Steel Heart

Ch 101 - How to Prioritize

"You smell that too, brat?" Franky asked as he tilted his chin up and deepened his inhales as the group walked through the forest along the elephant's back. The ground below their feet was slightly rubbery and added a light bounce to their step. It was elephant skin after all, which made the existence of a forest that much more remarkable, "Brat?"

The cyborg stopped his sniffing and he looked down at the mechanic, who was walking between him and Usopp with her head down and her hands cupped around her ears. She moved her hands away for a moment before returning it back to ears, only to repeat her motion several times.

"Brat?"

"Shut up! Of course I can smell it. You think a weaponsmith of my caliber can't sniff out gunpowder and gas? Now shut it," she said and after a few more cupping, she grunted in frustration and clenched her fists to her sides, "Damn it. I can't fucking hear anything except us and...and...forest!"

She waved her hand frustratingly around her as if inviting the trees to reply and she clenched her jaw. "I can't hear anything else. Not even Luffy! Why can't I hear anything here?"

"Could it be the trees?" Franky asked, "Or maybe even the elephant? Maybe it's some sort of muffler for the soundwaves."

"It's not just soundwaves though," Nana said and looked around her, "I don't just hear with my ears. I hear with Haki...so why isn't that working?"

"What are you saying?" Usopp gasped, "That you can't sense anything? What about you other Haki-users? What does this mean?! Zoro! Law! Are we sitting ducks?! I'm scared!"

"Doesn't mean I can't sense anything," Nana snapped, not liking the implication that she was powerless, "Just means I can't sense as much. I can still sense-!"

She stopped short and returned her hammer into her hands just as Zoro and Law both reached for their weapons. They stilled and readied themselves.

"Eep! What?! What is it?! What happened?!" Usop shrieked.

The group fell into a silence with only the sounds of suppressed breaths of the group and the wind carrying over the brush. After a moment, Nana's head tilted slightly towards her left.

"Zoro," she murmured.

"Ah, I got this" he said as his frown deepened. He swung out his sword just as something came flying head on towards him at breakneck speed. Whoever it was, changed trajectory immediately and jumped up and over the swordsman, missing his blade.

Did it just jump in mid-air?!, Nana thought as Zoro's expression revealed he had come to the same conclusion.

"Zoro! Behind you!" Nana gasped as the intruder launched a kick with a sharp clawed foot at Zoro's back. He whirled around and blocked it just in time with his blade.

The intruder stilled for just long enough for everyone to get a good look at it. It appeared to be a humanoid rabbit with long, slim limbs, and an enlarged rabbit paw-like glove on one hand. It wore an orange dress with a green cloak over it's shoulders. It had short, blonde hair that was cut bluntly into a bob. Nana would call it cute if not for the look in its eyes. It was out for blood.

"Wait! Stop, Carrot!" someone shouted out from deeper inside the forest.

The rabbit's eyes widened and it disengaged from Zoro's sword. It leapt back just as an alligator as big as a sailboat with reins around it's head and a rider on it's back burst through a line of trees to their right.

"Ah! What is happening?!" Usopp shrieked.

"Forget about them-teia!" the rider shouted to the rabbit. As the rider stilled the alligator, the pirates gasped. It was like the rabbit in it's human-like form but it had a snout like a dog and while the rabbit was white, this creature was pale brown with curly hair pushed back with a white headband that was tied right below her folded ear, "More importantly, we have an invader in the Whale Forest!"