After Chopper aided the octopus with its small wounds the animal received at the descent, Luffy threw it back in the sea and bid the octopus farewell, who did the same with a wave of its tentacle.
"Okay, guys! Unfurl the sail! We're off to the next island!" stated Luffy, pointing forward.
"Oi, j-just hold on, Luffy!" stammered Usopp. "Can't we rest for a bit?"
"No, silly. If we could get away with that on this sea, anyone would be able to sail there!" said Nami.
"Yeah, but still..." sighed the sniper, flopping down on his knees.
"The waves have been moving in a strange pattern. Everyone on your toes. Steer us to port!"
"Aye, Nami-san!" cooed Sanji, a heart escaping his lips.
At the end of this sentence, there was a loud rumbling noise and you saw at the horizon a tidal wave approaching the ship. Both Usopp and Chopper panicked, screaming in terror at the size of this wave.
"See? I told you" smiled the navigator.
"FULL SPEED AHEAD!!!" yelled Usopp.
"We're in trouble!!!" whimpered the doctor.
"AND THERE's SOMETHING INSIDE THAT WAVE!" pointed out Sanji at the sight of the three faces that appeared out of the water.
"THOSE ARE SEA MONKEYS!!!"
All the rest of the night, your crew did their best to avoid the Sea Monkeys all the while getting pushed by the tidal wave to an unknown direction. That night resumed with you making sure that one of the idiots didn't fall head first in the sea, and nearly puking your non existential dinner out of your stomach. The sun finally appeared at the horizon, with you laying on your stomach with your hair slightly wet from all the sea water you received in the face by those Sea Monkeys.
"Things have calmed down" Sanji puffed smoke from his cigarette.
"We still can't let out guard down, though" said Zoro, his arms and legs crossed.
"I don't want to see those monkeys anymore, that's all I ask. Same stupid look as the captain..." you mumbled, eyeing from the side said boy with a straw hat.
"EMERGENCY REPORT! EMERGENCY REPORT!!!" yelled Usopp from the crow nest. "Ship sighted at 12 o'clock!"
"Who is it? Enemies?" demanded Luffy.
"At a time like this?" groaned Chopper.
"Well, no...They don't have a flag or sails!" replied the sniper. "I can't tell what kind of ship it is!"
"What's with that? They don't have anything?" said in disbelief your captain and Usopp hummed negatively. "What are they doing at sea?"
"But what's more...The crew seems unusually small...And...THEY'RE ALL MOPING ABOUT! It's like they've lost their will to live!"
Suddenly, the three Sea Monkeys from before appeared behind the Going Merry. Luffy made the same face as them and you swore you couldn't even make the difference.
"NOT THEM AGAIN!!" you snarled.
"RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!! IT'S THE SEA MONKEYS!!!" screamed in alarm Luffy as the Sea Monkeys created another tidal wave.
"DID THEY FOLLOW US?!" barked the swordsman.
"DAMN, THERE'S NO WIND!" cursed Sanji.
"Take in the sail!" ordered Nami.
"MAN THE OARS! ROW FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" panicked the sniper who swung his limbs in every direction from the crow nest.
With the help of Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Chopper, the guys used the paddles and paddled like crazy to avoid and get away from the tidal wave that was coming toward your ship. However, you noticed that the coming ship was going straight at the wave.
"What are they doing?" you asked, leaning over the railing to gaze at the other ship. "Won't they crash?"
"Ahoy, you there!!" yelled Luffy to the mopping crew. "A tidal wave and some monkeys are coming! Steer your ship away!"
The other crew made of men only seem to realize there was another ship, and started to spout nonsense about stealing your treasures. Until they saw the tidal wave and panicked in unison.
"That ship's crew has no idea what they're doing" Luffy stated the obvious, watching the crew who was making mistakes left and right.
"They said they wanted to steal our treasure. They're a bunch of crooks. Let'em be" dismissed Sanji, continuing to paddle.
Eventually, the tidal wave crashed against the other ship, giving you the opportunity to get away while the Sea Monkeys were enjoying their last victims. Your crew continued to paddle, not showing any sign of stopping.
"It's just one thing after another!" grunted angrily Zoro, letting himself drop down on the deck in exhaustion.
"Things are under control for now" sighed in relief Sanji.
"That wave was just the Sea Monkeys being mischievous" said Nami. "The humidity and temperature are stable. We've probably entered the next island's climate zone"
"That's good news" you mumbled, head falling against the mast.
"Oi, Robin! Can you see anything from there?" demanded Usopp with a tired expression.
"The island's been in front of us for a while" she responded.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!" sweatdropped in unison Luffy and Usopp.
"Don't you know your job?! Listen, when you see an island, you're supposed to say something!" scolded the sniper before he shoved his hand toward Luffy. "Now demonstrate!"
"GUYS! I SEE AN ISLAND!!" cried out loudly your captain, cheering.
"Now you!"
"There's a dense fog ahead" said Robin, completely ignoring Usopp's request who cried out indignantly.
"That could be dangerous" mumbled Nami. "Chopper, keep a lookout on the forecastle"
"Aye!" said Chopper before he went in position.
"Hey! Don't you know how eager we are to get to the next island?!" your captain continued to shout at Robin who didn't seem to be that affected.
"I'm sorry. I'll keep that in mind" she told.
"Oh, if you'll keep it in mind, then okay"
"Are you an idiot?" you facepalmed and Luffy pouted at you.
"But, didn't that ship bother any of you?" questioned Usopp, having a serious look on. "They didn't have a captain or a navigator. And no flag, no sails, no motivation...and no idea what they were doing. They were nothing like a pirate crew"
"They must've lost a battle at sea" suggested Zoro. "Their captain probably died and everything else got stolen"
"No, no, no, I had a good look at their ship. There were no signs of a battle. And yet, there was nothing on the ship that pirates would need to live"
"Then they weren't pirates" said Sanji. "Don't let it bother you"
"But they sure seemed like pirates to me..." mumbled the sniper. "I just can't shake this uneasy feeling"
"Nothing's new there" said Sanji, whose voice was dripped with sarcasm.
"Hey, I wonder if there's a town there! I hope they have shipyard!"
The more you approached the new island, the more Luffy was getting excited. You were barely holding him back by his collar that he was almost out of the ship. Usopp was currently having an attack of his I-can't-land-at-this-island disease, with Chopper explaining there was nothing to fix that. However, some of you were dumbfounded at the sight when the fog cleared out.
"There's nothing here!" exclaimed Luffy. "What is this place? It's cool! There's grass as far as the eye can see!"
"What a plain-looking place" murmured the chief.
"Yahoo!" cheered Luffy, jumping down on land, followed by Chopper and Usopp.
The trio rolled in the ground like children, playing and giggling. Nami sighed next to you, facepalming:
"Jeez, those guys...They just merrily jump onto an island we know nothing about"
"From the looks of things, there's nothing dangerous here" noted Zoro.
"I will simply babysit..." you groaned, jumping down from the Going Merry. "...Again"
The four of you visited this strange island, where the trees were so long that you could barely see the tip of them. You observed your surroundings with a dumbfounded expression, even more when you caught sight of a bear...a long bear.
"A person?!" Chopper tilted his head to the side.
"There's no person this hairy!" laughed Luffy, jumping on the back of the animal. "This is a bear!"
"It....It's long!" stated Usopp, climbing the bear too who stopped, blinking. "The bear's so long!"
"He's so tall!"
Luffy let out a noise of pure awe at the sight of the fruits in the trees, stretching an arm toward one of them to grab it. He took one bite of it, humming under his breath:
"It's an apple!" he told you. "It's long too!"
"Don't eat it!" barked in panic Usopp, before he looked around. "We certainly have a really good view from up here!"
"Just get down from the bear" you sighed, arms crossed.
On cue, the bear shook them off from its back and they fell on the ground with a loud thud and groans of pain. The long bear walked away angrily as your comrades stood up. Usopp put on his goggles, and pointed in a direction:
"That looks like a house!"
"You're right. It looks like a house" said Luffy, finishing his long apple and throwing the core away. "Let's check it out!"
When you started to walk toward it, you saw a long fox passing by your group and also a deer, that Luffy mistaken it for Chopper's cousin. To which the reindeer rectified with a pissed expression. You also came in contact with a bird that let out a strange sound while it flew hover you before disappearing, and now you were seeing a dog that you couldn't even see the end of it.
"Shake!" laughed Luffy, offering a hand to the dog who put its pawn in.
"Watch this, guys!" said Usopp, stretching himself. You watched in amusement as the sniper started to do a limbo with the long dog.
"Usopp, that's awesome!" cooed Chopper with stars in his eyes.
"Sit" you ordered the dog, smirking evilly.
The animal did as told and sat down, letting its stomach crush Usopp who let out a yowl. Luffy let out a laugh at the sight of the sniper, who struggled to get out from under the dog. Then, your captain asked the long animal to stand up on its two members, which the dog did so with a determined glint.
"I can't even see his head" you said, placing a hand over your forehead.
You continued to walk toward the house, seeing other strange animals once in a while. The weirdness of this place elicited more reactions from the guys, who were looking around in amazement and excitement.
"Man, that tree's looonng~!" Usopp drawled the word, his body turning weird. "Everything here is so looonng~"
"The more I look at them, the lonnnnger I feel~!" enriched Chopper, his body doing the same thing as Usopp.
"Stop being idiots" you slapped the back of their head weakly, though it was enough to send them stumble forward. "What kind of island is this?"
"Hi! Excuse me!" Luffy lifted his hand, entering without any shame the house.
"HOLD ON!" you barked, grabbing his red shirt.
"Yeah! This house belongs to the boss of this island! Some giant, super-long demon snake-man is gonna come out to get us!" panicked the sniper.
"There's no one here" replied your captain with a dumb expression.
"Hey, guys! There's a giraffe out here!" shouted the reindeer from outside.
They let out a noise of disbelief, scampering to exit the house to go toward Chopper. Following them, you gaze at what it seems like a white, long horse with a saddle.
"This ain't a giraffe" you told the doctor, approaching the horse who neighed, bringing its face closer to you. "It's a horse with a long neck and legs. A long white horse"
"What a pretty horse!" stated your captain, observing closely the horse.
"She says her name's Cherie" giggled the reindeer as the horse nudged its head against him, cuddling his cheek. "She's a female"
"She has a saddle" noted Usopp, passing a hand on the material. "There must be people living here....What's wrong Luffy?"
"There's two bamboo trees growing there, right?" asked your captain, looking in a certain direction.
"Bamboo trees?" you raised a brow, sauntering to them. "How is this possible?"
"What do you mean, (y/n)?" Usopp stood next to you, him staring at the bamboo trees too.
"Look at the vegetation around" you motioned your surroundings. "Same exact trees everywhere but this spot? Sounds fishy to me"
To make a point, the bamboos trees moved on their own, sliding away from your group. Usopp let out a scream, falling on his butt as he crawled away.
"This must be some kind of long monster!!" told Luffy with wide eyes and got knocked down by one of the bamboos trees.
"AH! THE BAMBOO'S ATTACKING LUFFY!!!" shouted Usopp.
"NO BAMBOO'S GONNA BEST ME. GOMU GOMU NO WHIP!!!!"
You watched with a blank expression Luffy kicking and destroying the bamboo stick. You let out a breath of exasperation as the two idiots cheered for his victory. Until your right eye flashed and you looked up in time to see someone falling directly above you. You dodged and there was an explosion. When the smoke cleared, an old man was there laying on his back, coughing.
"What happened?!" yelled Chopper when he arrived.
"Well..." trailed Luffy, biting his upper lip. "When I broke the bamboo, a spirit appeared"
"THAT'S NO SPIRIT!" you growled, punching your captain's face who let out a cry of pain.
"ITAII! IT HURTS!!"
"Oi. Say something" demanded Usopp as he knelt next to the old man.
"Of course I remember you" said the old man. "It's been so long! How have you been?"
"Huh? Do you guys know him?" asked the sniper to the others who gave a negative answer.
"Ah, I had a feeling I'd never seen you before"
"YOU JUST MADE THAT UP" you scowled. "WHO ARE YOU?"
"My name is Tonjit. I am very grateful to you for helping me off my stilts" answered the old man.
"Stilts?" you repeated, giving a look to the bamboo trees.
"But that bamboo was so long we couldn't see the top!" said Luffy.
"Yes. I was there at the top"
"What were you doing on those long bamboo stilts?" he demanded.
"I've always liked stilts. I used the long bamboo trees on this island... to make the world's longest pair of stilts. And do you know what happened?"
"You got stuck?" you answered bluntly.
"I had no trouble getting up, but I was so scared that I couldn't get down"
"Are you an idiot, Ossan?" sweated Luffy and you scoffed.
"You're one to talk"
"I was up there for ten years" continued the old man and your saliva caught in your throat.
"YOU WERE ON THOSE STILTS FOR TEN YEARS" said Usopp, alarmed.
"Yeah, and in the meantime the bamboo kept getting taller. It became impossible to get down. Oh, I was so scared..."
"THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY AFTER TEN YEARS?!!!"
"Well, there are other trees on this island as tall as the bamboo. So I managed to survive by eating their fruit"
"That's a light and incredible story" concluded Usopp. "Almost like a tall tale"
"Speaking of long stuff, why is everything on this island so long?" you asked the old man.
"I imagine most outsiders wonder that when they get here. There is a reason. As you can see, this island has a vast expanse of grassland. All of the animals here live such relaxed lifestyles that they've grown longer"
"What kind of explanation is that?!" you sweatdropped.
"For example, that critter" he motioned the animal passing by you. "It's a plaaatypus"
"YOU JUST MADE THE NAME LONGER" barked the sniper.
"That's a daaachshund" the old man then motioned the dog.
"Huh, we met him" said Chopper.
"HIS HEAD'S STILL OVER THERE?!" cried out Usopp.
"There are some wild beasts, so you should be careful. Look, there's a snow leooopard. They are vicious, and liable to bite"
"WHY IS THAT THE ONLY PART THAT'S LONG?!" continued to cry Usopp at the sight of the leopard whose head was too long in contrast of its body.