to wave Soundbite off. "Hey, wait a—!"
"Hell no."
"Not happening!"
"THE SEA IS MY ONLY MISTRESS!"
"…sonnuva!" Lola spat.
"HEY, RISKIES!" I called about the party that was happening a little way away. "REJECTIONS 4461 THROUGH 4463, ALL AT THE SAME TIME!" The party roared with laughter and a sudden burst of energy.
"Damn it, you little bastard, that was the closest I've gotten in years!" Lola snarled at my snail.
"Sorry, bro-code. Didn't have a choice!" my partner sneered in response.
"Slimy piece of—!"
"And I thought we were getting good headway on serious business…" T-Bone sighed wistfully.
"Quite," Tsuru tersely bit out, her tone dry but… matronly? Nevertheless, it served to quiet the sobbers, and she then turned her attention on Lola, her gaze somewhat softening. What the…?
"Lola… you truly believe that your mother wouldn't wish you ill?"
"Eh? I don't believe it, I know it," Lola blinked, clearly confused by the question. "We're her children. Charlotte Linlin is a very dangerous pirate, I know that better than anyone, but she'd never harm us, her children. It's a fact."
Tsuru gnawed on her lip for a second before lowering her gaze. "…two years ago, the Marines received an SOS message from within the boundaries of the Totland Archipelago. The sender identified herself as one Charlotte Macarron, the—"
"27th daughter, one of my younger sisters when I left, though I don't doubt Mother's had more!" Lola completed in a rush. "She was also one of the kinder and saner of my siblings! She sent out an SOS!? Why?"
"Essentially, the same as you: Macarron desired to leave the Charlotte Family and your mother's crew, and she was even willing to defect to the Marines to see it through."
"Macarron…" Lola pinched the bridge of her nose, the following words tight. "She was always sweet, but never too bright. If she used an SOS, that means my family picked up on it, too. She never made it, did she?"
"I regret to inform you that that is the case," Tsuru nodded solemnly. "I was part of the detachment that sought her out at the edge of your mother's territory. We found her charred remains exactly where she said she'd wait for us."
"Charred…" Lola repeated before scowling furiously. "Opera or Oven, one of those bastards."
"Unfortunately… that is not the case."
The New Worlder blinked in surprise. "…eh? What do you—?"
"We did not just find her charred remains, Captain Lola." Tsuru gazed dead into the Charlotte daughter's eyes through my snail's. "We found her remains in the middle of a tract of land that had been incinerated. Not just her, but everything around her for fifteen meters was reduced to ash."
"What?" Lola blinked again. "Wait, but that's not right; none of my siblings are capable of that level of destruction. The only thing in the Charlotte Family that could do that would be—!" And just like that, Lola paled, her face going white as a sheet. "P-P-Prometheus…" she breathed weakly. "B-But he could only—! Th-That would mean—!"
"Prometheus would only utilize its powers in such a manner on Charlotte Linlin's explicit orders," Tsuru finished gravely. "I am sorry, Lola, but the facts cannot be changed: Your mother murdered her own daughter, your sister, in cold blood. And I have no doubt in my mind that if given the chance, she would do the same to you in an instant."
Silence fell, and I could see that my partner and my co-conspirators were coming to the same conclusion I was. To be specific? Even if we somehow unintentionally butterflied away Luffy declaring war against Big Mom as he did in canon, I was going to be waving this little tidbit and whatever else I could in front of him to guarantee that her little culinary wonderland burned.
A sudden scream interrupted my murderous thoughts. Lola ignored the swords on her back in favour of slamming her fist into—
CRASH!
—Strike that, through the nearest stone wall. It crumbled to pieces, but she remained in place, her face shadowed and her shoulders heaving with every furious, shuddering breath she took.
"…Upon further thought, we certainly don't need to focus so much on serious business," T-Bone said quietly.
"No!" Lola bit out as she snapped her head around, glaring daggers at the Captain through my snail. "No, I'll have time to mourn and rage and swear vengeance later. Right now…" She took a deeper, more calming breath, dragging a hand down her face as she fought quite admirably to suppress her rage. "Vice Admiral Tsuru, I thank you for informing me and relieving me of my misconceptions. Now, back to business."
"Indeed," Foxy cut in. "I see now why I, specifically, was called here; I have no shortage of manpower under my command, and conveniently enough, I find myself in sudden and dire need of a large-scale punishment duty."
Everyone digested that for a minute before Tashigi spoke up. "Um, is there anything we should know about—?"
"Oh, nothing, just a mutiny," Foxy informed us with a casual—if twitchy—grin.
"That doesn't sound like nothing!" Merry yelped in panic.
"Ah, no, let me clarify. It was a mutiny that was an utter INSULT to proper mutinies on all six oceans! Who posts a notice that they're going to mutiny THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE?!"
Lola blinked in surprise, shocked clean out of her earlier dark thoughts. "Er… are you sure that these guys aren't, too, ah… well, are you sure that they'd be of use here? Or… anywhere?"
"Actually, they're perfect for it," Foxy huffed with a shake of his head. "They didn't put up the notice because they're idiots; they put it up because their sense of protocol and decorum is through the roof. It's not intellect that they lack but common sense. So, putting them to work in construction, along with the many other shipwrights and craftsmen, I can spare? You ought to make quite a lot of headway in very little time."
"And tack on the resources that Navarone and Water 7 oughta be able to funnel your way too, with enough time? Fuhget about it!" Apoo cackled eagerly. "Your place'll be up and spitting in the face of the Marines in no time, apapapa—!"
"If it even lasts a day, that is…"
"Eh?" I blinked in surprise, and everyone else present turned their attention to Vivi, the princess's head bowed in deep thought. "What do you mean?"
"Well…" This was serious; she was worrying at her thumbnail. "I'm sorry that this only occurred to me now, but… even with the resources to build the haven Lola's proposing, what about the way to protect it? I mean, think about it: the only reason that the Marines haven't levelled Mock Town by now is that, as we've pointed out, it is a hellhole that's rotting into the ground and not worth the gunpowder it'd take to level it. Also, the pirates would just throw it back up anyway. The joys of the cheap wooden buildings.
"An organized, well-fortified haven, on the other hand?" She shook her head in denial. "Even if it didn't come from hijacking one of the Warlords' home islands, the World Government wouldn't take the founding of such a place lying down, and secrecy isn't an option, as that would defeat the purpose of a haven. Am I wrong?"
There was a moment of silence as we all pondered that, followed by all of us groaning in concert.
"Damn it…" Lola sagged in frustration.
"Come on…" Merry growled as she yanked her hood down over her face.
"Seriously!?" Bartolomeo groaned miserably. "I wanted a new watering hole that was actually worth a damn! Is that so much to ask for!?"
"In this world? Apparently so," T-Bone groused.
"So, what, this whole thing is dead in the water until we can get a fleet or something to protect this place, or…?" Apoo trailed off uncertainly.
"OH, IT WON'T BE A PROBLEM!"
I blinked in confusion, glancing down at my snail. "You have an idea?"
"IDEA NOTHING, I GOT A SOLUTION!" he grinned eagerly. "The defence of this place will STAY THE SAME AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, but better! WE'VE JUST GOTTA strike a deal with THE FLORIAN TRIANGLE, TO KEEP THE ISLAND safe."
"…What," was the general response.
"I second that emotion. This is the first I've heard of this," I said, staring down at the invertebrate with a complete lack of understanding. "Care to share?"
"YEEEAAAH, SEE, HERE'S THE THING," Soundbite swung his eyestalks side to side in a would-be gesture of innocence. "Remember how I woke up once dawn broke? I didn't wake up at dawn, I WOKE UP AN HOUR EARLIER. BUT I DIDN'T TELL YA because I recently met and was chatting up A NEW FRIEND OF MINE!"
"And… that friend would be…?" Merry slowly queried, hesitation clear on her face.
Soundbite glanced over his shell, towards the fog of the Florian that was still hanging over half the island, and started whistling a few notes that almost sounded like—?
"Is that… Binks' Brew?" I questioned incredulously. "What are you—?"
"YEAAAAAARGH!"
"Wha—GAH!" I was almost bowled clean over by our tyke-sized helmsgirl, suddenly pulling a facehugger and latching onto my face with a screech of terror. "SONNUVA—GET! OFF! OF! GAH!" I wrenched her off my head and held her flailing form at arm's length. "What the hell, brat!?"
"B-B-B-BIG! BIIIIG!" she shrieked in response, flailing her arm frantically in the fog's general direction. I saw Vivi staring in the same direction, a petrified look on her face that looked… familiar? Oh, yeah, I'd seen her look like that back when we saw the Skypieans when they… were…
Dreading that I knew exactly what I would see, I slowly turned around, faced the mist…
And there they were.
"…Cross, please tell me this is another trick of the light, please," Vivi whimpered fearfully, looking to be two seconds away from falling to her knees.
"I only wish…" I whispered breathlessly, not daring to move even a muscle. "And for those of you who aren't here to see? We're currently staring up at a trio of, ah, silhouettes who are staring down at us with glowing red eyes. And when I say up…" I forced myself to swallow, a futile action with a bone-dry mouth. "Thriller Bark is about the size of a gnat compared to them. Making us gnats on a gnat's ass."
"Holy shit…" Tashigi breathed, terror, infecting her voice even over a hundred miles away.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Soundbite had the nerve to purr in Rod freaking Serling's cool and collected monotone, his teeth never shifting from their mysterious yet impish grin. "Allow me to introduce you all to the three thirds that compose the Florian Triangle's tripartite consciousness. An entity that is several in its aetherial bodies, yet singular in its overmind. The undisputed lords of all that is within their boundaries. What you gaze upon… are the Obelisks of the Florian." The snail's smile took on a lot more of his usual shit-eating gleam. "FOR THE RECORD, I SUGGEST YOU ALL SAY HI. AFTER ALL…"
The fog-enshrouded horizon suddenly seemed to ripple and writhe, and the humans present all shuddered as the wind picked up into a light gale that sounded almost like a moan.
"They just did! HEEHEEHEEhoohoohooHAHAHA!"
After a few stunned seconds, Vivi, ever the diplomat, hesitantly raised an arm and waved to the Obelisks.
A moment later, she proceeded to faint as one of the Obelisks suddenly sprouted a limb-analog and mirrored the action.
"…Soundbite. Speak," I managed to choke out as I fought to keep my terror energizing rather than debilitating. "Fast."
"Funny you should mention speaking," the little demon chuckled. "REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I heard something speak WHEN I HAD NO EARTHLY RIGHT TO?"
I choked out some kind of noise as I made the connection. "You're hearing them through the Voice of All Things…"
"Hmmph… I suppose that I should have seen that ability coming back to the fore where this crew is involved…" Tsuru muttered.
"EEEXACTLY!" Soundbite nodded proudly. "See, while I was sleeping off my exhaustion, the Triangle slipped its way into MY DREAMS—!"
"BAAAAAH!"
I jumped when Merry suddenly bleated in my grip… and saw her staring dead ahead, stiff as a board. Wait a second… I tapped her cheek and adopted a deadpan expression when her whole body swung in my grip. "Aaaand Merry's just pulled a fainting goat on us. Apparently, she draws the line at eldritch abominations—"
The winds howled again.
"—Sorry, eldritch… gentle-abominations?"
Aaaand now it was a whistle.
"Eldritch gentle-abominations being capable of infiltrating our dreams."
Foxy 'surreptitiously' coughed out a laugh.
"Oh, like you wouldn't do the same thing?" I snapped irritably as I lay Merry out to sleep, her terror off.
From the wet, spluttering sound that came over the connection, he shut up.
"AAAANYWAYS," Soundbite rolled his eyes with a snicker of amusement. "THEY GOT IN MY HEAD, woke me up, and I was chatting them up FOR AN HOUR BEFORE THE SUN ROSE. I WAS PLANNING ON SAYING SOMETHING LATER, BUT THIS JUST MAKES THINGS EASIER! Neat, huh?"
"Can… Can we get back to the deal you were mentioning earlier?" Lola asked weakly. "These… things, these Obelisks, the Triangle as a whole, it'll… protect the island?"
"UH-HUH!" Soundbite nodded firmly. "AND MORE! SEE, BEFORE, THE FLORIAN NEVER MOVED from where it is because it didn't feel like it, and as such, MORIA KEPT THRILLER BARK FLOATING within the triangle's confines. BUT TAKE THE DEAL, AND THE FLORIAN WILL FOLLOW THE ISLAND WHEREVER IT SHALL FLOAT, obscuring it from any who might seek to DO IT HARM! NEAT, HUH?"
Lola took a second to mull that over before glancing warily up at the Obelisks. "And… what would they want in return?"
"THAT'S THE EASIEST PART OF ALL: JACK SHIT YOU WON'T ALREADY BE DOING!"
"Uh, come again?" Barty questioned incredulously.
"It's all about how the Florian itself works, see?" Soundbite raised his eyestalks proudly. "See, there's a bit of a misconception about the Triangle we all hold: it's NOT evil or dead. RATHER… THE FLORIAN TRIANGLE IS A MIRROR, REFLECTING THAT WHICH IT HOLDS."
"Come again, again?" Barty requested. "Clearer this time?"
"ALRIGHT, LOOK, IT'S LIKE THIS!" Soundbite rolled his eyes with a huff. "THE TRIANGLE INGESTS AND REFLECTS EMOTIONS! Way back when it was first found, people were afraid of it because it looked creepy, AND SO IT REFLECTED AN AURA OF TERROR AND, EVENTUALLY, DEATH. AND WHEN MORIA SET UP SHOP AND CREATED THE HORROR HOUSE OF THRILLER BARK, the Florian reflected the darkness and terror being exuded, and was locked in the state that it's held for the past ten years. AND IF YOU JUST LEFT, ITS REPUTATION WOULD KEEP IT LOCKED THAT WAY FOR ALL TIME… BUUUUUT…" Soundbite leaned his head towards me with a conspiratorial grin. "WE ALREADY KNOW HOW TO CHANGE IT. WANT ME TO SHOW YA?"
I tried to respond, but the words died the second they left my mouth. Actually… that wasn't the only sound that died: all sound in the courtyard slammed to a dead halt, right before a barrage of sound replaced it.
"Gather up all of the crew!
It's time to ship out Binks' brew!
Sea wind blows. To where?
Who knows?
The waves will be our guide!"
The noise from the party a short distance away suddenly became the only thing we could hear. And as it filled the air, I was treated to the most surreal sight that I had seen in all my life: The Obelisks of the Florian, the second most powerful eldritch beings I'd ever met in my life (so help me God, I actually have to make that distinction) had all shifted in colour.
Or rather, the entire Florian Triangle had shifted along the colour spectrum. The horizon encompassing fog rippled, and gradually but swiftly (somehow), it shifted from a bruised, every purple, to a bright and radiant yellow. A yellow I recognized, even: it was the same shade the fog had turned to when our crew had started singing Binks' Brew while we were sailing through it!
Before our dumbstruck eyes, tendrils of the mist snaked down into the courtyard and metamorphosed, taking the forms of… of people, dozens of them, dancing and celebrating and having an all-around good time. It was, it was surreal.
"Ugh… what's with the noi—WAAAAAaaahuh?"
I glanced to the side and grinned cheekily at the sight of a newly reawakened Merry and Vivi gaping up at the sky. "Enjoying the show?"
"Are you?!" Merry retorted, jabbing her finger at the Triangle.
Following where she was indicating, I found that she was right: I most definitely hadn't been. For you see, not only had the Obelisk's palette changed in such a way that their 'bodies' were yellow and their eyes were a light blue and shaped like happy, upside-down U's, but they were also moving, swaying side to side almost as if—
"They're dancing…" Vivi breathed in awe.
"I'll say it again," Soundbite whispered reverentially. "THE FLORIAN IS A MIRROR. IF IT IS SHOWN FEAR, IT WILL REFLECT NOTHING BUT FEAR. BUT OFFER IT A HEART FULL OF SONG AND GOODWILL, offer it cheer and joy and LIFE… AND IT WILL REFLECT IT TENFOLD."
"And that's what we'll be doing…" Lola breathed, staring up at the dancing entities with newfound respect. "So long as we keep our haven bright and full of life, then it'll stay with us and protect us so that it can stay the same way…"
She then frowned in concern. "But… even if the Florian does stay this way, bright and cheerful, that doesn't mean it'll be pleasant. My crew and I have just spent three years locked in its sunless shadows. Even without the fog's gloom, I…" She grimaced and clutched at her sleeve. "I don't know if I can willingly go back to that."
The winds sang and whistled eagerly in response.
"Easily fixed," Soundbite said, waving his eyestalk dismissively. "LOOK UP!"
And indeed, those of us present did just that and were treated to the sight of the fog centred directly overhead of the island receding to give way to an unobstructed view of the sky.
"As I said, the Florian has perfect control of itself. YOUR SUNRISES AND SETS WILL ALWAYS BE A BIT BLURRY, AND THE HORIZON'S A NO-GO IF YOU WANNA STAY SAFE, BUT APART FROM THAT? You'll never miss the sky again… UNLESS THERE'S A STORM OR SOMETHING, AT WHICH POINT YOU'RE SHIT OUT OF LUCK."
And just like that, Lola's face lit up, a grin stretching from ear to ear. "If that's the case, then I couldn't be happier to accept! Even Mama is unnerved by the Triangle, I won't have to worry about keeping my head down anymore! This is going to be great!"
Going by the way the Obelisks waved and whistled, I'd say they agreed with gusto.
"Well, I, for one, am glad that this matter has been settled," T-Bone sighed in relief. "Now, seeing as the matter of our latest base of operations no longer has any obvious issues to address, shall we move on to other matters? We have managed to assemble quite the agenda since our last meeting."
"Actually, before we move on to that other crap!" Bartolomeo butted in. "I wanna stay in the here and now for a bit! You can't possibly tell me that I'm the only one here who wants to know the story of the Straw Hats beating Moria!"
That drew a wince out of all of us present.
"Don't sound so eager, Barty," Merry warned him somberly. "This run around? The ass-whipping ratio was way skewed out of our favour."
That little proclamation cast a gloomy pallor over our fellow Masons.
"Do you… Actually want to talk about this?" Tashigi asked in a gentle voice.
I clicked my tongue as I clamped a hand down on my suddenly throbbing side. "Want to? I'd rather forget this day ever happened. But… we'll tell you anyway. Let's start at the beginning, with our plan…"