Weather on the Grand Line had been unpredictable from the moment you left Reverse Mountain behind. It would be random. If you weren't on your toes, you could be swept away into a whirlpool or caught up in a tornado. Today was no different, but the ship sailed on regardless.
Today's temperature is freezing
You might as well have been in the Ice Age
And the climate was winter (with a bit of spring, time to time)
It's not like it helped! You were experiencing a cold snap and it was horrible. The worst thing that ever happened to you. It was annoying. (You were just being dramatic)
You loved snow, but that was only when you had a heated room to run back to. Merry didn't have that– and small fires were completely useless against the cold.
You looked at all of the snow from inside the kitchen, pulling your special jacket closer to yourself as you zipped it up. Luffy and Usopp were screwing around outside (where their snow sculpture building turned into a snowball war).
It had been snowing ever since you first woke up –and you were colder than you had ever been in your life– so you had just resolved to hang out in the kitchen where everyone else was. Well, everyone who wasn't working outside yet. The day might've been new, but nobody was "working" working yet.
It didn't matter. For now, you were on track to Whiskey Peak. But you didn't arrive there for a while. So all that you worried about was getting the pie out of the oven on time so you could bake even more confectionaries– just so you could keep the kitchen warm. And even then- it was still freezing!
Looks like we're celebrating winter early this year.
"Zoro's sleeping in the snow like a dumbass."
Just the thought of doing something like that made you shiver. Men.
Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 were wrapped in cocoons of knit blankets. Blankets that you made. You made them a while back– When you and your crew hung around at Crow Island for a day or so.
Speaking of making things; you had panic baked about four batches of cookies and a loaf of bread so you didn't all die of hypothermia. (You'd probably live through the cold- Kosai could keep you warm)
That's it. I'm building a fireplace if it gets any colder.
"How?" Kosai wondered, "You don't know how to do that."
I'll learn.
"How??"
Somehow. You munched on a cookie and leaned against the wall. It was definitely going to get colder. Maybe I should go warm myself up. I can't annoy Zoro... And to be honest, I don't want to get caught up in whatever Usopp and Luffy are doing.
Kosai gave you his own suggestion. Your gaze was directed to a shovel in the corner that seemed to be calling out to you. "There's an extra shovel."
You quickly opened the door– you could use the exercise right now. "Nami– Just tell me when the pie is done!"
"Close the door!"
You slammed it shut behind you. The noise wasn't noticed by Usopp and Luffy, and Sanji seemed too caught up in a whirlwind of love to care. But he did care when he heard more snow being shoveled up next to him.
There was a small smile on your face as your cheeks were stung by the cold. "Heya, Sanji. Mind if I help? I was getting too cold just sitting around and doing nothing."
"And by "doing nothing" you mean baking enough food to feed a small village."
You asked the blonde a question before he could protest. "Can we have a hotpot later? I'll help with that too. It's an excuse to talk to you more, haha!"
"I'LL MAKE ANYTHING FOR YOU!"
He seemed slightly upset that you were working- but the moment you asked for something, he agreed immediately. You wanted him to make you something?? Of course!! Sanji would make anything that you desired!
Oh, you also wanted to spend time with him? Sanji was dead. He was currently ascending.
From what you knew, Sanji would probably rather die than say no to you. Your smile grew wider and he screamed in delight.
"Your smile fills me with warmth, (Name)!!" Sanji sang as he started shoveling faster– like it was the only thing he had ever learned to do. He was practically radiating heat all by himself– oh, yep, the snow around him was starting to melt. Less work for you!
"You're too kind, Sanji."
"If you start flirting back, I'm going to go apeshit."
You'd have a fun time watching, then. "Oh, Sanji."
He was always so endearing when he smiled at you like that. He made you feel like you were adored-- and you adored him. "(Name)-Swan!"
Yeah, Kosai knew what you were about to do. He knew all of your plans, and he knew that he couldn't stop most of them. The most unhinged person in the crew was you, even though you denied it. You were just lying so Zoro could take the title. He also took the trophy of being the dirtiest man alive.
"I'm going to glue your shoes to the floor, (Name)."
No goodnight kiss for you, then.
~ . . . ~
It wasn't long until Kosai forced you to go back inside. You were warmed up enough, you figured. After flirting with Sanji, running away from Luffy trying to jump onto your back again, and burying Zoro in a few feet of snow, you had your fun. It was for Zoro's safety that you stopped fooling around and instead headed back inside to finish up your baking.
As you expected, you weren't gone that long, so your pie wasn't finished. And after Kosai had threatened Sanji's life, he was quelled by the promise of some hotpot– which you had suggested.
Now you were just standing in the kitchen again as you waited. You'd be waiting a lot, during your adventures, as you hopped from island to island. But you were in no way trying to rush things. Things would happen when they happened– and you'd have to just be patient. Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday had been relatively silent, aside from their quiet whispers to one another.
Baroque Workers were horrible at being mysterious, in your opinion. They did have an unfair disadvantage with you around, because you already knew who their boss was, and you already knew their names.
But before we even get to Alabasta, both Little Garden and Drum Island are going to take a while. Weird to think that we'll be there in about a week or so. You sunk back further into your coat for warmth. Marine jackets are great. I should steal more.
"It wasn't you who stole it in the first place."
So I'll just steal Smoker's jacket the next time I see him. Then I'd have two specialized jackets. Why would you have two of the same jacket? Why not? The Marines made good jackets. Stealing clothes wasn't the only thing that you were going to do.
Nami pulled her winter jacket closer to her body as she stood beside you. Her breath fogged up the window a bit. "I don't get how they can be so lively when it's so cold out..."
"Nami!!" Sanji must've noticed the girl staring out the window. "How much longer should I continue my shoveling of love?!!"
He's still going? What a beast.
"Until it stops snowing!"
"Yes ma'am!!"
"He'll really do anything for us, won't he? Should I be worried or thankful?"
She waved you off, "Don't worry about it."
You were absolutely going to worry about it. "We're having hotpot later, by the way." It'd be perfect to have in the weather you're dealing with.
"Hey you two," Mr. 9 spoke up. "Doesn't your ship have a heating system or something?"
"We're cold."
"WE'RE COLD TOO!!"
"SHUT UP! YOU'RE NOT HERE AS GUESTS– GO OUTSIDE AND WARM YOURSELVES UP BY SHOVELING OR SOMETHING!" Nami shouted alongside you. She would've yelled more, if not for the lightning that struck the water dangerously close to the Going Merry. You broke out into a cold, borderline frigid, sweat. "Lightning?! Are you kidding me?? What's going on with the weather!?"
Ugh, I'm going to have to start working soon. You wanted to help, but you also didn't want to lift a finger. "This is just the beginning, Nami."
"Coming from you, that's scary... But the weather was clear a while ago– Like Crocus said. The seasons and climate in Grand Line are beyond messed up!"
"You're underestimating Grand Line quite a bit," Mis Wednesday said aloud. "You've left the ship's rudder alone for quite a while now– are you sure that's alright."
"A while? I just checked it..."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kosai drawled.
Huh?
"About the weather? The ship?"
"Oh!" You whipped your head towards Nami. "I completely forgot! The ship's turned a perfect 180 in the other direction– We gotta fix it!"
"AAAAAAAH!" She shook you violently by the shoulders, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!!"
"I JUST REMEMBERED, OKAY??!"
"THAT'S NOT HELPFUL YOU COULD'VE REMEMBERED SOONER!!"
"NAMI THAT'S NOT HOW REMEMBERING WORKS–"
"GET OUTSIDE AND HELP!!"
She dragged you outside in a flurry of panic. She was screaming, and you, in turn, were screaming. The others who were outside, minus the one who was snoring like a log and covered in a blanket of snow, turned to her in confusion. Sanji only called out to her in pure adoration as one of his favorite women burst onto the deck. (he must've failed to notice your limp body)
"NAMI MY BELOVED!! WHAT IS IT?!!"
You were in a chokehold as you were dragged around. "Change the ship's direction! 180 degrees! Hurry!!"
"180 degrees?! We're going back?!"
Luffy was packing more snow into a ball. "Did we forget something?"
HELP ME! You were trying to pry yourself out of Nami's grip. Nami held up her wrist– the one with the log post.
"No!" What, was she answering your internal plea for her to release you?
You went limp. Guess I'll die.
"The ship turned itself around and (Name) didn't tell us!"
"I'M SORRY I FORGOT!! FORGIVE ME!"
Nami finally dropped you as she sighed in exasperation. Your apology did nothing to help her mood. "We're heading directly away from where we need to go! I take my eyes off of it for a second and...!"
"Looks like you've been tricked by the seas." Miss Wednesday called after her, still shaking in her blanket. Nami wasn't very pleased by her input. Mr. 9 did the same, and her mood only worsened as a shadow covered part of her face.
"Are you really a navigator? This is Grand Line. The winds, the skies– even the waves, you can't trust them."
You rubbed your throat. No shit. And y'all shouldn't make Nami angry. Did you see what just happened to me? I didn't even deserve it. This is your fault, Kosai.
"Your stupidity isn't my problem."
You sulked. Nobody loves me.
Miss Wednesday's voice came out smug "The only thing you can trust is the direction of your log pose! Understand now?"
"STOP ACTING HIGH AND MIGHTY AND HELP OUT!!"
She wasted no time and ripped the blankets off of them before throwing them outside. You crawled onto the lower deck as you got ready to start taking orders from a frantic Nami. You'd probably be working the hardest, since you could work the fastest and had two extra hands to help you. Eh, you didn't care. You've been put through the wringer like this before.
Mr. 9 moped as he grabbed some ropes. "Such a violent woman..."
"Catch the wind from the right side! We'll use it to turn the ship 180 to the left!" Nami barked out the orders, "Usopp!! You take the jib sail!"
"Right!"
"Sanji, you take the rudder!"
"JUST LEAVE IT TO ME, NAMI!!"
"And be quiet!" Nami she added, before she pointed at you, "Just be ready for more orders!"
You gave her a two-finger salute. "Yes ma'am!"
And this is when chaos ensued
"Hey, the wind changed!"
"What?! That can't be?!"
"Ahh, the first breezes of spring!" Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 sighed.
"WHAT?!"
"ZORO!! WAKE UP– THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!"
"Heeey! I can see a dolphin over here– Check it out!" Luffy ignored all of his duties as he watched the dolphin skip across the water.
"SHUT UP LUFFY!"
"Have mercy on him, Nami! It's not his fault he can't think!"
Usopp's eyes bugged out of his sockets. "The waves are getting higher!"
"Iceberg spotted at 10 o'clock!"
"There's fog now!"
You covered your face as a shriek tore through your mouth. "Shit! I got rain in my eye!"
"The winds are changing again!"
"ANOTHER DOLPHIN!!"
"LUFFY– FOCUS!!"
"It's starting to hail!"
"WAKE THE FUCK UP ZORO WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"
Nami was this close to bursting into tears. "What's wrong with this ocean?!!"
"FUCK WE GRAZED THE ICEBERG!!"
"There's water leaking in the lower deck!"
"Go fix it!"
Everyone was running around frantically as problem after problem appeared. Usopp disappeared into the abyss to go fix the leakage– You raised the sails to catch the wind– it was– it was all just too much to handle at once.
"THE WINDS ARE TOO STRONG!!"
You actually wanted to cry. We're never going to reach Whiskey Peak.
"(NAME)!! THE PIE!!"
You screamed, "FUCK! THE PIE!"
You almost rammed into Sanji on your way to the kitchen– as he had just made about fifty onigiri in twenty seconds. "Eat and energize!"
Luffy's cheeks were stretching with how much he was eating. "Got it!"
"YOU'RE EATING TOO MUCH!"
The sail began to rip– it was an awful tearing that invaded your senses and made you physically cringe. You grabbed two onigiri with your lower hands as you turned on your heel. "Sanji! Get the pie out of the oven!"
"YES MA'AM!!"
"The sail's tearing!"
Nami searched for you. "(Name)! Can you–!?"
"On it!"
You were already climbing up the mast– you could sew fast as fuck– and mending was just as easy. You crammed the onigiri into your mouth as you pulled out the string and needle that you kept in the crow's nest.
"There's another leak on the lower deck!"
"SHIT!"
"Where's the compass pointing now?!"
"IT CHANGED AGAIN!!"
"WHAAAAAT?!"
~ . . . ~
You were the only one who wasn't dying on the floor
In fact, you were enjoying a nice piece of your pumpkin pie in the crow's nest. The sky was bright, the sea was calm, and the sun was warm. You had unzipped your jacket and draped it over your shoulders.
The seagulls cawed from above you. The rest of the crew, minus Luffy, who had endless energy, nearly passed out as they laid on the deck while trying to regain their breath.
Your demon was rapidly absorbing the cut up pieces of pie and whipped cream. "It cracked a bit in the oven, but it's very tasty."
"Stop eating all of it you greedy bastard."
"It's good."
"Thanks, but I'd like some."
His eyes narrowed slowly. "There's more in the fridge." That was code for "get your own slice". You sighed as you watched Kosai happily eat the pie right in front of you.
A loud yawn from the deck. So, the green troll finally decided to wake up, huh? You rested your arms on the wooden railing and observed him from a bird's eye view. Zoro sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before he stretched.
He stood up and yawned once more. "Man, what a nice nap...Hm?"
Zoro noticed everyone on the floor
To him– he just thought they were sleeping.
"Hey, come on now. It's a nice day and all, but you shouldn't be so lazy."
Zoro finally noticed the elephant in the room. The two Baroque Workers who had been worked to the bone and were laying in puddles in their own sweat and tears. He pointed at the two as he looked at the others.
"Why're these two on the ship?"
"YOU NOTICED NOW??"
Luffy called out to Zoro from the railings he sat on. He clapped the bottoms of his sandals together as he spoke. "We're heading to their town right now."
Zoro scoffed. "So we're giving them a ride? It's not like we owe it to them or anything. We're not obligated to, either."
"I know."
The green haired boy shook his head before he sauntered back over to the two "mysterious" people. He crouched down to be eye level and agonizingly inspected them with his 20/20 eyesight. "There's something sinister and devious about your faces..."
"That's rude, Zoro."
He glanced upwards and glared when your eyes met. "I wasn't talking to you."
"Shut it, grumpy. Go take a shower before you talk to me like that again."
"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU!"
You only snickered at that.
"What're your names again?" Zoro focused back on the two as a sinister smile of his own spread across his lips. He was creepy whenever he interrogated people. Perhaps it was an intimidation tactic. His twitching eye made the whole interaction worse.
"M...Mr. 9..."
"Miss Wednesday..."
Zoro didn't hear Nami slowly approaching him from behind. "Ah, I feel like I've heard those names before. It's starting to bug me. Something about those names..." He rubbed his chin in thought as he beadily stared at the duo. "Well, in any case–!"
WHACK
An irk mark formed on Zoro's head as he silently glared at Nami, who held her fist up with an angry aura of her own. "Did you have a nice nap? You refused to wake up no matter how hard we tried...!"
You laughed loudly when you saw Zoro suddenly hunch over– Nami delivering three more powerful blows to his head and leaving welts in their place. Nobody escaped Nami's wrath. Nobody.
"Why...?"
"You know why!"
Zoro barked at your enthusiasm. "I DON'T!"
Kosai formed two small hands and tugged on your shirt. "Can I have more pie?"
Let me get more first.
You swung your legs over the sides of the crow's nest before you jumped down. Surprisingly, your legs didn't snap when you landed. You looked unharmed and unbothered. You just stared down at Zoro, who was slumped on the ground like he had been fatally wounded.
"We have snacks in the kitchen if you want them."
Nami turned away as she grit her teeth. "Don't let your guard down! We don't know what to expect out here! I finally understand how terrifying Grand Line is– as well as why they even call it that! I understand because all of my navigational skills failed to work!"
Usopp sweat dropped as he stared at all of his fallen comrades. "Are we gonna be okay?"
A smile settled on her face. Gotta smile through the pain. That's all that she could do. "We'll be fine– we just have to work through it and learn on the way! And as proof of that, look...!"
Through the fog ahead, you saw it. A shadow of an island.
"The first leg of our journey... It's over."
"It's an island!" Luffy whooped and ran over to his special spot. "I can see giant cacti!"
"So this is Whiskey Peak!"
"Thank god we got here alive!"
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday jumped onto the railings of Merry, completely ready to just dive headfirst into the ocean. Everyone else turned to them to see what the hell they were trying to do. "Now then! Thank you so much– we please ask that you drop us off here!"
"Thank you for taking us here, my honeys!" Miss Wednesday smirked. "If fate wills us, then we'll meet again!"
"Bye-bye, Baby!"
"Huh?!"
"Ah! They're... gone."
You watched, with crossed arms, as the duo swam away. Where was that energy when they were supposed to be helping?
"Will we actually see them in the future?" Usopp asked, glancing at you with an antsy air around him. "They're weird..."
You shrugged. "We're going to the same island. We're bound to run into them again."
"That's not what I meant!"
A smile spread across your face. "That's for me to know and for you to find out!"
It was annoying that you obviously knew– but you wouldn't tell them!
"What was up with those two...?"
Luffy didn't care. "Forget about 'em! Prepare to land!"
Nami hummed as she observed the area ahead. "Looks like there's a river ahead. We can dock inland if we go further."
Usopp suddenly paled. "Th-There wouldn't be any monsters on the island, right?"
Yet another question directed at you. Instead of denying him, you just let your smile get larger, an ominous aura surrounding you. "I don't know... why don't we go find out, Usopp?"
The curly haired boy screamed as a shiver ran down his spine. "STOP SAYING STUFF LIKE THAT!! YOU'RE GIVING ME CHILLS!!"
You cackled. Usopp was so easy to scare. His question was valid. Grand Line was unpredictable. There were going to be islands that you had never experienced before. A part of you wished that you were with the Straw Hats when they came across that island full of islands who was guarded by that one guy who looked like a shrub.
"I'd say there's a good possibility for that," Sanji added, in no way calming Usopp's nerves. He actually made it worse.
"We can run away if we want," Said a carefree Luffy.
"Wait a second. We can't just run away if that happens." She held up the log pose. "Remember; we have this. We have to stay on the island for a certain amount of time until we can move onto the next island."
"Why?"
He never listens. You sighed softly.
"I want more pie."
Just wait a second!
"This log pose needs time to record the magnetic field. The time it takes varies from island to island. Meaning that some could take a few hours while others could take a few days."
Usopp was sweating buckets. "W-Wait! Does that mean that even if there are scary monsters– We're going to have to stay on the island??"
"Yup."
"Don't worry about it!" Luffy grinned. He could smile through anything. "Lets just go already! It'd be weird not to if there was a river waiting right in front of us!"
Nami put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "For you, maybe..."
"Let's just go. What Luffy's saying is right, anyways. There's no point in worrying about it," said Zoro.
"Don't worry! I'll protect you both, Nami and (Name)!!"
I'm pretty sure that it'd be the other way around, in this case. You recalled how Sanji spent his entire time on Whiskey Peak flirting with women before he fell asleep and didn't wake up until he was dragged back onto the ship. Yeah, it's definitely the other way around, now that I think about it.
"Haha, he's pathetic."
"I...I think I've suddenly developed a "can't-enter-islands" disease," Usopp muttered anxiously. His life was flashing before his eyes. They were all about to die, weren't they?
"Fine, let's go."
"Yay!"
Usopp withered. "Guys, I'm serious..."
"Ready?" Sanji rested his hands on the wooden railings as he smoked. "Get ready to fight or run at a moment's notice."
The Going Merry drifted through the fog. You all heard people, and saw some too, but the fog was way too thick for them to see who they were. Their voices grew louder. When you emerged from the fog, you weren't met with anything malicious. You were met with celebration.
"WELCOME!!"
"WELCOME TO THE WELCOMING TOWN OF WHISKEY PEAK!!"
"HI PIRATES!!"
"WELCOME TO OUR TOWN!!"
"WELCOME TO GRAND LINE!!"
An intense feeling of relief flooded through Usopp. "Not only are they not monsters, but they're cheering for us..."
"What's going on, exactly..." Sanji suspiciously eyed everyone.
The crowd that surrounded the docks were waving around flags. You swore you saw someone throw a basket of confetti into the air while screaming. "LONG LIVE THE HEROES OF THE SEA!!"
I'm not a hero, I'm a goddamn war criminal.
Sanji's suspicion dissipated before it completely disappeared when he laid eyes upon what he loved most. Women.
"Woah! Th-There's a bunch of pretty ladies! HELLO~~!!!"
"Is that a nun?" You damn near whispered, as your eyes widened slightly. You had nothing against nuns at all– but you remembered a certain horror franchise (and horror game) that kept you up at night. Isn't that the immoral nun who tried to kill Zoro?
"It seems to be her."
You bit back a malicious grin. Zoro won't have to worry about her and the child.
"Talk about a warm welcome!" Usopp blew air kisses to the citizens and waved as joy radiated off of him. "Pirates really are the people's heroes!"
"Yahooo!"
"What's all this noise...?"
You wordlessly moved your hand to the hilt of your sword and pulled it out of the scabbard. Only one of Annan's eyes rose out of the scabbard, and he blinked a few times before he hummed. The sword was sheathed completely, and you rested your lower arm on the hilt.
"You've been out for most of the day," you commented.
Annan yawned, the sword at your side shaking from the action. "We don't fight as much. I'm tired."
"Don't worry..." You smiled softly. "I'll quench your bloodlust by dawn."
"Oh... Really?"
Your chuckle was the only confirmation that he needed. He'd be in the spotlight soon. Ah, it had been a while since you drew all four of your swords. You only ever needed one out. And that was Annan.
When the Going Merry finally docked, you walked to the side of the ship so that you'd be the first person that they saw. You had a hunch. If Crooner was well renowned around East Blue, then what did the people in Grand Line think of him?
Your eyes scanned the area quickly. When you spotted a tall man with long, blonde, and oddly curled hair, you smiled to yourself. Igaram. This was an island chalk full of bounty hunters. You doubted that you had a wanted poster, but if they did, would their facades break?
As your eyes met Igaram's... You might've gotten an answer. His eyes held an emotion that you were already so familiar with. An emotion that you have come across many times. With Buggy, and with Mihawk... And now Igaram. He recognized you.
Something was telling you that Igaram knew who you were
And it wasn't only because of your relation to Crooner