The Devil Fruit Hunters

Chapter 5: Sink or Swim

The sounds of a cascading waterfall echo endlessly as they reverberate off the walls of an exposed cavern; its walls lined in the bright-blue, brilliance of bioluminescent fungi. A full-moon slowly rises just above the mouth of the large, flooded grotto, covering the ever-rippling waters in a shimmering, iridescent beam of pale light. This beautiful, brightly-lit scenery is suddenly draped in a murky, opaque shadow, but only for a split-second. An instant later, the consistent clamor of the roaring waterfall is briefly replaced by a violent plash of water accompanied by the the deafening howl of a massive creature.

"GRROWWWW-RAHWOWOWW!!!", a large feline screeches as it plunges into the depths of the cavern.

The water quickly settled after the brief, violent intermission, and the atmosphere above the surface of the water returned to its previous peacefulness. However, beneath the surface became a scene of confusion and chaos.

Daifugō had fallen off of the giant cat once they had submerged into the depths of the pool. The Seaman was doing his best to keep distance from the creature as it flailed its massive limbs towards the surface of the water in desperation. As the feline shook its head back and forth in frustration, Daifugō could see that the irises of the cat's eyes began to flicker faintly. With each quick glimmer, the color of its eyes would change from the striking gold hue to a soft, amber-like color. As this change was occurring Daifugō's body slowly drifts back and forth due to the subsiding rippling of the waves created by their daredevil free fall into the depths of the cavern. The gigantic feline's thrashing starts to subside as its temper turns noticeably more docile.

Suddenly, the cat takes on a look of absent-minded confusion. In a demonstration of newfound clarity, the creature's once erratic movements become more elegant as it begins to climb towards the surface of the water. The cat swiftly swims past Daifugō, pushing the Marine a short distance away from his original position in the water. Daifugō looks back towards the creature and sees Hartford clinging onto the cat's tail with one hand, the other playfully waving in Daifugō's direction. The suspended Seaman rolls his eyes sarcastically and begins his solo ascent out of the crystal-clear depths.

As Daifugō nears the surface of the pool, the rumbling of the waterfall begins to fill his ears once again. The Marine's head finally breaks through the surface of the water, and he calmly peers around the cavern while gasping for air.

"A waterfall... Could it really be? The heart of the island...? After that wild turn of events in the jungle, this has to be the right spot..." Daifugō thinks to himself confidently.

The Seaman's train of thought is quickly interrupted as he hears his friend excitably call towards him.

"YOOOO Fugō, Over here!! GLAD TO SEE YA IN ONE PIECE! ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN, AM I RIGHT? HA-HAH!!"

Daifugō watches as his friend wrings out his soaked uniform over the pool of water. The cat gingerly walks along the small strip of land they had swam over to, its sodden mane is quickly shook out to dry to the chagrin of Hartford as he is doused with heavy drops of water.

"ARGH! You damn cat, cut me some slack already! You're lucky I didn't get whiplash from riding all the way here! " Hartford scolds the cat in an annoyed tone.

The cat seems to ignore Hartford's statement as it flicks its long, heavy tail towards him, batting the heated Marine back into the pool.

"WH-WH-WOAHHH!!" *SPLASH* Hartford calls out.

Daifugō smirks as he sees the cat peer back towards Hartford in a mocking, contempt manner. The Seaman expertly strides through the water towards the narrow strip of land to meet up with his friend. Instead of quickly swimming out of the water, Hartford floats atop it, feeling defeated with a despondent smile on his face.