"Damn it, Luffy! What were you thinking?!" Jimbei said as he threw Luffy onto the deck.
"Get her! Go get Misaki!" He cried weakly. "Get her! Get Misaki!"
"Get ahold of yourself, Luffy!" Jimbei said, smacking Luffy. "I will go, but you or somebody else must man the helm until I return! And let Franky know we must stay!"
"Go!" Luffy jumped up, sniffling a little as he leapt into action. "I'll handle this! Just go get her!"
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The water was relentless. After losing my grip, I felt myself get pulled far down beneath the surface until it was calm. I swam up, thanking whatever God might be out there that I was a fast swimmer, and burst to the surface right as I gasped for air. Before I could even clear my eyes, I was getting beat down again, this time multiple times, like a Gatling raining down on me. I desperately held onto the air in my lungs as I swam back to the surface. I was so close when yet another wave crashed down, shoving me further below. I held my hand to my mouth, whining as the pressure tried to steal the air from me.
*BAM* I burst to the surface as the last of the air escaped my lungs and took an enormous breath in as I braced for more impact. Over and over. Up then down, until every fiber in my body ached for more oxygen. Each and every time, I lost my air further and further from the surface, only to get dragged back down again and again. Jimbei. Please help me.
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Jimbei dove headlong into the water and looked around. The waves crashed heavily from above, making it hard to determine where Misaki might be. He swam a ways out in the direction he thought she might be in, perplexed by the swirling currents. He knew he wasn't going to be able to see her on the surface amidst the violent waves, so he waited. He waited for her to sink below the churning waters, where it was calm. He looked around, hoping she would know to let herself sink down. All he had to do was spot her.
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I burst to the surface yet again, barely getting in a breath before losing my place on the surface yet again. It was getting harder and harder to make it to the surface, but the thought of drowning terrified me. I knew what drowning felt like, and I never wanted to feel it again. Another wave crashed into me, and my scarf dragged against the water as I rose yet again to the surface. With every waking moment, it was becoming increasingly obvious that my beloved scarf was threatening to drown me. With every time I rose to the surface, my scarf dragged more and more, exhausting me.
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"Come on, Misaki. Where are you?" Jimbei muttered. He really wished she hadn't been wearing darker colors. All he needed was to see a spark of color. Her hair. Or even...
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Suddenly, I realized I was no longer alone in the waters. I wasn't sure if it was a large fish or a deadly sea king, but something else was crashing into me. I could feel my precious air escaping my lungs as this thing smashed against me, full force. It continued to shove into me, pushing me farther and farther away from the Sunny before I managed to shove myself off of it. I cascaded past it's massive body as it continued to launch itself through the waters. The beast's sheer size was enough to create a shockwave large enough to send me spiraling. I thrashed at the water to bring me to the surface, just barely making it up in time before the most terrifying thing could have happened. I took another breath in and braced for impact, fearing what might lie beneath the surface.
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"Sanjiiiiiii! Zorooooooo! Somebodyyyyyy! Take the Helm!" Luffy wailed. He wanted to see what was happening, even if he couldn't do anything. He wanted to be right there when Jimbei came out of the water with Misaki. Sanji came to the surface, replaced by Brook.
"Brook said Misaki fell in?!" Sanji yelled over the crashing waves and pelting rain.
"TAKE THE DAMN HELM!" Luffy screamed.
Sanji shot over, taking the helm and then putting his hand on Luffy's shoulder.
"Jimbei's got this. He is first son of the sea!"
Luffy could feel tears prick in his eyes. His chest felt like it was tearing to pieces. He could barely catch his breath. It felt like he was drowning.
"She just got me back. I just got her back." He whined. Sanji smiled reassuringly at him.
"She's strong. She's survived worse."
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Being propelled down yet again was the most surreal experience. I opened my eyes to see a hundred billion bubbles chaotically dancing through the rough waters. I couldn't believe how many there were, running around me, shoving past me, through my hair, into my eyes. And just like that, I got smashed by another wave, making me throw my hands over my mouth as some of those precious bubbles escaped through to the surface.
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Jimbei looked on in disbelief. How could she still not have sunk down?! He swam further out, hoping that maybe he just wasn't seeing her. He looked up and down and around. Misaki, where are you?? His eyes then widened, as he saw a glimpse of red trailing down from the bubbling madness above.
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Before I could even start swimming back up, the beast rammed into me again, propelling me even further away. I angrily punched and scratched at the beast, screaming out in pain as my fingernails cracked against its hard scales. My eyes shot open as I watched large bubbles surge to the surface. They fled from me as if my lungs were forcing them out. I think they are forcing them out.
I reached out desperately as the last of my air supply escaped my lips and bubbled to the surface. I only had so long before the inevitable. And just like that, I managed to free myself from the beast. I clawed at the water, desperately trying to make it up to the surface in time. My lungs were burning, and my body was running on empty, but I clawed at the sea. I fought against it with all of my might, looking desperately above at the surface. I reached out and swiped my arms again.
My lungs hurt so bad. Just a little farther. I was so close I could almost reach out and touch the surface. And then, my mouth opened, sucking in the sea water around me, stopping me in my tracks. My throat and lungs burned. I tried to cough and hack up the water, but there was no air to breathe in, leaving me in a suspended state of taking in water and only water.
Fear and panic gripped my heart as I took on water, my body feeling too heavy to keep pushing toward the surface, despite it being one breaststroke away. I reached up, pain tearing through my arm as I thought how stupid it was to call drowning peaceful. This was horrific. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to drown. I couldn't even stop myself from breathing in that water. It just.... Happened. I felt myself sinking, my eyes growing heavy and my vision slowly but surely fading to black.
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Luffy looked on. Despite the storm raging around him, he couldn't help but look on. Several minutes went by without Jimbei's return. Luffy was already worried. That worry had now become pure panic.
"Where are they?!" He muttered. "Where could they possibly be?"
He caught Chopper so fast, and Luffy didn't even have a chance to hit the surface before Jimbei had snagged him. So then.... Why the Hell had he not come back with Misaki yet?!
Luffy heard a splash, followed by a lowly grunt coming from behind him. He smiled, knowing it was Jimbei. He turned around, ready to take Misaki into his arms before falling heavily to his knees. His heart thudded wildly against his chest as he gawked at the scene before him.
"What the Hell, Jimbei?!" Luffy growled. "What do you think this is?!"
"I'm sorry Luffy." Jimbei said solemnly, her scarf resting in his hands.
"Don't say sorry! Go back in there! You're the only one that can find her! You're the only one that can—!"
"Luffy! She should have sank to low enough for me to find her by now."
"What do you mean?! It's only been a few minutes!"
"It's been far longer than that." Jimbei said, kneeling in front of Luffy and handing him the scarf. "I'm so sorry, Luffy. The ocean... it swallowed her up."